easiest way to settle in australia
 

Is it easier to settle in Australia if you have family over there, have kids so meet folk through them, or single/ couple going out every weekend to bars/ restaurants? Or does it depend on the person emigrating?:confused:

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

It depends on you.

Family do help (or they did me). I met my best friend at my daughters school and I go out every friday night. But I came with the attitude that I wanted to live here and it was going to be different to what I was used to. I didn't compare it to the UK at all, and I look on each day as an adventure, but realised that it's still the same in some ways, still have to do the shopping, pay the bills etc :)

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

I have family here and that has helped, but if they hadn't been here, we'd have done just the same as we have so far, but without them.

It depends on you. If you can't survive without your family, think hard before you come out here. :)

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

I think it would be much more difficult if arriving without kids, although I'll never know.

Saying that, we have a few friends (couples without bairns) that arrived and have loads of mates.

I maybe generalizing, but I bet the majority of Poms on here socialise, in the main with Poms. We do ...

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

As an aussie, when I lived in the UK, I could think of nothing worse than mixing with other aussies. Aussies bore me, it's hard work to come across one who is not obsessed with sport, real estate prices and money. Most will even have no problem asking you how much money you earn. Truly annoying!

The friends I seeked out were British. They go out and have a laugh.

I remember one time walking into the walk-about (aussie pub) saw all the legless aussies and it was no later than 9pm. They had probably been drinking cask wine earlier back at the hostel. I felt this overwhelming feel of embarrassment.

One bloke, for no reason, then starting shouting aussie aussie aussie, followed by 100 ppl replying with the oh so intelligent oi oi oi.

I just cringed and quickly left.

And they say the yanks make bad tourists.

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

That depends on if you're in a pom area! We're not and as a result, have no pom friends, just Australian. Soldierblue from here will be the first pom people we'll have met, when they finally settle in a month or so. :D

If you're not here with children, I imagine it would be similar because you'd be going out in the evenings more, doing stuff that you wouldn't have to hire a babysitter for... I can't say for sure, but having no kids wouldn't be any sort of barrier to meeting people. In fact, I suspect it would make things easier! :D

(I love my kids) ;)

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

I think iPom's right - depends on a) the area you live in and b) your attitude. I know one pom here, a bloke who's married to an Aussie and has been here for 12 years. I've met a few other poms through the surf life-saving club (mainly Navy guys maintaining the sea-kings at the naval base near here), but they're just folks I see on Friday and and Sundays - not drinking mates. I suppose if you're one of those people (not you specifically, anyone) that goes to Spain because it's full of Brits and they serve English food in Rose & Crown 'pubs', then you're unlikely to integrate fully here and will happily live in some sort of English ghetto. Not my idea of fun, but if it floats others boats ... :)

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

We get your drift, you hate the country you were born in and all the people who live in it, with the exception of immigrant British people, who you adore. Begs the question ...

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

Hmmm. You should try walking past the pommie backpacker headquarters at the Beach Hotel in Coogee during the summer.

They're usually legless by lunchtime and I frequently have an overwhelming feeling of embarrasment... :ohmy:

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

We had family here in Perth and thats why we chose Perth..........but since we have been here we never see them at all.

We have made our own way round Perth without any help, made our own friends without their help, we go out at weekends and do the pubs/restaurants etc with our friends..........but NO family.

Rather strange i guess, but i wouldn't have it any other way. If i had known how easy it was to make friends without the help of family then we would definatley gone else where and not Perth.

Also depends on what type of person you are. I will talk to anyone;) but if they don't talk back then you walk!!!!
If you rely on others to do the talking for you and to make friends, then maybe having family here will definaltley help.

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

Totally agree. You've got to be prepared to strike up conversation with people - tough if you're the shy retiring type, but I reckon it's a lot easier when you're in another country, free of any sort of old British rule-sheets on social etiquette. :)

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

There was a documentary on TV in the UK a few years ago that spent a Christmas in a couple of backpackers hoss-tells ( ;) ) in and around Bondi and I know exactly where you're coming from.

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

Don't be such a drama queen all your life.

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

60 Minutes did an item on English backpackers a few years ago.

It was quite amusing - most of them were under the impression that they're really brave and adventurous travelling 'independently' 12000 miles away from home, but in reality, most of them are herded around the country just as if they were on a package holiday to Spain.

They arrive in Sydney early summer (after the obligatory few weeks in Thailand), spend the summer on the beach at Bondi or Coogee with rather a lot of drinking. Late summer they move on up to Byron for surf lessons and drinking, followed by a bit of fruit-picking in SE QLD for those who've run out of money.

By Autumn they heading towards the Whitsundays where they all do the compulsory sailing trip to Whitehaven beach accompanied by a bit of drinking. By winter they've reached Cairns, where the schedule is a dive course, a bungy jump and a lot more drinking to round the trip off nicely. :blink:

Re: easiest way to settle in australia
 

But pommys don't purpose how much they are loved and respected around the world.

They often admit they're bad boys out to have a laugh and a shag.

Whereas, most aussies i know truly believe they are gods gift to the world. That everyone respects and loves them. WAKE UP call.

And OMG what is it with aussies having to wear their rugby/AFL footy jumpers everywhere they go while abroad. OK, we get the drift, you're from Australia - who gives a flying f....