Timmin Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Movies tickets are quite expensive hereYes indeed. What other things should I abuse here in South Africa before making the move? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted September 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 Chzaau - we don't have our PR visa yet.... But for $4 pm we thought we would get a hurdle done. Who knows if we will need it before we land?Back to our LSD... My husband and I were advised to go look up the coast near Avoca beach.... It was a cloudy morning and amazing how that robbed the destination of some of its charm! Be weary of that! We drove around and did not feel overwhelmed with love for the coastal town... Unkept verges.... Amazing how that influences you. But as we drove around and came across more well kept areas so I began to feel more hopeful! We saw some lovely neighborhoods and definitely got a sense that its somewhere we could live. BUT the house prices are scary especially since that is something we will be deciding on with SA funds....Our Air B'nB host recommended we stop off and look around Palm Beach.... How beautiful! A lovely place if you find yourself close by. We then went to visit 2 friends and nice to see how the locals live and cope with kids. My one friend still does not let her 12 year old and her 7 year old walk alone to school, and it's close by! She has many of the same concerns us SA moms have.... ( she has lived there for almost 30 years) and she lives in a lovely area... Frenchs Forest.... A simple 3 bed, one bathroom, small garden and pool $950,000!!!!!!!!!!Question to other Ozzy parents - do you let your kids walk to school? Go play in the park down the road alone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caz Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 A few quick replies, loving the interesting updates!Movies = shop around. The less glitzy cinemas charge a whole lot less. We went to the movies on Sunday and for 2 adults & 2 children we paid $26 in total.Walking to school = in Queensland, the following applies: "As a general rule, children up to the age of 10 should not be in traffic situations without an accompanying adult, as they have not yet developed the knowledge, skills and behaviour necessary to keep themselves safe."Further as to the situation of leaving a child under the age of 12 unsupervised "So, what this means is, if you leave a child under 12 unattended, whether it be in a car or at home, and that child is left for an unreasonable time and no reasonable provision for the supervision and care of that child has taken place, then ultimately you have committed a misdemeanour. The maximum penalty? Three years imprisonment." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stell Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 So pleased you seem to be enjoying your trip ! On kids walking to school - if I lived in Sydney or any City for that matter I don't think I would, living in a country town I would and did. Same applies to the Mall, wouldn't let my kid out of my site there either, yes Australia is safer but you still have to be sensible and remember there are bad people everywhere. Looking forward to hearing the rest of your story - I wonder which place will take your fancy, or more to the point your Hubby's fancy ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted September 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 Thanks cmh, I doubt I would be comfortable leaving my kids, especially coming from SA. But being overprotective can also rob kids of learning experiences... Parenting is tough! Nice to have those 'guidelines' - thanks.Today we caught a train down south to the Southern Highlands - to Moss Vale... What a sweet little town.... It is their poppy 'season' - boy seeing an expanse of them in bloom is very special. The friends we came to visit drove us around. They have a beautiful small holding.... so we have seen the inner city .... And the farm lands. The. 2 1/2 hr train ride cost is each $16 return.Public transport in Sydney has been great... Everything on time and well organized. My husband has been using the "APP", Transport Info, so we have found getting around Sydney very easy. The public toilets are also usable; how about that!!!! Most with double ply toilet paper... actually our B'nB has 4 ply! Guess we are being left behind with only beginning to offer 3 ply.We are on the train right now, heading 'home' to pack.... Off to Brisbane tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted September 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 We landed in Brisbane yesterday ... On arrival you can feel/see that there is less hussle and bustle here than Sydney... We headed for Ormston, where we has booked into our Air B'nB . Driving from the airport, the places seemed nice and well kept which sure does set the right tone for liking a place... We went to a super market to buy a picnic lunch, then headed down to the foreshore. The water was choppy and it was windy so it was not beautiful but still nice to see the facilities of tables, benches and braais. The magpies seem to be a serious problem... They are dive bombing people and cyclist and apparently becoming a real issue . So be careful when walking with kids and you see them start doing it. In one park we actually saw a municipal sign telling you to be careful.So here I a thinking that I could slowly convince my husband that this I'd a good thing for us to do....AND BAMB.... The friends we came to visit have decided after 5 months they are going home... Not for them... Just can't seem to crack into the people.... Jobs are not forthcoming... I think it was good to hear the though stories 'cos I think the move can be very lonely and foreign and you will probably feel empty and broken for a long time. Something you can't prepare for. But! The ice cream and chocolate are good enough to help!!!!!!So right now ii am also feeling torn.... Sad. i wish decisions re our kids, and our future where a little more clear cut!But the show must go on, decisions can be made later... We are of to explore the beautiful coastline of Brisbane.