bundy

Just an idle thought...I was wondering how many people end up living in the same area they first lived in on arrival in Oz/NZ and how many people move about a bit before they settle.

No idea where me and Mr B will end up, although we'll be starting in Nundle...

Jaykay

I'm currently living in the same suburb that I grew up in. My parents still live in the same house that I grew up in and my sister lives in the street behind my parents. One of my younger brothers lives in the next suburb.

It's very strange, after being away for nearly 11 years, to come back to the area and relive all the childhood memories. Passing by some of the childhood haunts, the primary and high schools, some of my school friends houses, even bumping into people that I think I remember, but have to ask....do I know you???

When we buy a house (we're renting at the moment) we are considering somewhere a little further out, but still close by.

Regards

HUP

We arrived Oz in October. Melb on Nov 10th and moved into our house on Dec 22nd. After paying out the stamp duty I am not going anywhere (Robbing bastards )

Anyway we couldn't afford the removals (Hevs would not be parted from her wood piles)

bundy

I suppose it will be a bit the same when we go to Oz as Mr B will be back living in his hometown, and I'll be back where I spent a year living. But I think we'll move about a bit too.

And I can't really talk as I currently live in Cambridge - I went to school here, university here and now I work for the university! I need to get away....

bundy

I can see your point!

Mind you, as there's only me and Mr B and we're still (relatively) young and fancy-free, and we don't own a house over here and therefore can't walk straight into a house in Oz, we can afford to wander about a bit before we settle

Jaykay

We also want to find a house that we want to have for keeps. I hate the process of selling, moving, settling in, renovating etc.

Hopefully not too long now before we exchange and complete on the house in the UK, then we can seriously start looking for place to buy.

Regards

Trevglas

I am now in my third state in 2 years, hopefully this time to stay!

Simone

My parents:

Remember: they had quite a bit of money to start out with!
And my dad is just restless....

1987- Migration Centre in Maylands, Perth - first 6 weeks
1987- Maida Vales (foothills), Perth - 6 months (Dad worked as carpenter in factory)
1988- Caravan around Australia - 4 months
1988- Kalamunda (hills), Perth - 2.5 years (old cottage, dad totally renovated it, new pool etc, he was a self employed builder in this time)
1991- Bidyadanga/La Grange Mission (northwest, near Broome) - 10 months (dad a building instructor for Atsic)
1992 - Nullagine (northwest WA) - 11 months (dad the coordinator for Atsic)
1992 - Bridgetown (southwest WA) - 3.5 years. Bought a house with wholesale plant nursery (my parents didn't have experience) Wasn't going to well, so dad went back to building, and mum carried on with the nursery for a while, till they eventually sold it all bit by bit.

That's it!
Well, that's not it, but that was it in Oz anyway

Oh, and inbetween all that they also owned a block of land in Toodyay (east of Perth) and a house in Bridgetown, but they sold them when they bought the nursery.

I don't think we'll be moving that often, but also not staying in 1 place. I think after a while of living in the city (for work) we'll go more to the country, maybe southwest....
Can't say yet, hey?!

ABCDiamond

An interesting question, maybe you should do a poll ?

I almost answered it incorrectly. I was going to say that i started in Sydney, and ended up in QLD, which is basically correct

However, I did spend my first couple of weeks on Coochiemudlo Island just a couple of kilometres from where I am now. I left the UK in a freezing December 1986, and went straight to an Island that was way too hot for me then. Sydney seemed a much better option !
But in the end, i'm back up here, i've acclimatised, and am happy here now. I think i'll be staying now.

Rosie n family

Im quite worried about moving the kids around too much when we first get there. We've left quite a bit of stability here and the dream is to slot in to a community there but it needs a lot of research as well as considering the usual dictates of where we work - We didnt decide on our validation trip but I think we will be less idealistic when we arrive end June.

Thomaz

Wollongong (80Kms south of Sydney - although we are actually in Shellharbour with is a little further south) was not our first choice but that's where the job was so we thought we would give it a try saying "We can always move if we don't like it".

Well, we don't like it (much) and we are moving (to Brisbane) next month but it has not been easy making the decision (at times it has seemed easier to return to England).

The cost of removals for one thing is actually working out the same as we paid to bring virtually the same stuff from England seven months ago

Then there is the worry over the children and the schooling - we have just got them both settled in the school here.

And of course the job situation - I'm packing in my job in Wollongong in order to go to a 'better place'. It would be nice if I could find something before I go but it could take forever - employers don't seem interested when you applying from 1000 Kms away (could be they are just not interested full-stop but that's something I can only find out once I am there).

So yes, bearing in mind the difficulties of moving interstate, I can imagine most people end up staying roughly where they start out (same State anyway) unless they, like us, could not settle and returned to the UK but then subsequently came back to Oz after realising the UK no longer felt like home. I've heard that happens a lot which is one reason why we are giving Brisbane a try (at least two years) before deciding Austrlalia is not for us.

I have a feeling though that we are going to love Brisbane so hopefully we will be staying a lot longer than two years