Wolf Wanders

[GenDemo]

I've been contemplating whether to write this 'blog' for quite a while now.

This is not a story about how I find life in Australia, nor a story about life...but rather just odd little snippets and things I experience. I wanted to call this journal "backwards and forwards" because somethings, a lot of things, are so much better here. However, somethings are really backwards here. A part of this blog is food related, as we hear and speak to many South Africans that have moved to Auz, that "I can't find Mrs Balls Chutney!" or "The cheese here is not like Simonsberg"...some are true some are not, some just have different names. Hence, I hope through my brief, but hopefully helpful, post here the people how are sitting in SA, biting their nails "oh no! what is life gonna be like when we move?!" or "but all the brands will be different! what if I want to to this, but I don't know where to go?" (because I was like this); will feel more at ease or will see that is is not bad at all. Also, perhaps some of the recent (and perhaps not so recent) migrants will have a laugh, perhaps smile nostalgically and nod in agreement, or perhaps go "ah ha! really?". Please let me be clear, the things I highlight here, are NOT because I regret my decision to immigrate, nor that I am unhappy what so ever...but i hope to give people a little foresight into what life is like here, and how the things we took for granted has changed. Perhaps some people have tips and tricks.

 

So I am not sure if I need to state this...but some posts will be short, some might be longer....and they will obviously be in what ever order I experience them.

 

So lets dive right into it:

There are a LOT of brands that you get in SA, you also get here - and I'll take the bold step to point out, that some brands that many of us think are South African, are actually Australian (some are just dressed in different colours): Finish (dishwashing powder/liquid), Energizer, Duracell, Osram, Raid, Bostik, Strepsels, Colgate, Fiskars (gardening), I&J, Stanley (and most hardware brands), Dove, head & shoulders, Cadbury (but it tastes horrible!), Omo, Vanish, BP and Shell, most car manufacturers (duh...but I want to point this out due to a certain someone who'll stay anonymous) and bicycle brands, Pantene and TRESemmé, Lindt (duh...but it is my favorite, so it is important to mention), sellotape, 3M (also kinda duh, but MUCH bigger!), computer hardware and electronics is just so easy to find and I won't even go down that ally, Gardena (I mention this as I had jumble sale'd all my Gardena stuff - Idiotic move!)...and the list goes on. So, the point I am trying to make is that there are many familiar faces here to make you feel at ease. There are a couple of old family faces that I miss dearly and with good reason, with I will elaborate on over time.

Who are the ones I miss? Well, I don't like to reminisce about how much I miss this or that...however, there are a few things that just have NO substitute:

