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Original poster

Shall we do an Aus/NZ round up?

191 replies

ClaudiaSchiffer · 05/12/2008 02:50

Hi all

Where is everybody? It seems that all the old familiar Oz/NZ mners have wondered orf . . . shall we have some hellos?

I'll kick off

Hi there, I'm ClaudiaShiffer, I have two daughers and live in Adelaide, I am a Pom and have been here for 2 yrs. Mostly loving it. DH is an Aussie and is beyond delighted to be back in Oz after 10yrs in the UK.

Now your turn

OP posts:
echt · 10/01/2009 19:33

I take you're here, savoy. Happy landings. When you feel up to a meet, do get in touch via MN.

arfishy · 11/01/2009 09:44

Sorry for the late reply thumwitch, but I see NineD's was there to help .

at your fine savoy. That's pretty harsh.

One thing I've learned about Australia is that you can't flout the rules. In the UK you can get away with parking somewhere a bit iffy or ignoring a parking fine, but here, you just don't do it. You WILL get a ticket and if you don't pay it your licence will be suspended.

Ditto border security. They are completely humourless. It's a big deal here if you let in a species/bug/plant that isn't native.

You can get bisto here ThumbW but in the import shops. I've found that you can get some good gravies here, that suit the cuisine here better - some things that you adore in the UK will really not suit the climate. We hardly ever do big UK type dinners any more - it's too hot.

sunnydelight · 11/01/2009 10:06

We drove through Morriset yesterday thumbwitch

onlygirl · 11/01/2009 13:24

hi everyone, i dont know where to post this really but me and dh would love to move to aus and would like to look into it but where do we start? can anyone reccomend websites or anything so we can get started. TIA.

thumbwitch · 11/01/2009 23:12

where were you going sunnydelight? betcha didn't stop! Although it's quite a nice little town, really.

arf, thanks for the warning, ditto savoy and 9D - will have to pare things down and make sure we don't flout any regs. I assume they do allow wooden furniture in??

Will also have to find an import shop nearby(although we are sort of thinking of going into that business, purely so I can get my full quota of G&B chocolate and ice cream! plus Bisto of course cos Coles sure as heck don't sell it!)

Arf, I shall be asking for your Gravox recommendations then - I never took to Bisto gravy granules as they were too salty, so am v.v. fussy

arfishy · 12/01/2009 00:47

You have to be careful with wood. You may need to get it fumigated or something. NineD's might be able to help, I haven't shipped my furniture yet.

Onlygirl - you'll need to start by looking at visas/sponsorship. Do you have job offers? If not first look at your eligibility for visas - you can just google australian visas.

If you or your DH have a specialised job you could probably get sponsorship.

Or you can apply for residency straight away - might take up to a year.

We came in with sponsorship and now we're looking to get our residency. We're both engineers and got in on 457 visas because of local skills shortages. We're hoping to get our residency or we'll be thrown out next year!

thumbwitch · 12/01/2009 01:05

OMG that is mad. I mean really. I could understand if it had woodworm (it doesn't) but it's been furniture for years. It ain't harbouring any tree diseases now!

Am going to have to search for necessary regulations now...

ninedragons · 12/01/2009 01:22

Wood furniture isn't generally a problem, though it will be inspected for signs of pest infestation.

Here is the Customs Service information page, and if you want to speak to someone about anything specific, give the helpline a ring. They're fantastically helpful because it really does just make everyone's life easier if you leave behind those root vegetables/worm farm/umbrella stand made from an elephant's foot.

thumbwitch · 12/01/2009 01:24

at 9Ds - thanks v. much for that, will get into it tomorrow!
Have to go and do some work just now or will be in deep poo.

sunnydelight · 12/01/2009 05:56

We were on our way to visit friends at Lake Maquarie thumbwitch. When my friend said "we have a house at Lake M" and asked us up for the day I didn't realise that she really did mean RIGHT by the lake, with private jetty, speedboat, jetski and a couple of kayaks. It was like being in a high tech version of Swallows and Amazons for the day - my kids thought they had died and gone to heaven

thumbwitch · 12/01/2009 12:58

that's where my MIL lives, on Lake Macquarie. jetty in progress, no boat/jetskis yet

lulalullabye · 12/01/2009 19:38

Hi Dc, looking forward to meeting up when we get there. I feel I need a boozy night out to welcome me down under !!!

flummery · 13/01/2009 01:58

Speaking of boozy nights, is it cocktail time yet? Didn't someone mention dirty martinis?

ninedragons · 13/01/2009 02:45

Cocktail? Cocktail? Did someone call me?

This coming weekend might be a bit fraught but I could do it at a pinch. The following one would be better for me, though.

worzelgummidge · 13/01/2009 04:38

Hi ClaudiaSchiffer
I am in Gawler yes. We have talked before, I seem to remeber you asking "Why Gawler?" 0

I have been goddawful busy over Christmas, and haven't been back to MN until now. I have been having withdrawal...

savoycabbage · 13/01/2009 22:06

Newsflash-I have just found some peppercorns that we inadvertently smuggled in.

Echt I would love to meet up with you. And everybody. We have been here since the 1st January now. My oldest dd who is five is stalking down other children in the parkhat all trying to make friends. My youngest who is two points to the mountain and says that her friends are up the mountain.

ninedragons · 13/01/2009 22:48

Rather revoltingly, I found that the movers had packed the teapot when it was still full of wet tea leaves.

Didn't get slapped with a fine, thank God. Cleaning it out was punishment enough.

Even worse, though, this weekend I found a very small amount of an, ummmm, controlled substance dating from my pre-pregnancy days . It was tucked away in a little lidded pot in my desk - I didn't even know it was there. Glad they didn't find that if they think a chocolate brownie is worth $375.

thumbwitch · 13/01/2009 23:12

pmsl 9Ds! So it is possible to smuggle stuff in but not sensible.

ninedragons · 13/01/2009 23:16

Terrible idea. I did fall about laughing because I'd been dishing out such detailed advice to follow all the rules on this thread all week.

Then on Sunday night, SURPRISE you naughty naughty girl!

savoycabbage · 13/01/2009 23:40

I can top your wet tea!

My dh DIDN'T EMPTY THE NAPPY BIN before it was shipped

Only wet nappies but still......

ninedragons · 13/01/2009 23:42

Ok, wet nappies wins.

thumbwitch · 13/01/2009 23:50

whaddya mean, ONLY wet nappies? If I don't do the nappy wash for more than 2 days, the ammonia build-up is eye-watering! (this is a rare occurrence)

savoycabbage · 14/01/2009 00:07

I know! Twelve weeks they were on the ocean wave. I wasn' here when the shipping came. We were still in England so I did't have to deal with it and I didn't ask about it either.

thumbwitch · 14/01/2009 00:14
  • lucky! I'm surprised it didn't explode/spontaneously combust!
echt · 14/01/2009 03:54

Hello, savoy. I thought of you today when I was in a wholesale veg market and walked past MOUNDS of savoy cabbages. To be fair, they are not as dark green and crinkly as the UK kind.

Anyway, to meet, get in touch with me at [email protected]. I'm more free now as the schools (I teach) don't start for staff until the 28th January.