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The Panda and the Wolf move to Australia


RedPanda

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Ok, so I didn't really click how these journals work, in that ideally you pick a journal name for your thread and then just keep posting in the same topic... :oops:

So I'll just link the first entry here http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php/topic/45262-interlude/

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Hello removers, Bye for now

So, today the first removal company came to tally up all our stuff for a quote, and Friday I'll see the next company. We decided to first get quotes from Bayley World Wide and Biddulphs. Even though the actual move date is still 9 months away, it'll give us time to maneuver(if we need to). Every time something "official" happens you realise a little more just what you are preparing to do.

It is nice talking to someone who does moves the whole time. It's a bit like talking to someone who does wedding dresses, it might your first/only time doing something, but they've done it loads of times, and know what's going on. The good news is that we have 'very little' stuff, and that nothing we want to take poses a customs problem. We'll need paperwork for the Ventertjie, and we'll need to find out how to get a competition air rifle through customs, but those things have standard procedures. So it seems fine. We are also seriously considering letting the removal company pack all our stuff. We'll sort it and clean it and do prep but it's probably better if the company does the actual packing. Apparently it helps smooth things over come quarantine and inspection time? However it may be, it certainly will decrease stress.

So piece by small piece things are coming along.
Hehe..journal entries are never predictable, some are longer and some are shorter than you think.

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Aren't you the smart cookie! Look forward to reading all the entries to come!

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Have a confession - am a bit of a fan/follower already - especially as you are a female gamer ( and have a name like RedPanda ) and were not afraid to add that to your interests list. I added it, and then took it off!

Also heading to Melbourne - leaving in just over six weeks....gulp.

Yes, I second ottg's post - if you want insurance against breakages, they have to pack. This is a bit of both a blessing and a stress for me. Yes, great to have one less thing to do, however I am a leeeetle bit of a control freak, so scary to trust someone else to do it for me ;) Have also heard that anything marked PBO ( packed by owner ) gets special attention at inspection.......

All the best for the quote gathering, and the waiting period to make the move!

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EmNew, you just made my evening! :blush-anim-cl:

Life is too short already, I'm not going to run around trying to appeal to what I think people will like. I know marriage equality is a hot topic in Australia at the moment, but I have this to say about being raised by two dads: You grow up fearless! :D You can edit your interests at any time...*nudge-nudge*

We're only going next year in May, but it's going to be cold then...coffee helps for the cold..coffee works better when it's shared. I think we should meet up for coffee once we're in Melbourne.

After talking to my husband we decided it's better to just let the removal company pack our stuff. They don't charge that much, it's easier for insurance, and better for customs...(all things mentioned) and it's one less thing to worry about. But I'm also very sure that the both of us will be here when they pack. We both have a pinch of OCD and control/sharing issues. So that'll be fun... Ag, I'm sure we'll survive it. But I have respect for the people who packed their own stuff, I think it's a lot of work and rather stressful all the way to the other side.

Good luck (I've never liked the English version, as though it's all just luck and things fall in your lap without you lifting a finger. In Afrikaans you say 'Sterkte' which acknowledges that it will be hard work, but that you should persevere.) Anyway...ramble ramble...what?

Strength and Perseverance for your last month-and-a-half!

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With the packing I also didn't want people "going through my stuff" so as much as possible I packed stuff into tupperware so that they would just be packing larger containers. So arts and crafts not just loose in say a drawer but all packed up together into tupperware. That way I felt like my stuff was handled a bit less.

The packing teams are amazing and ours were such a fun, cheerful bunch. The way they construct cardboard frames around everything is something to watch too. It won't be as bad as you imagine.

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Like you say, for the packing company, this is not their first rodeo.... So they know how to pack in a way that things won't get broken.

The company we used (and won't recommend) wrapped individual Tupperware lids in paper!! Only 2 small things got broken (nothing of value) but they packed heavy books in a box with kitchen stuff!! We had to pack up our house and put everything in storage, so they had to unpack my boxes and then re-pack everything .... But when I put things in the boxes, they were grouped according to room.... They had no excuse to mix and match as badly as they did.

