The Big Fridge

we needed to buy a fridge when we arrived in Oz as there wasn't one in the house which we're renting... everyone kept saying 'go big'... 'choose the biggest one you can find'... we didn't see the importance of this until now with 30 degree heat each day and we're soooo glad that we listened to advice! EVERYTHING goes in the fridge... if it doesn't your wraps will wrinkle, your lettuce will be limp and your chocolate will be everywhere but where it should be... the bread dries out even when i am buttering it for oli's sandwiches and his chocolate advent calendar has had to be put in the cool to prevent it turning to mulch by the 1st of december... biscuits, jam, nutella, vegetables, fruit, my lipstick (seriously!) our fridge looks soooo full all the time now... 

We're Melting and it's Only 9am!!

Mooloolaba Weather

    

26.68°S 153.12°E 2m AMSL

Maroochydore Forecast

Today	29°C
Tonight	20°C

Now

29.2°C 
Updated at 08:50 EST

Southeast Coast for Sunday Early mist and fog patches. Mostly fine with only isolated light showers about the Sunshine Coast. Light to moderate NW/SW winds, tending N/NE near the coast, fresh at times in the afternoon.

I can now teach in Queensland!!!

hot off the press... have just rec'd an e-mail from the queensland college of teachers advising me that i am now eligible to teach in queensland!!!! yay... now need to send out my resume with a passion and in great numbers... much sooner than i thought which is brilliant :)

Day out on the Gold Coast

went off to a theme park on the gold coast today. we were a smidge concerned because it's coming the to the end of the first week of 'schoolies week' and didn't fancy sharing the rides with 20,000 schoolies!! schoolies week is actually a three week graduation festival celebrated by Year 12 school leavers from every corner of australia. the gold coast is home to the nation’s largest schoolies celebration and, traditionally, each of the three weeks of schoolies in queensland attracts a different state of year 12’s so that each one parties with their own fellow students. 

each year thousands of year 12 students descend on schoolies destinations to celebrate the end of their school years and enjoy what is also the ultimate summer holiday. students make the journey from around australia (and new zealand and other countries) and for many it is their first holiday without their family!! they must have been on the beach today as they certainly weren't in dreamworld... lucky us. good day... oli got me to go on every log flume, water shute and water slide... he said that he enjoyed hearing me screaming and seemingly mistook it for someone who was enjoying themselves!!! i am a bit of a ninny on the bigger rides (and boy, do the aussies love the 'big stuff') and  i am well and truly knackered now...zzzzzzzzzzz...

2 hour drive there (nothing to us now!)... jeff drove as i am still a bit unsure of the aussie driving tactics (ie) changing lanes constantly, undertaking, overtaking, 'left-lane' merging constantly just to keep you on your toes, kangaroos at dusk etc... and also, feeling a bit small as we seem to be the only people on the road who are NOT in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. as a driver,  you must give way to huge 'road trains' which are very scary as they bear down on you as you glance in your wing mirror... don't like to generalise, but all the road-train drivers look the same... tattooed arms, shaved heads, beards, wrap-around sunnies and fluorescent work-wear tops... they're always very pleasant though and will 'parp' their horn for anyone who asks(!)

Oli and his bicycle!

Oli went off to school today on his bicycle (helmets MUST be worn by EVERYONE here: it's the law)... he's at a school which was recommended to us as one of the best state schools on the sunshine coast. it's HUGE (1300 kids) and that's just the primary school: bit different from his school in the UK which had 130 kids in total. oli is 11 years old and in the UK, he would have been at senior school now. however, in australia, year 7 is still primary, so he's in the last few weeks of year 6 now and after christmas, when the new school year starts, he'll be in year 7 and his final primary year. school is 8.35am to 2.45pm and is seemingly much more relaxed than the UK... Oli is really enjoying himself and is in awe of the kids' ability to be good at EVERY sport!


