Second thoughts!

[peter bull]

Melbourne. You?

Small world, we were in Tod park yesterday too!

I wobble daily. My OH is 100% committed.

What makes you so determined?

Hi

 

Where of to Perth, my partner works with her family they run rossendale golf club, so she will find the move hard, she has grown up as a BRAT (army term) so she has lived all over the world so used to moving around a lot. Im hoping she will settle, here parents are looking forward to us going as they are nearly ready for retirement and hope to come and stay with us same goes for my parents we have always had it at back of our mind to make the move but never been financially stable to do it until now so fingers crossed it all work out.

 

Good luck in whar ever you decide and keep us posted

 

Pete, Martine & Kids

[Guest]

There are too few days like this.

I feel as if the kids and I have been stuck inside for months.

Everybody talks about a better quality of life for their kids on Oz.

I'm fed up of hearing myself talking about going and not taking the plunge.

If we don't we'll never know whether it was the wrong decision.

As a good friend said to me the other day 'life is long'!

 

 

I get the feeling it your second thoughts were fleeting and of course that is normal. We are moving in the other direction back to the UK and as the awful summer weather is starting to give way to Autumn I am having my moments of doubt. There is no one place that is 100% right and all you do do is decide which one is 'more right', very hard when you have only lived in one of them!

 

I don't know where in Australia you are heading, it's vast so that makes a huge difference but for us in Perth, we are stuck inside more of the year due to the weather than we ever were in Scotland - you can wrap up against the cold and wet but there is only so much undressing you can do against the heat and it's dangerous anyway, especially for young children. And then there are the dark nights all year round and the wind!

 

You say everyone talks about a better quality of life for the children but I just don't see that - it might be a slightly different way of life but 'better' is highly questionable. I simply cannot wait to be back in the UK and be able to take my son to see things he has only been able to learn about in books so far (for example a project on Castles, and a project on Eygpt when his topic was the Rossetta Stone) that to me is a 'better' eway of life - he's done some great learning about aboriginal culture but beyond that there is little history and culture here. For us the option to have private schooling has meant we have found the education system much better (& will be going private in the UK even though it is 5X as expensive and we never would have even thought about it before) but it seems on balance most people think the UK is better - in 'world rankings' the UK is ranked higher.

 

I used to think it was better to regret something I did than something I didn't do it but my philosophy on life has changed as a result of 4 tough years and I'm now going to live by if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

Whatever you do make sure you have a strong agreement with your OH what happens if one of you likes it and the other doesn't and also for the worst case scenario of your divorcing in Australia - too many people find out too late that once children are in Australia they cannot be brought back to the UK without both parents permission. There are too many sad, sad stories on here from people who thought it would never happen to them

 

You do live in a great part of the UK, my OH spent most of his childhood in Kendal, I miss mountains and lakes and forests with an intensity that almost hurts! When lived in the UK I took it so much for granted, but of course you can find mountains and lakes and forests in Australia just not in Perth!

[rossendale]

You're talkimg about returning before you have even left? I'd forget about it if i was you, total lack of commitment

Harsh but understand where you're coming from!

[rossendale]

You know the feeling you got when you woke up, the sun was shining, your hubby had the day off and you can go to the park.

 

Well when you live here you can have that every weekend but with free parking and uncrowded parks. You could even swap the park for a beach if you fancied a dip.

 

That definitely sounds like the idle we're aspiring for!

[Jacaranda]

Great post Jules!

[Guest Ptp113]

Harsh but understand where you're coming from!

 

"Cruel, but fair".

[rossendale]

Hi

 

Where of to Perth, my partner works with her family they run rossendale golf club, so she will find the move hard, she has grown up as a BRAT (army term) so she has lived all over the world so used to moving around a lot. Im hoping she will settle, here parents are looking forward to us going as they are nearly ready for retirement and hope to come and stay with us same goes for my parents we have always had it at back of our mind to make the move but never been financially stable to do it until now so fingers crossed it all work out.

 

Good luck in whar ever you decide and keep us posted

 

Pete, Martine & Kids

 

Good luck with it all.

It was tough today at work- not just because I'm working with hormonal teenagers!

