Today I’m sharing a post from the heart from Gillian Nathan, a fellow South African who has made the move to Australia and has gone through all the emotions that you did or are currently going through.
Thanks for sharing this Gillian!
Moving countries is one of the toughest hardest decisions you will ever make. Leaving behind family, friends and everything that is familiar – I remember feeling so totally overwhelmed on my first grocery shopping experience.
If you’re a South African living overseas you may well have already heard of Showmax. Think of it as the South African version of Netflix. You can watch some of your old favourites from South African TV as well as classic movies, but they also have award winning Afrikaans movies and documentaries.
There are some interesting new movies and documentaries available now and coming soon, and if you’re a fan of South African music from the 1990s and 2000s, you aren’t going to want to miss these.
Have you ever wanted to start your own business but you don’t know where to start?
Are you a newcomer to Australia and have a cool business idea?
The Town of Victoria Park, the City of Canning and the City of Belmont are combining their efforts and hosting a FREE information session on Thursday 23 March featuring the 8 steps to starting a business from the Small Business Development Corporation.
A brand new South African music festival is coming to Australia – and its being held right here in Perth. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Swan Valley, Oor Die Water is going to showcase some of the best South African music and comedic talent.
The venue is the Belvoir Amphitheatre, which is on the Great Northern Highway and the festival is open to all ages, so if you want to bring the whole family you can.
Oor Die Water is being organised by a team including Juandre Bentley and there is no doubt that this is an adventurous project. While South African acts are no strangers to Australian shores, a concert on this scale has not been attempted before. The acts are big names including Francois Van Coke, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Nicholis Louw and Kurt Darren.
When you start to plan your move to Australia, you’ll be looking up information about the country and what life here is really like, probably at every opportunity you can get.
These days it’s so easy with smart phones and social media – you can pretty much find anything you want whenever you want. This can sometimes lead to an information overload! So how do you know what’s accurate and what’s just made up gumpf?
Unfortunately, it’s not always as clear cut as someone being right or wrong. Everyone who goes through the migration process will have their own unique experience which is completely shaped by their immediate environment, attitudes, support systems and life experience.
Just because one person said they love it here and they settled in really easily, doesn’t mean that’s what everyone experiences. And that’s perfectly OK. I often see people asking questions like ‘Someone told me 8 out of 10 South African families who migrate to Australia end up moving back to SA, is that true?’ or ‘How long will it take for us to settle in?’ or ‘Should I wait until the end of the school year before we move our family over?’.
No one can give you the right answer to any of these questions (well maybe the first one, as that just sounds like nonsense to me!). Your migration experience is what you make of it. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s not the wrong way or the right way, it’s just your way.
So in an effort to help you dispel some preconceived ideas about moving to Australia, let’s look at some common misconceptions about moving to Australia.
This year’s Fringe World Festival is already well underway in Perth. With hundreds of acts ranging from comedy, music, theatre, arts and cabaret, there is so much to see and do this year, it’s actually hard to pick and choose what to see.
But did you know there are some fab South African acts performing this year Fringe World Festival in Perth?
I was so excited when I discovered this new Cape To Cairo when it opened (a good few years ago now!). It wasn’t far from our house and it had a cute little coffee shop to boot! What more could you want – stocking up on your favourite South African snacks and treats, while enjoying a cup of coffee and some peppermint crisp tart!
I remember walking into it the first time and thinking how much it reminded me of a proper Woolworths food store in South Africa.
We recently decided to have a day out in the Swan Valley with family who are visiting and popped into the Rose & Crown for lunch in Historic Guildford. It’s the oldest hotel in WA and the second oldest operating hotel in Australia so it’s a real historical little gem. We’d eaten there before in the Posh Convicts restaurant and thought the food and service was fabulous and were keen to return.
This time, we opted for a table outside in the garden with table service – there is a more casual section outside where you can order your food and drinks at the bar as well. We managed to grab one of the last tables of the day, having arrived just after 1pm without a booking and they managed to squeeze us in which was great.
After wanting to check out 3Sheets at Hillarys Boat Harbour for ages, we decided to try out their new addition to their already mammoth restaurant – 3Sheets Portside.
Situated to the side of the main 3Sheets restaurant, Portside is casual yet welcoming and trendy. Their set up is great, with tables, high bar style tables and comfy sofas scattered around the place. The outlook over the beach at Hillarys is fab too.
One of the questions that people always have for me is ‘Where can I find short term accommodation in Perth for when we first arrive?’.
If you’re shipping all your belongings, it makes sense to hire a furnished rental until your goods arrive and you’ve found a place of your own to move into. I recommend renting first as well so you can suss out different areas before you decide to buy. Things look very different in real life to Google Maps – believe me!
Short term accommodation in Perth is ideal for new arrivals. It gives you time to get to know Perth and the different areas. It can be expensive to rent just for a week or two but often if you take furnished rentals you can get a bigger discount as the owners know their properties will be occupied for longer periods. This doesn’t always apply during peak periods such as the summer holidays but it’s always worth checking before you book anywhere.
There are lots of short term accommodation sites on the internet but I’ve compiled a few options for new arrivals to Perth. Some of these properties are owned by South Africans who understand exactly what you are going through having done it themselves at one point or another! They’ve created cosy, welcoming and functional homes to help you settle into life in your new home country of Australia.