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Hi I'm at a point where I am not sure if I want to continue as an accountant, I have the qualifications but my heart isnt in it, I lost my baby brother last year and since I have felt like there's something missing I've tried marathons for charity, climbed mountains, feel like I've been to the moon and back to find something that makes me happier... I realised life is too short and to do the things that make you happy, this crappy office with the same crap everyday just aint helping! I only rent I have no husband, a job I can quit with a 1 month notice and I am 22... this is the only time in my life I can up and go... I'm petrified as there is so much to organise but i want to do a working visa in Australia, I don't care where, I don't care what work, I will do anything. I have a few mates to fall back on there, I have given my self a target to have gone by next May (2014) but if any one is in the same sort of situation or can help suggest a good place to start I would be really grateful.

Hi all, Firstly thank you to everyone on PIO for answering all my questions in the lead up to our big move. So we flew with Singapore and as everyone had said, they lived up to their fabulous reputation and we had a hassle free flight. We flew with our two children 3 and 4 and they were brilliant, I was very nervous flying with 2 kids as was worried theyd get bored and start getting difficult but I could not have been more wrong, they slept a large portion of the flight between Heathrow and Singapore, then we had about 3 hours at sin airport, then another night flight to Melbourne, they loved the choice to movies etc on the in flight entertainment and the staff were brilliant and frequently came over to ask if we needed anything, could not fault them. Our first 5 weeks was the hardest, we were staying in serviced apartments provided by my husbands company which was great but I struggled to keep the little ones entertained all day every day and obviously didnt know anyone! But the more I put myself out there the easier it got. Since we finally found a long term rental in Berwick our feet havent touched the ground, my husband cycles to Hallam every day so I have the car, he is doing really well in his job and is progressing quickly which is great. I have met a wonderful group of friends who have made me feel so welcome! There is barely a day that goes by where I dont have something planned. I have found that since I arrived the people here are really laid back and friendly and cannot do enough for you, the food is not as pricey as people say, you just have to be savvy about where you shop, I go to butchers for my meat and buy in bulk, I go to the markets for my fruit and veg, Aldi for some bits, coles for others but generally we find it very affordable. The roads are very big and confusing here, more so than the quiet little essex village that I was used to anyway! So Sat Nav was the first and best purchase we made when we arrived! It is now my best friend! Although I have been out without it recently so I am getting there! There is so much to see and do where we live, in Berwick we are 20/35 mins (depending on where you go) from the Dandenong Ranges which are spectactular, Olinda, Sassafras are my favourites, very quiant aussie villages right up in the hills, lots of places to have a cream tea or a famous aussie pie, you can also feed the wild parrots and cockatoos! 25 mins and we have the most beautiful coastline, if you go towards Carrum the sea is lovely and clear and beaches all really clean, most with parks for the kids and the infamous free bbq's! The first time we had a nice hot day we headed to Carrum beach and watching the kids running and splashing about with their little bodyboards made me realise why I moved here. 1 hour away we have Phillip Island where you can visit famous surf beaches, the grand prix circuits, the penquin parade and so on. Also an hour away is the Mornington Penisula which is equally beautiful, lots of lovely beaches, wineries, the famous hot springs, and spectacular scenery. Apart from the fact that it rains more than I thought in Melbourne lol, the weather is gorgeous and most days are spent outdoors at local parklands, gardens, lakes, hills or beaches. I can honestly say that we have done more here in 3 months than our whole lives in the UK!!The kids hardly watch tv anymore (their choice) and would rather be outside rain or sun! There are so many things to do here that dont cost anything so as long as you have fuel (which is cheaper here) and a picnic hamper you can go anywhere and do anything. Our move here has been very stressful but now we have a routine going with us and the kids and have exciting plans most weekends, we could not be happier, you cant sit about waiting for your life to start here, you have to get out and meet people, go places, explore. Australia is awesome in every way and I could not imagine living anywhere else in the world. Anyway, hope this has lifted a few spirits and given those that are unsure the encouragement to go for it, you only get one shot at happiness, we have found ours :-) I will report again in a few months! :cute:

