Moving to Brisbane in 2016

[AnnoyedParent22]

DH and I have finally made the decision to emigrate to Brisbane mid to late 2016.

I have Aus passport and DH will be able to emigrate on a spousal visa.

Just wondering if anyone has any advice or experiences [good or bad] that they can share with us - things like cost of living, schools [we have two primary age children], recreational activities, lifestyle, etc.

DH is a civil engineer and I will be working as a nurse and/or counsellor [dual qualification but will depend initially on job availability]. Does anyone work in these fields and have any thoughts about employment opportunities or recruitment agencies?

We are currently in London but sick of only being able to afford a flat and want a more outdoor lifestyle. I have lived in Brisbane previously so have some idea of the pros and cons but was last living there about 16 years ago so obviously things may have changed somewhat, both for the better and worse!

My sister hates it, it's like living in a time warp and she is so shocked how racist a lot of people are, especially to the hospital staff who are more qualified than her, but because they are not white, they are treated with little respect, and she is always asked to do certain jobs, even though she is not qualified to, just because she is white. She is biding her time till her contract is up.

Oh that's a shame Ali.

Yes, I am prepared for Brisbane being slower paced than London [I am actually craving this] but it's worrying to hear that some people are experiencing racism.

Of course I know it exists, as it does in a lot of places, but that it is at a level whereby it is openly acknowledged and appears part of the culture...

There are a few MN'ers who are from Brisbane.
The first things to know is where are you working, what kind of lifestyle do you want, are you buying or renting?

We will be buying Grin.

Thinking about an average suburban sort of lifestyle but with more outdoors!
So day trips to the beach, BBQs in local parks, etc.

Would probably like to be able to eat out on occasion but don't require fancy restaurants.

Probably go to the theatre on occasion, see a film, that sort of thing

Brisbane is growing up. It has a great lifestyle and weather. There are always little festivals, markets etc going on. This weekend gone was the Greek festival and Polish festival.

I'm a Southside girl and always will be.
Where you work determines where you live. No point working an hour away from home given the horrible traffic in the mornings.
I like Yeronga, Graceville, Wynnum (near the water) for suburbs.
There is Springfield Lakes which is a huge development with lots of parks and facilities and has the new train line.

I have family in Redcliffe and Scarborough. I believe this used to be seen as a bit Hicksville but is now getting quite up and coming, particularly as there is a new train line now.

Nursing.... Hmm depends on the field you work in. I'd check out the Qld Health pages and see what the private hospitals are after (Mater, Ramsey Health). Grad positions are near to impossible to get but experienced is a shoe in.

As for engineering I'm not well versed in that but I know that a friend who is a Civil engineer is facing redundancy as are a few others due to the mining downturn. The big mines near me BMA, Anglo-American and Curraugh.

Thanks Grin

I am an experienced nurse [qualified in QLD in 1995] practicing in recovery/PACU nursing. I would perhaps like to work at Redcliffe Hospital as this is where I will be living, at least initially.

Would you happen to know if there is much agency/casual nursing work available at present?

Bit of a worry about the Civil Engineering though... although DH's specialty is highways and traffic management, not mining so hopefully the downturn won't affect him...

There is always heaps of agency work. It's the full time permanent positions that are hard to come by.
If you were able to then rural contract work is great. You make a fortune.

I second Grin that Yeronga is a good suburb. My eldest goes to Yeronga State School and absolutely loves it. The children seem much more confident over here (or maybe it's just the children in my son's class).

If you plan to live Northside, North Lakes seems to attract a lot of British expats and you can buy a newly built house for a reasonable price.

I used to live in London too and find the pace in Brisbane a little slow but unfortunately, can't afford to live in Sydney! We spend weekends going to parks, beaches, daytrips out and our boys enjoy the outdoor lifestyle.

Not sure about the work situation is like for Nurses and Civil Engineers at the moment. I have friends in both industries it seems like there have been a lot of redundancies lately.

yawn the predictable howls of "OMG Australians are so racist"... I've lived in the UK, Switzerland and Australia and have to say that I really think most Australians are getting a bad rap here. I certainly wouldn't say that they are more racist than a lot of the discussions I've heard while living in the UK. Yes, government policies may leave a lot bit to be desired around treatment of boat-people and the indiginous history is appalling, but I don't believe that the average Australian is inherently racist, especially these days. Or certainly not to the extent that it is the first thing called out about a potential move. I should imagine if you've lived here previously, things will have got better rather than worse.

AnnoyedParent the cost of living is an initial shock but we're quite used to it now (2 years in) Let me know if you want me to put a bit of info up about our costs/budgets. A good time to be moving, especially given the current strength of the GBP! Agency nursing roles are quite common, if you're going to be based in Redcliffe you should hopefully pick up something there or even Prince Charles/Holy Spirit. If longer term you end up based at Mater/RBWH/Lady Cilento/Wesley, there are some lovely areas like The Gap/Ashgrove that aren't a bad commute, have a great sense of community, are still relatively affordable and have excellent schools.

