Our surprise Sydney journey

[Husky]

Congratulations @Tntaglia

 

[Tntaglia]

Flights booked for 20 March! We ended up using IOM to book Qantas flights, pretty much the same price as on the website (a tiny bit cheaper) but with 42 kg per person instead of 30 kg. I can't believe we're actually this far along the process!

 

We're busy packing up the house, Execu-Move is coming next week Thursday and Friday to pack the container (8-9 March) and then we'll go to PE for a few days to spend time with the grandparents just before we fly out. No idea how we're going to get everything done. And meantime I'm still working and have 2 projects to complete before I leave and some pressure to make progress on a third one. Sleeping is not really happening right now, but if I can just get through the next month all will be well.

 

 

[Fidjet]

Sterkte! So 20days left in SA, insane! We flynon 17March and both said the first thing we plan to do in Auz is SLEEP. 

 

Have fun with the packing and preping and then enjoy the time in 

PE.

[Tntaglia]

It's amazing how quickly time flies. 

1 March - 3 weeks from now we will already be in Oz. I paid the invoice to Execu-move this morning (ouch) and have booked AirBnB for the first 10 nights in Sydney. We'll be in St Ives for that time, and hope to find a place to stay on the north shore somewhere (first prize Turramurra, but we'll play it by ear). I'm torn between flat-out panic at everything that still needs to happen, and being so super excited I can hardly sit still. 

[Tntaglia]

Wow, packing up our entire existence is NO FUN WHATSOEVER. Exhausted. But I had a good chat with my new boss on the phone this morning, and as he pointed out, the emotional struggle of the grind-phase is much much better than the emotional struggle of the limbo phase. (Can you tell he's ex-South African migrant to Oz too?)

 

It's absolutely amazing how much stuff we've accumulated in the last 15 years (10 years in the same house). But we're making decent progress with sorting, don't expect to sleep much Wednesday night but all will be well. Physically this is going to be the hardest week of all, at least while we're in SA - I am still working full time to Wednesday and have loads to do at work and at home. But last minute panic is giving me loads of nervous energy to work with (that and caffeine, thank God for caffeine...)

[TamTam]

Good luck with all the packing up.

 

However I think it's a really good lessons learned for the rest of those on the forum who are still going to be making the big move. Start cleaning NOW.

I've been clearing out for months now and its made it much less stressful. Remember it also take an emotional toll to get rid of stuff. Sometimes you need to sit with the decision and realize whether you want to keep or discard something.

[Fidjet]

8 hours ago, Tntaglia said:

Wow, packing up our entire existence is NO FUN WHATSOEVER.

I agree 110% 

 

We have about a week left to sort and clean everything. We sorted most things when we moved into my parent's place but our container is still overfull so now we are making space. Also, things have been in there garage for 6 months and the dust, spider webs and even a snake managed to get in everything. so lots of cleaning needed. As we clean a box we move said box into our room and then the movers will unpack and repack the box. It's a bit of a logistics nightmare but its the only option we had since pout house sold real fast. 

 

Goodluck with your last min dash. See you on the other side. 

[ChrisH]

12 hours ago, TamTam said:

Start cleaning NOW.

 

Don't underestimate how much work goes into cleaning a braai!

[SimpleSimon]

St Ives and Turramurra - good choice. Very nice areas to stay.

[TamTam]

10 hours ago, ChrisH said:

 

Don't underestimate how much work goes into cleaning a braai!

It's way too much work - get a professional cleaner or buy a new one! Thanks for that piece of advice @SimpleSimon

[Tntaglia]

Container packed and on the way! We are exhausted but relieved, great feeling. Everything fit in the 20ft container, no issues (in fact at the end we added a bookcase and spare mattress since it wasn't full to the brim.)

 

Now 4 days of cleaning house, selling the last bits, then 5 days holiday with family and 10 days from today we get on the plane. Surreal!

[Fidjet]

Have fun, tomorow is our turn. 

[Tntaglia]

I am typing on my phone from my mother-in-law's house in Port Elizabeth, we spent the last few days here after vacating our house earlier this week. Tomorrow morning we drive back to joburg and then Tuesday we fly to Sydney!

 

It has been a crazy couple of weeks getting ready but we are pretty much there now. My head is spinning with all the things to consider! But super excited. I still hope our PR visa will come through in the next month but for now we are living the 457 life.

 

I will update again from the other side...

[March2]

@Tntaglia I am so happy that things are finally happening for you.  All the very best for the next chapter in Oz. 

Hopefully we will all get our visas soon 🙏🙏

[TamTam]

Fly safe and enjoy!

