Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Ok, this is a thread for people who are here and happy ONLY. If you aren't happy in Oz or returning home then we can start another thread for you. However, I would like this one to be for the people who have made the move and think it's wonderful, please tell us what you like about Australia (the area you are), how long you have been here, etc. Who knows I may even give a prize for the most inspiring story.:wubclub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest31881 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 (edited) Moved to Australia nearly 3 years ago, My wife was already here, first few months Lived on Bribie island then moved onto Godwin Beach esplanade and lived there while we looked for a job we could do together. Eventually we were employed as Caretaker / curators of a local museum in Goondiwindi, after 18 months we left there and now live at Burrum Heads just up the road from Hervey Bay. So why am I happy and love Australia, the answer is simple. I came here after taking early retirement from the NHS. Since being here I have lived in some beautiful places, eaten some great fresh food and fruit. I had a job that I loved and would have never been considered for in the UK. What other country would allow a knackered paramedic to run their museum. What other country has people who in times of natural disaster come together for the good of each other without being asked. I wake up every morning looking out over water, take the dog for a walk on the beach and wonder what the hell I did to deserve a life this good.... Edited March 23, 2012 by Guest31881 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Took a while to get to this point but I'm happy here, and I consider myself very fortunate. Some of that is aus related, some not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I absolutely love it here, ok there are parts of Australia that I think :frown: but you only need to go for a drive and then there is another part where you think :yes: Although we were on good wages in the UK we ended up with credit cards etc and struggled to make a comfortable living. Here we have a lot less money coming in BUT we have no debt, a great house, don't go without and regular holidays. I prefer Cairns to Melbourne it's more like a country town/tropical paradise, Melbourne was very much like parts of the UK. I had a discussion with my children the other day to see if they would want to go back to the UK and they said never and that they loved it here. This made me realise we did make the right decision, the kids have a lot better future in store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 We are only just over one year into our new lives here, so ours still has some rose tints to it, but so far so good and yes correct joint decision made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambethlad Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I love Oz and couldn't live anywhere else now. I've met hundreds of fellow poms over the years and not one of them has regretted coming here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtonite Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I have only one regret...... I WISH I HAD MOVED HERE SOONER!!!!!! :arghh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 (edited) We (Myself, husband and 2 children, now 14 and 5) moved to Perth in January 2009, just over 3 years ago from the Midlands..... I had sponsorship on a 457 visa to work for one of the hospitals and we flew out only 6 months after the initial decision was made We came with practically nothing, we put all of our meagre savings into the move, paying for the visa fees/medicals/flights etc and only had around $5k when we arrived, however I had a job so we were fine.....OH took a while to get sorted with work but that was Ok as it helped me cope with working full time knowing the kids were sorted. We kitted the rental house out with bargains from the local 2nd hand paper and bargains from the bulk refuse collections! (just call me Steptoe) We applied for residency after a year and it was granted after 12 weeks, we flew to Bali for a week while the visa was rubberstamped. Fast forward 18 months and the financial picture was looking a lot more rosy, we managed to save for a deposit on our first home and moved in to our place, a 4 x 1, 20 mins from the coast. We bought a nice new car, a dog! and furniture too...the kids have settled very well, no issues whatsoever Today, we both have good jobs, hubs has changed employer and is earning more...all good, I now work 4 days a week. We go to the beach at least once a week, spend plenty of time outdoors, enjoy our garden and leisure time. 5 year old is now swimming like a fish (scared of water before) We are very happy here with no plans to ever return except for holidays, in fact we go back this October for 3 weeks....time seems right, we're ready to return and see our old friends and family who haven't managed to visit us. No regrets, its a good life out here, hard to define but more fulfilling. Feel like we are really 'living' instead of wishing the weeks away till the next holiday now we just wish the working week away till the next weekend...every weekend is like a holiday, it really is....we love it. Edited March 23, 2012 by guest17301 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 i have only one regret...... I wish i had moved here sooner!!!!!! :arghh: echo that mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bensdad Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Been here 4 months in Freo loving the place. The only place I've felt at home since leaving my home town years ago. Have a great life good money and even save each month. Go home? Iam home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 We (myself, hubby and two daughters) have lived here in Sydney for a bit over three years. Couldn't be happier and certainly can't see us moving back. We came here because hubby was offered the same job with his company, but five years back in his career (if that makes sense) and in Sydney. We decided that it was a good move for us, so we did it. The girls were still little (1 and 2) when we arrived on our 457. We chose Sutherland Shire because it is a reasonable commute for hubby, and we liked the general family friendliness of it, how green and leafy it is and how close it is to the Royal National Park which we love. Hubby settled straight in to his job and has been happy there. He gets on better with his business partner here, than the one he had in the UK, and I think that although he works harder, he enjoys it more. Sophie (eldest) is settled in to school now (Year 1) and Charlotte is at pre-school and looking forwards to joining her sister next year. I started my own business last year, which seems to be going well at the moment and which I am hoping will become more full time once Charlotte starts school. We have had a few local holidays, just got back from a week staying on a farm in Mid-West NSW which was lovely. We have also been to the Blue Mountains, Jervis Bay and Central Coast. Always good to come home though! Our application for PR should (hopefully) be submitted next week, and hopefully a few short weeks after that we will be able to stay here for good. I love the UK, had a great life there, and didn't ever feel that we were running from anything or moving to leave things behind. But in Australia I just feel at home. I feel like I was always meant to be here. That may change, of course, as time goes on. But for now, life is exceptionally good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surflen22 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 My first trip to Australia was at end of an ill fated long distance relationship with a lad from Adelaide. Despite my disastrous love life, I felt at home as soon as I stepped off the plane here. The visit was for a month and 6 months after that, I'd put my house on the market, sold my car, resigned from a very good job and came out on a WHV (I was 28 so in a good position to do so). I was in Adelaide for 2 years and loved my life. However, personal reasons forced me back to the UK and once there, with all the changes it was impossible to find a route back out. I had the bug for life in Oz and never really settled back in Europe. Fast forward 2 years and after around 300 applications, I was finally offered a job with 457 sponsorship. It was a backwards leap in my career but it was so worth it. I'm in Perth now - I didn't know a soul and had only ever visited briefly. I don't regret it one bit. I'm the happiest I've ever been, my life is transformed and I genuinely enjoy each day. For everyone its a bit of a scary leap into the unknown but its worked for me and I'm so glad I took the risk. Since being here (around 18 months now), I've had 3 pay rises in the same job, met my OH (about 4 weeks after I landed!) and we've just bought a house and moved in together and although career wise I'm not where I was, I'm better off across the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpo1971 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Echo the point about feeling at home straight away. Our plane landed at Perth airport at 2.35 on a Thursday afternoon and, by tea-time, I knew I never wanted to go back to the UK. Apart from missing our friends and my family, there isn't a facet of our life that isn't better now. I find the little things make the difference; driving home on the coastal road even though it takes longer, going the beach to watch sunsets even though we have been here 4 years etc. Like others have said, wish we'd done it sooner. Best decision ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I had a thread of a servey from ex- pats where a high percentage of them thought there life was far better, their kids were playing out more, they felt safer, job opportunities were far better, their outdoor lifestyle had increased and overall it painted a picture of their Lives being enhanced. I prefer to go with the majority and the majority of people think its far better than the uk, so thats enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Some people keep telling me 'Oh you can't just move across the world because of its wildlife, sunshine, and the food' but honestly, those are three things I adore. I love Australia and can't wait to get back there after spending two months there last year. Things I love... The fact the sun is nearly always shining; I love macro photography and this is a big bonus! Not to mention it opens a lot of doors for days out, etc., and means you can eat outdoors with your family most of the time. Not to mention it really helps with my moods and my skin clears up nicely. The food! Fresh seafood and fruit and salad, and meat that doesn't break the bank. Eating out pretty cheaply, and no crappy premade sandwiches in supermarkets. Fresh sushi and Asian cuisine that I adore, everywhere! The wildlife of course! Tree frogs on the porch, swooping magpies, praying Mantis, giant spiders, tiny glowworms, just hundreds of wonders that you might just see on the telly in the UK but here it's like living a documentary! The accent, I really do love the accent. The beaches! Not freezing your boobies off in the sea! Can't wait to get back and start my new life there with my Aussie OH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennyboy Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 ABSOLUTLEY LOVE THESE POSTS!:cute: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dani5 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 wow loving this thread!! As someone going through the huge, scary visa process it is so nice to hear what people think of their lives in Australia and just gives you that reassurance that you might go and feel that way too.. thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarletteve Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 This is a great thread!! we will be moving to Mackay in the very near future, just waiting the 457 then it's all go! I have read alot of negative stuff on this site which has worried me but this has made me feel so much better! we have 3 daughters 13, 9 and 15 months and really hoping that we all settle in well. it's great to read some positive experiences x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloomberg Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 this is such a great thread. It's a great memo for things why we want to move to Oz. Thank you all for making my day.. :wubclub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Baxter Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 We arrived here in Melbourne, Point Cook on January 8th and are loving every minute. Husband is enjoying his job, the girls (15 and 11) have settled in great in the schools and they both have said that the schools are so much better here, alot more laid back but also has the discipline. They have made some lovely friends too. Loving the fresh fruit and veg and also the variety of foods we can get over here although I am missing my Walkers crisps (cheese and onion especially). I was a Teaching Assistant in the UK and I am going to be starting as a parent helper in the local school, I want to get use to the Australian way of teaching before applying for a paid job. The weather is great and the other week we drove down the Great Ocean Road and saw some Koala's, now that did bring a tear to my eye as it did when we saw kangaroos in the fields. We only ever saw kangaroos in the zoos in the UK and have never seen a koala apart from in a book. We saw a possum and some beautiful red birds and a cockatoo. So there you have it "I LOVE AUSTRALIA". Will this feeling last. I think it will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shauna Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 So happy to read positive comments, this past few weeks ive been having serious doubts from reading things on this site but now im smiling again, should have visas in the next week or so. Looking forward to the blue skies, sunny days and being able to make plans for the weekend without worrying if it will be wet !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PW1 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 (edited) Hello, This is a truly great thread, we received our PR for Victoria and have been back to validate it (had visited once before during the application process), and I cant wait to get back, only thing I worry about is getting work (but then I always have, but in this I worry I might be harder cos I'm british), other than that I loved everything about it. I envy those that are already there. Regards, P. Edited March 23, 2012 by PW1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Suzi Wong Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Ok, this is a thread for people who are here and happy ONLY. If you aren't happy in Oz or returning home then we can start another thread for you. However, I would like this one to be for the people who have made the move and think it's wonderful, please tell us what you like about Australia (the area you are), how long you have been here, etc. Who knows I may even give a prize for the most inspiring story.:wubclub: Thank you MTM for this positive thread - especially for those of us involved in the long visa process and reading some of the more negative posts recently. I have been to Melbourne once before (in 1995) and felt at home as soon as I got off the plane. It is an amazing place and my sister and her family have been there for 26 years now and are true Aussies. Been considering going back since then but many things have got in the way and this year we decided its now or never. Hubby has VETASSESS practical in June and, everything crossed, we will get our 176 visa and get out there before the end of this year. Hoping for a good future for my 3 children and ourselves. I know it wont all be plain sailing but we are very positive people and I think that will make all the difference in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alligator Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 My OH has secured a job on a 457, they will sponsor us for PR as soon as he commences employment with them, we have a relocation package and he has a good salary but is having doubts about the risk of coming. So this thread really helps because I am going to ensure he reads it tonight when he gets home from work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeBee Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Good to read so many positive things, we aren't there yet but I am soooooo excited, think I might burst. Love to hear from anyone in Perth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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