hinds81 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Hi, I'm Ali, Moved to Rockingham March 2011, From the Wirral, with My husband and 3 children (Aged 3,7,12) My Husband is a Steel Erector, known as a (boiler maker) to Aussie's, currently working away from home, in various Places in WA, My Elder boys currently attend full time education, and my youngest daughter is due to start pre-kindy on Feb 1st, since being here We have met a few nice ppl, through the kids football and school, but not many ppl, so nearly a year on I think its about time we got into the socialising and making new friends. Both Myself and hubby are aged 30, and both very laid back and easy going, and kids are well mannered, polite and little characters, We enjoy family days at the beach, or by the pool, BBQS and a few bottles of wine. If Like us You want to widen your social circle please feel free to drop us a message, and may be we could meet up? Its not easy starting a new, and I Believe if You don't ask You don't get!! I never thought I would be enquiring about making friends in my life, but it seem's like its the way to go if you want to be a happy POM Ali:chatterbox: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy123 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Hi, I'm Ali, Moved to Rockingham March 2011, From the Wirral, with My husband and 3 children (Aged 3,7,12) My Husband is a Steel Erector, known as a (boiler maker) to Aussie's, currently working away from home, in various Places in WA, My Elder boys currently attend full time education, and my youngest daughter is due to start pre-kindy on Feb 1st, since being here We have met a few nice ppl, through the kids football and school, but not many ppl, so nearly a year on I think its about time we got into the socialising and making new friends.Both Myself and hubby are aged 30, and both very laid back and easy going, and kids are well mannered, polite and little characters, We enjoy family days at the beach, or by the pool, BBQS and a few bottles of wine. If Like us You want to widen your social circle please feel free to drop us a message, and may be we could meet up? Its not easy starting a new, and I Believe if You don't ask You don't get!! I never thought I would be enquiring about making friends in my life, but it seem's like its the way to go if you want to be a happy POM Ali:chatterbox: Hi Ali, We are looking at Rockingham as our area to settle when we finally get there on July 4. I hope its as nice as it sounds. Me and my wife Sandra and our 2 kids, Robyn 16, Thomas 12. We are looking for a short term rental to start with, but finding it really difficult at the minute. Hopefully we'l find something soon. Are there many POMS who live in Rockingham? Hopefully by the time we get there you'l have made more than a few friends and we'l be able to gate crash your BBQ'S, lol. Good luck. Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hinds81 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 G'day Tommy, LOL, Rockingham is full of Lovely POMS, I joined my Boys into one of the local football teams (warnbro strikers), under 13s and under 8s, and was surprised that the majority of the players/Family's and coaches are in fact Brits, So we have met a few friends through there, but Its nice to have a few more, What area of Rockingham are You looking at? When we moved here We rented a 4x2 In port Kennedy, but it didn't have a pool, and to get the kids here we bribed them with a pool of their own, but found port kennedy to be a bit out the way for me, as I don't drive (currently let loose on the roads doing lesoons) but all the same it is a nice area and at the time was the only house available, but it did us until we sussed out various areas, as the Internet can be helpful its not the same as your eyes! we then found a house in Waikiki 4x2 with a pool, and placed the kids in a fab school, and a short stroll to the beach and a little shopping centre which has a supermarket, pharmacy, newsagents etc, which is ideal... do you look on the realestate.com.au website? houses for rent do go quickly here, i wont lie, and usually if its a decent house usually there are 3 or more applicants that apply for it, I think its look of the draw. Although if its just a pit stop you want until you find your feet, Iv learnt not to be too fussy, because they don't stay on the board for too long... I hope You and your family are looking forward to the scary but exciting move, I can honestly say that, we found it hard at first, but now I realize its the best thing we have ever done, not only for the kids future but for us as a family, If I can help in anyway let me know, as for the BBQ Defo.. keep in touch and I will throw some snags on the BAR-B.. also have a peep on gumtree.com.au/rockingham a lot of private rentals are advertised on there, and a lot of ppl buy and sell on here as opposed to ebay. Ali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOUISE RHODES Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi Ali, My name is louise 39, my hubby craig 35 and boy age 6 and girl age 3. We are still in UK but hoping to be in OZ by november this yr, we are looking into rockingham area as my husband is also a fabricator/ boilermaker. We have friends in halls head but we want to be nearer places