Guest redlee71 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi All So I thought I would give a little something back. We arrived in Oz on 27th August 2011, by we I mean me and my 4 children, and by Oz I mean Berwick (a beautiful suburb of Melbourne). My hubby was already here and had been since March. We travelled via Singapore where we meet hubby for a long weekend/family holiday. Must admit it was a much needed break. Weather when we arrived was crap, damp and cold but think that was because we had just come from Singas, anyway our container turned up the day we arrrived which was seriously bad timing but nothing we could about it. I think I walked around in a daze for the first week or so, collected my car so we could all get around. We explored as much as possible, I think hubby wanted to show us all the things he had discovered. During this first 2 weeks my eldest (18yrs) decided he didnt want to remain in Oz and time then was tense for everyone, lots of arguements and tantrums. 3 weeks in we gave in and bought him a one way ticket back to the UK, not knowing if this was the right thing to do but knowing he had to spread his wings and find his own way. As a mother that was heart wrenching and to be honest didnt see the point of us staying if our family was fragmented. But life went on and the other kids (16,14 and 12) started school. I was determined when we got here that I had to hit the ground running, so I contacted Poms in Oz and a very kind lady put me intouch with other lovely ladies and before I knew it I was being invited here there and everywhere, BBQs, parties, lunches etc etc hubby and my son even got involved with a 5 aside footie team. We have been lucky that we have met some truely wonderful people that have supported us through our ups and downs. I have wobbly days, normally Mondays, but I am learning to put things in place to help myself through those days. One of those is to learn to be kind to myself, to remember we have only been here 3 months and everything is still so new. So in a nut shell we have more friends now than we had in the UK which means at times a hectic lifestyle, which is fine by us. We spend more time together as a family. Dont get me wrong its not all a bed of roses and learning to adjust can be hard at times. Remembering not to compare everything to the UK is the best place to start, after all it isnt the UK. Yes somethings are more expensive here but at the sametime its not everyday I would eat banana prawns in the UK and be wowed by how cheap they are!! Life in Oz is what you make it, with some hard work, an open mind and a little bit of the no worries attitude then its mostly great. I know before I left the UK I was reading everything I could and once I was here this website was an absolute godsend, so if my post just helps 1 person feel more at eaze then thats great, and if anyone has any questions, not promising I will know the answer but I am sure I will find someone in my cirlce of friends so far that will. Good Luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverbobby Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi, Thanks for the post. Must be hard with your eldest son going back to the UK, but you sound like you are enjoying Oz! We have looked at Berwick as somewhere where we could live, what is it like for shops and activities? Is there anything you can't get in Berwick that you have to travel further afield for? I will most likely work in Melbourne CBD, how is travelling into the CBD from Berwick is it 1+ hours? Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redlee71 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi, Thanks for the post. Must be hard with your eldest son going back to the UK, but you sound like you are enjoying Oz! We have looked at Berwick as somewhere where we could live, what is it like for shops and activities? Is there anything you can't get in Berwick that you have to travel further afield for? I will most likely work in Melbourne CBD, how is travelling into the CBD from Berwick is it 1+ hours? Cheers Mark Hi Mark, Yes hard to be without my eldest but I think we are on the cusp of him returning, fingers crossed I should know by the end of the week, so life is certainly looking up. Berwick is a beautiful suburb of Melbourne, I did masses of research before we left, schools being an important issue so therefore Berwick came out tops for us. It has a lovely highstreet with pretty much everything you would need. I do travel for shopping centres, we have a large one about 10mins away called fountain gate, I am sure you could look it up on the web. Also Chadstone shopping centre the largest in Victoria I believe is only 35 mins away. So I would say that finding things really isn't an issue. As for travelling into the CBD I am not sure from what I have heard from friends it is about an hour and a half, its all traffic depending. Hope some of that helps, people here are so friendly and willing to help in anyway possible and especially on Poms in Oz, probably because we have all been in the same boat at some point. When are you thinking of arriving in Oz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtonite Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi there, Another Berwick related post, that's twice this week. Forget PomsInOZ.com I think we'll have to start PomsInBERWICK.com!!!! Good to hear you settling OK and fingers crossed that you're all reunited soon. We've been here for 3 years now so if there's anything we can help with just ask, likewise if you find anything interesting please share it - we're constantly finding new stuff. Berwick - The Place To Be. Best wishes, Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyrish Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks for taking the time