Feedback from our LSD Trip

[Pippa]

Hi Everyone,

I’ve decided to share the experiences that we had in Australia with you all. All in all, it was a lovely trip and I cannot wait to finally settle there.

We arrived in Sydney on 29 March 2007 and were welcomed by Dedrei and Ruche on the airport. We then took a train to Wynyard Station, as we stayed in the Travel Lodge Hotel Wynyard. I immediately thought that the train that we were going to take was the Monorail, but they were quick to explain to me that the monorail does not travel from the Airport to the CBD. The ignorance of a tourist… We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Starbucks in Wynyard chatting away about life in Australia. My husband and I had a very early evening; we went for sushi close by to our hotel and went to bed very early.

On Friday morning, 29 March 2007, we woke up (after we woke up several times during the night of course) and had a nice a looong breakfast in the hotel before we left for Hyde Park to meet with Etienne Hugo who moved (admitted) my husband in the Supreme Court as a Solicitor. Although we could have taken a train to Hyde Park, we decided to rather walk there, as we wanted to experience the whole vibe and it was awesome! When we arrived at Hyde Park, I was amazed to see how many people were sitting on the grass having lunch or working on their laptops or even playing chess! After lunch in Hyde Park and an extensive photograph session, we went to the court for my husband’s admission. It was a very formal ceremony and I then realized how much culture and history Australia actually has.

We decided on Saturday morning to buy tickets for the Sydney/Bondi Explorer (bus tour) at Circular Quay and it gave us a very good overview of and feel for Sydney. Unfortunately, and I must admit, that we never had enough time to visit Manly Beach, but fortunately, we went to Bondi and Coogee Beach. To be honest, I expected more from Bondi Beach, and actually prefer Coogee to Bondi. Before we got to Bondi, we drove through Double Bay and I was stunned – it is such a pretty place…, full of character and lovely trees. We also visited Sydney’s Wildlife Park where we saw some Australian creatures… and koalas and kangaroos – LOVED IT! Off course we also visited the Sydney Opera House and I was amazed at that building – it is truly unique! We found everything around the Sydney Opera House very expensive… we paid $8.50 for a cappuccino at the Opera Café at the Sydney Opera House! In the evening, we had a lovely time at Lowenbrau in The Rocks with Martin, Riekie, Mandy, Simon, Dedrei and Ruche. Suffice to say that it was a real German experience in the heart of Sydney and it was a highly enjoyable and memorable evening!

The people in Sydney were all dressed very formally, all were well groomed and looked after. We saw the most beautiful lady driving a fire engine and on that moment my husband decided that Australia is the place to be!!!

Overall, and personally, I don’t find Sydney appealing for a place to permanently settle, but I can understand the attraction and why people like it. For us, Sydney is just too big and we don’t really want to stay in the Johannesburg of Australia. But we will off course consider it should an opportunity arise, but at the moment, I can’t see myself living there.

On Sunday morning, 1 April (no joke!), we flew from Sydney to Adelaide and went straight to Bob’s place for the Adelaide get-together! Bronwyn and Stephen took us on a very scenic drive (or not…!) by accident and for a moment I longed for Sydney, but we soon got onto the freeway to Adelaide Hills and I got goose bumps when we drove through Mount Barker’s little village… It is such a beautiful little village full of character and charm. We had lots of fun at Bob’s place and Bob and Ginnie’s hospitality is worth writing home about – THANKS AGAIN BOB AND GINNIE! Special thanks must also go to Bronwyn and Stephen who made sure that there were enough food and drinks for us and Annette and Marius made sure that we felt at home with offering us some lekker Australian boerewors! Later in the afternoon, Bob wanted to know whether we wanted some coffee with milk and he asked this in Afrikaans, so he asked something in the lines of: “Wil jy blanke koffie he?”. Off course we had a lekker laugh and quickly explained to him that he got his terms only ever-so-slightly wrong! Well done in any case on the Afrkikaans, Bob! Thanks again to everyone that was there – it was a fantastic afternoon!

