DonnaC

Thanks for the comments and support everyone. Yes, Im looking forward to meeting others, through various groups etc as my son gets a bit older. I have put off going to mother and toddler groups as I wanted Harry to make sure hes vaccinated first, at least with his first set of vaccination (yes I am a neurotic first time mother) Yes Clarkson is lovely, lots of nice green areas around...but I think thats true of most suburbs. At the moment, there is a vast amount of work going on behind the house with the freeway expansion well underway, so not sure that I would want to buy where we are at the moment, although the owner of this house has offered us to buy this. Yes, the wildlife does seem to get the British interest spiked....and get the heart pumping. Im a paranoid pom with spiders etc, but yes weve not seen anything worthy of report.

I have to be honest, before I would have thought you were mad, but I have recently had a baby and have to be honest, as much as my family drive me around the twist, I have really missed them, especially the past few days. I have been very teary, and am planning a trip back to the UK in the next few weeks with my son. Looking forward to it and dreading it in equal measure. I know I have already missed out on so much, and see Facebook posts from friends that are 'in jokes' for our group.....and I know this was my decision, but cant help but feel left out. Looking forward to seeing family and friends, but worried it may make me want to go back. If I could move them all here life would be perfect. Good luck in making a decision, but def get your citizenship first.

For us def the reality is better than the expectations. We have been here 11 months today (Ive just put an update on here) and there is so much to do here. We have a lovely group of friends and regularly meet up either at the various beaches, parks, outdoor locations for BBQs and a few beers. Weve even bought a tin boat, and go out on the Swan River, or the kids within the group use the Kayaks!! its a brilliant life here, and doesnt have to cost a fortune to be entertained.

Have we really been here 11 months already?? How has that happened? The past 11 months have absolutely flown by....and have honestly made all of my dreams come true. The Australian dream was 12 years in the making for me. Travelled to Australia as a backpacker and completely fell in love with the place, the lifestyle and the people!! During the 12 years I met my current partner, have gone back to Uni to ensure I could obtain a visa and visited Australia to show the other half why I loved Australia so much. So, rewind to 1st October 2014, and we landed in Perth, and were picked up from the airport by one of Pauls school friends. We have been incredibly lucky, and stayed with them for the first few weeks. We secured jobs within a month of being here, and secured a rental a few weeks after that, and will be for some time, as we are down to one wage (not been here long enough to be entitled to maternity pay) but its a lovely 4x2 in a nice street in Clarkson, so cant complain. We have made a small circle of friends, but they have become so special to us, they are our family and friends rolled into one. And more importantly, I have become a mother, something that seemed to be an impossibility for us in the UK, but something that has happened straight away for us here. So, here we are, 1st September, 2015, the first day of spring, and as I write this the sun is beginning to peak through the clouds, my son is asleep and I am looking forward to an increase in the temperatures and feeling the hot sun on my skin, something that I avoided last year due to horrendous morning (all day) sickness!! Has the move been easy. Yes and No. There have been so many tears (mainly mine) and I cried as the plane took off down the runway at Heathrow airport. Family (nieces and nephews esp) have grown up and other family members have got older. My baby niece is no longer a baby. Shes walking, talking, and is a funny little girl....and Ive missed all of that. My nephew thinks that every plane/boat he sees is Aunty Donna coming home from Australia, and my grandads health has continued to deteriorate.....these are the hard things, the things you can NEVER prepare for, and will guarantee to pull at your heart strings...and make you feel utterly helpless. Have I missed Wales, no. Have I missed Family and Friends, more than I ever thought imaginable....I have been having a very teary few days. Have I ever considered going back to the UK to live - NO. Dont get me wrong, it would be easier in that I would have people to help with the baby, and I could have a huge part in the kids lives once again, but I know that the lifestyle here my son will have would far surpass anything we could give him in the UK, and seeing the posts on Facebook about the horrendous UK Summer when the Perth Winter was actually better does make that bitter pill alot easier to swallow. Do we find Australia expensive....it can be. I think its like the UK...if you go shopping in M&S then you do expect to pay more!! We have a few good local markets and I can do a weekly shop of fruit veg and meat for under $100. I do find that we spend over $200 if we go to Coles or Woolies...but thats about the same as I used to spend in the UK in Tesco. I am looking forward to Aldis and Lidls opening here in the near future. We have found that the wages here make it all relative anyway. Rent has been the biggest shock for us, coming from a small Welsh village where you can still buy a house for £60,000...our weekly rent here is more than our mortgage was in the UK. Our other big bug bear is petrol....prices can increase so much over night...it just doesnt make sense!! but again, still cheaper than the UK. We bought a lovely Kia 4x4 for about $7500, and its been fantastic. All the cars here seem to be big. We brought a minimal amount of shipping over, basically just photos, some cookbooks and things people had bought us, a mirror, and packed our winter coats, jumpers etc, but to be honest, I wish we hadnt bothered....weve not unpacked half the boxes or worn half the winter clothes. The coats have been washed and are still hanging up in one of the wardrobes. Something that was important to me when I was in the UK - Australian Wildlife.....Sorry to burst the bubble of all those scare mongers out there....but we havent seen any, which I am happy and sad about in equal measure. I would love to see some of the lizards etc that Australia has. We did see some wild Emus and have also seen some dolphins, and had a few stick insects (praying mantis), but thats about it. We did have a few redbacks outside when we moved into this house, but we had the outside sprayed ($100) and havent seen anything since. We did have a small spider in the laundry on Sunday, but it was nothing major....a bit of bug spray and it was dead. I plan to take my son back to the UK in a few weeks to meet his UK family and have very mixed feelings about it all. I will be doing the flight on my own with a baby who will be about 3 months old. Am looking forward to meeting up with loved ones, but dreading saying goodbye already...will be harder this time, as I know how devastating it will be for them all saying goodbye to my son. Sorry for the long, and probably quite random in places post, but I hope that this will help some people who are still in the UK and looking to make the move.

