Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Jun 3rd 2005, 4:03 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Torquay - Victoria
Posts: 94
Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
I’ve just returned from my validation trip to Melbourne and wanted to share my personal thoughts and experiences. If you find any of this offensive or untrue I reiterate now that these are just my opinions, I wanted to share them with those who still have this to come. I know, I have felt great comfort in reading all the positive threads over the last few months about others experiences and hoped I could do the same.
To give you a brief history. My husband and I received our 136 visa’s in February, it was a long, hard and very expensive process that left me feeling very tired and extremely desperate, but I always remained hopeful, never allowing the thought to creep in of what happened if we don’t get in. Then I discovered British Expats and realized that most people who get as far as to lodge are accepted and the year of high stress we experienced could have been avoided had I seen the site sooner (to a degree).
I spent 6 weeks in Australia 7 years ago and loved it, however my husband had never been, but was willing to make the move regardless. After spending an amazing year in Hong Kong back in 1998 I have never adjusted to being back in the UK and this has fuelled my desire to leave. I must confess that when we first made the decision to go to Australia and started the process I hated England with a passion, however now I have mellowed and actually do love many aspects of it. So throughout the process I have worn my rose tinted spectacles about Australia, I have read all the books, watched all the relocation TV programs, internet searches and of course this fab site. However the more I read this forum the more I worried about my glasses, to the point that I didn’t want to go on a validation trip because I was terrified I would get there and hate it and then where would I be. So instead we planned to just emigrate before our visa deadline in early September and if we didn’t like it, tough! We were staying. However the house took longer to finish and then longer to sell and suddenly we thought what if it didn’t go through on time? We would have to make a mad dash so as not to lose the visas. So we booked a flight and went.
On the flight over I felt sick with worry, sentences of woe running through my head ‘Don’t think its going to be easy, it will be the hardest 6 month of your life adjusting, its not the UK with sun shine, you cant get this, you cant get that, You can’t run away from your problems, blah blah blah’. But as my husband kept saying we don’t have any problems! So with bated breath we arrived after a ‘not as bad as I thought it was going to be’ direct flight and waited for the disappointment to set in. After being told on this site that the scenery in Melbourne was dull in comparison to Sydney and not anything special to look at, I wasn’t hoping for much. I went thinking ‘don’t expect anything; the views aren’t anything special, you wont be spellbound, expect an ‘ahh, is this all it is’ reaction. So with all my fears I stepped out the airport, and, I loved it! Yes that sounds silly, an airport is an airport, but my gut reaction was of relief and excitement, I knew as soon as I walked out I would love it and I did! My husband spent the entire time saying he loved it too and that is very unlike him. And for the record I thought it was every bit as special as Sydney, minus the spectacular harbour of course. And for all those at this point thinking it was a holiday of course we would love it, no it wasn’t a holiday! The jet lag never left us the entire time, my husband was at interviews most days and all this aside, my idea of a holiday is lying by a beach / swimming pool, cocktail in hand doing very little. The time there was packed with things to do, see and investigate and it was days away from being winter.
It reminded me of a cross between South Africa’s Cape Town (without the mountain obviously) and the feel of America (without the aggression). What struck me most was the huge sky, sounds silly but I swear it’s bigger! The blue bits go from ground to high, back to ground, no white haze/mist. Everything was so spacious, the roads were bigger, with lines of trees running down them, the buildings were large and impressive. And for all those worrying about history I thought the old buildings were spectacular even if they were only a few centuries old, to me the history was there mixed in beautifully with the new. There were so many parks full of greenery and the weather was great, considering they were going into winter, it was fabulous, I found a fleece was enough to keep me warm and believe me I feel the cold. One of the things that I think you can’t fail to miss about Australia is how friendly the people were and how they went above and beyond. There seemed to be no over the top hostile drivers not wanting to let you out. When asking for directions we were actually taken to the places on a number of occasions, people looked you in the eye when travelling on public transport; they also un-provokingly struck up conversation with you. And again for all those cynics out there who think it was the accent that lured curious strangers to talk or help us, there were many time, while on trams, other Aussies asked for help and the same reaction was given. A real highlight for me was going to a live Footie match. Now this, coming from a girl who doesn’t allow football to be shown in the house, is the oddest thing to say, but I did. The stands were filled with supporters of both sides and there was no violence or any arguing and by the end most people were boozed up from the beer which you can drink throughout. At least a quarter of the spectators were women and there were people of all ages, it was so family orientated, with children under 5 behind us, a middle aged group to our right and school children in front and it only cost us $17.50 (about £7 ish).
I loved the choice of restaurants from steak (which is simply in another league to our equivalent here in taste, fat content and size), Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, loads of sea food eateries and so much more.
So what was wrong with the place as no where is perfect. Okay there were still homeless people, but I guess that is to be expected in any city. Yes there was still crime listening to the news. However I have to say I felt safe there no matter what time we were out 12am or 5am (I said we had jet lag), this is something I don’t even feel here in the small town I live in. The service in restaurants was very laid back, i.e. there was never a rush to take our order or give us the bill. But the food was fantastic at least 80% of the time. We treated ourselves to a very nice dinner with the works which only cost us £36, the equivalent meal here where we live would have been over £80. Also I love the directness of the Aussies, I was ordering a beer one day and not seeing my usual I finally said “oh I’ll try a Fosters�, to which the waiter said “aah, No!, we only export that try something else� he then proceeded to helped me chose another beer. Also we did come across people who moaned and had problems just like everywhere. I am sure once we are there permanently there will be many more thing that bug us or that we dislike but I think that in this life you make the best choices out of the options you have available. And then it’s up to you to make yourself happy and if you finally wake up one day and say I’m not happy it is your own responsibility to fix it and the only person you can blame is you.
I feel very much that we only got to see 1% of Mel and am so excited about spending the next few years discovering all its very blatant and hidden treasures.
My conclusion of our trip was - You can’t run away from problems, they follow you every where, but you can expect and get a better life if you are will to make changes, step out your comfort zone, expect that no where is perfect. You have to make 120% effort to make new friends its up to you; don’t expect others to take pity on your friendless situation. And even if it costs us the same amount of money to live there we will have far much more choice and options of what to do with our time, so much is free, from walking on the beach, around the Botanical gardens, the Yarra river, swimming in the sea, going to museums, to being safe on the countless cycle paths, while also being protected from your own stupidity of putting image above safety, as you have to, by law, wear a cycle helmet. There are free BBQ’s spots everywhere and above all even though you can do all these activities in the UK, you can’t rely on the weather as much as you can in Oz. We landed back in the UK on bank holiday Monday where it rained all day, need I say more.
If you are the kind of person who loves nipping a cross to Europe and does it all the time, or can’t live without Boots or M&S or who needs Coronation Street to help them through the day or paying 4 times the price of marmite puts you in a bad mood, then no I don’t think the move is for you. But for those who want a more out door life, space and relish the idea of change and trying new things then go for it, rather regret the things you do than the things you don’t. However one thing I do have to add is if you are close to your family and can’t go a day without seeing or speaking to your mom or have lots of friends you can’t live without maybe you should think hard about leaving. And especially to those of you on this site who say they have a great life here and have no problems with the place, my advice is ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’.
As for family my mom and dad left the UK when I was 17 and I now months away from turning 30 I can say it has never, even after 12 years, got any easier, not a smidge. Yes I don’t cry every time I speak to them on the phone anymore and I have adjusted to seeing them sometimes only every 18 months and when we do its intensive, but it’s no easier. However I am lucky in that my parents will be joining us within a year of us arriving. So I am also very motivated by this. My husband isn’t very close with his family. As for friends, as most university graduates, our friends are far and wide and we see them less and less as everyone builds their own lives locally. To me family and quality of life is everything not how much money you earn so for us this is the right decision. We have sold our house and are in the process of selling practically everything we own apart from 10 boxes worth of goods. We are moving in with a friend for a few months and then we will make the move in September, I cant wait! But we do feel after 7 months of winter we deserve a summer and are very happy in fact that we will then get 2 in a row. Again we thought if the first 6 months are hard adjusting it will be made easier by being able to come home after a long day and take a walk on the beach followed by a BBQ in the warm.
Anyway I am sorry for the length of this note and really hope I have not ruffled any feathers I really don’t want to be criticized for my thought and opinions (wishful thinking), but thought I have gotten so much from British Expats good and bad, I really wanted to make a contribution and maybe give others some hope and reassurance with my experiences.
I wish you all the best in your own journeys
Janine
To give you a brief history. My husband and I received our 136 visa’s in February, it was a long, hard and very expensive process that left me feeling very tired and extremely desperate, but I always remained hopeful, never allowing the thought to creep in of what happened if we don’t get in. Then I discovered British Expats and realized that most people who get as far as to lodge are accepted and the year of high stress we experienced could have been avoided had I seen the site sooner (to a degree).
I spent 6 weeks in Australia 7 years ago and loved it, however my husband had never been, but was willing to make the move regardless. After spending an amazing year in Hong Kong back in 1998 I have never adjusted to being back in the UK and this has fuelled my desire to leave. I must confess that when we first made the decision to go to Australia and started the process I hated England with a passion, however now I have mellowed and actually do love many aspects of it. So throughout the process I have worn my rose tinted spectacles about Australia, I have read all the books, watched all the relocation TV programs, internet searches and of course this fab site. However the more I read this forum the more I worried about my glasses, to the point that I didn’t want to go on a validation trip because I was terrified I would get there and hate it and then where would I be. So instead we planned to just emigrate before our visa deadline in early September and if we didn’t like it, tough! We were staying. However the house took longer to finish and then longer to sell and suddenly we thought what if it didn’t go through on time? We would have to make a mad dash so as not to lose the visas. So we booked a flight and went.
On the flight over I felt sick with worry, sentences of woe running through my head ‘Don’t think its going to be easy, it will be the hardest 6 month of your life adjusting, its not the UK with sun shine, you cant get this, you cant get that, You can’t run away from your problems, blah blah blah’. But as my husband kept saying we don’t have any problems! So with bated breath we arrived after a ‘not as bad as I thought it was going to be’ direct flight and waited for the disappointment to set in. After being told on this site that the scenery in Melbourne was dull in comparison to Sydney and not anything special to look at, I wasn’t hoping for much. I went thinking ‘don’t expect anything; the views aren’t anything special, you wont be spellbound, expect an ‘ahh, is this all it is’ reaction. So with all my fears I stepped out the airport, and, I loved it! Yes that sounds silly, an airport is an airport, but my gut reaction was of relief and excitement, I knew as soon as I walked out I would love it and I did! My husband spent the entire time saying he loved it too and that is very unlike him. And for the record I thought it was every bit as special as Sydney, minus the spectacular harbour of course. And for all those at this point thinking it was a holiday of course we would love it, no it wasn’t a holiday! The jet lag never left us the entire time, my husband was at interviews most days and all this aside, my idea of a holiday is lying by a beach / swimming pool, cocktail in hand doing very little. The time there was packed with things to do, see and investigate and it was days away from being winter.
