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Real Estate Queensland
Immigration to the Sunshine Coast
The German reality of settling into Caloundra.
MOVING house is almost always a testing time so imagine the pressure of moving to another country where its people speak a different language.
Thousands of immigrants to Australia deal with such hurdles every year but there's an added twist to the tale of the Maureschat family's move from Berlin to Caloundra: they will do it in front of a million people.
Matthias, Heidi and their children Janice, 11, and Jorina, 3, sold almost everything they owned and waited five years to sort out visa complications so they could swap the snow for sunshine.
They arrived in Caloundra nine days ago with a few suitcases and a film crew from national German television station Sat 1 in tow.
Tough times economically and a tight job market has led to a surge in Germans leaving home in search of a new life, Sat 1 editor Swana Lindner said.
The family's decision to make that new life on the Sunshine Coast led Swana to contact them after she spotted their advertisement for a garage sale and learned of their plans to emigrate.
"In Germany a lot of families are emigrating to other countries so emigration is a big topic in Germany right now and I think Australia and Canada are the countries most of the people go to,¨ she said.
Swana has travelled out to Australia with a cameraman to film the Maureschat family's first encounters with the Australian way of life from buying a car and looking for a rental property.
In six months Swana will return to film a follow-up piece on their progress.
Matthias admits he reluctantly accepted the filming idea but he said the family has appreciated the support shown to them by ex-pat Germans and Australians keen to help make their transition an easy one.
An electrician by trade, Matthias is looking for a job through an employment agency and although they would like to stay in Caloundra he said his family would move to wherever the work was.
"I looked on the internet to help us choose where to start and we decided to come to Caloundra because the area is going up and I thought it would be easier for me to find work here,'' Matthias said.
He may be a little uncomfortable about the camera following him around as he applies for a driver's licence or lines up at Centrelink but Matthias admits because the experience will be broadcast nationally in Germany it will save him the trouble of writing to family back home.