john& becky

Hi,
we are John and Becky, new to the forum but very keen on starting a nw life with our children, away from the madness that seems to be the way of the UK now.

We wanted to say hello to everyone and really ask what it was that prompted you to choose first, Australia over say New Zealand and also where in Australia have you all chosen to be and why?

I am a plumber in the UK, I run my own business, Becky is a nursery nurse so we will be coming on skilled visa. Really would appreciate the input from you all to help make navigating this minefield a bit easier....

bethandneil

we decided on oz after visiting both oz and new zealand, we loved oz and everything it had to offer our children, on the other hand we hated new zealand, it felt like the land that technology had forgotton but the vandals definately had'nt, its very beautiful, but the weather isn't as warm and we didn't feel as comfortable there as we did in oz, we actually flew back to oz half way through our trip to new zealand because we disliked it so much!!
I am sure there will be people on here who will disagree, i think new zealand it a little like marmite, you either love it or hate it, we were most definately in the latter!
We have chosen to go to brisbane because the east coast seems to have more to offer in the long term, although we may end up in perth at some point, we like brisbane and felt very at home there in a short space of time, i think as a plumber you could work anywhere in oz and we are in a similar position as hubby is a fitter and i am a nurse, good luck with whatever you decide,
Beth.

mad city fan

hi we have decided for oz also heading for brisbane we have never been to either oz or newzealand but on what research we have done oz wins hands down my OH is a brickie and we are going for a skilled visa where have you decided on and how far on are you with your visa app

john& becky

We are just at the outset of the process, we have been discussing it for over a year but will now be moving forward as quickly as we can. We have a house to sell so priority is to get that underway and rent until we get visas.
We have also been grabbed by Brisbane and the surrounding areas so it may be , in the absence of any other reasons or replies that Brisbane will be the start point......

Thanks for the replies so far, hope to hear from more of you with any reasons we should avoid or head for Brisbane

thebears

Hi John

I came from NZ to the UK so its funny I now turn up in Oz. The reason for Oz over NZ is simple - not enough work and people for me.

We decided on Melbourne because it has multiple seasons, is very european and is a city of sport. It basically has the work life balance we are after - and has easy access to NZ so you do get the benefit of both countries.

Disregarded Perth and Brisbane because we wanted more than beach and heat. (others may be after just that so its a very personal thing). Adelaide was just a tad too quiet but we can see it as a nice place for a holiday.

Good luck with the minefield, its worth it