Australia -Aussies I need advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pickupthismess]

Hi. Last night watching "relocation, relocation" I decided I have infact had it with this weather and we ought to move to Australia asap to give our two boys a better way of life. Incredibly DH after a v stressful few months is in entire agreement.

I lived in Perth as a teenager and I have to admit I found it soulless and deeply boring but..................I bet I will have changed my tune now.

So my questions are:
1)is Perth still deadly
2)what are Melbourne or Brisbaine like?
3) Where is the work (DH is a senior professional) I know Sydney would be great but I don't really want a big city.

I just don't know where to begin.

4. And finally, please be honest what is WRONG with Australia. I really need to know I am about to make the right decision.

Can't really help - we live on the Central Coast - just over an hour outside of Sydney.
Hubby works in North Ryde and commutes by train to the city. We love the small, quiet village life.

The only negetive we have is being far away from family. Everything else is positive.

My children are so excited to start school on Thursday.
Good Luck with your decision - it is a huge one!

BonzaBlue

Thanks Bonza.

When you were looking for work - did you find most jobs were in the cities or are there other towns with lots of companies? My DH is in finance.

Anyone else?

Pickup if you want to know what's wrong with Australia then check out the British expat moving back to the UK forum here You can speak to people there who found that life in Oz wasn't for them.

And the Australia forum here for general enquiries, city comparisons and pros and cons of life in Oz.

DP and I are considering making the move in the next few years so have been making use of the forums there.

I have heard from many expats that Perth is very dull compared to other Australian cities and isolated and they couldn't live there, however some people do thrive there but dp and I have ruled it out due to these factors.

Here's a Uk vs Oz thread to get you started.

And a thread comparing Melbourne and Perth.

They also have forums relating to employment in Oz.

Having lived in Oz for the past 4 yrs (almost). I'd say the main thing wrong with it is that it's so FARKIN' far away from everywhere else.

Also I think if you move anywhere a long way from family and friends it can put huge pressure on your relationship with your dh. Ie there is nowhere to run to when you need a break from each other.

I wouldn't dwell too much on those whingeing Pom websites tbh, remember peoples views will be very coloured by their own homesickness or other issues.

Come over for a visit, research the job market. For instance if your dh works in finance you may find only comparable jobs in Sydney or Melb - I have friends here in Adelaide who had very tip top jobs in the London finance biz and have found it a bit of a struggle to get anything interesting and nothing that in any way matches previous salaries.

I don't really know Perth at all, I'm sure lots of people will post about it, but I went for my first visit just before Xmas and it was GREAT - although my Perth buddy said it was a very expensive place to live - ie general cost of living high as most goods have to be transported there. So be careful and do your sums.

There are plenty of people on there who love Oz.

There are negative posts too but I don't see why they should be ignored. Homesickness, culture shock etc are factors that affect one's quality of life and one's happiness there and have to be taken into account as they can make one miserable enough to return.

I think that entirely negative and entirely positive views are not the best examples to use when making such a decision as nowhere is entirely bad or entirely positive but you can get an idea of the pros and cons by looking at the various forums.

One's own personality,interests and desires are other factors that should be considered as Australia will be right for some people and very wrong for others, but even if one area isn't right for you it's possible that another may be a perfect fit.

Apols LetThereBeRock, I didn't mean to suggest that the OP doesn't take these things into account, and I've never really looked at those sites (I did just take a quick look and it instantly made me feel homesick).

But I do think yes, you need to be aware of pros and cons of moving such a great distance, and homesickness will be a major factor in whether you can settle or not, but I don't think it's healthy to dwell too much on what you miss from home. I think it takes a LONG time to feel settled here - give it at least a couple of years to put down roots. And if you do come here, focus on the positive as much as possible.

How old are your children OP? The lifestyle here is fabulous for kids.

Also be aware that you may love it, dh may hate it or vice versa, it can be complicated moving overseas.

Also I know this may sound obvious but remember you will be the same person where ever you live ie if you are generally happy and positive then it is likely you will continue to be so here and make a success of a move. If you or your dh are prone to pessimism/gloom/despondency you will find yourself exactly the same here, but isolated.

I rather made the mistake of assuming that my depressed and grumpy dh would change for the better if we moved back to Oz, his home country. Unfortunately he is still fairly miserable and I am 1000s Ks from my family and old chums. So not a brilliant solution.

We came over for two weeks last August - to validate our visas. Hubby looked for jobs then, went to job agencies etc ... he went for quite a few interviews - this job was interviewed in Sydney (we were in Brisbane). They paid for all travel costs !!

So when we went back to the UK after our 2 weeks holiday, he had a job to come back to on the 13th of Dec.

I am not working.

I am finding it hard to make friends as my 2 are 8 and 9 so will be off to school and wont be able to go to toddler groups etc ... and I am not working.

The street we live in is lovely - but all the residents are much older than us - their children are my age ! But they love block parties so we have had lots of them !!!

I am loving it - as I was brought up in South Africa so am used to the lifestyle.

Good Luck !

