lauracoldwell

Aw thank you for the tips. We just spent new year down at Normanville and some time in Goolwa. I LOVE Hectors on the Wharf its such a cute little place. The hubby and his friend just had a surf lesson in Middleton. Iv got my eye on those lovely little beach huts for a break away. They look amazing. Lots of luck for your trip to Melbourne. I LOVE it there. I'm sure you'll have a blast. If you like cocktails check out 18o6..Its the best bar I have been to in a long time. xxxx

Ha ha It's Ok.. So we live in a northern suburb called Gawler which is like a small country town. Shops close at 9pm and 5pm on weekends. Theres a few pubs and places to eat but not a whole lot of stuff going on. I have a nice life there, go to the gym daily and its about a 45 min drive to the beach if i fancy a day there and 20 mins from the Barossa Valley which is beautiful. We chose to move there as rent is much cheaper than closer to the city or beaches. If I had the money I would live at Grange or Henley beach because its beautiful there. Only the day before yesterday, I was swimming in the ocean and a pod of dolphins swam past like 15 meters away from us. Suburbs to avoid are: Elizabeth, Kilkenny, Christies beach (these are all I have been told by ladies I work with, not by experience) The city is great, there are some amazing places to eat and drink... A favourite of mine is the botanical bar and casablabla (my friend introduced me to this) They also have a night market on a sunday and although I havent been yet I have heard it brilliant. I spend most of my spare time at the beach or in the Adelaide Hills, particularly Hahndorf which is a cute German town. I hope that helps a bit? x

Hello You'll get lots of really good information from this website. I used it lots in the stages of the AHPRA stuff. I also met some lovely people from here some I met up with. Its all very exciting for you.... Im glad you have found it helpful, and of course, if you want it you can make it happen. I know it seems daunting at the beginning but it gets easier and becomes more of a reality. xx

Thank you everyone. x

. Hey there, no special agent. We found the rental through real estate Australia and rent with ray white. Ultimately it's the landlords decision. I made a really good and extensive property portfolio abut me and mark and the dogs which I think helped a lot xx

Ahhhh CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I looked on your timeline but couldnt see anything. I hope that the house sale goes through for you, that would be brilliant. OOOhh canada would be amazing!!! Ill try and pop some piccies on for you now... Ill have to try work this computer. Work is a funny one, I started with NASA as a locum nurse but they have plenty of work. I worked in some horrific places and some really good ones. I made myself known and tried to work hard on shift. From there I made contacts accross Adelaide. How i struck it luck was, my current boss works in a service in Adelaide and I contacted him prior to leaving as he had a job advertised. I made a nursing portfolio and sent it to him and he invited me in for a chat. He made me a casula employee and then offered me a full time temp contract. I am now waiting for this to be made perm so we will see. The temp contract and casual is fairly stressful BUT worst case scenario...there are plenty of jobs as a locum through NASA. Ahhhh I am SO pleased for you, honestly, this is fabulous news. I cant wait to hear about your move xxxxx

