Mum, Dad and the 2 babies!!!

[Shehraan]

Hi Everyone,

 

i must first apologise for being so scarce lately. 

Secondly, our visas were granted mid May after 9 months of waiting. The reason for he long wait, my wife fell pregnant and waited for baby to be born (March 16) to add him onto our application. 

Finally, we did a LSD trip end May were we visited Melbourne and Brsibane/Gold Coast. 

 

So let me discuss our experiences for our LSD.....

 

So flights booked through Qantas, wanted to fly direct as we weren't too sure how the kids would fare on the trip. First one was 23 months and baby 2.5 months. 

Flew Durban to Jhb, Jhb to Sydney and the last leg, Sydney to Melbourne.

 

The flight went surprising well, 23 month old became very restless on the last leg however all in all service and staff were all excellent. Something I noticed, the people were very accommodating when it came to families with kids.

on our last leg, my 23 month old and I sat next to a wonderful lady from Melbourne. We got to chatting and she mentioned she would provide me with her details so that if we needed any advice we could call her. Before she was able to give us her deets, they moved her to another seat as it not safe to have more than 3 passengers in a row where there are only 3 oxygen masks.

 

We were always the last ones to leave the plane as my wife needed to strap baby onto her in the carrier and then grab our stuff and make a move so thought to myself that this lady left.

As we made our way off the plane, to my surprise, there she was waiting for us outside the gate with her details written down.

She then assisted us with our bags, walked us to Budget car hire and only once she was happy to leave us did she do so. 

We were really surprised at her kindness and generosity as we have never experienced that in SA.

 

So our trip started of really well however it was freezing!!!! We jumped into our car and realized our phones were not working with roaming so just followed the signs to the city. Managed to find our way to the apartment however they did not leave a remote for the gate that leads to the parking lot. 

So we had to park at an undercover parking lot across the road and wheel our bags with our babies in the freezing cold.

So get inside and realize they had left all the windows open in the room so the room was also freezing, had to shut the windows and turn on the heater which took forever to heat up. With all the emotions running through us, my wife and I just sat down and said we can't do this, to ourselves and to our kids. 

 

We managed to sleep through ok and hit the streets the next day. Was a bit difficult to make an early start to the day with the little ones however they were soldiers and really enjoyed themselves. Well the 23 month old did, our baby probably didn't even realize that anything is different.

 

Views on Melbourne, freezing cold!!!! However once you get past that, absolutely beautiful. We visited the botanical gardens and shrine of rememberance. So beautiful and peaceful. Public transport seems great, trams within the city are free. We unfortunately didn't have a chance to use it. Culturally very diverse. Great food and coffee. Our stay was relatively short as we only had 4 nights in Melbourne so couldn't see as much as we wanted.

 

Flight to Brisbane, again another helpful Aussie in front of us before we boarded who assisted us with our bags onto the plane.

Landed in Brisbane and made our way to Gold Coast as we were staying with friends. Gold Coast was great, visited movie world and sea world. Weather was not too good the few days we were there so could do too much outdoor activities however did drive around and visited a few malls. Brisbane reminded me a lot of Durban and we probably felt more familiarity in Brisbane than Melbourne. That could also be due to our friends. 

 

All in all, the trip was a true eye opener and I am really glad we did this rather than moving without visiting the place first. We are still unsure of where to settle though. I know if we choose Brisbane we would probably be the most comfortable and familiar however I hear in terms of job opportunities Melbourne is the place to be. We did say that we could go to Brisbane for 2 years and then once we are settled into life in Oz move to Melbourne. However I also don't want to lose 2 years if moving to Melbourne means starting over again (which I don't think will happen though).

 

Our plan is to move in Feb (if I don't receive a job offer by then). Still have lots to sort out. Sorry for the long post.

 

 

 

[PhatMyles]

Thanks for the post. I can't wait for our own... 

[Riekie]

If the cold is going to be an issue, then you may reconsider your intentions for Melbourne.  Beautiful can only be beautiful for so long before the cold, dark, windy wet days get to you.  Brisbane on the other hand gets humid and sticky.  I personally prefer the heat & humidity any day over the cold.  We live in Sydney, and even here, winter gets to me! Give me sunshine any day!

