Shortest Time in Oz?

[alandeej]

Just like to know what is the shortest time anyone has been in Australia before returning to the UK, I came to Australia to a small place called Geraldton in WA which in my opinion is no better than a 'Hick Town' I have only been here a short time but I knew the moment I stepped off the plane that I hated the place. I was so blinked that Australia was better than the UK, especially with the present economic climate, but so far Australia has proved to be overrated and overpriced, talk about 'rip off Britain' which is nothing compared to the Australia, rental is the biggest rip off followed by food prices. And as for embracing the Aussie way of life Sun, Beaches and bbq's, but the sun is too hot and has to be avoided, the beaches here are windswept and I'm already fed up with bbq's especially the crap Aussie beef sausages.

I have been told to give it longer here as the rule of the thumb is 2 years, but I can't see the point in stopping more than 6 months especially as my 20 year old son can not find work, and yet allegedly Australia is crying out for workers. For me Australia has turned out to be a disappointment throwing away a good life in the UK to live on the breadline in Australia, incidentally the bread is also crap here!

 

I have come over to Australia on a 457 visa with fellow Brits who think its great here, so I guess it's just me?

[Guest guest36187]

There was a poster once that was here for two weeks

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I know someone who thought exactly the same as you, as soon as they stepped off the plane they hated it, they set it in their mind that they wouldn't settle and went home after a week, now I'm sorry but I don't think a week is long enough, I have known families want to give up during the first few months but they stick it out and have settled very well and love it here.

At the end of the day only you can decide but I wish you happiness wherever you end up, life is too short to be miserable.

[Johndoe]

 

I have come over to Australia on a 457 visa with fellow Brits who think its great here, so I guess it's just me?

 

No, there's plenty of others who think the sausages are crap too

[Rupert]

I think it is very hard for us Brits to imagine what life will be like in a regional part / small town in Australia. We just don't have anything comparable, people used to say that I lived in the middle of nowhere and it looks like that on google earth, but it was still only just over an hour into the middle of London.

 

Many of us have moved to the larger cities and I expect that transition is much easier, so don't beat yourself up about finding it hard. Can you try finding a new job in one of the metropolitan areas. Is you son on the same visa as you?

[CockneyRebel]

Your certainly not alone. Its an offence to talk about failed migration and a lot of people live in denial that guys like you exist.

I was talking to a #10 pom the other day whose family were successful years ago and stayed for good. In those days it took several weeks by boat to get here. He told me people were already homesick on the boat before it arrived in Oz. Many took one look at the place hated it and were on the next boat home.

I knew someone who came to Sydney for a 2 week holiday and went home after 3 days!!

That said thousands settle here every year and never return. So theres no real answer whether your right or wrong but your definitely not alone.

Never been to Geraldton but most of WA sounds like an absolute $$$$hole. Youve probably been told all sorts of mythical stories of money, work,fictional lifestyle and had a shock when you arrived.

Just remember Australia is desperate to increase its population in these rural areas so propaganda is rife. Remember the old phrase.

Yesterday we were hiring today your employed....

[Peach]

I was talking to a #10 pom the other day whose family were successful years ago and stayed for good. In those days it took several weeks by boat to get here. He told me people were already homesick on the boat before it arrived in Oz. Many took one look at the place hated it and were on the next boat home.

 

Just wanted to point out that the last point of your statement isn't factual. The return journey to the UK was not discounted, as a result almost none could afford to be "on the next boat home".

[Parley]

I don't think you should judge all of Australia based on your experiences in Geraldton, which I wouldn't expect to be typical.

Before giving up and going home, why not try somewhere else like Melbourne or Sydney or anywhere else that is a better fit for what you like.

Maybe even Tassie if you don't like hot weather..

[Skani]

For me Australia has turned out to be a disappointment throwing away a good life in the UK to live on the breadline in Australia, incidentally the bread is also crap here!

 

 

Correction - Geraldton has turned out to be a disappointment.

 

Geraldton is NOTHING like the part of Australia I - or millions of other Australians - live in. For many of us it could be a foreign country, so don't base your opinion of the entire country on one "hick" town.

Incidentally, we have a choice of about 100 different types of bread where I live - including those made by European and UK bakers - so it's not a problem of Australia but of the place you chose to live.

[rogero]

Just out of interest where exactly are you from .

[MARYROSE02]

Even if you do decide to go home it would be a shame not to at least visit some of the other parts of OZ before you go. Do a road trip to Sydney or Brisbane and fly home from there but you might find you like it in one of those places. I landed in Fremantle and got as far as Adelaide and nearly went back but decided I wanted to see the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge first.

 

Sometimes, too, a place will grow on you almost imperceptibly but you won't realize it until you get back to the UK!

