parkhigh

Hi everyone
well its a good six months since I've been on Expats. As there is so much to tell I may have to put it into parts as the kids keep interrupting me and I apologise if it sounds disjointed. So here goes.......

As you can probably all recall last august and september I was ranting on about my buyers trying to rip us off at the last minute. they had already pulled out, reduced their offer by £10k and then began asking for this and that...we were not happy and you all came up with some great ideas to get my revenge. Well, iI'mhappy to say that we did exchange after getting the agent to reduce his fees and we are now in Mt Eliza, Mornington Peninsula.

We had a pretty rough time one way and another, after the completion we moved out in September into my parents house and was supposed to be there for a month until we left for oz but after just a few days it was clear that it was not going to work out. We moved into our friends house by the end of the week and we also stayed with another friend of ours too. It got quite stressful and I was pleased to get on the plane. My relationship with my parents ddeterioratedand it has been hard to reconcile. I was 6 months pregnant and i needed my parents to support us. It was my birthday in December and they didnt send me a card or any presents for the girls at Christmas. I felt very, very alone then and was told that my father was punishing me for leaving etc. to this day he still is quite angry with me for leaving and cannot accept that I have gone for my family. However, my parents are coming to visit this september for 7 weeks so they are now making an effort. My mum more so then him.

Our last month in the UK we organised a leaving party for our 2 girls and had a magician and disco and they loved it. That same evening we had an adults only do which was great. Everyone dressed up as an Australian character rich and i were Steve and Tracy Irwin complete with crocodile and snakes.... We got rid of most of our booze at the party as we ccouldn'tbring it and I think my friend Dave was able to produce about 8 gallons of variety of cocktails. By the end of the night there was some ridiculous stuff going on...Emus bbreak dancingand some awful kkaraoke It was a great night and the photos are fantastic. On the reverse side though I also felt very sad during the night as the realisation that we were going was imminent and hit me hard. I knew then that it was the last time that i would see so and so and this would be the last time that i did this etc....that part is hard but I dont regret having the party as everyone really enjoyed it.

A week later my best friends waved us off at their house, the airport was a no no as far as I was It was very, very hard to say goodbye. Even now when I speak to my friend cCorinnai often cry as i miss her so very much.

We arrived Mid oOctoberand settled with my aunt and uncle who live in bBaxter We stayed with them for 6 weeks whilst looking around for a house. Things started to get a bit tense as I think they thought we would just buy any house within a week etc. Rich and I had criteria which they ccouldn'tunderstand...why do you need a pool? why do you need a large garden? That type of thing. Try explaining to a couple in their 70's that the whole point of moving from the uUKto oz was to get a better quality of life. Well they didnt get it and it got quite tense. It was also the same for the car as rich wanted a 4x4 and the same questions. Well we got a 4x4 tToyotaprado which rich loves and a house in Mt Eliza with a pool. We love our house, its a ranch style, five bedroomed, family area, dining area, kitchen and lounge. Under the house there is opportunity to create another room as its currently a large open space, which is contained. We are currently having an architect create drawings as we speak to create stairs from inside the house. this will be the room that mum and dad stay in etc. Its large enough for a bedroom and een-suiteand a lounge area. We will also use this area for the pool to stop the kids running through the house to use the toilet etc.
Our house backs onto the reserve and there is a park to the right of us and immediately behind us. However not too close to be of any nuisance to us. We have a 1660 sqm plot which is large enough for us to enjoy space. The kookaburras regularly come to the house and all of the other wonderful wildlife. We have been told that there are snakes in the reserve but my neighbours hhaven'tseen them. The previous owner said that he had seen them.

We love this area Mt Eliza as it is so green and lush. The wildlife and it almost feels like we are on holiday all of the time. I know it sounds strange but thats how we feel anyway. I would certainly recommend this area. We are so close to Frankston and Mornington that shopping iisn'ta problem. The beaches are 10 minutes away and the schools are very good in this area too. No real negatives as far as i am concerned.

