Our Ozyssey

[Moose2014]

Hi @JackoFam,

 

Thanks for the amazingly detailed updates around how your LSD went. holding thumbs re: the job!

 

Four weeks exactly until we get on to that plane to our new home.

 

Good luck with the cake @Theshi, found this: https://austour.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/australian-customs-biscuits-and-chocolate-are-ok/ don't know if this helps, can't hurt trying right and declaring and seeing if you can get through...just be prepared to have to part with it. We also have our custom fondant wedding topper figurines (currently in Durbs) which I would like to one day try bring over...

 

Good luck all!

 

 

[JackoFam]

We have been working like mad the past few days to get our house spotless and decluttered in time for the agents to come and photograph the house in preparation for listing it. This feels like a massive milestone. Still a little stressed that we are not sure exactly where we are going yet - but I suppose that is part of this migration adventure.

 

On Monday I will be contacting the high school my daughter would've started at next year to officially release her place for next year. In a way this feels like an even bigger step than listing our house (even though we love our house) my kids have been soooo happy at this school and I am sorry they will not be able to finish their schooling there.

[JackoFam]

Well we have officially listed our house - know its going to be a hugely stressful process. Already the first agent just listed the house at a price higher than we think will ensure a quicker sale - all without confirming with us so now all the other agents are listing at this price too. We will leave it for a month and then lower.

 

Also the 4th offer to purchase on our investment flat has fallen through - just like the others couldn't get financing. Cant wait to just get all this stuff sorted.

 

I have been in talks with someone to take over my business and clients and so far that is going well. So I hope to be able to scale back on work in a month or two so I can fully concentrate on the move as my husband will be too busy to be able help much.

 

On the job front for him its all still up in the air. The gold coast job has now changed into a Sydney job - and while I would LOVE to be close to my sister we are just unsure whether Sydney is the place for us. But my husband will be flying to the Netherlands for a conference and some meetings next week and while there will be meeting someone about a job in Brisbane so please hold thumbs for us that this works out.

 

Other than that we are all well - I am still researching possible suburbs and schools for the various job options but until we know which city we are going to its pretty tough. But even though we feel like we are in limbo I do feel as though we are making good progress towards our move.

 

Tonight we will be having a prawn and crayfish braai as a celebration for my sister in laws birthday. My brother brought the prawns and crayfish back from Mozambique yesterday and they will all come through to our house tonight and we will feast!!

[JackoFam]

No news on our house yet but we do have someone coming this morning for a second viewing - a private buyer! So please hold thumbs for us.

 

In the ever changing job saga it seems it is now pretty certain that we will be moving to Melbourne. It is pretty clear after lots of research that that is the centre for innovation in my husbands field. Still no signed contracts but my husband had very good tri-partite meetings with the Australian and Dutch branches of the company in the Netherlands last week. They would still much rather he come and work for them in the Netherlands but they are willing to try and make it work for him in Australia too. BUT he will have to take a MUCH lower salary than first anticipated so that is a bit of a blow but there will be massive room for growth and this is something he is very excited about and since we are making such a massive change already it makes sense to try and change your job up a little too! He is hugely unhappy in his job in South Africa so an opportunity for change is just what he needs.

 

We will tighten belts and manage with what he is being and I will try and get a job as soon as I can. As I said to him going over with even a poorer paying job is better than living off rands for 3-6 months. And even if it doesn't work out it is a foot in the door and will enable him to get the elusive "Australian Experience".

 

 

 

 

[JackoFam]

Well its been an interesting few days. On my birthday last week my husband received confirmation of his job which was such an amazing gift. So now we are frantically trying to put everything in place as he has to start work on 15 Jan. We are planning on flying on 2 Jan to give us a bit of time to find a rental before work and school starts. Melbourne here we come!!

 

On another note this week it has really struck me how we seem to be viewing South Africa through a different set of glasses than our friends and family. There have been 3 incidents (besides the horror at the Universities) the last few days which have horrified us but do not seem to phase anyone else around us which we find a little bizarre but my husband said its self-protection for those not willing/able to leave.

 

1. Home affairs cashier blatantly stole R400 from us - asked us for the cash payment (of course the card machine was broken!) for one of our passport applications twice even though we knew we had already paid - we had a specific amount of cash and are able to count quite competently. We had no choice but to pay up but it was quite shocking.

2. Friends of our were tied up while they were away for the husbands 50th birthday and the vehicle was stolen. They were all on a remote farm in Mpumalanga. But of course it was all fine because no one was hurt and the recovered the vehicle???

3. My maids mom (who is in her late 80s) and her mentally disabled niece had R490 of their social grants stolen by the SASSA official. They just blatantly short paid them. One of the is completely unable to count on the mom didn't check the money until they got home. Again nothing can be done. Its sickening to me how government officials will target someone so vulnerable.

 

Anyway I am sure lots of you know how I feel.

 

Am feeling really overwhelmed with all that still needs to be done before we leave but we will get there slowly by surely.