• Clover - I miss all Clover product dearly, specifically cheese and milk (and very specifically the milk bottles). They are miles ahead with designs on their bottles.
• Venter - if I can give anyone advise...if you are bringing a container, buy a Venter (new or used) and bring it along. The things they call trailers here, are a joke. There is a Venter dealer in Perth, but you pay an arm and a leg for it, and there are no accessories available. In the same breath, I want to mention Bosal (and equivalent) towbars. These people have no idea what a towbar is supposed to be! They have an American Mopar design which I hate (http://www.haymanreese.com.au/products/towbars). It rattles and weighs a tone...and if you are not careful, the safety pin wriggles out and you lose your towbar on the road. The trailers here are made for war (http://www.trailertrailers.com.au/products/trailers/) - they weigh a ton, being made from 4-6mm steel and they are not covered.
• Eskort - yes the car was awesome, but I am talking about the bacon company. Nothing comes close to Eskort bacon, sausages and polony. Now apparently, you can't get polony here (I still need to check this myself), but you do get viennas and bacon, its just different. The hot dog viennas are just not where you would usually look for them. Often they are in a 'speciality' section in the super market. Bacon is different, but still delicious. Look for short-cut bacon, it is the closest thing to what we know.
• Simonsberg - oh yes we miss them a lot. Feta here is just not the same...you don't get that exact crumbly texture and tangy flavour in one - you get either the one, or the other. We are still looking around for a substitute.
• All Gold - you don't have to go to a South African shop to get All Gold tomato sauce. Some local super markets have it on the shelf, as well as Mrs Balls chutney. However, go out and experiment...I found a delicious fruit chutney at Aldi with a nice tomato flavour. What I will say is that the "tomato sauce" here...is ketchup...IT IS NOT TOMATO SAUCE. Nothing beats All Gold...and surprise surprise, All Gold is healthier - but you pay for it ($6-$7 a bottle).
• Chips - I though "Oh no! now I am never going to enjoy Simba chips and Fritos..." sad sad...its the end of the world....NO! the chips here (though a bit pricey) are amazingly delicious! We absolutely love it. The flavour is clear and not to strong, not so sweet. This past weekend we had sweet potato chips that was HEAVENLY!
• Banking and Finance - we do miss the notification/sms you got for transactions in South Africa. It is surprising how much it helped us with staying in budget and conscious about what you spend. I won't lie, it is quite a thing getting used to the smaller magnitude of the currency. You quickly spend a $100 and you think "oh whatever..." but its a R1300 (if not more)! best is not to convert everything back and get into the swing of things as quickly as possible - figure out what a cup of coffee goes for ($3.50-$4.20), milk (cheap $1/liter), delicious bakery bread ($3.50 - if this is more than the super market, we are more than willing to pay extra), petrol (hovers around 115c/liter) [get Gas Buddy http://gasbuddy.com.au/ it is awesome, and you might win something], pies ($3.50-$5), Tim Tams ($3.65, but regular specials for $2.50, sometimes $1.82) [be prepared to spend lots of money on this...its unavoidable...collateral for immigrants!].
• Vegies - the vegetables are amazing. We've found them flavourful and so much easier to cook. Also be prepared for choices: Today I went in to Woolies to get some potatoes. That's a simple task isn't it? go in, get a bag, compare the price of a small and bigger bag...walk out. oh no...Washed/unwashed? 1kg/3kg? white/red/brown? what do you want to use it for baking/roasting/mashing/grilling/salad? small/big? There are so many food items that just has so many 'options' you can choose from.
• Shops (chains/speciality) - get used to less chain stores and more private speciality shops. Sure, there are chain stores like Officeworks (Incredible Connection/CNA), Bunnings (Builders warehouse), Woolworths (Spar [no, it has NOTHING to do with Woolworths South Africa]) etc. However, you won't find the extensive bakery section that we are used to in Spar, because you have real bakeries here. We have a strong suspicion that the different grocery chains have different 'faces' in different states, just like in South Africa. I'll try and give an example, and choose my words carefully.....We've heard that Aldi in Queensland is not so nice, like Checkers...while around our area (Victoria, Belgrave), we prefer Aldi to Coles.
• Roads and driving: it    is    a    breeeeeeze.... It is not like europe, where is is scary to drive. The rules are very straight forward and the drivers friendly. The other drivers don't make your blood boil and there are no minibus taxis!!!!!!! Something that does frustrate us immensely, are the road signs: they don't believe in the incredibly logical approach to signage that uses pictures for everything and that you can interpret in miliseconds...nope, most road signs are written out in words.. so    that      it    takes    you....oops I missed it. Oh and u-turns...they are legal here! it makes life so much simpler. Sometimes there are even robots (I mean traffic lights) for u-turners.
• Telephones and Internet - we now have a telephone table in the hallway, with pen and paper and an adress book...because why? the telephones work here...most of the time national calls are free and you don't wait for hours holding the line to speak to an operator. The internet is slightly backwards here. I must say that even with Telkom and all its troubles, the internet in SA was better. Not that it is bad here...but don't expect to move heaven and earth with your internet speed. Last year I was finding out about the internet packages, but I just could not figure out what the line speeds were. Now for those who know me, I am a very tech savvy person, so I know where to search on the net and how to analyze these things, but I just couldn't find anything. So I went into a shop and asked...the guy looked at me like I was an alien. "What do you mean what speed is the internet?" he asked after a minute. So feeling like an idiot already, I asked "Like do you get different connection speeds one can choose?". "oh yes" he says and I am flooded with relief, "you can choose between mobile, or fixed line.". Then we stand in silence for a couple of seconds before I realise there is no more. "So what speeds are they?" I ask again. He replies, "Well mobile is a 3G connection, and a fixed line is either ADSL or NBN." and he says this with an air of someone who just solved the world's problems in one short simple elegant solution. "yes, but what speed is the ADSL?" I ask. Then he looks irretated, "What do you mean what speed is ADSL, its ADSL." he states matter of factly. So I felt really stupid and walked out of the store. Anyway...bottom line is, 3G is 3G...ADSL (actually ADSL2+) is up to 20mbps and you get what ever you get depending on your area and distance to the exchange, and then there is NBN (National Broadband Network) or plain fibre optic (to the curb though, not to the house). Cellphone contracts are also much simpler as is the whole banking system.
• Housing - housing is a completely different matter, and I am not talking about prices...I mean the physical houses. As kids, we used to clamber around the house, lean on walls, throw the occasional ball against the wall, do pull ups on the door frames, bump something occasionally into a wall....and nothing happens, because it a brick house. Want to hang a painting? hammer a Hilti into the wall and hang it. Not here. Dry walls on the inside, and an outer brick wall if you are lucky. it is so easy to put a hole in a wall, whether on purpose or accidentally (I speak from experience here) [apparently an easy fix is builders foam into the hole and sand the outside?]. Though 3M has made the business of hanging pictures much simpler - it just costs you a couple of dollars. Also, these people have a misguided idea on what a proper garage is, as most properties have only car ports. Also we have a strong suspicion that the Aussies and South Africans have a VERY different opinion regarding the number and situation of bathrooms and toilets.