It reminded me of a cross between South Africa’s Cape Town (without the mountain obviously) and the feel of America (without the aggression). What struck me most was the huge sky, sounds silly but I swear it’s bigger! The blue bits go from ground to high, back to ground, no white haze/mist. Everything was so spacious, the roads were bigger, with lines of trees running down them, the buildings were large and impressive. And for all those worrying about history I thought the old buildings were spectacular even if they were only a few centuries old, to me the history was there mixed in beautifully with the new. There were so many parks full of greenery and the weather was great, considering they were going into winter, it was fabulous, I found a fleece was enough to keep me warm and believe me I feel the cold. One of the things that I think you can’t fail to miss about Australia is how friendly the people were and how they went above and beyond. There seemed to be no over the top hostile drivers not wanting to let you out. When asking for directions we were actually taken to the places on a number of occasions, people looked you in the eye when travelling on public transport; they also un-provokingly struck up conversation with you. And again for all those cynics out there who think it was the accent that lured curious strangers to talk or help us, there were many time, while on trams, other Aussies asked for help and the same reaction was given. A real highlight for me was going to a live Footie match. Now this, coming from a girl who doesn’t allow football to be shown in the house, is the oddest thing to say, but I did. The stands were filled with supporters of both sides and there was no violence or any arguing and by the end most people were boozed up from the beer which you can drink throughout. At least a quarter of the spectators were women and there were people of all ages, it was so family orientated, with children under 5 behind us, a middle aged group to our right and school children in front and it only cost us $17.50 (about £7 ish).
I loved the choice of restaurants from steak (which is simply in another league to our equivalent here in taste, fat content and size), Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, loads of sea food eateries and so much more.
So what was wrong with the place as no where is perfect. Okay there were still homeless people, but I guess that is to be expected in any city. Yes there was still crime listening to the news. However I have to say I felt safe there no matter what time we were out 12am or 5am (I said we had jet lag), this is something I don’t even feel here in the small town I live in. The service in restaurants was very laid back, i.e. there was never a rush to take our order or give us the bill. But the food was fantastic at least 80% of the time. We treated ourselves to a very nice dinner with the works which only cost us £36, the equivalent meal here where we live would have been over £80. Also I love the directness of the Aussies, I was ordering a beer one day and not seeing my usual I finally said “oh I’ll try a Fosters�, to which the waiter said “aah, No!, we only export that try something else� he then proceeded to helped me chose another beer. Also we did come across people who moaned and had problems just like everywhere. I am sure once we are there permanently there will be many more thing that bug us or that we dislike but I think that in this life you make the best choices out of the options you have available. And then it’s up to you to make yourself happy and if you finally wake up one day and say I’m not happy it is your own responsibility to fix it and the only person you can blame is you.
I feel very much that we only got to see 1% of Mel and am so excited about spending the next few years discovering all its very blatant and hidden treasures.
My conclusion of our trip was - You can’t run away from problems, they follow you every where, but you can expect and get a better life if you are will to make changes, step out your comfort zone, expect that no where is perfect. You have to make 120% effort to make new friends its up to you; don’t expect others to take pity on your friendless situation. And even if it costs us the same amount of money to live there we will have far much more choice and options of what to do with our time, so much is free, from walking on the beach, around the Botanical gardens, the Yarra river, swimming in the sea, going to museums, to being safe on the countless cycle paths, while also being protected from your own stupidity of putting image above safety, as you have to, by law, wear a cycle helmet. There are free BBQ’s spots everywhere and above all even though you can do all these activities in the UK, you can’t rely on the weather as much as you can in Oz. We landed back in the UK on bank holiday Monday where it rained all day, need I say more.
If you are the kind of person who loves nipping a cross to Europe and does it all the time, or can’t live without Boots or M&S or who needs Coronation Street to help them through the day or paying 4 times the price of marmite puts you in a bad mood, then no I don’t think the move is for you. But for those who want a more out door life, space and relish the idea of change and trying new things then go for it, rather regret the things you do than the things you don’t. However one thing I do have to add is if you are close to your family and can’t go a day without seeing or speaking to your mom or have lots of friends you can’t live without maybe you should think hard about leaving. And especially to those of you on this site who say they have a great life here and have no problems with the place, my advice is ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’.
As for family my mom and dad left the UK when I was 17 and I now months away from turning 30 I can say it has never, even after 12 years, got any easier, not a smidge. Yes I don’t cry every time I speak to them on the phone anymore and I have adjusted to seeing them sometimes only every 18 months and when we do its intensive, but it’s no easier. However I am lucky in that my parents will be joining us within a year of us arriving. So I am also very motivated by this. My husband isn’t very close with his family. As for friends, as most university graduates, our friends are far and wide and we see them less and less as everyone builds their own lives locally. To me family and quality of life is everything not how much money you earn so for us this is the right decision. We have sold our house and are in the process of selling practically everything we own apart from 10 boxes worth of goods. We are moving in with a friend for a few months and then we will make the move in September, I cant wait! But we do feel after 7 months of winter we deserve a summer and are very happy in fact that we will then get 2 in a row. Again we thought if the first 6 months are hard adjusting it will be made easier by being able to come home after a long day and take a walk on the beach followed by a BBQ in the warm.
Anyway I am sorry for the length of this note and really hope I have not ruffled any feathers I really don’t want to be criticized for my thought and opinions (wishful thinking), but thought I have gotten so much from British Expats good and bad, I really wanted to make a contribution and maybe give others some hope and reassurance with my experiences.
I wish you all the best in your own journeys
Janine
Jun 3rd 2005, 4:22 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Manly, Sydney
Posts: 198
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Couldn't agree more. Thats an excellent post and good luck to you both on your relocation.
