Decision Made?!

Michelle & Family · 17-06-2008, 09:36 AM

Firstly can I just apologise to those of you that are members of this site and the Adelaide Brits site as I've posted this onto both as I've found them both really informative and wanted to get as much advice as possible!

Arrived back in the UK last week after a 10 day 'flying' visit to Melbourne and Adelaide. We'd thought about moving to OZ but wasn't really sure where, however, narrowed it down by the fact that my OH loves the seasons and therefore didn't want to go anywhere that was hot all year. Hence our decision to fly into Melbourne, hire a car and drive along the coast to Adelaide. The trip itself was fantastic although due to the lack of time we were not able to see much of the sights as the whole point was to see both areas without any rose tinted glasses.

Personally I would recommend that you should try to visit before deciding to move. I'm glad we did because otherwise I think I'd have been disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful country and everyone was really friendly and helpful, BUT, it wasn't what we'd been told to expect and wasn't paradise island! The cost of living isn't much cheaper (if any) than the UK. Petrol prices may be cheaper for now, but bearing in mind the size of most engines and the number of miles driven to get from A to B, not much cheaper in it in reality. Yes you get more house for your money but prices are on the increase just as interrest rates are. There are still problems with teenage binge drinkers and teenage pregnancies. SO, is it that much different to the UK? In many ways no, the grass isn't necessarily greener after all. However. We thought long and hard about our choice. In the end we asked ourselves what was it we didn't like about the UK and whether this would apply in Australia. I won't go into our reasons for wanting to leave the Uk but needless to say that we are. From what we found, Australia has a much more laid back attitude in general. The weather is great (whatever your preference there's a state thats right for you) and the whole way of life for a family appears fantastic. We have 2 children aged 8 and 5 and are both very 'outdoor' kids.

Life is short and we didn't want to stay and be forever wondering "what if?" Who knows what the future holds. We've just appointed an agent and my OH needs to do the skills assesssment yet (general electrician) so it's still very early days, but, fingers crossed we're on our way!

Obviously I've got loads of questions regarding the whole application process but I'll post them on a different thread as and when. However, any views and advice greatly received!!

Jaynie · 17-06-2008, 09:53 AM

What a great post, so glad you came over first to do a reccie, that's what we did and it really helped when we finally got here.

Good luck with all your application process.

Kind regards

Stuju · 17-06-2008, 10:04 AM

Gd on ya, hope your dreams come true
stuju

bruce&jackie · 17-06-2008, 10:33 AM

Hi Michelle & family,
WELCOME TO THE PIO FAMILY

We are all here to help. We went to validate and can say it's one of the best things we did as like yourself we looked at Australia as our future home rather than a holiday. Thought initially we had made an expensive mistake but after a while felt it was defiantly the place for us. I think i would have had trouble settling if never came before, as i kept comparing everything to UK but then took on board i'm in another country i'm the one that needs to change my outlook then once i did that i could see the country for what it is and what a great future it holds for us.
Good luck the stress is just beginning.
Jackie

Pinhead · 17-06-2008, 10:41 AM

I did the Melbourne Adelaide trip there and back when I was last in Oz. The Great Ocean Road is fantastic and it's well worth going to the Grampians if you like outdoor walking.

You didn't post whether you were going for Adelaide or Melbourne?
On an initial visit most people in my experience go for Melbourne (as I do) although the Adelaide suburbs have real family appeal.
If you want real seasons however I should definitely go for Melbourne, some days you get them all in one day!

Cookster · 17-06-2008, 10:58 AM

Hi Michelle and family,
like you we did the Melbourne and Adelaide reckie a few years ago before moving and finally settled for Adeliade. As you say one of our reasons for picking SA was the seasons but we found them sooooooooo extreme. From 30 degrees one day to 18 the next that we realised after about a year that it really wasnt the Oz we were looking for. We moved up to Queensland last May and the temp is so much kinder and also as you say sooo much more laid back. Anyway I wish you luck with wherever you decide to live but bare in mind that Australia is such a large country........

Angela

mandisfam · 17-06-2008, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michelle & Family

Firstly can I just apologise to those of you that are members of this site and the Adelaide Brits site as I've posted this onto both as I've found them both really informative and wanted to get as much advice as possible!

Arrived back in the UK last week after a 10 day 'flying' visit to Melbourne and Adelaide. We'd thought about moving to OZ but wasn't really sure where, however, narrowed it down by the fact that my OH loves the seasons and therefore didn't want to go anywhere that was hot all year. Hence our decision to fly into Melbourne, hire a car and drive along the coast to Adelaide. The trip itself was fantastic although due to the lack of time we were not able to see much of the sights as the whole point was to see both areas without any rose tinted glasses.