of work for craig. He is willing to work away or drive as we know the 1st year will be the hardest. I like the sound of rockingham as i also do not drive, tried lessons twice but too many idiots on uk roads that put me off. Can you tell me is there plenty of rentals in the areas near a primary school, this has to be walking distance, also is there plenty of work oppurtunites for my husband. We are coming over on a 176 state sponsor and have been looking at jobs, the currency market is looking bleak so our savings dont look much in aus dollars. It would be lovely to keep chatting to you as we will know nobody when we arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hinds81 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi Louise, and thank for the message, I Myself Love Rockingham, It not in the heat of things, I.E you haven't got the bad city vibe and all that comes with the city life. It has a great transport system, That like ourselves when you don't drive is important, Rockingham has many surrounding suburbs, Secret Harbour, Port Kennedy, Warnbro, Waikiki, Baldivis, Scholwater, Safety Bay, and Rockingham itself, all run on the same bus service, the bus service takes you into the train station, either at Rockingham or Warnbro where you can jump a train every 15 mins into Perth, Although I can count on my hands how many times Iv needed to go there, as I find Rockingham city centre has a good shopping mall with pretty much everything you need. Every Suburb or Estate has a school or two always within walking distance, this was main concern, when we were researching into coming here we were looking on maps and everything looks so far away and i thought we would be heading for somewhere in the sticks, I'm pleased to tell you this isn't the case. My husband found our first rental in Port Kennedy, which is a fairly new housing estate, and the school my kids first attending in the first 6 months was only 4yrs old (Rockingham lakes primary) it was a lovely school with quite a few poms, and is on the st Michel housing estate.. 3 min walk from my house at the time. We took the house as we were happy to take anything just to get onto the rental system, IE so we were able to gain a good reference to obtain further rentals in the future with better houses, we now live in waikiki, have a 4bed house with a pool big garden front and back and enough room for three cars, so it paid off. Currently My kids now attend Charthouse Primary which is a 5 Min walk away. But walking here in the the winter is not like walking to the school in winter in the UK, its pleasant the sun shines and winter just gone i think the coldest it ever dropped to was 12c, so school runs never seem that bleak when you don't drive lol. We came here with what I would say is bugger all... but we did it, they have great deals in the stores, furniture packages are available for $1995 includes bed, side tables, couch, dining table, coffee table and single bed.. complete with mattresses and usually delivered within a day or two... handy when you only come with 6 suitcases LOL... If you let me know what areas you are thinking about I will try and help you more if I can... Be lovely to keep in touch, Us POMS need to stick together when were at the other side of the world... LOL Ali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy123 Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 G'day Tommy, LOL, Rockingham is full of Lovely POMS, I joined my Boys into one of the local football teams (warnbro strikers), under 13s and under 8s, and was surprised that the majority of the players/Family's and coaches are in fact Brits, So we have met a few friends through there, but Its nice to have a few more, What area of Rockingham are You looking at? When we moved here We rented a 4x2 In port Kennedy, but it didn't have a pool, and to get the kids here we bribed them with a pool of their own, but found port kennedy to be a bit out the way for me, as I don't drive (currently let loose on the roads doing lesoons) but all the same it is a nice area and at the time was the only house available, but it did us until we sussed out various areas, as the Internet can be helpful its not the same as your eyes! we then found a house in Waikiki 4x2 with a pool, and placed the kids in a fab school, and a short stroll to the beach and a little shopping centre which has a supermarket, pharmacy, newsagents etc, which is ideal... do you look on the realestate.com.au website? houses for rent do go quickly here, i wont lie, and usually if its a decent house usually there are 3 or more applicants that apply for it, I think its look of the draw. Although if its just a pit stop you want until you find your feet, Iv learnt not to be too fussy, because they don't stay on the board for too long... I hope You and your family are looking forward to the scary but exciting move, I can honestly say that, we found it hard at first, but now I realize its the best thing we have ever done, not only for the kids future but for us as a family, If I can help in anyway let me know, as for the BBQ Defo.. keep in touch and I will throw some snags on the BAR-B.. also have a peep on gumtree.com.au/rockingham a lot of private rentals are advertised on there, and a lot of ppl buy and sell on here as opposed to ebay. Ali Hi Ali, you make it sound so nice we'r all gettin so excited. we've been looking at properties mainly in Rockingham itself but i think we've got to consider all the surrounding areas. I think it will all depend on where i get a job. I know its going to be hard to start with, especially if we dont sell our house as money will be tight, but with a positive attitude im sure we'l get through the hard times. I will probably have loads of questions over the comming months so thanks for your offer of advice, how long did you wait before you enroled your kids in to school? How long did you book your accommodation for when you first arrived? Did you have a rental car? so many questions ???????? Defo keep in touch. Lookin forward to BBQ already lol. Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewaltons Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 hi ali we are coming to rockingham on the 30th june flights are booked we are all looking forward to it there is me sara age 38 andrew 42 and libby 11 and benjamin 10 would be nice to meet up and see some friendly poms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hinds81 Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hi Tommy, We never sold our house back at home, had to rent it out, applied for our visas in august last year, and they were done by January, giving us no time to do nothing... besides that we had never been here before and didn't know if it was for us, so glad we were given the opportunity tho, We all love it. My husband is a steel erector by trade in the UK, so a company sponsored him to come over as a supervisor, they paid for accommodation in a motel for two weeks for him, until he was able to find a house, they supplied him with a Ute for work and a mobile phone, so we fell quite lucky really, we came over with 6 suitcases and £7,000 which paid the deposit on the house and basic furniture for the new house, Although it sounds crazy now, and I still cant believe we made it, lol. After 2 weeks of being here, i enrolled the kids into their new school, it took pretty much that for them to gain a regular sleeping pattern and after the long journey and drama of leaving the loved ones behind I thought it was only fair. there are plenty of b&bs dotted around, and holiday parks if you needed to stay in one for a week or two, but theses are quite pricey a caravan is $680 per week in Rockingham, but if you look on gumtree.com.au/rockingham there are usually listings for holiday homes being rented out, a hell of a lot cheaper, sometimes private adds that owners are renting their property's out with out the real estate getting involved. Ali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hinds81 Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hi Sara I bet you are really excited, scared, nervous and probably very stressed!! I remember the feelings well, not to mention the nights when I was doubting coming, LOL So glad I did come though, Hope all is going well for You all in your last few months.. :smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy123 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hi Ali, that was really quick for your visa grant, it took us nearly 4 year from when we first thought about emigrating. Sandra is a Hairdresser and just when we thought we'd get a case officer Hairdressers got took off the skills list, anyway we got there in the end. sounds like you were really lucky with your husbands employers helping you out, i'm a mobile crane operator,there's time for me yet maybe i can find someone willing to help set us up. I think we'l have to find a permanent rental before we start the kids in school. Il keep my eye on gumtree see what we can find. Cheers. Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest midanib Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 G'day Tommy, LOL, Rockingham is full of Lovely POMS, I joined my Boys into one of the local football teams (warnbro strikers), under 13s and under 8s, and was surprised that the majority of the players/Family's and coaches are in fact Brits, So we have met a few friends through there, but Its nice to have a few more, What area of Rockingham are You looking at? When we moved here We rented a 4x2 In port Kennedy, but it didn't have a pool, and to get the kids here we bribed them with a pool of their own, but found port kennedy to be a bit out the way for me, as I don't drive (currently let loose on the roads doing lesoons) but all the same it is a nice area and at the time was the only house available, but it did us until we sussed out various areas, as the Internet can be helpful its not the same as your eyes! we then found a house in Waikiki 4x2 with a pool, and placed the kids in a fab school, and a short stroll to the beach and a little shopping centre which has a supermarket, pharmacy, newsagents etc, which is ideal... do you look on the realestate.com.au website? houses for rent do go quickly here, i wont lie, and usually if its a decent house usually there are 3 or more applicants that apply for it, I think its look of the draw. Although if its just a pit stop you want until you find your feet, Iv learnt not to be too fussy, because they don't stay on the board for too long... I hope You and your family are looking forward to the scary but exciting move, I can honestly say that, we found it hard at first, but now I realize its the best thing we have ever done, not only for the kids future but for us as a family, If I can help in anyway let me know, as for the BBQ Defo.. keep in touch and I will throw some snags on the BAR-B.. also have a peep on gumtree.com.au/rockingham a lot of private rentals are advertised on there, and a lot of ppl buy and sell on here as opposed to ebay. Ali Hi there, Saw this thread and thought I would reply! My hubby and I arrived at the beginning of Jan and have a house in waikiki in the catchment of charterhouse primary. I have two kids aged 7 (Sophia) and aged 5 (Noah) I need to enrol them fingers crossed!! I am starting work on Monday at Rockingham gen in the mental health unit. I am 37 so a bit older than you (but I am beginning to lie about my age so I am really actually only 34 ) and my hubby is 41. We are in temp accomodation right on the espalanade in Rockingham at the moment. Its been a quick couple of weeks sorting out paperwork etc and moving in to the house in waikiki on Monday. We are loving it so far and hope it continues- we are from Edinburgh and the heat is just fantastic although the thunder last night was fairly lively!! My husband has the delightful job of settling the kids and then he will get a job. We both work in the NHS back home but he is looking for a change of direction. We dont know anyone here and like you want to have contact with other grown ups! Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewaltons Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 hi barbara we land in perth on the 30th june im 38 my husband is 41 so would be nice to keep in touch as we are about the same age our kids our 11 and 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pathfinder Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Hi Hinds 81 and all, Me, OH and daughter 11 came out over christmas to stay with friends in Rockingham, it was a bit of a recci as well and now we have the bug, do we emigrate? Was it a hard decision for you - or anyone else reading this? I suppose we all have the same difficult decisions re: family & friends, jobs etc but we can't make a decision between us - hopeless!! Rockingham/Schoale water does look a lovely area for beaches, shops but so many housing estates - I suppose its a compromise and worth balancing against all the amenities, schools which are available. Could you help me with the school situation, I am trying to weigh things up and education for my 11 year is an important factor as she seems to be doing well at the school she is at. Our Friends who we stayed with didn't have children so didn't know much about schools. Sounds like they had the same hurdles as you to jump through when they arrived just over a year ago, trying to get a rental, now they are buying in Rockingham so must be a good sign. If we ever do get round to making that decision you will probably see me posting........and posting and posting....................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarby Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hi! We arrived in Rockingham in September, we are living in Port Kennedy at the moment and we have 3 kids, (4, 7 and 9), we are really enjoying it here, would be great to meet up with you Ali and Barbara and to meet all of you when you get over here, Celia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest midanib Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I think it would be great to all meet up. Celia, are your kids boys/girls? What school do they go to? I had my first day at work today and it was certainly different! Its my daughter's birthday on Sunday she is 7 then Noah's on the 18th Feb. We got the keys to our rental today and went and sat in it for a while- no furniture mind as currently our belongings are exploring Shanghai but hopefully they will arrive soon! Hi! We arrived in Rockingham in September, we are living in Port Kennedy at the moment and we have 3 kids, (4, 7 and 9), we are really enjoying it here, would be great to meet up with you Ali and Barbara and to meet all of you when you get over here,Celia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest heath Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hi, I'm Ali, Moved to Rockingham March 2011, From the Wirral, with My husband and 3 children (Aged 3,7,12) My Husband is a Steel Erector, known as a (boiler maker) to Aussie's, currently working away from home, in various Places in WA, My Elder boys currently attend full time education, and my youngest daughter is due to start pre-kindy on Feb 1st, since being here We have met a few nice ppl, through the kids football and school, but not many ppl, so nearly a year on I think its about time we got into the socialising and making new friends.Both Myself and hubby are aged 30, and both very laid back and easy going, and kids are well mannered, polite and little characters, We enjoy family days at the beach, or by the pool, BBQS and a few bottles of wine. If Like us You want to widen your social circle please feel free to drop us a message, and may be we could meet up? Its not easy starting a new, and I Believe if You don't ask You don't get!! I never thought I would be enquiring about making friends in my life, but it seem's like its the way to go if you want to be a happy POM Ali:chatterbox: Hi Ali and Barbra, me and the OH moved over in May 2011 from LIverpool and r in the same boat as you. We'v only just settled so not had a chance to socialise proper either. We live in Waikiki and i work in rockingham as a child care worker the OH works in Fremantle were 27/28 and would love to meet up for drinks, BBQ or just at the beach or foreshore. PM me or reply on here. Would love to meet up with ppl who have bben throu and r going throu still the same as we did! Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benandkelly Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hi all, we moved here in November 2011, and first stayed in Safety bay. We now have a rental in Warnbro, very close to the beach. We are Kelly (me) partner Jody (works in CCTV all over WA), 3 kids aged 13, 12, & 8. The two youngest go to Charthouse primary school (which i think is a fab school) the eldest goes to Warnbro community high (which she loves and is getting on really well). We have also just adopted a mad dog from K9. We would love to meet new people and make new friends in the area too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewaltons Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hi all, we moved here in November 2011, and first stayed in Safety bay. We now have a rental in Warnbro, very close to the beach. We are Kelly (me) partner Jody (works in CCTV all over WA), 3 kids aged 13, 12, & 8. The two youngest go to Charthouse primary school (which i think is a fab school) the eldest goes to Warnbro community high (which she loves and is getting on really well). We have also just adopted a mad dog from K9. We would love to meet new people and make new friends in the area too. we will be arriving on the 30th june staying in rockingham and would love to meet up with you and your family we have 2 kids 11 and 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benandkelly Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 we will be arriving on the 30th june staying in rockingham and would love to meet up with you and your family we have 2 kids 11 and 10 That would be lovely. Bet you cant wait to get here, we love it here. Do you have facebook? If so we could add each other on there if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewaltons Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 That would be lovely. Bet you cant wait to get here, we love it here. Do you have facebook? If so we could add each other on there if you want. yes i have facebook my name is sara walton that would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benandkelly Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 yes i have facebook my name is sara walton that would be great I couldn't find you, too many with the same name lol, I have sent you a pm with my facebook link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benandkelly Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hi there,Saw this thread and thought I would reply! My hubby and I arrived at the beginning of Jan and have a house in waikiki in the catchment of charterhouse primary. I have two kids aged 7 (Sophia) and aged 5 (Noah) I need to enrol them fingers crossed!! I am starting work on Monday at Rockingham gen in the mental health unit. I am 37 so a bit older than you (but I am beginning to lie about my age so I am really actually only 34 ) and my hubby is 41. We are in temp accomodation right on the espalanade in Rockingham at the moment. Its been a quick couple of weeks sorting out paperwork etc and moving in to the house in waikiki on Monday. We are loving it so far and hope it continues- we are from Edinburgh and the heat is just fantastic although the thunder last night was fairly lively!! My husband has the delightful job of settling the kids and then he will get a job. We both work in the NHS back home but he is looking for a change of direction. We dont know anyone here and like you want to have contact with other grown ups! Barbara I'm sure I recognise you, I think our kids may have started at charthouse the same day (1st feb), and we was in the same group going around the classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hinds81 Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Hey guys iv not been on in a while, 3 kids and lots of after school activities were starting to catch up with me, LOL, good news is I passed my driving test yesterday, 1st time :0) so over the moon with that, now I have to do another 6 months on a log book :0( not so happy about that, but we're getting there!! Hope you are all settling in well, and hope some of you are exciting to start ur new life here, in what I was going to say is sunny OZ but given that the fact it's rained all day today non stop not so sunny oz, haha still to be expected as we're nearing winter, but still 21c is still fab!! Would love to meet up with any of you, we're slowly building are social life's up now but it's so hard when you have kids, but I'm determined not to let that get in the way of still being a person other than a wife and mum Enjoy the rest of your day, off to footy with the boys in the rain yipeee Ali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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