5 and a half years on, what a journey!

After conquering most of Europe in our late teens and early 20's, my Girlfriend and I decided that it was time for a new adventure. So back in 2011 we got a Working Holiday Visa, quit our jobs, booked a one way flight and flew to Sydney

It was all fun and excitement leading up to us leaving, then as we walked to the Taxi Rank outside Sydney Airport, with nothing more than 2 suitcases and a pocket full of money - we sh*t our selves. We had a hotel booked and that was it. People said we was mad, just stepping into the unknown, 'but at least you can say you had a go' when it doesn't work out. We was beginning to think the same.

After a few days in Sydney, we decided to head north, so we hired a car and went to Newcastle. We decided that we would set up base here, try to find work and a place to rent. Prior to us moving, we both lived with my Girlfriends Parents, so we had no rental history. Coupled with the fact that we didn't have jobs either this made it impossible to find a rental, and stress was starting to kick in.

Newcastle was proving real difficult, to we looked further afield and found a Unit in a Place called Port Stephens. We knew nothing about the area, but we was desperate. The Landlord offered it us on the basis that it was a 3 month Lease, paid up front, plus Bond. If we didn't trash it and we had jobs after that they will give us another lease.

I actually got offered a welding job in Toowoomba. But after taking a flight up there I turned it down, as living in the middle of nowhere wasn't why we came here. We came here for the beach!

With funds running very very low, I manged to find a few weeks work back in Newcastle. The few weeks turned into a few months, and when the 6 month limit was coming up they offered me a 457 Visa to stay and work with them.

After being together for over 10 years, decided that this was finally a good time to get married. The family came for the Wedding, and as hard as it was for them when we left, when they seen what we had achieved they could be nothing but proud.

Fast forward 4 years, my employed offered to sponsor me on a 186 ENS. The Application was lodged in December, and we became permanent residents a in June!

We are ironically still in that same unit that we initially moved into, and we have a really really good relationship with our landlord, moving to Port Stephens was the best accidents we have ever done. It is Paradise.

So here we are in our early 30's and we have decided maybe it's time we should get serious (maybe!) Next week we are getting mortgage quotes to buy our own house, and there is talk of children.

My point in all this is not just to tell a nice story, but to show that anything is possible if you try hard enough. It's been the scariest, most terrifying 5 years of my life, but also to best in my life!

I have people from the UK telling me how lucky we are.....

....We aren't lucky, we just worked hard. We don't have rich families, and never had well paid jobs.

We just took a chance and worked hard, and are still pinching ourselves that it's real.

What a brilliant storey IKE - I love reading things like this as it gives me hope!! My husband and I arrive in Melbourne in Jan 2017 with a bit more of a plan than you started with but in the hope we love it and some how manage to stay.

I go on another forum and every time I post (not often as can't handle the negativity!) I get people picking holes in my plan and telling me it will never work and its not a "genuine pathway to PR"

We know this but I always say "if you think you can't you won't but if you think you can you might" and your storey gives me hope that it might just work out if we try and work hard enough etc. :smile:

What a brilliant storey IKE - I love reading things like this as it gives me hope!! My husband and I arrive in Melbourne in Jan 2017 with a bit more of a plan than you started with but in the hope we love it and some how manage to stay.

 

I go on another forum and every time I post (not often as can't handle the negativity!) I get people picking holes in my plan and telling me it will never work and its not a "genuine pathway to PR"

 

 

 

We know this but I always say "if you think you can't you won't but if you think you can you might" and your storey gives me hope that it might just work out if we try and work hard enough etc. :smile:

Thankyou! :-)

People will always try to pull people down. Sadly it seems to be human nature to some.

Realistically with us though we didn't have much to lose in the beginning, if it all fell through we would have just moved back in with my Girlfriends parents. I appreciate that for others they have so much more on the line.

At the end of the day, if you don't try you will never know.

Well done you two, you've worked hard for what you have. Congratulations on the wedding. And honestly I do not think you could have stumbled upon a more beautiful place than Port Stephens. All the best to you both :-)

....We aren't lucky, we just worked hard. We don't have rich families, and never had well paid jobs.

 

We just took a chance and worked hard, and are still pinching ourselves that it's real.

Thanks for sharing your great story. Your experience gives a migrant like me encouragement and inspiration.

Realistically with us though we didn't have much to lose in the beginning, if it all fell through we would have just moved back in with my Girlfriends parents. I appreciate that for others they have so much more on the line.

 

This is the crux of the matter! If I see a single person or a young couple on these forums asking about migrating, I will always encourage them to go for it. When you're young with few responsibilities, if it all goes pear-shaped you've got the rest of your life to get over it and get back on your feet, so what's to lose?