We are in almost the same position as you but i am just a month over turning 30!!!
But I agree if you want to do the move then its up to yourself completely to make it work. My boyfriend and I are hopefully going to be flying out to Sydney on or around the 1st November and I cannot wait. We are waiting for our visa grant any day now and as soon as my sisters’ wedding is over on the 22nd October we are off.
I am looking forward to starting a new life, making new friends, finding a new job in the most beautiful city in the world (in my opinion only I might add).
We travelled around Australia and lived in Sydney for a while and I absolutely love the city, the atmosphere, the people, the lifestyle and everything about it. People always say to you that when you go over to live remember its not going to like a holiday…NO you don’t say!!!!! That’s the point!!!!!
Keep us posted as to how it all goes with your move and once you are over there. Good Luck and enjoy.
We are in almost the same position as you but i am just a month over turning 30!!!
But I agree if you want to do the move then its up to yourself completely to make it work. My boyfriend and I are hopefully going to be flying out to Sydney on or around the 1st November and I cannot wait. We are waiting for our visa grant any day now and as soon as my sisters’ wedding is over on the 22nd October we are off.
I am looking forward to starting a new life, making new friends, finding a new job in the most beautiful city in the world (in my opinion only I might add).
We travelled around Australia and lived in Sydney for a while and I absolutely love the city, the atmosphere, the people, the lifestyle and everything about it. People always say to you that when you go over to live remember its not going to like a holiday…NO you don’t say!!!!! That’s the point!!!!!
Keep us posted as to how it all goes with your move and once you are over there. Good Luck and enjoy.
Jun 3rd 2005, 4:30 pm
#3
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 29,154
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
You've ruffled no feathers here - only echoed many thoughts of my own.
I've been here in Melbourne for 5 months now - and love it, and that love grows as my roots go deeper.
Good luck with your move
Cas
I've been here in Melbourne for 5 months now - and love it, and that love grows as my roots go deeper.
Good luck with your move
Cas
Jun 3rd 2005, 4:38 pm
#4
Jammy Dodger
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Not where I'd like to be
Posts: 316
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Originally Posted by Ninijon
I think that in this life you make the best choices out of the options you have available. And then it’s up to you to make yourself happy and if you finally wake up one day and say I’m not happy it is your own responsibility to fix it and the only person you can blame is you...
You can’t run away from problems, they follow you every where, but you can expect and get a better life if you are will to make changes, step out your comfort zone, expect that no where is perfect.
You can’t run away from problems, they follow you every where, but you can expect and get a better life if you are will to make changes, step out your comfort zone, expect that no where is perfect.
As for the above bits, I think I shall print them off and learn them like a mantra.... wherever you are and whatever life throws at you, I think this hits the nail on the head PERFECTLY!
Jun 3rd 2005, 5:04 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: solihull, west midlands
Posts: 219
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
hi there
thanks for this great thread, we have ear marked melbourne and i have the same reservations that you have described experiencing on your flight out there. your thread has revived my enthusiasm
i work with homeless people, so even the 'bad' bits aren't too bad for me
thanks for this great thread, we have ear marked melbourne and i have the same reservations that you have described experiencing on your flight out there. your thread has revived my enthusiasm
i work with homeless people, so even the 'bad' bits aren't too bad for me
Jun 3rd 2005, 5:06 pm
#6
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: Mountain Creek, Sunshine Coast
Posts: 1,643
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Excellent post,
Anyone fancy doing this for the Sunshine Coast?
Anyone fancy doing this for the Sunshine Coast?
Jun 3rd 2005, 6:23 pm
#7
& Sharon, Mike & Luke
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Gloucestershire, heading for Sunshine Coast Jan 06
Posts: 163
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Thank you for a great "note"!!
A brilliant reminder of why we want to go to Australia, we love the good bits and know about the bad! Like you say the bad isn't so awful when there's a bbq and a beach nearby!
Good luck with the future and keep posting notes! It was a pleasure to read
Our future is hopefully around the Sunshine Coast. Have a sis-in-law in Sydney but wouldn't like to live there (personal choice). Great for a visit but we're not city types. We went on holiday and fell in love with Queensland and all the things it has to offer. Snorkelling on the barrier reef has to be one of the most special moments of my life - apart from getting married and giving birth twice !! :scared:
We're all like minded people on this forum, everyone is looking forward, getting stressed, worrying, wanting a better life, getting impatient, more stress, wanting to be able to say something not pc (the Aussies insist on calling things as they see it and boy what a breath of fresh air that can be!!), people having a sense of humour, wanting to be able to earn a good wage in exchange for working hard and not being penalised by Mr Tax Man so harshly, good weather, outdoor life, friendly people who walk tall and not bow their heads pretending not to notice others exist. I could go on but your points have mentioned all I am looking forward to in Australia and all that I won't miss here - i.e marmite for a start!!!
Good luck with all your plans and dreams
Sharon
A brilliant reminder of why we want to go to Australia, we love the good bits and know about the bad! Like you say the bad isn't so awful when there's a bbq and a beach nearby!
Good luck with the future and keep posting notes! It was a pleasure to read
Our future is hopefully around the Sunshine Coast. Have a sis-in-law in Sydney but wouldn't like to live there (personal choice). Great for a visit but we're not city types. We went on holiday and fell in love with Queensland and all the things it has to offer. Snorkelling on the barrier reef has to be one of the most special moments of my life - apart from getting married and giving birth twice !! :scared:
We're all like minded people on this forum, everyone is looking forward, getting stressed, worrying, wanting a better life, getting impatient, more stress, wanting to be able to say something not pc (the Aussies insist on calling things as they see it and boy what a breath of fresh air that can be!!), people having a sense of humour, wanting to be able to earn a good wage in exchange for working hard and not being penalised by Mr Tax Man so harshly, good weather, outdoor life, friendly people who walk tall and not bow their heads pretending not to notice others exist. I could go on but your points have mentioned all I am looking forward to in Australia and all that I won't miss here - i.e marmite for a start!!!
