Christmas and Boxing Day in Australia

I know Christmas is well behind us now, but I just want to get this one out of the way. Then I’ll move on.

This was how my Boxing Day went. You can read more about it below this video…

We had already arrived in Australia by December of last year, so this was our second Christmas here. But last Christmas was different. Our furniture consisted of a large cardboard box as a table. The box had previously housed our new barbecue, essential equipment to purchase immediately upon arrival in Australia. We also had a couple of beds and some chairs.

The rest of our worldly goods were floating in a huge tin somewhere at sea. So this Christmas was totally different from the last simply because we were so settled in. We had also made many friends.

For Christmas day we invited some good friends of ours around for Christmas dinner. They’re an Australian family who we were lucky enough to meet within six weeks of arriving here. A couple about the same age as us with two boys (9 & 7) and a girl aged 5. All the kids had a great time and if I’m not mistaken, so did us oldies.

But for Boxing Day, we decided to go all Australian and head for the beach.

Our original intention was to go to Mooloolaba, about an hour and a half north. But the traffic was a bit heavy. Boxing Day traffic is notoriously busy here. That’s according to the locals. Having watched the sunset on the M25, I’m not so sure. Anyway, traffic was apparently heavy further up the Bruce Highway (yes, it’s really called that) So a quick change of plan saw us heading for Bribie Island, an hour north.

One thing about Christmas here in Australia is it is really difficult to accept that it really is Christmas. As I am writing this (31st December), temperatures outside had just hit 100°F. (38°C). Fortunately for us, on Boxing Day it wasn’t so hot. It was about 82°F(28° C) and there was a fair bit of cloud cover. When you live in Brisbane, you learn to love some cloud cover.

I’ve got to say that I was a little dubious when my wife first mentioned the idea of Boxing Day on the beach. Why can’t we just lounge around indoors all day? Watching telly. Drinking beer. Eating nuts. I’ve handled Boxing Day that way for many years. Why change now?

Apparently, because that’s not why we moved to Australia.

This time we were going with some English friends. Again, we were lucky to meet this family very early on, I think within two months of arrival. They have two daughters, aged two and four. We were also meeting their friends who also have two daughters of the same age.

So there we were, three couples, some folding chairs, some buckets and spades, a blowup surf board and five little girls aged between two and five. And a picnic.

I hit three “firsts” for a Boxing Day.

  • I didn’t have a beer until 8.30 pm. I had opted to drive so just drank water.
  • I swam in the sea. (Well, went in up to my waist.)
  • I had fish and chips by the beach.

Verdict? We had a great time! I knew my wife was on to something when she first suggested it.

Don’t forget to take a look at the video.

Visa Assessment Service
{ 8 comments… add one }
  • Sílen November 12, 2014, 9:58 am |

    Hi Bob,
    Everytime I watch a video of yours and I read your posts makes me dream about moving to Brisbane. I’ve checked Brisbane’s temperatures and they’re just like the temperatures We have here in Bauru, in Brazil. Could you help me to get more information about buying franchisings at Brisbane? I’d Iike to know which ones are reliable and have a low cost. I’m thinking about buying one and working in it in order to get permanent visa.
    Thank You for doing a great job in your blog,
    Sílen Cremonese.

    • BobinOz November 13, 2014, 1:10 am |

      Hi Silen

      It’s great to hear that my videos and posts are inspiring you to move here, I’m sure you will love it if you get here, I know I do.

      But getting here, that’s the big obstacle. I really can’t advise you on franchising, I have never tried it, so I simply don’t know what does and what doesn’t work. What I can advise you though is that you should speak to a MARA registered migration agent to find out whether or not this could be a pathway for you to come here.

      Without a visa, you would not be able to work here, so I think that’s the first thing you need to try and work out and a MARA migration agent could certainly help you with that.

      Good luck, Bob

      • Sílen November 13, 2014, 1:48 am |

        I’m going to do that.
        Thanks, Sílen.

        • BobinOz November 13, 2014, 9:09 pm |

          Great, in case you are not aware, I do offer a Visa Assessment Service here, have a look at that page, it would be a good place for you to start.

          Good luck, Bob

  • steve September 1, 2014, 3:24 pm |

    Hi Bob, just seen your Boxing Day video, but going completely off the subject I saw in the still photo of the lounge in the UK you had a unit full of records. My question is did they come over with you and did the survive the journey or did you sell them off before moving over? I’ve got around 10,000 inn storage in the UK waiting to come over and I’m getting a bit apprehensive about what condition they’ll be in when they get here.
    Ps Great site, learning a lot from your blogs, especially the lack of work for 457 visa holders because I’ve had an absolute nightmare trying to secure employment as an electrician.
    Best wishes,
    Steve

    • BobinOz September 2, 2014, 3:09 pm |

      Hi Steve

      Gosh, that’s a lot of records! I’ve only got around 250 or so, but mine fared very well during the journey, no damage whatsoever. As long as they are packed tightly in suitable sized boxes, I’m sure your collection will be fine.

      Just make sure you buy a house here with a big garage 🙂

  • Sheanna June 20, 2014, 7:34 pm |

    Bob,
    You are a really a saviour. Every time I have those pesky doubts on whether I am making the right decision, your email comes. Watching all those videos and seeing how happy the children are, I know I am indeed making the right choice. I cannot wait to move. Cheers.
    Shean.

    • BobinOz June 20, 2014, 11:31 pm |

      That’s the spirit Shean, smash through those doubts, take no notice of them. It’s a fact of human nature that the subconscious doesn’t like change, it likes things just the way they are. So it will continue to send you those doubts.

      But you do want change, you want a better life for your children, and if you don’t give it a go now then you will spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

      So ignore those doubts…. and keep watching my videos 🙂

      See you in Australia soon.

      Cheers, Bob

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