chickibabes

Sue Mac, can you pls tell me where the community centre is?is it in the main PC town centre? I have been there but never noticed a community centre...unless it is perhaps by the library? Thanks, Danielle

Hi, sorry for late reply as I know people haven't bothered with the thread for a few weeks now, but I wanted to say that my hubby and I would be interested in any meet ups with fellow Brits, either as a group or if anyone would be interested in just getting together at some point for a chin wag and the possibility of becoming friends :-) i am 32 and hubby is 40. We have a 20 month old daughter and looking to meet and make friends with people similar to ourselves, either other families or people who don't mind children! I have a few friends from work but lee barely knows anyone and it would be nice to have some mutual friends as it does get quite isolating at times. we live in Werribee. I am a registered nurse and lee (hubster) is a plumber/gas fitter. We can travel and are flexible with times and dates. We are friendly, down to earth, hard working and honest people, looking for the same. we look forward to hearing from anyone who is interested! thanks, danielle

Hello again!! After looking at various shipping companies and still being confused as to which one is the best to go with, I have been trying to research the Sevenseas Movecube. I have read good reports and cheap quotes from people who have used it to come from the UK to here. But has anyone actually used it from Australia to the UK? Hubby called them this morning to find out more info and spoke to someone who seemed like they didn't really have a clue, so now we are waiting for a call back... Would like to find out other people's experiences before they perhaps call us so we know whether or not to go with them as at the moment this seems like a fantastic option for the small amount of things we are taking back. Thanks!! Danielle

Hi all, Have been getting a few quotes from various shipping companies to return my smallish amount of belongings from Melbourne to the UK. We are talking approx 5.7cu mtrs3. The quotes vary in price, but Wridgeways seem to be considerably cheaper than everyone else. Alsothough at first I thought this was great, I am wondering why?? Is it a case of you get what you pay for, or do Wridgeways genuinely offer a cheap, but good service? Can anyone please tell me if they have used this shipping company, and your thoughts please as to their service, timeframe etc...overall: Would you recommend them? Thanks for your help! Danielle

Thank you! Now done!

Hello, Well me and the hubby have decided that we are definitely going to return home :-) However, after not bringing anything here and having to kit out a full house, we are again taking nothing back with us, and therefore have a full house worth of things to sell!! All items are in excellent condition due to the hubby having a dose of OCD! Please PM me for more info or my mobile number. All items for pickup only, and I would be more than grateful to show people things if they would like to come and have a nosy. I can also send a photo if you may desire! So, here we go... 3 piece chenille/soft fabric couch in minky/neutral colour with 3 seater couch and 2 reclining chairs...$400 ONO 4 seater round, pine dining table, countryish style with matching 4 chairs...$50 Nest of 3 oval shaped tables (brought from the UK) pine, but with something like 30 layers of varnish to make it look like mahogany (they do look nice!)...$50 Glass TV stand, 3 tired, tinted black (brought from the UK)...$50 Mahogany bookcase...$50 ONO 1 bedroom suite in pine, consisting of large bed (will check size), 2 bedside cabinets and large set of drawers...$500 1 bedroom suite, dark wood, consisiting of large bed (will check size also) and 2 bedside cabinets, and mattress. This was the spare bedroom suite so has been very rarely used as every bugger that said they would visit hasn't :-( ....$500 1 baby cot bed and matching change table, dark wood ?mahogany and mattress. The cot and mattress never used, and the change table used very few times so still like new...$300 1 white desk with silver legs...$60 ONO 1 red office chair...$50 ONO or can sell with desk for $100 ONO! 1 large BBQ, gas, hardly used as hubby not a BBQ master...$150 ONO 1 outside table (glass and silver metal) and 6 matching chairs, hardly used as too hot to sit outside!...$100 Various other little things like a full set of pans, stand up lamp, rug, shoe rack....all I can think of at the moment, but please PM me even if there is something I haven't listed as chances are that I will have it, and everything is to go, go, go!!! We are also selling a Holden Combo van, 5 years old but am not too sure of the full details so will post that later after have spoken to the hubby...again as new due to his OCD problem!! Thanks for taking the time to read this!! Danielle :-) PS! We are in Werribee, western Melbourne!!

