Bemused by the Australian dream

[Guest263228]

21 minutes ago, Toots said:

He's been in Scotland (Edinburgh) for the past 5 years so now used to a chillier climate.

Almost feel 'home' again then. Northern Thailand gets a bit parky in places. Must get over to South Island for a look soon myself.

[Toots]

3 minutes ago, Pura Vida said:

Almost feel 'home' again then. Northern Thailand gets a bit parky in places. Must get over to South Island for a look soon myself.

OH and I spent most of March on the South Island.  Bit of a working holiday.  Did a lot of painting and DIY at nephew/niece's house in Queenstown - it had been rented out for a good while.  Drove to see an old friend from schooldays who migrated to NZ 40 years ago.  Now retired to a little farm outside Ross on the west coast of the South Island.  Before the earthquake Christchurch was such a lovely town.  For some reason I don't really like Dunedin.

I painted this room and a couple of others.  OH laid that wood floor and put in those double glazed French doors.  What do you think of our handywork?

 

[Guest263228]

5 minutes ago, Toots said:

OH and I spent most of March on the South Island.  Bit of a working holiday.  Did a lot of painting and DIY at nephew/niece's house in Queenstown - it had been rented out for a good while.  Drove to see an old friend from schooldays who migrated to NZ 40 years ago.  Now retired to a little farm outside Ross on the west coast of the South Island.  Before the earthquake Christchurch was such a lovely town.  For some reason I don't really like Dunedin.

I painted this room and a couple of others.  OH laid that wood floor and put in those double glazed French doors.  What do you think of our handywork?

 

Dunedin was the place had in mind. A friend late last year moved there and seems to prefer it to Australia. I was in Auckland and Bay of Islands for a short stay as well this year. Liked it far more than expected in the physical sense.

Besides the paint blotches on the floor.. not too bad. Oh wait it's dust particles on computer. You've scored a pass.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Pura Vida

[simmo]

2 hours ago, Toots said:

OH and I spent most of March on the South Island.  Bit of a working holiday.  Did a lot of painting and DIY at nephew/niece's house in Queenstown - it had been rented out for a good while.  Drove to see an old friend from schooldays who migrated to NZ 40 years ago.  Now retired to a little farm outside Ross on the west coast of the South Island.  Before the earthquake Christchurch was such a lovely town.  For some reason I don't really like Dunedin.

I painted this room and a couple of others.  OH laid that wood floor and put in those double glazed French doors.  What do you think of our handywork?

 

very nice.  Love those doors

[MARYROSE02]

On 10/05/2017 at 2:02 PM, deerstalker36 said:

We've (me and my partner) moved over to WA in 2014, to come to a well paid job (which i still have) and live the more comfortable lifestyle associated with here. My partner went a bit stir crazy until she managed to fined herself a job a few months later. We had a couple of people we made friends with (poms that work at the same place i do and moved out the year before) and over time a few more (south africans who also work at the same place i do). When we moved i left my 2 daughters (grown up) back in the UK and my partner left her son (also grown up).

As has been said above the first year was good (apart from a severe bout of homesickness when i had to go into hospital for a short stay) but otherwise there were lots of places to visit, beautiful coastline, wineries, breweries etc but then the isolation begins to set in. I left a large circle of friends from different backgrounds behind and we've found it very difficult to make Aussie friends as they dont seem to want you in their clique. the constant reference to bloody Pom, no matter how well intentioned or humorous it is meant to be grates on the nerves. It's a 2 hour trip to get anywhere remotely cosmopolitan here (Perth being cosmopolitan) and no matter where you drive here, the culture is the same, the town is the same, only the scenery may change (if you drive far enough).

The Aussie lack of responsibility also grates, especially in my job where it takes an age to get anybody to do anything and to get anybody to take ownership of issues. The driving is terrible (even the Aussies say that WA has the worst drivers they've seen), the beer is terrible (they've just closed down one of the very few pubs in Perth that sells anything remotely like beer to build more high rise apartments). There's also the current Aussie attitude to wealth. I hear they never used to be bothered that much by it, now it's a case of owning as much as they can in the way of houses, cars, boats, jetskis etc etc to show they are well off, in many ways it's now worse than the UK here for that

People cite the weather as a reason to stay, but then again Nigeria is sunny most of the year and i wouldn't want to live there.

