Arrived in Far North Queensland - Tablelands

[LaurieRiddin]

Hello All,

We have arrived in Australia! It feels good to finally be here, but the paperwork is not yet finished: our import permit email has just come through for the one motorbike, they didn't seem to get the visa grant letter for the second bike (scooter) and our removal company has just let me know that the bikes must be picked up in Cairns (they had originally let us know that they can get dropped at our new address, along with all the other stuff!).

My husband has had his first day of work: he says it is very different from what he was used to in South Africa, but the people are very friendly and he has had a lot of laughs on the floor.

Now it's my turn to start looking for a position, and it all seems very daunting. My husband works at the Mareeba airport, but we have had a lot of people telling us that the weather and the community is nicer in Atherton. Also, we are staying in a really lovely holiday accommodation place on Lake Tinaroo, that we were able to book for a month, however it is further to work for hubby than we are used to: 20 minutes and therefore fuel costs are bigger. Also the internet connectivity and even the mobile phone reception does not work in our cottage - we are too low down the hill, apparently.

So the big accommodation hunt begins: where to stay while we wait for all the paperwork to get finished so that the container can actually leave East London!

We are weighing up all the options, but it would be so super to have someone that knows the area... anyone familiar with the Tablelands, Far North Queensland??

[Heymanse]

Welcome and I hope your journey to settling in will be an easy one.

An old schoolfriend of mine lives in the Cairns area. She's a Psychologist and sometimes have to go to Atherton for consultations. She always talks about how lovely it is there. It could be worthwhile joining the Meetup group where lots of activites and get togethers are listed - http://www.meetup.com/cities/au/cairns/

[LaurieRiddin]

Thanks Heymanse!

I am looking to meet some people around here, and any starting point is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely have a look.

[Johnno]

If you want to seek out other saffa families then see if there's a local rugby union club, pop in and you're bound to bump into fellow Saffas. The best thing to do is get out and about as often as you can and don't be scared (or shy) to just start chatting to other people. If you have kids make an effort to get to know their parents. Most of us fresh off the plane landed up making our friends through our kids friends parents (not limited to Saffa families) but mixing as often and as much as you can with local families will fast track your settling in, understanding of the local area, things to do,places to go etc. before you know it you'll be saying "no worries, yeah and mate", at least a million times a day.

[BriD]

Welcome to Australia!!

I cannot "ditto" enough to what Johnno has said above. Yep, don't be afraid to talk to people, put yourself out there. Explore your surroundings...the best way to do it...don't have a "destination"...just turn on your GPS, put it onto Map and then drive. See what you see, go where you feel like going. It will help you learn the area faster, and this is also how you discover awesome places.

Today I went to collect an item I had bought off the local buy/sell website. Once I had fetched it, I noticed a green patch on my GPS...indicating a nature reserve of some sort. I took a quick detour. Drove through the park to the end of the road and found the most incredible lookout. It was on the top of the cliffs overlooking the sea, you could see the cliffs along the coast and you could also see whales from there. It literally took my breath away...

Whenever you need a reminder of why you came...go exploring and you are bound to find something or some place that reminds you how lucky you are to have this opportunity.

Sorry...I got a bit off track there...

Welcome and all the best for the settling in process. Everything does seem overwhelming, but just take it step by step and before long you will be feeling much more comfortable.

[Aneldari]

Hi there, welcome to our little piece of paradise! Hope you enjoyed your journey from Brisbane!

Personally, if I worked in Mareeba I would not live in Atherton. The travel is unnecessary. Mareeba is a great town with lots of shops and groceries stores and people are truly friendly there. You have everything you need there and you are much closer to Cairns and the coast (and Kuranda) if you want to do a day trip. Then you are also close enough for a trip to Atherton and the other nearby towns. You also could take the beautiful inland Mulligan Hwy and go up north to the Daintree and beyond or head outbackish to Chillagoe... Ideally located.

BTW, at the big IGA in Atherton, there is an international food aisle and there is actually a rack with South African products!

Just shout if you need anything.

Enjoy the start of your Ausventure....!

Cheers

Aneldari

[LaurieRiddin]

Thanks all!

It is so great to have encouragement and some tips... I am so glad I was able to find SAAustralia!!

Aneldari, thank you for your views. We have found a small temporary place that we are staying in that is very close to where my hubby is working, so hopefully it will suit us until our container arrives. I am not very good with heat, so I need to see what temperature the summer is here in Mareeba, as they say Atherton is much cooler. However the distance is a huge factor and I also think we need to give ourselves time to experience Mareeba in all seasons and moods.