[Tntaglia]

Well that was about as great as anyone could hope for!

 

Our last couple of days in SA were crazy, lots of last minute things to do. Sold our last vehicle a few hours before flying out and we were busy getting documents etc until the last minute - not for the flights etc but things like a reference letter from our estate agent and arranging for a company who will process our rates & taxed refund from City of Joburg in 3 months etc.

 

On my measurements we were overweight for the flight by about 1 kg in total (we booked flights through IOM and had 40 kg pp); Qantas has no limits on the nr of items as long as your weight is fine. So I was nervous that we would have to repack but the boarding agent measured our thibgs as 14 kg less than we thought (!!!) so no issues. We also had too much and too heavy hand luggage but nobody checked it. 4 bags plus a handbag and laptop bag, and the kids were each carrying a pillow and blanket and teddy bear. But again no problems.

 

The flight was super full but went very well. We all got some sleep and watched movies, no crying babies or other problems on the flight. The food was decent and everyone was happy. Disembarking took long because we had to do a bathroom stop, so we were about last in the passport queue, but got through with no problems. It felt really strange marking the "permanently moving to Australia" box on the customs declaration!

 

We had loads of meds with us - my husband uses chronic medication for a back injury, and we also asked our GP for extra antibiotics and sleeping pills and cold/flu stuff etc. We had copies of all the scripts and a letter from the doctor explaining the back issue. But when we got to the declaration queue the agent only asked if the meds are for us and waved us through. We also were prepared with proof of health insurance etc but nothing was requested.

 

We had prebooked a taxi van and the driver was waiting for us at arrivals, so it was easy to move all the luggage. It took about an hour in rush hour traffic to get to our airbnb but no problems.

 

So right now we are onshore; jetlagged (me only, everyone else slept really well) and loads to do but super happy. 

[SimpleSimon]

Sounds like a great start to your Aussie adventure.

Your girls can walk or catch the bus to St Ives Village, CBD or the beach while you catch up on some much needed ZZZ's.

 

Nothing much to do now -> PR visas, phone SIM cards, broadband connections, Aussie licences, car, rental place, kids into school, groceries, finding doctors, dentists, tax file number, medicare, private medical insurance, starting work ...... 

If you're up at 3 am tomorrow morning thinking about all that, go for a walk. You can do that now.

Alternatively just palm it off to your partner (which is what we are called in Oz) and let him worry.

[Tntaglia]

Day 2 done! We have phone sim cards, bank cards activated (credit cards still coming), drivers licenses converted. 5 rental places logged for viewing tomorrow. First home-cooked meal on Ozzie soil, with some Ozzie wine to go with it. All great.

 

After admin we took the bus to Meadowbank and the ferry into the city so the kids could see the bridge and opera house - amazing trip, same one that @SimpleSimon had us do in October on our LSD trip. They were so super excited! 

 

My brother emigrated from South Africa to the US a few years ago and gave interesting advice: he said when everything is strange and it gets to you, do things that automatically feels familiar - watch a favourite movie or read a book, something you've done many times before so you feel more grounded. So dinner was spaghetti bolognaise with garlic bread and salad, very yummy and very familiar.

 

Jet lag was hard overnight - we all slept until 9:30 this morning! Kids were up many times. 

 

Today is more admin, mostly for tomorrow's rental shopping - going to buy a printer, get our applications ready etc. I also have to get a tax number still so that paperwork is on the list. Looks like another rainy day, so beach is postponed until after the rental viewing tomorrow.

[Yuvi]

Welcome @Tntaglia, glad to hear you guys are all safe and sound. The admin stuff is pretty easy as i am sure you have noticed. Tax number can be done online.

Which area are you staying and looking at?

 

We across the way from Meadowbank in Rhodes, if you need anything give me a shout.

 

Take care.

[TamTam]

9 hours ago, Tntaglia said:

spaghetti bolognaise

nothing more familiar and homely than a spag bol!

[Tntaglia]

Today was busy busy busy! We looked at 6 different rentals - rushed the whole day to get from one to the next. None of our fears about overly busy rentals came through, in fact at 3 of the 6 we were the only clients at the inspection. There are 3 properties that we're really interested in and applied for all 3, 2 in Turramurra and 1 in Normanhurst. The Normanhurst one is above our budget but it has been on the market for 6 weeks now and we were the only people there, so we put in an offer for the same amount that the other 2 is asking - who knows, maybe the landlord is getting anxious about finding a tenant. Honestly I'll be perfectly happy if we get approval for any of the 3. Does anyone know how long it takes to get feedback? They are all marketed by the same agent and I'll give her a call on Monday to ask.