And then there is family. I miss my kids more than i thought i ever would, my eldest has had my first granddaughter who i havent seen since she was born, my partners mom has become ill and there are issues with my other daughter, all of which we cant just jump in the car and be there for them.

Theres also the sudden changes to the visas, We have PR but now have to wait another 3 years to get citizenship, as if the work i put in when i was on a 457 in saving the (state owned) company several million dollars means nothing

Dont get me wrong, Oz isnt a bad place, it's just very samey. Fly 4 hours from Heathrow and you can visit many different countries and cultures, 4 hours from Perth and you're still in Australia, it might be a different view but the culture is the same (unless you visit Bali from Perth, which is like Benidorm, full of Drunken Aussies thinking they own the place), We liked our holidays from the UK, :- Europe, North Africa, America, Caribbean, the majority of which now costs an arm and a leg and several days of travel to get there and back

So i'm now looking at moving back, applying for positions already (it's not that bad that i would move back to sit on the dole) and costing up the move. Did i do the right thing moving out? probably yes, the life experience was worth it, not having to wonder what if. Would i recommend it - yes but go with trepidation. it isnt "Britain but warmer", be prepared for racism and sexism at an elevated level, be prepared to struggle to find friends that arent immigrants themselves.

@TopTohScnal, the beaches do wear off but the sharks, stingrays and jellyfish are beautiful (i dive so i'm biased in that area). Have you been down to Busselton and done the underwater walk, it may help with the going in the water bit

so if the interviews go well, in the words of a famous book "so long, and thanks for all the fish" (diving reference)

Personally, I never found Benidorm to be full of drunken Pommies, and the last time I went there my hotel was 95 per cent full of Spaniards who of course go to Benidorm for the same reason that other nationalities do - beaches, sunshine, nightlife, culture. Seaside resorts are as much a "real" part of a country as any other part - Bournemouth, Blackpool, Newquay, etc. It's a long time since I went to Bali but I imagine the drunken Aussies hang out in the likes of Kuta and there are large parts of the island unspoilt. In fact there is a young Balinese guy in the cafe I go to and he never described his part of the island in those terms. And of course, just as Kuta is not Bali, so Bali is not Indonesia. How many islands are there? How many different cultures?

I have never found Australians to have a lack of responsibility. Doctors, dentists, podiatrists, the people I work with, the other services I use, I've got no complaints, and I can see a GP 365 days a year in Sydney and they bulk bill.

It is the same with socialising with Aussies. It's been a long, long time since I ever thought of them as different in the way the stereotypes are portrayed. In any case, "Aussie" now means any nationality from A to Z.

I don't know how people get on in other places in the world that are remote. Do people in Hawaii complain constantly of cabin fever? What about Vancouver and Seattle? They are a four or five hour flight from their respective capital cities.

My one bit of advice is to stay in OZ long enough to acquire citizenship just in case you go back to the UK and find out that you actually miss OZ. You would not be the first to experience that.

[legoman]

I believe now my place is back in the uk, own biz in gas plumbing ( its different here and they dont give you a chance ). No mortgage, europe can make enough money now to work 3-4 days a week and take feb off to visit son and kids in Perth, this was told to e a few times by family, I thought i knew best, an expensive learning curve but i will earn it all back. Time to put Oz to bed, otherwise a life in limbo deciding what and where to do and live. Oz is fab, UK is fab too ( in my case )  I dont see what many see here in Perth but thats me not Perth, I love hate both places and will never run down either country to pals. y grand children are aussies.  I will wait my time, other half feels she must try it here herself and hopefully she will miss our younger son and see this place is not the utopia she believes from the uk. ( does it exist ). Anyhow I a pleased this thread has not become a Oz v Uk thread and some good responses and replies, i am by the way mid -fifties so not a good job prospect i guess and i need to settle down and make roots. mine will be the UK.