North Lakes is definitely ex-pat central, a lot of smallish blocks with big new build houses but good facilities. They certainly seem to be the 'growth' area, there's a train line going in up there that should be complete in 2016-ish, lots of large corporate stores opening (Qld's only Costco, Ikea are opening a new store up there) and a big shopping complex. Not my bag (couldn't hack the hour commute into town on weekdays!), but friends who live there love it.

Schools - there is a website that has info on the standardised test results, size, demographics etc. Periodically there are also a number of publications which have info (and propaganda) on schools. Once you have an idea of where you might live, there's probably a better chance of narrowing it down.

Happy to provide any info in relation to questions

Brisbane is awesome.
I'm an RN. We live Northside.
My personal choice of hospitals would be Redcliffe at a push. It's not a satellite hospital for Rbwh. I love Rbwh but you will pay a high price to work there due to the cudos of working "at the royal"
Prince Charles has a good reputation.
Wouldn't touch Caboolture or the new sunny coast uni private.
I am currently at Holy Spirit. Nice. Easy going. Busy. Pays matched to qld health rates, without the qld health bs.
Of course in 2016 the new sunny coast public opens many of us are sitting waiting for that one!
Applications/ expressions of interest are open.
I can email the link if you pm.
Wesley, St. Andrews, Bris private all have a good reputation.

Schools will be your biggest challenge depending where you settle.
Not so bad if your happy to go private.
Certainly the state system isn't my idea of good. (Around here) I'm sure more city state schools are good. Private isn't too expensive which is a plus!

Thanks everyone for your very useful replies!

I am thinking of bank or agency work as a nurse [at least initially] so it is reassuring to hear this is available in Brisbane. I mainly practice in PACU nursing - recovery. I am not anaesthetics or scrub trained but if I was to take on a permanent role I would look to obtaining these qualifications.

I currently work for HCA in London [a private hospital group] so Holy Spirit sounds similar chloe. I used to work for RBH when I last lived in Brisbane in the 90s.

Otherwise I possibly wanted to work at Redcliffe as it would be a quick and easy commute [and helpful to fit shifts around school times, etc].

Chloe would it be possible for you to post the link for the new Sunshine Coast Public hospital here? If not I will pm you with my email address.

I am also thinking of continuing practicing as a fertility counsellor as I am qualified in this area too. May rent rooms to continue my private practice...

So much to consider but am really excited about making the move.

Occarns yes please to any information on costs of living/wages/budgets. Would be useful to get my head around this. At the moment I am finding that in London prices of everyday living are relatively low - manageable, i.e. groceries, clothes, eating out. However it is the cost of renting/buying a house which is difficult - impossible.

www.health.qld.gov.au/scuhospital/

House Expenses beyond the mortgage -
$300/qtr Rates (kind of the council tax equivalent) We're not the most expensive but not the cheapest either - this is probably a pretty standard/average bill. You don't pay it if you are renting though.
$300/qtr Water bills - a lot of it is metered, bills include usage and waste water fees (we have a water tank but also a pool, so swings and roundabouts - when it's dry, our tank runs out and we need the 'town' water to top up the pool/water the garden)
$200/qtr Electricity - we have solar on our property, which reduces the bill considerably (though cost a bit to put on in the first place!) Our bills are next to nothing in summer, but going up to around $200/qtr through the winter months. We've got solar hot water as well, so most of the time there's no cost associated with heating the water.
House insurance is a pisser - ours is about $2500 annually, but that will vary plenty based on the sort of place you have, location, facilities etc.

Vehicles - We've got 2 cars (one a 'family' car and one a runabout)
c. $600/year each for registration (i.e. road tax/third party insurance etc)
c. $500/year for Insurance (comprehensive, glass cover etc) for the big car (about $300 for the small one)
$75/fn on petrol - probably on the low side as we are mostly making short trips during the week (commuting to nursery/train station)

School/Daycare fees
That's the big kicker for us. We're both f/t work with a 1 and 3 year old in nursery. Our nursery is hardly the most expensive, but it's still over $800 a week for us! You do get a government subsidy of 50% of the fees (up to $7500/year per child) if you are employed/seeking work to help offset this, but it's still a big chunk of the budget. Anyone thinking of moving out here with small kids should definitely consider the costs of care when negotiating hours/salaries.
I saw your kids are school age - if going to a public school, the costs are pretty negligible, as you are an AU citizen (if you were here on a 457 visa or similar, I think some states charge a couple of grand for schooling, even publically). Literally, our local primary has a $50 voluntary levy + a few participation charges (most expensive being a Yr 5 camp at $250). Our local private (Catholic) school fees are in the region of $3000.
Before/After School Hours care - indicative fees for where we've chosen - Before school is $12/day and After School is $18/day, so for f/t care it's $150/week. And you're still entitled to the subsidy from the government on this of 50% of fees (up to the $7500 cap) which brings down the cost of this again to $75/wk per child.

