Guest Katyb Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hello everyone, I wonder if anyone can help me...a month ago my husband accepted a transfer to Brisbane. Everything has happened really quickly and I am starting to panic a bit now as the move gets closer. We have three children, 4,3 and 1 1/2. I have so many questions! Can anyone advise me about northern suburbs with good state primary schools and kindegartens? Mark will be working in the cbd and will rely on public transport to get there. Ideally he would be within 30/40 mins commute. We are hoping to find a house for about $600pw. is it worth contacting agents before we leave? We have accomodation for 4 weeks and are sure to need to extend this while we wait to receive our shipment. However we need to enrole our oldest in school before the start of term on 24 th of jan, so will need a tenency agreement fairly early on. Any thoughts on good agents to contact? Sorry to inundate you with questions!!! I meant it when I said I needed help! THank you, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyyu Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 look at petrie /narangba schools are good commute around 40mins,rents cheaper than 600 ,around 300to400 close to beach 30mins redcliffe and bribie all government amenities rego drivers licence,centerlink.medibank handy at strathpine all on rail.agents i can't help sorry,but with 4 weeks you should have time to sort.primary schools kurwongbah,petrie,narangba all have good names Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcatjane Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hello everyone,I wonder if anyone can help me...a month ago my husband accepted a transfer to Brisbane. Everything has happened really quickly and I am starting to panic a bit now as the move gets closer. We have three children, 4,3 and 1 1/2. I have so many questions! Can anyone advise me about northern suburbs with good state primary schools and kindegartens? Mark will be working in the cbd and will rely on public transport to get there. Ideally he would be within 30/40 mins commute. We are hoping to find a house for about $600pw. is it worth contacting agents before we leave? We have accomodation for 4 weeks and are sure to need to extend this while we wait to receive our shipment. However we need to enrole our oldest in school before the start of term on 24 th of jan, so will need a tenency agreement fairly early on. Any thoughts on good agents to contact? Sorry to inundate you with questions!!! I meant it when I said I needed help! THank you, thank you. Hi there, we moved here 3 weeks ago and also have 3 children 4, 3 and 14 months! We have just secured a rental property in Bridgeman Downs. I would really recommend the Bridgeman Downs, Albany Creek and Eatons Hill areas. Good schools and nice houses, great shopping nearby, good local leisure centre, library and parks. Commute would be between 40 minutes to an hour. My husband works in the CBD too and we are currently in an apartment in the CBD. We did a lot of research before leaving the UK and then drove around the suburbs we had in mind and narrowed it down that way. If you go on realestate.com.au they have most of the rental properties available, most that come up for rent are available more or less immediately and some come up and are available in the future. It's probably best to just wait until you get here as properties come and go all the time. You will be able to get something in your price range in the areas we looked at for sure. If you let me have your email address I can send you an info document that I've been putting together since before we left, just little bits of information, things to do, etc. which you might find useful. We signed the lease to start on 7th but would've liked to have pushed it back a bit more but the agent met us in the middle and we compromised, we decided just to go for it as it was the area we wanted and the house ticked all the boxes (we wanted a pool, 4 beds and aircon!). Our stuff isn't due to arrive for a while yet though, we were told 8-10 weeks from end of September. When was your eldest 4? As the cut off date here is end of June. They attend prep first here which isn't compulsory and sounds a bit like reception in England, that is the year they turn 5. They start school properly until they are turning 6. A lot of the schools don't have catchment areas, like the area where we are going. There are 2 schools Albany Creek State School and Albany Hills State School. We are going to view them tomorrow so I can let you know what they are like if you are interested. They don't do pre-school here in the same way (like the school nurseries in the UK) - there is a good website C&K which have kindy sessions spread over a 5 day fortnight but the waiting lists are huge for most centres which is a it frustrating as my 3 year old was due to start school nursery in January in Edinburgh where we were living. I have met a few Mums already, there are lots of meet up groups here, playgroups, etc. so it's easy to meet people. Will you be working? I am happy to show you round when you get here as I know what it's like (especially with 3 kids!!). We have a boy and 2 girls, what about you? Don't worry too much, it will all fall into place when you get here. Well done on doing it and I am sure you will love it here, with young children it's so easy here and so much to do with them. I hope this helps! I can PM you my email address/mobile number if you like. Best of luck with the move. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Melody La Joly Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Hello girls! Can I join you? We're mooving to Brisbane in 4 months. We have also 3 kids:5,7 and a newborn. We want to book 6 weeks near CBD in a self-contained apartment and then look for the long stay. Do you know when our children can go to school ? katyb,you can see here:www.rwnf.com.au they answered me quickly Jane,I would like you to email me some information but I don't know how to give you my email,I'm new here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcatjane Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Hello girls! Can I join you? We're mooving to Brisbane in 4 months. We have also 3 kids:5,7 and a newborn. We want to book 6 weeks near CBD in a self-contained apartment and then look for the long stay. Do you know when our children can go to school ? katyb,you can see here:www.rwnf.com.au they answered me quickly Jane,I would like you to email me some information but I don't know how to give you my email,I'm new here. Hi Melody You can send a private message on here to me with your email or just put it in reply to this. The private message button is up on the top right near your name etc. Good luck with the move! They start 'prep' which is non compulsory in the year they turn 5, the cut off is June, so for instance my son is going in January and he would need to have turned 5 after June this year to be able to go. So with regards to your 5 year old they will go to prep and your 7 year old depending on when born will go to school. Let me know if I can help you out anymore. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomerang Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Hi Katy, We used a company called Homehunters.com.au in line with using Realestae.com.au They were able to go and veiw houses for us that we thought we may like and they also did a skype meeting with us to discuss our needs/expectations of the house and area we lived. This is all helpful but just remember no matter how much research you do or how many maps you look at none of it is three dimensional and for the person who is walking to the train bus stop etc this is a really important point. Brisbane is a very, very hilly place this cant be emphasied enough as its now always a case of literal distance and how the crow flys so to speak its more like will I need to top up on oxygen!!! Ask for Mark at Homehunters if you are interested. Kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest atticus Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Hi - we arrived 6 mths ago with a 6, 4 and 3 mth old so know what you're going through. Get them down to the artificial beach at South Bank as soon as possible and they'll be set. There was a really good website when we were looking called ourbrisbane.com which described each suburb - sadly it has closed. I would suggest pulling together a shortlist then hiring a car and driving around to get a feel for where you would like to live - check schools and commute Ok and look at rentalprices on realestate.com. If you try this site and others or google brisbane suburbs you should get some descriptions. Have a look at google maps and draw a line up to 10km from the CBD. Renting is a pain - you attend a viewing with lots of other people then put in your application and wait to see if you are accepted. Get all your paper incl letter from employer/income proof beforehand. Most state primaries in "good" suburbs are fine, have a look at http://www.myschool.edu.au/ or google the school and get a feel from its own website. We also visited a couple and they're happy to show you around. Our experience was that schools do have catchments but as long as you were within it there is no problem ie they have to accept you. C&K kindys can be busy but we found one the next suburb along - I believe younger childcare is more difficult. Thats the next challenge. Your paperwork - Medicare, driving licences etc - leave to your partner in the lunchhour. For commuting have a look at the journey planner on the Brisbane Translink website - as a guide we live about 5-6km from the CBD in Ashgrove and door to door its 25-30min on the bus. Bring lots and lots of paperwork for rental agencies, car dealers - even your latest insurance renewal to gat a no claims discount. Its great - you'll love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsb Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Hello everyone,I wonder if anyone can help me...a month ago my husband accepted a transfer to Brisbane. Everything has happened really quickly and I am starting to panic a bit now as the move gets closer. We have three children, 4,3 and 1 1/2. I have so many questions! Can anyone advise me about northern suburbs with good state primary schools and kindegartens? Mark will be working in the cbd and will rely on public transport to get there. Ideally he would be within 30/40 mins commute. We are hoping to find a house for about $600pw. is it worth contacting agents before we leave? We have accomodation for 4 weeks and are sure to need to extend this while we wait to receive our shipment. However we need to enrole our oldest in school before the start of term on 24 th of jan, so will need a tenency agreement fairly early on. Any thoughts on good agents to contact? Sorry to inundate you with questions!!! I meant it when I said I needed help! THank you, thank you. Hi Katyb, First of all don't panic, you'll be amazed what you can get done in 3 weeks! I know most schools will be very understanding with enrollment, even if you don't have a permanent address, I know ours is. Our daughter went in 4 weeks before the end of the school year last year and is fine. I can highly recommend the area I am in which is Bray Park, we have 3 very good state primary schools all within 5 mins drive of each other and a handful of private schools too. We purchased our house through David Deane real estate, they have plenty of rentals too so I would suggest