Car Registration

We decided we wanted a van, so we could drive up the coast, take our time, store our boxes and sleep overnight when and where suited us. We didn’t want to have to pay a lot or do a lot of maintenance immediately to the van so we inspected each vehicle and visited the garage more than once. Something we realized is, that it is best to take our time and discuss the price. The van we chose had a full paperwork history of all the work carried out on it during the past several years, with receipts of payment. The van would still need new tyres eventually and the bodywork had been covered up with a quick re-paint. It wasn’t perfect but it was registered in Queensland the state we wanted to live (this is important for re-registering ownership), it had a safety certificate for the camping stove and the inventory was impressive - chairs, inside table, cooking equipment, plastic storage containers and buckets, body board, shower head, TV, tools and spare parts. Something we realized we hadn’t picked up on was that the van didn’t like to start in the cold. Given that it was wintertime moving on from campsite to campsite was a bit of a problem.

We took two weeks to travel from Sydney in New South Wales to Brisbane in Queensland. Stopping along the way at Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Port Jackson, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay… We love the coastline and small seaside towns. The colors of wild birds are amazing and it was fun to be on the road.

Having A Baby

Once in Brisbane we found a relocation caravan site where we could have a long term stay and move into a chalet or static home if we needed. By this time I was 18 weeks pregnant and needed to re-register with a doctor for a scan (I had been registered and had my pregnancy and monitored in Switzerland). There are both public and private healthcare systems in Australia. New immigrants are entitled to a Medicare card, which gives free treatment at hospitals and at some medical centers. After a long search through the local phonebooks and a ring round of medical centers, I discovered that it wouldn’t be easy getting an obstetrician this late in the day. So I went direct to the nearest hospital for my prenatal care. 

I was fortunate to be going to a hospital with a new birthing center and a midwife birthing team. The hospital had a good reputation and was rated one of the best. Private health care would have been an alternative but needn’t necessarily have guaranteed a place at a birthing center. Like many countries, Australia even with a small population, suffers with overcrowding in hospitals. However, I had a good pre-natal and birth experience and wouldn’t necessarily go private in future. 

I was encouraged to go home from hospital after only two days, but did have midwife visits at home. I found a childcare community nurse to go to on a weekly basis for having my baby weighed. There are a lot of “helplines” and “services” available for free, for new mothers, it just takes a bit of calling around and networking at mom and baby groups to find them.

Generally speaking Australian families are large. It’s not unusual to have three or more children and for the mother to be a stay at home mom. It is difficult to get a place in child care centers or at family day-care but not impossible.

Finding Work

I picked up a job teaching business English and pre-university training courses(the field of work I’ve been in for 5 years) in an institute of higher education, without too much trouble. Even though I was pregnant, I had the choice between two schools and was offered a casual contract with a possibility of returning to work in the future, if there is a job available.

Finding a full-time job in IT management with a permanent contract has proven to be more difficult. There are positions in software development with short term contracts but anything long term is taking time to find. Something we have realized is that most companies outsource their recruitment to agencies and work on contract and subcontract basis. This makes the recruitment procedure take longer. It’s normal to have several interviews both with the recruitment agency and company that is hiring. A verbal offer can be given and then withdrawn at the last minute!

We quickly discovered that a one-page European-style resume is not suitable to find a job in Australia. CVs need to be long and detailed. If responsibilities, achievements and duties are not written clearly and in intricate detail, it’s assumed you didn’t do or have them. A CV can be up to seven pages long. 

Lifestyle

Australia isn’t rated as one of the worlds leading countries for lifestyle for nothing. Our move has been challenging but it has also been made easier by the lack of complicated bureaucracy, the helpfulness of Australians and the positive relaxed attitude they have about themselves, their country and life.

Renting a three bedroom, two bathroom house with a yard in a nice suburb in Brisbane is surprisingly cheap 340$US fortnightly. Buying a similar house costs, at this moment in time, roughly 340 000$US and upwards. “Nice” suburbs have open spacious parklands where it is safe to walk, bus or train lines to the city, churches, schools and kindergartens nearby, ample space to park cars and each house on its own block of land. Shopping Malls are usually a short drive away but again with plenty of parking area and undercover.

The summer is a hot, humid and stormy often with an impressive night sky, many a power cut and sudden bursts of drenching rain. The winter has sunny pleasant days with cooler evenings and chilly nights. People live outdoors all the year round here and being part of a community and neighborhood goes without saying.

There are a lot of attractions and inexpensive things to do in Brisbane. BBQ and picnic areas litter the national parks, beaches and numerous green open spaces. There are city festivals virtually every month to celebrate anything from the river to a new show opening. Australians love an opportunity to get together have a beer and get to know new people. 

Moreton Bay offers sights of wild dolphins, turtles and whales off the coast. There are one or two safe swimming bays and several Islands, just a short boat trip away. Amid the wild Koalas, Kangaroos and Possums is a tropical family friendly community that’s worth immigrating too.

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