So, the day finally dawned - the 19th April - and it was a relatively early start to get into the city with Graham who was dropping me off at my new abode. Unfortunately work had turned manic for him, so it was a slightly earlier drop-off than planned and I sat on the front doorstep of Johnston Lodge for 45 mins, playing Bejewelled on my iPad, until the office opened. It was Bob who checked me in, asking me to read the contract again, even though I'd stayed there before as it might have changed - in 10 years, I would hope so and I certainly couldn't remember what had been in it the first time! This is the scary bit when you had over $1,000 in the way of a bond (deposit) & 1 week's (yes, just a week!) rent! Even scarier when your debit card is declined! Bob didn't seem too perturbed and said there was probably a $1,000 daily limit on it. He suggested he take the $800 bond and we'd sort out the rent tomorrow. That solved the problem, but I made a note to pop into Westpac and find out about daily limits on my cards.
I shuttled my stuff up to my room (3 suitcases, 2 boxes and a duvet), then set about unpacking. Easier said than done when you realise there are no coat hangers in the wardrobes! Loads of hanging space though! Then although I had a duvet and cover, I didn't have a sheet, so I started making a list of all the things I'd need to get. One thing to beware of when you rent anything out here (short-term, long-term or even furnished places, which are rare) is that they don't include things which we'd normally expect in the UK - no pots, pans, kitchen utensils, kettle, toaster, iron, crockery, cutlery, bedding, etc. So my shopping list was pretty long and annoyingly contained lots of things which I could have brought with me from the UK... if only I'd had another 40kg of luggage allowance!!
Once everything was emptied (albeit with all my hanging clothes laid across my bed!), I headed out to walk to Broadway and KMart which Erin had recommended for cheap household stuff. The walk is about 25 mins along lovely tree-lined streets, past terraces of old miners cottages. These are really desirable residences now and although they look pokey and dark from the outside, if you can catch a glimpse into them, they really open up at the back with big open-plan lounges and kitchens and beautiful wood floors. In fact one of the best weekend pastimes is to find out which houses are for sale in the area and when they are open for viewing so you can get an insiders view of some of these places!
Down at Broadway I found a massively expanded shopping centre from the drab one I remember from 10 years ago. It's bright, buzzing and has 3 floors of shopping to keep you amused as well as plenty of comfy sofas to sit on! It has free wifi in the food court on L2, but even better (and faster) is the wifi from the Apple store, which is accessible throughout the mall too! Maybe this will be my new weekday office!
I spent ages wandering round KMart and found some fantastic bargains, although I had to limit what I bought immediately as I only had two hands to carry all the baggage... gone are the days (for the time being) of enjoying the luxury of a car! From there I popped round the corner and into the Reject Shop - another haven of bargains and started making more mental notes about what I was going to come back for!
Once I'd made it back home, I got everything put away, ticked everything I'd bought off my list and then added a few more things I'd thought of to it! It was starting to feel more like my place, but I still had bare cupboards, so just as it was getting dark (around 6pm), I headed out to walk to Leichhardt and pick up some food at either Aldi or Woolworths. Leichhardt is about 15-20 mins walk from Annandale, again along tree-lined streets so it was lovely on a fairly warm evening. I got a few bits and bobs from Aldi, but generally I'm a Woolworths fan... maybe it's because many years ago my grandmother used to work in Woolworths in the UK, managing the deli counter in the days when Woollies was mainly a food store! Woolworths out here always looks so fresh and clean, has some great offers on and friendly staff to serve you, whether on the cheese counter or at the tills. Even better than in the UK, you can go to a self-serve till and choose to only get cash out, or you can pay for your purchase and get cash out at the same time! It's amazing how in some things Australia seems way behind Europe, whilst in others they're way ahead!
An hour or so later, I emerged from Woolworths with far too many bags and just crossed the road to the bus stop, deciding to get the first bus which would take me near to Annandale. No sooner had I sat down than a bus turned up which was going up Parramatta Road, passing the other end of Johnston Street, so about a 5 min walk. I hopped on and 15 mins later I was staggering into my room! Just enough time to put all the shopping away, have a light supper and head to bed!
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