[Johndoe]

Although others have said give it longer and/or move, I think that if you continue in the present state of mind, then you will always feel the same.

 

You said, "I knew the moment I stepped off the plane that I hated the place" which to me, seems like your mind is made up. You also said, "as for embracing the Aussie way of life Sun, Beaches and bbq's, but the sun is too hot and has to be avoided, the beaches here are windswept and I'm already fed up with bbq's especially the crap Aussie beef sausages" Quite frankly, there is more to the Aussie "way of life" than you seem to envisage it or have pre-conceived notions of. Life is what you make of it and some folk would give their right arm to be on a windswept beach whilst others, such as yourself, would apparently hate it.

 

I'm sure most folk have misgivings in their early days here but crap sausages and bread would hardly figure in the grand scale of things..............at least in my book.

 

If I were you, I'd bale out as soon as possible if you think your current state of mind is unlikely to change. if you are financially tied to the 457 by way of repaying settlemnt costs etc, then I can only recommend that as you've "made your bed" then you might as well try and get comfortable, seeing as you may have to lay in it.

 

I'm not being flippant or uncaring, just pointing out how I would react to your situation. ie I'd make the best of a bad job if there was no alternative as things will likely go from bad to worse if I didn't kick myself up the arse, stop dwelling on little things such as sausages and bread, and focus on the better things...................not just for me but for those that would have to put up with my likely miserable attitude if I didn't. If I couldn't find better things, then I'd be out of here like a shot, no matter what it took or what sacrifices I'd have to make. Prolonged disappointment and/or dissatisfaction with one's life can only lead to poor health issues.

 

Edit to add: I am not in agreement with the "notion" that folk are "fooled" into coming here. the best resourse possible is/was available at your fingertips and that is PIO. Add to that, the countless other migration forums, google, and other research facilities, and quite frankly, if anyone is dissapointed with where they are, I can only say, "you got yourself there". If folk tried blaming themselves once in a while instead of blaming Oz, find strategies to change their situation instead of thinking that it is beyond their control, then they might have a more positive and beneficial outcome to what ails them

 

good luck

[stuart lawson]

Sorry to hear you havn't settled, maybe you had to many expectations & the place your in just hasn't lived up to them. If you can stick it out & try somewhere else within Australia I'm sure you'll find this is a wonderful country. If your griping about bread & sausages thats a lame defeatest attitude, on the cost of living front if you take everything into account like the wages being higher, petrol being cheaper etc its not that much of a differance. In my opinion you should feel lucky to be here this is a country with great oppurtunities & England is finished in my view, its a over populated, debt ridden, broken society & the weathers crap.

 

Anyway I'll just keep on enjoying the Melbourne life style & wish you happiness in the future, hope it all works out for you whatever option you choose.

 

PS if theres a Coles near you the classic pork sausages are amazing

[Guest lottie]

You are not alone. I knew at 5 weeks it was not for me, now approaching 6 months & I feel more than ready to go. My son OH & I also cannot get a job.

Who makes up this two year thing anyway, what's right for some may not be right for others. However I am glad that I came as I would have regretted not trying but I wont have any regrets returning.

Go with you gut instinct.

I hope you manage to have a good New Years Eve all the best Lottie

[Skani]

Just remember Australia is desperate to increase its population in these rural areas so propaganda is rife.

 

These days you cannot blame propaganda - there is just too much real information available on the internet. The only requirement is to do the research.

[Guest]

Well, hypothetically speaking, if I moved from Australia to the UK and went straight to say *picks random town* Bridgwater and that was all I had to base my opinion on I'd be well peed off and loathe it. But as to if I would tar the entire UK as being awful based on one town, nope I would not.

 

I think others have hit the nail on the head and perhaps moving somewhere else that is more suited to your families needs is worth considering. Geraldton obviously isn't for you so why bother staying? Would you stay in a 'hick town' you didn't like in the UK? And is the entire UK crap based on hick towns (that many others find alright to live in but some do not obviously)? I've lived in what I consider to be crappy towns in the UK but certainly don't hate the entire country because of them. Its a shame you are tarring the whole of Australia as being crappy based on one town and your experiences there.

 

You moved the other side of the world in search of something. That you've not found it in the first town you've landed in doesn't mean your dream has to be over. If you are a bit open minded to it there are plenty of other places, larger more cosmopolitan towns/cities you can try.

 

However, if you are really in the mindset that your post appears to put you in (very negative to say the least), you may not even want to consider that and therefore perhaps returning to the UK is the better option for you all.

[spud-u-like]

I think your slightly CRAZY......do you buy a car without test driving it, a house without going through all the pros and cons of the area, financial implications, schools, transport links etc?? Come on 2 weeks??? hHve you been to Geraldton before, if not why drag yourself and family to the other side of the world and then compare it with the UK?

