kerry knight Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 Hi all Its very reassuring reading all these posts as we are leaving 5th September this year and are just moving out of our house to sell it and holiday let it (hopefully at the same time) to get the funds ready to move. The reality is hitting us especially our twin 8 year olds who have been so excited since we started this whole process but who now say they don’t want to go!!!! My family live so close by and even though I want my independence from the ‘family circle’ I know I’ll feel so homesick. Did anyone else feel the same but now super settled or at least really confident with their emigration decision? It it was five years in the making for us but these last minute jitters are killing me!!! thanks x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 Where are you going to kerry? I think it is quite normal to have jitters, most people do. It is a big step after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry knight Posted May 11, 2019 Author Share Posted May 11, 2019 Hi! Thanks for your reply. We are going to Noosa in Qld. Have you made the move yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alltogethernow Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 3 hours ago, kerry knight said: Hi all Its very reassuring reading all these posts as we are leaving 5th September this year and are just moving out of our house to sell it and holiday let it (hopefully at the same time) to get the funds ready to move. The reality is hitting us especially our twin 8 year olds who have been so excited since we started this whole process but who now say they don’t want to go!!!! My family live so close by and even though I want my independence from the ‘family circle’ I know I’ll feel so homesick. Did anyone else feel the same but now super settled or at least really confident with their emigration decision? It it was five years in the making for us but these last minute jitters are killing me!!! thanks x Don't let any minors dictate anything. It's not their choice, I'm afraid. We moved 16 months ago with 3 kids (8, 6 5) and we're all loving it. Their happiness will actually be somewhat linked to how 'involved' you get with their school, their new friends parents, any sporting scenarios that require extra curricular social inputs. Being brutally honest, if you show any weakness, they will pick that up, and you'll have a problem. We've had a ball here the last year and a half, everything has worked out and the best is yet to come, our kids have grown immensely at all levels - every morning I thank my lucky stars we made the move. ATN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry knight Posted May 11, 2019 Author Share Posted May 11, 2019 Thanks for taking the time to reply. You are right about not showing any weakness, I guess the jitters are affecting the kids as well as me but I’m just about holding it together! Im totally convince that we are making the right decision but it was definitely easier a year ago to look at all the positives. As it gets closer I guess the practicalities start coming into focus and the hard work ahead starts to hit home! We plan to travel very lightly and are trying to teach the girls the art of letting go of material possessions which they might be finding harder than us. I know it will all come good eventually and really appreciate your view from 16 months down the road. Thanks again for your support and advise Kerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, kerry knight said: Thanks for taking the time to reply. You are right about not showing any weakness, I guess the jitters are affecting the kids as well as me but I’m just about holding it together! Im totally convince that we are making the right decision but it was definitely easier a year ago to look at all the positives. As it gets closer I guess the practicalities start coming into focus and the hard work ahead starts to hit home! We plan to travel very lightly and are trying to teach the girls the art of letting go of material possessions which they might be finding harder than us. I know it will all come good eventually and really appreciate your view from 16 months down the road. Thanks again for your support and advise Kerry Nothing is forever and if it works you win and if it doesnt work you reevaluate and move on. Go with low expectations and you will be sure to better them but go with high expectations and you could fall flat on your nose. Your kids go where you go, they dont set the agenda. They may love it, they may hate it but they have to suck it up whatever. If they're enmeshed with extended family expect that they might hate it. It's an adventure, that's all - I never got the jitters because I always viewed it as "the next step" but not the "last step". Edited May 11, 2019 by Quoll 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 9 hours ago, kerry knight said: We plan to travel very lightly and are trying to teach the girls the art of letting go of material possessions which they might be finding harder than us. I would urge you to rethink that strategy. A Movecube is well worth considering. Your children are already feeling distressed about the move. They're going to find themselves in a strange country, where nothing is familiar. They'll have lost all their friends, and it will take time to make new ones. They'll have lost their grandparents and every other adult that they trust (except you). They're too young to take a longer view and understand things will get better. Having familiar toys, clothes, books etc gives them a haven where they can feel safe amidst all the overwhelming strangeness. Having familiar furniture, pictures and ornaments will help them accept that this strange new house really is their home. I know shipping seems expensive, but do sit down and do a "test shop" to understand how much it's going to cost you to set up your home. You may be planning to buy second-hand furniture, but most people greatly underestimate the cost of replacing things like