Positive Emigrating To Australia True Life Stories

[fairystar32]

We came 4.5 yrs ago and LOVE it here. We lost all our money in the UK selling our house in the downward market, so had to start again. WE now own again, due to a uncle dying sady, have just bought a half acre home and we just got a puppy :biggrin:

 

We have had ups and downs, health wise here and the UK. We would never return for good though, Australia is our home and we will become official Aussies on Sunday :yes:

I wish I could bring my sister here though but otherwse, it is our dream .......

[Peach]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the positive stories :wubclub:

[Kezzles]

In times of doubt this is a great thread to read, thanks its great to hear the positivity about moving settling in finding jobs etc!

Cheers x

[Amber Thomas]

hi

 

We've been in Brisbane 5yrs now. We LOVE it and would never move back to the UK. We've had our rocky times just as you would in the UK but the benefits outway it all.

 

it took hubby 7mths to find work and financially the first few years were hard but we've caught up now. We own our 4bed house, hubby has a stable job and I run my own pet mi ding business (I used to work in admin - yawn!).

 

We love the weather here, the parks and BBqs, the beach on our door step. My 3 boys settled in well they were young 2.5yrs and 5yrs so adapted easily, hubby settled straight away but it took me 2 yrs to feel at home. I never wanted to go back to the UK I just felt a bit lost, missed friends and family etc. Now I feel like Australia is home and I'm completely settled - all through the winter when we have gorgeous blue skies and warm 25c days I feel so lucky to be living here.

[dmjg]

Our immigration took over 7 years.............

 

way back in 2001 an Aussie met a pommie. But just to be different they met in America. Summer Camp is well know for chucking lots of young people together for an intense and short time. Everyone said it would be a short lived thing, it would never last. I kind of understood why that was said, but neither of us was the one night stand type.

 

I had an ancestry visa to the uk courtesy of my grandfather and landed in London on a very cold November morning. An ancestry visa is something not often seen so immigration was closed down for 5 minutes as everyone on shift was shown my visa and explained its purpose and limitations. If you were waiting in line that day and wondered why the queues took so long to get moving, I apologise on behalf of uk immigration.

 

i had to wait 3 months for the future oh to finish her US stint and spent it living with two mad Liverpudlians who had this absurd wanting for each other rather than me!

 

when she got back, we continued where we had left off. Three years in Northampton whilst she did her nursing degree; I taught in a dodgy 11-16 comprehensive in a neighbouring town. We married in an old church in Northampton on 20 aug, moved to Yorkshire on 25 th Aug, I started teaching in a new school on 1st sept and oh started on 10sept. In that time we had to get rid of my parents and grandparents back onto the plane to oz after the wedding. A busy two weeks!

 

the deal with the oh was that she needed about 3 years experience in nursing before we tried to give Australia a go. After these three years in Dewsbury a rug rat came along and we started to get the paperwork in. Her parents were supportive of a move to Australia until the day we told them the paperwork had been lodged. Her mother started dropping little comments on how bad an idea it was. These got louder and louder as each step was completed and passed on to them.

 

you're taking away our only grandson. I wanted my daughter to live next door for the rest of my life (yeah right), we'll never see you etc etc.

 

most times we visited them we were left sitting around waiting because another visitor had turned up and need to be seen first, or they were off to do jobs in town, or my favourite: the bi weekly haircut......the only benefit for me was that they had sky sports.

They rarely took the 15 minute drive to visit us.

 

 

The whole process of a spouse visa took about 4 months from go to whoa. We left the uk in aug 2009 and we were lucky enough to have my parents at this end. Within 2 weeks we had a little unit rented, a new car and a bunch of borrowed furniture as we waited for the container to arrive. The container turned up after an 8 week journey with a few things broken. Pickfords were great and had the claim sorted within a week. I had been anal cleaning everything and we had no extra charges from aussie customs.

 

I wish we had known about the extra luggage allowance from Singapore airlines but they were ok with the 25+ ish kg we had each on our 20kg ticket. The stewardesses were lovely and helpful with the 18 month old on both flights. He had his own seat, both for the extra luggage and so he didn't have to sit on our knees. We wouldn't have been able to handle 24 hours of that.

 

i had picked up a term 4 teaching job and oh had 2 nursing interviews lined up so she was working within 3 weeks whilst I had a month until mine started. Our $15,000 savings was ample for this time.

