Search the Community

I thought it was about time i got back on here, and add a missive! Sadly all my stories, and insights to the first few years of living in Australia has gone, well that is a shame, but move one I say. So whats happened? Well me and wife are due to celebrate our 1st year in our own home (we arrived in OZ Nov 2012). And still much to do, but funds as they are, we have done lots, to make our forever home. So why the Title? Well the one reason, like Barry Sheen, I hate the cold, and the long winters, and going to work in the dark and going home in the dark from Oct to May, and the recent snow did remind me of it, and just going though my photos taken in 2009 of my cars and road where we lived covered in snow, and saying to myself, "I do not miss the snow"! So some may ask, why are you living in Melbourne where you can have four seasons in one day? The answer is a compromise, MDW does not like the heat, and cannot cope if it goes over 25c. So living in the hills of Gembrook is ideal for us, as it tends to be 5c cooler than on the flats and CBD. So I hope to contribute more on here, as it has been a journey, and do I miss UK, some things like family and friends, but with the power of social media, most contact is taken care off, except for the human touch. Yes have visited back to the UK, and felt that everyone had moved on, and why we left the issues are still apparent, so do no regret the upheaval and the hard yards to be where we are, happy!

Ok - It's mid June - I'm wearing jeans and jumper with lots of layers underneath - still cold - have relented and put the central heating on. :sad:

Hi all, Does anyone else suffer from the dreaded affliction that is the COLD SORE? Did you cold sores get better or worse since moving to Australia? Do you have a magic cure for the dreaded things? I have just had the cold from hell, and the result is THREE cold sores. Two on the top lip and one on the bottom. I think its fair to say I am now fed up with them, they are ugly and they hurt. My Doc says they are caused by Sun, Sea and Stress. Well mine were caused by my horrid cold. I have used Zovirax (completely useless) I have an infra red light pen which I am told will help healing (can't notice any difference) and I dab them with aftershave (to dry them up) Is there any other 'cure' for them that I don't know about and will the sun make them better or worse. Thanks I will try anything (within reason) :biglaugh:

I hope someone can give me some advice. We have our flights booked for January and finally decided on Queensland. Hubbie still working here and kids still at school, house up for rent, packing well under way and everyone knows the plan. BUT...I have such a terrible feeling this is the wrong thing to do, I'm not sure if it's fear or panic or the fact that I will miss my family but I just don't know if I can do this. I can't eat and feel constantly ill. It is going to cost us soooo much money to do this and I am just not sure it is worth it. We have a nice life here, we have had to cut back in recent years but we are not in any sort of dire situation but I am terrified that starting all over again will be very hard on us, especially my husband. I just feel so sad and feel we have gotten ourselves into a mess. I know there are no guarantees but the tears just won't stop coming and I don't know how I am going to get on that plane. If anyone has gone through this can you let me know how it ended up for you. Thanks & sorry for going on, just desperate at the moment.

Seriously guys the day i fly out i will jump for joy.. think im having a bad day but i look out side and i can not wait to be on that plain..

What people normally have for their main xmas meal apart from the usual turkey? I just really don't fancy putting the oven on to cook a traditional turkey and all the trimmings in the heat. I'm thinking to do some sort of cold platter. Any nice ideas anyone?

I'm due to take the giant leap over to Brisbane on the 26th November! And now that it's pretty close the thought of it makes me pretty scared at times, then I think of the positives and I'm okay and I keep going back and fourth! Would anyone care to share their experiences of when they were about to leave! I'm 23 and realize that if I don't do this now I will never do it but at the same time I think of all the familiar things I'll leave behind! AHHHHH HELP!

So I was talking to my parents in law (who I dislike intensely) about the possibilities of returning to the UK, specifically Scotland, where I am from. Anyway I told them all about the things I miss and what I don't have here In the UK I have friends, family, fun, laughter, culture I like, snow, beautiful seasons etc etc In Australia I have a house, one friend (which has made a huge difference), a job and antidepressants (didn't mention the latter) I also have a daughter and a husband but they will be with me wherever I am. I spent a while explaining what Scotland is like and what I pine for and then he says "well it's just whether you like the heat or the cold then isn't it?" NO IT'S NOT! DID YOU HEAR NOTHING I WAS SAYING? THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE!!! The man has only been In Oz and NZ has never travelled anywhere else and clearly has no idea what I am talking about. Aaaagh:arghh: so frustrating Just getting that off my chest, there is probably no real point to my story.

