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Getting a bit disheartened with finding somewhere to live today. Am searching on gumtree under shared/short term lets etc in Melbourne. Also on a site called Flatmate finders which matches you to appropriate people. And also have been trying www.realestate.com.au as well as the Readings bookshop on Lygon street. Have emailed quite a lot of places today but not heard back from many. Trying to put an ad on gumtree doesn't seem that easy...am sure I've tried twice and then can't find either ads...
I wonder how much just looking for a short term let makes or being a Brit with jet lag who feels a bit off-form and unsure of herself at the moment! Well, the right thing will come along shortly I'm sure...
Have just found the following by looking in my book 'Living and working in Australia' by David Hampshire and will see what I can find on them:
www.newspapers.com.au
www.myhome.com.au
www.realestateview.com.au
Apparently a lot of rentals are found by word of mouth which I've been trying to do too through the few people I know here already, but nowt found yet...tum tee tum...anyone reading this know of anyone looking for a room nearish the 86 tram making a commute up to La Trobe in Bundoora not too ridiculous...???!
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
End of the week
Soooo, I got here at 10am on Thursday morning. Lovely lovely Kate picked me up from the Airport which was fabulous and made arriving so much more fun and easy to deal with! The heat was impressive at like 25C I think it was approx...needed to be out of all the warm clothes I was wearing anyway.
Went back to Kate's and had a shower and then we wandered the streets of Melbourne, mostly around Fitzroy and Carlton. Kate directed me to a cool shop called Readings in Carlton/Lygon Street where people advertise rooms...obviously popular as it took a long time to get near the window and in front of all the other people! The bookshop's apparently really good too...so best get back there when I want to buy the Australian wildlife books I was planning and buying and things...Had my first lunch on Smith street, basicish veggie wrap sandwich served by a very nervous but sweet young man. The food was lovely, I hadn't realised quite how much I needed food after all the plastic food on the flights, but also, food in Australia is just fab, or so it always has seemed so far. We also went to a cool chocolaterie on Lygon street (Italian sorta district) - 167 Lygon street called Koko black. Both of us had amazing chocolate ice creams...if I get the patience I'll put a picture up, but they had amazing swirls on them and things, fab!!
Oh I, with Kate's help, also sorted a tax file reference number, which I could only sort once I actually arrived in Australia, for some reason they won't let you sort this in advance. It's like an NI number sorta.
Tried sorting getting an Ozzie SIM card with Telstra but staff couldn't be bothered to come talk to me, so gave up. Bought a tram ticket for zones 1 and 2, though discoverd I don't need that to get to La Trobe as it crosses over between the two zones. Bought a book of ten journeys for like equivalent of 25 quid, or 50 Australian Dollars...will be less for just one zone, and even less if I do actually buy a bike to cycle to work whilst I'm here...
So I slept pretty well through the first night, waking only once. Then managed to get up in time to catch the 86 tram up to Bundoora...wondering where to get off was interesting...then it turned out it was where everyone else got off too...turned out to be 35C today...I got rather warm in my suit.
Found work reasonably easy and did loadsa hand over stuff with Megan. Then booked bank account appointment with Westpac bank. Took about an hour to go through all the stuff but they set up an account with only my contract and a passport, mental. Got a debit card and if you get more than $2000 in to your account each month the account is free, so no fee, otherwise $5 a month. Can do internet banking with them too, but weirdly only if you have an Ozzie mobile number, weird...will sort that soon enough though.
Did loadsa handover stuff with Megan and after a few hours started to feel a bit more relaxed about taking on the post, we got through a lot considering my condition! The campus site has loads of good eateries on site as well and it's really nice with lots of grassland and there's a wildlife sanctuary near...and apparently some kangaroos not that far off too - Megan suggested going to see her on the weekend to go and check them out soon, cool!
Also had HR, or 'People and Culture' as they call it, but apparently I needed to fill in all the paperwork that I didn't understand...appointment rearranged...hopefully I fill the right things in...don't think I need to get medical insurance, think I'm covered...but not sure....weird that I still don't really know...no getting knocked over by a tram for me to find out.
Went to look at a short term let that I came across through Gumtree this evening. Kate drove there too, and thank god she did...turns out that a lot of streets get duplicated in Melbourne...when you're looking for a particular street...be sure to know the area...noted. Wandering round in that heat in my work clothes was not so much fun...oh poor me in that heat.
When I did finally find the house it seemed very nice, Australians version of a new build I guess, with roof top terrace and bbq, it's just a short term let though till mid/late March...hope they say yep as it would be great to have that sorted and they seemed like a nice interesting bunch.
Got take away pasta this evening, weird. Kate's off out to have fun and dance on a Friday night and stuff...I'm staying back to catch up on my jet lag...10.40pm not bad...really need to recoop now though....