I love my job but I know in my heart we have to leave so that the kids will have more chance to get work in the future.

It's ridiculous for graduates at the moment.

I know I'm thinking very far ahead but we want to settle the kids as young as possible.

[wolvesaussie]

That bit about the kids seems fair to me, if you decide as a couple to have/move kids to Australia, why should one of you then think its ok to take them away from their home to the other side of the world.... especiallly if they have never know another home. Imagine a one partner having an affair then thinking it was ok to run off to the UK with the kids to start a new life... leaving the cheated on one totally alone..

[peter bull]

Good luck with it all.

It was tough today at work- not just because I'm working with hormonal teenagers!

I love my job but I know in my heart we have to leave so that the kids will have more chance to get work in the future.

It's ridiculous for graduates at the moment.

I know I'm thinking very far ahead but we want to settle the kids as young as possible.

 

I know what you mean

 

our eldest leaves school this time so it's now or never, we're only going Perth because of the sponsorship so with all the bad posts we might end up over east ourselves, have you got our visa yet ?

[northshorepom]

I love my job but I know in my heart we have to leave so that the kids will have more chance to get work in the future.

It's ridiculous for graduates at the moment.

 

 

Please don't base your decision on what work/life opportunities may exist for your kids when they leave Uni. That's over 15 years away, a lot can change in 15 years. Actually, it *always* does

[wolvesaussie]

Thats true, when I moved to the UK in 1999 jobs were easy to get, I went to Swindon and I remember people saying they have virtually 0 unemployment... on the other hand i was struggling to get work staight out of uni in Australia

[woosam]

I get the feeling it your second thoughts were fleeting and of course that is normal. We are moving in the other direction back to the UK and as the awful summer weather is starting to give way to Autumn I am having my moments of doubt. There is no one place that is 100% right and all you do do is decide which one is 'more right', very hard when you have only lived in one of them!

 

I don't know where in Australia you are heading, it's vast so that makes a huge difference but for us in Perth, we are stuck inside more of the year due to the weather than we ever were in Scotland - you can wrap up against the cold and wet but there is only so much undressing you can do against the heat and it's dangerous anyway, especially for young children. And then there are the dark nights all year round and the wind!

 

You say everyone talks about a better quality of life for the children but I just don't see that - it might be a slightly different way of life but 'better' is highly questionable. I simply cannot wait to be back in the UK and be able to take my son to see things he has only been able to learn about in books so far (for example a project on Castles, and a project on Eygpt when his topic was the Rossetta Stone) that to me is a 'better' eway of life - he's done some great learning about aboriginal culture but beyond that there is little history and culture here. For us the option to have private schooling has meant we have found the education system much better (& will be going private in the UK even though it is 5X as expensive and we never would have even thought about it before) but it seems on balance most people think the UK is better - in 'world rankings' the UK is ranked higher.

 

I used to think it was better to regret something I did than something I didn't do it but my philosophy on life has changed as a result of 4 tough years and I'm now going to live by if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

Whatever you do make sure you have a strong agreement with your OH what happens if one of you likes it and the other doesn't and also for the worst case scenario of your divorcing in Australia - too many people find out too late that once children are in Australia they cannot be brought back to the UK without both parents permission. There are too many sad, sad stories on here from people who thought it would never happen to them

 

You do live in a great part of the UK, my OH spent most of his childhood in Kendal, I miss mountains and lakes and forests with an intensity that almost hurts! When lived in the UK I took it so much for granted, but of course you can find mountains and lakes and forests in Australia just not in Perth!

 

This is really interesting to read. We're coming out as a bit of an adventure on a 457 for 2yrs. Fully intend coming home but see it as a fab opportunity to experience something new. Haven't really considered the 'aint broke don't fix it' too much as if I did we wouldn't leave sunny Stockport. Although we're in Bramhall and Bramhall people always just say Cheshire and leave out the Stockport bit Kids in Great school and we live in a great village but with Manchester, the Peak District and The Lakes on our doorstep. Oh well! Renting out the house means we can come home after 6mths if we hate it, hopefully all the better for the experience.

