Elliott-Family Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Well, the Elliott's have just notched up the first yr in Oz. We're on the mornington peninsula, vic. A year ago yesterday my wife and 12yr old son landed, i'd been here for 3wks by then. What can we say apart from.....We love it!! :biggrin: Being away from family and friends has been tough :sad: but we're making some really good friends here now :laugh: and today we are just about to have a BBQ to celebrate 1yr. In 2wks time my folks arrive for 10wks which will be great. I work in mental health, adjusting to a new way of working is still a challenge :goofy: but I work to live and since being here we are certainly living! My wife is finding it a little tough to find work as you need a certificate to do any job which is a little disheartening. Jack, is really loving the ozzie way of life and already sounding like a little ozzie. Generally I think we've all really adjusted well to the challenges of being here, yes some things are different but we're not in the UK anymore so its not surprising. Our standard of living is better even on 1 wage and no we didnt come over with any money really. I think all in when we landed we have about 12K (UK) to buy cars, furniture, get a rental and cover the cost of setting up a home. Now, we've upgraded 1 of our cars where as in UK we could only afford to have 1 car and more importantly, we've just upgraded our boat and its great!!: jiggy: We get out in the bay fishing, have learnt to wakeboard and generally mess about on the water. As a family we spend far more quality time together than we did in the UK and always seem to be out and about. Anyway, I could go on and on but hopefully you get the gist of the post. So far, yr 1 has been absolutely fantastic, tough at times but worth it, roll on yr 2 with all its challenges and fun. I think if you arrive with the right attitude and wanting to put the work in to make a new life for your family you'll reap the rewards. We didnt come with much money and didnt bring all of our stuff from UK and we even brought two dogs over but what we have now is a great life. Will we stay indefinately?? who knows?? but there's no reason to leave just yet as we're enjoying the fun and what this great country has to offer us!! ozzie, ozzie, ozzie..........:biggrin: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 3 months in we too have settled and ..have just bought our first ever boat, have complete skippers tkt this week ( another course to do but this time a worthwhile one) then off we go on the long weekend, only a runaround 5metre boat but a start, so getting into the way of life here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott-Family Posted October 15, 2011 Author Share Posted October 15, 2011 5mtre is a good start. Our first was a 4.6 and the equivalent to DelBoys 3 wheeler but, it floated and was able to pull us out water wakeboarding so we didnt care. We've got a 5.6 bowrider now so very nice....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PityTheFool Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Congrates Elliotts on your first year! We (shane-30, Gayle-27, Mason-6 and Jayden-4) are planning to move to the Melbourne area mid 2013. From your experiences what would you say are the main lifestyle differences between the UK and OZ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellathedog Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Well, the Elliott's have just notched up the first yr in Oz. We're on the mornington peninsula, vic. A year ago yesterday my wife and 12yr old son landed, i'd been here for 3wks by then. What can we say apart from.....We love it!! :biggrin: Being away from family and friends has been tough :sad: but we're making some really good friends here now :laugh: and today we are just about to have a BBQ to celebrate 1yr. In 2wks time my folks arrive for 10wks which will be great. I work in mental health, adjusting to a new way of working is still a challenge :goofy: but I work to live and since being here we are certainly living! My wife is finding it a little tough to find work as you need a certificate to do any job which is a little disheartening. Jack, is really loving the ozzie way of life and already sounding like a little ozzie. Generally I think we've all really adjusted well to the challenges of being here, yes some things are different but we're not in the UK anymore so its not surprising. Our standard of living is better even on 1 wage and no we didnt come over with any money really. I think all in when we landed we have about 12K (UK) to buy cars, furniture, get a rental and cover the cost of setting up a home. Now, we've upgraded 1 of our cars where as in UK we could only afford to have 1 car and more importantly, we've just upgraded our boat and its great!!: jiggy: We get out in the bay fishing, have learnt to wakeboard and generally mess about on the water. As a family we spend far more quality time together than we did in the UK and always seem to be out and about. Anyway, I could go on and on but hopefully you get the gist of the post. So far, yr 1 has been absolutely fantastic, tough at times but worth it, roll on yr 2 with all its challenges and fun. I think if you arrive with the right attitude and wanting to put the work in to make a new life for your family you'll reap the rewards. We didnt come with much money and didnt bring all of our stuff from UK and we even brought two dogs over but what we have now is a great life. Will we stay indefinately?? who knows?? but there's no reason to leave just yet as we're enjoying the fun and what this great country has to offer us!! ozzie, ozzie, ozzie..........:biggrin: Happy Anniversary Elliotts! Can I just jump on your post to ask what your folks are doing with their 10 weeks? It's just that me and OH are going in 2 weeks time to our daughters and that is for 10 weeks. I/we are a bit worried that they