Went back to Kate's and had a shower and then we wandered the streets of Melbourne, mostly around Fitzroy and Carlton. Kate directed me to a cool shop called Readings in Carlton/Lygon Street where people advertise rooms...obviously popular as it took a long time to get near the window and in front of all the other people! The bookshop's apparently really good too...so best get back there when I want to buy the Australian wildlife books I was planning and buying and things...Had my first lunch on Smith street, basicish veggie wrap sandwich served by a very nervous but sweet young man. The food was lovely, I hadn't realised quite how much I needed food after all the plastic food on the flights, but also, food in Australia is just fab, or so it always has seemed so far. We also went to a cool chocolaterie on Lygon street (Italian sorta district) - 167 Lygon street called Koko black. Both of us had amazing chocolate ice creams...if I get the patience I'll put a picture up, but they had amazing swirls on them and things, fab!!
Oh I, with Kate's help, also sorted a tax file reference number, which I could only sort once I actually arrived in Australia, for some reason they won't let you sort this in advance. It's like an NI number sorta.
Tried sorting getting an Ozzie SIM card with Telstra but staff couldn't be bothered to come talk to me, so gave up. Bought a tram ticket for zones 1 and 2, though discoverd I don't need that to get to La Trobe as it crosses over between the two zones. Bought a book of ten journeys for like equivalent of 25 quid, or 50 Australian Dollars...will be less for just one zone, and even less if I do actually buy a bike to cycle to work whilst I'm here...
So I slept pretty well through the first night, waking only once. Then managed to get up in time to catch the 86 tram up to Bundoora...wondering where to get off was interesting...then it turned out it was where everyone else got off too...turned out to be 35C today...I got rather warm in my suit.
Found work reasonably easy and did loadsa hand over stuff with Megan. Then booked bank account appointment with Westpac bank. Took about an hour to go through all the stuff but they set up an account with only my contract and a passport, mental. Got a debit card and if you get more than $2000 in to your account each month the account is free, so no fee, otherwise $5 a month. Can do internet banking with them too, but weirdly only if you have an Ozzie mobile number, weird...will sort that soon enough though.
Did loadsa handover stuff with Megan and after a few hours started to feel a bit more relaxed about taking on the post, we got through a lot considering my condition! The campus site has loads of good eateries on site as well and it's really nice with lots of grassland and there's a wildlife sanctuary near...and apparently some kangaroos not that far off too - Megan suggested going to see her on the weekend to go and check them out soon, cool!
Also had HR, or 'People and Culture' as they call it, but apparently I needed to fill in all the paperwork that I didn't understand...appointment rearranged...hopefully I fill the right things in...don't think I need to get medical insurance, think I'm covered...but not sure....weird that I still don't really know...no getting knocked over by a tram for me to find out.
Went to look at a short term let that I came across through Gumtree this evening. Kate drove there too, and thank god she did...turns out that a lot of streets get duplicated in Melbourne...when you're looking for a particular street...be sure to know the area...noted. Wandering round in that heat in my work clothes was not so much fun...oh poor me in that heat.
When I did finally find the house it seemed very nice, Australians version of a new build I guess, with roof top terrace and bbq, it's just a short term let though till mid/late March...hope they say yep as it would be great to have that sorted and they seemed like a nice interesting bunch.
Got take away pasta this evening, weird. Kate's off out to have fun and dance on a Friday night and stuff...I'm staying back to catch up on my jet lag...10.40pm not bad...really need to recoop now though....
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
OK...whether to and how to start
So...am thinking some friends may like to hear a semi-regular update for if I don't get the opportunity to email whilst I'm away. I'm going to Australia to work for four days a week as a Managing Editor, basically a secondment from my current job in Oxford. Working in Melbourne from End of Feb until early July. So far...I haven't got anywhere to live, a tax file reference number (equivalent to NI) or anywhere to live. Have some very kind friends who have agreed to store my stuff whilst I'm away. Have moved all my addresses to Vics or my parents...my brother Roland is looking after Kittette...erm, yep...and so I'm off next Tuesday evening after an all day meeting with work (that was my fault, but it is my favourite meeting...). I have bought a massive suitcase, it's a teal suitcase no less...I hope it's going to be light enough...a few weeks ago had traumas as Singapore Airlines apparently don't let you have more than 20Kg if you're travelling economy, I moaned at them and said 'I'd a booked with someone else if I'd known' and they gave me an extra 5Kg as a good will jesture, ace! Had an excellent party which acted as a good farewell party on the theme 'Evil versus bear' this weekend just gone...ace pictures from that! That'll do for now won't it...moving out of my empty room on Saturday coming...and then no fixed abode for the next little while....
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