Did you stay in the place in Oz you intended to, move on, or go home?" (Covered all the bases)

[Rallyman]

We looked at various locations across Australia as wife had a number of interviews , but chose sydney as   It also offered me good job prospects, 

started off in Sans souci , then across to northern beaches to Mona vale , all to suite commuting to work , then after lots of visits up to Hunter we moved and built our own home. 
feel quite settled now we have our own home. 

[Marisawright]

We came to Victoria because that's the only state that would give us a visa.  My (now ex-) husband was sponsored by the Education Department due to his specialisation in 6th form Physics and Chemistry - but when we arrived, we discovered that the Department applied a strict seniority rule.  He was assigned to a small country school that didn't even have any HSC Physics students, and he was expected to teach Geography and Life Skills as well as Junior Science.  Since he hadn't done any Geography since he was 14 years old, he wasn't happy.  At first, we assumed that once he'd done the 2 years and was eligible to be transferred, they'd move him to a suitable position - but then discovered that senoirity rules would still apply, so he'd likely be teaching in country schools for years before he'd get the kind of role he enjoyed, even though there were schools desperate for his expertise.  

The hunt began for roles elsewhere, and we were willing to go wherever the job took us.  It took us to Sydney, and I fell in love with the place the moment I arrived. I felt as though I'd come home.  I had thirty happy years there.  However, once I reached my 50's, I lost my tolerance for the humidity and heat, which now make me physically sick.  Also, thanks to poor financial choices, I couldn't afford a home in the area of Sydney I love.  So a move was necessary.  

Now I'm in Melbourne, and I often think it's a pity we weren't able to find a job here when we first arrived.  It's not beautiful like Sydney, but the lifestyle is great.

[Bulya]

This why I wouldn’t live in Perth, or go back to Adelaide or Melbourne.  Variety, just so important imho.

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Bulya
Addition

[Paul1Perth]

11 hours ago, Bulya said:

This why I wouldn’t live in Perth, or go back to Adelaide or Melbourne.  Variety, just so important imho.

 

You can catch a plane to do that. My eldest just went of to Whistler, Canada for a couple of years and did it every day in winter.

It's expensive to get there and ski or snowboard no matter where you live. What's a couple of extra hours on a plane?

[Marisawright]

18 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

You can catch a plane to do that.

You can catch a plane to do anything but it costs money.   Bulya was replying to me, and that video is just one example of the many places he  can visit without having to pay for an expensive four-hour flight.

[Parley]

Plenty of skiing in Victoria. Mt Bulla, Falls Creek are great.

Cross Country skiing in other places too.

[Bulya]

1 hour ago, Paul1Perth said:

You can catch a plane to do that. My eldest just went of to Whistler, Canada for a couple of years and did it every day in winter.

It's expensive to get there and ski or snowboard no matter where you live. What's a couple of extra hours on a plane?

Big expense.  This is a drive up into the surrounding hills, cheap and quick.  We do it quite a lot during the winter.

[Graham Fletcher]

On 25/01/2021 at 15:33, MARYROSE02 said:

Queensland/NSW border? I stayed overnight at Goondiwindi once, Queen Victoria hotel perhaps, with a huge balcony outside the rooms. I remember one of these young guys I met in the pub, whom I thought were on a bucks' night but it was "just" the pre wedding drinks, saying, "Come on Pop, I'll buy you a beer."

I also crossed the border north of LIghtning Ridge (where i overnighted) then stayed at the Cobb & Co hotel in St George. Come to think of it, I crossed the border out of Bourke, and overnighted at I think Cunnumulla. So is your Woop Woop any of those places?

My brother is interested in retiring to somewhere in Asia but I think his preference would be Malaysia where he says you can "drink the water" and the hospital care is first class. I think I shall just retire here in Surfers Paradise.

You sound a little like my brother in that you can settle down anywhere but then move on too? I get attached to places and don't want to leave. I've not been to N Queensland nor Darwin.

I can hear the Queen Vic from my garden on particularly raucous nights!

Thailand healthcare is as good as Malaysia's but everything is about half the price! The weather's the same, hot and sweaty

[Graham Fletcher]

On 25/01/2021 at 18:27, Bulya said:

You moved, and for poms it’s a rare thing to do once here. 

Really? I'm abnormal then. Lived in Perth, Townsville, Perth, Darwin, Perth and now rural Queensland. My family are in Perth, that's the only reason I keep going back. The urge to move attacks me every few years though

[MARYROSE02]

28 minutes ago, Graham Fletcher said:

I can hear the Queen Vic from my garden on particularly raucous nights!