 

Every city has its good and bad and Australia is huge!  You can live anywhere and be happy (or unhappy).  Once you're in Australia, you don't have to stay put anywhere - you can literally go where you want to.

[Shehraan]

Hi Everyone, just a quick update on our plans....

 

Tickets have been booked, we fly out 4th Feb. Decided to fly Emirates as we are going to spend a few nights in Dubai. 

 

Due to arrive in Melbourne 10th Feb. We have booked accommodation for 2 weeks and in that time hope to secure a rental. 

 

We plan on using Ubag for our possessions as we do not have a lot of stuff and we aren't taking anything big. So the plan is to send our stuff over in the week we are leaving in the hope it arrives in the time we find a rental. Ubag offers 2 weeks free international storage and they say it takes 7 to 10 working days for the things to arrive. I received a quote from Stuttafords for groupage and it is working out to 17k for a shared container. Only problem is it could take forever to get there. 

 

Last day at work is the 15th Dec so looking forward to a bit of a break before we off on our new adventure.

[JoVincent]

That is exciting @Shehraan! I will be following your journey. We seem to have quite a bit in common. Also from Durban, looking at flights over early March, my last day of work on the 15th December, hubby and I also have 2 small children, and also been deciding between Melbourne and Brisbane (the whole job predicament thing - familiarity of something Durban-like vs finding a job quicker in Melbourne). Haha, so quite a familiar situation.

 

Decisions decisions!

 

Keep us posted on how you go - I am sure you will love it in Melbourne, it is a fantastic city from everything I've been hearing.

 

All the best!

[Shehraan]

I will definitely do that @JoVincent and please so do you. 

 

Still can't believe it's our last week of work!!! Have you decided how you are shipping your stuff?

 

Another reason why we choosing Melbourne is that I hope to get back into the retail sector and I see a lot of the retail head offices are in Melbourne. So hoping to land something in the retail sector eventually.

 

Let me know if you have any questions however I'm sure you have made good use of this brilliant forum!

[JoVincent]

Hey @Shehraan!

 

Yes we are going to do a 20ft container, it should fit most of the contents (that we really want to bring) of our 3 bed house. We're basically going to fit whatever we can into it, and sell the rest. I have so far got a quote from Cargopak (small family based business, based in Durban), and we were happy with it, so will probably use them.

 

What are you doing?

 

I will definitely ask questions as and when they arise ;).

 

All the best with the next weeks of packing up!

 

[Shehraan]

Hi @JoVincent,

 

We are going to go the Ubag option as we aren't going to take too much of our things. We are leaving all the big items behind, bed, furniture etc.

 

After selling our place, we moved in with my mother in law so we are fortunate as we have packed up most of our stuff. It is just the current stuff now however need to buy some good strong boxes to repack some of our things.

 

Have you guys made a decision between Melbourne and Brisbane as yet?

 

Thanks for the best wishes and same to you.

[Tomme]

Hi @Shehraan and @JoVincent,

 

Will be following your updates - we're also in Durbs currently and planning on flying out to Melbourne in late Feb. My husband received a job offer last week, so the wheel is well and truly in motion! 

 

Have you looked at areas yet? Any thoughts? It's so difficult to know! ?

 

Caryn

[Shehraan]

Hi @Tomme,

 

Congrats to you guys! That's a major aspect out of the way. What profession is he in? 

 

Been having a look at the mid north band of Glenroy, Fawkner, Hadfield. Also meadow heights and Roxburgh. Seems decent value however unsure on other aspects. We are Muslim so these areas work well as there are mosques and enough halaal options.

 

Have you managed to see anything you guys like?

[Tomme]

Thanks @Shehraan - it's definitely a big relief to be landing with a job. He's a civil engineer - he had been over in November to meet with some contacts he had made via Linkedn and one of those meetings paid off.

 

Thas great that you've identified areas that will work well for you - I'll have to look at a map to see where they are? We're thinking somewhere on the Eastern side, hoping for about a 30 min train commute for my husband who will be working in the city, so will work off that. Still lots of homework to do!

[Shehraan]

Based on the PvT app, it seems like it is around the same transit time from the areas I mentioned. Also looking for around 30 mins to CBD assuming the job I land will be in the CBD.