[rossendale]

That bit about the kids seems fair to me, if you decide as a couple to have/move kids to Australia, why should one of you then think its ok to take them away from their home to the other side of the world.... especiallly if they have never know another home. Imagine a one partner having an affair then thinking it was ok to run off to the UK with the kids to start a new life... leaving the cheated on one totally alone..

 

??????

[rossendale]

Please don't base your decision on what work/life opportunities may exist for your kids when they leave Uni. That's over 15 years away, a lot can change in 15 years. Actually, it *always* does[/quote

 

Fair point!

[rossendale]

I know what you mean

 

our eldest leaves school this time so it's now or never, we're only going Perth because of the sponsorship so with all the bad posts we might end up over east ourselves, have you got our visa yet ?

 

Very early on in the process.

Wanted Down Under was so not what I wanted to hear tonight.

The decision is made though.

Let the move to Melbourne begin!

[Greggers68]

I have to say my last visit to Rawtenstall was about 3 years a go, unfortunately it was so depressing looking at the decline of the place since my childhood days. I have now lived in Butler North Perth for. 6 months and found it to be a lovely place, it's visually beautiful with the beach on our door step. My daughter is thriving out here and loves being outside all the time.

 

Rawtenstall or Australia - No contest in my opinion.

[Guest]

 

This is really interesting to read. We're coming out as a bit of an adventure on a 457 for 2yrs. Fully intend coming home but see it as a fab opportunity to experience something new. Haven't really considered the 'aint broke don't fix it' too much as if I did we wouldn't leave sunny Stockport. Although we're in Bramhall and Bramhall people always just say Cheshire and leave out the Stockport bit Kids in Great school and we live in a great village but with Manchester, the Peak District and The Lakes on our doorstep. Oh well! Renting out the house means we can come home after 6mths if we hate it, hopefully all the better for the experience.

A great attitude to have, I wish we'd come with the same mind set, it is a wonderful adventure and love it or hate it you can then decide what's next in your journey through life. Nothing is forever but when you migrate with the mindset that it is small irritants become magnified and start to crush you.

[VERYSTORMY]

Please don't base your decision on what work/life opportunities may exist for your kids when they leave Uni. That's over 15 years away, a lot can change in 15 years. Actually, it *always* does

 

Totaaly agree. It moves quickly. When i came here in 2008, lots of geologists were graduating and simply rocking up in Oz and walking into good work. Now, there is not only no chance of doing that, but a fair few australian geology grads are trying to get to the UK

[Guest Ptp113]

A great attitude to have, I wish we'd come with the same mind set, it is a wonderful adventure and love it or hate it you can then decide what's next in your journey through life. Nothing is forever but when you migrate with the mindset that it is small irritants become magnified and start to crush you.

 

WA does that to many poms. I'll never understand why anybody wants to be so isolated..........

[Paul1Perth]

I have to say my last visit to Rawtenstall was about 3 years a go, unfortunately it was so depressing looking at the decline of the place since my childhood days. I have now lived in Butler North Perth for. 6 months and found it to be a lovely place, it's visually beautiful with the beach on our door step. My daughter is thriving out here and loves being outside all the time.

 

Rawtenstall or Australia - No contest in my opinion.

 

Strange how you can get such conflicting replies in a couple of posts. One saying you can't go out as much here in the summer and you have to stay in 'cos of the heat and another saying how the daughter loves being outside all the time.

 

We've been here 21 years and never felt like we had to stay in because of the heat, even in the middle of summer. At the hottest parts of the summer this year it's still been nice at the beach.

 

Fair enough it feels a lot warmer when you get home, the temperature seems to go up 10 degrees just walking off the beach between the sand dunes to the car park.

 

To the poster who said they might change their mind because of the negative posts about Perth. I would check the posts from a lot of people who live here and see what the consensus is mate. For a lot of us there is no better place on Earth.

[gaz n family]

Why spend your days wondering, if only? As i have said before on here, i want to go to my grave at 110 at least, and be able tosay "wow, what a ride that was" life is not a dress rehearsal

I understand you having second thoughts with children involved, i am sure we all did/do. We live in SA and our only regret is we didn’t doit sooner.