in australia, you need to live in the catchment area of the school to be able to go there.  clearly the rental agencies are aware of this and, because of the popularity of the school he's going to, finding a rental was a bit difficult and relatively expensive compared to other areas! however, we did find one, although it's a half an hour walk to school (with few pavements in the suburbs: they must expect everyone to drive!!). OK in the winter months but today, for example, the temperature was 25 degrees at 8am... we then decided to buy him an early christmas pressie of a bicycle... one happy boy :)


schools are not free here;even state ones... we have to buy exercise books, pens, pencils, dictionaries, atlas, computer paper etc... i've just paid around $130 for next year.  You also then, on top, need to pay for uniform, trips, swimming lessons, fun activities and donations to the school building etc... 
anyways, all in all... he's happy and is making some good friends now who are from all corners of the world... good on oli as he was our biggest concern as he's making the biggest change to his life... result!

our container's being delivered!!

we're a smidge excited as our container with all our gumph from the UK arrives at our door on the 6th of december!!! (minus a fake christmas tree which the authorities stated was real: it's sooo not, they offered to fumigate it for $275 or destroy it for $55: we took the latter option)... be warned if you're thinking of emigrating here: don't bring anything that you're a little unsure of although, we were 100% sure of the chrimbo tree as it was bought in the uk in 2005, was in its original packaging which clearly stated 'fake and no real cones have been used in the structure'... however, the photographs that the brisbane authorities e-mailed to us did seem to confirm their suspicion that perhaps the cones WERE real?? at least it means that our shipment will now be released and delivered to us though, which is the best news.
overall though, our removal company have been brilliant... the packing guys in the uk were excellent and we were able to track the shipment on-line too.  it arrived when it should have done and the correspondence from the liaison in brisbane has been very detailed... would deffo recommend them.
can't wait to get my dyson vacuum out when the container gets here (sad but true)... i spent over an hour cleaning the bloomin' thing out prior to packing it as well as scrubbing the tyres on our bicycle tyres and the soles of our shoes: no foreign dirt allowed here!!!

1st day of work for jeff!

bit excited today as jeff started work!!
we moved over from the UK on a 175 (skilled independent) visa.  jeff had always fancied living in queensland because of his love of diving, snorkelling, swimming and surfing.  we're now on the sunshine coast which is amazing but jeff's had problems getting work here. the area, overall,  is suffering a tad with lack of work generally but firstly, he needs an employer who can help him get his australian electrical qualifications... secondly, all of the australian states do things differently... because we're in queensland: they are the most difficult so we're told... jeff completed what's called a 'vetassess' assessment in the UK which, when mentioned here, is met with blank stares.
you have to do all the leg work and internet searching yourself, i must admit.  however, after sending out numerous e-mails and CVs (called resumes here), followed them up with 'phone calls (no-one answers e-mails), jeff managed to get an employer who is willing to take him on for the 'training' period (and still pay him a decent wage) and is giving him a company vehicle he can use for private use, mobile telephone and a natty little outfit to boot! jeff still needs to sort out the training needed but he has, at least, got his foot in the door. he does have to travel to work (everywhere is a long way from anywhere in oz), negotiating kangaroos at dusk, flooding of the roads in the summer and hectare after hectare of sugar cane, but hey! he did it... he got up at 5am this morning (normal here as it's light at 4am) and set off at 5.30am with plenty of lunch and cold water... ols has just cycled off to school and i am about to mop the floor: domesticity does not agree with me but hey ho!! needs to be done x

why i am doing this!!

Hi there
my son has a blog and persuaded me to have one so that we can share our australian experiences with anyone who is interested!
firstly, i am lizzie (hello)... i am married to jeff and we have an 11 year old son who's called oli... we have been in australia now for 9 weeks and are very happy, albeit sometimes a tad bewildered with processes etc...!
my husband is an electrician and i am a secondary english teacher... we applied to emigrate to australia 4 years ago and it's been a long slog to get where we are. if you want to come to australia you REALLY need to want to come to australia... you must be determined, prepared for plenty of ups and downs and very, very focused on your aim. you mustn't lose sight of your goal as when you arrive all that pre-travel hassle disappears.  It does get replaced by more hassle over here, but at least you're actually HERE... yay!! more soon xx