pab1974

We have just applied for a Skilled Migration Visa and hope to move to Sydney sometime next year, hopefully!

I must admit though that as the reality of what we (myself, wife and two girl's, aged 4 and 3) are doing dawn's I am beginning to question if we are actually really doing the right thing.

I mean we live in a lovely village on the outskirts of York in a good sized family home. My eldest daughter has just started at a really good school where she has settled in really well and both myself and the wife have good jobs in Leeds. We live reasonably near all the grandparents who are actively involved with childcare and baby sitting and the children love them to bits.

Yet, despite all this I have a burning desire to pack all this in, move to the other side of the world, to where we have never been and where we know about four people!

Actually writing this down makes me shake my head.

I think, and please tell me if you think I am right or wrong, the main reason for wanting to do this is for a perceived better life, long term, for us but mainly the kids. I work shifts and long hours here and we really want to spend more quality time as a family.
We feel that the UK is slowly heading into an undesirable place to bring up children. Is Australia any better?
Also, perhaps because things are too comfortable in our lives, 'I' really want some excitement and adventure before we are too old and I feel that if we dont do something like this now I will forever regret not doing it.

Any advice would be much appreciated from people who have made the switch

quoll

I guess this forum is full of people wondering the same thing and lots of threads with individual opinions. Must say that at my time of life, offered the choice of a village outside York or my suburb in Canberra I would be taking the York option every time (and no nasty digs at Canberra, it is one of the better Aussie places to be living in!).

Australia is what you make it! You will still have to pay the mortgage (unless you have super equity in your UK home), you will still have to go to work and dont think that you wont be working long hours - you may have a long commute if you fancy Sydney and aren't well off. The kids will still have to go to school, you will have to pay all the bills and save up more to go on holiday if you want to go back to visit the old folks and whilst the Aussie dollar is improving, it is still not a good proposition for us to go back because our salaries are less. And, from the sound of it, you will be doing it all without a built in support network although you will make friends on the way of course.

On the plus side, you will have generally glorious weather - probably not enough rain and increasing water restrictions but the sun will shine most of the time, the facilities are great for sport and rec, there will be opportunities to get ahead if you work hard, you will never see blue skies like the ones we have every day, there is lots of space and it will be an adventure that you will probably kick yourself if you miss it!

Hutch

Firstly - your kids are the right age to move - 4 and 3 is perfect, but bear in mind that they start school at least a year later here and that the odds are that your eldest child will have to repeat a year.

As to the life for them over here - well, it's ultimately what you make it. Australia isn't some magic bullet, it's not nirvana - it's a western style democracy and it has all the same problems with transport infrastructure, crime and housing, along with deep-seated issues like water management.

You say you live in a small village at the moment and that you're moving to Sydney - that in itself will be a huge issue because you're moving to the biggest city in Australia. City life's the same the world over, though you can of course mitigate this by picking your area wisely and, given the choice between London and Sydney, I'd pick Sydney every time - if only because of its harbour location. Property prices in the nice parts of Sydney are, of course, prohibitive - so depending on what your job is and how much equity you're bringing with you, you may find you simply can't afford to live in the 'right' area.

Is the whole family behind the move, or is it just you (you did says "I have a burning desire)? Given what you've said about the kids schools, where you live and the support network, I'd think bloody long and hard about it to be honest. Don't wish to sound down on it - we made the move (south coast NSW, 2 hours south of sydney) and feel that our six year old son's life is fundamentally better here - but posts like yours send off this big siren noise in my head when I read them.

If your life is comfortable (do you mean 'dull'?) then surely there are things you can do to shake that up in the UK without risking everything on a move down under? Without wishing to sound like some life-coach, why not try spicing up your life there first - city breaks and holidays abroad, new hobbies, a new house maybe. All I know is that there are plenty of people who've made the move here and would give their right legs for 'comfortable' again. You can get excitement and adventure in plenty of other ways, without risking the longterm happiness of those nearest and dearest to you.

arkon

I'm with Hutch here, If your life is good now don't risk changing it for here. Personally I would much rather live in York.

pab1974

Well. I must say that I am a little deflated though I really appreciate your honesty.

I really thought the type of advice I would be getting would be mainly of the 'yeah get yourself to Australia, its fantastic, you wont regret it' variety!

If we sold up here we would have around £200k so from what little I know of house prices over there that probably wouldnt stretch very far.

Also I work in Web Offset printing and from what I know most of the good jobs are in Sydney. We have only lived in York for a year and came here from Leeds (which is a fairly big city). To be honest I personally do find it a little dull. I have previously lived in Hong Kong, for two years, and I loved the hussle bussle of it all!

Maybe if we do go then it might be an idea to rent our house out in the UK, for a few years, before we fully commit. Even if it dos'nt work out then at least we will have given it a go and therefore no regrets?

Hutch

You know - it might be - but it's a massive move that many people (and I'm not saying that *you* would) seem to make on a whim, without fully contemplating the full impact on their lives.

No - it wouldn't go that far - particularly not with the exchange rate at its current levels. Would you consider living north, south or west of the city and commuting? $500k goes a hell of a lot further once you're out of greater Sydney.

When you lived in Hong Kong were you on your own? Married? With the kids? I lived in New York for a while - loved it - wouldn't move my family there though. Sydney's certainly got bustle - it's very lively and I personally love the place.

I'd say that was a bloody good idea, in your specific case. Don't burn your bridges - keep the family home in your kid's school catchment area - rent a place over here - and when you're sure, sell up and buy here. But seriously, it's good that you're asking questions and being pragmatic about it.

