Life in Australia. A few questions

[Thunderduck]

I'm asking on behalf of my partner, who has gotten it into his head that we should move to Australia once we've both finished our degrees/PHDs.

I'll admit I'm not at all fond of the idea of moving so far from home. However I promised I'd ask a few questions on his behalf.

For anyone who moved to Australia. Did it live up to your expectations? Was culture shock an issue for you? And how long did it take to go through the process of being granted permission to move there?

how????? why????

I grew up there up there but exactly what is so great about Brisbane?

We are going back for therapy for our son. Who knows how close or far the therapist is from retirement?

DS2 is seen by the best dr in the world for his condition, his therapist, yes in London, got him, after being told by his dr that he may never achieve these milestones, crawling and walking.

Exactly what is so fantastic about Brisbane.

You say I need a major attitude adjustment, and I know that, but all you are doing is stating the obvious, without exemplyifing why!

So you have the sun, it is hardly Sydney or Perth, exactly what does Brisbane have going for it?

Seriously, I would love to know....

Eidsvold, thanks very much for your major insight there.

I do not know of many places to live where you neeed a "major attitude adjustment" to make a success of living there. is it that hard to live in Brisbane?

Seriously I did post a thread, under a different a name, asking about people's good points of living in Bribane, and people came up with:....

Brumbys......

I know you've had your own hard times but I would have thought even you would have come up with something even slightly more insightful..

But maybe it's just the old Australian parochialism coming through...

no it is not that hard to live in Brisbane BUT if you are coming from the point of view of dreading leaving London cause it is so great and you really love it there then you will find it tough to live in Brisbane.

You spent a whole post rubbishing the place and its press and its tv and the outdoor lifestyle and then ask me how tough it is to live in Brisbane.

i think Brisbane is a great place to live and was more than happy to return home.

You make statements like - There is no culture in Brisbane - end of story - well if that is not negative and narrow minded then pray tell what it.

You hate humidity - well it is humid in Brisbane fact of life.

You say you hate the Brisbane paper - well you know what - don't read it! Solution - remain eurocentric and be thankful you can read all the news on the web from the UK.

You slag off our tv - well don't watch it.

You hate the outdoor lifestyle - well due to our climate Aus it big on outdoor lifestyle.

You are making statements like - if it weren't for family here there is not way in the world you would live here.

So - if that is your attitude before you have returned to live than yes I truly think you need a major attitude adjustment.

If all other posters said was good about Brisbane is Brumbies then I suggest they are living with their heads up their arses.

So is the london therapist moving to Brisbane and you are hoping to join them here - is that the point you are making. I am just letting you know that therapy can be difficult to access. I am telling it like it is so you are not frustrated and disappointed that what you seek may be a little difficult to find. We started off with regular therapies after having so little to access in the UK and within 6 months it was gone. We then had to try and find appropriate therapists who would do the job and it was difficult.

Yes you grew up in Brisbane so did I and I have seen it grow and develop and change. If you have not lived here for 10 years then I think you will see a great deal of change.

I love Brisbane - the average person coming to live here would love it to BUT you are coming from a point of loathing the place and with an almost hatred of it. Can't see that it will make the move easy.

I can't imagine wanting to live somewhere I hated. Not my place to change your mind or attitude. Your place to open your mind to all the possibilities that exist.

mm22bys, I agree with Eids...with that attitude you are set to fail, imo.

I am not too keen on using sunscreen everytime I walk out the door either, but it is now as routine as showering or having breakfast.

I am not out doorsy, but love seeing my daughter enjoying the great expanse of space to run in. I love knowing that at any time I can drive for 10 minutes or less & be on a beach.

I have seen wine from all over the globe at my local bottleshops...and who cares if you can;t buy alcohol in the supermarket, when 9 times out of 10 there is a bottle shop next door.

In all honesty, I know nothing of the culture here, because it isn't my thing. But I know that the ILs are never short of a thing or 2 to do.

"I do not know of many places to live where you neeed a "major attitude adjustment" to make a success of living there"

Well actually...anywhere you move to you need to have a positive attitude, imo. You are NEVER going to be happy here if you are coming here thinking the way you do. You need to be thinking of the good points, the reasons you are coming. If you don't have any good points for coming I only have 2 words to say to you

DON'T COME!

Message withdrawn

Bloss, I agree.

mm22bys, it's like you expect the place to change to accomadate you...your reasons for not wanting to come...

Not being an outdoors person
Not wantiing to apply sunscreen everyday
Not being able to buy wine at the supermarket
Don't like the TV programmes

...are so very trivial tbh. Well trivial to me because you can work around them, don't go outdoors then, don't use sunscreen, drive/walk that extra few yards to buy wine, don't watch TV.

I think your issues with moving go deeper than just sunscreen & wine, tbh & you need to re-evaluate if Brisbane is the place for you. Otherwise, you are heading for the most expensive mistake of your life.

I am very curious as to where the OP is up too with this decision, CALLING Thunderduck...where are u .

I live in Canberra and have lived in Sydney, also like Brisbane and love Melbourne, happy to answer questions

I'm curious too ...Thunderduck??? What happening?

Thanks for all your responses, I really appreciate them. I posted some things last night I shouldn't have, and was all set to report my own post.

We went to Brisbane this time last year for only a few weeks and when we came back here, to the cold, grey, wet, frankly miserable London winter we both thought "what on earth are we doing here". But we were able to do a lot for our son last year in terms of accessing top specialists and therapists, and we were able to meet our goals here for him (getting a diagnosis and getting him to walk).

Our goal this year is to help to communicate better, and frankly the best SALT we know is in Brisbane, hence our move.

London has been great to us and for us, and yes I will be sad to leave it, but we do have to do what's best for our son, and at the moment that is trying to access the best therapy for him.

We came here 10 years to give it a go, it was our plan to give it a couple of years and return in time for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Time passed, and now the London ones 12 years later are round the corner.

I haven't lived in Brisbane since 1994, I honestly don't know what it's going to be like, maybe I am just scared of change....

I just feel the need to throw in some support for Brisvegas.
Yes it still has a bit of a country town feel but that is a good thing.
You can run into your friends in the mall or southbank. Everyone knows everyone.
YOu can see the shows, plays, concerts that do not visit Adelaide, Perth or Darwin or Canberra.
The weather is wonderful.
Its close to the beach, forest, and islands.
The shopping is as good as in Sydney or Melbourne.
The Courier Mail is trashy but I love it. If you dont then Buy the Australian.
Bakers delight is much better then brumbies.
The Rocklea markets are great.
Riverfire (enough said)

Lou, I grew up there but haven't lived there for 15 years. My family is there but it is going to be a big challenge to make new friends precisely because of some of your points (small country town feel, everybody knowing everybody). I AM going to be "out of" a lot things "culturally", even something as basic as people talking about what they've seen on TV. I remember going back one time and my SIL sharing what she (and everybody else) thought was hilarious TV. I didn't have a clue what they were talking about...

I'll be talking about what I've been doing while over here and I am scared that I will be perceived as showing off, when all I am doing is telling my own stories (that in a lot of instances they similarly won't relate to).

I guess though that will happen whenever somebody moves, when we first came here I have to admit I did try to hang out with other Aussies. It took a good two or three years to feel settled here.

I admit it, my only "friends" there will be school friends, and we left school 20 years ago.

That's a lot of water passing under alot of bridges....it would be unrealistic not to expect that in some cases we have just grown apart...

I'll try to joing the gym, etc, etc, but am worried that people's "groups" will already have been formed...don't they say the best friendships are formed at school, at uni, when you have a baby, when your "baby" starts school. I'll be going back at none of those life milestones.

Not trying to be negative, just realistic. My SIL has lived in Brisbane all her life except for one year and all her friends are school friends. Given I've been away for so long, I won't have that luxury.

I have moved before, and I have managed to make friends. But in all cases I was not the only "outsider", the people I became friends were also say new graduates starting a job, or people "new" to London, so we were all motivated to make friends at the same time.

I guess if your already settled, you make less effort to make friends?

Maybe that's what I was trying to say in my rather long-winded post!

mm - I am in a similiar boat. I will be moving back later this year after years away.
My friends back home are now all married with children. I have few friends in the UK due to my working hours etc so it will be tough to go back. I have no idea whats on tv, what local events are of importance etc
People I went to school with are still friends with the same people from school and I don't want to join those groups again. It will be very tough to make new friends. Brisbane is a great place to be a kid and to have kids but in the middle in can be a bit dmundane but it will always be home.

All the best with your move, and what you describe is pretty much exactly how I feel.

Good luck,

i had no problem making friends when I came back. I still had friends from before dh and I got married and I had children BUT I have made so many more since then. In fact because I have moved around so much I am no longer friends who anyone I went to school with.

I made very good friends with another mum who attended our sn playgroup. We had girls around the same age. I also then made friends by being involved with groups - like the school P and C.

There are so many different things you could be involved in that will provide opportunities to make friends. People I have encountered are more than happy to hear what I have been up to when I lived in the UK.

That's great. I will just have to try, no use dwelling on what's not even happening yet...