 

 

[Mara]

Jackofarm, two weeks to find a rental, in January, may be pushing it! You do realize that January is holiday month in Australia?

[JackoFam]

Thanks for the heads up @Mara. I will book at least 3 weeks in an Airbnb. I do realise January is a holiday month so its awkward timing but with my husbands job starting on the 15th and wanting to get the kids into a school by the time the new year starts its going to be a herculean task. Am really worried about it - especially the schools part.

Edited October 11, 2016 by JackoFam

[Mara]

@JackoFam do you have specific schools in mind?

[JackoFam]

I ant believe I have been away from the journal for 2.5 months - time has just flown so fast.

 

We are now T-5 days to lift off (2nd January) and I cant believe how far we have come and how much we have accomplished since we started the journal. The last few months of getting organised to leave were the most hectic of my life. We unfortunately did not manage to sell our house which was  big disappointment to us but we have found (what seems to be) a great tenant and have signed a 1 year lease. They agreed to the agent still marketing and showing the house so we are still hopeful we will sell in time.

 

Most of the time leading up to the move was spent sorting out our house - I cant believe how much stuff we had in all our cupboards! Please believe everyone when they tell you it will take a few months to get your house sorted - it really does. I started with a first sweep through the cupboards when we put the house on the market in July and then began decluttering and selling in earnest in October. You need time to go through your things multiple times because each time you will find more stuff to get rid of. Getting the quotes for containers (and the big difference in price between a 20 and 40ft) was a huge motivator for me. When the relocation consultant came for her initial walk through of the house she said we would never fit our belongings into a 20ft - well all I thought was "Challenge accepted" and proceeded to seriously scale down and really think about what we owned and what stuff was actually important to us. This whole process was tough but hugely cathartic for me and I am 90% happy with what is in the 20 ft container. When it all arrives in Melbourne I might feel differently - I can just imagine opening up some boxes and thinking why on earth did we cart this with........

 

We ended up using Crown Relocations as our options from our small town were limited and Crown has such a good reputation. So far we have been happy with their service. We did have an issue with 2 of the packers on day 2 of the move but Crown resolved the issue really quickly so all in all we are still happy with our choice BUT we will update when we receive our goods in Melbourne.

 

Once the container left our driveway we moved in with my Mom (in between returning to our house to get it ready for tenants) and have been spending the last month on holiday with both sides of the family. We had a week in the bush with my family and then a really lovely farewell at a local restaurant. We were so pleased that so many people arrived to wish us well. I had been dreading the farewell and had decided on not doing one at all but my mom persuaded me and I am so glad she did. It was a truly lovely evening and one I will never forget. We managed to see so many people and they were all happy for us and wished us well on our "ozzyssey". After the farewell we heading down to my husbands folks farm in the karkloof for 8 days over Christmas and have been having a wonderful time just chilling. Kids paddling on the dam and lots of fishing - they are in heaven.

 

Tomorrow we head back to my mom for the last 4 days. Have some final admin to do but will have a new years eve with family and our best friends.

 

 

 

 

[Husky]

How exciting @JackoFam

Thinking of you tomorrow. Sure all will go well 

[wonderer]

wow I just read through your journal for the first time, well done! - hope everything went well today. We are experiencing some of the things you wrote about earlier and I wonder what it must feel like to finally get to T-5 and then actually on the plane. Looking forward to your "next episode"...

[JackoFam]

tThanks for your wishes everyone. We have now spent our first night in Melbourne and were lucky to have a very soft landing.

 

We flew to Melbourne via Abu Dhabi with Etihad which although pretty long turned out to be a pretty easy flight. The second flight arrives in Melbourne in the early morning so if you get to have some decent kip on the flight you are already getting into the proper timezone.

 

We had a friend collect us from airport with their ute (as we had mountains of luggage - another advantage of Etihad, they gave us 46kgs of luggage each) and she took us to collect our rental keys ( we had various friends inspect houses for us and then we arranged the rental from South Africa) and we headed to our new home for the next 6 months. We are very happy with the house. Bathrooms are smaller than we are used to but other than that it is really lovely and I think we have hit gold. I know lots of people prefer to find a rental after landing but we liked the idea of having somewhere to settle straight away and the 6 month lease is perfect - we have the option to extend or we can find a house more suitable and permanent if we are not happy. The location is idea for us and that was the main reason we chose it.

 

We are pretty well kitted out with camping gear until our container arrives - people have been so helpful and friendly, really going out of their way to help us - I already know I will be doing the same for some future arrivals as pay back.

 

On that note - when we first found out we were moving to Melbourne we did not know a soul living there but slowly but surely over the past few months we have built up a network of online friends who have been a huge help. Other friends put me into contact with the sister of a school friend (she also went to the same school but was younger so I did know her) and her and her husband have been incredibly generous - fetched us from airport and kitted out our rental with camping equipment, kettle crockery etc, They even brought along an old chest of draws they found on hard rubbish day last week and kept for us. They really went above and beyond.

