Moved from Auckland to Brisbane, but still confused whether it was the right decision, please help

Forums › Off topic › Moved from Auckland to Brisbane, but still confused whether it was the right decision, please help

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25 posts

Geek

#3205315 11-Mar-2024 12:57

Thank you, I understand that now.

Senecio:

Weather wise, you’ve experienced the worst two months of the year in Brisbane. January and February are hot and humid. The trade off is that April to October are just amazing. Also Ipswich is usually 3-4*C hotter than the eastern suburbs.

jman123

25 posts

Geek

#3205323 11-Mar-2024 13:38

Thanks mate, that is really nice to know the "mapping/matching of stuffs/places with that of Auckland", I will visit those places listed, so I get some feel at home.

cokemaster:

In terms of stuff around Brisbane:

Sunnybank - the equivalent of Dominion Road or Botany in terms of Asian eateries or supermarkets.
There are a number of Westfields that give you a larger experience of New Market Westfield, Lynnmail, St Lukes, Syliva Park etc. Parking ~3 hours is usually free.
Gold coast - a decent number of Kiwis down there but also has the theme parks to get your 'rainbows end' experience. You can buy the annual passes which works out to be more cost effective, avoid holidays though.
Mt Coot-tha - good place if you want a BBQ, walk or just a meal with decent views.
Wilson etc offer cheap CBD parking ($7 via the App) if you want to go out on evenings/weekends into the CBD./
I've only lived around South Bank / West End and loving it. You do have some 'radicals'/communists/hippies at the markets but they're harmless.
I spend a fraction of the time commuting compared to what I was spending in Auckland.

Also feel safe taking walks out and about at night, even in the CBD.

jman123

25 posts

Geek

#3205325 11-Mar-2024 13:42

Thank you, in fact yes I would love see something like that of Dressmart.

Yes I bought that toll device, it was disheartening for me to pay the tolls as we only had 3 toll roads the whole of NZ, and was such a cheaper price.

We haven't got medicare and insurance yet, hope to sort it out soon.

I am using NZ driving license here, so it seems like I can use it for 3 months and then need to change to an AU license.

cokemaster:

Also if you crave a dressmart experience, DFO is out by the airport (you don't need to take toll roads) and parking is free.
On the toll front, you can get a linkt account (and little window attached RF device) which will save you the photo matching fees.

I trust you've got the medicare, insurance stuff sorted (some of the extras are pretty cool)?

jman123

25 posts

Geek

#3205326 11-Mar-2024 13:51

Thank you so much for taking a different approach on this, totally agree with you. I have sent you a DM, thanks a lot for your time again.

nzkc:

A lot of responses are focusing on "give the move a chance". Its admirable for sure, however, I think its missing the call for help. You even mention (in a roundabout way) that you might be staring into depression. I think you are. And as such my recommendation is to start with your GP. When I recognised this in myself I was lucky I had a good GP who didnt flinch and sent me on the right path. I wont sugar coat it... it wasnt easy. But that step was by far the best made because every step after that I could attribute to that first step of saying to my GP "I think I'm depressed". So if nothing else, please go into your GP and tell them what you have said here. Dont be embarrassed because you have absolutely NOTHING to be embarrassed about.

And further to that I am more than happy to chat to you about your situation and what I went through. I wont lay it out here as I'm not looking for sympathy or to be any kind of hero at all... but I know how hard it can be to open up about it. Im not going to promise to have the answers or be the fix either (I would totally advocate for professionals here). But this I will promise: I will listen. There will be no judgement. I will understand and I will sympathise. DM me if you need. Dont be afraid to.

cokemaster

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#3205328 11-Mar-2024 13:55

Make sure your get the Queensland drivers license + medicare sorted asap.
It makes opening bank accounts, getting Telco services, and credit check stuff so much easier. Most banks will not need you to visit the branch at all.You'll also need one to register cars etc (or at least my dealer told me that when I was buying a car).

With the drivers license and getting your points of ID. you can use utilities/bank statements, passport, and even NZ visa/mastercard credit/debit cards to get the required points of contact.

Health insurance - shop around, a lot of comparison sites (Eg. compare the market) will 'hide' the recommendations until you give them contact info (in which case very pushy sales people will call you - can't recommend finder enough). Personally I use AHM. Depending on your age, you might need to apply for an loading letter from medicare (eg. I arrived in my mid-30's and didn't have any insurance, thus had a loading applied until I supplied that letter).

Using Waze - you can get route suggestions which will often include full tolls, partial tolls or no tolls. Eg. when I go to my worksite (northern Brisbane) it means the difference between paying roughly $10, $3 (go between bridge) or $0 with a 10 minute penalty. It will calculate the damage upfront :)
I use Waze over Apple maps or Google maps as its quite insightful on things like lane planning (Aussie motorways take a little getting used to compared to Auckland) and the many many differing speed limits.

Happy for a call or catch up - I'm still learning Brisbane myself (even after a year) and can definitely relate to what you're going through.

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jman123

25 posts

Geek

#3205347 11-Mar-2024 14:19

It was mainly for an improved quality of life.

