Lordflasheart

Sorry - bad imagery. Got a cold.

mr mover

Thats what you get for living in Melbourne and ......not Australia ........... mm

arkon

Funny because it's the same in my part of Australia and Perth too from what I'm told. All we need is it to be true of Sydney and Brisbane and I think it's safe to generalise and just state that Australia is flawed.

arkon

Well that’s the rub, we spent 3 years (time it took to get the visa) doing plenty of research. In fact we got criticised for doing too much homework. But when we got here our plan got a bit scuppered when the wife became pregnant after a week. We panicked and bought the first place that met our criteria for a property whilst completely forgetting the most important thing, location location location. I should just add that I don't think it's all to do with the location but more the country and it's poor attitudes to almost everything.

arkon

I read that wearing a helmet whist possibly giving some protection made you twice as likely to be in an accident in the first place. Something to do with driving closer to cars when you have one on. Can't remember where I read it.

Mercedes

You had 9 months you know..... I personally like to live in an area before I decide on committment. Until you actually live there you can never really tell whether it is right or not. Book covers can always look good on the outside but not so good on the inside.

fnord

Yes, I heard something similar (not sure about the "twice as likely" stat though). I guess it is a question of increased accidents versus increased survival rate in accidents.

Oh, I found this about this point. Cars are twice as likely to go close to the cyclist. Cyclists are therefore "more likely" to be knocked down by passing vehicles.

redlion

Sorry only just bothered my arse to look at this thread, and this just about sums up what i feel about this bloke. I have never read so much negativity from one person, he is the antithesis of the 'whinging pom' and he is drowning in his own self pity, i would understand his problems if he wasnt so negative about it all, but as has been so elequently said above nobody dragged his sorry little arse over to Australia. Not that any of this changes my or our minds about the move, constructive criticism is really helpfull but constant whinging achieves nothing, i sometimes think its just a one man crusade to put as many people off as possible just to make himself feel better, not to actualy and genuinly pass on his experiences to help anyone.


Nev.

arkon

Well that's your view, mine is that if I can stop just one person making a dreadful mistake then it's justified. If I can make a few people take off the rose tints and do a bit more research before coming then maybe they will enjoy it better here. If I can stop one person buying a house instead of renting for a bit in an area to try it out first, or make people not burn all their bridges before coming just in case they want to go back then I feel it's all justified. Skilled migrants need to be made aware that although your skills might get you here, they count for nothing once you get here.

When I read on here, "We are a family of 4 and a skilled xxxxx will coming with 20k be enough, Or I’m a skilled xxxx and should be able to pick up work easily" or some other simular question it fills me with horror and I want to scream NO don't do it. I also have a particularly negative view of Australia because I've never in my life experienced so many negative things in such a short space of time as I have here.

Basically if I can stop one person falling down one of the multitude of pitfalls we have encountered then it will have been worth all the stick I get on here. Contrary to what you think I am trying to help people adjust better here rather than stop them coming as they will come anyway. Feel free to slag me off as much as you like and I will continue to point out the inadequacies of your country.

by the sea side

Well that's made me feel good!I don't come from any of those places. I agree with you about the citizenship.After all Many British people complain about the easy access to Britian but not caring about the country.It's the same isn't it?

by the sea side

totally agree about the Holden and Ford rubbish.What is that all about?

by the sea side

Thers should be a tax on anyone wearing a mullet!

LouiseD

Well I'm with you Arkon and I can certainly see why you want citizenship, and planning for the future and I don't blame you at all. It sounds to me like you've been through enough heartache already.

People who haven't experienced it just don't understand. They think that you are simply sat whinging every night , trying to put others off coming here just for the sake of it cos you’ve nothing better to do! I had my doubts before moving here permanently, but everyone kept telling me how wonderful it was here and how perfect a place it is – family who were here and who had friends here (who now also realise it isn’t perfect). So stupidly we listened. If only I had read posts similar to yours I may not have risked it and saved myself a bloody fortune and stayed in the UK.

We have lost almost everything in our move to Australia - it was undoubtedly the worse thing we have ever done in our entire lives. We spent three years applying for a visa, researching, going to seminars, and looking forward to our new life here. We were going to do so much, see so much. We had been told by different people that life in Oz was wonderful, quality of life unbelievable, we would earn a fortune etc. etc. etc. Stupid us believing it all – I don’t blame anyone but ourselves but I do wish people wouldn’t exaggerate or base their findings on just a holiday or hearsay. The trouble is, by the time you get here and realise that it isn’t all paradise, it’s often too late – you’ve sold your house, spent a fortune getting yourself, your family and your worldly possessions over here, invested money into making a go of it here and then the realisation hits in that something isn't quite as it seemed. For some people it’s the best thing they ever did and they are more than happy with their gamble. For others it isn’t – it’s a huge mistake and one that will take many years to put right.

The people who tell you to shut up and stop moaning and just get on with things are more often than not the ones who are happy with their lives and have no sympathy or compassion for those who are finding it difficult. They can’t see other’s problems, cant see that you are negative for a reason and that you are actually working your butt off to make things right for your family.

I feel for those who haven’t moved out here permanently yet who have maybe visited on a holiday and think that its all going to be perfect! Because living here is just so different to holidaying. Those who come over here with their UK earnings and think everything is so cheap. Those who think that they will have a lovely five bedroom house with a pool, by the sea for next to nothing. They will get a job working only 30 hours a week, earn a fortune and spend the rest of their time surfing or sunning themselves on the beach or sailing in their boat. And have a barbie every week with all the lovely neighbours. And fly back home every year to visit the relatives. Explore all those lovely islands, Bali, Whitsunday’s, etc. Maybe some will – I’m sure there are people on here who have done exactly that – but for many others it’s not quite the dream it’s made out to be.

We do like Australia - it is a really beautiful country – the people are lovely, the weather is great and the scenery is amazing but unfortunately that won’t pay the bills or keep a roof over your head.

If I was to give one piece of advice to anyone it would be this: Don’t sell up completely. Save up enough to get you over here, try it out, rent and spend some time living and working here. Then if you find you like it and it’s financially better for you, as it obviously can be for some, then sell up.

arkon

Excellent advice and we really wish we had followed it 2 years ago. For the life of me I don't know why we did what we did. We have just found out we could buy back out old house in blighty!! Sorely tempting I can tell you. Just got to get rid of this noose around our necks first.

BadgeIsBack

What went wrong for you?

Agree with everything you say, its a lottery(!) But everyone has to discover for themselves, ultimately it might be a set of circumstances that do it for you. I don't have problem with 'whinging poms' like Arkon as he's quite funny with it and I know what he means. I'm not so impressed with the 'useless whinger'(!).

B