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCabes Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Hugs Crossingover.Some things just don't work for people - I know so many people here who just refuse point blank to ever consider leaving SA, claiming it's a wonderful, beautiful country. Granted these are usually the people living in the northern suburbs of Joburg (wealth cluster) so... think the money acting as a buffer just holds true there.You'll probably find they come back and then decide they made a mistake, or set off for the UK/Europe/Canada.Maybe try suggest that they just try a different part of the country? I'm from Natal and find it so hard to live in Joburg, but this is where I met my hubby, so I've gotten used to it and it's fine now. Driving here still scares the heck out of me but hubby is happy here, and that makes me happy.Blahblahblah... I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't think it will work out 100% for every Saffer who goes over, but I'd reckon the chances of it working are far greater than those of not working. That's 1 family you've come across who want to come back - what about all the others who would never come back?Though, it does make me think it's worth it to set a cut-off when you decide if it's going to work out or not. For me the benchmark would be citizenship, but I think it's also just the psychology of giving the place at least 4 years before making any big decisions again.Hang in there - don't let it cloud the rest of your trip. Try meet up with other people - maybe check which forumites are close by and see if you can have a bbq with them? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted September 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Thanks McCabes!I have felt a little neutral to disappointed this morning... But it's good to realize its tough here. Not sure how I feel about the move right now... I do feel thrown off course.So this morning we set out to "surfers paradise" and again the wind robbed the beach and surrounds of much of their glory. But we got a great baskin and robins ice cream so I that helped brighten things up! We intended heading out the the 'Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary" ($33 pp) but drove past the Ikea wear house and decided to stop for a look - how fabulous! It's like Mr P on serious mega steroids! Sure did make me feel less sentimental about bringing arb stuff over. Now with our time running out we decided to go the the 'Daisy Hill Koala Centre' - it seems to be a Koala education centre and a pocket of koala friendly habitat.... There are four rehabilitated koalas there in the centre... What sleepy creatures they are. But for free they were perfect to see. There must be numerous koalas in the surrounding park/ Forrest... But we were not patient enough to find them.Tomorrow is the closing of the Brisbane festival (not sure what it is actually called) so apparently there is a lovely fireworks display on the river.... Hope the rain stays away! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21yearsoutofrsa Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Riverfire is spectacular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted September 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Yeah! Looking forward to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21yearsoutofrsa Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 For you there will be two things to take out of Riverfire1 the fireworks itself2 How Brisbane City Council organize the event.1 is huge. There are lots of fireworks and all along the river and you will not be able to see them all. I'm lucky, I will be on a friend's apartment's balcony, but if there is a tip I can give is to try find a spot were you can see the Story bridge.People living in Brisbane will take 2 for granted. The river festival has been going on for almost a month now. There has been a laser show on the South Bank very night for about the last fortnight. I was there on Thursday night, all the temporary fencing and toilets are already in place. Along every major road the over head signs have been warning of road closures for Saturday for at least a week. The helicopters and F16's were practicing during last week. QR will be ready. It's estimated that 500 000 people will be at Riverfire, that's a third of Brisbane's population. That's a huge logistical exercise, of course it's going to be crowded and it's going to take a while to get people in and out but I'll be interested on your take on how the logistics works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted September 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Well we were woken up at 5:30am on Saturday morning to a beautiful thunder storm.... Typical with an evening of fireworks planned. We drove into the city centre and found all day parking for $12 (which is very reasonable) we then waked down to the river to North Quay which is where the "red city hopper" starts its ferry trips up to Sydney Rd.... For free there is a quicker option on the CityCat , but you have to pay. Despite the odd bit of rain we enjoyed the 45 min ride on the river, showing us the city from the water. We then walked thru an area they were preparing for spectators and they checked our bags for glass and alcohol. they certainly were well organised and the large crowd was happily and uneventfully waiting.... some folk doubled up the wait with a swim in the South Bank pool... which looked great - a man made beach like pool on the banks of the river.We then headed to Queen Street Mall and the roads were all very festive with the crowds beginning to gather. BUT despite the large crowd that moved down to the river side it was never overcrowded or squashed. Some folk had been at the waters edge from first light but we went down 10 min before and found a perfect spot... Bridge in view! Well Riverfire was spectacular to say the least... 