Good Morning All, Sorry for the delay in getting on here. I always said I would provide regular updates, and wouldnt be one of those people who was on here hounding people, then when I lived in Australia wouldnt have the time to get online to help others, but I have turned into that person!! Apologies!! So, I still cant quite believe I get to write that sentence.....I live in Australia!!! Its been 12 years coming for us. Is it everything we hoped it would be? Yes and No. In some ways its been a million times better than we could ever have imagined, and in others, its been the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life!! In a perfect world, we would had come over here years ago, been able to make the move during the mining boom and make ourselves a small fortune, but life is what it is. We both consider ourselves to be extremely lucky none the less. Within 4 weeks of being here we both started work, me in South Perth within the Commercial Insurance Industry (same as UK) other half as a labourer. Not something he planned to do, but they seem to like him at the company, hes given a list of jobs to do each day and left to his own devices, and they are giving him more responsibility and a pay rise, which is all positive, and he is enjoying. However, the initial outlay was expensive. Tools, work clothes, white card...all adds up, but are essential. A week later we secured ourselves a rental in Clarkson. Its a lovely street, we have done our first 6 month contract, and have just signed up for another 12 months as we arent in a financial situation to be able to buy a property for ourselves at the moment, or in fact any time within the near future. The reason why we arent in a financial situation.....we are also due to have our first baby in 6 weeks :wink: This is something we never thought would happen for us after 2 years of trying with no success in the UK. Is the timing ideal, of course its not, we will possibly be dropping down to one wage, but we will tighten our belts and batten down the hatches, but we wouldnt change it for the world. If everyone waited until they can afford kids no one would. But I am moving off topic!! Our beloved pooch arrived in Perth for us to collect from Quarantine on 27th Dec, and it was the best late Christmas present I have ever had. He loves it here, and the house does feel like home with him here. Have the last 8 months been easy. No. Hormones dont help, me at least, but I have found being away from friends, my sisters and my niece and nephew extremely hard. But we have made a very small group of friends, who have become like family. They have helped us out like you wouldnt believe. They have donated us furniture, their time, have helped us move furniture, organised BBQs in our honour when we first got here and for our birthdays, invite us to social gatherings to allow us to increase our group of friends and truly they do come to mean the world to you in a very short space of time. They have to, theres no one else here to rely on. Are we glad we made the move, most definitely. Do we think that we have done the right thing for our now expanding family, most definitely. I was always the one who was saying, ah lets just go, everything will be ok, but lining up job interviews from the UK helped loads, for me at least. If I can help anyone at all please let me know, but my advise would be to plan, save, and plan and save some more. If you are determined then you can do this. Things arent as easy as they used to be with regards to the job market, but if you want to work you will find a job. It may not be a perfect job, but it will pay your bills. Good luck to everyone still in the UK, whatever point of the visa you are at, keep plugging away at it a bit of a time. Sometimes it seems its never ending and you will never get here, but you will.

Great, thanks for the help guys.

Hi All, we are looking to book our flights for the end of September.....is it only Singapore Airlines that gives migrants the 50KGs of luggage on booking a one way ticket....and how do you go about getting that? Thanks Donna:wink:

Hi Stormy No I havent, but will do that now. thanks for the advice

Hi all Looking for some advice. We are looking to make the move in September. Have looked at various places to live, from Rockingham, to Clarkson, Butler, Quinns, Secret Harbour. Its me (aged 35) Paul (boyfriend aged 41) and our pooch (Bailey, English Springer, aged 8). We know one couple who live by Clarkson. Hoping to come over before the weather starts getting too hot so we can settle, get a rental, get a job, sort out all the good things!!! Any adivce, tips, jobs, dog parks etc would be grateful. Thanks in Advance Donna, Paul & Bailey xxx

This is something we would also be interested in looking into. house has been on the market a few months, and literally only one viewing. Its up for less than £70k including the furniture. Thought it would have been snapped up by now.

We have had a few friends that have offered to have him for us. even if they can only do a week or two each. We have had Baileys bloods tests results back as positive, so the antibodies are all active and doing the right things, so thats the worst bit done. We were told that would take a month, but its taken a week, so if we can keep shaving time off whatever else needs to be done I will be happy. Got the week off work this week, so sorting the house out, massive throwing out session this week.

I was the same. did my WHV and saw one while at work, and went to visit about 3 years ago, and saw one at a mates mams house, but shes out in the bush. I really wouldnt be afraid, and I to am also petrified of them. Am trying to convince my family that they arent there in the hope they come to visit. I always say its the aussies way of trying to keep the pommies out

So everyones been told, house etc on market, working on a weekly basis to reduce the amount of crap we have horded......but have completely overlooked when Bailey, our English Springer had to have his Rabies vaccines. Realised last week, and he had the jab on Sat, but we were hoping to all leave Aug/Sept. The reality now is that Paul and myself will go Aug/Sept as planned, with Bailey not getting to us until after christmas. So upset at myself for this oversight, and hating the thought of leaving him....and dont even know who Im going to leave him with if Im honest. We have contemplated travelling to Australia in our week off in June to activate our visas with the view to all then leave together in the new year. Cant really afford this! So gutted by this huge cloud hanging over us, and yes I know, no one to blame but myself. Anyone had to leave their fur babies?? any advice???

Great, thats really set my mind to rest thank you

Hi everyone I have my 190 visa, and looking to emigrate in Aug.....am currently working for a large insurance broker, who happens to have a branch in Australia, but this is in Sydney rather than Perth. Does anyone know what I would need to do to be able to work in Australia in the insurance industry. Thanks Donna

Thanks guys. Hopefully the house will sell quickly. We are pricing it for first time buyers. ideally we want to b gone by Aug, but our visas valid til oct

Finally everyone knows!! Stepson, Parents, my family, in laws, few close friends!! house goes on market this week, well next week, . reality has hit!!! OMG!! This is really happening. some days im BEYOND excited, others wondering what the hell we are doing!! Have had a phone interview with an employment agency. Worked out our savings, what we do/dont have and have started selling clothes etc on e bay or giving to charity shops, have a buyer for our caravan, hopefully!! We are both also on diets and back in the gym! Yikesssss:yes::yes::wacko::wacko::wacko::wacko::wacko::wacko:

we had our visa granted a few weeks back, and Baileys annual booster is now due. Its so scary and so much to think of. But really glad i came on here tonight and have seen that the Q has been reduced to 10 days. phew. its just a long hol really. but hoping that he will be ok on the flights. How much roughly does it cost to ship? Bailey is an English Springer. Thanks Donna

Hi flatpack yeah we are hoping to b august time decorate house before crimbo and get it on market and sell loads of the shite we have accumulated

Well I did think he should have told them sooner, but they made it very diff for his sister when she told them she was emigrating (shes since returned, and regrets it soooo much) but like I said to Paul, they wont spoil it for us. we dont see them enough for how they feel to make a diff (sounds harsh i know) and Im very stubborn, so will only do what I want to do anyway. my sister in law didnt have a party, which is something my niece wanted because it would upset her mam to much. i understand taking other peoples opinions on board, but not at the detriment to other family members.

its only been about 2-3 weeks, so i didnt think they were slow at all. i was told team 4, who i had, were slow, well if thats slow then who knows what the rest are like our biggest issue was that pauls medical was 'missing' for the best part of a week, then suddenly we get the e mail saying visa granted, when I was expecting an e mail saying Paul had to redo his medical. so chuffed. still cant believe it. now paul gets to tell his folks.....ha ha

We had our visa granted today so unbelievably chuffed. and for those of you who have heared that team 4 are really slow, thats who we had, and Im very pleased with their turn around time

we got a 190 visa. yes we to are off to WA. looking at Rockingham. where are you both off, and when? And to just make me feel like we are in Aus....we got a spider running loose here tonight

sounds obvious....but make sure you read the questions and the passages given to take the answers from. make sure you answer the questions, eg in numbers or words as requested on the sheet. with the listening, read the questions before the passage is read out so that you know what your looking for in the passage.

this is EXACTLY what happened to me!! I passed on my 3rd time. can be done, work hard, look online and get your revision in. Good luck...keep us posted. I never seemed to manage to get an 8 in the writing. grrrrr