 

after a year we brought an old 70 s brick house with bizarre colour schemes, crappy kitchen , a horrible garden and a bright yellow painted granny flat. It's been the best buy we have ever had. Lots of hard work means the kitchen is replaced , the granny flat white and the house has a matching colour scheme that does not include bright blue and psychedelic purple. Most of the garden has been adapted to look after itself whilst a variety of veg gardens give me the opportunity to do my bit removing some wealth from the supermarkets.

 

Bunnings has become the only store I am prepared to enter without moaning to the wife that I am bored within the first 5 minutes.

 

The ohs parents come over for a few months at a time every year. They are now past asking the oh when she is coming 'home' as she claims home is now here, she couldn't handle returning to the uk except on short visits. She misses her family but has come to realise that when they are here they actually have time for her and the kids rather than always having something else to do as they did whenever we went to visit.

 

A word of warning to others, having visitors over is very difficult. They want to make the most of the cost of their airfares so come for a long time. They expect to be shown around and entertained. Whilst you are working, this is time consuming and amazingly expensive. We have to cater for an extra $100 per week just to have them stay. Over the course of a 2-3 month visit, this can make quite a large hole in a financial budget. I just send the oh out to do a few more hospital bank shifts, but its something that needs to be factored in when budgets are being made.

 

the first few visits by the PIL were hard work but we have now worked out a routine that seems to work fairly well. The first two times we (I) was fed up with them by the end and counting down the days until they left, but each visit has gotten easier and less fractious.

 

When entertaining the idea of people sharing your house I would recommend the following: DON'T!

 

They need their own space, which gives you your own space. Find a property with a granny flat, or make one out of the garage. Or do up an old caravan parked down the side.

 

They also need their own transport. If you can't beg, borrow or steal a vehicle for their use, some places hire them for about $20 per day if you have it for more than a month.

 

With a second rug rat now 2, the oh is going for Aussie citizenship on Monday! She hopes to get into the Mornington Australia Day ceremony.

 

We are organising a second trip back in a few years but plan that most of it will be spent over Christmas and new year in Scandinavia so the kids can see Santa, snow and reindeers pulling sleighs. I want to see the ice hotel and the northern lights. Then I want to leave, I am already getting cold shivers thinking how freezing I will be. We will only spend a week or so in the uk and use that time to catch up with a few friends and the ohs granny.

 

Australia is happily home now, how that will change in the future; only time will tell.........

Edited September 21, 2013 by dmjg
I think I got all the spelling mistakes

[Kat Man]

Moved out 2 1/2 weeks ago and loving it, based in a bundy hospital rental at the moment, looking at rentals by the coast.

 

Public transport isnt the best, but everyone is really friendly.

 

Been to the beach more in the past two weeks than I had in the previous two years!

[Guest The Pom Queen]

A huge thank you to everyone for keeping this thread alive with their positive moves Down Under

[foo]

I've really enjoyed reading these. Does anyone else have a story they'd be willing to share, please?

[SGHJLL]

Hi, we have moved to the Surf Coast, South of Melbourne.

Husband came over 3 months ago and the rest of us (me and 3 of our 4 girls) arrived 2 weeks ago.

After selling our house in the UK and still having a deficit we juggled with money to allow us to get to Australia. After some terribly unorthodox advice from the citizens advice bureau to just skip the country and leave our debts we set up a debt management plan with Step Change and we have a manageable payment scheme in the UK that we send money back for every month. They don't charge for this service and have been brilliant.

Hubby came out first to set up a job and rental etc and stayed with my uncle whilst doing so, rent free.

The rental side was difficult as they make you view the property before you can put your application in. Most viewings are during office hours. You apply and they let you know if they want you! Lucky enough we got accepted for both the rentals that we put in for immediately. I had prepared a folder of references etc and they didn't even look at it, didn't ask for bank statements, references or anything.

We chose between primary schools - one was a play led school but our daughters are quite studious and would prefer traditional teaching. Also we chose the one that ranked higher in the league tables.

We got the bank accounts sorted 2 hours after landing (I am highly organised)! The tax file number posed a problem as we got redirected online and the paperwork went astray in their system, bit of a hassle - we were told after that if we had gone into Centrelink they would have issued us one on the spot in the tax office part.

Setting up internet took only a week, very efficient with Telstra. Be prepared to spend some on this it is much dearer than UK.

