Guest paulwbafc Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Hi Considering moving to vic. Trying to get a skilled visa as my occupation is on the demands list so expect to pass. After reading many of the threads i can't find anyone with any regrets. So I am asking the question does anybody who emigrated to oz especially victoria melbourne had any regrets and is selling up to move back to old blighty. From blighty it does seem like the grass is greener in oz than dudley west midlands england. And the weather here on april 12th is a high of 8c central heating still on and not been of hardly since october, and forecast more rain tommorow. Also if i stay in england paying 1200 council tax petrol 94p a litre, pensions in crisis, retirement age will be lifted to 70, homes too expensive for starters, brother in law paying 130,000 for two bed flat so not much hope of kids getting a house. Taxes keep going up, tax freedom day is in june now, (what is it in oz) tax freedom day is when you calculate how much of your annual salary is tax. Plus made redundant 2nd time in 12 months and wages crap. Really hate britain now. Also schools are poor. NHS is shutting hospitals as they are all over budget by millions, very few NHS dentists so everyone needs to go private. And britain is getting worse. Is Oz better than this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Arnold Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 :lol: Anything has to be better than this! All your hates are the reason we are applying! Go for it, what have you got to loose? We are at the same stage as you, posted our TRA application today! Goodluck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest paulwbafc Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 The hardest part is leaving family behind but our parents retire in few years so they can stop in oz for few months and flight returns are around the 500 mark which is well worth there while. Reading in the papers today about many pensioners cant afford retirement. Also my cousins cant get on the property ladder. So have to go really for my kids futures and reaching old age in the uk is a nightmare as each year passes by. I worked out that will need to save 200 a month for 25 years to get a 5k a year pension whereas at rates 10 years ago would of paid up 23k. At least in oz we wont have big fuel bills and will be able to retire and walk the dog round all those lovely parks and see the sights anytime of year. The great escape is on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Arnold Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 The thought of growing old here is very depressing, sitting in the cold not being able to afford the bills, but hey sitting in Oz is far more appealing! Grow old gracefully, have a round of golf, walk along the beach or just sit in the huge back yard in the sun! sounds bliss. We don't really have the problem of family....we don't see them an awful lot anyway, however my sister, hubby and their children are also applying so that is a wee bit more comforting. I do undertsand your concerns, now we are really going for it I think everything enters your head, am I doing the right thing? won't know until we've tried. Glad we're not the only one's with these thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattandSarah Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Hi Arnold, we are just up the road from you in Bristol. Our application is in and we are hoping to get the final yes(fingers crossed) in the next couple of weeks. We also have two kids currently aged 2 and 7. Thanks to this website and others we have got alot of info from people who have already made the move. There are lots of downsides to moving half way around the world, but these seem to be outweighed by all the good points. Good schools, good weather, decent food and sunshine to keep the arthritis at bay in a few years. The UK seems to be going to the dogs and we can see nothing in our future but doom and gloom! If you are wealthy its a great place to live, but, if like the majority you have to work hard for a living its becoming a sad, dirty, grey place to spend your days. We are hoping to go south of Perth to start a new, virbrant life and give you children the best future we can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 Hi Considering moving to vic. Trying to get a skilled visa as my occupation is on the demands list so expect to pass. After reading many of the threads i can't find anyone with any regrets. So I am asking the question does anybody who emigrated to oz especially victoria melbourne had any regrets and is selling up to move back to old blighty. From blighty it does seem like the grass is greener in oz than dudley west midlands england. And the weather here on april 12th is a high of 8c central heating still on and not been of hardly since october, and forecast more rain tommorow. Also if i stay in england paying 1200 council tax petrol 94p a litre, pensions in crisis, retirement age will be lifted to 70, homes too expensive for starters, brother in law paying 130,000 for two bed flat so not much hope of kids getting a house. Taxes keep going up, tax freedom day is in june now, (what is it in oz) tax freedom day is when you calculate how much of your annual salary is tax. Plus made redundant 2nd time in 12 months and wages crap. Really hate britain now. Also schools are poor. NHS is shutting hospitals as they are all over budget by millions, very few NHS dentists so everyone needs to go private. And britain is getting worse. Is Oz better than this? Hi there I grew up in Stourbridge/ Amblecote not far from Dudley and can honestly say that I would never go back there from where we are in NE Victoria. We have moved around a lot in the UK and were living in south Bristol before spending a few years in Belgium and basically can say that if you are willing to work at the move you should be more than happy. The people who seem to have the most difficult time of it are those with VERY strong family and friend ties who have never moved out of their comfort zone and find the shock too much. It becomes really difficult if it is easy to move back and just slip into your old circle of friends etc. For us though we have moved so many times that we came here fully aware of the work involved in making a new place home. We are living about 2-3 hours from Melbourne towards the NSW border and can go into the mountains whenever we like, and even manage day trips to the beach. The kids have settled really well here and they are far more relaxed than they were before. I can honestly say that things are easier in the sun because even if it is cooler here the sun is shining most days. Good luck with your move. Nicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail39 Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 i agree totally with all of you on this post!!! Who wants to work til they are 70???? This coutry will be in a state in a few years time,especially for the next generation,we have 2 kids and are lloking forward to something different,,a better lifestyle and not to pay through the nose for everything that you do, especially when the weather is c--p!!! And as the saying goes if it dont work you can always say well at least we tried!