LM17 Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Ok so 2 weeks ago on 15 Feb we loaded the luggage and our 2 ½ year old twins in the car and headed off to the airport for our VISA activation trip to Melbourne: First flight PE – JHB – first flight ever for the girls all very excited and 1.30 hours later we were in Jhb, good times 6 hour layover in lounge – NOT easy , girls were restless refused to sleep. 9pm at night we left to Perth – 8 hour flight – NOT easy, girls confused they did not understand why they could not sleep on the floor, SAA got our seats wrong, no vegetarian meal from my wife…. Anyway we got to Perth , a very kind lady working for Perth Airport helped us rush through passport control to make sure we made our connecting flights to Melbourne (that we just just made) Last flight to Melbourne – 4 hours – the girls were exhausted and slept all the way – Qantas is great , we got kiddy meals and snacks , each seat has its own IPAD, great great great We got to Melbourne at 21:15 , a friend picked us up and of went to Southbank were we stayed in an apartment on the 34 the floor! On the way home, 23 Feb, we had the inverse with LONG layovers in Perth and Jhb Our thoughts in Melbourne: It’s a very cosmopolitan, modern , dynamic, grungy, corporate, accepting, diverse, coffee loving, foodie embracing, beautiful city, We loved it! We stayed in town so I accept life in the suburbs will be different It was clean , efficient and it exceeded our expectation by far We managed to fit in all our touristy activities in, Museum, Zoo, St Kilda beach, eating on Hardware lane, and drinking lots of great coffee. Do’s and Don’ts: Do’s: Have coffee from a great little coffee bar in the Flinders street station (underground) – amazing Take a stroller , (we did not.. and our girls got tired of all the walking and we ended up carrying them) Run along the Yara river early in the morning Go to the Museum, Zoo, St Kilda beach, Museum, Zoo, St Kilda beach, Eat on Hardware lane Take it all in and enjoy Don’t: Fly SAA ever! Not take a stroller if you have small kids We had a great trip , VISAs active! Melbourne we will see you again in 6 – 9 months , this time for good ;-) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FingersCrossed Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Awesome - so great to hear everything went well. We are also leaving in 9 months time and cannot wait to start our adventure. We activated our visa last year and flew SAA and didnt have any problems - previously we had flown emirates which goes via Dubai - so i suspect we overlooked any SAA problems since the flight was so much shorter than Emirates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM17 Posted March 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 @FingersCrossed thanks, maybe I am a bit harsh on SAA, not terrible , but we did not get the seats we prebooked (and paid R2500 for) so I must still take that up with them. Where are you guys looking to settle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FingersCrossed Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 @LM17 - we will be settling in Victoria as we got SS there. I was actually talking to my wife last night and we are going to fly over with Emirates when we go as we are going to spend 3 days in Dubai and see Dubai World theme park etc. Going to have a small holiday in between the move to Australia just as a small reward for all the stress that we have gone through in the last 2 years. https://www.dubaiparksandresorts.com/en So while we originally wanted to fly SAA to just get there quickly - we thought that the trip via Dubai would not be so bad if we spent 3 days at a theme park relaxing. Well that is the plan anyway - lets see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM17 Posted March 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 @FingersCrossed funny that you mentioned that, my wife had a exactly the same idea for our next (and final) trip....sounds like a plan - thanks for the link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM17 Posted June 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2018 Quick Update: So a lot has happened in the last few weeks, I was very fortunate to receive a job offer form my current employer in the Sydney Office (we were convinced we would end up in Melbourne) Anyway, I accepted, and we fly out on 9 August, crazy times. All we know so far is that I’ll work in Parramatta and we will most likely live in the Hills somewhere. Any advise, works of wisdom, warnings etc , will be much appreciated. In the meantime, we are franticly selling cars, houses, excess furniture and arranging the move. cheerio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleku Posted June 1, 2018 Report Share Posted June 1, 2018 Love the Hills district, very good neighbourhood for raising a family. Stayed in Baulkham Hills which is about 10/15mins to Paramatta by bus and loved it(close to mall, church, bus route). One thing though, property prices were a bit high depending on location and where tipped to go even higher when the train station in Castle Hill is completed. Also with regards to rental properties, we found local property agents had more affordable rental properties than those listed on realestate.com.au which is a popular way of finding rentals. congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimpleSimon Posted June 1, 2018 Report Share Posted June 1, 2018 Been in Sydney a long time so been able to suss it all out. Draw a circle about 15 km radius with center on Parramatta. Anywhere North, NE, NW of the center will be good. Now look at accomodation vs rental prices and select your area. South and West are much more affordable but not sure you’ll enjoy the area. We live in Eastwood and have a rental in Carlingford, both great areas. A lot of South Africans live in Cherrybrook and Turramurra. If you want a mansion go for West Pennant Hills. If you want to start small but cheaper in a town house/apartment go for municipality of Ryde. All these areas are very safe, accessible, comfortable and have great schools. Contact me if you want more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM17 Posted June 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 @Aleku and @SimpleSimon thanks , I will definitely be in contact -- lots to consider 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Glad you loved Melbourne! Wish you could have seen a bit more of the rest of Australia too, but I suppose there will be plenty of time for that once you live here. Sometimes when we travel to places in Australia we have to remind ourselves that we're actually still in Australia as it's so different! Especially anywhere outside a 2 hour drive from any city - the further you go, the more unique it becomes! Assuming you guys are headed for Melbourne? When did you plan on making it permanent? Once your'e in Australia, it may be difficult to cope without a support system - especially with two little ones. We have many members who live in Melbourne, - reach out when you have your dates so you can hook up with other forum mums. Qantas is great most of the time but certainly not the best there is. That said, you won't find me DEAD on a SAA flight! Travelling with one 2 year old is a challenge - let alone two of them, so well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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