 

If your kids have any interest in sports, this is the place to be (Australia). Our daughter is loving the opportunities presented to her in her chosen sports. Beach life isn’t that bad, for $200 you can get yourself a decent shade to put up, we never travel to the beach without one so we always have shade. you learn very quickly to live with the extreme sun, only 1 day in 2 years have we really had to think about our day due to the sun, it was 46 degrees and we were planning on going shopping (secretly i had booked a resturant and hotel for our anniversay but i had to tell her we were shopping to get her out of the house) , so instead we had an hour in the pool before taking her "shopping" then had a nice evening in our hotel with the air con turned to its coldest setting.

We even have relaxed somewhat about the spiders, when we first arrived we wouldn’tgo into a room without looking in first, never mind in the dark in bear feet. Now we don’t seem to care, but have occasionally had to step back out quickly andgrab the spray and broom!!!!

 

Honestly we have had some bumps on the way, but we didn’t come into thisblindly thinking the road is paved with gold and all our problems would be sorted. But expecting issues helped get over them.

 

I appreciate its expensive, again, you cannot take it with you when you havegone - plus you can always start again if it doesn’t work out.

We have our 2ndanniversary coming soon - the time we agreed we would sit down and look at whatwe have done and the decision to move and assess if we made the right decision.I don’t think we are going to bother as its already known what we are all goingto say. it hasn’t been easy but its been the right decision and we certainlyaren’t going back.

 

Good luck with the choice you make.

[gaz n family]

sorry, some reason it posted twice

[rossendale]

Why spend your days wondering, if only? As i have said before on here, i want to go to my grave at 110 at least, and be able tosay "wow, what a ride that was" life is not a dress rehearsal

I understand you having second thoughts with children involved, i am sure we all did/do. We live in SA and our only regret is we didn’t doit sooner.

 

If your kids have any interest in sports, this is the place to be (Australia). Our daughter is loving the opportunities presented to her in her chosen sports. Beach life isn’t that bad, for $200 you can get yourself a decent shade to put up, we never travel to the beach without one so we always have shade. you learn very quickly to live with the extreme sun, only 1 day in 2 years have we really had to think about our day due to the sun, it was 46 degrees and we were planning on going shopping (secretly i had booked a resturant and hotel for our anniversay but i had to tell her we were shopping to get her out of the house) , so instead we had an hour in the pool before taking her "shopping" then had a nice evening in our hotel with the air con turned to its coldest setting.

We even have relaxed somewhat about the spiders, when we first arrived we wouldn’tgo into a room without looking in first, never mind in the dark in bear feet. Now we don’t seem to care, but have occasionally had to step back out quickly andgrab the spray and broom!!!!

 

Honestly we have had some bumps on the way, but we didn’t come into thisblindly thinking the road is paved with gold and all our problems would be sorted. But expecting issues helped get over them.

 

I appreciate its expensive, again, you cannot take it with you when you havegone - plus you can always start again if it doesn’t work out.

We have our 2ndanniversary coming soon - the time we agreed we would sit down and look at whatwe have done and the decision to move and assess if we made the right decision.I don’t think we are going to bother as its already known what we are all goingto say. it hasn’t been easy but its been the right decision and we certainlyaren’t going back.

 

Good luck with the choice you make.

 

Thank yo for your perspective.When I'm having a wobble from now on I'll refer to your post!

This thread is brilliant. The feedback, both positive and negative is really constructive.

[Perthbum]

I have to say my last visit to Rawtenstall was about 3 years a go, unfortunately it was so depressing looking at the decline of the place since my childhood days. I have now lived in Butler North Perth for. 6 months and found it to be a lovely place, it's visually beautiful with the beach on our door step. My daughter is thriving out here and loves being outside all the time.

 

Rawtenstall or Australia - No contest in my opinion.

This it it, it is where you live in the UK, stratfrd or Perth....no contest, Stratford every time, I am sure your daughter would thrive in many places in the UK as do millions of kids.

[Perthbum]

WA does that to many poms. I'll never understand why anybody wants to be so isolated..........

If I lived next door to you I would want to be isolated.