 

Ok, I'll leave it there for now...

 

Cheers vir eers.

 

GD

[ChrisH]

I really enjoyed reading that @GenDemo

[RYLC]

Re polony:  In WA it is still called polony.  In other states it is called Fritz but I think Melbourne call it Devon.  Ask somebody in the deli section of the supermarket (the cold meat and salad counter were somebody serves you).

[RedPanda]

15 minutes ago, RYLC said:

Re polony:  In WA it is still called polony.  In other states it is called Fritz but I think Melbourne call it Devon.  Ask somebody in the deli section of the supermarket (the cold meat and salad counter were somebody serves you).

Aha...we'll try that. The lady at the local Woolies was very friendly when we asked her about the feta, and gave us a whole selection of samples (5 or more different cheeses) so we could pick the one we like. I'm sure she'll be happy to help us with polony

We have also found that most staff in Australia are so much friendlier, and they really want to help you. We love it.

[Mel-B]

57 minutes ago, GenDemo said:

...but don't expect to move heaven and earth with your internet speed. Last year I was finding out about the internet packages, but I just could not figure out what the line speeds were. Now for those who know me, I am a very tech savvy person, so I know where to search on the net and how to analyze these things, but I just couldn't find anything. So I went into a shop and asked...the guy looked at me like I was an alien. "What do you mean what speed is the internet?" he asked after a minute. So feeling like an idiot already, I asked "Like do you get different connection speeds one can choose?". "oh yes" he says and I am flooded with relief, "you can choose between mobile, or fixed line.". Then we stand in silence for a couple of seconds before I realise there is no more. "So what speeds are they?" I ask again. He replies, "Well mobile is a 3G connection, and a fixed line is either ADSL or NBN." and he says this with an air of someone who just solved the world's problems in one short simple elegant solution. "yes, but what speed is the ADSL?" I ask. Then he looks irretated, "What do you mean what speed is ADSL, its ADSL." he states matter of factly. So I felt really stupid and walked out of the store.

GD

We hear you. Have the same problem. We had better internet in Pretoria with our ADSL (although Telkom was off for 3 weeks every 3 months and 2 days a week every 3 weeks, for who knows WHY???) It might be slow here but at least its on. And if you call they answer the phone. So there are benefits.

[Mel-B]

For those who need more info on the elusive internet speeds check this link for exchange speeds:

http://www.tpg.com.au/maps/

 

We sit on EXACTLY the edge of 2 exchanges. So we get poor speed and latency. 