I have noticed over the few years I have been on PIO that most people from the UK want to move to the warmer areas of Australia and our friends from the Sub Continent and hotter places tend to pick the cooler parts. So what does that tell us, its hard to live in the heat long term and hard to live in the cold long term. I am interested to know if anyone really thinks about how hot they like it for living every day, how humid, how cold is ok, what is too cold. I myself lived a good part of my childhood in Africa so was used to heat and my parents lived in the Kimberly so they were used to heat too. What happened though is that I now live in Temperate Climate, my Mum and Dad left the Kimberly when they retired and also moved to Temperate. Food for thought though as you go through the list of things you need to consider as a would be migrant.

Its cold here today 10.5 outside. Guess we will be getting plenty of snow this week up on the mountains. Ready for the long weekend. Start of the Ski season. I am feeling it this year as we were in most of last winter and we had lovely weather so jumpers, fire and central heating getting a work out.

I am just about at the point of accepting a job offer as a nurse with visa sponsorship and am totally torn as to wether it is the right thing to do, probably a good thing I am having these thoughts before starting the process and paying anything out, but I am really stuck on what decsion to make firstly i should probably tell you a bit about my background I am a nurse and live in Scotland with my hubby and 2 kids who are 9 and 7. We have no close family whatsoever, my parents are down in Yorkshire, hubby's parents are over in Cyprus, we have had no family support for the past 6 years since moving to Scotland. We don't own a home and rent a 2 bed flat which isn't ideal by any means with 2 growing kids of opposite sexes, but there is very little else to rent in this area and no prospects of buying anything in the near future. We had a bankruptcy 8 years ago and although it is spent and supposedly off the record it still impacts on our life and means that we have no chance of getting a decent mortgage (not that we have a deposit anyway) Saying that we live in a lovely town, my kids go to an excellent school and honestly I am settled here in many ways and I have lots of close friends here something i never seemed to have in all the other places in the UK we have lived. We moved up to Scotland with hubbys job but he was made redundant 2 years ago and i took over the role of breadwinner going back to working full time as a nurse, hubby has had no luck even securing part time work to bring in extra pennies but he does have his own business doing IT repairs, website design etc. It is by no means a lucrative business bringing in millions but he ticks over and it helps. I have done well in my career since going back to nursing after having 4 years working just casual bank shifts and a year ago i pretty much got my dream job and I love my work and I have aspirations of where i would like to take it in the future. Of all the slagging off the NHS gets I have to say that NHS Scotland is not a bad company to work for at all. So I would say that in no way are we living an excelent life here in the UK, don't own a home, we manage to get by every month and do have occasional treats, but generally we are happy, I have a great job and I hope that eventually we could get a break and start to have a bit more of a comforatble life. We have thought about moving to Oz on and off for a few years now, we are not expecting to suddenyl be rich or wealthy and have everything one could dream of but we would like to have an adventure, experience life in another country etc and it seems sensible to do it whilst the kids are young and we have no real ties here in the UK, but i still can't help having that feeling that it could all go terribly wrong. One of main worries is financial. We don't have a lot of money, we can scrape together the costs of moving over there but we would be going with practially no money behind us, just enough to survive really until the first pay check comes in. Hubby would try to establish his business again over in Oz i think as it would be most practical from a childcare point of view (as it is in the UK) but we would cross the bridge with him working/childcare etc once over there. I wold be working full time as a nurse and with my level of experience i would be on the top of the RN pay so i estimate approx 80K per year with shift allowances etc. I haven't been converting it to it's equivalent in GBP because i don't feel that appropriate as we will be earning and spending $. What i have been doing is trying to omapre percentage of wages for living costs eg. % of my wage we pay currently to rent here in the UK vs % of my wage to rent in Oz and for a less percentage we can get a bigger house, with a garden adn wher the kids can have a room of their own, nothing flash but that is all we require. As for food etc we will have to budget but we are used to that anyway, we already make meal lists, buy specials etc. My other worry is my job, as i said before i love the job i do at the moment, however i hav been through some pretty roughtimes in my career to get where i am now and have thought of packing it in on many occasions, due to bullying etc. I have finally managed to get a promotion to a band 6 on a fantastic ward, and I'm worried that I might hate nursing in Oz, might hate my new workplace and might never get back to the level i am at now and then i will regret the move. My hubby has suprised me a little in all of this. He has always been very laid back about it saying whatever he will go along with, he's happy to move if i am as he feels we have no prospects here in the UK, but I always had a bit of feeling he was not 100% behind the move and if it all went wrong then it would be my fault and could cause problems, however since telling him I am not sure i want to go through with it, he has come across as quite dissapointed. As you ca tell I am really torn here and there is no major pros or cons as to why i can se but something just hit me the other day and made me panic. Thanks for reading if you have got this far and i welcome any kind of advice or reassurance you can give me

