Myself and my family are Very lonely in Geraldton have I made a mistake?

[alandeej]

I'm Mrs alandeej and I can, hand on my heart, say that we gave it a go, even lost our beloved cat who was 12 years old in Sydney quarantine. I know the company and the Kyle Minogue look-alike who told us a load of bull. At the end of the day it is up you and your family. Even Bilko is over here in UK looking for jobs.

[linpatmore]

Hi, I am curious after reading your thread, Are you stil in Geraldton. We are moving to Geraldton next month so I was hoping you could perhaps give advice on schools furnished apartments etc.

I would love to hear from you, hope you are having a Happy easter.

[Guest Julz]

If you feel deep down that you have made a huge mistake then go home as the feeling will not go away and you will start putting your health at risk with stressing over it.

 

There are plenty of us on here who gave it a go, I knew after 8 weeks we had made a mistake but stayed for 3 long years because of my husbands job. 2 years is a long time for your family if you are all unhappy.

 

Why not make some enquiries with your old company in UK, network with some people on LinkedIn, you have nothing to loose.

[Jacaranda]

Firstly I am sorry to hear its not working out the way you had imagined.However,when you decided to emigrate,you made that decision based on the information you had at the time,and your reasons for wanting to leave the UK.That is not a mistake.Please don't beat yourself up over it.Sounds like you are having a rough time at work,but can you leave it at the door of your workplace when you leave?I don't mean that in a nasty way either.Try and unwind whilst you are driving home,so when you do arrive home,you are in a reasonable mood for your OH and children.I would'nt discuss work related issued in front of the children either.Two years is a long time to be miserable,but if gaining PR at your current work place is totally important to you,then you will have to just accept that the situation you are now in is only temporary.I do wish you lots of luck and happiness for your future.xx

Edited April 1, 2013 by Jacaranda

[Garry808]

I can understand how you are feeling, myself husband and children now 8 and 15 came over on the RSMV in 2009, living in Margaret River. It has been pretty tough like you we sold our house and left pretty good jobs in the UK. to live the dream but things don't always work out as we plan, we are still unsure what we are doing do we cut our losses and return to the uK? I think having children makes a huge difference, all I can say it does take time and things do eventually settle down, we have found it's very much who you know in a small town that helps

[michelleshane]

just to let you no your not the only one in this situation, we have also been here 6 months ( nearly 7 ) we gave everything up in the uk for the chance at a better life here in oz my hubby was offered a job and this came with verbal promises that just didnt materialise when we arrived, we came on a 457 which has very tight Clauses, i did find work quite quickly which was good for our finances as they dwindled very quick once we got a car and put a deposit down on a property got our 15 year old son into school and payed those fee's so now we are living week to week off wages which is quite tuff as the cost of living here is not cheap as you no, but we have found it very difficult to settle find or make friends dont get me wrong the people we have met through work are nice enough but how long can you keep laffing off them mimicking your accent or shake that feeling that you are outsider, and 6 months down the line we think we already no that life here is not going to be any better than it was in the uk if not worse as we dont have family and friends around us, our elder son will be here in june for 12 months ( so sorry i talked him into it now ) so at this moment in time we are waiting for that and just going to see how things are then try and save what we can and go back to the uk with him, like you we have nothing there no home or jobs but our family is there and that is where we belong so if we have to start again from scratch then so be it, dont feel in anyway that you have let your family down as you haven't at that moment in time you were thinking and doing what you thought was right to improve your familys life but somtimes things just dont work out how you think they will, just like many of us you never new how it would turn out but if you didnt take up the offer you would have always been kicking yourself thinking you had given up a great opportunity, my personal advice ask your wife and kids what they want what would make them happy and if thats going home to the uk then go with it you can find a rental in the uk and get work to build yourself up again, because at this minute the way were feeling we no we would

[Garry808]

I think that if finances were not an issue for us we would be back on a plane a long time ago but as we

can become citzens the end of june so if we return to the uk at least the kids have the option to return then we can make plans to return but that also seems scarey i guess so much would have changed since we left the other thing is as my son turns 16 this year my concern is how he would get on back in the UK its so hadd to know what to for the best

[starlight7]

What you must realise is that Geraldton is not your average Aussie town- it is hot, isolated and just not the norm.