Since we arrived I have had a baby. Ashtyn was born 7-2-2006 so a real aussie. The whole experience at the hospital was fantastic and I can honestly say that it was a much more positive experience that my 2 uUKbirths. There was no interference by the doctor and my midwife was left to assist me in my own time...fantastic. My relationship with my daughter is very good and she is a very good baby. My other 2 children I can remember being more stressed out etc. I think that the fact that i can get out during every day helps enormously. Had she been born in the Uk iI'msure i would have felt more low in mood etc as it was so much more difficult to get out etc. Both Bronwyn and Eryn were winter babies and those first 3 months were very hard. This time I have a smiling happy baby and i am a happy mummy.
Bronwyn has enrolled at school and Eryn is at kinder. I am currently looking to move her into a different school as it will be closer to home. She currently goes to a school in Frankston so we have to travel. The school i want to relocate her to is in Mt eElizabut you have to live in the zone to get in. we now live in the zone so thats ok.
Right must dash as eErynneeds help...i will come back with part 2 re jobs etc.
Bye

joho

Sound like life is good. Well done. I have concerns for your family coming for 7 weeks though :scared: . Looking forward to reading take 2.

On a lighter note, you stutter in your typing.

Jo

marco121068

Pleased it's going well for you all.

moneypenny20

Ditto especially on the 7 weeks and the stuttering but considering you have three, one being a tiddler I think you have done really well. Continue enjoying it all

Mrs JFW

sounds like you have made a wonderful life for yourselves. I hope that when your dad comes over he can see why you chose to move there and i hope that your relationship is a positive one! well done to you. by the way your house sounds to die for...

jackie

parkhigh

Hi everyone
Just got back from the school and kinder run. Off to mothers group shortly. I'm finding it hard to keep up with things but am trying to make as many contacts as I can. The mothers group has helped as I made a few friends that live nearby.
I am also a bit concerned about my mum and dad but I'm hoping when they see the house and the kids things will improve. Plus the kids will be on holidays for two of those weeks and I'm hoping to take us away without rich. Hes preferring to stay at work which will help ease the tension. The room downstairs will have a fridge, kettle, TV etc so they can escape from us and vice versa. To be honest I'm not sure my mum and dad will make the trip again as they have health issues and my dad is nearing 70, so its a long trip for them both.
Must dash will be back on soon. Its good to be back and hoping to participate in the forum fully once more, now that ashtyn is a little older. She was 12 weeks old yesterday

BadgeIsBack

Well done on all you've achieved.You've said a few things about childbirth that ring familiar tones.

Agree that a midwife birth is better than a Doctor trying to get in on the act. They see childbirth as an illness, which they have to cure, whereas midwives see it as a natural, if difficult, act.

I always said that the doctor would have to a) have a bloody good reason for intervening, and b) he'd have to get past me first.

geordie mandy

what a lovley post, very honest it is lovley to read a positive post.
Mandy

jothefw

great post, nice to read something from a stay at home mum with 3 young children ... I'm sure there are many similar people reading it too and as for family - can totally understand the difficulties too, ours are finding it very hard but luckily they are supportive!

good luck for the future - love to hear more about jobs/schools etc

Jaycee1

Really glad all is well after all you went through before you left. I returned from Mt Eliza a fortnight ago, my Dad lives near Tower Road. It is fantastic and would love to be there with my family. I'm sure your parents will understand why you chose Aus over the U.K the lifestyle is like no other.
Keep us posted and congratulations on the birth of Ashtyn
J xx

Learningtree22

How are different are Australian Kinders, compared to pre-schools in the UK? ie are the sessions all day, or just half days? Are there waiting lists for Kinders?
Also my son will be five in November, can anyone confirm with me the age he would be starting school, plus what month does the new school term start from? When do you have to apply for schools? is it the same process than in the UK? Do schools get oversubscribed in the Mornington Peninsula area, or in other parts?

Poppy

Hi

I am not 100% sure, but it is my understanding that kids start school the end of January/February after they are 5, so it would be early next year for yours I think?!