Hi Cam, Your Boori things sounds like it might be the same idea as mine. I got mine from Mothercare (not quite as cheap as $100!!) but when I was looking at them and moses baskets, I did notice that it seemed much better value for money than the moses basket like you say. It is definately a lot more sturdy and you can see the money in it as oppose to a piece of wicker!! Yeah, I feel ready now, only 5 and a half weeks to go which I wish would go faster as I just want to meet her now!!. Glad to hear things are going well for you and you have settled in well. Danielle

Hey, I am sorry to hear about your problems, and wish you well in whatever path you decide to go down. I think you have been given some good advice from people here but only you can decide which advice or action to take. Relationships are all about teamwork at the end of the day, and communication is key. The best thing you can do is talk to each other, either alone or through a counsellor. And remember, that although he might know how you feel at the end of the day about how his actions, moods etc are affecting your children, you and your relationship as a whole, only he can change himself, and to do this, he has to want to change himself. People can only usually change or do something about something if they actually admit that they have a problem in the first place, otherwise they are in denial. I am only a nurse and by no means a psychologist or expert or anything but from personal experience with family, this has been the case, otherwise you may as well bang your head against a brick wall. It would probably be a lot easier for you to make a decision about your future too if there was only you to consider and children weren't involved, but obviously their needs have to be taken into consideration too. Good luck in whatever you decide to do. Danielle xxx Again, I fully fully agree. He has had a **** time and I do believe this is a thing he has long been experiencing. I know I am being horrible, but he will not take any action. At one point, years ago he got prescribed some venlafaxine but he wouldn't take it for more than a week and as far as he was concerned the issue was over. I actually feel like perhaps we need to split for a while for him to realise that this is ruining us. Sometimes, I think I don't mind us living entirely separate lives and most of the time I am fine with that, as is he. But every now and then I would have liked a bit of normality. I suppose as he is 'happy' or at least content with sitting in the house while we do things then I should let him be so. It was his idea to go to Oz which we did and it all went so bad because he wanted to spend his life watching tellie. 5 years I wasted doing that when he could have done that just as easy here in the UK and now I am blaming him for doing just what I kept saying he could do here!

You are welcome Kayleigh, We were in exactly the same boat, and didn't want to be moving around with the cat and making her feel more unsettled after the plane journey, quarentine etc...especially seeing as they don't understand that they have travelled to the other side of the world!! Definintely keep us updated and good luck with everything. Danielle x

Hi Emma, Just ignore people. Obviously most people who are on PIO website are either in the UK or Australia, and prefer one place to the other so are of course going to slate the place that they dislike the most. People are very opinionated and soemtimes forget that their opinion is not someone elses. The UK does have its problems such as the recession, immigrants etc, but Australia is not perfect either and has its own problems. Just ignore whatever people are spouting on about. Like you say, you are an adult and are quite capable of making the choice of where you want to live. Despite the issues that the UK or Austrlia has, life is what you make of it seeing as most things are beyond your control anyway. Just enjoy life whereever you choose to live :-) Danielle x

Hi rachaelm0. I think you are making a good decision!! God, if I had an unlimited luggage allowance for returning here I would have brought half of Boots and Mothercare back with me!! There is Mothercare here but the choice again is a bit restricted compared to the UK stores and again it is more expensive. Very annoying when they put a sticker over the UK price which you can't help but see and then compare it to the Aussie price... My sister in law is also having a baby (due the same day as me!), but she is still in the UK and I can't help but get a teeny bit jealous when we talk on teh phone and compare what we have bought, and when she tells me the price she has paid for her things!!

