Perthbum Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Australia ticks many boxes for those with absolutely no knowledge of the place. Paul hogan has a lot to answer for, as does home and away, neighbours et al. They have contributed to the bland assumption that Australia is a land of constant sunshine, picturesque outback cattle stations and towns, and that Aussies are friendlier, braver, kinder, stronger than snivelling Brits. Etc etc etc Basically it's all a load of bollocks swallowed whole by gullible Brits who are hard wired to believe that somewhere, anywhere, has to be better than the UK. You can research all you want but until you feel the heat of 40 degrees yourself, or see endless soulless suburbs with your own eyes, or feel that emptiness of homesickness in your gut, you just don't know what it's like. Many seem to think their life will magically improve just by virtue of being in Australia. What actually happens is that they are confronted by a tidal wave of unpleasant emotions (homesickness, culture shock, fear, anger, resentment, exhaustion, anticlimax) some people just panic: they fall back on instinct and just go home before they've given it a proper 'go'. I think at the very least when a family gets here, they should remember all the stress and heartache they endured in order to get here and just go with the flow.... 100% true, and everyone who has lived in Oz if honest will agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Whinging pom! No, he is an Honest Pom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 100% true, and everyone who has lived in Oz if honest will agree. I live here and I don't even 50% agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I live here and I don't even 50% agree. You do deep down though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I don't. But no point in us getting into a he said / she said. Harpo doesn't speak for us all. Peace. :wubclub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Whinging pom! male genitalia™ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogero Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Well might see you in Tas one day then or Northumberland .:wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 You censored a post of mine for using that word...I do believe that's what one terms as " double standards"... Please give yourself an uppercut. Cheers, Bobj. have removed my offending bollocks and replaced with something a bit more palatable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest57588 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 male genitalia™ :biglaugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 :biglaugh: are you laughing at my male genitalia™ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest57588 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 are you laughing at my male genitalia™ Far from it mate. You know I've always regarded you as an upright member of the PIO community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartertucker Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Wow, just stepped off the plane...Thats quick to make a judgement! When we came on our reccie we soon discovered that SOR wasnt for us & desperately hoped that NOR would suit us better, thankfully, it did Oh & I dont need to worry about the sausages...Im Vege :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Far from it mate. You know I've always regarded you as an upright member of the PIO community. I gather you're not the only one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Well, I'm in a very similar situation to the OP, only I'm in Kalgoorlie, which I believe is fairly similar to Geraldton although has no beach! I am on a 457 visa too, which has a condition on it that if we leave within a year we will have to pay back all our relocation expenses, and if we leave before the second year is out we'll pay a pro-rata portion of the expenses. So we're pretty much stuck here. But I don't mind so much, as we're saving a fair bit of money and have some great friends here. However I know we won't be here forever so I don't view it through my 'permanent' spectacles. Many people cannot cope living in regional towns but to me they are much more like the true Australia. Cities are all a bit blurry and living in one bland suburb in one major city is probably very similar to living in a bland suburb in another major city. I'm not saying its a bit of a cop-out to move to a major city but you're probably not getting a true Australian experience. You don't get shouted at as much by the aboriginal population and your washing doesn't get stained red by the dust! But getting back to the OP. I would advise you to stick it out and save money while you can. Yes you're probably working longer harder hours than in the UK but that's the reality here. Try and get as much as you can from your current situation. Ask for permanent residency sponsorship as soon as possible (e.g. if you already have 3 years experience in your profession then apply straight away). Companies will usually tie you in just like your relocation expenses but if that tie-in period roughly corresponds to your original tie-in period, then in 2 years you could have PR and a nice wodge of cash in the bank. Then you're free to go anywhere. Time does go quickly, so plan some decent holidays and then try to settle in. After all at the end of it you will be able to say 'I lived in Gerladton, Australia' which not many people can say. This is my second time in Kal, lived here for 18 months before. When I was back in the UK in between it always fascinated other people when I told them I had lived in Kal. They always expect it to be Perth, or Melbourne, or Brisbane. They love to hear about the brothels and skimpies most of all..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I've just tidied the thread to get rid of all the personal stuff. Please, keep it civil, eh? It makes me really upset when youz guys argue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest57588 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I've just tidied the thread to get rid of all the personal stuff. Please, keep it civil, eh? It makes me really upset when youz guys argue Are you alright babe?. You know how I worry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Are you alright babe?. You know how I worry? Hold me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SarahSJR10 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I don't understand people that pack up their lives and move out here without being here for a holiday and looking around! The climate for example, you are in Australia so what did you expect? Geradlton is a lovely part of WA but I would imagine now that it is difficult to get work up there. There are plenty of jobs in Australia I guess it just depends what trade your son is in. As for the sausages, I am not really sure what to say to that!! I have had some lovely sausages since arriving 6 months ago! I know it is not easy moving out here. Nobody promised you a better life, the option is there for you to make your life better, which is where I think some people go wrong, you have to make the effort. I think it is a shame you have not settled but give it time and maybe move to another area. So many people head off back to the UK without giving it a real go out here. I for one am staying, England is a dirty dump with nothing to offer. I just wish people would give it more thought before moving out here and then moaning about it adding to the theory that all poms are whiners, so not the case!! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest57588 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Hold me? I'm there babe. The wind beneath your wings:angel_happy_face_ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean and maureen Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 We've been in Perth now nearly 9 years, and have visited Geraldton and beyond quite a lot. Geraldton has changed so much over the past few years. Awesome seafood restaurants, and it's been tidied up heaps and is really quite pleasant nowadays. We have actually considered moving there in a few years. Now if you want "hicks ville", try Mullewa, Yalgoo (although the Yalgoo Races are a must if you are ever up there), or of course Mount Magnet, which is a truly bizarre place, stay on one of the stations and have your evening meal of goat (freshly shot), whilst the rest is hanging on the verandah at the side of you!! You need to stop thinking that you are in the UK, Australia is a foreign country (just like if you'd moved to Spain or Italy), your'e just lucky that everyone speaks the same language. Our son is also 20, and he has only just managed to get himself an apprenticeship, it can be hard, but you need to accept that you are now in Australia (a foreign country, with a different culture, different foods and lifestyle than what you are used to). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alandeej Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Thanks for all the positive responses, I put about the sausages as a bit of tounge and cheek but overall I think where we have to live in Australia, namely Geraldton does have a bearing on how we feel, and dare I mention the high indiginous population here? Unfortunatly due to the sponsored visa rescrictions we can't move to another company or another part of Australia. We like many others came to Australia in search of a better life but I am now working longer hours for less money and worse off finanically and life for my wife and children is no better so I think we will return to the UK in a few months to rebuild our lives in the UK and continue renovating our French farmhouse in Brittany. But at least I have given it a go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesnparry Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Fancy there being a load of native australians living in the same place as you a migrant, in australia!! Suggest you sign off from pio so you don't read the posts that follow about your comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Fancy there being a load of native australians living in the same place as you a migrant, in australia!! Suggest you sign off from pio so you don't read the posts that follow about your comment. To be fair the post said that the high indigenous population had a bearing on how they feel. Have you lived in an Australian community with a high indigenous population? Unless you have first hand experience of the social problems associated with aboriginal communities, whether it be from working with or living amongst those communities, I wouldn't be so quick to judge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Fancy there being a load of native australians living in the same place as you a migrant, in australia!! Suggest you sign off from pio so you don't read the posts that follow about your comment. We should be able to talk about the indigenous aboriginal population of Australia here on PIO. For those of us that have moved to a regional town where the problems are much more obvious then it can be tough reconciling certain things. You feel bad having moved there to get a well-paid job and have a higher standard of living when the aboriginal health problems are so bad. Like seeing adverts trying to encourage people to buy Opal petrol (a low aromatic petrol so people can't get high on it). Or as a geologist, making sure I don't leave any paint aerosols in the back of my ute overnight so they don't get pinched by the kids. Hearing news stories about all the abuse, short life expectancy, fighting etc and then coming to the realisation that most of the white Australian population don't really give a damn about it (or just maybe they're hardened to it). And then after 6 months you start to realise that you're beginning to ignore it too. Last time I lived here that made me pretty sad, so now I try and support programs where I can. I think it is a shame you have not settled but give it time and maybe move to another area. So many people head off back to the UK without giving it a real go out here. I for one am staying, England is a dirty dump with nothing to offer. I don't think that England is a dirty dump with nothing to offer. What a sweeping comment and I can only imagine that when you were in England you didn't travel round the countryside much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 We should be able to talk about the indigenous aboriginal population of Australia here on PIO. For those of us that have moved to a regional town where the problems are much more obvious then it can be tough reconciling certain things. You feel bad having moved there to get a well-paid job and have a higher standard of living when the aboriginal health problems are so bad. Like seeing adverts trying to encourage people to buy Opal petrol (a low aromatic petrol so people can't get high on it). Or as a geologist, making sure I don't leave any paint aerosols in the back of my ute overnight so they don't get pinched by the kids. Hearing news stories about all the abuse, short life expectancy, fighting etc and then coming to the realisation that most of the white Australian population don't really give a damn about it (or just maybe they're hardened to it). And then after 6 months you start to realise that you're beginning to ignore it too. Last time I lived here that made me pretty sad, so now I try and support programs where I can. I don't think that England is a dirty dump with nothing to offer. What a sweeping comment and I can only imagine that when you were in England you didn't travel round the countryside much? :notworthy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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