25 min of amazing fireworks... We were very lucky that out trip coincided with such an event. It sure is a must! Today was a visit friends day... So we got to drive around quite a few neighborhoods which was great... Whilst we drove we would look on Domain.com.au, realestate.com.au & onthehouse.com.au to see the prices of homes in the areas we drove thru... How handy. At least it looks like houses cost half as much here in Brisbane if comparing them to those in Sydney.Friends of ours took us up to a hill top look out point to see the view across Brisbane ... It too was quite spectacular. They then took us to a trail riding facility... Again for free... It is really wonderful to be able to do family things in well organized areas and not have to cough up all the time!Brisbane in my eyes is very family friendly, laid back and certainly very easy to live in. I guess you just have to decide you are going to make it work and then keep the focus! All the people we have met here, mostly 'Saffers', as they call us.... All seem like really lovely people and happy for the opportunity Austrailia has given them.Well our bags are packed and we are off to a cooler Perth.... Brisbane has been Durban hot - if only it were a little cooler than Durbs! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCabes Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 sounds awesome - glad you had a positive experience and ended Brisbane on a high note Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted October 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 We arrived in Perth yesterday afternoon after a 5 hr 40 min flight from Brisbane.... As long as it may have been, I just kept reminding myself that it is helping make the flight home shorter we climbed off the plane to a cool breeze... What a pleasure!We were picked up by family and were taken on a brief tour of the city and surrounds.... I think Perth narrowly pips the others to the post! It is neat and tidy and newer and just seemed to be more of what I had in mind. I understand that Perth has recently experienced a boom and major growth and I think this can be seen in the newness of lots of things around you. The highway and trains look great. AND what a beautiful Swan River! One thing that I do so love about Australia is their beautiful waterways, ocean views, numerous bays and gorgeous beaches. I am definitely a water person! Today we headed up north to Joondalup .... Also a beautiful area... We had a picnic in a lovely large park area in Iluka and went to Hillary boat harbour .... More beautiful places. The neighborhoods are lovely and definitely somewhere you could live.I believe that there is a feeling you should live North of the Swan river.... Why is that?I think my husband is warming up to the idea but he is not keen to say it out loud..... But I guess that is a step in the right direction... It really is hard not to love this place.I think that Perth seems to be the right place to be.... But it is so far from all the exciting places on the East coast which is definitely a down side..... Decisions decisions!!!! Looking online it seems that you can get flights from as low as $99 form Sydney to Perth.... Now that's not too bad - especially if you are earning $'s.Only 3 more days of exploring before we head home.... How time has flown... And so has the cash BUT I am so grateful for the experience irrespective of the final outcome. It sure is a beautiful country 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordy Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 One cannot understate the great divide between WA and the Eastern States. It really can feel like a seperate country sometimes. And as for $99 tickets? Never seen them, but if they exist that price would be one way at 2am. Try fly that with kids. If you choose WA then you must remove all the excitement of the East coast from your plans because you just wont get there. On the positive side, I have lived in WA for nearly 6 years and have no desire to leave WA. Just did a quick check and Virgin has flights Perth to Sydney for $245 one way. Thats $500 pp. And for my family of 5, $2500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted October 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 We will be returning hope to 3 eager children.... And all they will want to see is proof of a koala and kangaroo ! At this stage we don't have proof of seeing kangaroo's! We did see two in the distance on a golf course - go figure. So we are on the kangaroo hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drought Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Go to Whiteman Park- plenty of roos to see there and no entry fee- the roos do present a new challenge on the golf course though- I blame roo poo on my golf ball for my total inability to hit the thing straight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion25 Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 So great to read your posts about your LSD to AUS, we live in Canberra which is close enough to the hustle and bustle of Sydney for when we choose to go there, we have friends in WA who love it and visit us over Christmas.Regarding kids walking alone, not all States have the same laws, so you will need to look into this, when we arrived my kids were 4.5years, 13 years and 10 years, and they all rode their bicycles to school alone (together) 1.8km from our house, I would then meet the youngest at school and hand him over to his teacher, parents had to personally had kids to teaches in pre-school.Now they are 6yrs, 12yrs and almost 15 and love the freedom they have, my kids have changed schools, and are now 8.7km from home, so I drop them at school, but my eldest chooses to ride his bicycle home. During the school holidays they look after each other as both my husband and I work full time. Last December my mom was visiting and one of the neighbours down the street came to check on the kids as we were experiencing a heat wave and she wanted to make sure the kids were well hydrated.(still not sure which neighbour it was) my kids just said thanks but gran is here and we are well.The lifestyle is different and when converting to R form $ is expensive but relatively its not that bad, depending on your taste, I spend $150 per week on groceries and that includes luxury items.Good luck with your decision, and hope your hubby has enjoyed his trip. My motto is Nothing ventured, nothing gained, don't live life with regrets or what ifs.T 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted October 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Ya Jordy, I am sure you are spot on re the flights!! AND about WA! My husband fears this divide.... Especially since Perth looks so lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichtB Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Living North of River (NOR) appears to be the same sentiment that exist in Jhb that Sandton/Ferndale/Randburg etc is "better" than Bassonia/Meyersdal/Eye of Africa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted October 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 We have had a busy day... Started off at another local golf course where we managed to find some 'friendly' Roos who were prepared to be photographed.... We then headed down to Fremantle .... Lovely and arty and another beautiful bit of coastline. We found a gorgeous little waffle and ice cream shop next to the most magical fairy shop.... A def for little girls, mommies and granny's of little girls.We went through a few museums and then headed for the beautiful cottesloe beach.... Where all the beautiful people gather for sure. We had a lovely fish and chips lunch at a little cafe on the beach road which added to the summery feeling down at the beach.We then headed for the city... We went on a Segway tour along the river which was a little hair raising at first but we quickly got the hang of it. $79 for an hour... But a great experience.Perth seems to have the most amazing parks for kids... All the cities have parks but Perth seems to just have the edge in this regard. I finally think my husband is getting it!!! I can't get too excited but its looking more positive. Even if he says "let's go for it" it sure is scary... Having this concept of 'going' from SA is very different from doing it.... I am scared, but it's so doable.... It seems like $5000 will be enough per month until we get jobs and get to spend $. Auz locals does that sound fair for a family of 5... Incl Rent of $500 pw and kids in a 'catholic school'....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpion Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Good luck with your decisions.Glad you enjoying Perth.I live SOR and wake up to kangaroo in my front yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drought Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 Much of a muchness really re NOR or SOR- both areas have suburbs that are less desirable and those that only the very wealthy could afford. The place is spreading out so much that you either south of Geraldton or north of Bunbury! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCabes Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) Crossingover, I did a cost of living comparison at the beginning of the year and found this useful.http://peoplelikeu.com.au Edited October 3, 2013 by McCabes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossedover Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 Today we went back to Kings Park... It is so very beautiful, what a lovely outlook. It was very warm today considering its only October!!! I do fear Feb! Now the question of heat in Brisbane or heat in Perth.... I hate heat! Which is easier to live with?Walked thru the city, had a lunch... And headed 'home'.... Had a quiet afternoon, first in two weeks... Played canasta and just sorted out suitcases ... Hoping we are not too overweight!!Someone asked my husband if doing the LSD has made the decision easier or harder ... He said harder... I asked why... He said 'cos it is easy to live here.... I hope the mission has been positive.... For me it has also made it more scary as a decision to move means a thousand changes.... Changes I have to be willing to make!!!I have tried to stay unemotional in thinking about this monster.... But I think I need to face the reality of such a decision...Well done to all of you who are now happy Aussies! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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