07May 10

Our Little Home Slice of New York

G’day mates! Howzit going?

It’s our second week in our new home and about a month into our adventure in Brisbane. We’ve settled into our New York style apartment (so says the article framed in the lobby) in the heart of the city. Our place is very close to Woolsworth grocery, JB Hi-Fi, multiple 7-11s, pizza, kebabs, noodlery and even a cafe just next door. The mega-network of malls is also very close to us. It’s so massive that I can window-shop all day and not go to the same store twice. Describing this massive web of consumerism deserves its own post so more on that later. The boardwalk and botanical garden is nearby and most importantly Jason’s workplace is a close walk!


Facing left at the entrance.


Standing in the living area, kitchen.


The light well straight ahead and a very unique, misplaced bar on the left.


Better view of this awkward bar, way too high (sitting on the stool on the highest setting my head just reaches the top of the bar), slightly juts out of the corner too.


From the bedroom, with a little bitty standing shower bathroom just to the right of these doors.

Our little love nest is fully furnished with pretty much all the little things that a young couple would need to feel right at home, like an iron and a board, drying rack, laundry bin, queen bed, two end tables, alarm clock, lamp, TV, stools, microwave, toaster, kettle,  place setting for 4, pots and pans. They even provided 2 new pillows and mattress protector – something we will have to buy at the end of our tenancy for the next renters. Though, we still need to get proper chairs for our two desks for a more comfortable working setup. I’m working off our sofa with the desk pushed up to it – it’s not pretty but it works for now.

The layout really does remind me of New York in a way, it’s a long layout with brick walls, high ceilings and a little balcony into the light well. There’s also a window by the bed that looks over the street and it can get pretty rowdy in the evenings of Friday and Saturday where all the youngins get their drink on and stumble around all pumped up. One evening, Jason and I peeked out our window to witness our own Aussie fight club wannabes across the street. Thank goodness we can both sleep through the ruckus!

We’re both really happy with our new place and feel lucky that we found it and got on with the property manager, he’s a swell dude – got our broken toaster replaced the next day.

The only thing missing right now is our broadband internet! I don’t even want to get started on this topic yet, I’ve got loads to say about it.

Thanks for stopping by to have a peek at our home. Until next time, sprinkle hearts!

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03May 10

Apartment Hunting in Brisbane

G’day mates! Howzit going?

Apartment hunting is a tedious and necessary task which would have been hell had we done it back in Toronto. Fortunately, we were able to come to Brisbane first and stay at the Mantra on Queen while we got our bearings and get acquainted with the lay of the land.

It was also very helpful to get into contact with a friend’s friend who was going to school here. Sandy gave us a heads up on the distinct differences with living in Toronto and living here in Brisbane, and that it does take a while to find the right place.

Interesting notes:

  • Apartments in Australia are known as “flats” or “units” (apartments commonly refer to hotel apartments which are fully furnished and intended for long-stay travellers)
  • A bond (deposit) must be paid (usually 4 weeks worth of rent) plus 2 to 4 weeks rent to move in.
  • Rent is paid bi-weekly instead of monthly in Toronto
  • Utilities such as electricity, gas and water can increase the cost of rent depending on the arrangement (you can save money by not having gas appliances and electricity bills come every 2 to 3 months)
  • A stove, or stove top is referred to as a “cook top”
  • Most apartments had a combo clothes washer and dryer. So it’s just one machine that will wash AND dry your clothes! A great space saver, but oh, wait, it’s a STEAM DRYER and not like the dryers we’re use to in Canada. It takes a very long time for clothes to dry in a steam dryer because they’re repeatedly tumbled in their own heated moisture content. As far as we’ve learned, they don’t have the same type of dryers as we do in Canada that have ducts going outside.
  • Passports can be used to look up an individuals’ rental history – we didn’t have any yet but it is interesting that real estate agents have this service provided to them
  • There are many forms and applications to fill out depending on the real estate agent/lessor before you even start a tenancy
  • To start a tenancy you’ll need to fill out Form 18a (General Tenancy Agreement), Form 2 (Bond Lodgement) and Form1a (Entry Condition Report), these will most likely be provided to you but you can also download them www.rta.qld.gov.au

I think the most painful part of apartment hunting is scheduling viewings, if not handled correctly, you could be running around all over town in a mad dash to get from one viewing to the next. I tried pretty hard to schedule viewings that wouldn’t take Jason away from work as much as possible as it was very important to me get Jason’s input because having a place where you can feel safe and at home is integral especially when in a different land. I wouldn’t want him to come home from work and not feel comfortable in a tight, sunless apartment just because it was closer or cheaper.

It was a tedious experience, but we did learn more about the different communities and are getting better acquainted with the streets, bus systems and ferries.

DSC01498

We crossed the Brisbane river on a short ferry ride and got some pretty awesome photos. One of the flats we looked at was in the New Farm community and it had a outdoor pool, however the walkability score was pretty low and there wasn’t much at ground level until you walk 15 to 20 minutes out which is too far for a lazy bum like me. Still, it had a great view of the Brisbane CBD across the river!

Stay cool, sprinkle hearts!

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30Apr 10

Brisbane’s Chinatown

G’day mates! Howzit going?

Chinatown is located in a community known as the Fortitude Valley (“the Valley” for short) just west of the Brisbane CBD. It’s described as young, hip and bohemian, a place to hear live, indie and alternative rock, jazz, international DJs and dine at hip cafe, bistros, and restaurants.

It was a community recommended to us during our apartment hunting because of it’s youthful energy and our love for Asian cuisine! It is a lovely area, but we just didn’t find any listings available. Still, I’m sure Jason and I will come here often to do a little shopping and get our drink on for some live music.

This Chinatown was pretty compact and not as expansive as the ones we’re used to in Toronto. This little community just took up a few blocks but then again, we haven’t truly explored all over the area so there still might be some hidden treasures to be found. Dining here was also reasonably priced and we’ll definitely be coming back for more Pho!

Until Pho’o’clock, sprinkle hearts!

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