 

Im in the accounting field and it seems quite difficult to land something from here.  So going to apply closer to when we leave and land something in good time.

 

Goodluck with the search and let me know of the areas you are considering, you may find an area which I didn't consider. 

 

Thanks

 

[Karools]

Hi @shehraan

 

You guys were due to make the move by now, how is the experience trying to settle in?

 

Curious to know what your experience with Ubag was like? And do you think the price was worth it?

 

All the best!

[Shehraan]

Hi Everyone,

 

Firstly I must apologise for not documenting our experiences earlier. Have been extremely busy however will explain below.

 

So we left SA on 4th February (a day after my wife's bday), don't think that was the best of decisions, as most of our families were together on her bday and at the airport which made things so difficult when we were leaving!!! I knew it was going to be difficult however I didn't think it was going to be so difficult leaving our families behind.

 

After all the waterworks at the airport, the thought of "are we doing the right thing" filled our heads over and over. We flew to Dubai for a mini holiday (again, don't think a great idea). Reason being, the emotions of leaving were so fresh which made the arrival in Dubai, especially our apartment, so difficult. Flight was hectic, thought the kids would sleep through as we flew at night but they had other ideas. Plus the seats allocated to us were as if we were sitting in the Antarctic! Baby fell sick after the flight which made Dubai a bit more difficult. We did manage to see a few places and when we were out and about, the distractions did allow us to enjoy the moment.

 

We left Dubai on 9th Feb and arrived in Melbourne on the 10th Feb. We flew on the Airbus A380 and thus flight although being 13hrs and 20mins was a lot better. Kids did well however were a bit restless toward the last 2 hrs of the flight. 

We are staying in an apartment in the City for 3 weeks. In this past week we have been approved for 2 rentals on completely different ends of Melbourne, one in Cheltenham and one in Maidstone. Does anyone know about the Maidstone area? The rental is very nice, a bit small but very very modern. The street it's located on has a very homely feel as well, however, most people we chat to always say the South Eastern suburbs are best.

if anyone has an opinion on Maidstone or if someone lives there, would be great to know your views.

 

I've met with a recruitment agent and also been for an interview so things are looking good.

 

Ubag's service has been excellent so far, we chose door to door so our goods have not yet left SA as they require a final destination and one can only be given once you have found a rental. So I hope to give this to them today or tomorrow after we make our decision on where to live. Will provide further feedback after we receive our goods. There is the option of sending your stuff to the airport and you going in to personally clear them. I just found the door to door option a bit for convenient with the 2 kids. 

 

We have managed to register for medicare, still need to register with centrelink which I hope to get done today as well as book an appointment for my lisence conversion.

 

Well that's all for now, if anyone has any questions, let me know.

 

Have a good week ahead.

 

Shehraan

[Mara]

Welcome to Melbourne, I sincerely hope this becomes your happy place.

 

I cannot give advice on either area, as I do not know them personally. The advice I can give is to go to Google Maps and check what is around the address, shops, schools, places of worship, doctors, hospitals, etc. Whatever you think your needs may be... then base your decision on that. Having just checked where the two places are situated, they both seem fine.

[Shehraan]

Thanks Mara. I really appreciate it.

 

The place in Cheltenham is really close to Southland Shopping Mall and the Cheltenham station (both walking distance). It is a 6 month lease with an option to renew.

 

The place in Maidstone is walking distance to a bus station but driving distance to Highpoint Shopping Centre. It is a 1 year lease.

 

We are so 2 minded on the places however need to decide asap. 

 

Quick question, how does public transport fees work? Do you get charged depending on the number of stops? Is a train cheaper than a bus or vice versa? How do you go about paying for these services?

 

Thank you

Shehraan

 

 

[RedPanda]

I don't personally know the West side of Melbourne, but I noticed that Maidstone is right between Sunshine and Footscray (that reads like a one-line horror story for me). Footscray has a reputation for housing poor/struggling new immigrants (ironic I know...begs the question "What do I think we are???") but also has the accompanying reputation of being a rough neighbourhood. Sunshine rings similar bells. Now, like I said, I have never been there myself I have only read what other people write, and heard what people say in interviews on the news etc If you follow the local stories you start to hear the local opinions, via media filter of course, but better than being clueless, am I right?