will be sick of us, so we are trying to get away for some days each week. Obviously we have said we'll babysit as much as necessary and we will look after 'little man' for 2 days instead of childcare. I suppose I'm asking what you would like your folks to be doing for 10 weeks, so that we can get an idea of what to do??????? Again congratulations on year one, all the best for the next years!! Cheers Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Baxter Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 It sounds great, we are due to fly out to Melbourne in January and are very very excited. Hubby would also love a boat, we will have to see when we are there :wink:. Heres to another fantastic year for you all and have a great BBQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest James Parsons Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks for the positive post, we are going to Melbourne in January and it's nice to hear people doing well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott-Family Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Congrates Elliotts on your first year! We (shane-30, Gayle-27, Mason-6 and Jayden-4) are planning to move to the Melbourne area mid 2013. From your experiences what would you say are the main lifestyle differences between the UK and OZ??? We spend more time together doing things outdoors. Our son in now 13yrs and quite happy to spend time with us going places around melbourne, to the beach for days out or on the boat. In the UK he didnt really want to spend time with us but even tho he has a good circle of friends he will still come out with us. When the decent weather is here we will sit out and barbie a few times a week. We are always going somewhere new on my days off and this tends to be as a family. I think we're generally more relaxed here although my work is pretty stressful but that aside. I dont think we chase money as much as we did in the UK either. Even on just my wage we're doing ok. I think kids are allowed to be children longer here with less stress to grow up quickly and there doesn't seem to be the barriers about them being around younger children either. Jack is quite happy to hang around with the neighbours kids who are 7ish. Overall I think we're alot happier and excitied to be here. :biggrin: Good luck with your move, its stressful and hard work but worth it if you come with the right attitude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anlopa Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Fantastic positive post, Congratulations to you and chin chin to your 2nd, 3rd, 4th,,,,,,,,,, year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Good for you! I hope to write a similar post in another 10 months or so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tara Branson Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Congratulations on your year in Oz so nice to read a positive post. Can I ask how you are finding the creepy crawlies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmck Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks for the post. It puts peoples minds at ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott-Family Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Happy Anniversary Elliotts! Can I just jump on your post to ask what your folks are doing with their 10 weeks? It's just that me and OH are going in 2 weeks time to our daughters and that is for 10 weeks. I/we are a bit worried that they will be sick of us, so we are trying to get away for some days each week. Obviously we have said we'll babysit as much as necessary and we will look after 'little man' for 2 days instead of childcare. I suppose I'm asking what you would like your folks to be doing for 10 weeks, so that we can get an idea of what to do??????? Again congratulations on year one, all the best for the next years!! Cheers Pam Hi Pam, you sound a little like my mum in that she is really worried that they'll get on our nerves after a few days which just isnt true :no:. We've not seen them for a yr so gonna make up that time and enjoy our days together whether we plan anything or not. I think my folks are heading off to sydney for a few days and they were thinking about goin on the Ghan rail trip but I think that's maybe too expensive and I've heard some bad reports. Other than that we've not got too much booked. We've planned trips into the city, the 12 apostles. They'll get a few days tour of the Peninsula where we live with various afternoon/ evening bbq's/ picnics. Some days out on the boat, that sort of thing. We're gonna lend them our car so they can go explore too. I still have to work but have taken some time off but I'm sure your daughter will be similar to us in that they just want to see you and spend time with you like we do with our rellies. So dont worry and enjoy what australia has to offer :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VickyMel Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Great post - must be wonderful to celebrate your first Oz anniversary! Also hoping to be celebrating in another 3/4 of a year - but enjoying settling in slowly as it is. Congratulations on your year in Oz so nice to read a positive post. Can I ask how you are finding the creepy crawlies? I'm used to creepy crawlies and not bothered by them - but have been surprised how few there are in our house - I think it has been sprayed as anything that dares to enter seems to die within a few hours. So far in the house (2 months now) I have found about 10 flies which die quickly then the other day I found a lady birds as well - that is pretty much it - no cobwebs in the house or anything. We do live in the inner suburbs of Melbourne - but have done some geocaching and been running around in the undergrowth looking for clues etc. On the whole it seems little different (creepy crawly wise) from the UK to me (although the fly season has yet to hit and