[Goofy2018]

On 01/04/2017 at 16:21, TopTohScnal said:

I've been reading through a few of the threads on here there seems to be a running theme that people feel homesick and miss their family as they're so far away. My situation is slightly different in that my only remaining close relatives, my brother and sister (both younger than me) live in Australia (both parents are deceased now). I moved here 4 months ago as I'd been out on long holidays to visit and they were encouraging me to come over and live here too. Before I hit 40, I thought 'why not', I'll give it a go, so I applied for my skilled visa, it took a few months and I even managed to secure a job offer before I came out.

I did the move on my own, with no partner or kids. After the initial Christmas with family and seeing my nephew for only the second time, then some traveling on the east coast and visiting Perth, I'm now in a situation thinking 'what the hell have I done!' Despite my job offer starting mid January, I still had to wait to be registered with AHPRA to practice here, this was a long, laborious, tedious, time consuming wait, which they state on the application should take 6-8 weeks, it did in fact take 5 months! So while waiting for this, the initial adventure and new start then turned into savings very quickly disappearing, money for deposits for a house eaten into just to survive the wait to start work. I came here fresh and ready for a new challenge but now I just feel drained of the whole thing, barely able to afford food to last me before my first payment and I'm staying in dorm accommodation at a backpackers as it's all I can afford! I began to think the whole process is deliberately set up to rid you of your money, just utter bureaucratic nonsense that could easily have been dealt with in a coupe of weeks, but just so much red tape and hurdles to jump through!! I have never experienced such a backwards system! I can understand the security aspect but to take 5 months! 

I left a great lifestyle back home, friends for support, not worrying too much about money, and I feel now like I've lost so much. I'm stuck, I now have my registration to work but I'm not even sure I want to... I just feel like flying back home, I've tried it but it doesn't seem to be working for me. I'm usually a very positive person that can pick myself up again but this has been so stressful, I'm not sure it's worth it. I am torn as my siblings are here but I don't think that's a strong enough pull for me to stay here. I am probably in the stage of being homesick which I'm surprised at how bad it's hit me to be honest but having not much else to focus on, it's quite overwhelming. Having read some comments on here, I miss the English countryside, a walk to a local pub, the seasons. It's all very same-y here and where my sister lived in Perth was suburban hell, totally snoozeville! Even the bush walks were dull, dried out, brown dense trees, no views at all! Give me the Lake District or Peak District any day.

i just wanted to share my experience and to say the Australian dream as been shattered for me! 

Not sure whether you're still on this forum but hope you managed to settle in a bit.

Moving to another country is not for the faint hearted - no matter what the reason for moving is, it will never be easy.

Biologically speaking people are very much creatures of habit and change is hard on most people initially. 

There is a process/cycle people go through when going through big changes.

With immigration, I think you start of by being excited and interested, then you're in organising mode for a while, then you go through a 'WTF have I done' fase where you question your decision. At that point people either quit or continue along their chosen path. On some level I think you will potentially always have some doubts, especially when life gets tough.

Even if you have family here, it is incredibly unsettling to not have a job and long term place to stay, even more so when money is tight.

I hope things got better for you once you started your job and found a place to stay. I would imagine health is a good industry to work in with plenty of opportunities. 

For me it helps to be friends with Aussies as well as expats (because you need people who can relate to being an immigrant), to spend time with friends and do things I like. 

If you are in a capital city, have a look at Internations.org (social events for expats) or meetup.com or join a spirts club/hiking/cycling club if that's your thing.

 

 

 

[Home and Happy]

On ‎01‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 07:21, TopTohScnal said:

Perth was suburban hell, totally snoozeville! Even the bush walks were dull, dried out, brown dense trees

We found it to be the most boring place on the planet.  We expected some sort of international buzzing happening city....gave up everything in UK only to find it was a quiet town full of retirees.   If you are single, probably one of the very worst places to be.  We were so glad to get out of that place. Over rated, overpriced and yes it will drain your savings.  Life way out there is not better.  Its just an existence. Good for retirees maybe if you love the lack of rain, the dryness and stifling heat.  Britain is a fantastic country to live in and the  standard of life we have back here in UK  is way above what they have out there in my opinion

[Skani]

7 minutes ago, Home and Happy said:

  We expected some sort of international buzzing happening city...