Vin 'n Bin

I have to agree with everything that Hutch says ...although I have been here for many years and it was so much easier to emigrate in those days (10 pound pom). So I couldn't live in the UK again, I've seen what has happened to my 'hometown'
Sorry to go off topic....Hutch, do you live anywhere near Berry?

Hutch

Sure do - 10km away - my parents live there.

Vin 'n Bin

Ooooh, you are so fortunate...and your parents . Over the last 36 years I have travelled (driving) over much of Australia. Some places have always stayed in my mind and Berry more than any others . I absolutely adored it and hope to visit again some day, so lovely ....good for you!

Nu-Shooz

Agreed.
Australia is perceived as Utopia. It is not. Some will love it, some will hate it.
If you have a great life now, why would you want to destroy that. Not saying OZ will destroy you, but if you don't settle thats when the problems start. We all have our own opinions about OZ, we all want and expect different things. I have 3 kids who all want to go back to UK. Not that they don't like OZ, just that they preferred their old life-style in UK. My eldest has gone back now.
It is an experience, but ......!!!

TiddlyPom

I feel that anyone who is very attached to grandparents/parents will have a very difficult time without them here.
Think long and hard why you think your children's lives could be made better by being here?

If it's the weather and that only, then move to Spain or France and pop back every week to see the parents. THAT is do-able... It's not do-able from this side of the world.

I can't see your motives... If you want an adventure, then grand. Is everyone wanting that adventure?
It seems to be just you.

You're married and have a family and in that situation, sometimes we have to compromise on our burning desires because it's not the right thing for everyone... it's worse when you have kids because whatever you do will have a lasting impression on them all.

For me, things couldn't have been worse in the UK... so how could being in Australia be any worse than that....?
And I was right... For my children it was absolutely the best move. They spend more time out doors, (I don't live in the super hot part of Aus) they're safer because we're in rural bush and there are no passing cars (I used to live on the A418), they're out of a stuffy British education which was smothering my middle daughter... and into a Steiner type school where they're absolutely flourishing...
They swim, eat more, they're fitter, stronger, more active...
We eat out a lot or grab ice cream or milk shakes after school...
We have half an acre instead of a postage stamp of a garden...
They have a grandparent in Sydney and one 20 mins away (though she's taken a year out to work in the Kimberlies at the mo)...
The weather's better - we're out gardening and growing our veggies...

Yes, for us, it's better. It's great for them. I have not got one single regret about moving here and doing this.
Absolutely the right move.

Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons... Do a job swap or a house swap for a year... that's very popular here... And just see if that rings the bells for you all.

And also, given your money, it won't go at all far in sydney. Aus is a big country... you could end up an hour or two out of the city for the bigger house and land... Can you handle up to 4 hours commute a day just so you can have quality of life on the weekends? That's what, London to Birmingham every day... ?

Think long and hard and good luck. Nothing ventured, nothing gained... Everyone has dreams and many can be realised, but not at the cost of those that you love and who love you.
Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Timber Floor Au

DO IT !


The scariest time, is when you have reconciled yourself into considering the move.. thats usually at the very early stages...

Then just before you do move, you get the jitters

Then on the plane you get the wobbles...

Its HUMAN NATURE !!!!

I thank god, daily.. and im not religous, but i so thank god, that we had the balls to follow thru with our dream.. cos seeing my kids faces , how they are, how they are so more relaxed, and have lost that POMMY FROWN ...

PRICELESS !!!

holmes

I'm a bit surprised by some of the responses...... I agree that there are a ton of practical considerations (e.g., education, finances, stability), but there is another element - because you want to!!! [And I am assuming your spouse wants to too]
Spirit of Adventure and all that - life is for living and, if you DON'T do this, will you actually be able to accept that decision and return to your comfortable life without an overhang of regret??????

We moved here 7months ago, taking ourselves and our 4mnth old away from the support network. We haven't looked back - not because it's sooooo much better, rather than because it's not that different!! i.e., my husband gets up and goes to work, I feed the kid and wipe it's bum, we eat supper, watch TV and sack out........ BUT, we get to do this in a 4-bed house with a bush outlook that is mortgage-free (heaven!), and on the weekend we maybe go for a drive and there is NO TRAFFIC, or pop into the National Park and enjoy a sunny warm walk....... it just feels more open and less claustrophobic here..... there was no room for us in England anymore (the population of Aus is ~20mil, and I lived with that many people in London alone!) and the England that we love is fast disappearing (we feel).

So - I feel that there is more room for my son to grow here..... and every so often we get on Skype and talk/webcam my Dad for free..... He's coming here for 6wks next year, and to be honest I don't think I saw him more than 42days in the last 365day period that we lived in England...

So I say go for it - but I also say come for a 2-3wk recce and get the feel of what we are talking about (the type of house in the type of area you can get for £200k; the type of schools, the sunny blue skies, the parks and beaches). If it feels good during the recce, take it further - if it doesn't, well then you can decide 'no' with an easy heart but you have also given your kids a fantastic holiday - ta da!

Good luck!

themerlin

Your not in Brisbane then, I personally have never seen so much traffic

holmes

Nope - NSW, about 40km north of Sydney. And I know it's all relative - I'm comparing to traffic in London, Colchester, and the M25 in between....... I remember even on a Sunday it would take us ages to get anywhere, and the thought of Tesco's anytime after midday - the 7th circle of hell!