Moving to Melbourne - what should we take in our suitcases as our shipping will not arrive until after christmas.

[savoycabbage]

What will the weather be like? We are going in three weeks and staying in a serviced apartment until our thing come.

My dds are two and almost five. We are getting a 20kg luggage allowance which seems like not a lot to me!

We have tried getting more but dh and dcs are travelling on Australian passports so airlins has said they won't give them more and I have a return ticket so they won't give me more either.

[ninedragons]

What a bummer that the airlines are being so tight.

It has started to warm up but Melbourne is notorious for having "four seasons in one day" (hence the Crowded House song, though I could be wrong - it may be about Sydney) and the temperature can drop by 10'C in the space of an hour or two. I went to Melbourne around this time a few years ago and it was still very chilly at night (although I do have thin tropical blood from having lived in Hong Kong for so long, and really feel the cold - being English you may not be quite so bad ). I'd suggest many thin layers - thin cardigans or jumpers. Take warm slippers - Australians have an odd attitude to their climate and you may not have heating. We stayed in a serviced apartment that was bloody freezing. It won't be cold enough to need hats/scarves/gloves.

Target is very cheap for children's basics such as t-shirts and long-sleeved shirts, and by that time the winter clearance sales should be in full swing, so don't worry if you pack too little. You should be able to pick up bulky things like dressing gowns there if you find you need them. There is at least one Target in the middle of the city.

If you haven't packed your container yet, Crown have just given us a list of things to avoid if you don't want your container to be held up: Christmas decorations (pinecones etc will be destroyed), feathers, cushions (especially those triangular Thai ones), anything that could have soil or sand clinging to it (football boots, mountain bike tyres), liquids and fake DVDs. Wood and wicker are apparently thoroughly inspected and we have been told to get rid of a wardrobe that has had woodworm at some point in its 120 year history - it doesn't matter if it's no longer active, they'll still treat it or burn it at vast expense.

[ninedragons]

I am sitting here pissing myself laughing - I have just put our super-duper German tin opener in the suitcase that's going home with my brother when he visits in a fortnight. I was doing the washing-up last night and thought aha, that's an essential!

[savoycabbage]

Right. I am going to take my peeler, and parmasan grater now. I am already going to take my teapot in my suitcase!

I have more questions if anyone has time....

1. Will my DVD's work there?

1. I will need to get a bed-guard practically on the way from the airport. Where's a good place?

1. As far as I can make out from some of the other threads, I will have to get new carseats. Where is a good place for this?

1. When we lived in Sydney the supermarkets were not up to much! Are they any that are better than others? I will need to go to a pretty big one I suppose when we first get there. We are going to be in South Yarra but I can drive to a big one - it's not like I will have anything else to do.

[ninedragons]

Just a quick one, as I am trying to get DD down for her nap so I can hop back into bed, but:

1. I think the EU and Australia/Oceania are different DVD code regions. If you need a DVD player with an all-regions chip, these are sold as standard in Asia so you may have better luck looking in a small independent shop that imports directly from China than in a large chain whose parent company wants to make sure you buy vastly overpriced DVDs rather than cheap American or Asian imports.

1. A large Target or K-Mart. If you go to a big mall (e.g. Fountain Lakes of Kath & Kim fame) there are usually both shops in the same mall.

1. Also a large Target or K-Mart. I think they both have on-line catalogues so you can decide what you want before you even arrive. I believe most car repair places will fit them for a nominal fee.

1. Can't tell you about Melbourne specifically but Coles and Woolworths in general are pretty comprehensive.

Good luck, you sound determined to grit your teeth and give it a chance. Hope it all works out for you.

[sunnydelight]

Apparantly you can "crack" most dvd players so they will play all regions (DH has done ours) but you will still sometimes get dvds that won't play on one machine or another. We got totally fed up trying to remember which player would play which dvds.

Woolworths is miles better than Coles in my humble opinion. They're rolling out a new look (in Sydney anyway) and the bigger ones are on a par with Sainsburys. I still find it a real pain that I can't buy wine in the supermarket though.

With only 20kg allowance and kids that young I would focus on the things that the kids can't live without tbh. You will also need to use some of your precious allowance on paperwork that you really need to carry with you. We had 40kg x 5 which we filled, but it did make the fact that we were stopping for a month en-route interesting at airports

[ghosty]

Hi Savoy cabbage ...
did you get my last email? I hope it didn't make things worse for you re. rents etc

I prefer Safeways to Coles - better meat and more choice in general. I don't know where there is one in Sth Yarra but it won't be far.

We had 3 months with just suitcases when we moved here from NZ but that was over the winter so we had lots of layers. I only brought essential toys (things small people can't sleep without) and bought some cheap stuff here. It was actually really lovely living 'minimalist-like' and I remember the time fondly. Now we have loads of crap we don't actually need and didn't really miss

The weather is warming up now - 28 degrees on saturday but 20 yesterday and 18 today. It could go high again tomorrow or plummet to 10. By the end of October it should stay above 18 degrees I think - which will feel warm for you ...

The DVD thing depends on the machine - we can't play UK dvds on one of ours but can on another.

Agree with ninedragons re K-Mart and Target. There is a big shopping centre not far from the airport ... I will find out exactly for sure for you if you like.

[savoycabbage]

Good advice. I can't believe my DVD's might not work! When we lived in Australia the last time it was in the days of videos and they were the same in both places.

DH and I are now back to thinking that it might be best for me and the girls to come over in a month or even after christmas. We are completely overwhelmed with all of the practical stuff at the moment. Eveything is happening so quickly.

Sorry Ghosty I did get your message but have been so ridiculously busy. I have never cleaned so many cupboards in my life. I had to count all of my pans today for the insurance for the shipping

[ghosty]

No pressure savoycabbage - I was worried I may have made stuff worse for you
It isn't that bad coming later ... I went to NZ a month after DH and came to Aus 7 months later . When we left the UK it gave me a chance to spend some quality time with family and I had to find the strength to be strong for DS (rather than rely on DH) and in the end I was pleased to be on that plane going to join my DH.
The reasons for the 7 month wait were slightly different but it did cement that fact that although I didn't really want to leave NZ I really did want to be with my DH ...
Email me if you want me to do anything for you - really happy to help
xx

[savoycabbage]

Hi, NO you didn't make things worse! Funnily enough those were the rents that we were looking at. My dh is an accountant so very sensible with money!

One of the main reasons that we are thinking about staying for a bit is dd1. If she stayed here she would be able to finish the term at her new school, which she loves and have her birthday here.