School uniform is pricey so I brought over some summer dresses in the right colour from asda £2 each in the sale as opposed to $21.

Everyone has been sooooo friendly so far. I have met loads of mums through school and pre school groups and been invited to our first party already!

There seems to be a lot of groups of people from the UK that meet up regularly which is lovely.

The hubby is a carpenter and is finding work very sporadic, not knowing from one day to the next when he will have work and he is travelling quite a distance but he is getting to know the area very well now!!

Haven't seen any red backs or huntsmen yet!

We have found some things to be so much cheaper than UK - electrical goods mainly, printer for $29. Bikes for the kids were crazy cheap from target.

Food is quite comparable in my estimation as long as you don't buy out of season fruit etc.

The houses here are so interesting to look around, they are so different to each other, such variations.

Very much enjoying it so far.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Hi, we have moved to the Surf Coast, South of Melbourne.

Husband came over 3 months ago and the rest of us (me and 3 of our 4 girls) arrived 2 weeks ago.

After selling our house in the UK and still having a deficit we juggled with money to allow us to get to Australia. After some terribly unorthodox advice from the citizens advice bureau to just skip the country and leave our debts we set up a debt management plan with Step Change and we have a manageable payment scheme in the UK that we send money back for every month. They don't charge for this service and have been brilliant.

Hubby came out first to set up a job and rental etc and stayed with my uncle whilst doing so, rent free.

The rental side was difficult as they make you view the property before you can put your application in. Most viewings are during office hours. You apply and they let you know if they want you! Lucky enough we got accepted for both the rentals that we put in for immediately. I had prepared a folder of references etc and they didn't even look at it, didn't ask for bank statements, references or anything.

We chose between primary schools - one was a play led school but our daughters are quite studious and would prefer traditional teaching. Also we chose the one that ranked higher in the league tables.

We got the bank accounts sorted 2 hours after landing (I am highly organised)! The tax file number posed a problem as we got redirected online and the paperwork went astray in their system, bit of a hassle - we were told after that if we had gone into Centrelink they would have issued us one on the spot in the tax office part.

Setting up internet took only a week, very efficient with Telstra. Be prepared to spend some on this it is much dearer than UK.

School uniform is pricey so I brought over some summer dresses in the right colour from asda £2 each in the sale as opposed to $21.

Everyone has been sooooo friendly so far. I have met loads of mums through school and pre school groups and been invited to our first party already!

There seems to be a lot of groups of people from the UK that meet up regularly which is lovely.

The hubby is a carpenter and is finding work very sporadic, not knowing from one day to the next when he will have work and he is travelling quite a distance but he is getting to know the area very well now!!

Haven't seen any red backs or huntsmen yet!

We have found some things to be so much cheaper than UK - electrical goods mainly, printer for $29. Bikes for the kids were crazy cheap from target.

Food is quite comparable in my estimation as long as you don't buy out of season fruit etc.

The houses here are so interesting to look around, they are so different to each other, such variations.

Very much enjoying it so far.

Thanks for sharing Hun. :notworthy:

[roborac]

We have been here for 31 years now , left Uk with not a great amount of money, lucky to be able to stay with my husbands brother and his wife for a few weeks . we arrived on a Wednesday , OH got a job on the Friday , looked at a house on the Sunday and put an offer in , and got our girls 13 and 15 into school on the Monday I think we were really jet lagged ,but everything turned out ok Six weeks later moved into our house which we still live in Our daughters have done really well , have good jobs ,we have 5 grand children and are so pleased we made the move So lucky that none of us were ever homesick, just feel so privileged we had this chance in life Mags

[MWJ]

What a fantastic thread thank you!! We (wife plus 3 month old twins and 3yr old) are having a wobble at the minute. Guaranteed job until 60 in the ADF but pay same as Uk and unable to predict post 60 what our pension income will be but the kids will still only be 15! Living on 110$k will be hard if not impossible in Bris and there are do many negative stories on here and so many MBTUK that it makes you wonder when your life in Uk is not bad. This thread picked me up and reminded me why I applied in the first place. Thanks again, M

[themaccas]

