MSL Posted May 8, 2016 Report Share Posted May 8, 2016 Hi All, Well, we've been here in Brisbane for just over 3 weeks, here are my observations so far: 1. There is a general familiarity about the place. We'd never been to Aus before, yet it felt like home. It may have helped that I am from Durban. The cars, road signs, roads, scenery, all felt similar to home. 2. Subburbs can be very mixed: very smart houses, next door to a dump, next door to grazing cows. 3. I've read many people say there isn't much class distinction. There is. There are gigantic houses beautifully kept and rundown properties with cars rusting in the gardens. You'll need to thoroughly check out a neighborhood before moving there. 4. People aren't very pedantic about the speed limit, especially during peak traffic. I set my cruise control to the speed limit,100km/h, then move to the slow lane while everyone passes me. 5. Pedestrians have right of way. They just walk at pedestrian crossings, you'd better stop! 6. Everyone I've dealt with has been friendly, courteous and hard working. It is so refreshing. 7. Brisbane CBD is incredible. Clean, neat, just a pleasant place to be. I sat at the river and had coffee between interviews, it was the strangest sensation to relax in a city. 8. In some places you're permitted to do u-turns, it felt strange doing it 9. No security in high rise buildings! I walked in the door, straight into the lift and up to the office. 10. To buy I car I needed a bank cheque. I imagined half a day of phonecalls and talking to managers. Reality was the person working the teller printed it out for me. It took literally 10 minutes, mainly because of the 5 minute queue. 11. "No worries" means "it's a pleasure" and "You're alright" means "don't worry". Saying an ordinary sentence with a question type tone gets confusing. That's it for now. We've bought our cars, sorted out all admin, I found work and start tomorrow, all in 3 weeks! I hope everyone else is doing well, and I'll check in again soon to see how you've all been doing. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renebo Posted May 8, 2016 Report Share Posted May 8, 2016 Hi MSL Thanks for this and congrats on the good progress made. You mentioned about the area to stay, any suggestions? Thanks Rene 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcmiller Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Thanks for sharing this. I leave in a week and a half to Brissie. Looking forward to it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSL Posted July 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 So Renebo, you dropped the question the night before I started work...I feel like I've just come up for air now!!! Regarding suburbs, there are good ones everywhere, it was actually getting overwhelming. Every weekend we drove out to look at another subburb, we just loved it. And schools, you do get a few bad ones...but there are so many good ones it almost becomes a non-issue. We have discovered a few things about suburbs: The closer you get to the city, the more expensive it gets. like 40mins from the city $400k gets you a 4 bed house with a tiny garden, 10 minutes away and you can barely get a 3 bed flat. You must drive the suburbs, the photo's on Realestate.com are quite deceiving. Like the one house we went to look at was next door to a run-down panel beaters yard. we're currently renting in North Lakes and are looking to buy here. The school is excellent, evrey conceivable shop is 5 minutes away and the 40-50min drive to work is more than acceptable. Enjoy shopping around, there is a lot to see! tcmiller, You're arriving at a great time of year, the weather is amazing...cool evenings, warm days with a few cold snaps thrown in to keep everyone fresh. I hear the summers here a really hot, mid 30's are a norm, so be prepared. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcmiller Posted July 25, 2016 Report Share Posted July 25, 2016 On 7/22/2016 at 1:10 PM, MSL said: tcmiller, You're arriving at a great time of year, the weather is amazing...cool evenings, warm days with a few cold snaps thrown in to keep everyone fresh. I hear the summers here a really hot, mid 30's are a norm, so be prepared. I'm much more of a summer person than winter, one of the many reasons I chose Brisbane. Currently in Joburg it is really k@k weather - rainy and cold, kinda wish I had stayed in bed! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyebrow Posted July 26, 2016 Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 I like nr 1 It rings true for me too. General familiarity! I know exactly what you mean. Although it feels in some places more like a vague memory - like RSA in the eighties... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeItOnTheChin Posted July 26, 2016 Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 I will be in Brizzy next week starting off a 3 week road trip holiday, looking forward to it before we make a permanent move later in the year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurferMan Posted July 27, 2016 Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 I live in Newport, there are some awesome rentals and houses there. I too am loving Brisbane, so pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushlovers Posted July 27, 2016 Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 We lived in North Lakes for just over 6 months. Enjoyed it, but I just couldn't take the Bruce traffic anymore. It's ok if you work in the city, but I'm an engineer and there ain't no industry North of the Brisbane. I was spending 2.5 to 3 hours a day commuting. Now I have a 10 to 20 minute jaunt. Bliss! Which school? NLS, Bounty Boulevard or one of the privates? I wasn't too impressed with NLS. As for the speeding. Depends on what you set your cruise control at. 100km/h on the speedo is about 95km/h in reality on both our cars. If you set to 105, not many people pass you. Well in reality pedestrians have right of way at "zebra crossings" in SA as well, but.... Enjoy, wait for January, it's nothing like Durban. Well nothing like Ballito 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21yearsoutofrsa Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 On 27/07/2016 at 11:58 AM, SurferMan said: I live in Newport, there are some awesome rentals and houses there. I too am loving Brisbane, so pretty. Me too. Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneAndMel Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Hi All, When you decided to finally migrate to Brisbane, did you have to go through Sydney to activate or would it have mattered if you went through Perth to get to Brisbane? Thanks so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 12 minutes ago, WayneAndMel said: Hi All, When you decided to finally migrate to Brisbane, did you have to go through Sydney to activate or would it have mattered if you went through Perth to get to Brisbane? Thanks so much Surely the point of entry into Aus doesn't matter? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneAndMel Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 We do hope not - but want to be sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavePE Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Point of entry is completely your choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneAndMel Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Thanks. Just asking the question as several people we've come across along the way claimed one has to go through Sydney. We both suspect they said so either because that's where most flights land or because the shipping companies land ones inbound container at Sydney first for inspection by the authorities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 As said, you can enter at any city with an international airport. With regard to the containers, they do not all go to Sydney... they go to all the other cities as well and they would clear customs there. Of course it would also depend on whether you are sharing a container or whether you have a full container.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneAndMel Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 (edited) Thanks @Maya So then it's just Elliot that specifically intends shipping/landing our container through Sydney. Edited August 11, 2016 by WayneAndMel Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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