Hey, The first house that we rented, we hid the cat from the estate agent for a full year! When they wanted to do an inspection, we hid all evidence of the cat and one of us took the cat on 'a drive' in the car! This was purely because we really wanted this particular house and were unsure whether we would get it if we declared that we had a cat. Our cat was currently in quarentine and we really wanted a place of our own that we could bring her straight to. I tested the water by asking the agent that if we were settled in, could we then get a cat to which i got told that they would have to ask the landlord when we decided that we wanted to get one. I think this was their 'get out' claus and if we had have asked them, they would have simply said NO. Our cat is so well bahaved that I didn't feel guilty hiding her and they never once guessed. The house that we are renting now know we have a cat as we told them upfront. They have since inspected the house and seemed very impressed. From what I have heard other people say, I think that landlords are more wary about renting houses to those with dogs as they can do more damage than a cat, and are probably more likely to chew things/dig up the garden etc.

Sorry to go on about the whole pregnancy thing too but even baby things are so much cheaper in UK. I managed to get heaps of baby clothes from Asda for less than £100 whereas I would be lucky to get one decent outfit for less than $20-25. I think I just love and miss the fact that UK supermarkets sell so many other things as well as food and even the supermarkets own version of branded things are good quality without having to go to 'specialized' shops for the same things and pay double price.

Hi Somgirl, I totally agree with you. There are so many great clothes in the UK that are amazing prices and quality, commpared to here where you will pay a lot for one top that is nothing special and rubbish quality. When I went back to the UK in Feb, I bought new leather shoes from Next for £35. Something similar here would have cost me over $100 which is a rip off as they are poor quality and made in China so it isn't as though they would have paid a lot for shipping etc. The shoes I got from Next are probably from China too but much better quality and have obviously been shipped a lot further from China to the UK if that is the case! It seems to me that the Australian shops think that they can charge extortionate prices for most things. Since being pregnant also, I have noticed that there is a serious lack of market for maternity clothes here, and what is available appears to be from specialized shops that only sell maternity clothes, hence they charge large prices. Target do sell a few things but there is not much choice, and it is more basic wear than anything. Yet, look at the high street shops in the UK that have embraced the maternity wear and sell nice maternity clothes at the same prices as normal clothes. Next sell some amazing maternity clothes that is fashionable, great quality and less than half the price of some things here, and they ship for FREE!! Even buying things from places like River Island, Dorothy Perkins and M&S, paying the postage seems cheaper than buying clothes and houseware from the Australian shops, and I am prepared to take the risk that something might not fit/look good when it arrives. M&S bedding is fab quality and sooo cheap compared to Oz stuff and you can get heaps delivered for £15!! I am just waiting for 2 new king size winter duvets and bedding sets from M&S which including postage have cost me £135. I would not be able to get one duvet here of the same quality for anything less than $150. With regards to food shopping and someones comment about UK food being cheaper and poor quality, I disagree too. A lot of food that we noticed on offer for £1 were branded names like Dolmio and I find that UK fruit and veg lasts a lot longer than here in Oz. The amount of fresh produce that I waste because it has gone off 2 days after buying it from Coles is unbelievable. And I have had a number of items including tins and packets of things that I have noticed have gone out of date before I have even bought it, but not realised until I have come to use it! Another waste of food and money!! Give me Asda and Tesco any day!! I would absolutely love it if they shipped over here!!! Boots too!!!! How I miss spending a good half an hour wandering around Boots!!

Yes, that is the main thing...there is so much competition in England, that you rarely have to pay full price for anything whether it be food, toiletries, alcohol etc.

Well..yes, if you are being specific, I agree that it may not be a pound week to week, but it certainly is generally a LOT cheaper than Coles or Woolworths here. There are a lot more bargains overall making a weeks worth of shopping easy and good value for money. And even if double price, it is still a heck of a lot cheaper than here.

Hi all, Just thought I would reply with the above response to your post! I went back to the UK in Feb and could have easily spent all my money there because everything is so much cheaper and there is soooo much more choice!! Shame I was pregnant at the time, otherwise would have completely come back with a full new wardrobe!! I find everything in general is so much more cheaper...food, clothes, toiletries, houseware, furniture...and also better quality! I miss Asda soooo much...everything is 1 POUND!! You wouldn't get hald as much here for the equivalent of approx $1.60, and I really struggle to get a full trolley here, and when I do, it is a fortune!! Must admit, if I ever go back to the UK, I will NEVER complain at things being expensive ever again!!! Danielle xx

Hi Crimsonpetal, Hope you don't think I am being nosy, but I just wondered if you have got any plans to go home, if so, when and whereabouts are you from? Have you got lots of commitments here like a bought house etc? We are in a rented house so plan to just save, save, save for a while to make it as easy as poss to go back and hopefully buy a house. Got 2 cars to sell too. Danielle xx

Hi, I know a lot of people have different mixed opinions. My husband and I were also confused as to what to bring for the fear of things not working or being too expensive to replace. We did not bring furniture other than a small nest of tables that were a gift. We then wished we had brought our furniture as we ended up paying a lot of money for a new 3 piece suite which is very poor quality for the cost. Generally we noticed this across the board - expensive but poor quality sofas (and many of them made in China although a few were claimed to be Australian made). There are no shops like DFS here where you can get a decent sofa for a decent price. We also found that if they claimed it to be 'Aussie made', then it was even MORE expensive than the China made stuff. We managed to get 2 bedroom suites at reasonable prices for the quality. I think you get what you pay for, and again our UK bedroom furniture was better quality for cheaper than what we paid here still. Electricals - we bought kitchen appliances such as kettle/toaster/slow cooker. We are in a rented house so dishwasher is included in that. We bought a new fridge freezer as got told our UK one would struggle with the heat here. We found that with the electrical stuff we could haggle the prices (try Harvey Norman) as I think they slightly overprice things anyway. Washing machine - I bought a new one in England, used it a couple of times and then shipped it as I thought they were all top loaders here and I didn't want one of them. TV - worked fine but we have upgraded to a new,bigger 3D one since. The only thing we needed to get was a freeview box so we could get more channels as we don't have Foxtel (Sky TV). I even brought all new pans/cutlery/crockery and kitchen wares but would not do the same again as they are reasonably standard and you can get some nice sets at good prices from places like K-Mart, Big W, Target. Bedding - very expensive here. Wish I had brought my own as we have spent a small fortune on it here and found it to be not very good quality. Not like Asda, where I could get a lovely quilt cover set for 20quid King size! Mind saying that, I had new quilts and pillows and new bedding sets shipped from Marks and Spencers as they only charge 15quid flat delivery for whatever you order :-) Clothes I find very expensive, and recently went a bit mad on a recent trip to the UK! Not much choice here too...you can't beat River Island, Dorothy Perkins, Next and Topshop!! Although again, these all deliver now too. I don't know if things depend on where you live, and obviously one person's idea of cheap, could be someone elses expensive. I don't know how that lady managed to furnish her house for $4k - we definately couldn't have done that. Anyway, that is my opinion of furniture etc. I would do things different if I had to do it again, and if we go back whcih we probably will, I will take very little back too, probably more just personal items, as I know that I won't have to spend so much in the UK replacing things that are good quality but inexpensive. Hoep that helps, Danielle xx

Hi Lostlily, I am totally on the same page as you. My husband and I have been in Melbourne for the past 18 months thinking that 'the grass is greener'...Well, it is not!! I do feel that we had a better quality of life in the UK with so many lovely places on our doorstep like the Lake District, and we miss our old historial towns and cities so much. We just took it for granted, and got stuck in a rut thinking that life in Australia would be so much better. We spend our spare time not doing much as everywhere is so far away and we are bored of the beach. Things are generally more expensive here than the UK too. Like you say, (and I am not stating that this is a fact) but in my opinion, I find that the Aussies are very insular and are quite happy to just spend their days going to work, sitting under their pergola and a lot of the ones I know, have never even left Victoria, let alone Australia! Or the furthest they have been is somewhere like Bali. I miss Europe with the different countries and cultures and languages. We haven't been on holiday since we got here as I just can't help but convert the prices to UK pounds and think that everything is such a rip off when you know that you could get a 2 week holiday in Europe for next to nothing, including spending money! I do feel as well like you say, that it is very Americanized here, with too many chain shops/stores. I miss popping into a local store that just sells newspapers/chocolate/milk, maybe even wine and alcohol, rather than having to drive 20 minutes to the local supermarket for very little choice of everything. I feel that Australia is very backwards too as in the sense of things like internet shopping, and the internet in general, along with the lack of competition of things like mobile service providers etc, which again feel like they can rip you off because there isn't much choice for you to go elsewhere! Never mind though, I am here for now so will have to make the most of it until we decide to go back to the UK which isn't financially feasible right now. Moan over!! Danielle x