[Guest guest74886]

Just thought I would add a little aside to what has already been written in response to your dilemma, we are in Brisbane and after 8 years, yes 8 years, I can hardly believe it myself, we are leaving to semi retire in France, anyway that is a side show, what I wanted to say is that we got taken to the races at , wait for it, Bundaberg, where the rum factory is.

 

Now I know it's been flooded recently and we were there to contribute to the relief fund, but boy I thought if I was trapped here for anything longer than 12 hours then I might be seriously thinking what the hell have I got myself into, even by Brisbane standards I thought this is backward, men in orange and sky blue suits, no building that I saw higher than 3 storeys and a race course where the stands were a concrete slab with a giant tin shed on it.

I thought of you and the thought that popped into my head was that if Geraldton is the same, those poor people must be wondering if the plane actually got to Australia or did they get dropped of to some clandestine destination in Africa or the middle east.

 

Unfortunately no the plane did make it its just that its rural Australia, I realised some time ago that once you leave the 5 or so major cities here its like stepping back a very long time, I'll let you put the number of years in, that's why everybody snuggles up in the city suburbs pretending that they are actually somewhere else but unfortunately without any of the pluses of big city European life.

 

What does all that mean perhaps for you, no you're not imaging any of the feelings that you are having I can empathise with you even from over on the opposite side of the continent, unfortunately you are going to be faced with a stark choice, are there enough pluses about the country as a whole to out weigh all the heartache of making the move back, if the benefits of the country are enough then you will have to start and get yourselves jobs in the more cosmopolitan cities on the E coast, that's either Sydney or Melbourne, because I think if we had chosen either of these then it may have turned out different for us.

 

I think if you visited either of these and could see that it offers something better than where you are and have a goal of getting out to somewhere like that then you might be able to do the time in Geraldton that it takes to extricate yourself from where you are, but that will only work if you feel Australia offers something more than the UK, because I think that Aus only really works if what you know you'll return to is worse that here and the magic of Sydney or Melbourne has to be enough to get you thro the next 12-18 months.

 

There is a stark difference between rural and the big cities here and despite all the hype about all the cities here it is really just the aforementioned cities, the rest are really just big towns in terms of attitudes and aspirational values.

 

That's my opinion anyway for what it's worth after having been up close and personal to the people pulling the levers of power here.

 

Sorry you feel you have been suckered, it's not just you there are a whole lot of people experiencing the same thing, Australian business does not play by any rules because there are no rules they have to play by and no effective controls over them and no sanctions if they are found out so they manipulate the circumstances to suit themselves all the time and its the poor bloody immigrants that cop it every time here with no comeback on anyone here.

Edited April 11, 2013 by guest74886

[Guest orlaandjoe]

Hi there, myself and my family are living in Geraldton, feel free to message me, we would be very happy to meet you guys for a coffee. Our son is 8 too. We have been here a year already and I have to say we absolutely love it, but i understand it may not be for everyone..

[Mylady]

Hi All

 