I moved out here in June 2012 followed by our children in August 2012 then hubby 2012. We have never been risk takers, always played things safe but hubby was in the RAF for 29 years so we were used to moving every 2 years to new towns/cities starting new schools and jobs so emigration was a thought from about 2008 when I qualified as a midwife. We put it aside for a few years as life was good in the UK and kids were settled and we bought a lovely house in Cambridge. Then...I had some 'me' time in 2011 (from my lovely husband that lasted just three weeks lol) but I came out to Aus to visit friends in Melbourne and Sydney. Whilst here I visited a few hospitals, by thought hmmmm maybe we would come here and live, I had a great time. Back home I discussed it with hubby, and OMG....it was like a perfect storm, everything slotted into place!! I looked discovered NSW Health were going to be in London interviewing nurses and midwives for sponsorship at the same time we had already booked a London break, submitted my CV, was interviewed and offered a job at just where I wanted us to go, my AHPRA registration was approved in just 6 weeks, our PR visa took just 3 weeks to be approved, the hospital I was going to contacted me and asked me if they could interview me for a manager post which I was then successful in getting, hubby was medically discharged from the RAF on a full medical pension (tax free too) our eldest graduated from uni and decided to come with us, we sold our house (lost a LOT of money but still had equity to come to Aus with).

We are now living in our rental in Sydney been here since July 2012 and hopefully we will buy a home in 12 months time after we have saved a bit more. Hubby landed a fantastic job 3 months ago and I was promoted again in June this year. Our eldest got a job in North Sydney using his degree qualification and moved out 4 months ago, our other two children are loving it here and joining in everything thats going on. We have season tickets to Aussie Rules Footy and for the Sydney Opera House, we have travelled so much since being here and we have found most aussies lovely, welcoming and friendly. On my first day at work I was given a little pack by the midwives at work, it consisted of English tea, lamingtons, vegimite, bottle of shiraz and a Boags beer and some aussie flags. I love the pom/aussie banter and have a lot of fun with everyone about it. Financially we are better off than we have ever been sometimes we look at each other and can not believe how good things have worked out for us. Outside of work I run with a running group and we have all become really good friends, hubby has joined the BushWalkers search and Rescue team and we are determined to integrate and not live an 'expat' life. That's not to say we have not had our challenges, emigrating takes enormous resources, mentally, emotionally and financially. So the negatives....well my mum has become seriously ill and I am going back to visit her next May but may need to bring the flight forward. I miss not being able to jump in the car and drive to see her. I miss my friends very much too and whilst the wages we earn are nothing like we could have got in the UK, everything is so expensive in comparison (except petrol). However, this is our life and we are NOT moving back, we are so pleased to have made the move, so happy we took a risk. We are looking forward to getting our citizenship and hopefully buying a house but not looking forward to the huge mortgage that will come with it here in Sydney!!

I have loved reading all the stories.

[Guest Ptp113]

I moved out here in June 2012 followed by our children in August 2012 then hubby 2012. We have never been risk takers, always played things safe but hubby was in the RAF for 29 years so we were used to moving every 2 years to new towns/cities starting new schools and jobs so emigration was a thought from about 2008 when I qualified as a midwife. We put it aside for a few years as life was good in the UK and kids were settled and we bought a lovely house in Cambridge. Then...I had some 'me' time in 2011 (from my lovely husband that lasted just three weeks lol) but I came out to Aus to visit friends in Melbourne and Sydney. Whilst here I visited a few hospitals, by thought hmmmm maybe we would come here and live, I had a great time. Back home I discussed it with hubby, and OMG....it was like a perfect storm, everything slotted into place!! I looked discovered NSW Health were going to be in London interviewing nurses and midwives for sponsorship at the same time we had already booked a London break, submitted my CV, was interviewed and offered a job at just where I wanted us to go, my AHPRA registration was approved in just 6 weeks, our PR visa took just 3 weeks to be approved, the hospital I was going to contacted me and asked me if they could interview me for a manager post which I was then successful in getting, hubby was medically discharged from the RAF on a full medical pension (tax free too) our eldest graduated from uni and decided to come with us, we sold our house (lost a LOT of money but still had equity to come to Aus with).

