Great post and very true - I remember all those feelings jayr.

Also Mandy has got a point it goes by so quickly you forget you go through each stage. I have an informal journal rather than a diary and write bits and pieces when I think about it - some of them give me a great laugh when I look back even a few short months into each stage.

Flybuys! I am doing well on these, might be something to do with the fact I earn points at my local drive through bottle shop!

Oh after 15 months we bought a house in the area we had been renting for 14 months and the estate agent sent round a welcome pack, it was filled with wonderful goodies, the drink and chocs aside - the information booklet welcoming us to the area from the local council was filled with information we spent the previous 14 months learning from scratch, including sodding bus stops (yes been there watching them at the wrong stop). The new welcome pack came with full details of all bus routes, timetables, local facilities, opening times, bin removal, and heaps of other things. Anyway my point is if my local council do packs for new residents then they must be available for people who rent too. So make one of your first stops either the web site of your local council, or the local library, or even the local estate agent and ask him for this information.

I am still laughing - I am getting all the local info and money off coupons for places I have already been or joined as well! I am having fun though after 16 months in the country just realised :

- there is no post on Saturdays so I was checking my box for nothing!
- there was no point in watching what bins the people opposite us put out, they are on a different collection for paper and cans!
- even after 17 months all up, I am still learning!

Cheers and hope you are having fun jayr

I have taken to waking in the morning and thinking to myself - 'what the bloody hell am I doing'? But as the morning and the day goes on, I realise that Australia is really what I want to do. One of the biggest things, is the selling up and getting rid of a lot of the things that mean a lot to me.
I have animals, which doesn't help the situation. The dog will be coming with us. The cats will go and stay with my daughter, and so will 2 of the horses. There is also my eldest daughter, and I don't think that I would feel so bad, but she is due to have a baby on the 12th Sept, and I feel a little selfish that I will be leaving her just after she has given birth to our 2nd grandchild.
She is coming out to us early next year, so that eases my worries a bit.
I know that once we are there, I will be fine, but its all that needs to be done for us to get there that is sending me round the twist.

I wish that the weather would hurry up and change as that would put me back on the straight and narrow. Why has it had to be this year, first one in about 20 that we have had a glorious Summer?

The answer to your question.

Excited but nervous.

Whisky

Rachels

I'd never been to Australia before either and sold up the house, changed jobs and moved wife and two kids to other side of the world - it's not that mad despite what most would say about needing to visit first. If you've only got a few weeks to go I imagine you are in the c******g yourself stage. These are really scary times, once you are at the airport with your old life behind you and your new life in front of you you will start to feel better. Don't worry if you are more worried than excited - its normal.

Suz - Have sent you a PM.

Been here 4 1/2 years now. Most things seem pretty familiar by now, but still I get confused with the odd phrase.

I have even caught myself saying things like doco, arvo, smoko, etc. quite regularly at work.

But the best was me waking up for the second time one night because of my eldest having nightmares and saying...

'crikey...'

Can't wait for me to say 'It's a beaut mate...'

Then I know I'll be as close to being a 'dinky di' aussie as I'll ever be.

AndyH

Hi

Thanks for the support and the encouragement and the honest responses.

I think part of the problem is that I feel the guilt that whisky talks about because my Dad is suffering from cancer and I'm about to go to the other side of the world. (He didn't have it when we started this process). He is doing okay and the prognosis is fairly good but its still upsetting. To be fair to my folks they have been nothing but supportive despite their problems.

I'm really pleased to hear that you moved without visiting jayr because that is something I have been questioned about (not on here). But you seem really happy with life and I hope I will be too.

I am certainly at the "cr***ing" myself stage, very well put! I am counting the days rather than weeks now so it must be close.

Rachels

I remember having the calendar with days to go marked on it nd wishing (when it was say 60) that it would hurry up. When it got down to the last few weeks I wanted it to slow down. As things got sold off and packed away and the house emptied it was a really nervous time, wondering what the hell we were doing. The amount of people who asked about going and whether we'd been before and that looked as though we were mad when we hadn't been. Also noone really quite believed it until we were just about to go (including us I might add). You have the extra burden of your father's illness, perhaps you could try to keep some money (or available credit) aside just to give the comfort that you could visit if necessary - one of the hard things is knowing how diificult it would be to visit if someone gets ill. You find yourself prioritising friends and relatives - who would you fly back for if they got ill, got married, had children whatever, and this isn't a very pleasant thing to think about but one you have to consider to some extent. In the last few weeks all these 'negative' reasons come to take on more significance than they really deserve - its the fear of change despite how much work and effort you have put into making the change happen. The cut off point for us was arriving at the airport, this was the clean break point between past and future and finally things got a bit more exciting again - probably because you knew you were on your own and worrying about things no longer served any purpose.

On a lighter note, whereabouts in Newcastle are you from? I lived in Blaydon until I was 18 before moving via London and Birmingham to Brisbane.

We arrived in Perth around the same time as another English family, we live a few doors away from each other. We'd been to Australia on holiday a few times and felt we'd done all our research, felt well prepared, the other family had come to Perth after researching on the internet, talking to Aussies in London they decided to go for it without a prior visit.

I couldn't understand what made them make this big move without visiting first BUT I have now changed my mind. I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong!! As far as I can see (you can only judge on what you see) they have settled in far better than us and have never looked back, they are doing very well.

We've no regrets and have a comfortable life here, but I don't think Australia is for us long term, no amount of holidays can prepare you for living, working, educating children etc. in another country.

Just go for it, you have just as much chance as anyone of making a go of it.

I agree with you a bit there Kath. We had been on holiday twice but that was what it was - holiday. I didn't do much research etc before I came as I thought well, if my rellies have survived for over 10 years then so can we. I didn't set my heights high for fear of being squished.

Diane

Hi

Listening to you all makes me feel a bit less crazy for moving to Australia without prior viewing. Maybe ignorance is bliss in the sense that everything you see is new and interesting and you're so busy discovering you're settling without realising it? We have done lots of internet research and conversations with Australian friends etc so we are not "dreamers" in that way, we are aware its not the land of milk and honey.

Jayr, you hit the nail on the head with the priority question. Andy (my partner) and I have been having exactly that conversation. We have friends getting married, I have elderly grandparents and of course there's my Dad. Its a horrible conversation to have - like saying who is more important - but with limited funds it has to be done. We do have enough put aside (all be it some of it on credit!) for us both to fly home if necessary.

Fear of change is exactly what is it, I'm suddenly starting to like things about my life that previously irritated me - like the hustle and bustle of London, my job, the weather! This is probably a female thing but its very like the situation where my hair (normally a mess) is perfect on the day I go to the hairdresser!

I know Blaydon quite well, do you ever get back there? I'm actually from North Shields but most people haven't heard of it so its easier to say Newcastle. I then went to Uni in Manchester, ended up in London and next stop Brisbane - similar journey to you in that sense. To be honest I think I'll miss Tyneside more than London.

Yes, I noticed that, would be really grateful for any info on the hills, we were warned it was so much hotter in summary, but would love to hear more about it, heat, safety, anything else worth mentioning.

Many thanks

David

Hi All
We are new to the forum. My family and I are in the process of applying for immigration to South Australia. I have had my skills assessed and approved as an Electrician and have also been nominated by South Australia to DIMIA. We expect to get our visas by Xmas.

The thing I think I am going to miss the most is going to a Premiership football match every Saturday.

I have read from the forum that The premiership is on every monday. There was also mention of a match on every Saturday Night. Are these on satelite TV or Terrestial TV?

If anybody has any information about adelaide, its schools, social scene etc and they would like to share it. This would be much appreciated.

hi racheal

sent you a pm

kerry

well all i can say is that we burried my dad today who died of cancer and i'm glad i'm here and not there..

i was with him a few hrs before he went and i'm more at peace with it than if i'd been in adelaide and heard by telephone..

cheers

richard

Richard

I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad, my thoughts are with you.

I'm glad you were able to spend time with him before he went and i take on board your point about being at peace with yourself.

Having sick or elderly relatives when planning to move so far away is an awful situation for anyone to find themselves in and one many of us will have to come to terms with.