young2682 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Hi all, Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to this post, life gets in the way sometimes! Well where do I even start, we have been reflecting on our journey over the past year and wow what an adventure! One year ago, we left England to embark on the biggest adventure of our lives, the goodbyes were sad but ahead we had a sense of excitement and anticipation. I remember when we landed in Melbourne on the 5th September 2011 thinking - wow, we are really here! For the first 5 weeks we stayed in serviced apartments provided by my husbands company, it was right by the beach so we enjoyed that novelty! We then moved to a suburb near my husbands work called Berwick, we love it here, it is very family focused, only 40 mins from the CBD, 25 mins to the beach and 20 mins to the mountains, lots of bars, cafes, restaurants, parklands etc :-) The first few weeks were (we can look back and laugh) somewhat challenging, we managed to meet a few people and their generosity will never be forgotten, our first night in new rental we ate our first meal off a cardboard box and watched a tv the size of a laptop (with only 3 channels) that we borrowed from friends ha ha, but lets not be ungrateful, we were essentially starting again! The children have been our saving grace, whenever we felt down or like things werent going our way, we would look at them and see happy faces, enjoying playing in the fresh aussie air and things felt, I dont know, right I guess. The last year has been totally amazing, we have seen and done more things than in our entire lives in the UK, I guess looking back we didnt make as much effort so maybe that's our bad but a fresh start was what we needed! The best part of all is most of the things are readily available to us, within 30-45 min drive - we have Australian beauty on our doorstep, how lucky are we! Australia has more than exceeded my expectations, it is clean, vibrant, beautiful, the food is fresh and in abundance, the people are (mostly) friendly and cannot do enough for you! In fact I sometimes dread going some shops when I am in a hurry because they make such a fuss of you and conversations are plentiful! For those of you that like to complain about how 'expensive' Australia is, please remember these things - The roads are big, spacious and clean - yes the car tax is expensive but then look around you! You get tax back every year you work, that for us is a new novelty and what a bonus! You get super annuation (pension) if you are employed, between myself and my husband we get 19% pension paid by our companies. Food is more expensive yes, but it is fresher and lasts longer so you throw a lot less away, so is it more expensive in the long run? Outdoor life - pack a picnic, fill up your petrol tank and you have a cheap day out, anywhere you fancy, and unless you go to the city or somewhere very touristy, parking is FREE! All parks whether they be in the city, mountains or coast, there are bbqs everywhere, they are free and readily available to use, I love this! in the summer we drive to the beach pack a few sausages and rolls, let the kids play, enjoy a paddle or walk along the beach, have a drink and a hotdog and then go home, awesome! Trains are cheap as chips here, in fact on Sundays they are almost nothing so take a train into the city, walk along the yarra river, have a drink and cake and come home - cheap trip out! Petrol prices match the uk but dollar to pound therefore cheaper! The weather, well Melbourne is the state of all seasons but certainly the sun shines way more here which we love. In the right trade you get paid well here, both my husband and I earn 2.5 times our wages in England :-) I could go on and I know that everyones situations are different but these are our reasons as to why we want to live and bring up our children here :-) The things we miss about the UK - Obviously friends and family Bisto - we get this sent out!! Galaxy - we also get this sent! Clothing - I still shop online at Dorothy Perkins, Next and River Island who all ship to Oz but this works out because I shop in the seasonal sales! CURRY! But fortunately I have a husband that cooks an awesome curry, phew :-) We have so many exciting things to look forward to here most weekends, we spend more time together as a family and love the great outdoors, we work hard and play hard, our kids are the happiest I have seen them and hardly ever watch tv anymore :-) As a family moving to Australia there are hurdles you will come across and problems you will face, its not paradise but in my opinion close enough! Moving anywhere whether is be Australia or Scotland you will always have difficulties to face but you HAVE to put yourself out there, when we first moved here we got ourselves out there and met people and now have a great circle of friends. You have to make an effort to meet people and network yourself - especially if you have children, they are the best networking tool of all! I dont know why there is so much negativity on this forum, people are very quick to talk about the bad stuff but rarely take the time to talk about the good. So my advice to anyone thinking of moving to Australia, do your research, plan, network and enjoy! You only live once so take a chance! I am happy to try and help if anyone wants to know anything - anyway must go, off to the top of a sunny mountain for a free childrens fun day :jiggy: Thanks all, will update at 18 months xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Very good post and you have put the life in a nutshell. As you say you can go out and about for free and without their being a queue when you get there. I agree shopping on line has its advantages in Aus, because we have different seasons able to pick up all the sale items for our season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Great post, Glad its all falling into place for you... Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Yes, you do have to "put yourself out there" and reserved poms will struggle, really struggle. Make the changes and it works. Simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Yes, you do have to "put yourself out there" and reserved poms will struggle, really struggle. Make the changes and it works. Simple. I think this true, I am quite reserved and a non-drinker - which really means I am completely anonymous (invisible?) to most Australians. In the few years we have been here I have never formed a friendship with anyone Australian, they are almost like aliens to me. 