my OH has started to get cold feet, we started the prosses in feb, got agent,sent TRA skills assesment passed, then applied to SA waiting they got doc on 18th april so should get news soon, agent has just sent us visa doc to check and fees request. i think he got a reality check, dont know what to do, dont want to spend all this money and not go. he realy wants to go but is worried that i will not likeit and our son will not like it, he pulled out of going about a year ago he had a company sponser on 457 but could not go through with it. so this is round 2 for me. why is it so hard for him:arghh: any advice would be great. pauline 37,david 38,callum 8

Hi there. I have received sponsorship from Melbourne and am just about to click apply on 176 visa application but am having serious cold feet. I have a feeling this is the wrong decision but at the same time afraid it's just nerves and don't want to not submit my application as will lose sponsorship(only valid for four months which is up nxt week) There is myself and my husband and two daughters 5 and nine months. We have both been talking about going back to oz when we met there 15yrs ago but more seriously in last four yrs. We have mire or less put our lives on hold for last four yrs planning. However I am seriously worried. I am a social worker and the salary in oz is alot less than I earn here. Here I can work parttime whereas over there I will be fulltime. I am very close to family, my did lives across the road and generally we have a good life. My husband runs his own business very successful but works way too much - the cause of alot of arguments. We are hoping that he will work less in oz when he gets set up again . But even writing it I am thinking are we fooling ourselves. Obviously if I earning less he will have to work more. I guess we are chasing the dream of more family time, more outdoor life but I am afraid we wIill be living in poverty and kids will be in childcare do much, is that a better quality if life whereas here I can mind them. We have had a tough few years in our marriage and several times have talked about separating. We are putting this down to not being happy here. Any advice from anyone before I click apply and possibly waste two grand or before I don't cluck apply and lose sponorship and maybe live with regret

Got abit of a plumbing issue so no hot water! and i'm considering jumping under the shower with just the cold water. it feels shocking on my hand haha, think i might die from shock or something under it. (i'm alittle scared lol) When was the last time any of you lot had a proper cold shower?

hmmm so having fried with intense heat for days on end here in WA ( or is that me personally ? ) i was wondering which you find more restrictive living with a hot climate or a cold ? :unsure: For me i find the heat ... worse i feel lethargic and feel it really clamps down on activities etc , i know its not for long but boy its hot ... i would love a few days of cool or drizzle etc :daydreaming: id love to walk the dog in the rain or just be out in cooler air..

I have just deactivated my Facebook account, it doesn't delete until after 14 days (without logging in, if I log in it activates again) so I need you lot on here to entertain me and keep me away from Facebook! I'm an addict so I'm trying to get off the drugs (Facebook).

The shippers came amonth ago , set sail on tuesday , finished work a week ago , sold all my remaining tools ,dogs been rehomed to really nice people ,one in wales ,one in portsmouth right by the sea , gave all remaining clothes ,including all winter wear to charity ,all plates kitchen utensils and everything gone . hotel booked at heathrow for saturday night ,flights booked for sunday morning ,two nights in kuala lumpar then on to brisbane .wednesday afternoon,transfered all our money to ANZ bank bar acouple of hundred pounds, dentists and wife gets a safe to fly certificate from the doctor then thursday morning .... awoken by strange noises coming from the ensuite ! 5am and the mrs b is sat in the shower 'i think my waters have broken ' so down to the hospital and after a lot of contractions at 4pm she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who despite being 41 days early weighed 5lb 6oz . he needed CPAP for 12 hours but is breathing fine now just abit of trouble feeding so got a tube in his stomach but he's in great hands at kettering general hospital and a big thanks to all the wonderful staff that assisted in his delivery and in the dependancy unit and my lovely wife .but what happens next ive no idea !kids ay !:unsure::rolleyes::spinny:

