africancowgirl Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hope you both have a great trip Gideon - sounds like the break is coming at just the right time!@Toitjie - how are things going with the sale of your house? Hope that you are seeing some positive movement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted March 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 Thanks, we really need it... before we kill somebody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted March 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) 8 March 2013This day was long. Started with the packing and stuff. Waited for the planned time for my folks to come pick us up to drop us off at the Gautrain in Hatfield. Got there, loaded money on the cards to OR Tambo, got on and got there in just under and hour. Got to the check-in, did the booking in, went through passport control and then spent some time in the lounge drinking and eating for free. Got on the Airbus A380. Damn, hate flying and sleeping on these long-haul flights.9 March 2013Landed in Frankfurt. Waited for the connecting flight to Rome. Still impressed with how things just work in Europe. Got on the flight and landed in Rome a couple of hours later. Collected our baggage and found my suitcase's zip totally ripped. Seems somewhere between JHB and FCO someone had a rummage in my bag. Totally pissed off, but what could I do? Caught our transfer to the hotel and settled in. Figured out nothing got stolen thankfully. Couple of minute later we hit the streets of Rome. Got on the nearest bus towards the historical centre. Public transport works, but for some reason I don't like the busses, they take bloody long to get where you want to go. Walked around and did some shopping and photo snapping. Got back to the hotel via same bus. Tired and need to sleep.10 March 2013Up early, didn't sleep too well. Tried to find details of a proper shopping mall in Rome, found some info and directions. Had breakfast and then asked the reception assistant for directions to the nearest underground train. She gave us details for a bus that stopped near one of the stations. Got on and got off at the station. Underground much better than busses, lot faster. Got to the mall and did some shopping. Got back on the metro and went back to the historical centre to walk around some more. Got on the metro going back to the hotel and got off the nearest station... problem... that was about 20 minutes walk away from the hotel.We walked that long distance, me gaining some nice blisters along the way and cramp in my calf. Met up later with the tour director and the other tour members... the tour now officially started.One remark... Rome is a dirty city, not as bad as JHB or PTA, but dirty for European standards.11 to 16 March 2013The tour took us all through Rome, Venice, Pisa, Florence and Sienna. I loved Venice the most. Beautiful place. Even found a replacement suitcase. Had lots of fun and made a lot of new friends from the US and Australia. The Ozzy couple we met lived in Melbourne for 20 years and gave us some good tips. Will really miss them One thing though... our credit cards hated us by the end of it.17 to 18 MarchReluctantly returned to airport via the tour bus. Got on the flight back to Frankfurt and had a 5 hour wait for our connecting flight to JHB. We were dead tired. Finally landed in JHB and got on the Gautrain to Hatfield. My folks got us there and took us home. Ate lunch and sorted out a couple of other things. My wife took a snooze, I didn't... wanted to catch up on some stuff.Later the afternoon my wife realises with a start that there are people (2) in our back yard. I confront them and they say their from Telkom just connecting a new line to the box that's situated in the corner of our property. I asked them where the hell they got over and they showed me the neighbour's wall where 4 of their buddies there just grinning at me. I asked them who gave them permission to enter the property and they just shrugged and said they couldn't get a hold of us. I told them that's no excuse, and that they where tresspassing. I took their details and tried to contact their foreman... no use... just voicemail. Looked up Telkom's Crime Line and phoned to lay a complaint. Gave all the details and got a reference number. I don't think anything is going to come from it. Typical South Africa... do as you like Later after chasing them off over the wall, and after calming my nerves with a glass of whiskey, I managed to sort out the deposit and booking of our 4 week temporary housing in Melbourne, Richmond. So at least we have a place to stay while we get our bearings.PS: Also received notification the registration for the townhouse went through and the attorneys will be paying out tomorrow Happy Days Edited March 19, 2013 by GideonVD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted March 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 19 March 2013The Townhouse's money was paid over to my bank account, took the profit bit and saved that away for covering costs on the container. The rest I used to basically pay off the bond on our house with the bank, just leaving R5000 to keep the bond open as we use the building insurance provided by the bank.Also got confirmation on the booking of the short term rental from Australian Homes Away. So glad this has been settled, not knowing where you going to stay when you get there is a bit of a stress. My wife has also started requesting quotes for containers and also contacting local estate agents to start the