Ahh fantastic..No matter where you live getting into the city is hard. I don’t know what traffic is like into Melbourne but, I used to commute to Leeds from Halifax and that was a nightmare. I work in the city now and have a one hour commute but I rarely hit traffic but that’s probably because I work predominately night shifts. The roads do seem much bigger here but they attack you for speeding big time. Aw you’re the same as us. We wanted to move to Brizvegas but the SS was quicker for S.A. In a way Im glad it worked out like that as house prices are cheaper here and it means we can save more for when we do eventually move to Brisbane. The lack of funds and security definitely gave me the motivation to get out and find a job. I think some people are under the impression that I fell into work and that’s not what happened. It wasn’t all sweetness and light looking for a job, infact It was really hard…. I spent countless hours emailing and calling around hospitals in S.A with countless knock backs. I am still only on a temp contract but I found it was best to work agency and get myself established and make contacts. If you work hard you will get recognized and I am now waiting for my temp contract to be moved to a perm one. I have the uppermost respect for you both and am well pleased for you!!!! Thank you for this that means a lot :wubclub: It was by no means a walk in the park for us. Without going into the in’s and outs of our personal life fully, Our marriage was tested to breaking point and it was really hard to get a balance right. We have a smaller house than we initially had in the UK (we lived in a static caravan for 18 months prior to moving in order to save). I miss my family like crazy and shortly after we arrived I had a phone call from my dad saying that my younger sister was in hospital and also my grandad had a heart attack and arrested. Now obviously this made me feel really guilty that I wasn’t there for my family and even in 5 short months we have been tested but, I do not see the point in foccusing on the bad things. Me and my husband have a better life we know where we want to be. My older sister is coming out in May and I now have the money and right lifestyle to be able to treat her to an amazing holiday in Queensland and that makes me really happy. Kevin, I am so glad that you have found something in this post that has helped, that’s all I wanted. I know how I felt and I would have loved to find a post that was positive before me and Mark left. I will not be on here much after this thread….I promised a few on here I would do an update and wanted to follow through on this. For anyone that would like some help or advice I am on facebook. I am happy to speak to anyone about worries or any concerns they might have. Good fortune comes around and influenced by our actions. Selfless acts have been proven to increase happiness… So here is my link (at the bottom of my post) and if you’d like to know anything you know where to reach me. To all of you perusing your dreams I hope that your life takes you where you want to go. I wish for you all what you wish for yourself. Thank you so much for all of your well wishes, it means so much to me. Ill leave you with this one to think about……. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau All my love, Laura. xxx pm - for Facebook link.

Thanks Bobj, Good to hear from you. I hope your well and still out catching some big ones! xxx

Hey Becky, My friend came on a PMV and is now living here very happy with her hubby. I hope time goes fast so that you can be reunited to your fella soon. All my wishes, Laura. xx

But complaining about cream and sausages isnt informative, thats what I'm getting at. Not the genuine posters who are giving reasons why it hasnt worked out. Anyway, I am only on here to give my experience and hopefully help people with the same anxieties as I had. IF I had listened to the majority on here i'd still be back in the UK saving to come over. I'm glad I trusted myself. x

I 100% agree and everyones story and journey is individual however, I am aiming what I am saying about people that complain and moan all the time and warn people off coming. I'm not saying people will land on their feet, Mark and me have been VERY lucky especially in the current economical climate.... BUT, if you are willing to take a shot and work hard your chances are much better than people that find the negatives about everything and who arent willing to give things a go.xx

No surfandsea dont give up. Take from here what you need to. I have to wonder though.... when I was at home I would see a lot of people posting from Australia "advising" and giving "warnings" to prospective migrants about the cost of things and how the Australians are racist and that Australia is boring and that there arent any pubs (you get my drift, im sure you have come accross the same). Since I arrived, I dont watch the TV, I am never on the internet and wouldnt have time to be posting negative things. I spend my time outside exploring this amazing, exciting and wonderful country with my friends both of whom are Australian and my English friend Laura who I have known for a long time. I have embraced the country and the people that live here and even when I miss home I make a conscious effort not to complain because I want people to know how lucky and privileged I feel to live here. Please don't get me wrong, there are some amazing people on PIO who live in Australia who post a lot but like me, they post positive things and factual things. I feel that the negative posters are probably keyboard warriors who it hasn't worked out for or maybe they have had a bad experience and feel bitter, maybe even jealous of others coming over who want to start a new life. Sadly I am learning that people who regret their decisions do not like people with a zest for an adventure of those bold enough to do what they are scared of. A lot of people will sit around (not only with regards to emigrating but in life) and wait for the exchange rate to go up or for something else to come along but really, I think its a shame because they are missing out on time here or even in anything they want to do in life. Life is short, embrace it, live your dreams. xxx