I have been a member on this site for over 2 years I think... sorry to hear so many finding it hard to cope...we emigrated from Uk just over 2 years ago.. and to be honest the first couple of months is the hardest,we moved to a small town in WA,about 4000 people if that...due to hubby getting a job here,we literally were down to our last cents before he got the job..... the shock of living in a small town had us depressed and we thought we would give it 6mnths and find something else WE ACTUALLY HATED THIS TOWN AND HATED DRIVING INTO IT..... we had 4 kids when we left Uk and since then we had another one, OUR KIDS ARE 18,13,9,6 and a newborn..... Right to cut a long story short.....6 months later we bought a house on acreage and swimming pool etc,living the dream until I lost my job....due to a cut throat aussie and NEWSFLASH a woman from England who I thought was my friend.... so now we are back to scraping cents together to make ends meet..... I am getting hit with accounts from every direction....Would I go back NOOOOOOOOOOO...... Everything takes tym and going back has never been an option... When u live with 1 leg in England and 1 leg in Australia u will never live the dream.... Living the dream is not easy,finding friends is not easy.Dont expect to find true friends,for us adults it is really hard but for our kids they will grow with mates and form friendships that will last for years, As parents we emigrated for a better life for my kids and ourselves.DID WE FIND IT????? YES,IT just takes tym to establish it. u must bear in mind the friends we left behind are people that we have grew up with or spent years getting to know....U gotta do the same here, put the tym in...My best friend now is someone I cud of easily strangled a million tyms over for the first year but now we are best mates... Evrything takes tym....... Six months is tooo short to judge whether to go back or not.... Yes there are Aussies bullying Immigrants at work, just ask hubby he came close to teliing them to f off and stick their job up their A..... Now 2 years on he has erned the respect of some but there are still A-holes like anywhere elses..... this is the first country that I of where immigrants are racist towards immigrants, hell even the Prime Minister Julia Gilliard is an Immigrant...But did we not have issues with people in our home country,did we not have work problems or family problems,or problems with the weather etc,if everything was hunky dory no one wud consider emigrating....

To conclude Rome was not built in a day,dont expect to build a life in Australia in a day, it can be lonely,it can be isolating,it can be racist,it gets very hot,we had temp up to 46 deg this summer,not to mention the flies..... but give it tym and it will be rewarding.when hubby and I were working we built up our life pretty quick, now that I`m not working life is at a standstill,when I start work again we`ll be gud again... We have 5 kids and we are making ends meet,barely but they meet....Another thing is revolve ur life to start with, around ur family,we knew bugger all about fishing but decided to try it and now thats a new hobby thats taken over, we go on a fishing holiday up North once a year,to be honest coming here and relying on each other for support has made us stronger as a family.We sure miss our family back home but we dont feel as we did when we first arrived.the longing to go back is not there anymore... I guess the realisation that life goes on for everone we`ve left behind and that we were the only ones really whining made us get up and give life in Australia a real go........ AFTER MANY HEATED ARGUMENTS BETWEEN HUBBY AND I WE ARE NOW AT PEACE WITH OUR LIFE,WE LOVE COUNTRY LIVING AND GOING DOWN TO PERTH IS ACTUALLY REALLY STRESSFUL AND WE AVOID IT.... IT TOOK 2 YEARS TO FIND OUR PLACE HERE.... U HAVE ALL SPENT A LOT OF MONEY GETTING HERE,IT WONT BE CHEAP GOING BACK TO START AGAIN,AND LIFE IS JUST PASSING BY WE GET OLDER AS EACH DAY GOES................ To all those that are here on 457`s work towards ur permanent residence,a lot of ur problems and expenses and stress comes from having that visa,we chose not to accept a 457 and rather waited it out in England and came here with permanent residence ,makes life a lot easier. REMEMBER IT TOOK YEARS FOR U TO ESTABLISH A LIFE BACK IN ENGLAND,ITS GONNA BE THE SAME HERE,BUT ONCE UR WIFE FINDS A JOB AND U BOTH WORKING,U WILL FIND IT EASIER.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Mylady
spelling error

[Mylady]

Hi All

 

I have been a member on this site for over 2 years I think... sorry to hear so many finding it hard to cope...we emigrated from Uk just over 2 years ago.. and to be honest the first couple of months is the hardest,we moved to a small town in WA,about 4000 people if that...due to hubby getting a job here,we literally were down to our last cents before he got the job..... the shock of living in a small town had us depressed and we thought we would give it 6mnths and find something else..... we had 4 kids when we left Uk and since then we had another one..... Right to cut a long story short.....6 months later we bought a house on acreage and swimming pool etc,living the dream until I lost my job....due to a cut throat aussie and NEWSFLASH a woman from England who I thought was my friend.... so now we are back to scraping cents together to make ends meet..... I am getting hit with accounts from every direction....Would I go back NOOOOOOOOOOO...