Living expenses

• Noting that groceries are a 'how long is a piece of string' kind of cost, we're usually spending about $200/week for the household, including toiletries. We generally eat meat 5-6 times a week, and have a big dog. Oh, and you can't buy booze in supermarkets in Qld still either!
• Takeaways are more than in the UK, except pizza for some reason is ridiculously cheap (I'm talking from $5 for a large/family sized pizza at Dominos/Pizza Hut etc) We shout ourselves takeaway probably once a fortnight or so, and it's usually $50 or upwards
• Clothes are more or less on a par, although I will be stocking up on some of my favourite UK brands when we come back later in the year
• Public transport - we're about zone 3 equivalent, and it's c. $50/week each into and out of the centre of Brisbane. Probably same/same on a London footing

Incidentals
The big shocks for us were things that are technically 'luxuries', so you can most likely get along much cheaper. Cable/Satellite TV and Home Broadband is bloody expensive compared to the UK (like our plan is well over $100 each month). Mobile Phones are likewise pretty pricey (I'm on a 'cheaper' plan at $50/month!)
Private Health insurance - ours is the Top Hospital, Top Extras and costs us about $150/fn, which is pretty pricey but gives us plenty of flexibility. If you're a top rate tax payer, you either have to have at least basic cover or there's a surcharge on your tax. And if you take it out after you turn 30 (or didn't have private health cover where you were) there's a lifetime loading of something like a percent for every year above 30 you are when you take it out.

Hi! We moved to Brisbane 18 months ago and we love the lifestyle here. We chose the Redlands area (East and South of the city) because we knew some people here (Wellington Point, Cleveland, Ormiston, Thornlands, Victoria Point - the further away from the city, the cheaper the property). We're in Wellington Point (we also love Cleveland for a night out, a coffee, or a Sunday on the beach with the kids) so we're on the coast, 30 mins drive from the city and airport, 1 hr from Gold Coast, 1 hr from Mount Tamborine for walking and waterfalls, under 1.5 hrs from the Sunshine Coast, 10 mins from Capalaba where there are a couple of shopping centres, a cinema and a lot of big retailers and 20 mins from a big Westfield shopping centre at Carindale. There are a few state schools with good reputations and some very good private schools in this area. Plenty of Brits around too!

Food shopping costs us (2 adults, a 3-yr-old and a 6-yr-old) about $200 a week. I think meat is expensive here so I'm careful what I buy, seafood is cheaper than in the UK, fruit and veg can vary hugely with the seasons e.g. Grapes are $3 per kilo in season, around $13 per kilo out of season, cauliflowers are $8 each at the moment! Though apples and potatoes stay pretty stable because they can be stored for a long time. As pointed out above the supermarkets don't sell booze, and they don't sell anywhere near as much pre-prepared food. You don't find pre-packed sandwiches or packs of sausage rolls here!

Mobile phone contracts are expensive, mine is over $100 a month and I used to pay £15 a month in the UK!

Broadband costs a fortune and the speeds are terrible unfortunately.

Our electricity bills are around $500 a quarter in winter and can be $700-$800 in summer when we're using the aircon! Houses aren't as insulated here, so nights in the winter can be cold- don't leave your winter duvet behind!

Petrol is half the price here and car insurance is about the same, but registration (car tax equivalent with added 3rd party insurance) is quite a lot (as commented above).

The thing I found a while to get the hang of is which shops to go to - it takes a while to work out where to get things, how much the prices vary and how much quality varies. For electricals I always start at The Good Guys, basic furniture is reasonable at Super Amart, pricier stuff at Harvey Norman, Target does clothes at British supermarket type quality and Best & Less is also worth a look when you need something basic for the kids, Target, Big W and Kmart for toys and basic homewares. There's nowhere exactly like Boots but Target, Big W and Kmart plus a chemist does the same job.

Hope that helps!

Jo

Jo - I know what you mean about getting the hang of the shops. When I first moved to the UK, I was chatting with the senior manager and asked her where I should go to buy bedding (like sheets/duvet etc) for when we moved out of serviced apartments into our own place. She said John Lewis or Selfridges were the only places to go for bedding.

Fortunately one of the other staff caught me and said that I might be better off looking at BHS or Primark (this was back in the days where the pound was 1:3 on the Aussie dollar - I would have bought the most expensive sheets in the world had I taken the initial advice)

I have the link for scuh but it's us pdf application forms. If you send me a message with your email I can forward it. Expressions of interest are open but no direct recruitment yet.

Casual pool nursing is normally better than agency. That said if you like nights and lates. Anything will work well!
We use au pairs for childcare with dc 2,4,7 and 12. Far better with shift work. Simply couldn't afford to work and pay daycare fees