Slippers

I change my reasons for emigrating as my circumstances change so that I was always right to do so. This is very confidence-boosting and only requires a bad memory to succeed.

Slippers

Ceri

I went on to the beach at Bribie with just an air pressure gauge and pump, let my tires down a bit before going onto the sand - filled them back up in the garage on Bribie when I came off. I am under equipped, this was the first time I've been on a beach four wheel driving. It went pretty well! I was a bit worried about getting off the beach - tide was coming in and there are creeks which run down to the sand which will join at high tide - left before they joined. I haven't even got things like winches yet . This was done in daylight, decided on Bribie because thought if we do get into trouble we can call for help. This weekend we may have a go in the night (there's a fishing comp on in one of the clubs Southside which we do every year- so we may do an all nighter on the beach) .

I don't know - I'm a complete novice - just chuffed did not got bogged down. It was pretty easy going. I am treating four wheel driving as I do boating - with safety and caution - I don't want my car floating out to sea like you see in some photo's (it's my car not hubby's - if it was up to him he'd be driving through everything!) . Check the tides etc. And I do need to get the right stuff for a serious drive - I was thinking of going to "the big boys"park for some driving practice too , I think they have different levels of coarses/tracks there.

I recently bought the book "dirty weekends" - it will give you some basic info besides some drives around Brisbane and surrounds. No good asking me, I'm in the same boat as you are. I'm treating with caution and make sure I have my mobile phone!

cheers

pommie bastard

None of us are tied to our country of birth there always has been some freedom of movement on this planet , so why have a reason at all?
The one thing that will pull on any of us is a feeling of belonging and being at peace with the people you care for , which is not easy to find.

Slippers

Agreed. Very elusive stuff that feeling of belonging though.

I have been something of a wanderer all my life - even before I had choices over such things - and so often feel destined never to settle.

Slippers

BCBOY

Now there's a topic I could get my teeth into! (but it will have to wait for another night....I'm off to bed)
short story...yes sections of the media over here love gloating it over the UK (and in a rather smug and condescending way)...if this post is still around tomorrow maybe I'll pick this up again...
see you PB

etlniwd

Join HSBC - no monthly fees, no ATM fees, who needs a chequebook these days anyway?
You can claim most of it back
Not as expensive as the UK
have no kids so wouldn't know about this
True
You can have a five year one if you ask for it. Even the UK ones only last 10 years these days.
This is not true - it's just something that has been talked about. In the UK you also have to pay for an ambulance if you're involved in an RTA.
Not true at all. Most Australians were born here. If you use that attitude then the UK has 57 million immigrants.

jayr

I'd agree, I think this is much healthier view than the petty nationalistic views that some others post across these forums, i.e. the anti-immigration emigrant brigade

dibrucewillis

More house for less money.No mortgage.
Swimming pool,barbies,
Better way of life,less hustle & bustle.
Better future hopefully for our 9yr old son.
Husbands brother already out there.
Weather

Drawbacks:
Will miss family in England
Creepy crawlies

Good luck to everybody.


Di/Jeff

Rosy

[QUOTE]Originally posted by surfmonkey
Just thought it might be interesting to hear reasons people want to emigrate.

For us, reasons were as follows:- (not in any order of preference)

1. Perceived better educational standards
2. More space - we were in a 4 bed semi in UK, in an area where
to buy a house with a decent garden cost upwards of
£250,000
3. Less traffic - fed up with spending too much time going
nowhere (both travel to work and leisure time)
4. The excitement of change.
5. The fact that you only live once and why spend it living in
one country
6. The UK Government`s crazy policies (on most things)
7. The weather (I suffer from SAD)

Since arriving here approx. 3 months ago, I would now say that the grass is definitey not greener, just a different colour!!! We`ve got a big house on 1.5 acres with a huge pool, and husband is delighted with his 4 bay "shed" (garage), BUT, in retrospect, (and hindsight is a wonderful thing), we would probably have achieved all of the above, by moving somewhere different in the UK (apart from the weather that is!)

Why?

1. Education here in Brisbane is pretty dire - unless you can
afford to go private.
2. dotty (I think) was right when she mentioned that big houses
take a lot of cleaning and upkeep - I seem to spend most of
my spare time sweeping tiled floors and husband`s butt is
permanently attached to the ride-on mower!
3. the traffic here is bad - we couldn`t afford not to work/run a
business so had to live where the work is (i.e. near a large
connerbation)
4. the compensation culture over here is so bad, that we are
finding it prohibitive in terms of building up a business - did
you know that an employee can sue his/her employer for
"workers compo" if he/she has an RTA on the way to/from
work??? How crazy is that? The insurance payments we
would have to cough up to support this prohibit expansion
of business - now I know why there are so many "one man
bands" here...
5. Weather - well, it`s GREAT!!!

Anniexx

Er..did i mention anywhere that i was emigrating to oz..??? Don't think so.Why would i go anywhere that was remotely like the Uk?

Rosy

ANNIE,

Where I live (outskirts of Brisbane) is about as far removed from the UK as you can get, (both geographically and also culturally, economically, and every which way)....

Don

Here is some of the thinking we went through for NZ (edited):

STRENGTHS
Beautiful country
Good skiing and swimming, seasports
Sub-tropical climate
Democratic western country with modern infrastructure
Good health system
Good teaching system
Good place to raise family
Good place to run a business (low bureaucracy)
Can buy a bigger house for less money than UK, maybe VFM about the same as X
English language
Good laws; not racist
Closer to Australia, Thailand, Indonesia (scuba diving, holidays)
Quite cheap to phone home
Not likely to be bombed by terrorists
Great wines and seafood
Never far from the sea
Fun and excitement of doing something different

OPPORTUNITIES
Start business
Healthier lifestyle
Better work/ home balance
Gardening – no frost in north of Northland
Do more as a family (work less, more time together)
New activities – camping, sailing, tramping
Find interesting job
NZ citizenship after 3 years
Work in Australia after 3 years if we feel like it
If it doesn’t work out, can move back to Europe

WEAKNESSES
A long way from Europe – expensive and tiring to travel back
More rain than X
Lower pay
Fewer job opportunities
Having Don's or Mrs Don's mother to stay for 4-6 weeks every year – stressful
Small population means fewer ‘big city attractions’ (cinemas, hypermarkets)
Time difference with Europe
We sell European property at a loss to real value

Cheers - Don

dibrucewillis

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rosy
Hi rosy

I am beginning to think that I may be under some kind of illusion now.
Do you think it willbe any better in Perth?.This is where we are hoping to move to.
This compo thing sounds a bit scary.I am hoping to work as nurse Hopefully it would be my employers responsibility to have adequate insurance should anything untoward occur!.
That also worries me about the schooling. I had heard that the standard of education was very good in Perth.
Maybe I need to do a bit more homework .

Thanks for your info
Diane

Houdini

That'll be 20million immigrants who've gone through a stringent immigration process to assess their future contribution to the country. Kind of like here - not!

Rosy

Hi there,

I`m sorry but I don`t know anything about the education in Perth - perhaps someone who lives there will respond and let you know - the States are very different.

The workers compensation is OK as long as you are an employEE, not an employER. Don`t worry - you`ll be fine, I`m sure!!!

BTW, I wish I`d done a bit more homework before I came, but still, It`s an experience, isn`t it???