house selling process as soon as possible.Hoping for the best 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 26 March 2013The last week has been a total blur with estate agents and removal companies coming to do their things. Most of the estate agents say we want too much for the place, but one said he sold a house a mere block away that was more standard than ours for roughly R100k less than we want, and ours offers a hell of a lot more.O well, we'll see what happens. At least the process has started.We still need to do our VISA labels, so trying to figure that one out.Soon we will need to let our Medical aid know that we are ending our membership, need to give them 3 months notice according to what I could find on their website.In the meantime, Telkom stuffed up our telephone line again, so no ADSL and Internet at home I so can't wait to get better quality service in Australia. Even had a look at the current state of the NBN in Melbourne, looks like they might get done within the next 4 years... but not holding my breath. ADSL2+ or Cable will have to do till then It sometimes just feels like we've bitten off more than we can chew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 2 April 2013The long weekend was busy, cataloging all the contents for the container and getting insurance replacement values in AU$... this part can be difficult. It's coming along slowly.Today has been a busy day. We sent a letter to our medical aid to cancel our membership effective end of June 2013. Also paid VFS their handling fee and filled in the 1405 Form for the VISA lables. Hopefully we can get this started Thursday. And Telkom finally did something about our broken ADSL... will test tonight if it's actually fixed or just a patch job.Contacted Hugo from CashKows and got the financial ball on a roll. Can't wait to get more things done and dusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toitjie Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 sjoe....when are you leaving? If Im not mistaken we are leaving more or less at the same time...yet my life is serene compared to yours...I am getting seriously worried, i should be busier than this!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 3 August Yeah, we've left a few things till now, and now we are trying to get most of the stuff done. I think we just trying to get the most important stuff out of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toitjie Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 (edited) our date is very close to yours.......hmm...Im way to rustig...btw - are you using private property? I still have my for sale boards that i bought, if anyone wants them. Just have to write your own code with a marker (or a texta ) on the board.... Edited April 2, 2013 by Toitjie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2013 Private property, MyRoof and a lot of different agents We prefer not to use for sale boards, as most of the buyers these days use the web.Good luck with the prep... which area of Auz are you guys aiming for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toitjie Posted April 3, 2013 Report Share Posted April 3, 2013 Canberra... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2013 Cool, hope all goes well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 8 April 2013Trying to get rid of your house and getting removals to come in an quote is a real pain in the behind...After a few removal companies have pitched up and gave their quotes, it's clear to see some of them clearly think we are stupid... some making bold claims that we might not pay any AQIS fees as its not guaranteed that they will inspect it. Some are very open and forth-coming and I appreciate their quotes more, even though they seem to be cheaper also (including fees like AQIS).Had our first potential buyers at the house also... they seem to like the place, now the question is just if they are willing to make an offer that we will accept Holding thumbs for the rest I guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toitjie Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 holding thumbs for you...I get a knot in my stomach just thinking that you have tickets but not sold the house yet... my nerves would have crashed a long time ago! Hope you find that buyer soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Yip, thanks... we can only hope I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 9 April 2013We basically decided who we are going to use for a removals company, and low and behold... it was Bayley World Wide.So now we are trying to work out what we will need to insure the content for before accepting their quote. This is proving to be a daunting task indeed. Hope we don't miss anything in our counting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 11 April 2013Signed the quote from Bayley, one thing done and dusted.Was reading a bit through the forum again, saw a couple of posts about people still struggling to get work and I feel a bit worried. I really hope I can find something worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaL Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 Where exactly are you heading to Gideon?Things are a little slow at the moment, it could be a multitude of reasons, the end of financial year, upcoming elections, some idiot in North korea................What would you consider worthwhile?I'd sat to be fair to yourself, plan for between 1 and 6 months for work at least. usually the first month is just a blur and you are trying to sort so many things