Personally I would recommend that you should try to visit before deciding to move. I'm glad we did because otherwise I think I'd have been disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful country and everyone was really friendly and helpful, BUT, it wasn't what we'd been told to expect and wasn't paradise island! The cost of living isn't much cheaper (if any) than the UK. Petrol prices may be cheaper for now, but bearing in mind the size of most engines and the number of miles driven to get from A to B, not much cheaper in it in reality. Yes you get more house for your money but prices are on the increase just as interrest rates are. There are still problems with teenage binge drinkers and teenage pregnancies. SO, is it that much different to the UK? In many ways no, the grass isn't necessarily greener after all. However. We thought long and hard about our choice. In the end we asked ourselves what was it we didn't like about the UK and whether this would apply in Australia. I won't go into our reasons for wanting to leave the Uk but needless to say that we are. From what we found, Australia has a much more laid back attitude in general. The weather is great (whatever your preference there's a state thats right for you) and the whole way of life for a family appears fantastic. We have 2 children aged 8 and 5 and are both very 'outdoor' kids.

Life is short and we didn't want to stay and be forever wondering "what if?" Who knows what the future holds. We've just appointed an agent and my OH needs to do the skills assesssment yet (general electrician) so it's still very early days, but, fingers crossed we're on our way!

Obviously I've got loads of questions regarding the whole application process but I'll post them on a different thread as and when. However, any views and advice greatly received!!

Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts. Great post. Hope you don't mind me asking a couple of questions:

Did you take your children with you???

Did you make your mind up on Melbourne or Adelaide??? which one will you go for???

Thanks
Mandisfam

Michelle & Family · 17-06-2008, 11:26 AM

Sorry, realised after posting that I'd completely forgot to mention where we were headed! Anyhow, we decided on the Adelaide region. Although we wanted seasons, we didn't want them all in one day which is what we were told we could expect in Victoria! To be honest, I didn't like Melbourne city at all, far too much like London and I'm not one for crowds!

We're still not 100% sure of where in SA we'll head for. We liked some of the South of Adelaide areas, but also liked some of the hills and the Barossa. Although my OH is an electrician, he's run his own building company for the past 10 years and so we intend on building wherever we settle! Schools is a big issue for me as the one here in the UK that both children attend is brilliant and they're both doing well. I've read so much good and bad about schooling in SA that I don't know what to think, state or private etc etc.

We didn't take either of the kids on our trip. My parents came over from France to have them. This was much more exciting for them than travelling around in a car for 10 days and believe me, until you actually get there you really can't appreciate just how vast the country is. We drove 1400 miles in 8 days!

mandisfam · 17-06-2008, 11:32 AM

Hi, we like the idea of Adelaide too. We would love to do a reccie by going to Perth and Adelaide. Have had quotes for both going with and taking the children. Its considerably cheaper by not taking them. Just wish I had someone I trust to leave them with for 10 days. I suspect you missed them lots though, didn't you????

One more quick question, who did you book your travel with???

Thanks, sorry to ask so many questions.
Mandisfam

Michelle & Family · 17-06-2008, 11:57 AM

We did miss the kids, but we took a laptop with us and managed to speak to them most days. As a by the by, a laptop is a great way of keeping orgainised. Every night I'd upload the photo's we'd taken (so I didn't forget where we were!!) and kept a 'diary' of our thoughts and findings and emailed them to friends and family who were interested.

We did think about Perth, but from speaking to people decided it was a little too remote whereas being in the South, you're almost in the middle and therefore can take trips to other states a little easier (expense aside of course!!). Just our opinion.

We booked our trip with TrailFinders. You tell them where you want to go, places you want to include and how long you've got and they arrange an itinerary for you, you can then amend as you see fit. They were great and all done over the internet.

Not only was it more expensive to take the children, it wasn't really a child friendly visit for us. Driving from Melbourne to Adelaide we stayed at a different place every night to ensure we saw as much as we could. We'd generally get away by 10am in the morning and would pretty much be driving until 4pm that afternoon when we'd arrive at our next destination. Obviously we made short stops along the way, but it was hard going. If you decided to hire a camper van of sorts and took a longer trip then maybe it wouldn't be so bad with children, but we didn't have the time (or money) to look at this option.

I hope this helps, no need to apologise for the questions, that's what these sites are all about!