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Still trying to find my feet at the moment, looking for somewhere to live, and get a loads of other things sorted out - living out of a suitcase with my GF in hotels. Will be based here for anything between 12 and 36 months - to possibly perminent if its better lifestyle than blighty (UK).
Though for the next few weeks - we will be tied up getting over jetlag and getting all sorted out. Maybe in May or something - would be up for travelling and meeting up with some of you people that are walk on the bottom of the world.
right to left?! :o) Best of luck in your new adventure in life...KF
A wee story about some of our experiences follows ...
When we arrived at Brisbane airport, obviously tired after a flight from Singapore, we stepped outside looking for a taxi. We were booked into a place about four or five miles from the airport so we went to the first taxi driver, a foreign chap and told him where we wanted to go. He abruptly told us to go to the second taxi, which was manned by another foreign guy. We told him where we wanted to go and he said, "Why he no F****** take you?"
We got into the taxi as he continued to eff and blind, driving like a maniac, screeching round corners and hitting speed bumps at 40 MPH. Welcome to Australia indeed! Australia - if anyone is listening tell your taxi drivers that they have an important "first impressions" role to play here.
We got to our apartment at about 20.30 and had a quick freshen up then went out to look for somewhere to eat at about 9pm. We were staying round the corner from Racecourse road in the Brisbane suburb of Ascot/Hamilton. The Rough Guide had advised us that Racecourse road was one of the best streets to eat around Brisbane with lots of top restaurants and cafes. What we saw was about 7 or eight restaurants in a road about three quarters of a mile long. Some of these were closed. We walked to the end and then walked back up the road and by the time we did so (before 10pm) so they were ALL closed.
We went to bed hungry! Are you getting the impression that our first impressions of Oz were a bit iffy?
Fortunately things picked up a bit after that and we had a great time on the Gold coast and Sunshine coast. We are however conditioned to later hours for eating and drinking in most of Europe and we found the Australian custom of closing restaurants early a bit of a PITA. Even in some of the holiday resorts it was dead after about 21.30.
We also had been given the impression that Australia was cheaper than the UK but we did not see this. Restaurant prices were similar and booze dearer. I am sure I can buy a bottle of Jacob's Creek cheaper in the UK than in Australia. We were self catering some of the time and prices in the supermarkets seemed to be much the same. We found meat cheaper but fruit and veg surprisingly expensive. (We did have a great barbie one night with fillet steak, lamb shops and chicken satay for not a lot of money.)
So while we had a great time over there and the people are great (apart from the taxi drivers) my wife no longer regrets moving there. It may be that the places we visited were not representative of the country as a whole, and there is no doubt it is a great country but then (apart from the weather) so is Scotland ;)
It should be said that the above is written from a tourist's perspective. Living there would give you the advantage of knowing where to go and where to shop, etc.
I don't know what it's like in Perth but I have always fancied a trip there. If we go back that may be our next visit. Keep us posted with how it is going for you. :)
Next time try Perth, a delightful city...KF
I move to the Gold Coast in November from Linconshire and i am not looking back.
It took me about 4 weeks to organise a house, car and get all the furniture needed. Most rental places are unfurnished I found.
Not sure where you were BeeDeeDubbleU, but I find round where I am (Broadbeach) all the places are open well past 10pm. And you can always get a kebab or pizza till about 4am. Might have been a bit unlucky where you went.
I have found that a lot of people do live the go to bed early, go for a surf before work lifestyle. My neighbours an electrician and starts around 6.30, but he's sometimes down the beach before he goes to work. I like my bed too much, I can wait for the weekend.
There are a few search conference's going on in Sydney over the next few months, so if you get the chance Caine, i'll maybe see you at one. Internal flights are quite cheap with Jetstar. I think a return is about $200-300, so it's not too bad.
I have a few frinds living in Perth, so i'm hoping to make it over in the next 6 months.
If you're ever coming over this way let us know. Would be nice to meet a few more people over here.
Actually we did stay two nights in Broadbeach and it was great - much nicer (more mature?)than the Mainbeach area. We had a great night in Conrad Jupiter's casino while there. I would happily recommend Broadbeach to anyone and that Pacific Mall is quite a place too, if you like shopping and eating.
Broadbeach is a more mature place. There aren't as many pubs or clubs as in Surfers Paradise so all the young people and traveler's tend to miss Broadbeach. I quite like it that way though. You can have a nice meal in Broadbeach and if you fancy it, 5 mins on a bus and your in a very lively area.