 

Another friend I met through an online acquaintance from another unrelated forum. She is also a South Africa and her and her husband attended countless house inspections for us and helped research schools in the area. They also popped by yesterday with more camping stuff. It was so wonderful to finally meet these people we have been chatting with online and on the phone.

 

Today we are going to sort medicare, drivers licence and some banking - then off for a major shopping spree!!

 

Thanks to all of you who have followed our journey so far - we will keep you updated as we settle in.

Edited January 4, 2017 by JackoFam
Grammar

[wonderer]

which suburb did you choose?

 

[Chips]

Welcome to Australia may everything go according to your plans and enjoy the shopping spree.

[ANDERSONS]

Hi there.

Truly loved your journal!

Keep them coming

[JackoFam]

Thanks everyone.

@wonderer we ended up in Sandringham. Loving the suburb so far

 

We have had a very productive first few days. Yesterday we managed to sort medicare and finalise some banking stuff and we started the process for converting our drivers licenses. We also purchased some of our appliances which will be delivered today and arranged an internet connection - we were already online as we had recharged our sim cards that we had used in July.

 

 

So far its just been head down getting admin sorted but we are planning some relaxing and exploring time this weekend.

[Husky]

Sounds like you are very organized. Sandringham is on my list of potential suburbs so keen to hear more about your experience. What school did you manage to get your kids into? Our plan is to find a school first and settle in the surrounding suburbs. My son will be going to high school and daughter to university. 

[JackoFam]

We really like Sandringham and are happy we landed up here. It's a super convenient location and a beautiful suburb. There are many top private schools in the general area but for the meantime we have enrolled our eldest in the local sate high school Sandringham College. Ironically we managed to get into the school as an out of catchment enrollment back in October way before found the rental and then coincidently we found a rental in the catchment. The school isn't much to look at - breeze block construction etc but we were happy with all the discussions we had with various people at the school. They are busy with some new additions at the moment.

 

If you pm in a month or two I can give you a more detailed assessment of how my child is enjoying the school.

[Husky]

Thank you @JackoFam

Will send you a pm. Still waiting for our visas. Know that once they come through (just putting it out there ....), I'll want to start making some clear decisions and plans.

[JackoFam]

Am sure the visa will come through for you. Holding thumbs in the meantime

 

[EmNew]

Welcome @JackoFam to Melbourne and Bayside !

I am sure settling in will be eased by the beautiful surroundings and convenient location . We rented next door to Sandringham in Hampton for our first year and loved the area. Only reason for moving out of immediate area to the Bayside fringes was premium purchase prices when we were ready to buy. The trainline into the CBD is one of the most reliable too .  Enjoy the walking , running and biking trails along Beach Road , taking in sunsets over the tranquil Bay and exploring the area in general .  And grab a coffee from the little Italian place on left of Bay Rd just before traffic circle if facing sea - best coffee in Sandy in my opinion 

[JackoFam]

Thanks @EmNew we are loving the area I must say but we know what you mean about the prices - they are eye watering.

 

Is the coffee place called Barista Brothers? We are also loving having a coffee at Sandy Beach kiosk.

Edited January 12, 2017 by JackoFam

[EmNew]

1 hour ago, JackoFam said:

V

Is the coffee place called Barista Brothers? We are also loving having a coffee at Sandy Beach kiosk.

No , I can't recall name but it's not Barista Brothers . It's a tiny place with an Italian name further down towards the sea from Black Squirrel Cafe (  good brekky at Squirrel ) .    

The owner and waiter are both Italian ( were when we last went ) There is a little window street side to serve takeaways from and about 3 tables on pavement with about 3 inside . 

Havent tried Sandy Beach Kiosk - must pay it a visit 

[JackoFam]

Thanks @EmNew we found the place. So tiny we missed it the previous times we walked past. It was closed when we were there so will test out the coffee later 

[JackoFam]

So my husband starts work tomorrow and I can't believe how much we have accomplished in these first 10 days. BUT we did have 3 major items sorted before we arrived and obviously that made for a very soft and easier landing. We had a rental, my husband had a job and we had enrolled the kids in schools.

 

We have sorted Medicare (still need to arrange private medical but I will do that next week), converted our drivers licenses, purchased a car and sorted all our banking out. We have also purchased the kids school uniforms and started the process of getting their SA immunization cards converted (they each need 2 additional inoculations). We also applied for our TFNs and they arrived in the post on Friday - loving post arriving at our house! 

 

But most importantly we have explored quite a few of the neighboring beaches, had 2 paddle boarding sessions and enrolled our son in a nippers program AND drunk some amazing coffee.

 

Even though there is quite a bit of admin to do it all goes quite smoothly and is quick to get through as all the systems work quite efficiently so it hasn't taken up too much of our time.

 

We did also experienced IKEA for the first time - awesome place but really confusing on your first visit. 

 

So so far all is going well and it's too soon for homesickness to kick in but I am aware that it will kick in for all four of us at some stage - I am just hoping it will happen at different times so we can be a support for each other.