This is it. A new City. A new adventure. A new life.

[Jacques Voogt]

Hi All

Them freedom tickets are booked. So finally I can say that we will reach freedom the Night of 25 September and expect to have a very short 26th September in Sydney.

That allows us 1 full Friday to go to the bank, register for medicare, centrelink etc and convert our licenses. I don't think we will be able to do all that in 1 day but we will try.

With 53Kg of luggage each, I think we will opt for a taxi, unless someone has a really big car and would like to pick us up. (Hint Hint)

So now the search for a good, affordable, temporary, furnished apartment begins.

I know about airbnb, booking.com and various other sites where one can book something, however those bookings would be based on a tiny little thumbnail image and I certainly do not want to book a month in a dump.

They are not cheap either as they are mainly focussed around the holiday market.

Is there anyone that can recommend a specific place (budget below $400/w) or know of a reputable place or person with a flatlet that we can try? $400/week is a very low target, I know. But that is the budget. No dorm rooms or shared bathrooms please.

Proximity to public transport is also a crucial factor.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

So it's Sydney after all. Have a big car if you are paying for petrol. Don't be surprised if you do get all that stuff done in one day, this isn't Africa and it doesn't take a whole day to go to the traffic department. I was there for all of 20 minutes to do my license conversation.

Good luck with the last couple of months in South Africa and tying up all the loose ends.

[HansaPlease]

Sorry, can't offer much advice or help on Sydney, but just wanted to say - enjoy your Freeeeedoooommm!

[Dieter7]

You can also try

www.gumtree.com.au

[Heymanse]

You'll be arriving in the midst of school holidays, eg. high prices for accommodation. Have a look at furnishedproperty.com.au. You might find something suitable there. Good luck! Wish I didn't have to work, would loved to help out with pick-up at the airport on your arrival.

[Donovan83]

When it comes to rentals in Australia, the rule is that you can choose any two: good, affordable, furnished.

[Lynnie]

LMGA!!"Freedom tickets" - baie waar...

Sterkte :ilikeit: :ilikeit:

[Jacques Voogt]

Thanks HEOJJ, you are a bit far. We would love to live in QLD... one day, but for now we follow the money trail. I think with careful planning, we will get a lot done in that day.

Hansa, you make me think back to one of the best movies ever. Braveheart. One needs a spirit like that to make this thing work.

Dieter, thanks. I'm a bit scared of sites without reputation or long standing reviews. A lot of scammers. Perhaps I just don't trust enough.

Heymanse, we originally planned for flying on the 22nd, but alas, them freedom tickets would cost R4000 more. We have been looking at furnishedproperty.com.au
for a while. There are some apartments below $400 but they all seem
about the size of our bedroom with a hotplate and bar fridge for a
kitchen. Still a lot better than spending $600 - $800 in a hotel room
with no kitchen.

Donovan, I have seen that before,
but more in the line of close to city/spacious/affordable. They are in a
mutual exclusive triangle with the bottom two being the expense for the
top.

S P A C E

------------

Time | Money

Lynnie, in die jare 1950 tot 1990 het die onderdruktes gevlug na 'n land waat hulle toegelaat was om te leer en werk en iets van hulself te maak and dit was Exile genoem. Ek word nou al vir 2/3 van my leeftyd onderdruk. So ek vlug na 'n plek waar ek nie onderdruk gaan word nie en 'n toekoms kan hê.

[Mands]

Awesome Jacques - Such exciting times ahead!

Enjoy the last few months in SA, we fly out to Sydney early next year - so excited and nervous at the same time.

Please pass on any good rentals you find, my hubby flies out before the kids and I, so he is also looking for furnished rentals close to the city for when he arrives with a similar budget.

Take care and good luck

[chzaau]

Very exciting times. Out of interest why do you only have 1 day to sort out all of that other stuff ? I thought you have a few months to convert your license and registering for Medicare etc you need to do shortly after arriving. Is there a legal reason you have to do it within the 2 days of arriving?

[Jacques Voogt]

Thanks Mands, If we get 2 I'll pass the 2nd one on. :-)

chzaau, we have 1 day before it is weekend, so whatever we can not get done will only happen on the 4th day, bank card, medicare card and drivers license are valuable proof of identification documents so rather get them all sorted as soon as possible.

I am currently spamming recruiters with my CV, and I have stated available from 1st Oct. That does not mean I have a job, nor an interview yet, but if something does happen in the next 2.5 months I want to be able to start on the 1st without too much things still to do.

[OnYellowBrickRd]

As far as I know one has to have proof of residence (rental agreement) in order to convert one's driver's license. You may have to wait a while for that one.

[BriD]

How exciting!! Good luck with all the planning!!

[Heymanse]

Some medicare offices are open on Saturdays as well as some bank branches. It's easy to find out which bank branches are open on Saturday by going to their websites. As for medicare, here's a handy link to find out which ones would be open on Saturdays (depending on where you stay and how far you'd have to travel to get to one that is) - http://humanservices.findnearest.com.au/ - just type in the service you're after and the postcode.

[Jacques Voogt]

Thanks Guys, you are so helpful. I did not even consider Saturday morning as part of available time.

OYBR, we are thinking of renting a Furnished apartment for 2 - 3 months. Would that constitute a normal lease or as proof of residence?

[chzaau]

Good luck Jacques, let us know how you job hunting is going. Interested to know what you finds works and what your find does not work.

[Mands]

Thanks Jacques, Hubby only flies out on 07 Jan, so you never know he may even rent out the first one after you of course!

Anyway good luck again, and keep us posted on your journey.

[Ajay]

If you know where you are going when you land (I.e have an apartment / hotel already organised) see if you can book a shuttle instead of a taxi- there are quite a few private ones around that are normally cheaper than a taxi, depending of course on where you are going. How many of you are there (in addition to the luggage?)

[Jacques Voogt]

chzaau, I will make a lot more noise when I have a job than I made when we got the visa

Mands, Surprisingly enough those furnished rentals are for 3 months minimum, so we may just be moving out by the end of December to early in January. If your hubby is content with a room only and sharing a kitchen and bathroom, they will allow a minimum stay of 1 month.

Ajay, thanks, we will most definitely explore the shuttle option. It is in the middle of the week, so we did not really expect anyone to be able to pick us up at the airport, but figured it would not hurt to hint. Who knows, we might just become good friends. We are fortunate enough to be only 2 people, I can only imagine what a mission it will be with kids in tow and luggage weighing more than the children. I had a taste of this in December when I took a friend and his family to the airport with their immigration luggage. Each persons luggage uses more space than the person. We used 2 regular hatchback cars and a 7 foot venter. It was filled to the brim. We are looking at a place in Newtown, Sydney. So it is not that far from the airport. That is if we get it.

[OnYellowBrickRd]

@Jacques I assume so. You need a piece if paper with the words "Tennancy agreement", your name(s) and physical address.

[CherylC]

When we opened our bank accounts (Commonwealth) we explained that we needed some proof of residency for us to get our licenses converted. They gave us a letter (with our temporary address) at the top to congratulate us for opening an account with them as well as a letter to a possible employer to stipulate our banking details in which our salaries can be paid. These letters were then stamped and verified at the same time. The people at the licensing department accepted this as it showed an address when my hubby applied for his conversion in Adelaide.

Just remember that your license will also be sent to this address.

[Jacques Voogt]

Thanks for the advice OYBR and Cheryl

I'll be sure to ask for such a letter from our host before even going to the bank.

[Ajay]

Hi Jacques,

I have a Hyundai Tucson, and I can split the back seats, so although it might be a bit of a squeeze,I might be able to collect you? It's my birthday on 26/9 and I actually can't think of anything nicer than welcoming and helping some new arrivals as a present to myself PM me if you're interested and if you think the luggage would fit

[Jacques Voogt]

Hi Jacques,

I have a Hyundai Tucson, and I can split the back seats, so although it might be a bit of a squeeze,I might be able to collect you? It's my birthday on 26/9 and I actually can't think of anything nicer than welcoming and helping some new arrivals as a present to myself PM me if you're interested and if you think the luggage would fit

! ! ! A W E S O M N E S S ! ! !

I think it will fit. Those Tucson's are quite big.

Thanks

[Willa]

We started up with a meet and greet group in the Hills area for new immigrants. If you need help do not hesitate to give me a call. We can also go and inspect some of the houses that might be available nearer to the time that you arrive. Most of the places lets you do an online application. We can organise the basics for the house, and borrow anything else that you need. I can also pick you up if AJAY can't so keep this as a backup.

To get your licence see the link to what you need as proof of identification. http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/proofidentity/proof_list12.html

Most medicare / centrelink facilities are open on Saturdays and are usually in a shoppingcentre