Hi ya everyone

Soooooooo glad to hear I am not the only one getting tearful and stressed at the drop of a hat. i have turned extremely grey over these last few months but hopefully we are on the homeward straight and will be over there by the end of the year. Sandra has this been a test of our patience or wot!!!!!

Lisa xx

Hiya Lisa,

i think in a way it does make us sligtly better people......we know what we want in life..........and go out to get it........there have been ups and downs........tears and tantrums....but I have made lOADS of friends on the way..and feel much, much wiser!!!!

Don't assume it stops when you get on the plane, you will have another 4-6 months or more at the other end. But in my opinion yes it is worth it.

Bloody stressful time, no doubt. Worth it in the end, for us anyway.

I never want to go through it again, which is why we're staying.

yeah i agree renth...
kev, my hubby says he aged about 10 years in the process...he says he aint going back, i say you neve know what could happen down the road but at the moment we are staying put!

talk about emotional roller coaster....but ours is now not as bad as it was. i cant believe that its 6 months to the day since we left the uk..god it's flown!

We have only just stopped arguing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found the first few months here very difficult relationship wise, I suppose I expected everything to be rosy the minute we stepped off the plane but it takes a while to get your bearings and into a routine and basically to stop feeling like a refugee.

Never again though, ever, ever, ever!

we didn't actually argue that much before we left - just the usual about him playing golf every spare moment and leaving me to do EVERYTHING - but now we have arrived we have had a some real spats- not like us at all.

we know it is all part of the experience but it is hard to deal with when you think you are heading for a better life and then want to throttle each other every waking moment.

hang on in there Mrs X - and we will all see you on the other side, happy as sandboys

ahem!
yeah,i can relate to that as,mrs userjay is now living at her sisters,due to constant arguing(we have both got children to ex's).hope to have her back soon(washing machine??)
its complex & daunting & an unusual test for both.
but thats exactly why its worth doing,at least your testing yourself,which is what its all about,i think

Must admit I have felt like taking myself off to some quieter pastures and letting Mr X deal with all the DIY, but have decided that this is something we both have to do, and ultimately this will bring us closer (or should I take off the rose tinted spectacles?).

It certainly is an experience I would not like to repeat, and for that same reason as has been mentioned I will NEVER do the moving halfway across the world again.

We all have to stick in there, and remember why we are doing this. A better life in OZ will be so worth it!

Mrs X

Believe me it will all be worth it - my daughter and her partner had to odd disagreement. It is a very stressful time getting all the paper work organised - then they come back and say they want something else.
They are getting close.... thank goodness, I am really looking forward to having my daughter and my new family back in Australian after nearly 7 years!!
Mother Near
Kilcoy Qld

Yes we have been here since 27th Jan and it has been hard, we have had some real BIG rows but it is not surprising when you think ... all the stress and not knowing, then you get on that plane thinking you have made it but it just carries on when you arrive cos you have to find somewhere to live/a car to drive/and schools for your kids. Its just about getting better for us now but the ride has been rough ... I had always dreamed of emigrating but could never convince the hubby but looking back I wish we had done it before we had had kids cos it is soooo hard once you have children .. the guilt is awful.
Saying that they have settled better than me in the long run and the hubby too.

I must say thats one thing I am worried about is the Children.I know everyone says how well they settle but the emotional guilt dragging them from there familiar environment into the unknown and from their friends.My little boy started school last September and is just making fiends nicely and probably 18 months down the line we will be up and going to start a new life exciting but a lot of responsibiltiy as a parent if it does not work out or they are unhappy.
Do not want to sound too depressing.I know it will be hard but need to stay positive as hopefully it will !!!! be worth it.:scared:

Hey there Mrs X, we have just had a very stressfull 2 weeks of gathering info together for our TRA assessment, and yes a few rows were incurred, I had a few "thats it!!, I'm not doing it" from my other half and I myself have my doubts about the whole thing, I worry about my kids (we have 3), although only 1 is at school, and I can see the scene now at the airport with my friends and family, and it sends shivers down my spine, but my partner has said to me a few times look at the "big picture", when I am getting upset about the little things and it makes me feel better. We're off to Sandown tomorrow, heard its excellent and I think I will have a better idea what Aus is all about, we're hoping to live in Brisbane but hey we'll see, havn't even got the visa yet!!

You are definitely not alone! We were one of those stuck in the system for 2 years. Now that we are here the stressful moments still continue but we were prepared for them anyway. We'd planned on a)short term rental b)choose a suburb and get youngest in school c)find jobs d)get mortgage and buy house e)resume life.

We are now at stage d and nearly there. It isn't easy but as the old saying goes "if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger"

My 12 year old and I were sat on the patio the other morning and she said "I love it here mum, it's the best place in the world". When I asked her if she would want to go back she said "for a visit to see my old friends but I'd always want to come back".

We are in total agreement. I love this place, never been here before but the laid back life style and the weather suit me down to the ground. As hubby said before we left uk, "I'd rather be sat in a pool at the end of the day saying how bad it had been than coming in out of the freezing rain and saying the same thing"

Nice one that makes us all feel better.
Did you not visit Perth before you emigrated?
We have not been yet? and just wondered what your first impressions were.