Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could be chauffeured around town to all your appointments?  Imagine being able to go wherever you need to and not having to worry about finding a parking spot.

You can experience that for yourself.  Day 2 Day Personal Concierge can be your driver for the day.  I take care of the business of driving and don’t intrude into your personal space and time.

You could take a day trip to the wineries and not have to worry about who’s going to drive home and how many drinks you can have.  You can plan a girl’s day out and go from shopping to lunch and back to shopping again, all without having to manage a car.

Do you have a special event coming up – perhaps an anniversary or birthday?  You could plan a picnic on the beach and I can chauffeur you there and back.

You can even give me as a gift.  Book me for the day, pack some chocolates into the back seat and I will take your loved one wherever they need to go.

If you don’t like driving or would prefer not having to worry about it for one special day, call me and I’ll make your day smooth and memorable.

Americans take note.  You may think you are familiar with our way of life thanks to Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) and Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter), or familiar with our diet courtesy of the Outback Steakhouse (Bloomin’ Onion anyone?) but we offer much more to American holiday makers.  Australia is a country with a great many varied travel destinations from the outback to the beaches through to the multicultural cities offering a wide variety of entertainment and dishes to eat ranging from spicy Thai to tasty Lebanese.

However there are some things to know before you visit, especially to do with our language. We don’t all speak like Crocodile Dundee and some of our phrases tend to be a little unusual.  Here are some which may be helpful to you during your visit:

A shout – Your turn to buy usually referring to drinks as in “your shout” or “my shout”

Cuppa – A cup of tea or coffee

Chook – Chicken

Maccas – McDonalds

Footy – Australian Rules Football

Barrack – To support as in a particular team

Snag – A sausage

Tomato Sauce (or sauce) – ketchup

We love our meat pies at sporting events and vegemite on toast is a breakfast favourite.  We rarely say “Gidday” opting for the more universally accepted welcome of “Hello”.  And we NEVER EVER use the term fanny pack preferring bum bag or belt bag instead.  In Australia the word ‘fanny’ refers to a part of the female anatomy.  Use of the word and the anatomy can both lead to trouble!

Our currency is dollar and cent-based although you may notice the absence of the one cent coin and the quarter.  Our lowest coin is 5 cents and we have a 20 cent coin as opposed to a quarter.

One important fact to remember is that Australians drive on the left side of the road.  To counteract this make sure you look both left and right before crossing a street.  Speeds and distances are measured in kilometres not miles and this can add to confusion.

Stay safe but most of all have fun!

If I can make your stay here a little more comfortable or if you are looking for someone to show you the sights, contact me, your personal concierge.

Looking forward to meeting you!

It’s been a busy and extremely enjoyable time lately for this personal concierge. One of the main tasks in the past fortnight has been researching availability of rental properties and inspection of suitable new homes for clients who are relocating from overseas and interstate.

The two couples who engaged me for this task are professional people – both with a similar budget – what I would call mid range but I soon discovered that finding rentals in this price bracket is certainly a challenge in Melbourne at present.

Thankfully we have been able to secure suitable properties for both couples, so smiles all round!

Another task these past few weeks has been to clear out a storage unit for a client who has lived overseas for the past three years. The contents of the unit include furniture, clothing, electrical good and some boxes that we haven’t been able to get to yet because of the larger items. What treasures will be revealed I wonder? This is a fun job – dirty but fun and we are now in the process of securing a decent price for the used furniture items.

You could say we like to move it, move it!

Need a hand with similar tasks? Give me a call.

So you have moved to Melbourne – Welcome, I hope you will be very happy. Your children may already be enrolled in school which is ideal but maybe that’s about all that is organised. Do you know where to find trades, goods, services etc?

Allow me to help.

I can:

• Take you on a tour of Melbourne and surrounding areas.
• Locate a GP who is taking new patients.
• Find your local community centre.
• Recommend some restaurants in your area.
• After consultation, take you to your favourite kind of clothing stores.
• Find the areas close to home where you can pursue your hobbies.
• Suggest and even accompany you to networking events.
• Recommend the best markets around town.
• Suggest weekend retreats.

There are many ways I can make your move to Melbourne less daunting, I’ll even teach you how to be an AFL supporter!

Give me a call and let me know how I can make you feel right at home in your new city.