towels, bedding, pots, pans, cutlery, crockery, kitchen appliances, whitegoods, vacuum cleaner, etc. We tend to accumulate those gradually over time, and don't realise how many hundreds of pounds they represent. Go to online Australian stores, "Add to Cart" all the things you'll need to buy, and then look at the total (there's no danger you'll buy anything accidentally, so don't worry about that). Use thegoodguys.com.au for whitegoods, TV and appliances. If you're on a budget, Target.com.au for household stuff. If you want quality, then petersofkensington.com.au (they're in Sydney, but the prices would be similar in stores elsewhere). Furniture: harveynorman.com.au or if you want cheap tat to get you started, fantasticfurniture.com.au. It really is worth doing the exercise. Even if it doesn't change your mind about shipping, it gives you some idea of the job you've got in hand after you move, and what's available in Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Having familiar things around us certainly helped us and the children (then 11 and 7) settle and feel at home 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bug family Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Hi Kerry, we (wife and two children 11yrs and 6yrs), have been here (Western Australia) for some 8 years now, being totally honest I have been homesick from the first week and have never really settled, (long, long story)......some weeks if you handed me a plane ticket home, I would have been off like a shot if it was not for (a) my kids and (b) I am broke lol But I would never, ever have not given it a go, we sound the same as you and put a massive amount of work into getting here (took about 4 yrs all up and all our savings) we where virtually broke when we landed here, but we did make it work, my wife loves it and her family are here so she would never go back, me I cannot wait to go back one day, but this should not put you off from having a go, we are all different with different lives and different circumstances. You need to go and give it a good kick and see what happens, at least you will have tried if nothing else and when the time is right (you will know when that is) make a decision if its to stay or return home. I wish you good luck 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 17 hours ago, kerry knight said: Hi! Thanks for your reply. We are going to Noosa in Qld. Have you made the move yet? We have been here most of our lives now (45 years) but I can still remember the scary feelings when it all becomes 'real'. It is a fantastic country and Noosa is a fantastic place though we actually live in Victoria .We haven't regretted our move for one single second! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry knight Posted May 12, 2019 Author Share Posted May 12, 2019 Thanks everyone your help is really kind. We have packed two boxes of kids toys to ship ahead of the move to help them settle and they have big step sisters to bond with when they get there. All our furniture is second hand (we used to own a vintage furniture shop) and so we will get back approximately what we paid for it by selling it here. Being in the business of acquiring furniture we are not fazed by this process and are looking forward to starting over with some new pieces but I totally understand this will be an expensive time consuming process. We have done some price comparisons but your comments have made me wonder whether I should go back and check again. Has anyone else arrived with just suitcases and have any comments or advise on this process? Thanks again kerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 2 hours ago, kerry knight said: Thanks everyone your help is really kind. We have packed two boxes of kids toys to ship ahead of the move to help them settle and they have big step sisters to bond with when they get there. All our furniture is second hand (we used to own a vintage furniture shop) and so we will get back approximately what we paid for it by selling it here. Being in the business of acquiring furniture we are not fazed by this process and are looking forward to starting over with some new pieces but I totally understand this will be an expensive time consuming process. We have done some price comparisons but your comments have made me wonder whether I should go back and check again. Has anyone else arrived with just suitcases and have any comments or advise on this process? Thanks again kerry Pretty much. First time I Just had my backpack. Second time we bought a trunk to send over to supplement backpack. Third time we posted over 40 parcels of books and made a 1m cubed box (we had a baby at that stage) plus backpacks. This last time, just turned up in UK with our backpacks (all our stuff is still in Australia but on our last few holiday we've been chucking stuff). Next time I'm going to need a container for all my wool stash! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 4 hours ago, kerry knight said: Thanks everyone your help is really kind. We have packed two boxes of kids toys to ship ahead of the move In that case, do a comparison between shipping a few boxes and the smallest Movecube. The amount of extra stuff you can fit in the Movecube usually makes it worthwhile. You sound like you’re on top of the furniture aspect. The reason I suggest doing a full trial shop for all the other stuff is that it makes you realise the sheer volume of things you have to buy and how long it will take, at a time when you’ve got a million other things to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 One thing you may notice is that there are not so many kid's toys around unless you are thinking beach toys and swimming things. You have all the legos and dolls etc but not the variety you get in the uk. They don't seem to worry about it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry knight Posted May 13, 2019 Author Share Posted May 13, 2019 Thanks that’s good to know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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