However I have been accused of being negative when I see a post from a family with children, and IMO I have good reason to be. A family with an established home will spend upwards of $30k moving themselves and their belongings to Australia. They'll disrupt their kids' education and tear them away from grandparents and other relatives. Australia would have to be bloody marvellous to make those sacrifices worth while: for some it is, but for many it doesn't turn out that way, so it's vitally important that IF they decide to go ahead, they're doing it with a very clear idea that it's not all beaches and sunshine, and knowing that they'll have to work damn hard. Too many people seem to migrate with the idea of a "more laid-back lifestyle" or a "better work-life balance", when the opposite is more likely to be true, at least at first when they've got to work to recoup all the expenses they paid out to get to Oz!

And you ended up in one of the best spots in Australia. Good on ya's.... We have 6months left in SmellBum (Melbourne) then we are free of the city. Very different situation now as we have basically invested all AUD$ in international positive cash flow assets so are pretty much retired at 37.

Turned up at Tullamarine in 2006 with $300 in a Westpac account, suitcase and surfboard and knew not a single soul. Goes to show as you say - hard work, and anything is possible.

Bestest bit - now that we don't have to cater for work, it is just awesome looking at where you WANT to live, rather where you HAVE to live..... i.e. the city. Sydney and Melb are just rubbish.

And you ended up in one of the best spots in Australia. Good on ya's.... We have 6months left in SmellBum (Melbourne) then we are free of the city. Very different situation now as we have basically invested all AUD$ in international positive cash flow assets so are pretty much retired at 37.

 

Turned up at Tullamarine in 2006 with $300 in a Westpac account, suitcase and surfboard and knew not a single soul. Goes to show as you say - hard work, and anything is possible.

 

Bestest bit - now that we don't have to cater for work, it is just awesome looking at where you WANT to live, rather where you HAVE to live..... i.e. the city. Sydney and Melb are just rubbish.

I often wondered if the best of Aus is to be found outside of the big cities. I suspect it is!

and to the OP - Nice one

I often wondered if the best of Aus is to be found outside of the big cities. I suspect it is!

 

and to the OP - Nice one

Yep, 100%. Bit biased though as never, ever, ever liked big cities anyway.....

What a great story- Port Stephens is such a lovely place, we go up there for hols sometimes. Perfect without all the gold Coast hordes of kids! Persistence and optimism pay!

Yes, you have chosen a lovely place to live and thanks for the great update OP.

Good for you. Looking forward too having a similar adventure ourselves when (if) we get the Visa to go in 2017!

B

This is the crux of the matter! If I see a single person or a young couple on these forums asking about migrating, I will always encourage them to go for it. When you're young with few responsibilities, if it all goes pear-shaped you've got the rest of your life to get over it and get back on your feet, so what's to lose?

 

However I have been accused of being negative when I see a post from a family with children, and IMO I have good reason to be. A family with an established home will spend upwards of $30k moving themselves and their belongings to Australia. They'll disrupt their kids' education and tear them away from grandparents and other relatives. Australia would have to be bloody marvellous to make those sacrifices worth while: for some it is, but for many it doesn't turn out that way, so it's vitally important that IF they decide to go ahead, they're doing it with a very clear idea that it's not all beaches and sunshine, and knowing that they'll have to work damn hard. Too many people seem to migrate with the idea of a "more laid-back lifestyle" or a "better work-life balance", when the opposite is more likely to be true, at least at first when they've got to work to recoup all the expenses they paid out to get to Oz!

You are quite correct. Good luck to the couple involved, but coming to Australia as backpackers and a suitcase or back pack does allow a freedom, not available to a family regardless of how hard they work.

Australia's immigration system allowing travellers to become 457's then obtain PR rather generous as well of course.

Good call on Toowoomba mate. I've worked there a few times and had weekends when it's not been worth flying back to Perth and then back again. I go down to the Gold Coast for the weekends as it's cheaper to stay in a good hotel than an average one in Toowoomba and there's things to do. Also worked at the RAAF base near Port Stephens and had a few weekends there. Gorgeous place. Keep saying to the wife we should get round to visiting one day. So many great places in Aus to see and experience though. All the best. Good post.

Yep, 100%. Bit biased though as never, ever, ever liked big cities anyway.....

That's one of the reasons we chose Perth. Admittedly it's got a lot bigger since 92 but we live about 30 km North of the City, very close to a great beach. We don't feel the need to venture very far when we are off work.

That's one of the reasons we chose Perth. Admittedly it's got a lot bigger since 92 but we live about 30 km North of the City, very close to a great beach. We don't feel the need to venture very far when we are off work.

Same here too. The beauty of living in Port Stephens is that we are only 50kms from Newcastle (which if we are honest isn't a 'city', more of a large town)

I love cities to visit, then I just want to get the hell out. Newcastle is lovely, it has everything you could want. and it;s great to visit when you want some normalisation from the serenity and isolation of village life!

Exactly, it seemed a nice place, but very little to do. I also visited in Winter when the weather was 'nice'

I couldn't imagine it being very nice welding there in Summer!

Work hard enough and you will get there. It will have tough times, but if it was easy everybody would do it!