Why on earth would anyone expect a small  city  - with less population than the  West Midlands urban area,   2000 km ....over desert....to the nearest (also small) city,   3, 000 km to the nearest foreign country -    to have the international buzz of densely populated areas like Europe?     Honestly.....not a lot of insight  there.

[Rallyman]

14 hours ago, Home and Happy said:

We found it to be the most boring place on the planet.  We expected some sort of international buzzing happening city....gave up everything in UK only to find it was a quiet town full of retirees.   If you are single, probably one of the very worst places to be.  We were so glad to get out of that place. Over rated, overpriced and yes it will drain your savings.  Life way out there is not better.  Its just an existence. Good for retirees maybe if you love the lack of rain, the dryness and stifling heat.  Britain is a fantastic country to live in and the  standard of life we have back here in UK  is way above what they have out there in my opinion

Had you visited Australia before moving out ? 

Just curious that’s all I know Australia is not for everyone 

[MARYROSE02]

16 hours ago, Home and Happy said:

We found it to be the most boring place on the planet.  We expected some sort of international buzzing happening city....gave up everything in UK only to find it was a quiet town full of retirees.   If you are single, probably one of the very worst places to be.  We were so glad to get out of that place. Over rated, overpriced and yes it will drain your savings.  Life way out there is not better.  Its just an existence. Good for retirees maybe if you love the lack of rain, the dryness and stifling heat.  Britain is a fantastic country to live in and the  standard of life we have back here in UK  is way above what they have out there in my opinion

"The most boring place on the planet!" When I arrived in OZ nearly 40 years ago I loved Perth from the moment I arrived but  I could not get a job so I went east and made Sydney my home. Did you try living in Sydney I wonder? When I went back to Perth for the first time in 21 years I loved it again. I especially liked the lack of traffic and crowds compared to Sydney. I did not find the place to be full or retirees, not there is anything wrong with them anyway. I am old enough to be a retiree so perhaps that is why I liked it too.

[MARYROSE02]

2 hours ago, Rallyman said:

Had you visited Australia before moving out ? 

Just curious that’s all I know Australia is not for everyone 

Perhaps everybody who wants to come to OZ should do a practise move before they do the real thing - say from their home in the UK to another place 300 miles away to see if they are homesick for Britain as a whole, or just homesick for their own specific part of the country. In retrospect I wish I'd gone to London for a year to experience life in a huge city (as opposed to a small village.) I've noticed that some Londoners find life in Sydney to be rather relaxing!

[Drumbeat]

31 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

"The most boring place on the planet!" When I arrived in OZ nearly 40 years ago I loved Perth from the moment I arrived but  I could not get a job so I went east and made Sydney my home. Did you try living in Sydney I wonder? When I went back to Perth for the first time in 21 years I loved it again. I especially liked the lack of traffic and crowds compared to Sydney. I did not find the place to be full or retirees, not there is anything wrong with them anyway. I am old enough to be a retiree so perhaps that is why I liked it too.

I’d say a very large percentage of Perth’s inhabitants are families with young kids judging by the number of new suburbs and schools that have been built in the last 20 years. 

And of course it’s hot and dry in the summer - it’s Australia for God sake . Nobody in their right mind would move to Perth expecting lush green fields!

[MARYROSE02]

I found Perth to be like a mini-Sydney or rather Sydney without its unpleasant conditions. I used to walk along the foreshore in South Perth marvelling at the view over to the city which I found to be as spectacular as anything in Sydney, albeit lacking the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. I doubt if Perth has a higher proportion of retirees anyway because it's too far from the Eastern States for people to retire to. They would head up to Queensland in any case. 

I basically did the same things I do in Sydney - found a cafe or two and a pub to be my locals, went for drives for pleasure (definitely not something I would do in Sydney). There were plenty of restaurants, shopping centres, one of the few places that were the nasty equal of any Sydney Westfield - Garden City - a shopping centre big enough to be a suburb in its own right.

Yes, it was mega hot and sunny but in the early morning or late arvo it was very pleasant and the paths/cycleways along the waterways are very impressive - nothing like them in Sydney.