We are now living in our rental in Sydney been here since July 2012 and hopefully we will buy a home in 12 months time after we have saved a bit more. Hubby landed a fantastic job 3 months ago and I was promoted again in June this year. Our eldest got a job in North Sydney using his degree qualification and moved out 4 months ago, our other two children are loving it here and joining in everything thats going on. We have season tickets to Aussie Rules Footy and for the Sydney Opera House, we have travelled so much since being here and we have found most aussies lovely, welcoming and friendly. On my first day at work I was given a little pack by the midwives at work, it consisted of English tea, lamingtons, vegimite, bottle of shiraz and a Boags beer and some aussie flags. I love the pom/aussie banter and have a lot of fun with everyone about it. Financially we are better off than we have ever been sometimes we look at each other and can not believe how good things have worked out for us. Outside of work I run with a running group and we have all become really good friends, hubby has joined the BushWalkers search and Rescue team and we are determined to integrate and not live an 'expat' life. That's not to say we have not had our challenges, emigrating takes enormous resources, mentally, emotionally and financially. So the negatives....well my mum has become seriously ill and I am going back to visit her next May but may need to bring the flight forward. I miss not being able to jump in the car and drive to see her. I miss my friends very much too and whilst the wages we earn are nothing like we could have got in the UK, everything is so expensive in comparison (except petrol). However, this is our life and we are NOT moving back, we are so pleased to have made the move, so happy we took a risk. We are looking forward to getting our citizenship and hopefully buying a house but not looking forward to the huge mortgage that will come with it here in Sydney!!

I have loved reading all the stories.

 

You have season tickets to the Swans???????????????

[themaccas]

We do!!!! Family season ticket holders :-)

[Tulip]

I've lived here for almost five months and love it. It's different, totally different, and very...surreal. The food is awesome, lots of Asian places to eat at, lots of fresh food. No ready meals. Lots to do, too; beaches, theme parks, wildlife places, even just taking a walk because it's always sunny (or stormy) and it's very clean. I can't see us moving any time soon.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Just bumping this as the positive stories can sometimes get lost.

[rink]

"like" "like" "like"

[Londongal76]

Clean, you're so right about everywhere being clean. Makes such a change from the streets here.

[Mullso]

My wife put this together - for all you who feel its hard, its not going to work, why did we do it ??? All the questions we asked ourselves when we first arrived - its not easy / its not living the so called dream -its hard work / team work and time .... sorry its a bit long

 

The first six months were the toughest. Missing family and friends was hard. It was the oddest things that were missed too, the familiar face at the post office, the crisp winter mornings, the seasons being in the right place, the ability to pick up the phone and share a moment in the same time, the list was endless. Arriving just before Christmas was tough too, it’s the strangest of things to be putting up a Christmas tree in 30 degree heat, mind you we are blessed that Melbourne is exceptionally seasonal, like the UK, and it is more normal for Christmas Day to be spent under grey as opposed to blue skies. I believe that I was the only person in Oz to pray for grey skies. The usual build up didn’t seem to happen, the TV was full of adverts for summer furniture, beach babes in Santa hats and Status Quo playing Christmas tunes in the major supermarket (Coles) adverts. It was a massive shock to the system, Then the unexpected happened, our oldest son (5) asked me how it was going to be possible that Santa would slide down a chimney in a house with no chimney, how he would land his sleigh, without snow and finally why it was that we were not seeing Herbie his mate and Nana as he usually does. It was then that I realised the enormity of what we had taken on and in such a short period of time. These are the things you just don’t think about.

 

The rehoming of our dog (some of you may remember that story) was a massive setback for us as a family and at the time totally put a downer on us being over here. A year on we have adjusted to life without her. Never a day goes by when we don’t think of her and I am pleased to say that we have had updates to show us that she is doing really well, with long walks on the beach with her new family and the one on one attention she really needed.

 

We were made all the more aware of how far away we were from you all, by father having an operation in December there is no worse feeling than being so far away when someone is going through illness or unhappiness. Phones, Skype and letters bridge a gap but nothing can beat being there in person for someone. I am pleased to say that a year later things are looking much more positive on the health front there.

 

It was as hard was not being there when my OH big sister opened her business, watch out she is going to take over Aberdeen next. It is a lovely tea shop that supports local craft and community and is a credit to her and her husband whom quit his job to run the café with her… a real family business. It was hard not to be there in person to support her both at the opening and then at the one year anniversary.

 

That being said, a year and a half later, things are quite different, Son no 1 is happily settled into School Son no 2 is practically bashing the kinder door down to start) Son No 3 is walking , talking and generally getting into mischief. I still miss family and friends and I miss the familiar feel of the UK. I feel more settled than I have done and I feel that the future is not as bleak as it felt that last Christmas. Completing a full year, living the seasons (albeit in my opinion still the wrong way around!) has been a massive help. As with the UK spring and Autumn are my favourite not only for the fact that they are the most interesting naturally but for the added reason that these are the months that I feel almost at parallel to you all in the UK, the temperature is pretty similar and come Autumn we become aligned in time frame too, at least we are on the same day when we speak.