[ghost]

Don't beat yourself up about making the wrong decision, you would never know if you hadn't given it a go. And whatever happens next wouldn't have happened had you not moved to geralton.

 

hope you can make it work.

[alandeej]

If you don't like it just go back, I have seen so many times on here give it 2 years etc; but I have found moving around you get a gut feeling more or less straight away and you know if you have made the right or wrong move. Many who have moved to Gero on a 457 visa are trapped there by said company conditions after promissing so much and delivering so little. If the company brought you to Australia they have to send you back if you request to go home, even if you sold up everything for Oz you can return and rebuild you life in Blighty. I certainly have no regrets returning home and with the summer just starting I can open the window without loads of flies coming in, not to mention cockroaches and spiders!

[Incata]

You can transfer your 457 to another employer and they don't have to be in the same state, you just have to find someone to take you on. My eldest (aged 4) was unhappy for the first couple of months but has now made friends and has settled. I found it quite lonely at first and have also not got work yet, and we have now been here 5 months.

I decided to try something I had never done before. I sent notes to some of his classmates mums (via his teacher) with my mobile number on and they then got in touch and we arranged play dates. Some of them were lonely too but said that they were too frightened of rejection to pick up the phone and invite another family over for play dates. It's easier now we have done it for 3 or 3 times, but the first time it is difficult. Have you considered trying this? It might help your kids if they knew they were going to have friends from school over for dinner, or to play/watch a DVD/go swimming at the weekend.

[Guest]

I feel very sad for you, to think you gave up a nice life in UK, but sadly in my experience, Australians do lie and bend the truth somewhat. I wouldn't trust one of them, but having said that, allot of Brits in Perth think they own the show and can be quite nasty people. I live up in the Sunshine Coast In Queensland and it's lovely. It's coastal and allot of pensioners here who don't have an agenda and are very nice to talk to, English and Aussies.

We have been here 23 years and started out in Perth and it made my Husband and I ill with the bullying and lies. I still get homesick now and will think about going home once we retire as the pension then is transportable.

You have to either try another State of think with a clear head on what you want your future to be. Yes you gave up everything to come here, but it's amazing how fast you will make it all back if you decide to go back. If you stay and stay and stay and let the years pass and you are still not happy, that's a waste. I think you know in your head and heart were you should be. Make a decision one way or the other and act on it and your sadness will life. Good luck

[Jin77]

Yes - but you can be nasty to a pom without being called a racist. That's an important distinction.

 

 

How about being called a curry Pom?

[Petals]

This post started in Jan this year, I am sure that the op has made up her/his own mind.

 

Keep on the topic

[ali]

I feel very sad for you, to think you gave up a nice life in UK, but sadly in my experience, Australians do lie and bend the truth somewhat. I wouldn't trust one of them, but having said that, allot of Brits in Perth think they own the show and can be quite nasty people. I live up in the Sunshine Coast In Queensland and it's lovely. It's coastal and allot of pensioners here who don't have an agenda and are very nice to talk to, English and Aussies.

We have been here 23 years and started out in Perth and it made my Husband and I ill with the bullying and lies. I still get homesick now and will think about going home once we retire as the pension then is transportable.

You have to either try another State of think with a clear head on what you want your future to be. Yes you gave up everything to come here, but it's amazing how fast you will make it all back if you decide to go back. If you stay and stay and stay and let the years pass and you are still not happy, that's a waste. I think you know in your head and heart were you should be. Make a decision one way or the other and act on it and your sadness will life. Good luck

 

Not only Aussie companies i'm afraid, I worked with a consultant psychiatrist in the UK who left after only a few months because they promises he'd been made at recruitment were never going to materialise. I think we fall into a trap when we're unhappy of attaching that blame of to the place.

 

To the OP as others have said, look at seeing if another company can take over your sponsorship - perhaps living closer to Perth or another state could be an option for you.

[starlight7]

To survive any length of time in Geraldton deserves a medal . The OP should pat themselves on the back and pour themselves a nice big drink of bubbly!