looking on realestate.com.au When does your shipment arrive? Please shout if you need any other help or advice, am also happy to pm you my phone no if you want someone to contact when you get here, there are plenty of meet ups going on too! Best of luck Bel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katyb Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Thank you all so much for your replies! Really helpful info. It is good to know that the bits we are doing (translink website and real estate web site) are the right places to be getting info. It is all a bit mad here at the mo so if you don't see me on here for a bit that is why....just wanted to say a huge thanks for your time and fab advice. We arrive on the 26th so will be back in touch when we are in Aus!!! Katy. X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest31881 Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Just some information for our new members, The site software will not let you send a PM until you have posted 15 times on the site. You should be able to click on a persons name and view their profile and leave a message on their profile page. We also have a sister site that is dedicated to the Brisbane and QLD area. You may find some useful info on that page. http://www.lifeinqueensland.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluxsta Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Have PM'ed you.....good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tommystewart27 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hello everyone, I wonder if anyone can help me...me and my parter have been looking to move to Asutralia for sometime now and dont know where start. I have been looking for jobs in the Oil and Gas. THank you, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfarrell Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 great to see this thread... Im emigrating with my husband and our 3 kids (6, 3 & 1 yr old) in Sept. My brother lives in Mcdowall so we will be going over to him initially. Im going to try secure a rental before we go and he can go check it out for us. It does sound like a bit of a pain that my 3 year old wont start any kinda preschool till hes 5. Not that I was trying to get rid of him or anything :-O We have been looking in and round McDowall, Albany Creek, Eatons Hill, Bridgeman Downs.. but also no ruling out Mango Hill, Bray Park. Its hard as my brother says theres not too many really bad areas. Its all very exciting but all very daunting as I know I will struggle more now being at home with the kids. Im a bit shy (till you get to know me, or till after a glass of wine) so Im gonna have to really make a huge effort. I know my husband will find the first football club and get himself down training and meet people that way too so I guess Im gonna have to get myself out there. But great to hear from other Mams on here that have done it :-)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcatjane Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 great to see this thread... Im emigrating with my husband and our 3 kids (6, 3 & 1 yr old) in Sept. My brother lives in Mcdowall so we will be going over to him initially. Im going to try secure a rental before we go and he can go check it out for us. It does sound like a bit of a pain that my 3 year old wont start any kinda preschool till hes 5. Not that I was trying to get rid of him or anything :-O We have been looking in and round McDowall, Albany Creek, Eatons Hill, Bridgeman Downs.. but also no ruling out Mango Hill, Bray Park. Its hard as my brother says theres not too many really bad areas. Its all very exciting but all very daunting as I know I will struggle more now being at home with the kids. Im a bit shy (till you get to know me, or till after a glass of wine) so Im gonna have to really make a huge effort. I know my husband will find the first football club and get himself down training and meet people that way too so I guess Im gonna have to get myself out there. But great to hear from other Mams on here that have done it :-)) Hi there, I will PM you. We moved over nearly 6 months ago and live in Bridgeman Downs (the McDowall side) and have 3 kids, 5, 3 & 1!! I can answer any questions you might have and am very happy to do so and I hope we can meet up when you move in September. Regards Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EvieRie Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Hello! I have just come across this thread and it has been very helpful as myself, husband and 4 kids are flying out to Brisbane on 8th May. My son is 7 and my daughters are 5, 3 and 8 months. It is comforting to know that i am not the only one panicking about all these things!! Eve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcatjane Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Hello! I have just come across this thread and it has been very helpful as myself, husband and 4 kids are flying out to Brisbane on 8th May. My son is 7 and my daughters are 5, 3 and 8 months. It is comforting to know that i am not the only one panicking about all these things!! Eve Hi there We moved here 6 months ago and live in Bridgeman Downs on the Northside. Do you know where you will be based? Feel free to ask any questions, I will do my best to help you out. We were in the city for a month before moving out. Where will your husbane be working? I have 3 kids, 1 is 5, 1 is 3 and the youngest is 20 months. My 5 year old is in prep (1st year of school although not compulsory). Hope we can meet up sometime. PM me if you have any questions. Everything will fall into place once you get here. Good luck with the move. Jane x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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