Hi all, I am feeling very confused about our impending move in Nov - I was expecting to feel some doubts - uprooting everything that was familiar, resigning from good jobs etc - but until now have been very happy to counter any of thesse with many, many positive reasons to be taking the plunge! But have just returned from a Fabulous week in Cornwall, with my family and my best bud & her lot. Feeling very melancholy and basically - sh**ting myself!! I am really panicking about can I actually do this - hated saying goodbye to her, and know there are loads more farewells to come! When I am sensible and rational, I know that 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' but when I add 'emotions' it completely scuppers my 'sensible' mindset and I am beginning to feel - 'what the hell am I doing!!!'. I suppose if I didn't have an element of this, then I would be being unrealistic, but just worried that I am ignoring warning signals? Did anyone else have these last minute crisis of confidence, in all that you have aspired and thrived for for over 18 months, or should I be reading more into these 'doubts'?? Opinions - greatly appreciated!! :wideeyed:

I've to say its a tad cool down here today!! please if there is a lord send me some warm sunny weather.... pretty please!!:wubclub:

Hi PIO, me my husband and daughter are emigrating to brisbane in less than 4 weeks, i'm seriously thinking of canceling the whole thing iv'e never been so nervous in my whole life, i keep thinking of my age (45) am i too old, i have a job to go to but OH has'nt, im a doing the right thing for my 13yr old daughter, iv'e alredy booked flights and iv'e also contacted cal for accommodation but i can't bring myself to book it with her (sorry cal) you hear of so many people coming back posting bad experiences all this makes me wake up in a cold sweat i can't even decide on which area to live in, i would love to hear some good news from anyone either going or better still there in brisbane even if it's just calling me a stupid bitch pull yourself together and go, thanks for letting me rant.:unsure::arghh::cry: Maryxx

feel a bit sick when i read your threads .O.H pulled out half way into visa.:wacko:i can understand as his mum is not well. but we do have two girls to think about.are we to late to start again as he is a joiner but has not done it for 2yr.:arghh:

Cold feet are appearing as I suddenly think, do I take the sofa or not (ikea variety)! Strange how small things suddenly bring it all too life. Spending money isnt my strong point. We are a family of four, young kids and thinking about moving out in december. 175 csl lodged april, wife has a job there and a 457 sponsor who wants to push ahead with that visa (I assume we can get it fairly quickly if necessary so hence waiting on 175 first). Moving to perth. I have to give up a well paid job in an insurance company (engineering background mind), but I reckon the uk financials will disappear over the next years (and my job) and so am taking the decision to go. If we stayed, i could get made redundant the next week and that wouldnt be good would it! I don’t expect to earn the same in oz, but see some more opps there to have a better life and maybe my own business. Wife is better paid in oz to offset a little. We don’t need to sell any homes or anything which is good. But the fact is, its an upheaval and costly excerise to get there (in the heat of summer), find a place to live, get a car, get kids in schools (so far all kindergardens in west perth seem full), get settled to a new job, fill out countless more forms no doubt, worry about tax and pensions, and start to worry about burning skin for the kids (counting on hats and long sleeves to be useful). And of course, should we take the sofa or get a new one, urgggh. What are we in for. Please, tell me its worth it folks and why...need some inspiration. Sure, in the depths of the uk winter when the traffic is clogged and the trains not working, its easy to feel inspired. But it is summer here now. If all feels a little self inflicted, since we could stay where we are. When you chat to people about oz they say "nice, but not my cup of tea" and you start to wonder why. The spiders, hot dusty weather..urgh, doubts start to appear from nowhere. Fact is we are easy going professional family folks who like to explore, try new stuff, (for example am I realistic in thinking we'll get to do stuff like sailing, or cycling? Or if we didn’t do it in the UK, we'll probably not do it in oz). The kids will hopefully have a better life, thats what its all about.

So, who can tell me how cold s.a really gets.Does it get cold in the summer evenings and how cold does it get in winter, both day and night.Is it worth buying oil filled or electric portable heaters to bring with us or are they cheap enough to buy in oz, Dawny

OMG just popped out to put the rubbish out and it's freezing! Nearly 10PM in Perth. Really chilly tonight..I hate winter- want those long hot nights back! Yes I was told how cold the nights can become and how the houses feel cold- well now I can safely say you were right! Please tell me it's an exceptionally cold night for the time of year-can't get too much colder -can it?? May have to invest in some more blankets........:shocked:

Hi all Would you suggest a recce trip to Oz or to come out cold? Thoughts please. My research is pointing me to Bendigo - is my hunch a good one? Deb:wub: