12 Weeks in and what a ride!!

[Guest Claireg]

Hi all we have been in Oz for 12 weeks today and this is our story,

 

Our house fell through the week we should have completed and all our furniture was in storage in Liverpool - John Masons we used and would recommend them. So we were living at hubbies dads which was a nightmare to say the least. So we decided to bite the bullett, I got back onto the internet and contacted the people who offered us below market price. A company said they would complete within the week which turned out to be a week and a half.

 

So we booked our flights for Nov 5th from Heathrow with Singapore airlines we hired a car from Liverpool airport the day before and dropped it off at the airport it cost £50! much cheaper and easier than a connection flight. We checked in with our many bags 3 cases 1 very large travel bag a lap top bag my handbag Jods and Marks hand luggage. We were like the clampits!! The 1st leg of the flight was good a night flight so we slept a little and watched movies. We got to Singapore and had a 6hr wait for our connection to Oz. We killed the time walked about used the free internet connection had a meal and sat in the oversized seats Mark and Jodie even had a sleep. We then boarded our connection and as you have kids you get on 1st yippee.

 

The 2nd leg flight was tiring it again was a night flight but landing in Brisbane 10am there time on the 7th Nov. We went and hired a car and drove down to surfers after a couple of hours driving round and trying to find a cheap hotel for a couple of days we found an apartment right opposite the beach. It had 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms a laundry kitchen dining area and front room with cable TV! oh and it was warm. We had a walk around surfers and walked back along the beach our dreams were starting to come true or so we thought!

 

Jodie woke up the next day at 4.30am after falling asleep at 6pm the night before so we all decided we couldn't sleep due to jet lag and got up, just as the sun was coming up! Once 9am had come we were up dressed and ready to go and explore. So we bought the paper and started looking for jobs. Jobs that you are lead to believe are ready and available in Oz this is why they gave us the visas right? Well wrong - NO BLOODY JOBS in Queensland.

 

We bought the paper everyday and checked the internet we hired another car and drove to the building sites mark was in and out of the car and every time he spoke to someone there was nothing or every time he rang someone out of the paper the job had gone. we were back to square one - but in a different country and not knowing what next to do. I even started applying for jobs - yes we checked before leaving the UK for jobs there were available - or that is what we thought. He even sat with the telephone book one day and rang builders out of there asking if there was any work

 

So lucky for us - I think it was Tuesday my friend who lives in Adelaide rang to se how we were getting on she could tell I was at breaking point and said there we a couple of adverts in her paper if we wanted to try them she would put us up until we found somewhere. So mark rang the 1st bloke and he was offered the job on the spot he even asked how quick we could get to Adelaide. So we booked our flights for that Saturday we made the rest of the our holiday and tried not to get too stressed. We went to SeaWorld and a wildlife park, played in the pool and on the beach even ate out nearly every night. Which was great.

 

So we arrived in Adelaide on the Saturday via Sydney airport. Our friend picked us up and took us back to her house. They (and now us) live in Hallett Cove 10 mins from a beach or you can drive 40mins and be in victor harbor. 20 mins and your in the city. (thats me driving not gor used to the speed limits yet!) Big shopping centre either way about 10mins like the Trafford centre. So all in all a nice place.

 

So after the weekend we got a hire car for a month and Mark drove up to his new job, and what a job building a house right on the beach and no traffic on the roads oh how we don't miss the traffic!! And enrolled Jod in the same school as my frineds son is in. It took her a while to settle down but she got used to it and as it was near xmas (4weeks) they weren't doing much. She starts a new school on Tuesday due to us moving further away from the one she was in - roll on Tuesday!!

 

Back to the work issue our friends sat down with us and went through getting us a Tax File Number (TFN) and as Mark is a sub contractor he needed a Australian Business Number (ABN) so we applied for both online. I registered for Centre link payments (Child Tax Credits) His wages aren't bad either a bit higher than what he was getting back in the UK and hes home about 3pm each day so the hours are shorter too and like I said the travel takes only 20-30mins to get to the city where he is working now.

 

To cut a story a little shorter we found a rental just the other side of the mall and I have started my Body Shop at Home business again ( I did this in the UK and love it) We are never home every weekend we are at the beach where Jodie and Mark spend most of there time in the sea, so i take a good book and have a chill in the sun! And my final thought sitting here is i'm sooooo pleased we are'nt in the UK. Yes we miss people, but we have found out who are true friends are by coming here, we here often from our good mates the others think you have falled off the earth I just think their loss! and family well their another bunch you get the ones who say yeah we'll be in contact and never hear until you email or call them, the ones who send emails missing you, love you - we lived 5 minutes away from each other in Wigan and never saw anyone! and the ones you havent taken much intested in you while you lived near them never off MSN, Facebook etc it makes you laugh!

 

So that'our story so far, sorry if i have sent most of you to sleep!!

 

Claire x

[Guest caoimhe]

Nice to see you have settled

Good luck

[Guest C&Z]

Hi

 

I am happy for you that things have worked out. Do you still feel that you wished that jobs would of worked out on the Gold Coast or are you quite happy with Adelaide?

Claire

[Guest cazzie]

Thanks for a great read - impossible to send anyone to sleep! Everyone reading pomsinadelaide wants to hear these stories as it helps to encourage others and it also shows what some of the pitfalls might be. We holidayed in the Gold Coast, really loved it and would consider moving there, but I would hope that IT jobs (my husband's profession) were a bit more available than building work. At least you had good friends in Adelaide to help you on your way - they sounds great - and it's good to know that things are now working out well for you.

I know exactly what you mean with the contact from back home - you hear loads from the people you least expect to and the least from the people you most expect to hear from sometimes. Out of sight, out of mind seems to apply at times.

Good luck with settling down into your new life.

[Guest KP Nuts]

Hi Claire, glad to hear things have worked out for you all.

[Guest Umar]

very interesting.... I hope that one day I will also write same kind of story of success in PIA.

 

My Best Wishes are with you for your future endeavors

 

 

Regards,

UM.

 

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