New couple in Australia

We are Sergi and Paula, a 29-year-old Spanish couple. This year we have decided to take an important step and go to live a season in Australia, with the Work and Holiday visa.

We are two very animalistic people, we have always lived with dogs and cats. In fact, in Spain we have been a host family for 5 years of a beautiful dog named Kira. She has stolen our hearts. When her owners died we decided to take care of her until we found her a good family. Today, at last, we have achieved it and we can embark on this beautiful journey.

We also took in two street cats to give them a home for as long as it took to find them a better one than ours.

This journey looks like it’s going to be less difficult after knowing that we can continue to have contact with animals. We are two passionate about them and life would be very difficult for us without the warmth of their love.

On the other hand, we both like to travel a lot, especially by van. We like both the beach and the mountains and we believe that this trip will allow us to feel close to everything we love but leave a little far away…

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Hello @P.S2022 and welcome to the community forum and to TrustedHousesitters. I am certified as an ESL instructor. Although IELTS scores may be important for various reasons, they are not important in the house sitting community. Your English level is excellent.

Your challenge may be with the slang and idioms that are so often used in all native languages and communities. I have done house sitting in Australia and, although I’m a native-English speaker, I had many new words and phrases to learn. My favourite thing about Australia was the warmth and friendliness of the Australian people. We have many Australian forum members so they will be available to answer questions, if needed. Don’t worry. :slightly_smiling_face:

Francine,
Volunteer Moderator :canada:

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We are happy to say hello.

You are very kind for answering us and giving us such good vibes. Being new around here we still do not understand very well how the page works, but little by little we will surely improve.

A very big greeting! :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

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You are welcome. Sometimes you can search to see if someone else has already asked a question you might have. You use Screen Shot 2022-07-25 at 10.13.34 AM and type one or two words of your question. For example, if you have a question about airports, type that word in that area. You will then see a list of posts that might be useful to you.

Don’t get frustrated trying to find something. If it’s easier to just ask your question here, that’s OK too. :slightly_smiling_face:

Remember there is also a Help area on the main website, at the top of the page.

There are also many helpful blog posts.

Both of these also have the same search option. Screen Shot 2022-07-25 at 10.13.34 AM

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Oh! Thank you very much for the information!! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Be still, my heart! And welcome to the Forum, Sergi and Paula. This photo is just stunning - was it taken in Spain? If so, do tell more :pray:

Your comment here is the exact reason so many of us joined the wonderful community of Trusted Housesitters. Travel is that much sweeter with furry friends in the mix.

Something you might want to consider for the future is to include your link in the Forum profile. That way people can have a look at details whenever you post. Here’s the link: How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile

Congrats on securing furever homes for sweet Kira and the cats. We look forward to seeing updates of your time in Oz - one of the friendliest places on Earth!

Happy trails and tails :paw_prints:
Karen S and the Forum Team

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Wow that is a beautiful photo :heart_eyes: Thank you for sharing, and welcome to the forum! Happy Travels!

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Thank you very much!! :grin:

What a nice message! This photo was taken in France, in Porté-Puymorens, one of the most wonderful places we usually go to when we have time.
Thank you very much for the welcome. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Welcome to the forum and if you come to Victoria, please let me know :grinning:

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Je taime France, también! So many beautiful places to visit on this planet, and with animals it makes it that much sweeter. Looking forward to seeing where you land next…

France is so beautiful… but you’re right, the world is full of beautiful places. And with animals, always better, without a doubt. Our next destination is Australia, Brisbane, and we are looking forward to knowing every corner! We are very excited!!! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Thanks a lot. It could be a pleasure!

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Oh! thank you very myuch. It is a big pleasure to be a part of this! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Welcome @P.S2022 as @Snowbird says fhere are many Australians on this forum. We are from Queensland. Australia is a very large and varied country, so to help you out with some tips, can you please tell us where in Australia you are sitting?

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Hello! Thank you for the welcome. We will arrive in Brisbane in mid-October. At first we plan to stay in a hostel to meet people and then we would like to know the experience of being Housesitters. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Brisbane has perfect weather in October. It’s where I live. Feel free to direct message me if you want some local info.

To get you started I recommend when you get to Brisbane to buy Go Cards for each of you (see link below where to get these) as you can use these on all buses, trains & ferries & the fares are cheaper than buying fares from the ticket machines. You have to prepurchase tickets or have a Go Card to get on all buses as they dont sell tickets on buses anymore. The Translink website has an excellent journey planner and will also tell you what buses and ferries are free in Brisbane city.

There are some large backpacker hostels right in the centre of Brisbane city near the train stations, easy walking distance from shopping, bars, cafes & restaurants & attractions.

Also check out these websites for free things to do in Brisbane

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What interesting information! I didn’t know anything about this… Well, I have another question… can you tell me any hostel that is well connected and where there are people with good vibes? We would like to stay the first few days to get to know the area and the people. Thank you so much, you’ve been super friendly!! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Sorry, I’ve never used a hostel so can’t answer your question. The Trip Advisor reviews below might help you:

The locations of the above hostels are all convenient to shops, eating & transport.

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Thank you!