During our time in Adelaide, which I quickly renamed as the city of parks (you don’t want to know how many parks there are!!! – I love it!!!), we visited Glenelg, Adelaide Hills (Aldgate, Stirling and Hahndorff to be specific) etc. Glenelg’s little shops create a cosy vibe especially with the tram nearby to take you back into the CBD. The weather did not really allow us to go for a walk on the beach, as it was quite cold, but we managed to see what we wanted to see. I’ve heard a lot about the Hills, but hey…, I did not expect it to be as quaint as it is. Stirling is definitely on my list of favourites! One literally drives under trees from when you get there until you leave and that is the same for Aldgate as well. The weather seemed much cooler up in the Hills than in the city, but it is probably because of all the shade that the trees provide. Wow, people, if you ever have a chance of visiting Adelaide, go straight to the Hills – it is gorgeous and it felt surreal! We had another lovely German experience, but this time in the heart of Hahndorff, which is from my understanding a village originally founded by the Germans, who also brought wine to and introduced winemaking in that part of Australia. Amongst the German background music, we enjoyed bückworst and sauerkraut in the Handorff Inn whilst dreaming of our new life in Australia… For a moment, I just sat back and realized how privileged I am to experience everything and knowing that I will soon be able settle in this beautiful country.

We also managed to make our way to Rundle Mall which is a closed off street mall with plenty of shops. When we were there on Monday morning, it was dead quiet, but at the same time on the Tuesday morning, it was very busy and I could not understand where all the people came from.

The University of Adelaide reminds me a lot of Stellenbosch University and one gets the same feeling and vibe when walking there. I guess it is because of all the trees and with the Torrens River close by. I loved suburbs like North Adelaide, Norwood, Unley, St Peters and Medindie. Lovely old houses with lots of character and then off course we also visited Mawson Lakes, which is a much newer and modern area (almost like a security estate, without the gates, but with the childcare centre, shops etc.). Mawson Lakes gives one the impression of a Truman Show or Desperate Housewives – everything is picture perfect, pretty and new.

Overall, my impression of Adelaide is that it is the secret jewel of Australia. It is a stunning city with a feel of a country town, but much bigger. One actually don’t realize how big Adelaide is, until you start driving around. I now understand why people compare it to Bloemfontein (although I’ve never been to Bloem) or George. I got the impression that most of the people who stay in Adelaide are Australian-born. Also a lot of European immigrants. To me, their Australian accents are much stronger than what you would find in the other cities. The Adelaidians are friendly and very sincere people. Adelaide is an honest place and I felt exceptionally safe there. At this stage of our trip, my first choice was definitely Adelaide. I can see myself raising my children in a place like Adelaide, but I also understand why young people want to exchange Adelaide for the lights of other cities…, but they will return soon.

After our visit to Adelaide, we flew to Melbourne. On arrival, we thought that we could get a train from the airport to the CBD, but no such luck – we had to wait for the StarBus to collect us, which wasted a few precious minutes… In Melbourne, we quickly realized that it is very cosmopolitan city and everything goes…very similar to Sydney. I was amazed to see how the people dress. They mix and match their clothes and it looks fabulous! I visited Chapel Street in South Yarra one morning and almost got the feeling of an upmarket Melville in Johannesburg.

Federation Square was just up the road from our hotel and we obtained a lot of information of the city from the visitor’s centre at Federation Square. Once again we decided to go on the bus tour (and also the City Circle Tram) around the city to just get an overall view of the city. (All of these buses that I’ve mentioned so far is on a “hop on, hop off” basis and cater for tourists mostly).

From what I could see, the traffic in Melbourne is horrendous! With the tram running in the CBD the vehicles have to make “hook turns” to make provision for the trams. I will probably have a nervous breakdown if I ever have to drive in the CBD of Melbourne!

Overall, the people in Melbourne are very friendly. We saw far more people smoking in Melbourne than what we did in Sydney / Adelaide. People would often say that Australians are very laid back, but I did not experience it in Melbourne; some of the business people on the streets looked very rushed and busy, the freeways were congested even at 14:00 in the afternoon. Maybe because it was just before Easter – I don’t know.

We also visited St. Kilda which is Melbourne’s bay (beach) area and I love the fact that they have beaches where they allow dogs. We saw so many people cycling and walking on the pathways next to the beach and according to my cousin who studies in Melbourne, those paths almost continue forever.

Something that caught my eye the whole time was that I saw moms with their babies in prams all over the CBD of Melbourne! Something you never see in South Africa. Whenever these moms gets on buses / trams, the people would assist them with the pram. I loved seeing this, as the moms obviously feel safe and could easily get around with public transport.

My overall impression from Melbourne is excellent. I did not expect it to have such a buzz like Sydney and to be so busy, but personally, I prefer Melbourne to Sydney (but it’s only me…). However, I did not expect Melbourne to be so rushed and big!

Now some of you know that I’ve always said that Brisbane is not even an option for us, because of the humidity etc. etc., but I am pleased to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. It is an awesome city and immediately fell in love with it. The river that runs through the city creates such a calming effect. According to my Fodor’s Australia 2007 book, Brisbane has cycling paths that run for 400kms. Now some of these paths are around the river and I can just see myself cycling or walking there.