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommo64 Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Hi, Check out paul gallagher's post in expat & arrival's gossip. I makes interesting reading and perhaps puts things into perpective a little. After all, it's easy to get all starry eyed about moving down under! It's worth bearing in mind that this is just one man's opinion. Australia simply wasn't his cup of tea. And there don't seem to be many like it on this forum. Most people's comments seem to be positive. His comments certainly haven't put me or my family off. There is a reply in the thread from an Aussie in England who can't wait to get back home. In the end I think you just have to do as much research as possible and keep your expectations realistic. Like anything else in life - its what you make of it. To us, Australia is all about opportunities. Its still a growing country with loads of room, affordable housing, good employment opportunities and decent weather for most of the time. But only a fool would believe it is a utopian paradise. There's no where on this planet like that! Cheers, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gail.crease Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Paul If you really want to know about Brits with regrets and wanting to move back then check out British Expats website http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=61 I warn you though, they are brutal on that website. Not like the nice friendly bunch that you get on here. The majority that are unhappy seem to be in Perth. Haven't heard too many complaining aobut Melbourne. It shocked me reading some of the things people put but we got over it and decided still to go for it. Regards Gail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Agree with Tom, keep your expectations realistic, Australia has it's problems too, it's easy to get caught up in the excitment of the whole process ... for us (and this is only a personal thing), we gave ourselves a bit of breathing space once we got the visa (6 months), it helped us to put things into place in aus, (accomodation, schools, bank , jobs etc), and I'm sure that security has helped us settle very quickly. We still work but the quality of the time we spend together as a family in comparrison seems far better here than back in the UK. Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daceys Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Ali I like your post, it's sweet. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spock Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Wow, Dudley eh? I'm actually from Oldbury, but spent most of my adult life in Stourbridge. I haven't even applied for my TRA yet, but planning to do it in the next week. We've had the same thoughts as you. We're constantly going from heady heights to depths of of fear and doubt. But in each time of doubt, we think about NOT making the move and we despair about the opportunity missed and immediately change our minds again! Someone said that most people regret the things they haven't done - not the things they have. When I'm retired I don't want to think that I had this chance, but passed it up (in favour of a four-yearly totalitarian government who thinks the electorate is stupid (we keep voting them in - maybe we are!), working far into old age, pensions being stolen, pensions eroded by council tax and fuel bills, increases in crime, etc, (I could go on for a while here...)) And the bottom line is, if we don't like it, we can come back. It will cost me a bit, but I think it is worth it for the adventure of a lifetime. And you never know, we might even like it enough to stay! (Let you in to a secret - I think we will! ). Spock's recommendation: GO FOR IT! Spock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Esther Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 We are in Brisbane and have been since January 2007. We left uk on 19 November and had a holiday in between. We have both got jobs, bought a house and a car and our furniture arrived. We dont have the same feeling for oz as we did when we left UK. We could not wait to get here and came at the first opportunity, sold the house and the cars as soon as our visa came through and we were off. We only looked at the positives of oz and didnt think about the people we were leaving behind. I did not appreciate my family and friends and feel a fool as it has taken me to move to the otherside of the world to realise that they mean so so much to me. Of course I loved them dearly but didnt realise how much I needed them around me, even just to pop to mum & dads on a sunday for a cuppa - thats something I would just love to do - only it would take me 24 hours to get there not 20 minutes. I dont think we will be staying in Australia. We have alot of family coming over this year so that will be good. And we are going "home" in October for a holiday. We are saying at the moment - lets try and enjoy this year and see and do as much as we can whilst here and see how we feel when we come back to oz after our holiday in October. At the time of writing tho I would love to book a one way ticket home for October !! Our situation is odd as most people I speak to love the life they have here and would not go back to england if they were paid too - just depends on what important to YOU as everyone is differant. Esther x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Esther Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Sorry for sounding so negative having a bad day/week Hopefully the weekend will sort that out, if the suns out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 You certainly don't have to apologies for saying how your feel, you're right when you say that everyone is different and that we'll all deal/cope with it in different ways. I'm sure the home sickness will hit us all at some time or other and some will get it quite soon and others a little way down the track. Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Hiya we arrived in brisbane early november too ,and esther i understand were your coming from ,you dont think youll miss people till they arent there,like you sy i miss people popping in for a chat n a brew ,however there is no way we will be moving back to the uk ,there are far more ''fors ' than 'againsts' for us ,we are all loving the lifestyle have both got jobs ,bought cars and our first ozzy home,for anyone still in the uk my advice to make it work (well it as for us)is ,take off the rose tinted glasses as it isnt going to be as glowing & perfect as you think,you will have down times aswell as highs,as ali said plan as much as you can in advance and more than anything if one of you has doubts seriously reconsider the move until everyone is behind it 101%,,remember the grass is as green as you make it ,,, Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nelson Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 We don't have any regrets whatsoever but asked if I would do anything differently I would say yes, yes, yes!!! And don't be under any illusions... Australia is, for us, a whole heap better but there are many times when a familiar situation has cropped up (contacting utility companies is a good example) when I have thought.. "hmmm.... same sh*t, shinier shovel!!!" I did have to laugh though as the voice recognition didn't understand my clipped, English tones so, just for a laugh, I responded with "yis" instead of "yes", and it worked!!!!! :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hezza Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Hi Krista, That is so funny!It made us titter! What would you do differently then,if you don't mind me asking? Paula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CarolineandGrant Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 We are planning to move to Perth in November so I just had a look on the expats forum (mentioned earlier) and wish I hadn't! It's a shame that I did that almost immediately after watching a programme called "Australias most dangerous places". I know I have to get a balanced view but how balanced can it really be??? Apart from the spiders and killer reptiles, it is all someone elses opinion. It helps to some extent because having never been, it is all we have to go on. My friend lives there and loves it and could never come home but she also suffers from terrible homesickness after a year there. I think we will go but just with an open mind and be under no illusions that it will be easy for us or our children. How often do people see white tails in Perth? Caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail39 Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 hi spock I agree with your post regarding the pensions etc there was a read up in a paper yesterday saying that interest rates need to go up as people are putting their money into property instead of PENSIONS Do you blame them? As when they come to retire theres no money left.. We also live in your neck of the woods and the have leved here all our lives and noticed the deterioration of towns etc etc the list is endless and I dont wish to get on my soap box..LOL But we feel its better to try than have regrets when you are retired and wished you had done it,and experienced life in oz... Rant over!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynandsean Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Hi there Couldnt agree more we all the comments on here. We hope to move to Gold Coast area in Jan. Had meds on Monday, waiting for police checks to come back hopefully !?! will get approval around end Apr. We applied before ever going there and decided to research, research research on tele internet etc and watched those programmes too. Scared the s**t out of me. I cant cope with the critters over here, spiders anyway as we dont have too many snakes (do we?). Decided to visit back in Jan and I wouldnt even walk on the grass to start with (stoopid or what)! After 2 wks I was totally sold on the place and fears overcome (just). However we still plan to live nearer the coast than the bush (just to be sure) silly I know but every little helps!?! and besides which I HATE this bl**dy country now and what it is doing to us all so bring on Oz and all little bu**ers it can throw at me, including the 'drop bears' !?!?!? Lyn xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CarolineandGrant Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Glad someone else watched 'that' programme. It was more the exbritpats website that has cast a shadow of doubt. Obviously those people are wanting to come home for whatever reason so I guess their perspectives might be a little different to someone living there without homesickness issues. my husband in particular is seriously worried about the move. We both know that we want to give it a go but there is this MASSIVE WHAT IF it isn't for us and we have given up everything we know to go there with potentially no going back to any of it. I am trying to persuade him to go out there before we all leave but he says it is too expensive and that a two week holiday won't be the same as actually living there and paying bills etc. They say the longer you are planning the move, the easier it is to persuade yourself to stay afterall. Really hope this doesn't happen to us, couldn't bear the regrets. Caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hays Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I'm the same, i cant stand the little so and so's!! i've decided to just not think about it...it's very hard!! but stop watching the programms Chelle, thats just makes it worse!! lol xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EM&M Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 When we were in Oz Aug 05 we stayed at our familys holiday home in Airlie Beach. We went into the garden the first day and we seen a "proper" snake not a grass one at the side of the house it was about metre long. Anyway it was dead only just though. I rang the local council and asked for someone to remove it, like u would here if you found a rat or something..............honestly I think this girl feel off her chair laughing, she said its dead it wont hurt you!!! Just scoop it into a bag with a shovel and put it in the bin...errrrr MICHAEL!!!! :arghh: Our cousin has a huntsman in her house it sleeps behind the picture in her living room, she says they wont hurt if you leave them alone errr....ok then. :rolleyes: Em x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hays Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 huntsman in the house??? hell no!!!!!! at least if its outside i can deal.....ish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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