Moving from Australia....what about small electrical appliances, pets and other bits and bobs....

Hi again. If you are talking about the Indian style beaded quilt covers, etc, you should be able to get them here - I know you can get the throws and cushion covers, etcetera. Kaz Australia is here too. It is hard to imagine what the furniture here is like because the styles are nothing like what you would buy at home - I'd describe it (politely) as ornate Arabian :\:. The upside is that you can have cabinet making done relatively cheaply. I've also heard that mattresses and beds are expensive. You can get furniture from expats leaving, we have, but in generally goes quite quickly) We are in Al Faardan 1, near the Airport. We like the area, but I dont think it is near schools. There is no private messaging, and also I think if you want to change your user name, you have to contact admin. I'm not sure if it is possible. If you are trying to phone people here, don't forget that the weekend is Friday and Saturday. Alot of local businesses close between 1 and 4, but are open at night. Hope that helps.

Hi Raahtd I agree with Gina, I wouldn't bring whitegoods that are already 10 years old - they take up alot of space in your container, plus I'm not confident that if they needed service work here, that would be easy to get. We bought all our things, mainly because we were already living away from Aus, so are hopefully heading in the right direction to get home in a few years time. I'm really glad we did, plus most of our visitors say 'Wow, you've got all your own stuff, I wish we'd done that'. Actually we bought alot of new furniture before we moved from the UK, and in the UK if it is delivered direct to the shipper you don't have to pay VAT. I don't know if that is the case with GST in Aus, but it could be worth checking. As the other gals have said, the villas are huge, for instance, we have 6 sofas (3 of which we bought here from a fellow expat). There is a gardening club here, and lots of the gardens in the villas look lovely. We are in an Al Faardan complex, where the gardening is done for us, so I can just buy plants, and point out a spot for digging to the gardener ;) - my sort of gardening.

I wouldn't bring fridge, washing machine etc particularly if they are 10 years old. A lot of places here supply fridge etc and even if they don't its probably almost cheaper to buy them new than ship them over (and very very easy to resell down the line). We have a good garden and grow herbs, tomatoes etc. Some of the herbs (mint, sometimes basil etc) last all year round. It is a big deal to break a lease to move within Qatar (you will be charged for the entire lease so its basically unrealistic to do). If you leave Qatar then by law they can only charge you one month rent extra but within is a different thing so not an option. In terms of schools, unfortunately it will be a case of where you can get your children in to to a large degree. There are a number of threads around on schools at the moment so just have a look through them. There are a number of sporting things outside school that your boys can get involved in - football, rugby, sailing etc.

There's a few green-fingered ladies here in Doha. I grow basil, rosemary & mint in pots and then in the cooler months (Nov - March) we have a good veggie patch going. It dies off completely in the hotter months even with twice daily watering. But it is possible to grow things as long as your ground is well prepared with lots of manure etc.

how I wish I could visit Target too!!! I would advise - kids sunglasses (I'm a bit wary of the quality of ones here - they probably don't offer the proper protection). Get few pairs for forgetful kids. - full brim sunhats - haven't seen many around - kids books - power boards & leads with aus plugs if you bring appliances. - aus to uk adaptor for power points. I've had trouble finding them here. - get all your immunisations up to date. your GP should advise what you need. - patience and a sense of humour.....for the days when nothing goes your way!!!

Raahatd - you can get rash/sun shirts here although possibly not long sleeved ones. One of the big sports shops in Villagio has a good selection through for both boys/girls/men/women. I find ladies clothes cheaper here but kids clothes cheaper back in Oz - you really can't beat target etc for t-shirts etc can you! :) Ali68 - you can get wax paper here pretty readily if that helps.

Oh, violet crumble!! Serious pang!!

few other things: - an adaptor for each appliance as the ones here are useless. - Bonds Undies - bring the next few sizes. my kids are older but that is a must buy whenever someone goes home. - we are coffee nuts so use ours daily. hubby roast his own beans after we hunt down green beans at the souq usually. My kids are at ASD - when we were looking they were the ones that made an effort to get to know us and welcomed us. I found that other schools wouldn't even return phone calls and I felt anything but welcome. guess always a matter of timing and who answers the phone. it is expensive but they are very happy and we would have paid private school fees for high schools in australia anyway (probably). There are many australians here. I really love it!