 

We found lamb ribs super cheap at AGI today, marked down from $10 per kg to $5 per kg, so dinner is going to be lamb ribs in the oven (no access to a braai where we're staying). Tomorrow is our day off, we'll take the kids into the city so we can take them on the ferry to Manly (still my favourite bit of Sydney) and go have fish and chips on the beach. Supposed to be a really hot sunny day, yay!

[Tntaglia]

Day 7 today and feeling quite on top of the admin.

 

Best news is we got a rental! Great house with everything we wanted and more, in our budget and in the area of the school we want the kids to go so win win. Unfortunately only moving next week Thursday so a bit longer in the airbnb but at least it's available, no need to find something else temporary. 

 

We also bought a tiny little city car, weird adjustment from our big SA cars but great fuel efficiency and it only takes half of a standard parking space!

 

And today we applied for medicare - I was convinced we would be turned down since we don't have PR yet, only applied for 190 but it went off without a hitch. All our research said we are eligible but it feels weird waiting for the visa and getting benefits in the meantime.

 

Planning a rest day tomorrow. Maybe some beach time for the kids. Also tempted about the Easter show but I am feeling pretty tired so not convinced yet.

[SimpleSimon]

Great news. Well done.

[Tntaglia]

We are settling in OK so far. We found a church that seems nice (Turramurra uniting) and the kids had loads of fun with an Easter egg hunt this morning. Going to dinner at some Ex-Saffers from the church tonight.

 

I responded to a Facebook offer from a South African whose container arrived a few weeks back, offering the temporary houseware they had used while waiting. So we now have pots and pans, cutlery and crockery, bedding and even a slowcooker! She even offered a fridge but we are busy choosing one to buy since we didn't pack ours in the container (and my tiny car can definitely not transport a fridge!) We also bought blow-up matresses for the camping period. Our container is scheduled to arrive on 14 April and hopefully we will get our things by early May at the latest. 

 

 

 

 

[Tntaglia]

Wow, time flies quickly. So much to do! 

 

We've been in Sydney almost 3 weeks now. Moved into our rental last week Thursday - well, the rest of the family did. I had nothing to do with the move; left the airbnb in the morning, went to work, and then went home to the new house. My husband and kids are working really hard to get us settled in! We've managed to do some of the basic shopping for before the container arrives - fridge and washing machine bought, and the other basics. Still have to do couches (we didn't bring our SA ones) but for the moment we're getting by with a borrowed table and chairs, and a blow-up couch (who knew such a thing exists!?!) Church friends lent us a TV even. We have electricity and water and internet - cable, not fibre, but still getting about 20MBPS so happy with that. And we bought a very nice gas braai, and the property has a built-up area for a wood braai so we've done both types now. Well, briquettes - haven't figured out where to buy actual braai wood yet. We'll probably braai with gas most of the time but there are days when making an actual fire is going to be very appealing.

 

I've been at work for a week now, can't complain. I understand why Australians complain that us Saffers are "too direct" at work because wow, things are said very gently and non-confrontational. It's gonna take a while to get used to and I guess there's a good chance I offend some people before I adapt. The people I've met, at work and otherwise, have generally been very kind and friendly and helpful. I still feel a bit unsure of myself but that's always going to be expected, hopefully I will get to do 

 

We had a bit of an electricity crisis over the weekend, day 3 in the new house, smelled something electrical burning and discovered part of the solar installation where it feeds into the electrical mains was literally melting with sparks and flames coming out of it. But this is where it's wonderful to be tenants and not owners, because we called the electrical emergency company and they gave instructions for how to shut everything down, then we waited a few hours and the guy came and secured the electricity connection. Solar still not back online because the specific unit that burned out needs to be replaced and they've ordered the replacement and will install when it comes. But we have power and a not-burned-down house, so that helps!

 

I also managed to create a dental emergency, I clench my teeth at night when I'm stressed and apparently the whole immigration thing is stressful enough that I broke the filling underneath the crown on my molar. So the whole thing came loose last night. But I made an online appointment to see a dentist a minute from my work, she cleaned out the crown and the filling and recemented the whole thing in place, quick and friendly. No complaints - but dental is expensive. And I'm still in a waiting period with our health insurance so it's all out of pocket.

 

Kids are still not in school. Hopefully we'll have the admin to get them in sorted in the next few days, but Friday is the end of term so they'll start 2 weeks later. They're quite bored now - the excitement of finding a house and moving and seeing Sydney etc has now been replaced by the monotony of having to go shopping incessantly. So we're all excited for them to start school!