Thailand healthcare is as good as Malaysia's but everything is about half the price! The weather's the same, hot and sweaty

I was just Googling "Goondiwindi" and looking at a photo of the Victoria hotel. Population over 6,000? That's not a bad size. I looked up my local village in England, Marchwood, Hants, population 6,100 plus. How did you end up in Goondiwindi?  When I went back to England for six months in 1983 I got a job with Townsend-Thoresen Car Ferries in Southampton and of the guys there came from Goondiwindi. I think he had married a local girl. 

When I stayed in the Cobb and Co hotel in St George, there was a Pommie guy working there who had married a local girl. I remember I envied him a little for putting down roots and becoming a member of the local community.  At the time I wasn't long back from 12 years in England and I wasn't settled into Sydney.

I shall tell my brother what you said about Thailand. He has spent long periods travelling in China (he can speak Mandarin) and also spent six months living in Malaysia. He's champing at the bit to go travelling again.

[MARYROSE02]

40 minutes ago, Graham Fletcher said:

Really? I'm abnormal then. Lived in Perth, Townsville, Perth, Darwin, Perth and now rural Queensland. My family are in Perth, that's the only reason I keep going back. The urge to move attacks me every few years though

I'm sentimental/nostalgic about Perth because it's where I first landed in Australia, on 3rd November, 1978. I loved it from the moment I arrived - wrote in my diary "I love it and I want to stay".  I stayed for a month, mostly in a hostel in Newcastle Street (still there I think), then got the bus to Adelaide which I did not like. Nothing against Adelaide but I missed the guys I'd got to know in Perth. I nearly went back but changed my mind again and got another bus to Sydney, where I stayed for 18 years and my two brothers joined me in 1979.

I went over to Perth in December, 2017 for seven weeks, loved it again, so went back in May 2018 for six weeks, but this time I wasn't so sure about a permanent move. There was nothing wrong with the place, just that all my family, friends and job were in Sydney. Now, I'm six months into life in Surfers Paradise and no desire to go back to Sydney or anywhere else but with a few "loose ends" to tie up - home in Sydney and in Southampton.

I still have an offer from a friend to stay with here in South Perth but the border has been closed for most of the last year - opening again I see soon, as is QLD. BUT you have to be able to move at a moment's notice because both Anna and Mark LOVE closing their borders at a moment's notice!?

[Graham Fletcher]

4 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I was just Googling "Goondiwindi" and looking at a photo of the Victoria hotel. Population over 6,000? That's not a bad size. I looked up my local village in England, Marchwood, Hants, population 6,100 plus. How did you end up in Goondiwindi?  When I went back to England for six months in 1983 I got a job with Townsend-Thoresen Car Ferries in Southampton and of the guys there came from Goondiwindi. I think he had married a local girl. 

When I stayed in the Cobb and Co hotel in St George, there was a Pommie guy working there who had married a local girl. I remember I envied him a little for putting down roots and becoming a member of the local community.  At the time I wasn't long back from 12 years in England and I wasn't settled into Sydney.

I shall tell my brother what you said about Thailand. He has spent long periods travelling in China (he can speak Mandarin) and also spent six months living in Malaysia. He's champing at the bit to go travelling again.

I was unhappy in my job in Darwin and just started looking for a new role. Saw the advert and spoke to the people and it clicked. The fact that they bribed me with a 30% increase in pay helped! I am pretty carefree when it comes to where I live. My girlfriend doesn't care either, I plan to retire in a few years so I just go wherever the wind takes me. There is really not much difference wherever you go, the people are all similar, the beer tastes the same, just outside of cities there's a damn sight less traffic.

I have been to Thailand alot, my girlfriend is Thai, and have a block of land waiting for me to build a house on. There are some rules on ownership you have to get around but not insurmountable. The people are lovely too, it's called The Land of Smiles for a reason!

[Bulya]

4 hours ago, Graham Fletcher said:

Really? I'm abnormal then. Lived in Perth, Townsville, Perth, Darwin, Perth and now rural Queensland. My family are in Perth, that's the only reason I keep going back. The urge to move attacks me every few years though

That’s unusual.  Did the same myself... 

[Graham Fletcher]

4 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I'm sentimental/nostalgic about Perth because it's where I first landed in Australia, on 3rd November, 1978. I loved it from the moment I arrived - wrote in my diary "I love it and I want to stay".  I stayed for a month, mostly in a hostel in Newcastle Street (still there I think), then got the bus to Adelaide which I did not like. Nothing against Adelaide but I missed the guys I'd got to know in Perth. I nearly went back but changed my mind again and got another bus to Sydney, where I stayed for 18 years and my two brothers joined me in 1979.