Bonza

pickupthismess, I moved to Australia 2 years ago.

I agree with Claudia that the main problem is how far you are, not just from the UK, but from EVERYTHING! No popping to Paris or Greece, no long weekends in New York etc.

I don't know Perth either. I have heard good things about Brisbane. I liked Sydney but it was expensive and I can see myself in Melbourne. I live in Adelaide, and we have been lucky in that DH earns the same here as he did in London, but I don't (I"m a lawyer). But cost of living is miles lower.

I do really like living here though, even though I don't know if we'll stay forever. We have a very outdoorsy life, have just bought a big family home for not that much money, actually have savings for the first time ever.

I am from Brisbane and while I love the place I am getting hesitant to move back. Brisbane is like a big country town. Only over a million people, small enough that you do not feel lost but big enough to have everything. The weather is great, the lifestyle fab but lots of people think so too so more and more people are moving there and the infrastructure cannot come. Traffic is getting bad etc. Still think it is the best place though.
Have you thought about not moving to a big city? Toowoomba is lovely, Ipswich good. What about a country town?

Hi

I watched it too, made me very homesick as I was born and bred in Perth (been in UK 12 years, although had 10 months back there a year ago). You might have felt differently if they filmed it in winter and not in summer - it rains so much there I forgot just how much!

Don't get me wrong I love Perth, it's a great place but sooo far away from everything "it's not called the most isolated city in the world for nothing".

Negatvies:
Cost of living very high
Wages generally a lot lower
Cost of housing high (depends where you want to live e.g. how close to the city you want to be)
Long way from anywhere
Cost of travel expensive e.g. no more popping over to France a weekend!
Food and eating out a lot more expensive than we remembered!
Not nearly as multi-cultural as the UK

Positives:
Family
Weather (how I miss the sun and continuous blue skies)
Outdoor lifestyle
Fantastic beaches
Easy to get around

I have learnt that you make your life wherever you live, by making a change of scenery it won't necessarily be the answer to your problems, might create a whole new set of them!

Still if you want any more info on Perth I am happy to help!

I've just moved back to Brisbane after 9 years in UK and it sure doesn't feel like a big country town any more - it feels to me like it's come of age as a real cosmopolitan city. This, of course, has its pros and cons. And the cost of buying a house is shocking, though if you can afford it you do get a LOT of house.

Wow, what a lot to think about.

Since I posted I have been already feeling a sense of dread about leaving v close friends and family behind but... DH&I are adventurous sorts and were both expat kids and have travelled widely.

DH is really senior in finance, earns a six figure salary but is ALWAYS stressed and tired. He hates it. I think he needs to move down a peg and enjoy life. Australia appeals because (I thought) it was cheaper.

Also, we both so long for the kids (6&4) to be able to be outside all year round and not trapped inside with freezing cold outside.

To those who posted on Brisbaine - is it the kind of place where big companies operate? i.e. are there decent jobs?

Lou I'd love to live in a county town but have no idea of geography yet. We're real country people. Are they commutable to urban areas?

Brisbane has a lot of multinational company offices so he could find a job. Obvioulsy Sydney is bigger.
If you wanted country-ish living then you could move to the Northside of Brisbane and it would be about an hours communte on the train. Can be busy but not horrible like the tube (south side is worse for public transport in Brisbane).

pickupthismess, your DH may be fine with jobs if he is quite senior, as a lot of companies find they lose the senior people to more "exciting" posts overseas.

DH earns the same as he did in London (more, if you include his bonus), basically because he has managed to move through the ranks so quickly and he is considered a real "high flyer" here in sleepy Adelaide, whereas in London he was just one of many good people. The fact that he is prepared to work ever such slightly longer hours means his boss thinks the sun shines out of his backside....

Plus, at the same time as working as a state head he is studying for an MBA, training for a marathon and plays golf...

Jobs are there, but yes, they are less available than in the major cities, but if you're good, you find it easier to shine, in my opinion.

Oh, and it's kind of the same for me. I earn less, but I am already a senior associate in my law firm, whereas that would be a couple of years off in the UK - again, I think being prepared to work slightly longer hours and bring my London skills to this job has really paid off.

I still only work 8-5.30 though, so hardly burning the candle both ends. But most people I work with do 9-5 with a proper coffee break, long lunches, whereas I get in, head down and get on with it.

We moved over here 3 months ago - so probably not long enough to have a fully rounded view!

We looked at both Brisbane and Sydney - we settled on Sydney in the end as although the company DH works in is based in both cities, there was more opportunity for career progression in Sydney. He's earning more than he was in the UK and working far less hard!

Before we moved out here his job was becoming more and more stressful, working long hours, pressure to meet targets all the time. Working here definitely seems much more relaxed - he goes out for lunch every day instead of grabbing a sandwich at his desk. I've just started a new job and when they were booking in my patients I was asked how many coffee breaks I wanted and how long for. This would never have happened in a million years at home.

We live quite centrally in Sydney, but the suburb we live in has a real village atmosphere so I don't feel like we're in a big city at all.

The only downsides I can think of are:

1. It's so far away from everywhere so like others have said there's no more popping to Europe for the weekend
2. It's harder to make friends than we thought - the Aussies seem a bit reluctant to befriend people who may only be here temporarily so we're basically friends with a load of expats at the moment
3. Finding work was hard for me - again there was a degree of wariness towards me possibly only being here temporarily but I think that's just the nature of my job

I don't know anything about emigrating as I am Australian living in Brisbane.

I find it interesting that everyone bangs on about the good weather. It is great weather for a good part of the year but Brisbane hasn't seen a day under 30 degrees in weeks. It is too hot. You can't take the kids outside for most of the day. I am feeling very today because it is 34 degrees and the first day back at school after Summer holidays. The classes don't have airconditioning and the kids and teachers swelter.

Sorry, rant over.

Incidently in the news today it says that housing in Australia is now some of the most expensive.

Hey, ozziegirly, I'm a lawyer in Adelaide as well! My hours are the same as yours, but I work 4 days a week since my daughter is only 14 months.

The problem with living in Adelaide is that people forget it exists, she said, looking pointedly at the OP.

Um, but, I adore Adelaide. It's smaller and cheaper than Sydney, the crime rate is much lower, but we have:

Great festivals - Adelaide Fringe is second only to Edinburgh in calibre and size. Womadelaide is the offshoot of Womad. Etc.

Great food and wine. I live a 30 minute commute from the centre of the city, and a 15 minute walk from a world-reputed winery and cellar door. Several other wineries within a 10 minute drive. I can buy cherries for $5 a kilo - so about a pound for a pound. My fruit bowl has lychees and mangos and bananas in it, all domestically grown. The seafood is astounding, and has lower levels of mercury and various nasties than bigger, more populated countries. Our beef is free-range and organic. Etc.

Downsides. Paid maternity leave is only just coming into force as of next year, and home birth is in the process of being made illegal (don't get me started). It can, indeed, be bloody hot. Adelaide's closest city (Melbourne) is an 8 hour drive or an hour's flight, so you have to really want to go there. And as others have said, going overseas is a huge hassle.

Can't think of much. Nowhere's perfect, but I feel like this is pretty close.

ooo tortoiseshell I wonder if you're anywhere near me? I too am 30 mins from the city and near wineries . Adelaide Hills basically.

Claudia, if I tell you my nearest wineries are Petuluma, Maxmilians and Nepenthe, does that tell you the answer?

It's a good life up here.

Ha, in my attempt to be oblique I just triangulated my location . I should've just said I live in Bridgewater.

Agree about the whingeing pom websites - avoid em like the plague. It's true, there's no Fairy Liquid and it's hot and there are bugs.

However....

Having lived here for nearly two years, I would say the best way to successfully integrate into Australian life and to be happy here is to NEVER EVER compare Australia to England. Quite obviously it's simply not possible.

We chose Brisbane and for us the good things are:

1. Good schooling
2. Good job prospects (SE QLD is growing quite quickly with the knock-on effect of a reasonable selection of jobs).
3. Proximity to the Sunshine Coast and Northern NSW (I dont like the Gold Coast at all).
4. Great relaxed way of life
5. Superb weather (well in the winter at any rate)

The downsides are:

1. A long way and very expensive to get back to the UK (for five of us we'd be looking at nothing short of $11k for return tickets to the UK!!!)
2. Bugs - mozzies, I hate em
3. Heat - it does get VERY, VERY hot in summer, but a smidge of aircon does the trick (a couple of hours in the evening).

We are extremely happy here and I can, hand on heart call Brisbane home.

may I join?

DH has just got £2000 to put towards the cost of us (me, him, DS1(7) and DS2 (4) spending the whole of this coming August in Sydney.

I am terrified of the idea of entertaining DS2 on the flight (scared of flying, find it an ordeal) which is colouring my idea of the whole thing.

But I should be excited shouldn't I? A month in Australia with DH doing a not-very-onerous job. OK it's winter but it'll be quieter. Could someone say something to get me smiling?

He'll be connecting with a University in Sydney but I don't know if they'll help us find accomodation. Any ideas?

Will it be cold?

Could we visit somewhere warm whilst there?

Help - I've never been further east than Istanbul and have become a bit travel timid!

Backtolingle, man you are soooooo lucky! I'd kill to have a month in Sydney. Dont fret about the flight. I did it with my 2.5 yr old and 8 month old baby ON MY OWN and it was fine. (farkin exhausting but fine). So a 4 yr old will have a ball - 24 hrs of cartoons, crap food, what's not to like? Sorry are you scared of flying or the 4 yr old?

I don't really know what the weather will be like but you could always head up to Queensland for a few days r & r and get some tropical heat (bliss). Or go to Darwin, Darwin ROCKS.

Sydney is brilliant for kids, loads of wonderful things to do - zoo, um, other stuff. They will love it, you will love it. It's only a month. I would seriously consider getting a stopover break on the way over - a few nights in Malaysia will help with the jet lag (which is grim) and give you a nice break to relax and enjoy a bit of paradise.

Lucky you