Fortunately, we did not experience the humidity and the average temperature during our stay was about 27 degrees. Their transport system is just as good as Sydney and Melbourne’s, except that its trains might have fewer lines perhaps. I felt at home the moment I sat foot in Brisbane, and not that I did not feel at home when I was visiting Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, but it sort of just felt right.

Whilst my husband attended a few interviews, I had the privilege of visiting Queensland Girl in Gold Coast and oh my word… I loved it. It is just something about that place… One would never believe that there’s an actual drought if you visit Gold Coast. Queensland Girl drove me around and showed as much as she could in 6 hours. The Hinterlands of Gold Coast is STUNNING and then you have the beaches that go on forever… Now (and finally), I totally grasp the concept of why so many people love Gold Coast and Brisbane. Funnily enough, I don’t think I would mind the humidity after seeing the place, but I might just change my mind during a December!!!

The people were not dressed as formally as in the other cities, but then again, we were there over the Easter weekend. The Tuesday after Easter Monday, I saw some very formally dressed business people. The people in Queensland were exceptionally friendly and would stop to assist when they see you don’t know where you are going. And of course in Brisbane and Gold Coast, there is much less emphasis on Footy (AFL) than in the other cities.

We also had the opportunity to visit Noosa on the Sunshine Coast and it would be very hard for me to explain Noosa in actual words. It is AWESOME! Go and see for yourself – it is a must!!!

A few things about Australia that I did not expect:

1. Their sugar sachets in restaurants are much smaller than the ones we have in South Africa.

2. I did not know that their buses run on gas - I never smelled smoke coming from a bus!

3. The sky in Adelaide was amazingly blue one the day we arrived and there was a sweet smell in the air.

4. The constant awareness of and focus on the environment.

5. To get my luggage the moment when I walk from the plane into the terminal. I loved it.

6. Australia’s obsession with Footy… especially in Melbourne.

From our visit, we realized that one can easily stay anywhere and that it is not that easy to choose a city. Ultimately, my first choice would be between Brisbane and Adelaide, but we have not visited Perth for example and Melbourne and Sydney are definitely options too depending on work possibilities.

At the moment, we are in the possession of a Skilled Independent Regional Visa (Subclass 495) which enables us to live anywhere in regional Australia including Adelaide. Our main concern is that the career opportunities in Adelaide do not seem as plentiful as the ones in the other cities and after seeing a few recruitment agencies, my husband was told that there might be sponsorship (Visa 457) opportunities in the cities.

I am totally content at the moment and I know that I will be able to live anywhere Down Under. I trust that Faith will lead us to where we should be and I am now only praying for guidance and direction. Our plan is to leave in August, but as per the above explanation, we still don’t know where we are going.

Many thanks for everyone that made our trip memorable . It was a great experience and would advice anyone with the opportunity to visiting Australia before their move to do so, but it is definitely not necessary, as Australia is a liveable, safe country where we can stop looking over our shoulders and live life to the fullest instead!

Lovies, Pippa! X

PS. You can view some of our photos on LSD Photos Enjoy it!!!

[Sheila2oz]

Hi Pippa.

Baie dankie vir die inligting, ek het gewonder wanneer jy jou LSD ondervinding met ons gaan deel.

Jy het elke groot stad so mooi uiteen gesit vir ons, wat nog nie die geleentheid het om te gaan nie, nou kan ons maar lees wat jy geskryf het om 'n goeie idee te kry van hoe lyk wat.

Ons plan is om Brisbane of Gold Coast toe te trek. Ek is ook 'n Pretorianer en ek is bly dat jy voel jy daar sal kan inpas. Ek stem saam dit is seker baie warm in Desember maar lugreëling sal die ding kan doen.

Sal jou by die volgende braai/kuier ontmoet dat jy nog meer met ons kan deel.

Dankie en sterkte met julle aansoek vir die visa.

Wonderlike mense oral in Australia wat jou so kon ontmoet het en gaan rond wys het.

Groete

Sheila2Oz

[Sheila2oz]

Hi Pippa

Weer ek WHOW stunning foto's !!!!!!!! Veral van die Brisbane river.

Dankie baie.

Cheers vir eers

Sheila2Oz

[Bianca S]

Dankie Pippa vir die pos!!

Edited April 23, 2007 by Bianca S

[Dedrei]

Hi Girly

Bly julle het so 'n awesome tyd gehad in Aus, sien uit na ons volgende kuier en hou baie van jou foto's!!! Thanks vir die detail van julle ondervindinge, seker daar gaan baie baat daarby.