 

[RedPanda]

Unfortunately we got totally spoilt by having Fibre To The Home for the last year in RSA, so we had just got used to 100mbps speed with a 8ms ping. So that set the bar a bit high.  Currently in Tecoma (Belgrave) we get 11.4mbps with an 18ms ping. But the funny thing is...we are convinced that some downloads run faster. We think this is because the speed is very stable, it hardly varies at all. And in RSA we got an average great rate, but it was wildly fluctuating.

[RedPanda]

13 minutes ago, Mel-B said:

For those who need more info on the elusive internet speeds check this link for exchange speeds:

http://www.tpg.com.au/maps/

 

We sit on EXACTLY the edge of 2 exchanges. So we get poor speed and latency. 

 

Ouch...

Oh! That is a wonderful link!

Edited August 15, 2016 by RedPanda
I just followed the link

[Mel-B]

I'm thinking our next address will be determined by that link  

[Theshi]

@GenDemo, that was like reading a John Grisham novel that ends unexpectedly and leaves you wanting more...kikiki, i really enjoyed your write-up, anxiously waiting for the second part

[Mara]

Sunbury, anyone? Hehe!

[Dora]

Love this thread...on the polony...be carefull because I remember in the Brisbane supermarkets they sold items similarly packaged as our polony - placed right next to (or part of) the meat section, which is in actual fact dog food...be careful and look at the picture 

 

Also, what is your experience with shopping trolleys in Aus? Do they still run as shew as they use to? I believe Aussies can't make trolleys that runs in a straight line...or is that just a Brisbane problem?

[Pell]

Yes, we got used to the internet speed pretty quickly, 

As for the traffic, the Aussies complain all the time how rude people are on the roads, and how scary some people drive. They must have seen I looked at them funny, because they asked me to explain and were horrified to hear that in SA, scary driving means being boxed in by 4 taxis, one of which is on the wrong side of the road and one of which is driving on the pavement....

I also love the fact that you can buy decent, salon-grade hair product in supermarkets, and independent shops instead of only hairdressing salons - and there are a lot of specials on hair products, whereas none of that in SA...

[Tntaglia]

Thanks for the heads up on the internet speed! We got fibre at home (Joburg) recently and love the high speed when we get it, but of course it is unreliable. 

 

So at 20MBPS, is it stable to stream more than one account? We're theoretically at 100mbps at home (never get that, of course) but even when speedtest tells me we're getting 30mpbs I can't necessarily watch Netflix while hubby plays an online game, one or the other ends up showing latency issues. But I can believe that a more stable connection will work well at 20 mbps.

[GenDemo]

On 16/08/2016 at 1:42 AM, Mara said:

Sunbury, anyone? Hehe!

 

No Mara! Naughty!

[RedPanda]

17 hours ago, Tntaglia said:

Thanks for the heads up on the internet speed! We got fibre at home (Joburg) recently and love the high speed when we get it, but of course it is unreliable. 

 

So at 20MBPS, is it stable to stream more than one account? We're theoretically at 100mbps at home (never get that, of course) but even when speedtest tells me we're getting 30mpbs I can't necessarily watch Netflix while hubby plays an online game, one or the other ends up showing latency issues. But I can believe that a more stable connection will work well at 20 mbps.

We just streamed two YouTube videos in HD simultaneously, and there seemed to be no problem there. We also watch the back episodes of MasterChef from TenPlay without any issues. I guess we'd have to check what gaming online on two PCs does. But so far it looks good.

[RYLC]

I don't know anything about the numbers behind internet speed but this is what I know in practice:  My sister in RSA can't use video skype to us - only voice and it breaks up all the time.  It's so bad that we don't bother any more.  Here in Oz we have four people at a time live streaming shows and games with hardly an issue. We have ADSL here.  In practical terms, Oz has proved to be better for us.

[Odendaal]

AH Gendemo I loved reading this haha and how true...how I miss chicken viennas 

 (if you don't mind I would like to add another observation)....