Good luck with all your plans and dreams
Sharon
Jun 3rd 2005, 6:28 pm
#8
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Torquay - Victoria
Posts: 94
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Hi all,
Glad you liked the novel! I was worried that people would think I was over emotional and had bought a second pair of rose tinited specs, this time with stronger lenses!
We did absolutely love it there though and can't wait to go back for good. Jon told one of his (four) bosses today, and the first thing he said was congratulations!!!
Just read a thread about people applying for their visa's and I thought "thank good we've already done that". It was definately worth all the stress and money though, and many times over...
Bring on September
All the best
Janine (& Jon)
Glad you liked the novel! I was worried that people would think I was over emotional and had bought a second pair of rose tinited specs, this time with stronger lenses!
We did absolutely love it there though and can't wait to go back for good. Jon told one of his (four) bosses today, and the first thing he said was congratulations!!!
Just read a thread about people applying for their visa's and I thought "thank good we've already done that". It was definately worth all the stress and money though, and many times over...
Bring on September
All the best
Janine (& Jon)
Jun 3rd 2005, 6:52 pm
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 94
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Originally Posted by Ninijon
Hi all,
Glad you liked the novel! I was worried that people would think I was over emotional and had bought a second pair of rose tinited specs, this time with stronger lenses!
We did absolutely love it there though and can't wait to go back for good. Jon told one of his (four) bosses today, and the first thing he said was congratulations!!!
Just read a thread about people applying for their visa's and I thought "thank good we've already done that". It was definately worth all the stress and money though, and many times over...
Bring on September
All the best
Janine (& Jon)
Glad you liked the novel! I was worried that people would think I was over emotional and had bought a second pair of rose tinited specs, this time with stronger lenses!
We did absolutely love it there though and can't wait to go back for good. Jon told one of his (four) bosses today, and the first thing he said was congratulations!!!
Just read a thread about people applying for their visa's and I thought "thank good we've already done that". It was definately worth all the stress and money though, and many times over...
Bring on September
All the best
Janine (& Jon)
Jun 3rd 2005, 11:18 pm
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Wello Point, Bayside, Brisbane & Loving It !!!
Posts: 932
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Fantastic Read - thanks for taking the time.
We are off on our reccie trip in 10-days and can't wait to be honest. Hope we come back with the same enthusiasm as you guys.
Just what I want to read on a wet and somewhat chilly June evening!!!
Good luck and fantastic life to you
We are off on our reccie trip in 10-days and can't wait to be honest. Hope we come back with the same enthusiasm as you guys.
Just what I want to read on a wet and somewhat chilly June evening!!!
Good luck and fantastic life to you
Jun 3rd 2005, 11:31 pm
#11
58.38264% - Extreme Geek
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: The Place To Be
Posts: 2,270
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Janine, great write-up! Glad you like Melbourne!
We made a pre-move reccie trip, too, & the great thing was that when we moved here (2.5 months later) it felt like 'coming home'.
Good luck with the move & I hope you continue to enjoy it here!
Anya.
We made a pre-move reccie trip, too, & the great thing was that when we moved here (2.5 months later) it felt like 'coming home'.
Good luck with the move & I hope you continue to enjoy it here!
Anya.
Jun 3rd 2005, 11:35 pm
#12
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Berkshire
Posts: 360
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Originally Posted by Ninijon
If you are the kind of person who loves nipping a cross to Europe and does it all the time, or can’t live without Boots or M&S or who needs Coronation Street to help them through the day then no I don’t think the move is for you. ...if you are close to your family and can’t go a day without seeing or speaking to your mom or have lots of friends you can’t live without maybe you should think hard about leaving. And especially to those of you on this site who say they have a great life here and have no problems with the place, my advice is ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’.
I'd add one thing. You mentioned prices a lot in your post, pointing out how cheap everything was. Without wanting to patronise, when you move there you will be earning A$ and what seems cheap in sterling may well not seem so anymore. This leads me on to earnings in general. Well worth researching that in detail before you go. Some jobs will pay a lot less.
Jun 4th 2005, 12:36 am
#13
Australia's Doorman
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: The Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia
Posts: 11,056
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Didn't strike me as being overly-emotional, just well-reasoned, well-argued and from-the-heart. Strange the echoes of our own case that we see in yours, particularly the family element. More power to you.
Incidentally, you write very well. Not sure if you do it for a living already, but as a journalist myself, I think you ought to consider it.
Incidentally, you write very well. Not sure if you do it for a living already, but as a journalist myself, I think you ought to consider it.
Jun 4th 2005, 6:50 am
#14
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 987
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Originally Posted by Ninijon
I’ve just returned from my validation trip to Melbourne and wanted to share my personal thoughts and experiences. If you find any of this offensive or untrue I reiterate now that these are just my opinions, I wanted to share them with those who still have this to come. I know, I have felt great comfort in reading all the positive threads over the last few months about others experiences and hoped I could do the same.
To give you a brief history. My husband and I received our 136 visa’s in February, it was a long, hard and very expensive process that left me feeling very tired and extremely desperate, but I always remained hopeful, never allowing the thought to creep in of what happened if we don’t get in. Then I discovered British Expats and realized that most people who get as far as to lodge are accepted and the year of high stress we experienced could have been avoided had I seen the site sooner (to a degree).