Stuur liefde daar vir almal

D

x

[Michelle M]

Thanks Pippa

Baie dankie vir al jou moeite om vir ons elke stad te kom verduidelik. Die foto's is baie nice.

Ek is sommer van voor af opgewonde

Weereens baie dankie

Groete

Michelle

[W+R]

Hi Pippa!

Thanks vir die post, altyd 'n plesier om ander mense se ervarings te deel. En die fotos is ook baie mooi!

Groete

W+R

[Langes]

Hi Pippa, baie dankie vir die inligting. Beste nog. Jy maak die besluit waar om te bly baie makliker, of nee, eintlik moeliker. Laat weet maar waar julle finaal gaan bly.

Hi Pippa, baie dankie vir die inligting. Beste nog. Jy maak die besluit waar om te bly baie makliker, of nee, eintlik moeliker. Laat weet maar waar julle finaal gaan bly.

[Tania]

Hallo Pippa!

Kyk, ek het my gate uit geniet om jou post te lees! Baie dankie vir jou tyd en moeite!

(N.S. ek is seker as jy in die Hills voorstede van Sydney gaan kuier het, sou jy dalk kon sien dat jy 'n klein Pippa daar sal kan groot maak? :-) vra maar vir Riekie? hie-hie )

Baie sterkte met al jul besluite. Ek is seker julle sal op die regte plek, op die regte tyd land!

Groete van huis tot huis

Tania

[Queensland Girl]

Hi Pippa

Your post has EVERYTHING that makes this forum so great.REAL INFORMATION

You have given perspectives that us longtime arrivals dont even think about. For the people still in South Africa your photographs are real and personal, which just makes it so cool!

For oldtimers like me it has whet my appetite to go exploring. Have never been to Adelaide, but I think a week there is called for!

Well done!

[Russell]

Hi Pippa,

Thanks for the great post. It looks like you and your husband had a great trip and the pictures really adds perspective to the whole experience. I can only echo what Queensland Girl has posted and say well done.

Mandy and I are off this Friday for 15 days and getting very excited (and nervous I must say ). We won't be going to Adelaide but your experiences in the other cities really add to our things to do. We will be doing Sydney-Brisbane-Melbourne-Perth (in that order). I will make a point of doing the same and posting our experiences with everyone.

Russell

[Hendie]

Hi Pippa! Baie oulike "rapport" oor julle LSD. Wat my veral getref het is die mate waarin julle deur mede-forumlede onthaal en ontvang is. Moet iemand nou net nie weer vir my probeer sê hierdie forum dien nie 'n ongelooflike doel om Suid-Afrikaners bymekaar te bring en dat ons hier NIE 'n wonderlike gemeenskap het nie!

[Stuart and Jill]

Thanks Pippa

Wonderful and informative post and lovely pics.

So nice to see some real pics of the places and not only the ones that belong on postcards.

[Rocky]

Dankie Pippa. Dit is baie interessant en beantwoord baie vrae. Sterkte met julle finale reëlings.

Groetnis

Rocky

[nicola]

Many thanks Pippa for sharing your trip and experiences, and especially for describing them so well for us all. I think you have motivated a lot of us to continue with the seamingly endless search for the visa to get ourselves there!!!

Thanks

[avi]

Hi Pippa

Glad to hear your feedback.Thanks for the info...We went on our lsd trip in March to Brisbane as u know...I can echo exactly what your feel about Brisbane.If we had any doubts before the trip,there are none now.We love the city and the Gold Coast and hopefully will be locating as near as possible to the Gold Coast.Having a 160 business visa,I hope we can find a business on the Gold Coast to purchase because the lifestyle there is awesome.We plan to leave as soon as our house here is sold.There is so much to tell about Brisbane and our personal experiences.If anyone needs to know please pm me and feel free to ask.

[Riekie]

Hey Pippa, dankie vir daai breedvoerige terugvoer en al die mooi fotos! Ek is bly julle het so 'n lekker tyd gehad en soveel mense hier ontmoet - dit was vir my nou regtig "nice" om jou ook uiteindelik in lewende lywe te sien en tyd met jou en manlief deur te bring. Net jammer julle tydjie in Sydney was so kort en dat jy nie 'n kykie in die Suburbs ook kon kry nie (Wisteria Lane op Steroïds!! ).

Nou ja, julle tel seker al die "slapies".... Min Dae!! Waar ookal julle besluit om te bly, is ek seker daar is meer as genoeg gretige "babysitters" vir al die piekvoete wat julle beplan!

