A fresh thread looking for Melbourne mummies

Haha... looks like I gonna accompany you ladies to do your marketing one day - I don't even know what is what!

In Oz, I do my usual groceries from Coles/Woolies. Seldom get into the butcher unless I go for some specific sausage cus we like them for BBQ.
 


any good rental shops for hk drama dvd serials? hehe heard the tv progs suck there....or issit cheaper to buy from SG or Msia?

mummies still househunting
update on ur hunts k? i need more info on the suburbs...will be making a trip there in Nov...paid by hb's company..intend to drive ard to recce more, visit some suburbs in the west too.
 
cheri,
for dvd rental, there's one (or maybe a few) at springvale, not far from glen waverley. my parents used to rent from there.
 
my dodo
thanks hehe will probably rent if i'm really too bored at nite

mumbebes
when r u moving? i've a few contacts but yet to compare rates...
 
Hi..sorry to barge in..need your advise..can anybody update on the H1N1 situation in melbourne currently? thinking of a holiday trip there in nov..but unsure of the situation there. thanks lots.
 
oleander,

Heh frankly we dun see any 'situation' here. the news here stop reporting on H1N1.. life goes on as normal. Still see alot of pple shopping and in town, tourists and locals alike. last thing reported was that they are getting vaccines ready.

Anyway, think its being treated almost like seasonal flu.. if you have other exisiting medical conditions, then you will probably be in more 'danger' but otherwise, just take the usual precautions like washing hands, cover mouth when sneezing etc.
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hee

a frivolous topic to start off a Monday morning perhaps?

do mummies hv time off for a monthly facial/hair treatment/body massage/mani pedi now that u r in Oz? where do u go? how do u pamper urself?
 
<font face="Arial Narrow,Tahoma"><font size="+1">‏<font color="aa00aa">Sssssssssooooooooo sorry to interrupt this thread, was wondering if anyone could advice me here or in my thread:

http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/353635/3116881.html </font>
</font></font>

<font face="Curlz Mt,Tahoma"><font size="+2">‏<font color="ff0000"><center>***Advice on holiday trip to Mel w 1yr old***</center></font></font></font>

<font face="Arial Narrow,Tahoma"><font size="+1">‏<font color="aa00aa">‏hihi.. my hubby &amp; I planning to go for a short trip to Mel, anyone can give me some advice on the destination &amp; travelling w 1yr old baby.

In terms of:

1. In Mel, where are interesting place to go/visit?
2. Should rent car? Which co is recommended?
3. Which hotel recommended?
4. What are the essential stuffs to bring to Mel w bb
5. What to take note travelling w bb?

We plan to do F&amp;E, prob Nov or Dec.

Appreciate advice, in advance</font>
</font></font>
 
limkoh,

1) Healesville sanctuary, so your little one can chase a kangaroo. But adults can go to Chadstone for shopping. Just visit the visitor centre opp Flinders station in the city for more driving ideas. They have several routes that will be interesting. Just keep track of where there might be forest fires and steer VERY clear of them.

2) Thrifty. But you can shop ard online for a good deal.

3) Try a service apartment instead. There's a kitchen so you can make small meals for your child. Quest service apartments are usually located near shops and transport.

4) Bring a good strong moisturizer and sunscreen. In December, bring insect repellant. Warm clothing, because weather can change very quickly. But you can always buy everything here. Just bring enough supplies for 2 days before you can shop for them at either Big W or Kmart.

5) Baby should not ingest tap water. Buy bottled from supermarts. Milk powder and diapers are different from Singapore so bring if you don't want to change brands. Sterilizer tablets for bottles. Basic first aid kit with baby panadol, cotton buds and plasters.

Make a bottle of milk for the baby when the plane is ascending or descending so the sucking will lessen the pressure on baby's eardrums. Most flights SG - MEL are night flights so get a bassinet for baby to sleep in. Limits are usually 10kg, 80cm. Some toys or stickers will also help distract them on long rides.

Have a great holiday!
 
Hi all... I'm not sure if anyone here can help me... anyone in this thread is expecting and is not a PR here in Melbourne? Just wondering if it'll be expensive to see a gynae for the regular visits. Just trying my luck to see if there's someone here who can help
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Hi all,

I arrived in Melbourne at end Oct. and am now staying in Southbank. Seems like all chats have moved to facebook? How do I join?
 
<font color="aa00aa">hi ladies,
i really need some help here.
my hubby has been talking non stop about migrating to melbourne.
im dead scared since im so attached to my family and close frens here in sg.
i wonder how do u aldies cope with just your kid/s and hubby and no family support around?
i just browsed thru the migrating to melbourne website and seems like there are tonnes of things to do..all the forms to fill up and the red tape etc.

then come the part of which place to find a rental house first..
im getting bonkers here.
can u ladies recommend me where is a good place to stay..somewhere not too far from city, quite near to the beach, is fairly safe and has good schools and amenities around?

i have a 2 year old son and planning for another baby hopefully.
really hope u ladies can shed some light to this.
thanks.</font>
 
hi limkoh

i just went melbourne for holidays during new year, i went on coach but the place is suitable for F&amp;E...i stayed in oak on the market hotel. they do have day trip if u want to go to various places to tour..i visited the queen victoria market, the meyer (shopping mall like orchard in sg)....the chinatown etc all can be accessible down a few streets walking. u can take the red colour tramp which is free and they go one big round the city...u will too pass by habour view shopping and a few gardens /parks....

i went to the strawberry garden, vineyard and philip island to see penquins, for those places its quite far.....from melbourne city

hope it helps
 
Hi lynzi,

We moved to melb last june and our gal is 16mths now. It is different, having to cope without family support or helpers but we (and alot of other families like us) managed... Some of us are SAHM, or work part-time while their kiddos are in part time childcare. There are also full-time working moms with kids in fulltime childcare. Childcare can be ex but there are some rebates depending on household incomes.

It may be tough at first, trying to settle for a place to stay and find jobs, and find a social network and make friends but it is possible. I have made friends in melb through forums like these and on FB. People have been generally helpful and nice towards "greenhorns" like myself. Life is alot slower than back in SG where both hub and i were holding full time jobs. Now we have plenty of time for our gal and we are loving it.

Perhaps you should just start by doing one thing at a time instead of trying to worry about everything together. Migrating is a big decision and yes, there are tonnes of things to do. First off, you will need to apply for PR and that itself may take a while. If you and your hub is seriously considering that, why not look into that first and sort out all the other stuff slowly along the way.

Regarding rentals etc, best to have a budget first and look at possible employment opportunities. Most time, you will find that it is tough to apply for jobs while you are still in SG. I dunno how that will affect your finances and rentals market is increasing year by year, esp in popular areas (e.g. near city, beach, good sch etc). Can check out realestate.com.au to have a feel of the prices. Popular areas asians are mainly in the east, like Boxhill, Doncaster, Glen Waverley etc. If you are looking at near beaches, there's St Kilda &amp; Brighton etc. All these areas are pretty ex, again, i dont know your budget so you probably have to check the websites to get relevant info.

Cant really talk about schools since my gal is not going to be in Pri sch anytime soon and in the meantime we are staying in the city. In any case, good luck. Sounds like you still have plenty of reservation which you probably need to discuss as a family with your hub and parents etc. All the best!
 
hi mummies, am contemplating migrating to australia for a better work life balance and more all-rounded education for my babies. However I'm in two minds because of (1) the costs and energy involved in relocating and (2) employment opportunity.

Found this thread really useful so am thankful to the mummies here for sharing your experiences
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I just have a question--when applying for your PR in Aust, did most of you go through migration agents or DIY? I'm currently teaching in a secondary school and I'm afraid I might not have the time to do my own application from scratch, at the same time am not sure if I can trust agents...would definitely appreciate it if you could share some of your experiences? TIA!
 
Karrie,
You can take a look here for generic migration matters
http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/353635/439786.html?1272566271

If you intend to teach here in melb, you need to get the VIT teaching license. If you are teaching maths, sciences, computing, accounting subjects. It may be easier to get a job. Those with humanties and english may find it much tougher.

You may need to start with contract or part time, before getting a full time position. Nowdays, it seems more n more schools are going on to contract positions. It is not like the MOE system.

Positions are usually advertised for the following year from July to October for full time positions. If you don't get a job during jul-nov , it is quite difficult to get a full time position rest of the year. Other times of the year are usually short term replacement, casual or part time positions. If you are lucky, sometimes this can convert to a full time position. And for overseas teachers, you may need to start with the smaller schools or the regional schools.

There are quite alot of sg teachers here in melbourne. Currently, we know of a few teachers who migrated last year and begining this year still looking for jobs.
 
hopeac, thanks for the really helpful info!! Unfortunately, my teaching subjects are precisely humanities and english. Why would they hire a non-native speaker when their own is so much better right? As for History and Social Studies, their history curriculum is so different from ours.

I think I still have to be the principal applicant if we decide to go ahead, since my hb is already 37 and his job is not on the skills in demand list (he's a biz devt exec).

In the meantime i will try and find out more. But thanks so much for the info!!!
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hi, mummies

my family got aus PR last year and planning to move over in early June. hope can join u ladies there!
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we r trying to book a place for the initial days but do not hav much budget for tat. Can anyone advice a guesshouse/homestay for a few days before we decided on the long-term place to rent? We r bring our 2 yr old gal as well, so hav to get a place tat s quiet but safe, able to cook.
Thanks!!
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weiwei
i'll be moving over in Aug too...we're nt PRs though...just that hb's relocating to melb. Will b coming by next week to hopefully find our rental place in the few suburbs that hv more Asians living in. Hv u shortlisted a few areas at least which u might be interested to rent? I hv a 4 year old girl.

hopeac
oooh looks like not easy for teachers to find jobs there too. Wonder if it's the same for pri sch teachers too...
 
Cheri,
Easier for secondary teachers to find jobs. Most that have problems finding are primary school. I think becos at primary level, you teach all subjects and is the form teacher. They are concern about the slang, and how you relate to the kids. May have to start as casual relief first.
 
Hi all Mummies,

Not sure if anyone can help but I really hope you can.

Am bringing my parents and 3 year old boy to Australia
Next week.

We have a GPS unit but do not have Australia map. Can anyone
Be so kind to save and send me Australia map if you have?

Expenses all paid by me, so hoping to save a little on this.

Hope to see a reply.

Appreciate lots in advance
 
Dear mummies,

I need help for a accommodation in Melbourne. My family and I will be going to Melbourne for a holiday abt 10days, 4adults and 17mth old girl.

I'm looking for serviced apts which may not be in the city but near city so that it's cheaper and convenient to tram stns. Coz we be renting a car so we dun need to stay in CBD/city.

Any gd recommendations from mummies here? Appreciate your help.

Thanks!
 
Dear mummies,

I've gotten my PR 2 years ago and am gonna make the BIG move in March. Just discovered that I'm 5 weeks pregnant now!

Are there any good recommendations on gynae and the difference bet private and public health care. Thank you so much for your help!

Feeling so excited yet anxious at the same time.
 

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