Hi, also from Brissy and looking forward to heading back for the Merlo coffee as well. Your appliances will be fine here with a plug unless you get a place with dodgy wiring etc which can destroy your things. If you really love your mixer and want to keep it forever then maybe leave it behind. I bought a kitchenaid mixer here (my DH calls it the most expensive kitchen ornament ever) and it was cheaper than at home so will haul it back with me at the end of our time here. I empathise with you about bring the cat, it's expensive to get them here and I think harder to get them home. You can get good cat food at the vets and also the usual run of the mill stuff at the supermarket. Bikes - bring the boys bikes for sure as they get a lot of use out of them on the compounds in cooler weather (I have a 7 yr old boy who is sometimes glued to his). Unless you are a very keen off road biker then I would consider leaving yours at home as you will not be able to go riding with them on the Corniche or around the large parks here. The fun police even have a go at tall children riding big bikes in Aspire park. Riding on the road is dicing with death in this country. Here are other things I would bring deep sided bed sheets (can buy but very expensive) kids toothpaste (unless they are happy with bubblegum flavour) chicken shapes if you love them (they never have that flavour here but have seen others) baking paper (for the times I do venture near the kitchen ornament) violet crumbles decent togs and long sleeved rash vests (try Funkita online in Aus) an entire Target store (I really miss their basics like leggings, t shirts, long sleeved t's for the kids and find it difficult to find decent quality, inexpensive and not too tizzy stuff) favoured kids medications (last thing you want is for them to get sick when they arrive, be stressed and jet lagged and they hate the taste of the panadol or bruffen, just one bottle for settling in will be enough) As the other girls say and as I'm sure you have read on the forum you need to have a great deal of patience when moving to Qatar. The school situation is a total nightmare and will probably be your hardest challenge. My eldest was also out of school for 6 months and I was going insane about it, worrying about what he was missing and trying to home school him. Getting the sort of books you need in Australia before you leave is hard if you don't know anything about what type of school they will get into. Good luck and happy packing

Hi Raahatd We're from Brisbane - we bought all our appliances from Aus, and they all work fine here - you will need adaptors for the plugs, but it is 240 voltage here. Bring your coffee machine - we use ours all the time, and would also suggest if you have favourite coffee beans, then pack those as well - we bought in about 10 kg, and all arrived fine, but nearly all gone now and would kill for some good Merlo. I can't comments on kids things, because ours are all grown up and flown the nest. Here are some of the things I struggle to get here, and would suggest bringing if relevant Vacuum bags - ie, we have a Miele, and cant get the bags here Blanket - those lightweight cotton blankets - can't get them here, as the shops only carry duvets or coverlets Books - limited range, so unless you have a kindle, stock up. DVD's and CD's also, because plenty here, but cheaper at home Favourite foods = BBQ Samboys - not avail here, so if your kids love those, bring them. Vegemite is readily available, but only in small jars, also any favourite chocolates such as cherry ripes - none here, and yes, you can get Tim-Tams Haircare - only supermarket ranges generally available in shampoo, conditioners, styling products etc Cat food - we don't have a cat here, but there seems to be plenty available in the supermarket, but not sure of price. I've heard people say they will get frontline at home because it is expensive here, for example Clothes - Pumpkin Patch is here for example. Alot of the shops are UK - ie Marks & Spencer, Next. Wish I'd bought my tupperware! It might be worth asking some of the Mums here if you can get sunshirts for swimming in here, because I don't know about that. But mainly - A sense of humour, adventure and optimism :) You'll make plenty of friends here.

If it helps: - we bought our coffee machine and some small kitchen appliances with us for Oz and they all work fine. Wish i had bought more with me as the ones here are nowhere near the standard. - english books here are scarce so bring as much as you can. - bring your bikes if space is not an issue. - i find clothes cheaper here compared to sydney. - would bring all your tupperware as i didn't and i miss it daily. basic gist is that if you have space bring as much as you can as long as you are planning to stay for a few years. don't know if that helps. my kids also missed 6 months of school and it really wasn't a problem. they entered the year ahead of where they were in oz and didn't miss a beat (they are in american curric here)?