I went over to Perth in December, 2017 for seven weeks, loved it again, so went back in May 2018 for six weeks, but this time I wasn't so sure about a permanent move. There was nothing wrong with the place, just that all my family, friends and job were in Sydney. Now, I'm six months into life in Surfers Paradise and no desire to go back to Sydney or anywhere else but with a few "loose ends" to tie up - home in Sydney and in Southampton.

I still have an offer from a friend to stay with here in South Perth but the border has been closed for most of the last year - opening again I see soon, as is QLD. BUT you have to be able to move at a moment's notice because both Anna and Mark LOVE closing their borders at a moment's notice!?

I have my first grandchild now, living in Perth (with my daughter, not on his own or anything!!!) and I missed his first birthday thanks to McGowan. One of my sons, also in Perth, is getting married in May and if I can't get back for that me and Mark are going to be having words!

[Paul1Perth]

1 hour ago, Graham Fletcher said:

I have my first grandchild now, living in Perth (with my daughter, not on his own or anything!!!) and I missed his first birthday thanks to McGowan. One of my sons, also in Perth, is getting married in May and if I can't get back for that me and Mark are going to be having words!

Mark is doing a splendid job mate. Blame covid and the Chinese if anybody. 

I really like Townsville, specially since they did the strand up. It was dire before that but that was about 20 years ago. Magnetic Island is great. I was there over a long weekend, went over on the ferry, hired a mororbike and had a great ride round and swim off a beach. Took the bike back about 5:00 and thought I'd pop in for a quick pint at the pub near the ferry terminal. Might be the only pub?

Anyway, live band on, great atmosphere, got talking to a few backpackers, few jugs of beer and I caught the last ferry back. Even better that work were picking up the expenses for everything.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Paul1Perth

[Freemantle]

On 27/01/2021 at 06:52, Bulya said:

Big expense.  This is a drive up into the surrounding hills, cheap and quick.  We do it quite a lot during the winter.

We are very partial to snow and are avid skiers , Tasmania, Melbourne etc and further afield New Zealand. Obviously we wont find snow here in WA so as and when the borders open we will venture back to ski in Japan which we love. So many diverse areas in Australia to choose from and I personally didnt come here for the beach life! Eventually we will sell up in WA, buy a small place in Oberon and divide our time between NSW and Europe.

 

[Paul1Perth]

On 27/01/2021 at 06:52, Bulya said:

Big expense.  This is a drive up into the surrounding hills, cheap and quick.  We do it quite a lot during the winter.

I used to see that weather quite a lot in the UK. My girlfriend lived on one side of the pennines and me the other. Sometimes we couldn't get over because of snow or fog. Fog was the worst. One of the reasons we left the UK.

is the snow good enough for skiing up there or only walking?

[Paul1Perth]

41 minutes ago, Freemantle said:

We are very partial to snow and are avid skiers , Tasmania, Melbourne etc and further afield New Zealand. Obviously we wont find snow here in WA so as and when the borders open we will venture back to ski in Japan which we love. So many diverse areas in Australia to choose from and I personally didnt come here for the beach life! Eventually we will sell up in WA, buy a small place in Oberon and divide our time between NSW and Europe.

 

If that's your interest and you don't like the beach lifestyle you definitely came to the wrong place.

I'm surprised you haven't given surfing or kite surfing a go. My son says it's a lot like snowboarding and a lot of people I know who love skiing generally enjoy those sports too.

There's a decent kite surfing school in Freo.

[Freemantle]

1 hour ago, Paul1Perth said:

If that's your interest and you don't like the beach lifestyle you definitely came to the wrong place.

I'm surprised you haven't given surfing or kite surfing a go. My son says it's a lot like snowboarding and a lot of people I know who love skiing generally enjoy those sports too.

There's a decent kite surfing school in Freo.

I didnt have to come to Perth for the beach Paul! 4 x 4ing, fishing, sailing, motorbiking ,  all things we were able to do also over east! Your presumption we have come to the wrong place is very strange! (lol)  There is more to WA than beach life!  We lived up north for a good few years and as I have described before FIFO was proving impossible from over east so whilst we are here , we will enjoy the benefits of less FIFO'ing hours to WA for a couple of years or so,   then venture back. My husband has travelled around Australia twice , me once and of course we are entitled to a preference ! This is the second time my husband has lived in Perth, so he is not novice to it.  I look on it as an "army posting", see as much as you can and move on! Nothing has to be for ever!

