After all your research....

[Lindy-Lee]

This is for those in Aus already to answer......but for those on their way to read!

About 4 weeks ago friends of mine arrived in Aus for their new life. They lived with us for 2 weeks and then I realised that even after all the research they did, there was still things they did not know.

Like...you must fill your car at petrol station yourself...geen petrol joggies nie

And the style of the houses in Aus...main bedroom in front of house with the rest of the rooms at the back of house.

Now I want to know...after all the research you did, what was there that you only found out once you were in Oz? (no matter how trivial)

Lindy-Lee

[Dedrei]

Dat mens nie ordentlike kaas of mushroom sous hierso kry nie

[JohanK]

That I would fall in love with the place so fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Johan Swanepoel]

This is an interesting question.

We will be going soon and I am not sure what to expect. This thread could tell about lots of things that people just do not think about before they go.

Regards

Johan Swanepoel

[Guest colton]

What a pain renting can be.... how you sometimes have to compete against 8 - 10 other people vying for the same property. How different real estate agents are to what we are used to, you find your own way to the property, you run after the agents, etc.

Most importantly how quickly my kids all settled, no hiccups, when that was my biggest stress before we arrived!

[Lindy-Lee]

What a pain renting can be.... how you sometimes have to compete against 8 - 10 other people vying for the same property. How different real estate agents are to what we are used to, you find your own way to the property, you run after the agents, etc.

OOOHHH and my all time fave pet hate...when you rent, the agent does a house inspection every 3 months! I know they have to do their job but I hate strange people waltzing through my house...especially the lettign agent we have..... %^itch!

And something that caught me off guard....no waiters in the restaurants!!!!

Mens so sit ons en wag vir die waitress maar niemand kom help nie. Nou waar is die vriendelike mense van Aus dan?, vra ek myself. Nee wat jy gaan bestel, betaal en kry jou tafel nommertjie...shame hulle bring darem jou kos tafel toe Maar die lekker kos maak op daarvoor

Lindy-Lee

[Guest wilna]

Hi Almal

Ek sal graag wil weet hoeveel plek daar in 'n standaard kombuis is vir wasmasjien, tuimeldroër ens. Ek het 'n 13kg LG wasmasjien- wil hom nie al die pad saam vat dan het ek nie plek vir hom nie. Die tweede ding is gordyne, kan ek myne saam bring, is dit dieselfde in Aus as in SA?

Baie dankie, julle help ons klomp wat nog hier in SA is ongelooflik baie!

Groete Wilna

Edited February 8, 2007 by wilna

[Mara]

Hi Wilna

Firstly you would be unlikely to find place in a kitchen for a washing machine and tumble dryer, but virtually all Aus homes have a laundry. I have Industrial Speed Queen machines and they have always fitted into the laundry of the homes I have rented. A tight squeeze sometimes, but in they went.

With regard to curtains, if you rent a home in Aus it will have window coverings. Curtains or blinds, but there will be something. Even when you sell your home, it is normal for the curtains to be sold with it, makes sense to me!

When I left SA I took all my 'Biggie Best' curtains with me, never used them in a rental home, but hung them in our new home that we built. When we sold the house, they remained there. I was happy about that as by then I was tired of them!

The problem I found here, was that my curtains, with linings, were extremely heavy, and the curtain rails are not always 'strong enough' to hold them up. After all, they are not attached to brick walls with rawl plugs, just timber. When we built our home, my husband saw to it that the walls had batons inserted where the rods had to go, however, that is not something you can do after the house is built.

Hope that has helped!

[Sam]

We didn't know the importance of getting an ambulance card (only $50 then) and didn't expect car registration to be so expensive . We also didn't know that tipping isn't requered.

[Guest colton]

Didn't know that Medicare pays for NO dental! Just got stuck with a $2500 bill Payment due NOW!!!

[Guest wilna]

Hi Mara

Baie dankie, ek gaan my gordyne los em my wasmasjien inpak.

Groete Wilna

[Riekie]

Ek sal graag wil weet hoeveel plek daar in 'n standaard kombuis is vir wasmasjien, tuimeldroër ens. Ek het 'n 13kg LG wasmasjien- wil hom nie al die pad saam vat dan het ek nie plek vir hom nie.