 

We have also started exploring our new environment, in January 2013 we took a trip to Phillip Island for OHs birthday, we saw the penguin parade, and although the little ones fell asleep, No. 1 son managed to stay awake to see them all patter up the beach as sun fell. It was a magical experience. To add to this we have visited all our local sanctuaries and Zoos, all of which we are member of now. Weather permitting the weekend involves packing up a picnic and venturing out to one of the zoos or into the country. Yes indeed we have overcome our overwhelming fear of snakes, spiders and most other Australian wildlife that would most likely kill you! I have, finally, after 12 months finally taken down, from my fridge, the spider identification chart!

 

In February 2013, I became an Aunt to my beautiful niece, another milestone that made me particularly long for home.

Our first spring and summer was spent getting out and about as much as possible, exploring our local area. Enjoying the increased time we had as a family at weekends, all the things we had hoped to enjoy before we arrived, the beach being the best and favourite one of the boys. It has taken some time to convince all the boys that great whites are not generally found in the bay however other species have been known to sneak in! I have not heard of one walking up the beach yet, which if you had seen Son no 1 when we first started to go, felt like a real possibility the way he panicked anywhere within 10 meters of the water. Nowadays, we spend our time trying to coax or bribe them out of the sea, with tears occurring all the way home.

 

We celebrated No. 3 first birthday in June which again bought pangs of how much we missed family and friends but also marked a year almost since OH got his job. OH has JUST now settled into his job. It is actually quite different from what he had been doing in the UK, with his return to the shop floor, as it were and was a really hard transition, but with it came the opportunity to be at home plus had the security of PAYE employment and of course the opportunities for the boys living in a country with I guess a simpler and better way of life.

Well this simpler way of life became a little less simple come July when we not only celebrated my birthday (in winter for the first time!!) then with it came the news that we were expecting our fourth child. The new addition will be due in February 2014 (any day soon) and I am pleased to say that all is well.

 

Winter is over and along came spring, my brother got married on 4^th October, a beautiful occasion to which I was pleased to be able to be part of. I flew back to the UK leaving the Boys with Dad for a quickl fly in fly out visit ! It was lovely to see him so very happy and settled. In October father in law arrived, our first guest. It was so lovely to be able to share our home and our new life with him although it might have been nice if he had left the cool rainy British weather at home. With Howard we explored many parts of Victoria and even for the first time crossed the border (albeit for 2 mins) into New South Wales. We packed in loads Great Ocean Road, Echuca, Puffing Billy, St Kilda. This was an incredible challenge given that following a freak accident I severed my Achilles tendon which meant at 6 months pregnant I was unable to weight bear on my left foot, pretty much stuck in a wheelchair and occasional crutch use, which to OH amazement I was pretty crap at using. Apparently all teenage boys mess around on crutches at some point in their life. An absolute nightmare as it rendered me pretty useless. OH is my full time care and also now has to manage his job and the children. The friends that I never knew I had have been amazing, cooking meals for us as a family and picking up No. 1 son from school when possible. I guess that means we really have settled more than we realised. Another thing we hadn’t realised was how OH was a pretty amazing cook; well he kept that a bit of a secret all these years!

 

In November we said goodbye to Father in law , an emotional farewell, we shared so many lovely times and again reminded us of what we miss most in the UK. Then we went straight into No.1 Sons operation to remove his tonsils and adenoid that although have never been infected were so large they were a sleep apnea risk and were affecting his speech. He was dead brave and between us we managed the overnight stay in hospital on crutches!

So that brings us full circle into another Christmas. We took delivery of our real Christmas tree (well after years of training from mum – it wouldn’t be anything but or anything shorter than 6ft tall and 4ft wide) this year though I refrained from embarrassing myself and ordered an Australian fir as opposed to a Norwegian spruce, yep you read it right… what was I thinking… much to the amusement of the staff last year.

 

We also had the arrival of our second guest in Jan, albeit a flying stop, by my cousin and her family. We had a traditional Aussie barbie and sat watching the boys … all five of them together fighting in the sandpit.

 

Overall a mixed year of ups and downs, tears and laughter, chaos and calamity but we survived. We are finally starting to settle in a way we never thought we would as Australia starts to feel like home. Never let it be said that leaving loved ones behind is easy, it is the hardest things to do. I guess what we have come to realise though is that no matter where you are or how far away you are, you will always stay in touch and close to those you love.

 

I hope this helps even just one family - stick with it !

[Doolybhoy]

So glad that I read this thread, it has really gave me a boost as I was focusing on more negatives than positives. Cheers guys.

[Guest Guest226914]

I moved to Sydney in January 2013 with my Australian partner and I love it here. I don't live close to the city due to work but we always go to the city or the beach at the weekend. We came with only just enough money to put a rental deposit down and buy some furniture but luckily found jobs within a month. We save more than double what we did in the uk and managed to go from almost nothing to buying a house just a year after moving to oz. we are both really happy here and the weather is a huge bonus. I have so much more energy with sunnier days and I want to wake up early at the weekend Togo to the beach or explore whereas in uk I usually slept in till 11am.

We have had some fantastic holidays and long weekends away exploring australia and I have fallen in love with this beautiful country. The lifestyle is amazing and we have also made some incredible friends who live in our area. I just received my permanent residency which was a big thing for us and we are just so happy about what we have achieved in the past 16 months. I will never say never because you don't know what's around the corner but I don't think I ever want to go back to England.

[Laura2406]

Love love love this thread!!!! Theres so many 'negative' stories around, especially from my family and friends, whenever we discuss our big move. Definitely puts a smile back on my face when I read this and Im feeling a tad down - thank you!!!

[shartone]

As others have said - such a great thread! keep the stories coming!! they are great to read, especially for people like myself who have dreams of relocating although has not yet taken the plunge!

 

Thanks to everyone who has shared their story x

[Guest]

Chipping in

 

We made the move and are happy. There, I said it.

 

My POV for you

 

Heat - Knew it was going to be hot here in summer and also that spring and autumn would be warmer. Yes the 40C plus days were not pleasant but out of 365 days in a year, there were not that many of them. Yes the heat on occasions had me gumbling but it hasn't been enough to even begin to help spoil the experience of moving here for me. It gets hot here and humid in some parts of the country. There is no escaping that fact.

 

Nasties - I've seen one red back. One in 9 months. And I simply left it alone. As for other spiders, sure they exist but they've not bothered me and nor I them. This from a person who was living in a (converted Aussie) shed for a fair while and so had lots of things getting in to visit Not seen a snake yet. Spotted lots of skinks and other delights but love seeing these. I love the other wildlife I've seen. Koala and her young in the wild, roos, bandicoots and more. Plus the birds, noisy as some of them are, still lovely to see. Hoping to go whale watching and penguin spotting.

 

Cost of living - The initial impact was noticeable as you tend to work converting back to £ and so can be a bit gobsmacked when going round the stores. However, I put the brakes on doing that ASAP as once living in Aus, earning Aus $$ I felt I needed to be working in the local currency and not my old one.Yes some foods do seem pricey, some not. I find bread expensive, even working in Aus $. Also spuds can be pricey for a few weeks then drop back down. Things like medical insurance can add up if you are not used to paying it in the UK and decide to take cover out here. Cars tend to be expensive if comparing to the UK but good deals can be had. Sure, still a bit pricey but there are deals out there. Water bill is another thing we keep a close eye on and we try to regulate our water use as we pay for what we use. Hubby was a bit shocked at the last one so is making an effort to cut back. He works from home so I think forgot that the cost of that may be higher than other people.

 

Driving - I see no worse driving than I did in the UK if I am honest. Tailgaiting - check, jumping the lights - check, speeding only to then get stuck at the next set of lights - check, boy racers - check, people looking at their phones instead of the road - check. All of this happens pretty much everywhere there are cars though so I don't see it as bad because its Aus. I saw stuff in the UK would make my jaw drop too. I see mostly rear end knocks in and around the city here. Sticking to the main roads which are generally 2-3 lanes, pretty straight and with lights are regular intervals means its people rear ending more than head on. I still see some people planting their cars into lamp posts, bollards and the like as I did in the UK. And of course, other accidents occur in both countries. Insurance is reasonable, fuel cheaper. Roads are different here, no narrow winding lanes or streets, its all wide roads, 2-3 lanes on the main ones and lights to keep it flowing (or not depending on the hour). I find driving here round the city and suburbs pretty boring stuff. Gets a bit monotonous so glad I don't have to do it daily. Glad I never had to do the daily commute in the UK either as that would have been the same day after day too.

