LSD trip in February 2007 (need to check the place out 1st)

[TjaartvdW]

Hi Everyone

I'm planning a trip in Feb' 07. Intention is to visit Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Managed to get a return airfare (direct flight and incl airport taxes) of R9,800 for following.

JHB-Sydney

Sydney - Melbourne

Melbourne - Brisbane

Brisbane - Sydney

Sydney - JHB

I want to ask advice on things like:

1) accommodation (should I stay in the CDB, City [if different from CBD] or suburbs)

2) what places to visit (scared if I just do the 'holiday' sites I'll come back with that 'what a nice place' holiday feeling... (you know - the one that you get when you go down to the coast, on holiday and think 'man, this is life !' why dont I live like that ?)

3)anyone wanting to come along (I have 2 small children and my wife and I think it's impractical to take all 4 of us on this trip. It will be hell for the kids, and I dont think we'll be able to see 1/2 of what we'd want to see, doing it that way - so those of you needing to also do a LSD trip, who are in the same position, might want to join up)

Thanks

Tjaart

Edited December 29, 2006 by TjaartvdW

[Sparrow]

Tjaart,

When we came over for our LSD trip last year, we did the backpacking thing. We stayed at various hostels in Australia (look at http://www.hostelworld.com/). Generally speaking, the hostels in Australia are quite decent and with many you can have your own double room. The going rate for a double room was between $20 and $30 per person per night. (This is much cheaper that what you would pay at a resort or B&. In the end, we were able to stay 3 weeks instead of one. With the hostel, you too will learn where the best places are to dine and have a drink with the locals. Some hostels, even provides its guests with meal vouchers or shuttle service.

Good luck,

[Barnone]

Thats an excellent airfare Tjaart my advice would be to take it. Gopod time of the year too ...

What about Adelaide ? Bob & the other boys & girls wont be happy that you give them a miss ! & Perth ?

Please refer to my post in Pippas thread re internal airfares & Hotels.

I would like to do a business trip to Australia in the 1st 1/4 & if Feb I would need to be in Melbourne 12-15 Feb as the will be a convention over that period which I should try to attend.

What dates are you looking at ?

My advice for LSD is to stay in the city close to transport unless you intend to hire a car (best) & stay away from tourist things ...drive to suburbs which you have researched & check out schools, shopping areas, transport networks, estate & employment agencies etc.

PM me & let me know when you want to go & let us see if we can combine.

[TjaartvdW]

Thats an excellent airfare Tjaart my advice would be to take it. Gopod time of the year too ...

What about Adelaide ? Bob & the other boys & girls wont be happy that you give them a miss ! & Perth ?

Please refer to my post in Pippas thread re internal airfares & Hotels.

I would like to do a business trip to Australia in the 1st 1/4 & if Feb I would need to be in Melbourne 12-15 Feb as the will be a convention over that period which I should try to attend.

What dates are you looking at ?

My advice for LSD is to stay in the city close to transport unless you intend to hire a car (best) & stay away from tourist things ...drive to suburbs which you have researched & check out schools, shopping areas, transport networks, estate & employment agencies etc.

PM me & let me know when you want to go & let us see if we can combine.

Hi Barnone

I'm skipping Adelaide purely due to me thinking that there would be more job opportunities for me in the other 3 cities (Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane) and Perth I think is a bit far from all the other major cities. In my line of work (SAP Consultant) I would probably have to travel regularly and I would prefer to work as close to home (that is 'home' in Aus) as possible, and living in Perth would mean at least +- 2000 km's from home if the work is not IN Perth...

I'm planning on going 4 - 17 Feb, but have just had a 'chat' with Pippa and she claims that between Feb - Apr it is quite a 'busy' time in Aus...? (and I assume she implied that things are slightly more expensive then....) Do you think/know if this is the case ?

So, let me understand, you say one must either:

1) Stay in City centre close to public transport, or

2) Stay in City outskirts and hire a car (this is your preferred/suggested method)

The thing is, I'm not sure to what extent I should be checking out the schools, shopping areas, transport networks, etc at this stage rather than just looking around (the tourist thing) and getting a 'feeling' for the place... I wonder if its not premature to do all the detail now. These things probably would have to be done thoroughly, in detail whilst one is staying/working in Aus... (not sure)

Maybe someone can suggest some suburbs to visit in each of the cities (if this is not too much to ask) Places which are comparible to the EAST of Pta (Erasmuskloof/Irene/Constantia Park/Moreleta Park) This would help a lot. Then one can find a hotel in/near such a suburb, stay there and use the public transport to visit the city (when doing the 'tourist' thing) - this would be a good 'dry run' for when one actually stays there and you need to use the public transport to commute to work (in city) and back

I shall start a topic with that request.

Cheers

Tjaart

[Bianca S]

hi, happy 2007, when it starts

we'll go 'blind', without a visit, but with internet and these boards I just know it will be ok. If we could visit maybe we'd go, just too expensive, and neither of us really want to go alone, rather save up, will sort things from the UK. Good luck anyway, let us know how you get on. Is jy van die Doppers van Potch, dan ken ons mekaar dalk! Maar daar is so baie TjaartvdWalts soos jy weet. gaan julle met punte - perm residensy dadelik. Ons beplan om met dit te gaan-- hopelik verander stelsel nie binnekort. Beste wense.

Edited December 31, 2006 by Saffer-in-UK

[TjaartvdW]

Hi Saffer-in-UK

Nee, ek is nie direkte familie van die Potch van der Walt's nie. Ek probeer om met 'n 136 (Skilled Independant) visa oortegaan, of om 'n employer te kry om my te sponsor (457 visa) - watter een ek ookal 1ste kan regkry...

Groete

Tjaart

[NikkiH]

Hi Tjaart

A bit off the topic, but I though I would just let you know in case you didn't, that you can apply for the 136 visa and have your application fast tracked since your skill is on the MODL list.

Computing Professional - specialising in SAP 2231-79

I'm also an ERP specialist, but the ERP package I know is not on the MODL list :-(

Have fun on your trip :-)

[Mara]

Hi Tjaart

The only reason that Pippa may have found it more expensive in March/April, is at the time she is coming is around the Easter period, when just like Christmas/New Year, the hotels up their prices. If you can avoid the week before and the week after Easter you should be OK.

[Spider]

Hi Tjaart,

My boyfriend and i will be landing in Brisbane the morning of the 7th Feb (leaving the night of the 5th), we'll be there for 7 nights, then Gold Coast for another 7 nights (14-20 Feb) then to Perth to see friends for the last few days...

If you do go around that time it would be great to hook up or all do something together...we're staying in a backpackers for the first week and the prices aren't as bad as i would have expected!!

Anyways, let me know!!

Chand's

[TjaartvdW]

Hi Chandi

Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. I'm in a bit of a catch-22 situation at the moment. I wanted to 1st get my visitors visa before I booked my flights. Now that I got my visa 2 days ago, a friend in Brisbane said he might be able to organise me a job...for which a 457 visa is needed

So now I'm waiting, again not wanting to buy the plane ticket for LSD, in case I get the job and need to start in Feb or March at the job in Brisbane...

All the while the flights for early feb are getting full and the ticket prices more expensive by the day. In the end it looks like I'm going to have to postpone the LSD trip until I get a verdict on the job and then search for the best ticket price again.

In the meantime have fun and tell us about it when you guys return.

Regards

Tjaart

[Spider]

Hi there,

Wow, well we'll hold thumns for you then that something fab does come out of your wait in the end...

Let us know as soon as you find uot and i'll give all a report back on the trip!!

[DesV]

Hi Tjaardt

I would reccomend you stay in the city, simply because usually that is where you would be working, that way you can look at suburbs and place to live from a commuting perspective and it gives you a chance to do a 360 degree look as cities are generally central, if you planned to stay in suburbs and went for example to a northern suburb then you might not get the chance to look at the southern suburbs. It is important to take in one or two tourist things, for your own sanity but my advice would be to once you arrive determine where your skills are most employed, to my knowledge in Sydney the majority of IT work happens in North Sydney that is immediatly across the bridge from the city, once you have established things like that you can decide what sort of commute time you are comfortable with and think about thingls like do you want to live near sea or in hilly area etc and then start researching schools rents etc in a methodical way.

Good luck and enjoy it, the most important thing and often hardest is to look at things from an Australian Perspective as you will be living in Australia earning Australian dollars so dont keep torturing yourself by concerting everything to rands.