I spent 6 weeks in Australia 7 years ago and loved it, however my husband had never been, but was willing to make the move regardless. After spending an amazing year in Hong Kong back in 1998 I have never adjusted to being back in the UK and this has fuelled my desire to leave. I must confess that when we first made the decision to go to Australia and started the process I hated England with a passion, however now I have mellowed and actually do love many aspects of it. So throughout the process I have worn my rose tinted spectacles about Australia, I have read all the books, watched all the relocation TV programs, internet searches and of course this fab site. However the more I read this forum the more I worried about my glasses, to the point that I didn’t want to go on a validation trip because I was terrified I would get there and hate it and then where would I be. So instead we planned to just emigrate before our visa deadline in early September and if we didn’t like it, tough! We were staying. However the house took longer to finish and then longer to sell and suddenly we thought what if it didn’t go through on time? We would have to make a mad dash so as not to lose the visas. So we booked a flight and went.
On the flight over I felt sick with worry, sentences of woe running through my head ‘Don’t think its going to be easy, it will be the hardest 6 month of your life adjusting, its not the UK with sun shine, you cant get this, you cant get that, You can’t run away from your problems, blah blah blah’. But as my husband kept saying we don’t have any problems! So with bated breath we arrived after a ‘not as bad as I thought it was going to be’ direct flight and waited for the disappointment to set in. After being told on this site that the scenery in Melbourne was dull in comparison to Sydney and not anything special to look at, I wasn’t hoping for much. I went thinking ‘don’t expect anything; the views aren’t anything special, you wont be spellbound, expect an ‘ahh, is this all it is’ reaction. So with all my fears I stepped out the airport, and, I loved it! Yes that sounds silly, an airport is an airport, but my gut reaction was of relief and excitement, I knew as soon as I walked out I would love it and I did! My husband spent the entire time saying he loved it too and that is very unlike him. And for the record I thought it was every bit as special as Sydney, minus the spectacular harbour of course. And for all those at this point thinking it was a holiday of course we would love it, no it wasn’t a holiday! The jet lag never left us the entire time, my husband was at interviews most days and all this aside, my idea of a holiday is lying by a beach / swimming pool, cocktail in hand doing very little. The time there was packed with things to do, see and investigate and it was days away from being winter.
It reminded me of a cross between South Africa’s Cape Town (without the mountain obviously) and the feel of America (without the aggression). What struck me most was the huge sky, sounds silly but I swear it’s bigger! The blue bits go from ground to high, back to ground, no white haze/mist. Everything was so spacious, the roads were bigger, with lines of trees running down them, the buildings were large and impressive. And for all those worrying about history I thought the old buildings were spectacular even if they were only a few centuries old, to me the history was there mixed in beautifully with the new. There were so many parks full of greenery and the weather was great, considering they were going into winter, it was fabulous, I found a fleece was enough to keep me warm and believe me I feel the cold. One of the things that I think you can’t fail to miss about Australia is how friendly the people were and how they went above and beyond. There seemed to be no over the top hostile drivers not wanting to let you out. When asking for directions we were actually taken to the places on a number of occasions, people looked you in the eye when travelling on public transport; they also un-provokingly struck up conversation with you. And again for all those cynics out there who think it was the accent that lured curious strangers to talk or help us, there were many time, while on trams, other Aussies asked for help and the same reaction was given. A real highlight for me was going to a live Footie match. Now this, coming from a girl who doesn’t allow football to be shown in the house, is the oddest thing to say, but I did. The stands were filled with supporters of both sides and there was no violence or any arguing and by the end most people were boozed up from the beer which you can drink throughout. At least a quarter of the spectators were women and there were people of all ages, it was so family orientated, with children under 5 behind us, a middle aged group to our right and school children in front and it only cost us $17.50 (about £7 ish).
I loved the choice of restaurants from steak (which is simply in another league to our equivalent here in taste, fat content and size), Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, loads of sea food eateries and so much more.
So what was wrong with the place as no where is perfect. Okay there were still homeless people, but I guess that is to be expected in any city. Yes there was still crime listening to the news. However I have to say I felt safe there no matter what time we were out 12am or 5am (I said we had jet lag), this is something I don’t even feel here in the small town I live in. The service in restaurants was very laid back, i.e. there was never a rush to take our order or give us the bill. But the food was fantastic at least 80% of the time. We treated ourselves to a very nice dinner with the works which only cost us £36, the equivalent meal here where we live would have been over £80. Also I love the directness of the Aussies, I was ordering a beer one day and not seeing my usual I finally said “oh I’ll try a Fosters�, to which the waiter said “aah, No!, we only export that try something else� he then proceeded to helped me chose another beer. Also we did come across people who moaned and had problems just like everywhere. I am sure once we are there permanently there will be many more thing that bug us or that we dislike but I think that in this life you make the best choices out of the options you have available. And then it’s up to you to make yourself happy and if you finally wake up one day and say I’m not happy it is your own responsibility to fix it and the only person you can blame is you.
I feel very much that we only got to see 1% of Mel and am so excited about spending the next few years discovering all its very blatant and hidden treasures.
My conclusion of our trip was - You can’t run away from problems, they follow you every where, but you can expect and get a better life if you are will to make changes, step out your comfort zone, expect that no where is perfect. You have to make 120% effort to make new friends its up to you; don’t expect others to take pity on your friendless situation. And even if it costs us the same amount of money to live there we will have far much more choice and options of what to do with our time, so much is free, from walking on the beach, around the Botanical gardens, the Yarra river, swimming in the sea, going to museums, to being safe on the countless cycle paths, while also being protected from your own stupidity of putting image above safety, as you have to, by law, wear a cycle helmet. There are free BBQ’s spots everywhere and above all even though you can do all these activities in the UK, you can’t rely on the weather as much as you can in Oz. We landed back in the UK on bank holiday Monday where it rained all day, need I say more.