to let people know how you are getting on. Hopefully your son will come back to join you. Hope things continue to go well for you all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redlee71 Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Hi there, Another Berwick related post, that's twice this week. Forget PomsInOZ.com I think we'll have to start PomsInBERWICK.com!!!! Good to hear you settling OK and fingers crossed that you're all reunited soon. We've been here for 3 years now so if there's anything we can help with just ask, likewise if you find anything interesting please share it - we're constantly finding new stuff. Berwick - The Place To Be. Best wishes, Geoff Ha ha Geoff I think you might be right with the Poms in Berwick theme!! It certainly is the place to be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtonite Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Ha ha Geoff I think you might be right with the Poms in Berwick theme!! It certainly is the place to be Remember, you heard it here first....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaffneyclan Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Hi All We have been in Berwick (well Cranbourne North) for 7 months - has gone in a flash as we both work fulltime. Our eldest son (20) is back and forth to UK for Uni - I understand how hard it is...our youngest son (18) is going to Uni here La Trobe in 2 wks! Will be just the 2 of us....I work at Casey Hospital - different form UK but lots of things the same. We have no regrets moving here. Gonna start looking into yoga/pilates classes - anyone have any info? Any hiking clubs here? Thanks everyone Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I work in the CBD and live in Narre (next door to Berwick), train journey is easily under an hour so just depends on how far from the station you are at both ends. (My journey is about 1hr door to door - excluding time to grab a coffee on the way to the office - but I'm RIGHT near Parliament station in the CBD, and no more than 10 mins walk at the home end Don't drive into the CBD if you can avoid it, it's rubbish!!! Hi, Thanks for the post. Must be hard with your eldest son going back to the UK, but you sound like you are enjoying Oz! We have looked at Berwick as somewhere where we could live, what is it like for shops and activities? Is there anything you can't get in Berwick that you have to travel further afield for? I will most likely work in Melbourne CBD, how is travelling into the CBD from Berwick is it 1+ hours? Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Good to hear you are doing so well, red. Will be great if your son comes back, too. It always makes you feel better when you have made a few friends. You must be a nice, friendly person by the sound of it and I don't think you will have too many problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaffneyclan Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Hi All We have been in Berwick (well Cranbourne North) for 7 months - has gone in a flash as we both work fulltime. Our eldest son (20) is back and forth to UK for Uni - I understand how hard it is...our youngest son (18) is going to Uni here La Trobe in 2 wks! Will be just the 2 of us....I work at Casey Hospital - different form UK but lots of things the same. We have no regrets moving here. Gonna start looking into yoga/pilates classes - anyone have any info? Any hiking clubs here? Thanks everyone Sam Hi Mark Berwick has a range of shop on a high street with a 'village' style look. Lots of restaurants and coffee bars. We have a big shopping mall called Fountaingate nearby too, which is currently being extended... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham834 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Hi everyone, We are moving to Melbourne arriving in June. We have not yet decided where we are going to settle but I have been extremely attracted to Berwick from what I have read and heard from people living there. We have a 4 year old little girl who will be going into Kindergarten. Both of us will probably have to commute into the CBD - can anyone share any experiences of this?? Is this practical with our daughter at school in Berwick? Also any school recommendations would be much appreciated. At the moment she attends a private pre-school so we would be looking for something similar in Oz. Sorry one last question - what is the houses like - are they big, do they have alot of garden space etc and roughly how much to rent a 3 bedroom?? Sorry my questions are a bit vague but any help would be very much appreciated. Amanda - Manchester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea4two Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Hey Amanda Sorry can't help with any of the other things you mentioned but look on http://www.realestate.com.au or http://www.domain.com.au for housing and you will get a rough idea xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redlee71 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Ok so my last post seems like a lifetime ago now, '12 weeks in' and all the ups and downs that go with it! Thanks to everyone that took the time to reply I appreciate it. I am now 8 months in and boy the time has flown by! And this last 2 weeks has been mad, I got a job! And my eldest son has returned from the UK to live with us! All his idea which is great. Which leads me on to my plea, I am worried that being 19 and not in school or a job that he will find it hard to integrate into life here. So does anyone know of any young adults in the same boat, or ones that have been there and done that that would be willing to meet up for a beer and a chat?? Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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