Hey Kev, Ah its good to hear that you have found something good from my post. I thought about not starting a thread on here but hearing this, I am glad I did. God favors the brave and sometimes you have to jump in feet first. Ha ha well, people called us stupid for not taking that much money over but in hindsight I am glad we didn't because the ponds disappeared quickly and it made sense just to jump in and start making and spending dollars. The lack of funds made me work harder for a job and it helped us settle quicker and establish ourselves. I listened to the negative things on here and it really made me doubt myself when I knew that moving here was the one thing I have never been more certain about, I even considered taking a rural job which would have been a total mistake. I find that people are very money orientated sometimes and thats what spurs on the negativity. At the end of the day Id be happy living in a tiny house with Mark, here in Australia than I would in a massive house at home. I tell you, It makes a difference when the sun is shining most days, especially on your attitude. I feel more spiritual here, more at peace and definitely more relaxed. I said I never wanted children but here I see families and they look like they are all having such fun with their kids on the beach. You will LOVE it. I see your headed to Victoria? What an amazing place. Melbourne is such a good city ( and I dont even like the city). When do you arrive? You are definitely doing the right thing, always follow your gut. I'm glad I did. You will have the time of your life and you'll be setting your family up for an amazing future. xx

Ahh Melza Its so good to hear from you.I hope your keeping well. I have to say thanks to you because your words were always so positive. When I was quite anxious you said some really encouraging things and I wont ever forget that.I LOVE SA and although I wont stay here forever there are some amazing things to see and do. Were really lucky, we live 10 mins away from the Barossa. Mark actually works at the Novotel there and really likes it. We live in a beautiful part of the world. xxx

Aww Hi Maruska, How are you? I hope things are going good for you? Have you got a moving date yet? Thank you so much. Thats really sweet of you to say. xx

Hi Everyone, I remember how nervous I was moving here and the thoughts I had going through my mind. I had a lot of anxieties around the lack of money me and Mark had and the fact that we didn’t have a job to come to. We also worried that we would run out of money and that we would have to come back to the UK. I have to say that, at times PIO was not helpful as people are often negative and you have to wonder if that’s because they are in Australia and are unhappy with the way their journey worked out, so they channel that towards other users of PIO. I saw several conversations where people moaned about the price of bread, the cream didn’t whip the same as cream in the UK and that you couldn’t buy cheap socks. I want to tell you my experience of Australia as moving here was the best thing I have ever done and even after 5 short months I can honestly say I would not move back the UK. When me and Mark arrived it was a rainy Tuesday afternoon. We felt pretty lost in the Airport, everything looked unfamiliar and it didn’t seem real. Luckily we had someone collect us from the airport and stayed with them until we got on our feet. Two days in and we had applied for our TFN’s, sorted out the bank accounts that we set up in the UK before we left and I had two job interviews lined up and an appointment at AHPRA to get my registration. Two weeks in and I had started at work and we had found somewhere to rent even with the two dogs. I had bought a car for $1400 and Mark spent his days applying for jobs. It was pretty tough at first and I was working about 70 hours a week just to build our cash up. We bought cheapy furniture from Ikea and furnished the house with bits we brought over from the UK. We got a TV on an Australian credit card to build up our credit for the future and we seemed pretty sorted. Mark then got a job working in a Bureau de change which was only casual but it brought in some money and that was fine. He thought about what he could train to do and considered university BUT then he fell lucky and got a job at a hotel as a manager despite having ZERO hospitality experience. We drove to Melbourne and collected the dogs which was brilliant. Our little one was really sick for a while I thought he was going to die which was pretty bad but after a trip to the vets and a few hundred $ later he was absolutely fine again. What I want to say is that yes, things are more expensive here BUT only if you compare them to the pound. We have never had so many savings. We arrived here with less than $8,000 (which some people on PIO told me would not be enough) and since then we have been away to the Great Ocean Road, booked and paid for a trip to Bali, a trip to Sydney and a trip to the Gold Coast. I have been away with my friend for a weekend to Melbourne at Christmas which was fantastic. We eat out once a week and we no longer live month to month with our pay. We have managed to save money and have a nice little amount in our savings. I remember reading a post on here that said if you earn less than 100K a year you will struggle. Me and Mark earn enough but not A LOT of money by Australian standards and we leave really well, granted, we don’t have kids so I can not comment on the cost of schooling ect. Nursing in the UK was pretty horrific I remember having 26 patients to one RN and now its considered a “bad day” if I have 5 because someone is off sick. I have perks such as salary sacrifice and the Super is great. I love my team, they have all been fantastic and helped me settle in really well. If you moan and groan and can’t take a joke and you judge books by their covers you will not get on well settling into a new country. If you work hard and REALLY want it, make the effort to get to know people you will be fine. I find my life is simpler and that I am more free. I love the country and I think if we have been blessed with the opportunity to live in this amazing place, moaning about it should not even come into play. I really think that positivity attracts positivity so please, those of you that really want to move…Don’t do what I did and scare yourselves reading the negative posts on here, read the positives, embrace the country for what it is. I promise if you come with the right attitude it will work out. I quoted the great Walt Disney in my last post and stand by that beautiful saying....."All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them" Lots of love, Laura xxx