Hi Cam, Am sorry, I am not very good at this PIO thing and didn't even realise you had replied to my message...am so sorry, it is not that I am ignorant. I am due 23 June and live in Werribee, western suburbs. What about you? Have you got most things now for the baby? I ended up buying a Boori wooden crib thing as tehre wasn't much difference in price between that and a moses basket and it seems much more sturdier and long lasting. The biggest thing we need now is a car seat which I should probably get in the next few weeks. I have looked at the mumsgone2aus website but think I will just buy one that will last a few years as by the time I have hired one I could have probably bought one anyway and at least it is mine to keep. Are you all settled over here now? How are you finding it? Danielle xx

I totally agree, same ****, another place!! It is easy as humans to get stuck in a rut, wherever we are as the novelty of new things soon wears off. Being here 18 months then returning to the UK for a short holiday has made me realise that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and in fact, I had a better quality of life there. Like Guvnor says, me and my husband were always out and about doing things, seeing friends and family, going to the pics or for a meal etc. We can do the same here like the pics and a meal, and go out with the friends we have made, but it is totally different. Not that we are pissheads, but we used to just enjoy maybe popping to the local pub, and seeing who was in there or wherever you went, you could guarantee that you would bump into someone you knew, and who knows what would come off that then. Not saying Australia is bad, but it is a totally different lifestyle, and culture and going back to the UK has made us realise exactly what we took for granted, including family and friends. I loved just being able to pop to someones house for a cup of tea, but here I feel like I have to arrange to get together with someone for a coffee, a week on Thursday...if you catch my drift. Oh well, it is an adventure and one I am glad my husband and I have done and not everyone can say that they have tried living elsewhere. Danielle x

Hi Karen, I agree with Emma. I know you haven't been here long, but it sounds like you definately know what you want. I know people say that you have to give it more time, and whilst this may be true for some people, it isn't the same for everyone, and if you are unhappy, then you will probably only spend more time here being unhappy. Plus, I think that sometimes when we make our mind up about something, it is then hard to see the positives in things that might not normally seem so bad. I think you should defintely do what makes you happy. I am sure in some ways it isn't an easy decision, as well as a cheap one!! Good luck with moving back, I don't think you will regret it when you are surrounded by your friends and family, and hopefully you will get another caravan on the Lakes!! Danielle x

Hi Chrisrich, Not sure about national insurance or pensions ar anything, but with regards to the mortgage/house deeds, I think that you will be able to as many names on it as you like. I can't see why it would be a problem, but they may just make you take life insurance for each person, just in the event that one of you dies and then the mortgage is usually paid off by the insurance company. Hope this help. Danielle

Hey Camilla, I am pregnant too (first time!) and I really wanted a moses basket, but it seems that here, they seem to be more called bassinets. These seem to be plastic things, covered in frilly material and usually on a stand that you can push around the house. I don't personally like them! they usually start at about $140+ brand new. I have checked out ebay, as I wanted a traditional wicker moses basket, just like what you had, but even on there they are very expensive. I did find a lovely website that has some gorgeous ones, but again they are so pricey and probably for the length of time that I would use it, it wouldn't be worth it. Here is the link if you want to have a nosy...and a shock!! http://www.bebelicious.com.au/ Good luck! Hope your move to Australia goes smoothly Danielle