 

 

You know how you get boerewors rolls at the Builder's warehouse or Spar on weekends? You know, the boerewors or even the vienna in a long roll? Here you get a sausage type thing wrapped in a slice of ordinary bread! Hahaha I thought they ran out of rolls (many a time on a Sunday night you'll see the the Spar/Builder's braaiers using bread since they ran out of rolls) BUT NOOOO, they always use sliced bread here - Ha I laughed  

Edited August 17, 2016 by Odendaal

[Tntaglia]

5 hours ago, RedPanda said:

We just streamed two YouTube videos in HD simultaneously, and there seemed to be no problem there. We also watch the back episodes of MasterChef from TenPlay without any issues. I guess we'd have to check what gaming online on two PCs does. But so far it looks good.

I think gaming is less of a drag on internet speed than HD streaming - we have often multiplayed online with 2PCs even at 4mbps (if the connection is stable) so if youtube HD works on two devices I'm sure we'll be fine. Thanks!

[CyberJoe]

@GenDemo THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one struggling to find information about the internet speeds in Aus! I mailed NBN and literally got the same reply you verbally got... its ADSL. Was also very surprised at the low amount of data available on their mobile connection packages. At CellC I can easily buy a data package for 100Gig but it does not seem that the option is even available in Aus except as a out of bundle top-op? Well, we will figure it out once we get there, for now I still have a ton of other admin to do.

 

Good luck on that side, hope you guys are having a blast!

[ChrisH]

Is there one overall monopoly of an internet provider (Telkom comes to mind) in Aus or is it an open industry?  I assume each area would also have its stronger players.

[monsta]

Yep, there is a telecoms monopoly,  its called the National Broadband Network.

 

The labour government started it as a way to lay fibre cables for ISPs to use. You don't have two connections to the power grid, why have multiple fibre optic cables? So, great idea.

 

But , to get the funding approved, they had to agree to use the profits from the built up areas to subsidise internet in the rural areas. Bad idea. The execution of the NBN was badly done, took a lot longer than expected and wasted a lot of money. Bad Idea.

 

Then Malcom Turnbull stepped in; he said the fibre cables were the issue behind the slow roll out and cost blowouts.. So, he bought back the HFC (cable internet) network they had sold to Telstra a decade ago. The old HFC is now the NBN. So, now instead of making Telstra's shareholders rich, the profits go to providing high speed internet in the rural areas. Not too bad. But peeps in Sydney and Melbourne don't get fibre internet. Bad!

 

But, the original CEO of the NBN recently pointed out that, while fibre is expensive to lay, the running costs are much lower and you can charge more for it. So, laying fibre cables was a much better idea financially. Malcom only ever released some dodgy figures to explain why buying back the HFC network was a superior plan to fibre.

 

So, the NBN has gone from good idea, bad execution... to bad idea, with better execution. But while the politicians fight... only TPG is laying any fibre (in select neighbourhoods). The other ISPs are just too scared to invest any money. The government is even going to court to stop TPG laying fibre as it hurts the NBN ?!?!

 

So, not only isn't the NBN going to install fibre to my home, they are going to stop anyone else who tries to.  That makes the NBN no better than Telkom in my book 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2016 by monsta

[ChrisH]

Haha, how is the internet in Brisbane?

[RedPanda]

On 8/17/2016 at 0:34 PM, Odendaal said:

You know how you get boerewors rolls at the Builder's warehouse or Spar on weekends? You know, the boerewors or even the vienna in a long roll? Here you get a sausage type thing wrapped in a slice of ordinary bread! Hahaha I thought they ran out of rolls (many a time on a Sunday night you'll see the the Spar/Builder's braaiers using bread since they ran out of rolls) BUT NOOOO, they always use sliced bread here - Ha I laughed  

 

It's called a Sausage sizzle, they do them as fund raisers.  I read about them online, and couldn't wait to try one, but certain people have been super sceptical about them...

[Yuvi]

31 minutes ago, RedPanda said:

 

It's called a Sausage sizzle, they do them as fund raisers.  I read about them online, and couldn't wait to try one, but certain people have been super sceptical about them...

Haha, i was one of those people that went to builders just for the wors roll, but still ended up coming back with a packet full of stuff :-)

 

The sausage sizzles here are not bad, especially now since i found a few bunnings serving them in rolls :-)

Also its for a good cause.