If you are the kind of person who loves nipping a cross to Europe and does it all the time, or can’t live without Boots or M&S or who needs Coronation Street to help them through the day or paying 4 times the price of marmite puts you in a bad mood, then no I don’t think the move is for you. But for those who want a more out door life, space and relish the idea of change and trying new things then go for it, rather regret the things you do than the things you don’t. However one thing I do have to add is if you are close to your family and can’t go a day without seeing or speaking to your mom or have lots of friends you can’t live without maybe you should think hard about leaving. And especially to those of you on this site who say they have a great life here and have no problems with the place, my advice is ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’.
As for family my mom and dad left the UK when I was 17 and I now months away from turning 30 I can say it has never, even after 12 years, got any easier, not a smidge. Yes I don’t cry every time I speak to them on the phone anymore and I have adjusted to seeing them sometimes only every 18 months and when we do its intensive, but it’s no easier. However I am lucky in that my parents will be joining us within a year of us arriving. So I am also very motivated by this. My husband isn’t very close with his family. As for friends, as most university graduates, our friends are far and wide and we see them less and less as everyone builds their own lives locally. To me family and quality of life is everything not how much money you earn so for us this is the right decision. We have sold our house and are in the process of selling practically everything we own apart from 10 boxes worth of goods. We are moving in with a friend for a few months and then we will make the move in September, I cant wait! But we do feel after 7 months of winter we deserve a summer and are very happy in fact that we will then get 2 in a row. Again we thought if the first 6 months are hard adjusting it will be made easier by being able to come home after a long day and take a walk on the beach followed by a BBQ in the warm.
Anyway I am sorry for the length of this note and really hope I have not ruffled any feathers I really don’t want to be criticized for my thought and opinions (wishful thinking), but thought I have gotten so much from British Expats good and bad, I really wanted to make a contribution and maybe give others some hope and reassurance with my experiences.
I wish you all the best in your own journeys
Janine
To give you a brief history. My husband and I received our 136 visa’s in February, it was a long, hard and very expensive process that left me feeling very tired and extremely desperate, but I always remained hopeful, never allowing the thought to creep in of what happened if we don’t get in. Then I discovered British Expats and realized that most people who get as far as to lodge are accepted and the year of high stress we experienced could have been avoided had I seen the site sooner (to a degree).
I spent 6 weeks in Australia 7 years ago and loved it, however my husband had never been, but was willing to make the move regardless. After spending an amazing year in Hong Kong back in 1998 I have never adjusted to being back in the UK and this has fuelled my desire to leave. I must confess that when we first made the decision to go to Australia and started the process I hated England with a passion, however now I have mellowed and actually do love many aspects of it. So throughout the process I have worn my rose tinted spectacles about Australia, I have read all the books, watched all the relocation TV programs, internet searches and of course this fab site. However the more I read this forum the more I worried about my glasses, to the point that I didn’t want to go on a validation trip because I was terrified I would get there and hate it and then where would I be. So instead we planned to just emigrate before our visa deadline in early September and if we didn’t like it, tough! We were staying. However the house took longer to finish and then longer to sell and suddenly we thought what if it didn’t go through on time? We would have to make a mad dash so as not to lose the visas. So we booked a flight and went.
On the flight over I felt sick with worry, sentences of woe running through my head ‘Don’t think its going to be easy, it will be the hardest 6 month of your life adjusting, its not the UK with sun shine, you cant get this, you cant get that, You can’t run away from your problems, blah blah blah’. But as my husband kept saying we don’t have any problems! So with bated breath we arrived after a ‘not as bad as I thought it was going to be’ direct flight and waited for the disappointment to set in. After being told on this site that the scenery in Melbourne was dull in comparison to Sydney and not anything special to look at, I wasn’t hoping for much. I went thinking ‘don’t expect anything; the views aren’t anything special, you wont be spellbound, expect an ‘ahh, is this all it is’ reaction. So with all my fears I stepped out the airport, and, I loved it! Yes that sounds silly, an airport is an airport, but my gut reaction was of relief and excitement, I knew as soon as I walked out I would love it and I did! My husband spent the entire time saying he loved it too and that is very unlike him. And for the record I thought it was every bit as special as Sydney, minus the spectacular harbour of course. And for all those at this point thinking it was a holiday of course we would love it, no it wasn’t a holiday! The jet lag never left us the entire time, my husband was at interviews most days and all this aside, my idea of a holiday is lying by a beach / swimming pool, cocktail in hand doing very little. The time there was packed with things to do, see and investigate and it was days away from being winter.