I was in Singapore before that. When I moved from Singapore to Auckland, I had a similar state of depression or feeling of missing stuffs but I some how got used to the Auckland way of living.

cddt:

jman123:

After having lived in Auckland for more than 7 years, everything was such an easy thing. Cool and friendly people, nice weather although it is cold.

I imagine a few mainlanders are having a giggle at that comment about Auckland being cold.

On a more serious note, where did you move from before Auckland? Are you serially seeking new experiences, or improved quality of life? I have noticed that people who move around a lot as children are more inclined to do the same when they are adults too.

Senecio

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#3205348 11-Mar-2024 14:25

In terms of getting outdoors, since you're already out west get out and visit the main range national park. The walks to Mt Mitchell, Mt Mathieson, Spicers gap, Mt Barney are spectacular.

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jman123

25 posts

Geek

#3205351 11-Mar-2024 14:26

Hi mate, yes that is one issue...travelling. She takes train instead of driving. Traffic in the peak hours are too hard to navigate, something similar to what West Auckland motorways have in the afternoons.

boosacnoodle:

jman123: It is in fact Spring Mountain, in Ipswich region. I wanted to live in CBD but no choice , too expensive housing there. So had to move to Spring Mountain. Wife works as a nurse in a CBD hospital, she travels for almost an hour to reach the work place wherewas it is was a few minutes of drive in Auckland. When I visited Brisbane, I visited just the CBD only and some nearby suburbs like Sunny Bank.

So you visited the CBD, liked the CBD and your wife now works in the CBD... so you moved to Spring Mountain instead of the CBD.

A quick check of Google Maps shows is 1hr 42m by car or just over an hour by train and expected this to be similar to Auckland.

I... think I see the issue here.

jman123

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Geek

#3205354 11-Mar-2024 14:36

oh my god...it is an awesome location.... I can't wait to be there. Thanks so much for listing these place names out here. Can't wait to get to those places with some greenery and mountains :)

I just saw on Google map street view, the scenery on both sides of the road Goomburra Road looks similar to that of NZ.

Just on a different note, are there any good internet service providers around Springfield area? I use Extel in Spring Mountain, the speed is poorer, and customer care is pathetic. I opted for 500MBPS but it is just 105 or lower all the time.

Senecio:

In terms of getting outdoors, since you're already out west get out and visit the main range national park. The walks to Mt Mitchell, Mt Mathieson, Spicers gap, Mt Barney are spectacular.

Senecio

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#3205403 11-Mar-2024 14:49

I can't advise on ISPs. I last lived in Brisbane in 2010 and we had ~12Mbps ADSL back then!

mattwnz

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#3205408 11-Mar-2024 15:01

I haven't read all replies in detail, but the flip side is that you should be making more earnings to offset the negatives, as that is often the reason people move to Oz. So even though some things are more expensive, you should be doing better with the higher earnings. I think NZ possibly has the better quality and life and a more temperate climate, but also has lower wages. But some people often move to Oz to get ahead financially, as they can potentially afford to save more due to the higher wages. Just to note that I have noticed in NZ since December, that food prices seem to have rocketed up in price, and speaking to someone who lives in Oz and comparing some prices, they say they find food is cheaper over there but depends where you shop.

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#3205435 11-Mar-2024 15:30

jman123:

Just on a different note, are there any good internet service providers around Springfield area? I use Extel in Spring Mountain, the speed is poorer, and customer care is pathetic. I opted for 500MBPS but it is just 105 or lower all the time.

Personally - I'm on Opticomm so my choice of providers are rather limited so I'm on Telstra.

If you are on NBN, there are quite a few more providers but would suggest something like Aussie Broadband (their customer service is awesome + widely available) or Telstra (they provide 4G back up... but aren't exactly the cheapest. Their call centres are onshore BUT have limited hours / working days only). I believe Vodafone (TPG) or Optus do offer discounts for bundling services but both their customer service is 'interesting'.

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cddt

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#3205442 11-Mar-2024 16:01

jman123:

It was mainly for an improved quality of life.

I was in Singapore before that. When I moved from Singapore to Auckland, I had a similar state of depression or feeling of missing stuffs but I some how got used to the Auckland way of living.

I think it's important to remember that no place in the world is perfect. Everywhere has trade-offs. Every country, city, suburb will have varying pros and cons.

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#3205463 11-Mar-2024 17:11

Personally if I was going to do the same thing I would have stayed a week or two in each city and then afterwards made up a list of the pros and cons to see what places I liked best and decided from there. Were you able to do this?

Last time I was in Brisbane was 2013 and it seemed okay, but to be honest I was mostly just looking around the airport.

My mother used to live in Perth and absolutely loved it - but it was quite a long way away from NZ.

jrobnz

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Wannabe Geek

#3205907 13-Mar-2024 08:40

I'm in the opposite situation: Lived in Brisbane 12 years ago and now in Auckland for the past 6-7 years. As much as I love Auckland especially for the quality of life I still remember the good old days in Brissie and wonder if we should move some time.

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