My son is at full time state nursery here and it is fantastic and although he is the youngest (his birthday is in August) he copes really well, but when we go to Oz in September he won't be able to start full time school until nearly 18 months after so that will be quite hard for him to get his head round especially as he has two older brothers and just wants to be like them, which is why I think he loves his day at nursery so much, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just hard when they've got used to the day routine. They can go to pre-school, but it is only for the morning or afternoon I think - not sure about kindergarten?

Hope I've helped and I'm sure somebody will let us know if I've got it wrong!

All the best!

Poppy

Sorry, didn't mean to take over your thread, I forgot to say thanks for a great post, you really do sound like you've got sorted and not an easy task being pregnant and tension with your mum and dad!

Hope it continues to be great.

Cheers and all the best.

parkhigh

Hi everyone
I hadn't realised the stuttering in the original post. I think that was due to spell check and then not deleting the original letter i think? anyway glad to hear that you enjoyed it so far. I found that when I was in the UK these type of posts really helped me so Im glad to reciprocate. thats what this forum is all about to help each other. I will be happy to help anyone i can.

Learningtree22 I think most of your questions are already answered but i am happy to give you my perspective. Eryn went to nursery in the uk five days a week full time ie 8.30am -5.30pm. Bronwyn went to school and then after school care. Had Ashtyn been born in the Uk I would be going back to work shortly and she would be going to nursery. Hence, one of the reasons for us to emigrate, although my pregnancy was unexpected i hasten to add.

The Kinders offer sessions to 3 year olds and 4 year olds. I think for 3 yos it is 3 hours, on 3 days of the week. For Eryn as a 4yo she goes for 4 hours on 3 days of the week. Personally I dont find it enough time for her as she was going for longer days in the UK. for a child who has only been at home it is fine, but for eryn i would have preferred longer. However saying that she absolutely loves it and is always asking to go. 4 yos receive some govt funding to assist in placements. I currently pay $185 dollars per term $740 per year (@2.3 = £321.73 approx) to give you a guide.

In addition if you earn less than $35k ausd then you are also entitled to receive additional help. For families who earn less than $35k approx you can receive a concession card which will help you with utilities, reductions at events etc, school fees, college fees and kinder fees. Maybe other things too. My daughters kinder did have a waiting list to join and was quite difficutl to get into. If you have an idea of where you are going to live then i would recommend that you get your childs name down now and pay a deposit. We paid a deposit approx $20 in October 2005 for a Jan 2006 place. If your son is five in November he will start school in the following January. However they start at the end of January ie 26/27 of the month so almost February. Again schools are hard to get into...all of the schools in Mt Eliza are starting to have open days this month and expressions of interest are completed by June. I will be notified of placements for Prep in July, so you really need to start looking now. The problem is like me I wanted Bronwyn to get into St Thomas Moores a catholic school here in Mt Eliza however, you can only get in if you live here. I have since discovered that some expats rented here just to get a placement and then settled etc. We were able to register for St Augustines Frankston south and they held a place open via my aunt. I know it sounds hard but you really need someone here to help you if you can. Its a bit of a catch 22 situation but thats what i found anyway. Hope this helps you. the other thing is that the aussie schools dont have ofsted reporting which you can locate on the net. They obviously have reports etc but they dont appear to be accessible to the public, which i have found frustrating. Therefore, you have to rely on word of mouth. Again this has led me to enrolling bronwyn into a school where i now intend to move her. Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with her existing school, but this one is nearer and is apparently much better so i intend to apply.
Any more queries dont hesitate to ask.

Jaycee1 Station street is just at the bottom of the hill from Tower road so you can really see what a wonderful place it is. Glad you liked it.

Must dash now Eryn is whingeing and Ashtyn is crying.....

Learningtree22

Thank you ParkHigh and Poppy, I really appreciate the time you have taken to reply to my questions.
Are there no Kinders for children aged 2 1/2 years, do all children have to wait until they are 3? Are there plenty of mother and toddler groups around? I presume they are up to the age of 3. Where are most of the groups advertised ie Library, church halls etc.
My husband is out in Melbourne on a research trip at the moment. He has met up with a friend of a friend, who has shown him around his new house he is having built in Mt Eliza. Chris says it's a wonderful place.

Thank you so much for your help again.