ABD79

Hello!
Possibly having to relocate to Australia with my husband's job. No doubt you'll see a few posts from me over the next year! We have three young children and this would be a huge move for us - half way round the world, no family there or friends, new schools, new jobs, worrying about uprooting our little ones. Probably relocating to Brisbane, possibly Melbourne (we may even get the choice!)

QUESTION: Is Australia as good as it looks? I've heard some wonderful things...but also some surprising bad views. So I was just wondering from anyone who has gone to live there, how does it compare to life in the UK? I personally do love living in the UK, (no scary spiders, no guns really, free health care, no extreme weather...obviously I'm well aware of the downsides too) ) So what do you all think? How are schools there? How's life in the sun? How's life with things being further apart and less convenient? How are the locals? What about the bugs and spiders? What are the pros and cons of living there? Anything you have, please throw it my way - as much information/advice/experiences as possible!
Thank you!

verystormy

It is a first world country. Some things are a bit better than the UK some not so.


Weather and things will vary a lot between Melbourne and Brisbane. Melbourne is closer to a UK climate, but with hotter summers. Brisbane can get very humid and can be affected by cyclones.


Melbourne would be more expensive to live as rent costs are generally higher.


The biggest impact will be on visa. If you are coming on a 457, then you would need to understand exactly what this is, including that it is only a temporary visa.

carcajou

No, it is not. I love it here and don't think I'll ever move anywhere else. But if you come with the "is it as good as it looks?" attitude, it will disappoint, because nowhere is ever as good as the imagination portrays it.

quoll

Nope. It's just another first world country with all that entails - same issues with crime, drugs, youth mental health problems, bullying, making ends meet, weather that stops you doing stuff, transport, cost of living etc, user pays for more things etc.

If you're only coming on a temporary visa then your kids are likely to be a bit behind educationally when they return to UK.

If you rent out your home, try and retain the kids' places in school if at all possible and the non transferee takes a career break instead of quitting you should keep all your options open.

What gets many young families is the isolation - not having long term friends and family around to pick up the slack, kids missing grandparents, the cost of going back for holidays etc but if you're well heeled, self sufficient and quite selfish (not meant in a pejorative sense, just that you don't let other people's emotional issues get you down) you should be ok.

ABD79

May I ask those who have commented where you live and what brought you to Australia if you moved there and if you moved back home, why?

It's a hard decision to make with three young children. We're a very sociable family - we like to chat to people and get to know people. And we'd want the children to be involved in after school clubs etc. so I was hoping we'd meet people and make friends that way. There's so much to think about with uprooting your family. We only have my dad here in England who we see regularly.

My mum died some years ago and my parents in law live in the US, (my husband is American). We can easily go to live there but have resisted mainly due to the gun crime (I'd just worry too much with the children). And it's not a country we feel particularly fond of at the moment with how things are :-/

We'd love to experience a different country to live though as life is so short it's a nice string to add to your bow so to speak. And if my husband's job does relocate him and he accepts we thought it might be a great opportunity. Just need to weigh it all up. Such a move changes so much in your life!

moneypenny20

Life is what you make it. What works for one doesn't for another blah blah. If you've got little ones you're likely to get a great social life - kids get friends, friends have parents etc etc. It gets harder if you come over with older ones imo as you are less likely to meet parents and you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone a little bit more. But that's no different if you move to another part of the UK.

We moved out to the Gold Coast 11+ years ago with a 13 yr old and a 10 1/2 year old. Ideally we'd have moved when they were younger but it was fine, just hard work, mainly because of the 13 year old. I wouldn't move with kids older than that.

We love it and have done from day one. Life is no different really. Sun shines more, rain is heavier, that's about it. You still have to work, shop, clean, drag up kids etc. Some people can't cope with the heat in some areas, others have no problem with it. Many people will say their kids can't go out and play when it's really hot so they're stuck indoors for days on end, others live for the outdoors.

Treat it as a great experience and it will be.

As for bugs... I am a total Arachnophobe. They terrify me, they did in England where they couldn't hurt me and they do here where they can. We have the house and surrounding area sprayed once a year and we don't see any. I know they're outside but as long as they're not on the inside I don't care. Snakes are awesome, had three very close to the house, harmless and beautiful Pythons, never seen a deadly one so I don't think about them.

All in all I'm glad we did it. Will we ever move back? The husband is a definite no, the eldest is there at the moment, just moved back, says it's for six months, I don't believe her but fingers crossed she comes home, the youngest can't imagine living back there and I've always said never say never. I love it there, I love it here. No idea what the future holds so.....

quoll

We went because my husband is Australian and it was the best opportunity at the time. That was in 1979 and we never left, just drifted on and on, then we left to go on holiday in 2011 and never returned because the wheels fell off my parental wagon and, being an only child, they needed support. I was never so glad of anything in my life to be honest. I had grown to loathe Australia - after 32 years I never really had an honest to goodness long term friend although I have plenty still in UK. I was sick and tired of being "used" by "friends". I was incredibly bored by the countryside, the bush made me feel depressed just driving for miles and miles through the same scenery. I missed "belonging", I missed the green, I missed variety within a short distance, I missed the check out chats I could have with total strangers, I hated the hot weather and stayed inside with the windows and doors closed most of the time - lots of things really. I am now viewing a return to Australia with marginally more equanimity than I would have done 6 years ago when I would have literally thrown up. But mum is now gone and dad is 93 and not as good as he was 6 months ago. I've promised to return for my DH so that's the least I can do. We will miss at least one grandchild no matter what side of the world we are on!

One of my kids came on holiday to UK for 11 months - in 2002 - and he hasn't returned either, he has a good job, a nice house, a lovely wife and a lovely little lad. My other son in Australia has a broken relationship, two gorgeous kids, a house he built burned out in a bushfire and now squatting in our half renovated house, doing casual labour despite having a tertiary education having failed at self sufficiency.

There's nothing magical about Australia, it's a nice adventure and if it floats your boat then that's a win. Most of my peripheral friends in Aus are long term expats like myself and all bar one of them (and she came from Manchester) would give their eye teeth to return but, for most, having been there over 40 years it's a no go-er. I think most of us were fine for the first 10-20 years but then it became a bit of a jail. It was an OK place to raise the kids - my boys had happy childhoods but they have both said how much they have missed extended family because both partnered with girls from huge families. The one who is in UK is very envious of his colleagues' UK university experiences but doesn't seem to have been held back by his Aus university - he would have loved Oxbridge, I think, as a number of his mates are Cambridge grads.

I think if anyone had said to me 5 or 10 years into my Australian life that I would feel this way I would probably have laughed in their face but I know that even though my head told me Australia was home, my heart never got with the plan and it was never "home" - no rhyme nor reason for that at all. I think the only reason I lasted as long as I did was because I thought there was an escape clause when we hit retirement and it wasn't until my DH said he would never live in UK that for the last 5 - 10 years it became unbearable. Thank heavens he changed his mind and he quite likes living here now but he has the escape clause and isn't trapped.

I'm all for adventures, we lived in PNG and UK before Australia so I do think you should take the opportunities that life gives you but I do think you need to make decisions at strategic points in life that direct you towards where you ultimately want to be because before you know it you are past the point of no return and being forced to stay in a place which does not float your boat is a recipe for depression.

For you, though, it sounds like you would be on a temporary visa - that would give me pause for thought, there are a load of downsides to that. Depending on the state you could be up for fees for school for all the kids - anywhere between $4k and $10k per child depending on the state (or nothing, depending on the state but this has been something that has changed overnight in some states). You aren't entitled to benefits such as child care support and the dependents of temporary visa holders often struggle to get employment especially in a career field because they aren't attractive to employers as they could leave with 60 days notice. It's not a guarantee that your temporary visa will lead to permanent residence either which is a bit risky for families especially if everyone decides they "absolutely love it". But just make sure your DH has his UK citizenship before you leave - that way you keep all your options open.

Amazulu

yep

do it

Dreamy

You'll get as many different viewpoints as there are people on the forum.

We came out in Jan 2008, dragging a 16 year old, 15 year old and 13 year old behind us.
On a 457.
Yeah.

I'm an anti-social hermit - but there were plenty of opportunities to socialise via the kids (especially when they're into sport) and t'other half's work.

We love it. We loved our life in the UK. We came for an adventure and stayed - it worked out for us.

Mr Dreamy's industry has a lot of British migrants - some love it, some hate it, some tolerate it, some find it okay, some detest it and can't wait to get back to the UK, some love it but can't make a visa work, some just get on with their lives. One got off the plane with his wife, came to work - when he went home she'd booked a flight home.

Who knows what let's it work for some and not for others? Who knows. I mean, some people even like mushrooms, we're all different.

steven9818

It is whatever you make it. Do not underestimate how much you will kiss 'home' when you first get here, at times it is very tough. Skype/Facetime help a lot but there can be some dark days in that first month, especially if you are also looking for employment as well. Get through that all ok and you should settle in to life ok


As others have said, it's essentially the same stuff, just in a different climate. Prices of things vary considerably compared to the UK. Some stuff you will say 'how much!' even when you are earning dollars and other stuff (such as petrol) is really cheap. Living by the ocean and having a lovely summer (I am in Queensland) is fantastic. Aussies generally are very friendly and helpful (in my experience) and the pace of life generally is a lot slower.


I too had a great life in the UK but wanted the adventure of living and working in Aus. I have not 100% made up my mind yet but I think I prefer my UK life and will probably return in April next year. It is great here and I cannot say anything too negative about the place (apart from rubbish TV and sausages), but I think my life in the UK was better

BadgeIsBack

I enjoyed Quoll's post which I thought articulated her particular situation really well.

This is my observation : if you are a regular UK person and rather like the cuteness of the UK and moved for fun and a sense of what you thought you could be, then Australian suburbia could send you potty in 10 years or less and the BBQs and concrete patios could send you insane. It's the pits in the way that UK suburbia is the pits. Therein lies the problem for many. There is actually no difference between the blandness of Au burbs or the naffness of the little semi in the UK provinces. It's just that the average Brit has become accustomed to the UK version.

We'd would have gone mad in the burbs (inner city and close one excepted).

The secret to our life in Au is that the whole package is so damn convenient and there are an awful lot of ticks in boxes which take some beating : there is housing options in areas that might suit: sport, art, you name it in Melbourne and : if you are at the right level or put enough in, many, many doors open that become more and more incredible as the years go by. I've sung live on the telly in front of 40,000 people 5x in a massive stadium which would never have happened in the UK. The connections into that were incidental and accidental and were nothing other than having a go. Without giving too much away, it really is what you put in. you can shoot, ski-tour, hike, camp in remarkable groups. The weather is better : in Melbourne at least. There are talented dancers and musicians in the arts all on tap. The kids are in excellent programmes in the arts and sport which can lead into scholarships.Some of these groups are the equivalent of those you'd find in the UK.

I've been on Be many many years, and the complaints are all valid : for many: but no one makes you stay and no one limits you apart from yourself.

Remember! You can't expect to be a little Englander and live in the burbs. This fails time and time again and will fail spectacularly even more now as the cost of living had gone up since many of us older timers moved.

As a matter of fact, our retirement plans are to mix it up between Au and another sort of exotic place : but not the UK: yet. In fact we see options in many places. The kids have access to other languages and opportunities.

Cheers

verystormy

Our situation was pretty similar to yours.


I was offered a job out of the blue after been head hunted by an Australian company in early 2008.


We have no children and thought why not.


We moved in May 2008 to Sydney on a 457 visa. It proved to be a very stressful thing, as just after we moved the GFC happened and two weeks after starting work, my team were made redundant. I was kept on, as they recognized the position we were in - we had sold the house and things. But, the strongly suggested I look for work somewhere else. The stress was huge


Six months later, I found a job with a big multinational in Perth and we moved over. They subsequently agreed to sponsor me for PR, but I was very lucky, as just after, they had a corporate policy change that banned all sponsorship.


Then, in 2014, the mining industry nose dived and I struggled to get work. In 2016, we agreed I would also apply for jobs back in the UK. Within a couple of weeks, I had an offer and was on a plane!


For me, I was happy to be going home, as although we had enjoyed a lot of what Oz had offered us, the life available in the UK was better. I missed the culture and history and countryside and being able to walk the dog through woods off his lead - cant do that in Oz due to snakes. I was worried about my wife, as I had assumed she wanted to stay in Oz, but when the time came, she was also ready to leave.


So, we now live in a tiny village in Scotland and are very happy. I do partly regret making the move as if we hadn't, I would be mortgage free now and be able to start slowing down work wise. Instead, I am renting and hope to buy this year, but with a mortgage and will need to continue working away from home for a long time. But, we do have some very fond memories of our time. Though oddly, it doesn't seem real. We both agree that our 8 years there feels almost like it didn't happen and was just a long dream.

geoff52

The emotions involved in immigration are the same whether its the USA, Australia, or Canada.
Its the family (parents, siblings etc.) you will miss. They are the anchor in your emotional life. You need to be with people with whom you have history. Acquaintances and new friends may provide distraction but they are not he same thing.

Its people that make life. You can still be depressed even if you are surrounded by the most fantastic scenery.

ElleB

I can't speak for Melbourne, but Brisbane can get very hot and humid, especially in the summer. It's nice if you're on holiday but it can be painful when you live there. The winters are nice though. Saying that, when it rains, it pours! In my experience, the schools are of a lower education standard than in the UK, I remember when I moved over I already knew everything I was being taught and felt like I'd been set back, but maybe that's just me.The locals are generally nice but there's a lot of bogans around. The drivers in Queensland are awful so you just have to take more care. I don't actually have any problems with bugs really, I get a LOT more cockroaches than spiders in my home, but it's not a problem once your house gets sprayed. TV is absolute crap here (a LOT of ads) so I would recommend getting Austar/Foxtel. Everything is also a lot more expensive here. Aside from these cons, I feel a lot safer here (I'm on the Sunshine Coast) than I did in Leeds. Everyone is a lot more relaxed and laid back here. We've got beautiful beaches here and great scenery. It's nice to be able to go have a barbecue with friends and family and not worrying about whether it's going to rain. I may seem very negative but maybe that's just because I miss the UK !

moneypenny20

Austar hasn't existed since 2012. Personal opinion - Aus TV is no better or worse than any other country. Just as many stupid ads and rubbish programming. Each time I've gone back I've been horrified by the quality of UK drivers so I guess it's what you (general) face on a day to day basis. Horrible to feel homesick, hope you either get passed it or get to move back.