So don't stress too much about how they pack, just make sure they put the right things together. The Tupperware idea is also very good for smaller things to be kept together.

Sterkte :)

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Remember that the removalists priorities are:

- minimize breakages

- get as much in your container possible

Can't comment on books with kitchen stuff! But regarding keeping room content together that is second order priority. We had linen packed between chair legs to protect the chairs and tables and use otherwise wasted space. Linen was also packed in cupboards. My only complaint was that shoes were put everywhere and customs opened each parcel that had shoes marked on them. So if I did it again I would insist on shoes being packed together.

I also ensured that loose bits were packed in shoe boxes or Tupperware. The guys were really good about personal stuff and clearly were happy about it being organised and semi packed for them.

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We're only going next year in May, but it's going to be cold then...coffee helps for the cold..coffee works better when it's shared. I think we should meet up for coffee once we're in Melbourne.

I then have a moral obligation to try all coffee places between September and your May arrival , so that I can suggest the perfect venue / cuppa for a meetup :ilikeit:

And yes, 'sterkte' really does sum up the essence of what is required for this process !

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi guys,

we have now done the first Meet-and-Greet with four removal companies: Bayley Worldwide, Biddulphs, Econo-Trans, and Crown Relocations.

We've got quotes from all but Crown, since the lady was only able to see me today(she gave me rough guess when I asked her). But they are all about in the same range, so we'll probably go for the people we feel the safest with. At this stage I like Bayley and Crown the most. Econo-Trans was the lowest quote and Crown is likely to be the highest, but the Crown lady made sure to stress that their quote would include the quarantine/inspection fees on the Melbourne side. (I seem to recall that someone else mentioned a while ago that these could add between R7 000 and R13 000 extra to the cost?) In which case Crown will work out the same(or cheaper) than Bayley and Biddulphs. I just don't like the Biddulphs crowd, it's just the vibe I get. And since it's our stuff and our money, I'm allowed to indulge my vibes. Another person has already told me that they were unhappy with a Biddulphs move, so I don't feel too bad about it. I have nothing to say about the Econo-Trans people, apart from quick, friendly response to my enquiry.

So now we'll wait and sort and wait some more and clean(and probably still chuck out a few things at that stage), and then contact the company we want to use to do a final tally. I'm thinking February would be a good time for the final tally? considering we're moving in May. But we'll get there.

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  • 1 month later...

General Status Update

  • So, we basically decided on using Crown Relocations, but we still need to do the final booking with them.
  • We have booked our flights with Qantas through IOM, and I'm currently waiting for them to issue the tickets. But since it's such a long way off, I don't expect that the tickets will differ from the preliminary information that was quoted. R8900 pp, 40kg +hand luggage each. Jhb-Syd-Mel. Middle of May, 2016, flying on a Saturday and landing on a Sunday.
  • I have just confirmed/booked our first month accommodation through Airbnb, in Selby, far Eastern suburb of Melbourne, with an option to renew on a monthly basis. The pictures look really inviting, the online reviews on Airbnb are good, and the landlady has been really friendly in the emails so far. The initial fees are quite a bit more, but after the first month the next two will be $325 per week, for a fully furnished mini-flat with a bedroom, kitchenette? (small kitchen counter, with wash basin, and tiny cooking space) and a lounge-dining room, with a shower-bathroom. The place looks small, but not cramped, and the decor is very clean/elegant. And yes, I know photographs can lie without lying, but the reviews are in line with them, so it seems ok. This is where South African paranoia and personal skepticism kick in, and I start wondering: "It's such a lovely place, why are we getting it for a bargain price?" But maybe it's just that we enquired a year in advance about 3 months (in the middle of off-peak season), for a place that normally books out on a day-to-day kind of basis? Ok, it doesn't sound so dodgy anymore.

So...it's now pretty fixed that we will be leaving SA on the 14th May, flying with Qantas, and spending the first month(probably the first 3) at Arcadia Park, Selby. It's far away but it is more real now. I wish I found working on my dissertation as exciting as arranging our new life in Aus, but I guess that is asking a bit much? <_<

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And it sucks knowing that you have to finish the thing before you can go! hahaha I know the feeling with me doing my honours :D

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Well done RedPanda, before you know it May will be upon you!