I have not been out in the real bush this is just day to day at home). Vicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Well, the Elliott's have just notched up the first yr in Oz. We're on the mornington peninsula, vic. A year ago yesterday my wife and 12yr old son landed, i'd been here for 3wks by then. What can we say apart from.....We love it!! :biggrin: Being away from family and friends has been tough :sad: but we're making some really good friends here now :laugh: and today we are just about to have a BBQ to celebrate 1yr. In 2wks time my folks arrive for 10wks which will be great. I work in mental health, adjusting to a new way of working is still a challenge :goofy: but I work to live and since being here we are certainly living! My wife is finding it a little tough to find work as you need a certificate to do any job which is a little disheartening. Jack, is really loving the ozzie way of life and already sounding like a little ozzie. Generally I think we've all really adjusted well to the challenges of being here, yes some things are different but we're not in the UK anymore so its not surprising. Our standard of living is better even on 1 wage and no we didnt come over with any money really. I think all in when we landed we have about 12K (UK) to buy cars, furniture, get a rental and cover the cost of setting up a home. Now, we've upgraded 1 of our cars where as in UK we could only afford to have 1 car and more importantly, we've just upgraded our boat and its great!!: jiggy: We get out in the bay fishing, have learnt to wakeboard and generally mess about on the water. As a family we spend far more quality time together than we did in the UK and always seem to be out and about. Anyway, I could go on and on but hopefully you get the gist of the post. So far, yr 1 has been absolutely fantastic, tough at times but worth it, roll on yr 2 with all its challenges and fun. I think if you arrive with the right attitude and wanting to put the work in to make a new life for your family you'll reap the rewards. We didnt come with much money and didnt bring all of our stuff from UK and we even brought two dogs over but what we have now is a great life. Will we stay indefinately?? who knows?? but there's no reason to leave just yet as we're enjoying the fun and what this great country has to offer us!! ozzie, ozzie, ozzie..........:biggrin: Wow a year ago, time really does fly. Great update, it's lovely when we get some positive updates as it makes the members who are still waiting feel a lot happier that they are doing the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellathedog Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi Pam, you sound a little like my mum in that she is really worried that they'll get on our nerves after a few days which just isnt true :no:. We've not seen them for a yr so gonna make up that time and enjoy our days together whether we plan anything or not. I think my folks are heading off to sydney for a few days and they were thinking about goin on the Ghan rail trip but I think that's maybe too expensive and I've heard some bad reports. Other than that we've not got too much booked. We've planned trips into the city, the 12 apostles. They'll get a few days tour of the Peninsula where we live with various afternoon/ evening bbq's/ picnics. Some days out on the boat, that sort of thing. We're gonna lend them our car so they can go explore too. I still have to work but have taken some time off but I'm sure your daughter will be similar to us in that they just want to see you and spend time with you like we do with our rellies. So dont worry and enjoy what australia has to offer :biggrin: Thanks for this. Yes we are a bit concerned whether we'll all get on each others nerves, although daughter says it won't be a problem, so it's good to hear someone elses views on long term visitors. I actually feel better already, so thanks!! We have visited before, but never for so long, hopefully they will go out lots and make use of us for babysitting!!:yes::yes: Enjoy your Mum and Dads time with you, we'll compare notes next year when we're back:wink: Cheers Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott-Family Posted October 18, 2011 Author Share Posted October 18, 2011 Congratulations on your year in Oz so nice to read a positive post. Can I ask how you are finding the creepy crawlies? To be honest we've not had too many. A couple of huntsmen and whitetails but nothing else. I'm really not good with the huntsmen because they are so big but i'm ok at relocating the smaller spiders and I really dont like spiders!!!!! :nah: We did bomb the house just after we moved in and will probably do it again before my folks arrive, but fingers crossed we've not been too bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supa Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Thanks for this. Yes we are a bit concerned whether we'll all get on each others nerves, although daughter says it won't be a problem, so it's good to hear someone elses views on long term visitors. I actually feel better already, so thanks!! We have visited before, but never for so long, hopefully they will go out lots and make use of us for babysitting!!:yes::yes: Enjoy your Mum and Dads time with you, we'll compare notes next year when we're back:wink: Cheers Pam Reporting back on long term visitors, I would have to say that the majority of people, rather than getting on each others nerves is the feeling of resentment of taking advantage. Key ones seem to be: not offering to contribute towards things like petrol and food, leaving the place messy, not offering to wash up, not giving space to each other. One suggest for this is either asking to borrow the family car if poss (maybe at the weekend when the hosts are catching up on jobs or asking to be dropped off at bus stops to go into local towns etc to take themselves off for a couple of hours. We mainly