 

TV and radio - As I am not a great TV watcher this hasn't really had an impact on me much. I tend to cherry pick, watch what I want and then turn it off. I don't sit in front of it all night channel hopping trying to find something to watch nor was I a UK soap fan who misses them or anything like that. The ads are annoying, no getting away from them on lots of stations. But if this is all I can find to grumble about its hardly ruining my quality of life. If it gets to the point its so bad for me I'll record stuff and skip the ads when I watch it back. TV is changing, online streaming and the like mean TV is 24/7 on demand and it will only become more accessible as time goes on I feel.

 

Garage door syndrome - We bought a house recently. Moved in and within a day our neighbours from across the road had come over to introduce themselves and chat. We've had a fair few catch ups with them now when out in the garden and they have been really friendly. Another neighbour was in the process of selling their house but they were lovely and made us feel welcome plus gave us some garden furniture and tools. Ones across the street have been over also, introduced themselves and their kids come kick a ball round with ours. Another family have their house on the market but have been really lovely and the guy even came over and went up on our roof to try to fix a leak that sprung during the recent heavy rain. Apparently there is a Christmas party every year and everyone from the street pitches up. Usually a different house each year or sometimes a BBQ in the local park. Looking forward to that

 

Where we were before we bought, neighbours were lovely. We stayed with family and people a few doors down either way all knew each other and were friendly/helpful. Again, one helped with our car, fixed a leaking pipe and more. I guess we have had a positive experience in the areas we have lived and are living is what you could say.

 

Job wise I cannot comment if its worth making the move. Both my husband and I are self employed here.

 

Housing wise, we have been really happy with the house we bought. Its middle of winter here atm and the house seems to have coped fine. Sure it is a bit draughty in places, yes the bathrooms are nippy due to the heating not being in those rooms but there. I grumble about it but soon warm up once back into the main house again. Plus side for us is we have air con we can run into all the main rooms of the house, living spaces, bedrooms, will really be good in summer.

 

Christmas in the sun was a bit weird I must admit. But it was still Christmas, just done differently. Didn't seem anywhere near as jarring as my first Christmas in Germany or the many I spent living in the Netherlands. Sure they had similar weather to the UK but the traditions and the day were celebrated very differently. However, when in Rome and all that and I actually came to loving the Dutch Christmas and still keep some of its traditions to this day. Our house is a bit jumbled up in how it celebrates but we love it. Its our Christmas. Hubby being an Aussie spent many years with the UK Christmas so it was lovely to spend it with his family and friends here. Looking forward to the next one. New Years for us was lovely. Spent it on the beach, band playing, kids entertainers, dip in the shallows and then a big firework display at 9:30pm for the kids and families then another one at midnight for the adults out partying. We may well do the same again this year but go with a heap of friends and their kids rather than on our own.

 

Homesickness - not something that has ever bothered me. I guess I am lucky in that respect. Sure I've missed not being able to see people but we catch up now and again on Skype for a natter and email/FB and so on are all good platforms to use. Beats handwritten letters and a once a month 10 minute phonecall of 20 years ago when I first went travelling. I miss my parents but didn't see a great deal of them when we were in the UK, once every 4-6 weeks or so. So seeing them once a year for a few weeks now is different but it'll be good.

 

So for us, can't say its been a bad move and its certainly not one I regret. Of course, situations change and things happen but given we feel settled and are happy with our lives here I can't see that suddenly changing overnight. Maybe in years to come we may want to have a change or go elsewhere but we have never said 'this is it forever' or anything so the pressure of migrating or making a move across the world is not one that has bothered us in the least. We moved an hour down the M5 in England and had more changes in our lives. A move to the other side of the world has been in many ways far less disruptive and nowhere near as hard to adapt to in some respects. I also want to add we were perfectly happy with our life in the UK. We were not disullisioned, fed up with it or anything close to that. Nor where we wanting to escape a country we felt to be in decline and trying to find a 'better life' as quite honestly, that doesn't exisit I don't believe. Nor was I under any illusion Aus was going to magically solve any or all problems we may have had. It hasn't, it won't. We do that as we go.

 

 

Edited July 13, 2014 by Guest
typo