On the other hand Cheltenham looks an ok distance from St Kilda, Springvale, and Frankston. Those are also areas that have a bit of a reputation, st Kilda less than the other two, but also gets mentioned sometimes.

So if I had to make that decision I would go for Cheltenham, no question. But I recommend you do your own research as well.


Oh, and welcome! to Melbourne! (We have a picnic on next Saturday in Bundoora Park, entrance is free, just bring your own food and a blanket and enjoy the company  Picnic Thread )

[TeeTMI]

4 hours ago, Shehraan said:

Quick question, how does public transport fees work? Do you get charged depending on the number of stops? Is a train cheaper than a bus or vice versa? How do you go about paying for these services?

 

 

Welcome Shehraan

 

The fares for both the train and buses are paid on a Myki card  https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/fares/

You are charged in relation to 2 potential zones (there is a time factor as well but to avoid confusion if you are commuting and working over 2+ hours you can ignore that).

 

Within the same zone you would be charges the same fare whether you travel 1 stop or 20.

 

You need to buy a Myki card (train / bus station and some shops) and top it up with money.  If you search the forum there are probably a few discussions.

 

 

[Shehraan]

Thanks @RedPanda and @TeeTMI for the advice.

 

We have decided to go ahead with Cheltenham and from there decide if the area suits our needs.

 

So now I can provide UBAG with our address to send our stuff. Will keep you guys posted. We will confirm our attendance to the picnic closer to the time  of the event.

 

Thank you again for all the help. We really appreciate it.

 

Shehraan

[Shehraan]

Hello everyone! I have to apologise for not posting sooner however have had a roller coaster of a first 2 months in Oz!

 

So i've managed to land a job within the first month. I am glad I made contact with some recruiters prior to leaving. The guy who lined up this role always kept in contact with me all the way till I arrived in Oz. It is a contract role for 9 months however it's start!

 

We decided on Cheltenham to call home! Lovely area, shopping options are plenty and close to public transport. There are a many good school options which we are currently considering. All in all, I think between Cheltenham and Maidstone we made the right choice. One con is the traffic to get to work and back however something I can live with.

 

We moved into our rental on 6th March, on the evening of the 7th, my daughter ran out her room and slipped. She hit her forehead on the corner of the skirting and split her forehead wide open. Being so new to the area we visited the closest hospital. The treatment we received from the the staff on entering was really disappointing, my daughter had blood running down her face and the lady at the counter just says to my wife, "it always bleeds" could have lost it right there! We then had to wait for about 2 hours until they decided on a plan. Plan was to dress it up and she would require plastic surgery the next day. So we took her through the next day, this being at a different hospital which had a specialist plastics team and waited from 10am to 5pm as they wanted to make sure the kids have fasted before the procedure. The staff and treatment we received at this hospital was excellent! She went in at 5pm and was out about 45mins later! The procedure went well however it does look like she will have a scar however hopefully as she grows it will fade. 

 

About 2 weeks later she then sticks 2 beads up her nose and one got stuck in her one nostril! So another trip to the ER, spent 4 hours waiting and the procedure took 5 mins! 

 

Work has quite busy as I started at financial year end so the past month has been crazy busy. We bought a car for emergencies, and I use it for work as I work in Port Melbourne so there's no direct train that goes through there. I could go into the city and then take a bus however would too long.

 

Hope everyone had a great long weekend!

 

Shehraan

 

 

 

[RedPanda]

Hope the rest is smoother sailing  

Sterkte with the new job and the settling in bit, one day at a time, and before you know a year will have passed.

[rozellem]

Goodness Shehraan, what an adventure. My kids are 7 and 5, and born in Aus. The one is like me (poor bugger/ongeluks voel) and has many trips to the GP and two to the ER (helmet-less bike faceplant and a school trip up onto his arm) and many other medications. The other kid (lets call him Teflon) has never been on antibiotics in his life, never been to hospital since his birth and has seen a GP twice in his almost 6 years for minor things (veruca, tick).

 

Hope your job settles in, strangeness becomes familiar and that you find your niche. All the best wishes.