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Hey ZAtoAUSsoon, that is actually the place. They have a house on the property, and the ground floor is a flat that gets rented out on Airbnb. So you can see what the area looks like that we are going to be staying in. But no, we'll be renting human accommodation. ;)

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On Airbnb it's just called Dandenong Ranges| Selby.


We fell in love with that area the first time we stayed there Jan2014. If all goes to plan we'll own a house there one day.

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  • 5 months later...

Soo... some time ago I commented to a lady that if she was experiencing panic attack related episodes because of the moving stress, then she should seek medical help? Well, long story with several contributing factors later, hubby ended up with some 'forced leave' in ICU and then general ward. Fortunately no long lasting serious effects.

 

Long story:
Laryngitis combined with a lot of talking at work, due to handover, and the stress of handover, and then a long weekend away with friends (loads more talking, shouting and merriment) and the realisation that the weekend was a 'goodbye', and therefore more anxiety over leaving...lead to laryngeal (vocal cords) spasm that cut off airflow, with the unfortunate feature that the more you panic about the lack of air, the more the vocal cords constrict. Not fun. In the end the ENT took a good look at his throat and confirmed that there were no obstructions, so although it felt horrible it would not be life threatening. And as the laryngitis clears up, the spasms will also dissipate. Some short term anti-anxiety medication would also help, to cover the period of most stress. (Also, a big Yay! for hospital plans. I don't even want to know what the bill looks like at the end of 7 days in hospital.)

I'm sharing this to give people two pieces of advice:
1. Do not underestimate the effect that such a big change can have on your health, via stress. If you notice things building up, consult with your GP. There is no reason to 'tough it out', we are all built differently, and some bodies just don't do well with stress. Nothing the owners can do about it, apart from managing the stress.
2. Start your preparations early! We have effectively lost 3 weeks of preparation time with this, but as most of our things are arranged, and we started the 'big chuck out' early, we can deal with the delay.

At the end of the day, we are still catching our plane on the 14th of May.

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Oh no @RedPanda that is an awful experience. I am so glad your husband is OK now. I agree with you that the stress this whole process takes on you is massive and shouldn't be underestimated.

 

Your statement about starting your preparations early struck a chord with me - we haven't even had our LSD/validation trip (July) yet so we are only planning to start the full on moving process after that but as we are planning for Jan 2017 it only leaves us 5-6 months to do everything in which is daunting to say the least.

 

I have started selling few items on facebook but it is only the tip of the iceberg

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Sjoe , hoping that it's a good recovery for your hubby and you too..... 

 

I have learned time and again to never underestimate the extent to which the physical manifestation of stress can impact life - both of myself and of those around me.

It also doesn't always hit you when you are in the middle of extreme periods of stress either.

 

Great advice you have given on both points, and to add to it - stress symptoms and not coping is NOT a sign of weakness - as you so correctly stated -  we are all built differently....

 

Wishing you lots of inner strength for the last bit of planning.

 

 

 

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oh goodness Red!! Sorry that your poor hubby had this to deal with, and yourself ofcourse. Hope he has a very speedy recovery. Completely agree about dealing with stress, it is not something that you should take lightly. I didn't have time to stress too much about our move here as everything happened so quickly, the stress for me is happening now and having to settle even though its been 6 months since we gave been here. Love Australia but other factors have made it hard going.

 

May is just around the corner and before you know it you will be on that plane. Take time to breathe and enjoy the little things. ?

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11 hours ago, RedPanda said:

At the end of the day, we are still catching our plane on the 14th of May.

 

Good to hear that everything turned out to be ok! Best wishes for the last stretch of the journey!

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@RedPanda Glad to hear it is nothing lasting, trust hubby recovers soon... Look forward to a visit from you once you are settled in. I will be away in May, but we must get together in June!

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Thank you all for the well wishes, they are much appreciated. :)

And @Mara, thank you for the invitation, we will put up a reminder for June to contact to you and pick a date. (I still need to learn the best places to get TimTams...[Although I suspect that you will tell me to wait for an Aldi sale and stockpile them?]) ;) 

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