It reminded me of a cross between South Africa’s Cape Town (without the mountain obviously) and the feel of America (without the aggression). What struck me most was the huge sky, sounds silly but I swear it’s bigger! The blue bits go from ground to high, back to ground, no white haze/mist. Everything was so spacious, the roads were bigger, with lines of trees running down them, the buildings were large and impressive. And for all those worrying about history I thought the old buildings were spectacular even if they were only a few centuries old, to me the history was there mixed in beautifully with the new. There were so many parks full of greenery and the weather was great, considering they were going into winter, it was fabulous, I found a fleece was enough to keep me warm and believe me I feel the cold. One of the things that I think you can’t fail to miss about Australia is how friendly the people were and how they went above and beyond. There seemed to be no over the top hostile drivers not wanting to let you out. When asking for directions we were actually taken to the places on a number of occasions, people looked you in the eye when travelling on public transport; they also un-provokingly struck up conversation with you. And again for all those cynics out there who think it was the accent that lured curious strangers to talk or help us, there were many time, while on trams, other Aussies asked for help and the same reaction was given. A real highlight for me was going to a live Footie match. Now this, coming from a girl who doesn’t allow football to be shown in the house, is the oddest thing to say, but I did. The stands were filled with supporters of both sides and there was no violence or any arguing and by the end most people were boozed up from the beer which you can drink throughout. At least a quarter of the spectators were women and there were people of all ages, it was so family orientated, with children under 5 behind us, a middle aged group to our right and school children in front and it only cost us $17.50 (about £7 ish).
I loved the choice of restaurants from steak (which is simply in another league to our equivalent here in taste, fat content and size), Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, loads of sea food eateries and so much more.
So what was wrong with the place as no where is perfect. Okay there were still homeless people, but I guess that is to be expected in any city. Yes there was still crime listening to the news. However I have to say I felt safe there no matter what time we were out 12am or 5am (I said we had jet lag), this is something I don’t even feel here in the small town I live in. The service in restaurants was very laid back, i.e. there was never a rush to take our order or give us the bill. But the food was fantastic at least 80% of the time. We treated ourselves to a very nice dinner with the works which only cost us £36, the equivalent meal here where we live would have been over £80. Also I love the directness of the Aussies, I was ordering a beer one day and not seeing my usual I finally said “oh I’ll try a Fosters�, to which the waiter said “aah, No!, we only export that try something else� he then proceeded to helped me chose another beer. Also we did come across people who moaned and had problems just like everywhere. I am sure once we are there permanently there will be many more thing that bug us or that we dislike but I think that in this life you make the best choices out of the options you have available. And then it’s up to you to make yourself happy and if you finally wake up one day and say I’m not happy it is your own responsibility to fix it and the only person you can blame is you.
I feel very much that we only got to see 1% of Mel and am so excited about spending the next few years discovering all its very blatant and hidden treasures.
My conclusion of our trip was - You can’t run away from problems, they follow you every where, but you can expect and get a better life if you are will to make changes, step out your comfort zone, expect that no where is perfect. You have to make 120% effort to make new friends its up to you; don’t expect others to take pity on your friendless situation. And even if it costs us the same amount of money to live there we will have far much more choice and options of what to do with our time, so much is free, from walking on the beach, around the Botanical gardens, the Yarra river, swimming in the sea, going to museums, to being safe on the countless cycle paths, while also being protected from your own stupidity of putting image above safety, as you have to, by law, wear a cycle helmet. There are free BBQ’s spots everywhere and above all even though you can do all these activities in the UK, you can’t rely on the weather as much as you can in Oz. We landed back in the UK on bank holiday Monday where it rained all day, need I say more.
If you are the kind of person who loves nipping a cross to Europe and does it all the time, or can’t live without Boots or M&S or who needs Coronation Street to help them through the day or paying 4 times the price of marmite puts you in a bad mood, then no I don’t think the move is for you. But for those who want a more out door life, space and relish the idea of change and trying new things then go for it, rather regret the things you do than the things you don’t. However one thing I do have to add is if you are close to your family and can’t go a day without seeing or speaking to your mom or have lots of friends you can’t live without maybe you should think hard about leaving. And especially to those of you on this site who say they have a great life here and have no problems with the place, my advice is ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’.
As for family my mom and dad left the UK when I was 17 and I now months away from turning 30 I can say it has never, even after 12 years, got any easier, not a smidge. Yes I don’t cry every time I speak to them on the phone anymore and I have adjusted to seeing them sometimes only every 18 months and when we do its intensive, but it’s no easier. However I am lucky in that my parents will be joining us within a year of us arriving. So I am also very motivated by this. My husband isn’t very close with his family. As for friends, as most university graduates, our friends are far and wide and we see them less and less as everyone builds their own lives locally. To me family and quality of life is everything not how much money you earn so for us this is the right decision. We have sold our house and are in the process of selling practically everything we own apart from 10 boxes worth of goods. We are moving in with a friend for a few months and then we will make the move in September, I cant wait! But we do feel after 7 months of winter we deserve a summer and are very happy in fact that we will then get 2 in a row. Again we thought if the first 6 months are hard adjusting it will be made easier by being able to come home after a long day and take a walk on the beach followed by a BBQ in the warm.
Anyway I am sorry for the length of this note and really hope I have not ruffled any feathers I really don’t want to be criticized for my thought and opinions (wishful thinking), but thought I have gotten so much from British Expats good and bad, I really wanted to make a contribution and maybe give others some hope and reassurance with my experiences.
I wish you all the best in your own journeys
Janine
Dreamaway
Jun 4th 2005, 8:07 am
#15
mamacares
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 201
Re: Validation Trip To Mel - Was it Worth it?
Nice post, Janine. Much appreciated. We'll be flying to validate in Melbourne this June 8 and, true, the jitters are creeping in my tummy! These are stressing times as my 3 kids are just recuperating from a bad case of flu and hubby's having a bad tummy ache ( pressure related, I'm sure)! Your post is a nice patch to my stress. Thanks so much. Things like what to expect are normal with any immigration. Its being open enough to see that one part of the world is no different-crimes happen, jobs and family related concerns are the same; some are, however, just better. We're hoping for the best still!
Have a nice day, Janine!
Cheers,
Hannah
Have a nice day, Janine!
Cheers,
Hannah