hi i'm michelle , myself my husband and my 2 children aged 10 and 7 are visiting brisbane in oct this year, it will be our 1st time in brisbane and we are so excited although a little nervous we have had our visa for over 2 years now we 1st went to adelaide 2 years ago with plans on living there our house was sold and everything was sorted we went on a 3 week holiday and glad it was just a holiday because adelaide just was'nt for us, so we are just a bit nervous about coming to brisbane in case we get the same feelings, but we really hope its different because we really want to give australia a try, our daughter has to go for a weekly injection to our wonderful childrens hospital here could anyone tell me anything about the childrens hospital in brisbane because it will play a major part in our decision to come there, i wont go on with to many questions dont want to scare you all off with our 1st post but your info would be a great help as we dont no anyone in brisbane (we had family in adelaide thats the main reason we chose there ) anyway no doubt you will hear from me loads in the next couple of months so thanks for taking the time to read my post take care michelle x

 

Hi and welcome to BIB,
Greater Brisbane has a suburb to suit all tastes so you should find somewhere you like. I can't stress enough how much the suburbs vary i always tell people drive,drive and drive some more, this is the only way you will find new areas, everything looks very different to the photos on the internet and in magazines.

My daughter went for scans at Brisbane's childrens hospital and i was so impressed how clean and tidy the place was, no waiting for hours, in on time and excellent care from Dr and nurses.
We have also used Logan hospital and again huge place but cannot fault the treatemnt we have recieved there either.

You do find here that lots of procedures carried out in UK hospitals are actually done in local clinics here,i had to go to our local hospital in the UK every 3 month for blood tests and every 6 mth for a speciaist check, here i only have to venture as far as the village for blood checks at the blood shop next to the Dr's, Dr;s curgery for B12 injections and only to the hospital once a year, it is a tad different with the way things work in the health sector but im yet to be dissapointed.

Good luck on your reccie and hope this helps a bit
Cal x

 

thanks cal what area do you live in ? we have been researching manly and those surrounding areas, can you please tell me a little bit more about the cost of health care and how it works please i have read so many different things, we have a permanent visa so not sure how that works ,sorry to be a pain but any info would be great thankyou x michelle

 

sorry just saw you live in jimboomba so ignore the what area are you from bit ! also we are looking for somewhere nice to stay with the children somewhere they wont be bored they love the beach and swimming so close to that would be great any suggestions as we havent booked are hotel yet we arrive for 3 weeks in oct we have looked at caravan parks and things but not sure on location so would be great if you could help a little with that, feel cheeky asking for so much but really need the help thanks again. michelle

 

Healthcare here does work out costing you a bit, you dont get kids precriptions or dental checks/care free ,but i have been more than happy with the service i have recieved both public and private. The biggest cost seems to be if your kids need braces, it can be thousands of dollars!!!

As to where you settle , everyone is differnt and we all like differnt things, i like where i am as i have the beach or city just under an hour away, but live on acerage and have plenty of room for the kids to run off their energy. Gary works down near Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, the entire coast is very popular with new arrivals and you have everything there, and the beach on your doorstep. I relocated a family to Bulimba near the city last week and that is a lovely area,right on the river so you can hop on the river ferry/taxi and go into the city, lots of wooden houses and new apartments as parts have just been developed. Only you will know what suits your family, if its any consulation i haven't met a family yet who have ended up renting in the suburb they choose on line before they arrived,lol.
Drop me an e-mail (click on the web addy under my name) and let me know what dates what your thinking of and if i have nothing available i will find you somewhere suitable for suburb hunting for your first few weeks.
Cal x