[Bulya]

4 hours ago, Freemantle said:

We are very partial to snow and are avid skiers , Tasmania, Melbourne etc and further afield New Zealand. Obviously we wont find snow here in WA so as and when the borders open we will venture back to ski in Japan which we love. So many diverse areas in Australia to choose from and I personally didnt come here for the beach life! Eventually we will sell up in WA, buy a small place in Oberon and divide our time between NSW and Europe.

 

Gets pretty cool in Oberon.  Nice area.

[Bulya]

3 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

I used to see that weather quite a lot in the UK. My girlfriend lived on one side of the pennines and me the other. Sometimes we couldn't get over because of snow or fog. Fog was the worst. One of the reasons we left the UK.

is the snow good enough for skiing up there or only walking?

Ski and alpine slide at Corin Forest Resort.

http://www.corin.com.au/

 

[Tulip1]

5 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

If that's your interest and you don't like the beach lifestyle you definitely came to the wrong place.

I'm surprised you haven't given surfing or kite surfing a go. My son says it's a lot like snowboarding and a lot of people I know who love skiing generally enjoy those sports too.

There's a decent kite surfing school in Freo.

I think many people living in Australia rarely visit the beach.  Of the ones I know living there they may venture to a beach a few times a year, much like they would of in the UK. Lots of people find sand annoying. I’ve no idea but I’d probably say someone like yourself who goes to the beach pretty much every day would be far more unusual than those that are now and again visitors. If you have say a few thousand people living in your suburb, what percentage of that suburb is at the beach most days? I bet it’s quite small.  I’m not just talking about migrants, I’d say the same is likely for home grown Australians. Just like someone living here in Cornwall for example. Stunning beaches but few would be up at 5am off for a pre work visit.  Nothing wrong with that and it sounds like you love the beach and your daily visits which is lovely. Equally nothing wrong with those that pop there every now and again but it’s not a main focus in their lives. 

[ramot]

1 hour ago, Tulip1 said:

I think many people living in Australia rarely visit the beach.  Of the ones I know living there they may venture to a beach a few times a year, much like they would of in the UK. Lots of people find sand annoying. I’ve no idea but I’d probably say someone like yourself who goes to the beach pretty much every day would be far more unusual than those that are now and again visitors. If you have say a few thousand people living in your suburb, what percentage of that suburb is at the beach most days? I bet it’s quite small.  I’m not just talking about migrants, I’d say the same is likely for home grown Australians. Just like someone living here in Cornwall for example. Stunning beaches but few would be up at 5am off for a pre work visit.  Nothing wrong with that and it sounds like you love the beach and your daily visits which is lovely. Equally nothing wrong with those that pop there every now and again but it’s not a main focus in their lives. 

You might be right, that proportionally fewer people take advantage of the beach, as people who work, and  or run round all the activities their children are involved in, probably just don’t have time on a daily basis, to sit on a beach during the working week? 
You could say we never go to the beach if that only means sitting sunbathing, or activities, but we do go to the beach at least several times a week, to walk and just enjoy being beside the sea! as do loads of others. We don’t swim because we prefer our pool. Loads of people are out walking swimming surfing etc here, from early morning. Several different  Groups swim everyday. School children ride their bikes to school carrying surf boards to hit the beach after school. Plenty of people go early evening  buy a takeaway and enjoy sitting by the sea as they eat. 

I suppose my point is even if a minority plenty people here use the beach regularly one way or another 

[MARYROSE02]

On 25/01/2021 at 16:30, Paul1Perth said:

We didn't research that much TBH. We had to go to the Manchester Embassy to submit the application and only then discovered they had the library and videos. We had already got our hearts set on Perth.

We moved for the lifestyle, not a thought about career or jobs. We both gave up good jobs to come, in the middle of a worldwide recession. My wifes a nurse, so were pretty confident she would get something pretty quick, which she did. I was out of work for 5 months but bought a bike and used to go off exploring with the 2 year old on the back, round the miles of bike paths. Glad when I scored a job though.

We had loads of friends tell us we were crazy. A few have been out on holiday and now tell us what a smart move it was.

Well, when people talk about "living the dream" I assume they usually mean living in a sunny and warm climate with a house on or near the beach, so I guess you achieved that? I may have said that I never thought that I was "living the dream" until I got to Surfers Paradise, 42 years after I first came to OZ.

I can't remember why I came now, or why I chose Queensland. I know Perth came into the frame because of the travel deal I found, flying to Singapore then ship to Freemantle. I have a vague feeling the fare was something over 300 quid and cheaper than a direct flight.

 

t re
" 

[Freemantle]

11 hours ago, Bulya said:

Gets pretty cool in Oberon.  Nice area.

Lovely area, love the cold weather, you can rug up nice and snuggly!