Our Visit to Australia - Day Two

The three of us woke up early this morning.  Really early.  We were really excited to meet our relocation consultant and begin our tour of Brisbane.  Janet was wonderful and friendly and provided us with an itinerary of five homes and two schools to visit today.  We headed off to Bulimba and immediately went on  a tour of our first home on Watercress Street.  It was nice, very close to Oxford Street and the CityCat.  It was a clean four-bedroom with tile floors and very modern interior.  No pool.  I wasn't really feeling it, but Paul and Colin liked it so we added to our list of properties to consider.

We left Watercress Street and headed to our tour of Saints Peter and Paul's Catholic School.  I was very excited to visit this school.  I found it online, and subsequently found out it had an excellent reputation in the area.  We were greeted by Sr. Ann-Maree Nicholls and given a tour of the school by the school by the school secretary Jenny Williamson.  Paul and I really liked what we saw on our tour.    Here are some photos from our visit:

 Colin in front of the Prep (Kindergarten) area that Avery would attend.  The area had play sets and rubber surface.  The open-air classroom are behind Colin.

 Sts. Peter and Paul's Gymnasium

 Sts. Peter and Paul's Stage

 View of the Brisbane skyline from the gymnasium.

 Sts. Peter and Paul's Library

Another photo of the library.

After the tour of Sts. Peter & Paul's, we were confident that we had found a school that we were comfortable with and one that was very similar to Queen of Peace. 

Next we toured a home on Exeter Street.  I loved it. It was super nice and had soft tones throughout and a beautiful pool in the backyard.  It also had two other homes right on top on it!

Unfortunately, another couple was interested in this home, and we had to make an immediate decision whether we wanted it or not.  We liked it, but had not yet toured 6 Parklane Place, so we decided to pass.

Next, we toured the Bulimba State School (public school).  It was very impressive.  Colin preferred the uniforms to those of Sts. Peter and Paul's.   The only thing that didn't sit well with me is that the school was set high on a big hill.  It was several stories high and there were lots of stairs.
 Here are some photos of Bulimba State:

A view of the school yard from the Prep (Kindergarten) classrooms.

 All backpacks are stored on shelves outside the classroom.

The school kitchen were healthy food alternatives are taught.

The Prep (Kindergarten) play yard.

While we were visiting Bulimba State School, we happened to meet another mom who mentioned that she intended to rent out her home in the upcoming months.  We expressed our interest in renting, and agreed to go through her home later in the week.  You just never know who you meet!

We were scheduled to visit three other homes today, but found out the other three homes were already taken.  Apparently, Bulimba was a hot area and rental homes were going like hot cakes.   Not good.