all love to see our visitors, but too much exposure isn't always easy - it's human nature to want a bit of space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellathedog Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Reporting back on long term visitors, I would have to say that the majority of people, rather than getting on each others nerves is the feeling of resentment of taking advantage. Key ones seem to be: not offering to contribute towards things like petrol and food, leaving the place messy, not offering to wash up, not giving space to each other. One suggest for this is either asking to borrow the family car if poss (maybe at the weekend when the hosts are catching up on jobs or asking to be dropped off at bus stops to go into local towns etc to take themselves off for a couple of hours. We mainly all love to see our visitors, but too much exposure isn't always easy - it's human nature to want a bit of space. Thanks for the reply Supa. I think we may be the exception to the rule as we usually try to pay whenever we can and have used all sorts of ruses to get to pay before daughter or s.i.l get there!!! We have had to agree to split all bills for groceries and when we eat out, again to split the bill. They don't want any arguments. We are babysitting whenever they want, even saving them one day a weeks childcare. We have asked for them to leave us a 'to do' list, so we can help around the house. All this makes us sound like angels, but we aren't really. It's just that we have another daughter here in UK and we do a lot for her and her family and just want to even things up a bit. Also, I love visiting Australia and wouldn't want to not be welcome ever again!!!!!!!! We'll certainly give them space, but also be there for when they need a hand. Cheers Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwgster Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Hey Thanks for writing this thread.. It is really cool to hear that you are enjoying the new lifestyle so much. Reading between the lines, I suspect it is your attitude to how you approach your new life that can have a massive bearing on how things turn out... If we make it out there, we intend to give it our best shot, to mix within the community, try new things & push the barriers etc.. Hoping you continue to have a great time. martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 cheers for the update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest juliemtaylor Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Ian - was a great Barbie even with the entertainment provided by Claire falling over and smashing glasses, lol. Here's to us all sitting in the sun and having fun for many years to come. Julie x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Hi Elliott family. Glad all has gone well. We too have been here 12 months and have had a different experience to you! But we are getting there. I am also in Mental Health, I just wondered, how did you end up in Mornington working straight away? We would have loved to go there but couldnt find any work down there from the UK. Did you get out here and then look for a job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott-Family Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Hi Elliott family.Glad all has gone well. We too have been here 12 months and have had a different experience to you! But we are getting there. I am also in Mental Health, I just wondered, how did you end up in Mornington working straight away? We would have loved to go there but couldnt find any work down there from the UK. Did you get out here and then look for a job? Hi, I'm surprised :shocked: that you couldn't find work here cos Peninsula Health are always advertising for nurses in Frankston and still are! In fact the team I work with are waiting on another nurse to arrive from the UK as we speak. I was lucky enough to be offered a job before we arrived in Oz but Peninsula Health gave me a deadline as to when they would hold the job open until. As it turned out that did fit in with our timeframe, just. I was doing the usual trawling of internet sites mainly on seek.com looking for any job on the Peninsula as we had identified this as the place we wanted to live. I had a phone interview whilst I was in the UK and offered a job shortly after. So, are you in Oz now, if so where did you end up?? Do you have work, if so doing what?? regards Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott-Family Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 HeyThanks for writing this thread.. It is really cool to hear that you are enjoying the new lifestyle so much. Reading between the lines, I suspect it is your attitude to how you approach your new life that can have a massive bearing on how things turn out... If we make it out there, we intend to give it our best shot, to mix within the community, try new things & push the barriers etc.. Hoping you continue to have a great time. martin I think that you are right.............. it is all about your attitude. When we arrived we knew things would be very different to the UK, we were under no illusion of coming to the UK 'with sun' and that's part of the reason we came. We have made friends with other ex pats but not exclusively! We've made so really good ozzie friends :biggrin: and found them to be very warm, friendly and easy to get on with. Like with anyone else you have to put a little effort in when making friends. It's easy with ex pats cos you already have a common bond but we've come to oz. And yes we've done far more different things to our old UK life and really tried to make the most of being here. I dont think any of us have come here half hearted, we've all tried to make a real effort and our 13yr son is probably more ozzie than Paul Hogan, he seems to be thriving here and that makes the difficult times worth while. :jiggy: Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.