One of the hardest things to get used to when you arrive is how different the shops are. I always see people asking what’s the Australian equivalent of South African shops like Game, Dischem, and Edgars.

So I thought it would make a great blog topic! Here is a list of the Australian equivalent of South African shops.

Now bear in mind sometimes equivalent shops are subjective – there has been much debate about whether certain shops have an equivalent at all (I’d say Woolworths in South Africa has no real equivalent in Australia – the UK has Marks and Spencer but we have nothing).

So take this list as a good guide to get you started, rather than the gospel truth. Basically, don’t blame me if you get here and don’t agree!

Continue Reading

Because of the huge demand from potential migrants to know exactly how much life in Australia will cost them, I’m continuing with this series of posts on the cost of living around Australia. This post focuses on the cost of living in Dubbo, in regional New South Wales.

Dubbo based Chipo and her family have kindly shared what the cost of living in Dubbo is like for their family of 4.

Chipo and her partner have lived in Dubbo on a regional visa since 2016, when they moved to Australia from Newcastle, KZN. She is an admin officer and her husband is a fitter and turner.

Dubbo is around 400kms inland from Sydney, in New South Wales.

Continue Reading

If you haven’t been to an event at Fringe World Festival Perth, where have you been? You’re missing out on one of the best annual events in Perth. From comedy to music, from theatre to magic, from cabaret to pretty much anything arty you can think of, you can find it at Fringe World.

As soon I get the program, I scour the line up for any South African acts performing each year, as there are always a handful and sometimes we get some pretty amazing ones (see my posts on the 2017 Fringe line up of South Africans).

Here are some of the South African acts at Fringe World Festival Perth 2019.

Continue Reading

One of my favourite memories from my childhood in Durban was heading to the drive-in. We’d pack the snacks, or buy some treats from the shop at the drive-in, and settle in for a movie (or 2 if I was allowed to stay awake!).

Did you know that we have a drive-in right here in Perth? I was so excited to find out there was one here, the Galaxy Drive-In in Perth, and it was one of the first things we did when we arrived. My husband is English and going to the drive-in was not something he had ever done. Hardly surprising given their atrocious weather for most of the year!

Continue Reading

Earlier this year I noticed that one of our favourite restaurants in Perth, Basq, has closed down. But in September, a new restaurant in the same location was born – Chapters Bistro in Currambine.

I started following them on social media and one day I was browsing their menu on their website when something caught my eye – koeksusters on the dessert menu! My eyes nearly popped out of my head; I’d never seen them on a restaurant menu in Perth ever.

Not only did they have koeksusters on the menu, but they also had peri-peri chicken and biltong too. There had to be a South African behind this, right?

Quickly, I messaged the restaurant and asked if they were South African. The owners were quick to reply that they were from the UK but their head chef, Sherry Phillip, was from South Africa. After an email chat, I was invited to try out their new summer menu and spread to word to other South Africans in Perth.

Continue Reading