With our departure from Australia coming closer and since we gathered so many things in the past three years that we lived here, we figured it would be time for a new typical Australian experience. A garage sale!
Category: Practical – Living in Australia
When we were in the process of weighing the pro’s and con’s of moving to Australia and after we made the decision to follow our dream a lot of practical questions came into our mind. Like where to live in Melbourne? Or what is the cost of living? How to find a good school?
We have written down our experience, hopefully it is useful for you. If you have more questions, feel free to drop us a line.
Waking up with a bang
A car driving into a house, that is one of those things that you hear or read about in the news, not something that happens to you in real life, right? Continue reading “Waking up with a bang”
Renewing a Dutch Passport in Australia – Part 2
Luka and I were standing on the train platform in Sydney Central, five km away from the consulate when we heard the announcement ” the next three trains will terminate at this station”. After having been traveling for four hours already, were we really going to miss our appointment now? Then the next announcement came through: “There is a car on the train track towards Bondi Junction”. That did not make our situation any better… Continue reading “Renewing a Dutch Passport in Australia – Part 2”
Renewing a Dutch passport in Australia – Part 1
Or should I say the adventurous of renewing a Dutch Passport in Australia? Since we are staying longer than the two years we initially planned, Luka and I are now looking at passports that are about to expire and we are planning to travel abroad in the not too far future. So, we can just go to the consulate in Melbourne, right?
Wrong! Since 2015 the consulate in Melbourne does no longer deal with passport renewals. Continue reading “Renewing a Dutch passport in Australia – Part 1”
Living Abroad and Culture Shock
Culture Shock is the psychological disorientation that most people suffer when they move into a culture that is different from their own. It’s natural and healthy.
-Geert Hofstede-
For us the Australian life style has been very easy to adapt to in many ways. Always people there to give you a helping hand even if you do not ask for it. The easy going life style and having random chats with complete strangers on an almost daily basis. The international background of almost every one you meet.
Living in a new country comes with joys, opportunities and challenges. However one of the things that everyone is bound to experience is culture shock. Life abroad certainly has its ups but at times also has a few downs. Continue reading “Living Abroad and Culture Shock”
Cost to fill a house in Melbourne
Although an empty house is a perfect playground, according to our kids, we do prefer to be able to sit down while eating. So when we arrived in an empty house five months ago we had to start looking for furniture, appliances and lots of other practical stuff.
When moving from Europe, from a complete house full of everything, you wonder how much can actually bring along with you. And if you don’t what it would cost to buy it.
What health insurance do I need in Australia?
Of all the preparation for our overseas move I found solving the health insurance-puzzle the most complicated one. From figuring out how it all works to finding the right balance between getting appropriate cover and not paying an enormous amount. So that is why we share our personal experience on this matter. Continue reading “What health insurance do I need in Australia?”
How-to plan your move (with OneNote)
So the hard part is done and the decision has been made: we’re going to make the big step! The rest is just wrapping up a few loose ends and getting on a plane, right?
Right… Continue reading “How-to plan your move (with OneNote)”
Flight bagage when moving overseas
Four people and a new life in Australia. How much of your ‘old’ life can you take along with you on a flight? A post about being creative with luggage allowance, items that we are glad that we brought, items that we should not have taken and lessons learned. This is our experience. Continue reading “Flight bagage when moving overseas”
Cost of living in Melbourne for a family
One of the questions that we had before moving to Australia is what does it cost to live in Australia?
Here is an overview of the costs that we have living in Australia. We are a family of four and live in a suburb 30 minutes from the center of Melbourne. Continue reading “Cost of living in Melbourne for a family”
europe2australia.com 