Our First Official Australian Apartment

We got a house!

Okay, an apartment. But hooray!

It only took four weeks, eleven viewings, and two rejections, but in the end we were successful. Or burnt out. I’m still not sure which.

Jared and I took a quick look around: Good location, reasonable rent, our own laundry, lock-up garage, two bedrooms, a balcony – let’s go for it.

Now that we’ve been approved for the apartment, we ask each other random questions, trying to fill in the blanks in our memories.

“Does it have a storage closet?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Will a three-seater couch even fit in the living room?”

“Don’t know.”

“Aren’t the kitchen counter tops orange?”

“They could be.”

kitchen
Unfortunately, it appears that yes, we do have orange counter tops.

It’s exciting, moving into a place that we chose, despite knowing very little about it. In the end, it wasn’t about ticking all of the boxes – it was about ticking some of them.

We’re in an odd position where we need to supply pretty much everything, right down to the knives and forks. Suddenly our spare time is occupied with trips to Fantastic Furniture and online searches on eBay and Gumtree, debating over what we’re willing to buy secondhand (a desk) and what we’re not (a raggedy-looking couch). Jared’s even building a bookshelf out of existing timber he found.

Squeezed into this lease-signing and furniture-sourcing, we’re still running. Last week we totaled 35 miles, culminating in a 17-miler on Saturday. Instead of getting easier, it’s getting worse; I don’t appear to be built for serious distance running. The long runs finish with me in the fetal position, forcing down waves of nausea and dizzy spells. This weekend I’ll make a serious effort to fuel more during the run, and hopefully that will improve things. Otherwise, 26.2 miles might be painfully out of reach.

After the move, after the marathon – then what? Yes, the big elephant of wedding planning is firmly ensconced in the room. Sometimes I acknowledge him. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I think I know what I want. Most times I don’t. How do people organize weddings and stay sane without spending a small fortune? I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

And anyway, it’s rather fitting that we’re continuing to do things backwards: live together for five years, rent first apartment together, then get married. Because yes, this is the first unshared apartment we’ve signed a lease for – over the years we’ve sublet, lived with parents and roommates, traveled, or had school-provided accommodation. From June 28th, this little place will officially be ours for seven months.

Bar Beach
I’ll sweeten the deal for potential guests: We are 0.6 miles from the beach.

I’ll now officially open the floor for guests: We can’t offer you a bed, or even a couch, but there’s a real nice floor in the second bedroom and I’m sure we could pull together a few pillows. Maybe even a blanket.

Any takers?

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8 Comments

  1. Yes! Four takers! Ha! So excited about your new place! Give me something on your to-buy list to send – the girls are anxious to send something – and we’re nothing if not, practical 😉 Happy packing, moving and nesting!

    1. Thanks, just let me know when you’re on your way! We can take the girls to the Blackbutt Reserve to check out the animals in real life. Anytime you want to come, feel free!

      We’re gathering supplies at a surprisingly rapid rate – maybe an Illinois-themed fridge magnet for our new fridge? Or even some hand-drawn artwork to display. I’ll give you the address when we’ve moved in and Annie can have some pen pals!

    1. I was so over it! I even agreed to apply for a semi-grungy place that we’d looked at previously, just because I was sick of looking. So glad this one came through and knocked some sense into me.

    1. Of course! The babies can have an armchair each, and the air mattress for you and Jillian. We don’t promise luxury, but make up for it with beaches, beer, and barbecues!

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