'You get tax back every year you work, that for us is a new novelty and what a bonus!' - not sure that is true, I have got a fat bill every year apart from the first part year. Bearing in mind the Medicare levy and interest on any savings are not taxed at source, it seems inevitable to me that I will be charged more every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Great update. I hope you (and your family) continue to go from strength to strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bell123321 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 What a great read. Thank you for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Super update, warmed my heart to see a family that tried and got what they wanted. You seem the type not to let the little things get you down. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattD Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 What a great post, thanks for sharing! Very inspirational! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dufont Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 What a fantastic update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochie Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Here in Perth, you can buy Bisto from Woolworths - They have a very small "British" section that also has Birds custard powder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
young2682 Posted October 2, 2012 Author Share Posted October 2, 2012 Ha ha yes I know you can buy English stuff here but I am lucky to have a mother in law that sends me an assortment of bisto's, I am spoilt for choice! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Yeah,but,but,what about the sausages tho?!:biggrin:,glad your all settling in,happy days,and good post:wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W8ENN Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Great post!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellybr Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 We are like yourself, arrived a year ago on the 1st Sep. We have loved every minute of it and the kids are thriving. I do agree you have to put yourself out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mrsmop Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Thankyou for your post, it made me smile from begin to end and only made me more excited to make the move next year (hopefully) x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 I think this true, I am quite reserved and a non-drinker - which really means I am completely anonymous (invisible?) to most Australians. In the few years we have been here I have never formed a friendship with anyone Australian, they are almost like aliens to me. 'You get tax back every year you work, that for us is a new novelty and what a bonus!' - not sure that is true, I have got a fat bill every year apart from the first part year. Bearing in mind the Medicare levy and interest on any savings are not taxed at source, it seems inevitable to me that I will be charged more every year. You don't have to drink to get on with Aussies. Nobody in a pub/bar/restaurant/club will notice if you drink orange juice, or even water, which is provided free in any case. (I don't remember jugs of water and glasses being available in English pubs?) I suspect it is your own reserve which is rendering you 'invisible.' Try talking to 'them' in whichever social situation you are in - cafes, not pubs, for instance. Go to the same cafe every day and talk to the staff, to people around you. They won't bite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeboard1980 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Great post. Can I ask what you and your husband do for a living? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walvia Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Great post. Can I ask what you and your husband do for a living? It is in her signature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jatkins Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Great positivity! Great post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeboard1980 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 (edited) It is in her signature. Thanks. Normally I look at peoples signatures, but this time I was looking at her location below her avatar so I could work out where ther were talking about in Melbourne. Just goes to show I suppose that sometimes you don't see things right in front of you. Edited October 6, 2012 by wakeboard1980 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Just goes to show I suppose that sometimes you don't see things right in front of you. I have that problem every time I go for a pee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest26012 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Nice post! Lots of good points made! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valespark Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 Great update. BTW, I seem to recall that you can get Bisto granules from "treats from home" in the CBD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwife99 Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Fantastic read ...... we arrive in Melbourne 11th January myself, husband and 2 children aged 10 and 15 years. I am excited and scared all in one been .....been planning it for so long and the last hurdle was handing in my notice officially at work, and I have since become a tad emotional about leaving my job and the lovely people I work with. Family are already planning their dates to visit which is good. My 15 year old is slowly coming round to the idea which is a huge improvement as he has always refused to go! which adds stress to the whole situation but we are getting there! Looking forward to our new challenge with its ups and downs!! Keep on with the updates xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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