out and find a place to rent. Once in your home you can focus just on getting work.Things tend to work a little slowly here, from the time an ad for employment appears the company may take 4 to 6 weeks for applications and then possibly a week or two to shortlist them and then another few weeks to notify candidates of interviews, then a week or so to draw up contract etc, so it may take two months from advertising to having someone in the position.I just want to prepare you, so that you don't feel frustrated if you haven't gotten everything up and running within a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 Melbourne, VIC.We're initially staying in a furnished flat for the month in Richmond.Something worthwhile would be able to at least cover $80000 per year.We can only afford to do 3 months at a stretch unfortunately.Will be starting next week with applying for positions where possible.Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadEnoughofJuju Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 11 April 2013Signed the quote from Bayley, one thing done and dusted.You aren't going to regret it. They are just so professional and efficient. I will let you know what happens this side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Cool, please do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaL Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Apply, apply, apply. Thanks for sharing, when people do it is easier to give advice that is more suited to their needs.So the ideal would be you in a position earning around $80 000. I haven't been to Melbourne so can't comment on cost of living or work opportunities.All I can add is that we came here 7 years ago with $5000, no pension, no house to sell and earning a dismal $43 000 until i got part time work to help a little, so I know it is doable. The only difference was that we were earning straight away, but you have the benefit of p.r.Depending what financial buffer you have you can either try and go straight for your current position or take something else with less money, but at least not be spending your buffer. It is easier to negotiate and move up once you do have work.I'm noticing lately that for a lot of families the wife got work first and then the husband, I don't know why that would be, but it is an interesting trend.I really think it is a matter of getting here and seeing how things work. We can make all the plans we want from RSA but that might all go out the window on arrival, just be prepared to adapt.Of course if you apply for lots of jobs, you increase your odds and it is a great relief to have a job to come to.You've just got to have faith in yourself, lots of energy in that first month and just keep getting yourself out there.Good luck 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 19 April 2013Spoke with the guys from CashKows and discussed the various options on trying to get my money over to Oz. After taking into consideration the downward trend of the Rand, the new proposed regulations on annuities, I decided to go the full extraction. Will be cashing in all my policies a month before we leave and transfer the money. The retirement annuities will be left until we reached Oz and received our TFN's and then will start the process. This should take anywhere between 12 and 14 weeks.At least one less thing to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted April 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2013 23 April 2013We finally were able to get our passports back from the Australian High Commission with their "visa labels" in them. VFS was a little useless, not even bothering to let us know there's a slight delay, then telling my wife "come back tomorrow after 10:00, they will be here.". So my wife got there and the girl she talked to almost didn't want to look at her, and then when she got to her it came... "Er... we have a problem..."The problem was the passports were still at the AHC... so my wife asked the address and went there herself. Had to wait there to only see them printing the labels and inserting them into the passports minutes before handing them over to her.Has the general level of apathy and lack of customer service crept so deep it has also started affecting foreign embassies in South Africa?Well, at least this is over and done with. But for A$70 each, they really don't look like much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted May 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2013 5 May 2013Just got the confirmation today from Commonwealth Bank, that our application is processed and that we would be contacted soon. At 8:30 I get a call from Briggite confirming all our details and such, also asking me permission to send the account details to me via email. We discussed all the things needed to sort out as soon as we arrived and what was required and where we should go. We also arranged the bank cards to be ready for us when we arrived as the account is a joint account between me and my wife. Also got the standard 12 month fee waiver. At the end she asked me to rate her service, I just said: "For the level of service I've gotten from you and compared to the best available in South Africa that I've experience, I rate yours 300% better.". She chuckled and thanked me for the review.I've also now requested a quote from CashKows to transfer the initial amount of money to our account. Just waiting for Steve to wake up and do something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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