Hi guys, just thought i would check in as I have a few mins whilst waiting for our flight. We have just spent 3 nights in HK (which I would recommend to anyone, though 3 nights is enough) and it has been fantastic. We are flying on to Adelaide at 23:35 HK time, were not nervous anymore we just cant wait to get there. I think everyone has general worries like what will people think of me and how will work be but I reckon these are more than normal. We have flown Cathay Pacific and the flight has been fine coming over, HK has offered us some strange experiences (shredded jellyfish, YUK) but the stop over has helped us to adjust and with Adelaide only being 90 mins in front we should have a head start getting over the dreaded jet lag. I was emailed today by a manager of a MH unit in Glenside offering me an interview and we have also spoken to quarrantine for the dogs and they have said the dogs are fine, just a bit quiet, but they have been cuddling up to each other for company. Melbourne have also now started to offer a FREE dog walking service for those who can't visit there pets. Golden arrow, the shippers have been nothing short of fantastic and the kennels where they are, are amazing. Anyways, I will check in when we have been in Australia for a bit. Lots of love, Laura. xx

Geraldine, Thank you so much. That is nice to hear :wubclub: xxx

Thank you Candy Girl, Best of luck to you and yours too. You dont have long left xxx

Hello Paul1Perth, We have booked a short trip in Hong Kong to try and reduce the jet lag, because lack of sleep turns me into an actual witch :mad: ha. My first day at work will be an induction and then I will have to wait for the final part of my AHPRA registration so I should get a couple of weeks off before proper work if the waiting times stay the same. We are so lucky to have some wonderful friends in Gawler who have said that we can stay with them for as long as we need them, but we dont want to take advantage of their kindness so we will probably stay for about 3 weeks (hopefully I will be able to bring in a weeks wage prior to us moving out). Thanks for the tip we are planning on buying some second hand bikes at first as we cant afford a car just yet but I am a keen cycler, however to get from gawler-city we will probably use public transport and have I read somewhere that you take your bike on buses? Mark doesnt have a job yet, he hasnt had the best response from employers but he isnt in skilled employment and who are they going to interview? Someone applying from the UK or someone applying from Australia who is readily avaliable. xx

Ha ha red rose Im from Halifax (40 mins away from Leeds). I do love Leeds and will miss it. You cant beat the North! xx

I hope so jodipodi, Always a worry wondering how youll get on with new work collegues. Its always daunting starting a new job and you ALWAYS imagine it to be worse than it actually is. Its great to hear about Adelaide from other people, Christies is where we are looking at renting. xx

Thanks Bobj, Your posts do make me laugh. xx

Hi Jodipodi, I started by travelling alot when I was 18 and 21 and I just fell in love with Australia, the people and the way of life. My mum worked in Afghan quite a bit and I became very independent. They say you can feel "homesick" for a country and this is how I felt about Australia, as I am sure most people on here do. I came home and decided it was time to make some decisions about my life and what I wanted to do so I applied to do a social work degree but didnt get in, however they were recruiting for nursing courses and asked me to do my RMN degree. I did my degree and met my husband Mark and we married a year later in 09. Uni was tough but I qualified in 2011 and secured my first job where I worked for a year and started the visa process in Jan 2012. We got our 189 visa in Jan 2013 and here we are. We are so excited, scared, nervous, happy and everything else but we can not wait to start our new life. We have had a few things happen over the past few onths such as my grandad passing and it made us realise how lucky we are. It also made me think about leaving my family but they will be with me and I will be with them in mind and spirit. I will keep PIO up to date on how it is when we arrive. I have a locum position in Adelaide and start the day after we land due to limited funds but also I feel getting into a routine ASAP will help us to settle quicker and be more effective. xxx