My wasmasjien & tuimeldroër - altwee daai heel groot Speedqueens) staan in die garage - gelukkig is daar 'n wasbak en die pype klaar aangelê (hulle het hierdie Suid Afrikaners seker sien aankom.... ). Dit pas nêrens in die huis nie - selfs nie in die aparte "laundry" nie! Ek is baie bly ek het dit saamgebring, want mens kry nie sulke grotes hier nie.

Wat ek nie geweet het nie is die verskriklike beheptheid met "privacy laws" & "health hazards" - ek kan hier begin skryf en bladsye volmaak (uit frustrasie) maar laat ek liewer net sê: wat ookal jy hier doen, doen dit in beide name (huur kontrak, telefoon, "cable", ens.) en net vir ingeval, vat tekkies saam in die kar......

[Guest Bronwyn]

1) When you pay at the shops with a Visa card, you hand the shop assistant the card and they look at you funny. Then they swipe the card with a bit of a sigh (because you were supposed to see that the machine thingy was facing you and you could have done it yourself). Then they ask "Credit?". And you don't know what the hell they are on about. You just say 'Yes'. It's the easiest. Uhhh....Then you take your card back out of your handbag (because by now you have packed it away after they slapped it down) so they can check the signature.

2) If the speed limit is 60 they all drive 60, which sometimes feels a bit fast for me, especially around circles and near shops and in busy traffic. No worries!!! 60 it is, no matter who is in the way. I am often in the way. We got hooted at a few times in our first week. Probably because we were slowing down to try & see street names, etc. Also, there are almost NO stop signs. I think maybe there is one in the whole city. Most are ' Turn left with care' or 'Give way'. Bad luck to you if you are not concentrating because you can end up in someone's garden, or worse, in front of other cars. But somehow it works!!!?!

3)We didn't expect to pay so much for parking in the City. It is a significant chunk. Often we go to the shops for a few hours and it sets us back close to the equivalent of R100. So much for moaning about R6 for the whole day in Pretoria...

4) I thought the thing about the shopping trolleys was just people with bad co-ords complaining , but it's true, they slip and slide all over the show and before you know it you are crashing into the baked beans display. They are really strange! Can't someone just design better ones?

But the 'good' surprises are well worth any of the above, they happen all the time.

Edited February 10, 2007 by Bronwyn

[Tomdoel]

Dat mens nie ordentlike kaas of mushroom sous hierso kry nie

Hi da!

Kan jymy se of mens lekke swart mushrooms da kry? Ek maak my eie sou met swart mushrooms en garlic botter en 250ml room en bind dit dan net met biki maizena of koekmeel. Sal graag wil weet ant ek kani sonner my mushroom sou ie.

Moibly

Tomdoel

My wasmasjien & tuimeldroër - altwee daai heel groot Speedqueens) staan in die garage - gelukkig is daar 'n wasbak en die pype klaar aangelê (hulle het hierdie Suid Afrikaners seker sien aankom.... ). Dit pas nêrens in die huis nie - selfs nie in die aparte "laundry" nie! Ek is baie bly ek het dit saamgebring, want mens kry nie sulke grotes hier nie.

Wat ek nie geweet het nie is die verskriklike beheptheid met "privacy laws" & "health hazards" - ek kan hier begin skryf en bladsye volmaak (uit frustrasie) maar laat ek liewer net sê: wat ookal jy hier doen, doen dit in beide name (huur kontrak, telefoon, "cable", ens.) en net vir ingeval, vat tekkies saam in die kar......

Riekie

Totally besides the point mar ek wi net se dai kaikie vjou is te ougat met sy groot oge - ek dag ees dis n paddaikie ma toe sien ek disi kat.

Moibly

Tomdoel

[Dedrei]

Tomdoel, ek is nie kenner van mushrooms nie, maar my man is. Praat jy van daai groot mushrooms wat mens sommer net so in die oond met garlic botter of op die barbie sit. My man is lief vir hierdies, en die wat jy hier kry is regtig humungus!!

[Tomdoel]

Tomdoel, ek is nie kenner van mushrooms nie, maar my man is. Praat jy van daai groot mushrooms wat mens sommer net so in die oond met garlic botter of op die barbie sit. My man is lief vir hierdies, en die wat jy hier kry is regtig humungus!!

Deidre my suster wat kan ek se jy maak my dag met sukke goeie nuus, ja dit is daai wavan ek prat. Tanx

[CathyP]

On the subject of the 13kg LG washing machine...

Check whether your destination in Oz has water restrictions. We are on the Central Coast and Gosford has had water restrictions for the last 5 years - worst drought in 100 years and dams here are only about 13% full. The large top loaders are water gobblers so,depending where you are going, you may be better off buying a new one here. I bought a 7kg LG front loader new for $548 from "The Good Guys" but I got a $200 rebate from Gosford City Council, so nett cost was only $348.

I have an 11 kg Industrial Whirlpool (virtually unused) on the water at the moment (our stuff arrives in 3 weeks) and I am sorry I ever bought it. Everyone said bring white goods (fridges , wash machines etc) so we replaced ours and I am sorry we did as pricing here is actually very competitive.

Cathy

[Sparrow]

Ha! The chalk lady. Nobody warned us about the chalk lady. Don’t think that because there are no parking meters that you can park for free. No sir! In our town they mark your tires with a chalk (small rural town). If the time limit had expired and you are still parked on the mark, you will be fined. Big brother is watching!

[MOM]

I wanted to DIE when they told me I had to redo my drivers license practical!!!! I got myself all worked up and ended up getting it the first time. It was my "major thing" to do.

Before I got my car I had to figure out how to catch a bus and train (and get where you intended to!) That was a first for me.

The postal service here is really fast. I asked for something to be sent to me and two days later it was in my mailbox. That was definately a first for me!!!

[woodag]

. . .

2) If the speed limit is 60 they all drive 60, which sometimes feels a bit fast for me, especially around circles and near shops and in busy traffic. No worries!!! 60 it is, no matter who is in the way. I am often in the way. We got hooted at a few times in our first week. Probably because we were slowing down to try & see street names, etc. Also, there are almost NO stop signs. I think maybe there is one in the whole city. Most are ' Turn left with care' or 'Give way'. Bad luck to you if you are not concentrating because you can end up in someone's garden, or worse, in front of other cars. But somehow it works!!!?!

. . .

Things are obviously different where you are. Here in Sydney, if the speed limit is 60 they all drive at 70 or 75. I don't have a problem with signs like 'Left turn with care', but the ones that say something like 'No right turn at Woopwoop street, Mondays to Fridays 7:30am to 9:30am and 2:00pm to 3:00pm, buses accepted' are a bit more of a challenge.

[Riekie]

Where I live the 60 km/h speed limit still applies, and 99% of ppl adhere to it. If you see someone speeding past you, you can bet $100 they'll have a P on their car!

[Eva]

And here is another very useful archive thread!

So much stuff on here that is wonderful, useful info for us.

But usually all I ever do is hit the 'view new posts' button.

I hope to be very prepared when we arrive in Aus!

So please add some more info those already there....

[Jordy]

Archives working overtime today, but good thread none the less.

Here is a trivial thing I didn't know....the lights for the bathrooms and toilets are on the inside wall of the toilet or bathroom. After nearly 6 months I still feel for the switch on the wall of the passage as I am walking into the bathroom. And everytime I remember that Aussie toilet light switches are on the inside, I think of my childhood and my sisters switching off the lights from outside the door when I was in the bath, leaving me in the dark.

[Ready2go]

At it again Eva !! You've put a few smiles on my face today. Thanx !! But girl, you must get out more !!! I understand tho, I dont do much going out in SA.

All the other rooms in the home have the lites in said room, so why should the bath and loo be any different ? Must be some electrical SA thing.

[Eva]

At it again Eva !! You've put a few smiles on my face today. Thanx !! But girl, you must get out more !!! I understand tho, I dont do much going out in SA.

All the other rooms in the home have the lites in said room, so why should the bath and loo be any different ? Must be some electrical SA thing.

Ha, ha Ready2go, I try not to go out, retail therapy doesn't work for me any more now that whatever I have will need to be sorted through and sent across the sea in a container, so Forum Therapy is my new(ish) vice! :holy: It works for me. :ilikeit: And of course much safer, only a weirdo or two online to worry about, not the bands of thieves, hijackers, rapists etc lurking out there...

The reason they didn't put electrical plugs in the bathrooms was a safety feature, good old electricity and water don't mix thinking, not a bad idea.

Well glad I put a smile on your face - worth all these internet hours if it helps in some small way!