I woke up this morning and it was another grey yucky day and it made me feel quite down! So, I got to thinking, does living in a country where you wake up and on the majority of days and the sky is blue when you wake up really make a difference to how you feel? :em3600::cool:

We have had a frantic few weeks, trying to sell/give away all our furniture and much of our other "junk". Finally we are nearly finished. The shippers came yesterday and packed up all the stuff we wanted shipped (well most of it, and some stuff we didn't want to take, but that was our fault for putting boxes in the wrong places!). Today we completed on the sale of our house and spent all morning cleaning so that it would look nice for the new family. Ben and OH came to the Travelodge on Wednesday night but I stayed on the sofa at home because I was having a bit of a meltdown and needed to work half the night; sorting and organising. Last night we collected Buddy (the dog) from our sitter for the last time - that was VERY emotional. We are going to miss her so very much, and she will miss Buddy. Then all four of us spent our first night ever together in the Travelodge. Bud shared our bed; taking up much more than his fair share, and only woke to lick Steve's face once and to bark at something at 6.30. Then we woke to deep snow and had to drive to our house to meet the Petair vet for Buddy's final health check, then despatched him and Ben to the in-laws for the morning. So, so, so tired and sore. Waiting for more snow tonight and the promise of a horrid drive to get Steve to work in Newbury tomorrow morning. I finished work last week. They were so very nice about my very short time there, but I really enjoyed the job and I think they liked me. We have our Christmas "do" on Monday. We are nearl there!!! I heard a runour about Christmas coming soon,but have done nothing about it.

This Article is on the Age web site and I agree with it. People in smaller communities are happier. " Bush folks 'happier than city slickers' Michelle Draper January 28, 2009 - 5:09PM Frustrated city dwellers longing for a quieter life are right to look with envy at all those sea and tree-changers. A new study shows living in country towns, where everyone knows everyone, is a happier existence than the hustle and bustle of city life. Australians who live in regional areas with fewer than 40,000 people have a higher sense of personal wellbeing than those living in cities, the study shows. It's also found that residents in the Campbelltown area of Sydney and Greater Dandenong in Melbourne, which have high numbers of recent migrants, have the lowest sense of wellbeing. The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index measures people's overall feeling of wellbeing through satisfaction with factors including health, relationships, safety, standard of living and community connection. The research shows that once the proportion of people in an area not born in Australia exceeds 40 per cent, wellbeing starts to fall. Deakin University Professor Bob Cummins, the author of the index, says wellbeing is related to a sense of community. "Anybody who's lived in a small country town knows ... that everybody says hello to everybody else," he told AAP. "You become very quickly connected to those communities." But he says areas with a high number of new Australians have lower levels of social connection. "This acts then to reduce the wellbeing of people in those areas," he says. "What this signals to government is that more resources are clearly required, not in terms of financial support ... but in terms of social interventions, about bringing people of different cultures together." He says policy makers need to direct more resources to these areas. The normal range in Australia for wellbeing, according to the index, is between 73.4 and 76.4, on a scale of 0 to 100. Greater Dandenong has a wellbeing rating of 71.5 while Campbelltown is lower, at 70.8. Glenelg, a region in south-west Victoria which includes the town of Portland, has the highest rating of 80.74. NSW rates lowest on the scale of all the Australian states and territories, while South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria are the highest. The latest index brought together the results of wellbeing surveys of about 35,000 people across Australia, between 2001 and 2008."

My Dad has been offered a job in his industry Which is Crane Mechanics and i also would like to go into this career so to my delight my dad spoke to his boss about it and his boss basically said 2 for the price of 1 even better. So i have a job for when we get out their as an apprentice which in england is very hard so i think it is going to be easier to settle now well wanted to tell everyone :spinny: