jamjar Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 OP - I think the main reasons you want to back are friends and family - correct me if wrong. However you are not going back to where you left - granted a lot closer than Oz but still a bit away. I recently read an article about poeple missing friends and family once making the move to Oz and it was proved that distance has nothing to do with it. Yes it might help with regard to family gatherings at birthdays and xmas etc but a move of just 30 miles can have the same emotional impact as moving around the world. Kids will have to go to different schools, parents will not continue to make the drive just to have a pint with the mate etc etc New jobs - which might be tough in the current climate and especailly in Cornwall. Tight comunity etc I am not saying dont come back, but I would suggest you think about the reasons you are moving back and think about the ptracticalities of those if you move away from your friends and family within the UK. Also re-visit the reasons you moved to Oz in the first place and the fact that you are now more financially secure than you have ever been. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttercup Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Most people need some form of social contact, how much, little and whom with depends upon the type of person you are. Having lived in both places, I reckon it's people that make a place to a large degree. Loneliness can be crippling - you only have to read other threads and posts to clarify this. I have to say, makes you wonder what that's all about when people appear to 'dismiss' their former life in the UK? Weird... after all if it wasn't for that, they would not be where they are and grown into the person they are??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clark Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 We arrived here on 2nd November 2010. We had been planning the move for 5 years whilst qualifying as nurses, getting married and having 2 children and were inpatient to get here. We chopped around a bit on destinations but decided on Melbourne due to a good job offer for me. As the day of departure neared we found it harder and harder to say goodbye to family and friends but maintained a sense of optimism and genuine excitement for the future. The night before we left for London we had a party with about 50 guests, all friends, and a mates Irish band playing in the garden. The next day we cleaned up and shut the door behind us. My wife and I, both, fairly tough people, I mean emotionally, we dont blub every day...well we both cried from our home in Cheltenham all the way to Oxford, i think my wife was still crying in London. We were desperate to leave that house which we didnt really like, but when the time came we found it so hard!!! We had taken this move seriously. We sent all our stuff in a 20ft container and paid 4 grand to fly our dog out. Once in London we poured a whole bottle of champagne down the sink of the hotel, not through anger or being ungrateful, we just couldnt drink it. I remember 3 of my friends in particular I found it so hard to say goodbye to, again friends tough on emotions, all of us crying uncontrollably....! Anyway we pulled ourselves together, gathered our optimism and hopes and boarded the plane. We had done it...A new life beckoned. When we arrived here my thoughts are well documented (See thread Melbourne Smells!....) The job was not in the area it had been suggested, the boss bullied us into living in an area we didnt like etc, the job was nothing like I had been led to believe and the first 12 months were tough...but we kept going, we found things we liked and we did them lots of times, we travelled, we did a big road trip to Adelaide with our 3 and 1 year old, we took 2 weeks and I can honestly say we saw everything, we loved that. And we made a plan to move to Torquay after 12 months (100km down the road). We moved. We love Torquay. Its a beautiful town. In terms of where we live we have everything we ever wanted. The beach and a nice town. Our oldest child loves his preschool, both our children are happy as is our dog. Its not ideal that I still work in Melbourne as does my wife and we have not found alternative jobs but its not a major issue... BUT there is something missing. There is something big missing. And I suppose thats why I write this now. We really have struggled. We go down the beach everyday, we live the quiet life we want and we have enough money for the first time in our lives and can go on amazing holidays. But we really miss our friends and family. But its not just that...let me try to explain! We really have made no friends. We have tried hard. But we find the Australians for all their friendliness to be impossible to form real friendships. The ones we have met never ask questions, they dont keep a conversation going, they say "G'day" and "How you going" they are pleasant, they are nice, but the conversation, no matter how many times you see them, never progresses. The nurses at our work places dont seem to hold any opinions on anything, they dont want to talk about anything. They dont seem passionate about anything. I tell them Im going on a road trip and they just either say they have never been there or they say nothing at all! And then we have the English we have met!! Now I have a theory on the English over here and you may find this interesting. I think to live here as a Brit you need a kind of an "evil streak". Now obviously I say that tongue in cheek, they are not evil at all, but the ones we have met who have settled and found success seem to be able to either block out the UK and their friends and family, or dont give a toss about them, or have found a third way to manage their emotions which is unknown to me. The happy poms will tell us they have been here 10 years and never returned, they never send emails and never plan to go back. Or they have been here a year, or 2 weeks, and swear they will never go back, they rarely speak of home and say they dont need to keep in touch with people......we have not been like that. We have genuinely tried hard but we have been unable to make friends with British people or Australians!! Also we find the Brits very unreliable....we meet them, they talk and then next time they dont want to know (and remember its not us, we had friends in the UK, loads and loads of them!!!!) But we cant subscribe to the British successful theory of going all out to enjoy life here and leaving the emotions related to the UK and its inhabitants entirely behind. We wont be returning to Cheltenham, where I lived for 16 years and my wife for 6. We will (if we return) try a new challenge and go to Cornwall. We know finding work will be tough, we have a bit of money in England that has accumulated (we have 2 houses let out, investments we could not sell due to the market, not things we held on to because we expected to return). We miss people, we miss the countryside, we miss working alongside talented nurses, we miss the British humour, the old buildings and the conversation. Prior to discussing home (we had never discussed it in 17 months believe it or not, we just kept saying we would carry on) we had booked road trips from Melbourne to Sydney and one from Brisbane to Sydney, 2 weeks each, we will go on these trips. We will go home in January 2013 for 3 weeks and check out the areas in Cornwall we think we will like to live in, and see family and friends, we love Cornwall and used to go there on holiday all the time. Then if we agree on the plan to return we will come back and spend our time sorting it out. We could get citizenship in November 2014 but we will see if we want to wait that long... Once we decided we wanted to go back we felt an urge to go immediately but then we realised this is a unique opportunity to see some more stuff, so we will also plan trips to the Outback, another road trip, Brisbane to Port Douglas, hopefully get over to W.A to my very favourite place (Coral Bay) and hope to get to NZ. A lot to cram in and we may not be able to do all of it! I have rediscovered my zest for life and with it I have realised that I love travelling in Australia but its not somewhere I want to live. Day to day I think the things we like are all things we can get in the UK...the beach, a house with a log burner, a quiet town....we do not crave the typically Australian stuff, the BBQ and the sun....apart from the money (we have enough here and didnt in England but we hope we will change this) we feel we can get all the stuff we like here in England and have all the stuff we miss too. So I think we will be here another 18 months and then return to live in the UK, and we have big plans and if we do go back it wont be with the feeling that Australia is crap, it will be in the knowledge that its not somewhere we want too live but we will have had an amazing experience and it will have made us tougher and told us what is important to us in life. Im so lucky to have a wife that agrees and feel the same and kids that are young (4 and 2) and a dog that does not express an opinion. Good luck to all in the same or entirely different situations! Rob hi blobby rob thanks for replying and getting me to read your words of wisdom great shout out, i do feel exactly the sameabout everything youve said and the biggest thing for me is missing family and friends although aus is an amazing place to holiday/travel etc for me its only ok to live in aus. i feel that everything i do here in aus i can dio in the uk, yes i will miss certain things of aus but i'm not with family over here, which will never happen either, i plan to go back to the uk in august where ive got a job lined up that i think is much better than what i can acheive in aus aslo plan moving to a different part of my home city of carlisle, i know its not very big but its home to me. cheers clark:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byrned Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 am pleased you have made the decision, I can relate to everything you have said. You are lucky your children are so young, it is a lot harder to return when your kids are older. We will be returning as well, have to wait for a couple of years until older one finishes high school.. I really wish we would have returned within the first 12 months, but we just thought we had not settled because we were living in the wrong area, or the wrong job etc etc so changed areas, changed jobs etc etc, but still something missing and the thing that is missing is that this is not my home, not my country, never was,never will be, the feeling of just been a visitor has never left me. Went back to Uk last year and the feeling I had when I got off that plane after 5 years in oz well I wish I could have bottled it and brought it back with me to get through the next couple of years, and yes we have made some lovely friends here and become part of a community, but it still can not come close to my home and family and friends. So I wish you and your family all the best for your future.xx ps cornwall love it, we also used to go a lot as a second holiday when we were in the uk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks everybody for your lovely posts and thoughts. I have met some great people on here! Slightly concerning what the guys with experience of it say about Cornwall, and I am sure you are right! I am from devon originally (left at 19) I wonder if this will make us more acceptable or even less! I will keep you posted!! Couple of specific things I should answer, we left the UK for a number of reasons. Firstly we had no idea how much our family and friends meant to us until we left, we had no idea how much special places meant to us either, we had that party which was traumatic but also spent the last month saying goodbye to Uncles, Aunts,, parents etc, many of which we rarely saw, having made the effort we wondered why we had never bothered. There is a place in Cornwall we visited every year (Rock, cant move there, not millionaires) leaving there for the last time was awful! And Lyme Regis where I used to go on family holidays, hard to go there for the last time too). It became apparent that much of English life we loved and therefore I suppose suddenly Australia had to be even more fantastic than it is to be enough for us. We left because we were always skint, got into a spiral of debt, bought a second house at a bad time, remortgaged at a crap rate, we are not extravagant but I needed to work 60 hours a week just to pay ther credit cards etc, got a 15k loan to get out here but have paid everything off with the big bucks we earn here except the loan which is covered by our mortgages going onto low variable rates etc....so financially it wont be as bad going back... We thought it would be a better life for our kids. We thought it always rained in England but it turns out we cant stand the hot days here, I cant wait for winter so we can light the fire! I dont think its a better life for our kids, its just different, if we bring them up right then they should be just fine in England. I thought England was full of drugs and Australia was not but thats just total rubbish. Drugs are everywhere and we just have to try and educate our kids and hope for the best! I was unashamedly lied to regarding the job I came to (by a Brit incidently who is the top nurse where I work) it turns out the agency in the Uk and the company here just say what you want to hear to (for the British agency) get their commision and (for the Aussies company) to fill a position. I thought nursing was in a bad way in England but thats nothing compared to what its like here! They are all on strike, massively low morale, huge sickness, crap management (by British managers), its bloody dangerous too due to shocking doctors not medicating patients properly and staff that do not know how to restrain violent patients...(Im a mental health nurse) And the patients are treated very badly. Of course, another ward may be completely different...but I was recruited to a specific ward and told nothing but lies (but what else can they do....they are not gonna say "come and work for us, its awful!! Although funnily enough the Adelaide head nurse at interview said exactly that!!!!!!!!) Sorry this is turning into another massive post.... Basically Australia didnt turn out as good as we thought and England turned out to be better!!!!! Thanks for all your kind words and advice it really is appreciated alot. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttercup Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks everybody for your lovely posts and thoughts. I have met some great people on here! Slightly concerning what the guys with experience of it say about Cornwall, and I am sure you are right! I am from devon originally (left at 19) I wonder if this will make us more acceptable or even less! I will keep you posted!! Couple of specific things I should answer, we left the UK for a number of reasons. Firstly we had no idea how much our family and friends meant to us until we left, we had no idea how much special places meant to us either, we had that party which was traumatic but also spent the last month saying goodbye to Uncles, Aunts,, parents etc, many of which we rarely saw, having made the effort we wondered why we had never bothered. There is a place in Cornwall we visited every year (Rock, cant move there, not millionaires) leaving there for the last time was awful! And Lyme Regis where I used to go on family holidays, hard to go there for the last time too). It became apparent that much of English life we loved and therefore I suppose suddenly Australia had to be even more fantastic than it is to be enough for us. We left because we were always skint, got into a spiral of debt, bought a second house at a bad time, remortgaged at a crap rate, we are not extravagant but I needed to work 60 hours a week just to pay ther credit cards etc, got a 15k loan to get out here but have paid everything off with the big bucks we earn here except the loan which is covered by our mortgages going onto low variable rates etc....so financially it wont be as bad going back... We thought it would be a better life for our kids. We thought it always rained in England but it turns out we cant stand the hot days here, I cant wait for winter so we can light the fire! I dont think its a better life for our kids, its just different, if we bring them up right then they should be just fine in England. I thought England was full of drugs and Australia was not but thats just total rubbish. Drugs are everywhere and we just have to try and educate our kids and hope for the best! I was unashamedly lied to regarding the job I came to (by a Brit incidently who is the top nurse where I work) it turns out the agency in the Uk and the company here just say what you want to hear to (for the British agency) get their commision and (for the Aussies company) to fill a position. I thought nursing was in a bad way in England but thats nothing compared to what its like here! They are all on strike, massively low morale, huge sickness, crap management (by British managers), its bloody dangerous too due to shocking doctors not medicating patients properly and staff that do not know how to restrain violent patients...(Im a mental health nurse) And the patients are treated very badly. Of course, another ward may be completely different...but I was recruited to a specific ward and told nothing but lies (but what else can they do....they are not gonna say "come and work for us, its awful!! Although funnily enough the Adelaide head nurse at interview said exactly that!!!!!!!!) Sorry this is turning into another massive post.... Basically Australia didnt turn out as good as we thought and England turned out to be better!!!!! Thanks for all your kind words and advice it really is appreciated alot. Rob Ahh, your story has struck a chord with me. I can relate - a bit. I too am a MHN and went to Adelaide. I loved my work place though, as having visited a few others felt very lucky to have been given the place. My work colleagues, manager and the whole environment were really nice. I never felt like an outsider and everyone was all ears to hear some of my ideas (I have only been qualified for just over 3 years but felt like I had so much more knowledge sometimes). I know that may sound big headed (I am anything but), but I wondered what sort of training they get? Our patients were very settled, but I did hear that shackles are still used in some areas???? WTF? Also, you must feel very vulnerable and exposed when patients that require medication are not managed in a safe way. I found it quite shocking the trend with benzo prescribing. There are many aspects of their nursing practices that are sooooo far behind, things which we have been doing (or no longer do for a good reason) in the UK for years. I wonder if you were recruited through the same agent as me???? They folded apparently ;-)))). I loved my job as could see a lot of potential for change - in a good way. However, I did hear many horror stories of others returning to the UK as their work places sounded like something out of One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest! I came back pure and simply because I was just homesick. Still in contact with my work mates though from Oz and I do miss them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest couasnon Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 my self wife and 4 year old child moved to perth 8 months ago,i was a plumbing and heating engineer for 18 years and had as many qulifications as you can get . my wife also a qulified in her job . we had the dream that australia would be the dream big house great work prospects and loads of time to spend with the kids. well it turns out that no matter what job you have done or what qulifications you have they are not good anough for western australia,i have completed a 12 week course in migrant plumbing which is just a big money spin,than i have to do my gas licence more money than 4 more courses water,drainage sanitation and business,and forgot to mention senior first aid back flow prevention , white card which alows you to get on site plus ewp (elevated work platforms )the list goes on and on,it it all costs alot of moneyand time.so once you have these so called qulifications you go onto site .i have never seen such a shambles, mess everywhere horific building no real building standards, i know the houses are cheaper ,i know why know .and as for the traffic i think they must of estimated that perth population would not grow more than 10 people as the free ways go from 4 lanes down to2 for no reason its 2.2 million at the moment and they want to make it 4m . not with there roads. ithink it really 1977 here its so behind i thought australia was a new country and would be up there in tech you cant fill a formhere online without something being wrong. i know we have not been here that long but enough is enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Hi Couasnon, My wifes cousin is a plumber and also has numerous qualifications but was put off coming over for the exact reasons you describe, they came to look but thought it was ridiculous. They want skilled tradesmen (for want of a better word) to come over to improve things and then try to train you to their "standards". The houses here last about 10 years and then they pull them down! I hope you find what you are looking for. I think, for us, for everyone, in spite of the expense and the emotional trauma (at times) its definitely worth coming over to try it out. We will live the rest of our days knwoing we want to live in England now, and knowing life is not actually better (for us) elsewhere. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 You know what the funniest thing is.... When I first went on here (from the UK) I saw the forum "moving back to the UK" and thought "what sad bast..ds, why would anyone do that" I read all the other forums with glee and found I related to what was said (but was in the UK so had no idea!) But during our time here, over 18 months, I found myself going on to the "moving back..." pages more and more and relating to everything that was said....even way before we made the decision to move back....and found myself very removed from all the positive stuff about life here!! Funny how things change!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katyjc Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Hi blobby, Its been great reading this thread, and as an Aussie in the uk I can relate to difficulties making new friends. A bit gutted, as had seen your previous posts and had kept you in mind, as we are planning a move to Torquay! It's where I grew up. Will hopefully be there in the next year or so, so potentially our paths may cross. I am concerned about my hubby who is a Brit,it will be hard for him to leave his Friday night set of mates, as he has been having a beer with the same guys for the last 20 odd years! He fancies Growlers for his new local! We also have two kids of similar ages to yours. Best of luck with it all! Maybe see you there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Dont let me put you off. Torquay is a wonderful town. Its perfect. In fact its its perfectness that made up our minds. Its perfect but we are still not happy. Watch your husband in Growlers, its got the best looking waitresses in town (or possibly the whole world!) ha! We couldnt have ever found a nicer town. If you come here before June next year send me a message on here and we must meet. God, I hope we dont get along, otherwise we may regret leaving!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishful Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Hey Rob, I feel exactly the same .... I have been here 26 years and so have given it a "fairgo" have two kids to an Aussie ( now divorced and re-married)so have to stay here for the time being , I like Australia I really do its just not home .... I cant help how I feel and in about 6 years when my kids are 19 and 21 I shall return for a few months and see whats what , I hope they will come with me to see if they like it but who knows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katyjc Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Lol! Thanks for the heads up about Growlers! May have to tag along!:biggrin: Will let you know when we get there, still awaiting spouse visa, then house sale, so may be a while! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttercup Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Like the words in that song by Simply Red - 'She was so beautiful but oh so boring'.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Yeah I would pop along first of all if I were you! Haha I wonder if Mick Hucknell lived over here then!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Don't worry about Cornwall! I am originally from Yorkshire but first moved to Camborne in 2002 to start Uni. Have lived there on and off since and we have a cottage just north of Redruth. We made friends easily there, particularly amongst workmates who were so much more friendly and open compared to our Aussie ones. Also I used to go horse-riding and even though I only went to one particular stables for about 10 months, going once a week, I made some fantastic friends (not just acquaintances) who I will keep in touch with until we return, and then hopefully pick up where we left off. I was never made to feel like an outsider by anyone. However I did used to get annoyed in July and August when I couldn't get parking for all the Grockles! You're only a Grockle if you go on holiday there not actually live there! I miss Cornwall like heck and your post really struck a chord. But I'm going to stick it out for a few more years here so we can afford the kind of house we really want either in Cornwall or Devon. Australia is great, and I appreciate what it's giving to me. But it isn't my home. I feel like I've pulled up my roots out of the earth and stuck them in a plant pot for a while. Doesn't help that 4 of our really good friends (2 couples and their babies) here are all moving back to the UK in May, will be quite different when they're gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 A great post fourcorners and thank you, makes us feel very reassured. So you are in Kalgoorlie, what an amazing place, perhaps not somewhere I could live though (especially now I am married!!) I loved going there when I was travelling many years ago, looking at the "menu" in the brothel and then ordering a coffee!! ISuch a friendly town until night time when every bar I went to ended in fights! (bloody hard to order a beer looking straight ahead in the Excahnge Hotel as well). Hope you enjoy the rest of your time there and maybe see you in Cornwall one day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogian Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Blobby1000, It was great to read about your situation and your opinions (and also that of others who have posted here). Being completely honest with you, as I was reading your initial post I got a bit riled by what you were saying in some places, however, this all changed when I got to the last paragraph. You and yours have had the nuts to get out, try something and find out for yourselves that it isn’t quite for you; wasn’t what you were expecting etc, but, as you say, you’ve had amazing experiences along the way. At least you were willing to give something new a go mate! All the best to you all and good luck wherever you may end up living! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Actually it's really calmed down here over the last few years, Back in 2006-2007 when we lived here the first time there were fights every night. Now the Exchange is empty (it actually went up for auction last week and got no bids - anyone got a spare $4M?), and fights are rare. I swear this place is actually becoming a family town! And.... the brothel closed down too. Questa Casa is now becoming a hotel! They had a garage sale but we didn't dare go inside! It's an ok place to live, and a lot better than many people think. They come here and see the brothel, the Superpit and fights in the bars and write it off. Spend a little time here and you realise it's got everything you need, but it's certainly not perfect. Makes you really appreciate getting away for the weekend though. We're off to Esperance at Easter which is very eagerly anticipated! I think deep down a lot of poms in oz feel exactly the same way as you do. I think a lot put up a brave front and say they're totally happy, loving the lifestyle and never want to go back to the UK. But in reality they all miss a lot of stuff and deep down our sense of 'place' is ingrained within us at an early age. I know Poms who've been here 10 years and still refer to the UK as home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Yeah I wasnt being negative about Kalgoorlie I really loved it, a real outback town. I was sat in the Exchange one night on my own at the bar and this young bloke came up to me and said "Hi if your bored come sit with us" so I sat with him and his two mates, all teachers, they were great blokes, but as they drank more they got more rowdy and by the end of the night they were chucking their food at the table across the bar and then this mass brawl erupted and I had to quietly disappear out the door!! The brothel was owned by the mayor, Im not just saying this cos Im now married with 2 kids, but I only had their coffee!! But it was an amazing place to visit and see how it ran!! Kalgoorlie was one of my favourite places and I will never forget my experience of it. i went to Esperance too, I expect you have been already, its fantastic there, the beaches are truly amazing. Im sorry Kalgoorlie is turning into a family friendly area! Is nothing sacred here!!! I dont like to assume others are not happy here. But I completely agree with your thoughts that many are putting on a brave face. I find it hard because you rarely find a Brit we can have a proper honest chat with it all "we would NEVER go back, the UK is crap, here is WONDERFUL, we dont miss anyone, we will never visit, we love it here, lets have another sausage on the barbie etc etc" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 PS you werent on wanted down under were you? There was a butcher and his wife who I only remember as having loads of tattoos, they went to Perth I think or somewhere and ended up in kalgoorlie, he ended up being a poilceman, nice couple they were, small town, I wonder if you know them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 No, we've done it without TV help! We're both in mining (I'm a geologist, other half is a geotechnical engineer), and in 2006 as part of my masters I came on a field trip to WA. Got a job for my OH whilst I was here on the field trip and he worked at the Superpit for a while. I worked underground for Barrick. Now I'm on surface doing exploration and he's underground working for Barrick. I have a theory that it takes about 6 years in this town to work your way around all the mining companies! There are loads of Poms and Irish here, and Kiwis and Swedes and Philippinos, actually there aren't many Ozzies here at all! Most of our friends are European or African. In my OH's departments there are 2 Poms, 3 Africans and 1 graduate from Tasmania. We have developed friendships much more quickly with non-Australians, we just find it's hard to get beyond surface-deep with Aussies, conversations are always pretty banal and short-lived. The ones who have travelled a bit are better, but I meet some peeps here who have never left the Goldfields! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Quote - The houses here last about 10 years and then they pull them down! What??? ... they haven't tried to pull my house down yet and it has been standing in Melbourne for over thirty years and it is still going strong! - come on houses in Aus last ten years ??? Also have to say some of my best friends ever are Aussies - people are people the world over - you get back what you give out - I have lived in many different countries and made life long friends in each one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizawilliam Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I lived in Cornwall for ten years and found it very hard work. As others have said I found some of the Cornish really dont like 'outsiders' and it gets much more rainfall than the rest of the UK. When I moved there I remembered sunny holidays as a kid and so do thousands of other brits who mob the beaches all summer! It actually rained pretty much from November through to April and there is nothing to do in the winter. The place comes alive in the summer season and then is fantastic, just beware of holiday memories as its not like that living there. Has highest teen pregnancy rate in western Europe - I taught there in a college and you see it all. I hope wherever you go next its a better experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I lived in Cornwall for ten years and found it very hard work. As others have said I found some of the Cornish really dont like 'outsiders' and it gets much more rainfall than the rest of the UK. When I moved there I remembered sunny holidays as a kid and so do thousands of other brits who mob the beaches all summer! It actually rained pretty much from November through to April and there is nothing to do in the winter. The place comes alive in the summer season and then is fantastic, just beware of holiday memories as its not like that living there. Has highest teen pregnancy rate in western Europe - I taught there in a college and you see it all. I hope wherever you go next its a better experience. Nothing to do in winter! You have to be joking!! Cornwall is an outdoor person's heaven. I played hockey, went horse riding, together we surfed (better conditions in winter) and went rock climbing. My friends all go gig rowing and do surf life-saving. I also loved the craft fairs around Christmas time, or just going for a walk on the beach, pasty in hand. But then I don't mind the rain, really miss it here in Oz, bloomin' sun! Yes there is a lot of poverty there and lack of well paid jobs, but that's starting to change now with it becoming a centre for technology for marine, renewable energy and geothermal energy. I find people in Cornwall much more entrepreneurial than other counties, prepared to get stuck in and start their own businesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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