[Pippa]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your comments!

Sal jou by die volgende braai/kuier ontmoet dat jy nog meer met ons kan deel.

Dankie en sterkte met julle aansoek vir die visa.

Ek hoop om ‘n draai te kan maak by die volgende braai/kuier en sien uit om jou te ontmoet. Ons het ons PR aansoek Saterdag, 21 April gestuur en nou moet die engeltjies net oortyd werk…

Bly julle het so 'n awesome tyd gehad in Aus, sien uit na ons volgende kuier

Sien net so uit na die volgende kuier en hoop dit is binnekort !

(N.S. ek is seker as jy in die Hills voorstede van Sydney gaan kuier het, sou jy dalk kon sien dat jy 'n klein Pippa daar sal kan groot maak? :-) vra maar vir Riekie? hie-hie )

Aggenee Tania, moet my nou nie meer deurmekaar maak nie… !!! Dit is jammer dat ek nie die Hills gesien het nie, maar sal ‘n punt daarvan maak om dit te sien die volgende keer as ons in Sydney is .

Your post has EVERYTHING that makes this forum so great.REAL INFORMATION

You have given perspectives that us longtime arrivals dont even think about. For the people still in South Africa your photographs are real and personal, which just makes it so cool!

For oldtimers like me it has whet my appetite to go exploring. Have never been to Adelaide, but I think a week there is called for!

Well done!

Well QC, what can I say…? You’ve given me a very REAL picture of Gold Coast and I thoroughly enjoyed the day with you . Thanks once again .

When visiting Adelaide, please ensure that you have enough time to experience the city and also to visit the Adelaide Hills!

Mandy and I are off this Friday for 15 days and getting very excited (and nervous I must say ).

Enjoy your LSD and please give my regards to Mandy! Can’t wait to here what you have to say !

Hi Pippa! Baie oulike "rapport" oor julle LSD. Wat my veral getref het is die mate waarin julle deur mede-forumlede onthaal en ontvang is. Moet iemand nou net nie weer vir my probeer sê hierdie forum dien nie 'n ongelooflike doel om Suid-Afrikaners bymekaar te bring en dat ons hier NIE 'n wonderlike gemeenskap het nie!

Hendie, ek stem ! Hier die forum is regtig REAL met fantastiese mense wat WIL help! Weet net dat ek maar net ‘n paar mense genoem het en daar was nog baie mense soos Matman, Shandell ens. Wat aangebied het om ons te sien en rond te wys, maar ongelukkig was daar net nie genoeg tyd nie. Dit is ‘n voorreg om deel van hierdie gemeenskap te wees !

Many thanks Pippa for sharing your trip and experiences, and especially for describing them so well for us all. I think you have motivated a lot of us to continue with the seamingly endless search for the visa to get ourselves there!!!

Persevere – it is worth it! See you soon !

Hi Pippa

Glad to hear your feedback.Thanks for the info...We went on our lsd trip in March to Brisbane as u know...I can echo exactly what your feel about Brisbane.If we had any doubts before the trip,there are none now.We love the city and the Gold Coast and hopefully will be locating as near as possible to the Gold Coast.Having a 160 business visa,I hope we can find a business on the Gold Coast to purchase because the lifestyle there is awesome.We plan to leave as soon as our house here is sold.There is so much to tell about Brisbane and our personal experiences.If anyone needs to know please pm me and feel free to ask.

Welcome back Avi! Glad to hear that you’ve also enjoyed Brisbane! Please keep us updated with your plans.

Hey Pippa, dankie vir daai breedvoerige terugvoer en al die mooi fotos! Ek is bly julle het so 'n lekker tyd gehad en soveel mense hier ontmoet - dit was vir my nou regtig "nice" om jou ook uiteindelik in lewende lywe te sien en tyd met jou en manlief deur te bring. Net jammer julle tydjie in Sydney was so kort en dat jy nie 'n kykie in die Suburbs ook kon kry nie (Wisteria Lane op Steroïds!! ).

Nou ja, julle tel seker al die "slapies".... Min Dae!! Waar ookal julle besluit om te bly, is ek seker daar is meer as genoeg gretige "babysitters" vir al die piekvoete wat julle beplan!

Jinne Rix, dit was darem lekker om jou uiteindelik te kon ontmoet! Die “min dae” voel vir my nog ‘n ewigheid, maar besef dat dit om die draai is . As ek nie ‘n gretige “babysitter” kry nie, gaan ek die pienkvoete vir jou pos !

I love Australia !

Lovies, Pippa! X