 

Give it a go, its like a new job..awkward at first, fish out of water, billy no mates.....that soon passes, the key is a POSITIVE ATTITUDE!!

 

And by the way I speak from experience, I was dragged to the back-end of the Queensland bush, Mt Isa.....I lived and loved the place. My mum and dad moved there in 1969 when hick towns were "hick towns"!!:rolleyes:

[_shel]

We came home in just under 3 months! I wanted to leave after 1 week! But we did hit some major issues meaning working was almost impossible doing what we normally do without undertaking major study! Yes I did feel Aus was a huge rip off, but the major issue was we were living with the mother & sister in law! Who were the worst people ever to live with. I hated them & being there, pair of witches! Would have been different if we'd have planned & saved to do it independently rather than thinking staying with them was a good idea! We may go back in the future when we can live miles away from them lol because despite rip off australia, we might try somewhere new.

[Quoll]

It may be an urban myth but there are reports of one family who got off the plane at Tullamarine and drove through the suburbs to the centre of town then drove straight back and got on a plane. I know personally one family which lasted 5 weeks in which time they had blown their entire set up money and found that the income they had been promised (which sounded a lot from UK) wasnt enough to live on let alone be comfortable.

 

Australia is a foreign country and I think that sometimes people forget that - it is over hyped in the media and is just another first world country with all that entails - mind you, Geraldton is a hick town!

[jgt]

You wont believe this i know a guy who applied for his visa,paid for it all and went to adelaide, he stayed 1 day and decided it wasnt for him,! can you believe that!!!

[Perthbum]

It is the old saying..it is like marmite....some like Oz others do not, I do not think it helps with all the rather biased shows on TV always showing the best of Oz and not real life, if you do not like it just go home.

[alandeej]

We came from Cornwall, so we had the beach on the door step and when the sun did shine it was a fantastic place to be, but it was not as isolated as Geraldton which is 400km North of Perth. I am tied to a sponsored 457 visa so can not move location or job but the short time I have been here we have taken time on days off to visit the Coral Coast from Kalbarri down to Perth and the place is fantastic - for a holiday I hasten to add. I have a work colleague who has moved to Melbourne who has settled in well and has no regrets and I feel if I was in another part of Oz with another company my feelings may be different apart from the sausages and bread. I was hoping to visit places like Sydney, Melbourne etc; and since visiting Perth I have found prices higher in Geraldton from food to fuel. There is not a lot to do in Geraldton unless you like fishing, it seems the place is like 'Marmite' you either hate it or loath it.

One thing is at least I have tried it, if I hadn't I would have regretted not giving it a go!

[ali]

Just like to know what is the shortest time anyone has been in Australia before returning to the UK, I came to Australia to a small place called Geraldton in WA which in my opinion is no better than a 'Hick Town' I have only been here a short time but I knew the moment I stepped off the plane that I hated the place. I was so blinked that Australia was better than the UK, especially with the present economic climate, but so far Australia has proved to be overrated and overpriced, talk about 'rip off Britain' which is nothing compared to the Australia, rental is the biggest rip off followed by food prices. And as for embracing the Aussie way of life Sun, Beaches and bbq's, but the sun is too hot and has to be avoided, the beaches here are windswept and I'm already fed up with bbq's especially the crap Aussie beef sausages.

I have been told to give it longer here as the rule of the thumb is 2 years, but I can't see the point in stopping more than 6 months especially as my 20 year old son can not find work, and yet allegedly Australia is crying out for workers. For me Australia has turned out to be a disappointment throwing away a good life in the UK to live on the breadline in Australia, incidentally the bread is also crap here!

 

I have come over to Australia on a 457 visa with fellow Brits who think its great here, so I guess it's just me?

 

Sorry it's not working out, for me personally I wouldn't have chosen to live in Geraldton, we've only passed through and it looked ok, but it wouldn't have been on my list of places to live as it's too far away from Perth. What were your expectations based on? Did you research Geraldton - it is a small town compared to other places in WA. If you're still on a 457 perhaps it's worth looking into seeing if you can get another sponsor somewhere else or looking at applying for your PR visa?

[Skani]

I feel if I was in another part of Oz with another company my feelings may be different apart from the sausages and bread.

 

If you were in another part of Australia - certainly a more metropolitan part - you would have a much greater choice of sausages and bread! Towns with small populations and great distances to anywhere = lack of choice.

[rockola57]

You could have arrived there with a 'This is it!Shiit or bust' attitude,like many did before you.Some may have gone bust but at least tried,and many others are now very comfortable.It's all about how much you are willing to put into giving it a go before you decide enough is enough IMO.Come over here half hearted and you'll likely be outta the place PDQ.:eek: