BethandAndrew

We will get there........wish I had a crystal ball though to know how....LOL
Keep me updated on how things are going,
Beth x x

Oz Rascal

Will do, you too xx

pinkjane8

Hi Lor, thanks for your reply. The reason I asked is beause we have just sold our horses here but intend to eventually to buy a couple in Oz when we are settled.

With us not being there - and never have - I was just wondering whether you see many horses grazing in the countryside like you do here?

Buzzy--Bee

For everybody heading to Melbourne......

Provided you are financially OK (i.e. you have work or are lucky enough not to need it) this will be the bext move you ever made in your lives.

In my experience.

Buzzy

Irish Gal

Thanks for that Buzzy. Getting a bit worried. Just read some of the updates and 3 out of the 4 I read were really depressing.

Margaret3

it is good to get a balanced view, however i know when i was making the move, i skimmed over the negative ones and concentrated on posts like buzzy's , but in general the negative ones are honest and trying to help people have a realistic view. Don't believe all you read on here from the good to the bad posts, everyone has their issues.

I would not recommend anyone to move to oz unless they have lots of dosh, lots of peeps are really struggling here at the min.

Margaret3

Buzzy how can you say this as you have know idea what people are leaving behind, it may not be the best move for everyone, (its not all about money). We didnt come with lots of dosh, but we both work and ae financially ok here, but it is definately not the best move we made, we were far better off financially in scotland, also our kids had a better life there. It all depends on what you are leaving behind, it has took this move for us to realise we left a great life behind (and not just money wise), at the time we took it for granted,(especially the health care and schools) when we go back we hope we wont fall into the rut of taking anything for granted again.

Buzzy--Bee

How I can say this, Margaret, is because I added the words "in my experience".

I have a better life here by a long way.

My kids have a better life here by a long way.

And I know many many more people who have improved their lives by moving here than people who haven't.

If we had listened to the negative posts we would never have come, and we would have missed out on the greatest life-changing experience we have ever had.

Buzzy

@boy

I can see the value in both Margarets and Buzzys posts for what they can offer would be immigrants.
Every move is an individual case. For some, it is the best decision they ever made. For others, it is the worst. And then there are all the shades of gray in between.
As it is fair to say that nobody makes the move over with the intention of having a worse life, you often wonder (from all of the "I left a good thing behind and should not have moved" posts you see on BE) how it can work out so wrong for so many.

Again, the answer to that is that every move is completely different for everyone.

My only advice to those looking at moving would be to not to do it if it can only be a one way trip. i.e. If you have to sell your house to fund the move knowing you will never make it back into the property ladder if you do, or if you count on everything 'working out' and have no intention of ever moving back.

I believe that because BE is such an active and direct source of information that often those who are researching their move think they may have found most of their questions answered and get lulled into a false sense of security as to the actual impact the move will have on them.
This is understandable as nobody really wants to focus on the 'negative' (which can be a misnomer as it is often just the 'reality').

Anyway, what can you do but give it a go ? Just make sure you don't burn your bridges and find you have no exit plan. There seems to be a lot of disillusioned immigrants living in Australia who have no real means to go back to their origin country any more and are now forced to live here for the rest of their lives, 'existing' rather than 'living'.

Luck o' the Oirish to you all ;-)

Margaret3

well said, i want people to look at it all, i feel short posts like 'its great here', are of no use ,

Margaret3

yes you did say 'in your experience, you also said 'for everybody heading to melbourne', 'this will be the best move you ever made in your lives'

On the other hand i wish i had listened more to the negative posts, i thought people were mainly 'just at it' or unhappy, then people would come on and slag them off , and i would smugly sit back and think 'yep their at it', and here i find most of it was true


I am glad you have elaborated and included the fact you know people who havent made a better life.

I am pleased that you have had such a great experinence. I dont regret the fact we gave it a shot and had the experince but our life is by no way better

Buzzy--Bee

Actually I don't personally know anybody who hasn't made as good or better a life here than they have in the UK. Every single English person I know here enjoys their life here enormously and has no desire to return. And btw I know loads and loads of them, the majority of whom don't post on here and many of whom have no idea these kinds of forums exist.

The ONLY people I know of who have not made a better life here are some of the people who post here on this forum.

So lets say I had never found this forum myself (and some of you might wish I hadn't ). If someone from England thinking of emigrating to Australia then asked me "is it a better life" I would honestly have to answer "Yes, every English person I know has as good or better a life here than they did in England".

Note I used the word England here, not Britain. So my experience really only applies to English people. And that is not aimed at you Margaret, or anyone else from other countries apart from England. Although I believe you and I have some Kiwi friends who don't find life in Melbourne too shabby either.

I am a Melbourne evangelist. I can't help I love the place I live so much!

Buzzy

Margaret3

First of all let me say, i can see why you love melbourne, its a fantastic place and i am glad i have had a chance to see it.

I am amazed that you dont know anyone personally who is worse off, i do and they also dont use this forum, however i am obviously not as popular as you as i dont know loads and loads, and like you i also know of people who are better off, and i also know people who are 'kidding thierselves on their having a better life', and i know people that one partner hates it and the other loves it.

However if you asked me to choose to go back to a big city such as manchester, birmingham, some places of glasgow and edinburgh or stay here, then i would say, i'll stay here thankyou very much.

However i came from a small ayrshire town, where my heart belongs and we had a lovely wee life, not far from glasgow if we felt the need for the big city, and am sure there are lots of people usuing this forum who live in such places. I do not want to come across that i am desperate for my old life , i am not, i am glad i have moved on, that's the natural way of things, but our lives are definately not better.

@boy

Just to put it into perspective for others in terms of population :
Manchester : 400,000
Birmingham : 1,000,000
Glasgow : 600,000
Edinburgh : 450,000

MELBOURNE : 3,800,000

Yes, Melbourne has 3.8 MILLION people (and growing/sprawling fast)

I can absolutely understand the challenge of the headjump required for an immigrant coming from any place with much smaller city sizes.
As stated previously, the challenges to adapt for each person are different, this would be just one of them.

fraser

It's all about perspective, I find Melbourne too quiet as a whole and am always amazed when people say how busy it is.