BobbyDazzler

Picture the scene:

12,500 miles from home
No friends or relatives to call upon
No support network for the kids i.e Grandparents
New work colleagues and neighbours

:scared:


This is the 'nightmare' scenario we (and all other visa applicants) face if and when our visas are approved.

Thankfully, thousands of other folks from the UK have been in this position and appear, on the face of it, to have come out unscathed.

The question is, how easy is it for one to integrate with your new countrymen (& women)??

Are the Aussies falling overthemselves to befriend their new neighbours from the other side of the world, or, is it like the realestate.com.au website where the streets are deserted and you're lucky if you see anything other than a dog bowl in the garden indicating signs of life??

Our neighbourhood in the UK is one of reserved politeness -> a friendly smile or wave on a Sunday morning whilst washing the cars, as opposed to 'in yer face' noseiness. Most of our neighbours are friendly, approachable and, er, neighbourly.

At the risk of sounding completely naiive, are your Aussie neighbours similar or are you very much alone out there.??

Thanks (on behalf of my wife) for any reassurance you can offer her/us

Cheers

BD

Juliecabs

Hi Bd,
Well, we're not over there yet, but I reckon that you'll get out of it what you put in. If we don't make an effort ourselves then how can we expect others to do the same.
When on holiday last year, I met several of my aunt's friends (we were staying with her). They made us feel extremely welcome. We even got invited to a BBQ after meeting one couple for the first time. We exchanged stories of our lives, and when they found out that we were thinking of emigrating, they gave us so many helpful tips.
Best thing to do is to introduce yourselves when you settle into your new home. Maybe invite a few new neighbours over for a beer or ten

Good Luck!

Julie

JackTheLad

Well, I can only speak for ourselves, but the neighbours are fine. We've got three neighbours due to the land lay out. One set is very friendly( we've been over for BBQs, brought my parents over etc), one set I think would like to be friendly except we only ever talk to them about the mischief their teenage boys are getting up to , and the last set seem to be invisible.

Its no different to the UK, you get allsorts.

JTL

Bella Donna

To be honest, I think it's a "do as you would be done by" thing. If you come across as friendly and approachable, I think you will get that back in return. We visited Oz for our *reccy* trip back in May, and everyone we met was friendly and welcoming. We visited Sydney and WA, and I have to say that the Aussies we met were a lot more forthcoming in WA. They were fine in Sydney, but I found them somewhat reserved. We went on the Parramatta river trip one Sunday morning and while walking to the ferry saw several people out for Sunday papers - gave the poor sods the fright of their lives when I said "good morning"!

Just be yourselves and don't try too hard. And enjoy your new home!

kulu

Hello BD,

We have found the Aussies to be infinitely more friendly than the majority of our neighbours in Essex. When we lived in Bristol our neighbours were also infinitely more friendly than our neighbours in Essex! I guess it depends what you are used to and as someone else said if you come across as friendly and approachable then people are likely to respond in the same way. We are pretty shy as a family but have still managed to make some very good friends. We've found that the good weather is a big mood booster and helps to reduce the natural barriers we put up. That's just us maybe!

I'm sure your wife will be fine.

Good luck

Lou

spalen

We haven't spoken to our neighbours at all, both sides seem to work fulltime..so not around much at all.

I have found that I have met people through the children, met a lovely Australian who is already a very good friend and has introduced me to her wider circle of friends, which always helps...she is also married to a brit so have met the extended british family although they have all been here 20 years.

I think its just a matter of luck really, you can meet loads and loads of people and not click with them or you can be lucky and meet just one that you get on with and become really good friends so pretty much similar to the UK...one thing though is that most Australians you speak to think it is a huge thing that you were brave enough to move half way across the world..haven't come up against any resentment so far. Of course you also can take part in expat meets too to widen your circle, we have a british family living opposite us and another just up the road.

Spalens wife

kirsty&al

Hi
As others have said, it varies hugely. I have certainly found that Aussies are more approachable (we came from London where anyone talking to you out of the blue is assumed to be suspect), and places like playgroups are much less cliquey. Our near neighbours are pleasant, but we have little in common as they are much older. One family in the road became good friends, though the initial effort/contact was made by us. Other ex-brits in the road brought round flowers and invited us for coffee just after we moved in. Having kids always makes it easier to meet people, and one lovely family we met on the beach invited us to their home when they found out we were staying in a motel as they knew the kids must be bored.
We moved from a transient area of London to a semi rural area near Melbourne, and it is noticeable that friendship groups here have developed over many years (Mums meet up at Mother's group or when their kids got to kindy, and they stick together). These people are still pleasant and friendly but it is clear that as newcomers we will never have that same degree of friendship. Things might be very different in an area where people have come from all over.
I have no idea if my experience is representative, but I have plenty of friends, though none with whom I have 'clicked'. One oddity for me is that the women are very supportive and caring, to the extent that they almost never disagree about anything. This makes for a pleasant atmosphere, but it can be a bit bland, but I have no idea whether this is just the people I have met or an Aussie characteristic.

Regards, Kirsty

Trax

Hi BD

We have found the best way to get to know people is through the children's sports. Both of our kids play team sports on Saturday mornings, and we find that most parents are very friendly, relaxed. A lot of dads attend too, so its good way for husbands to meet other men, rather than just in the office. Your child doesn't need to be particularly sporty either - there are loads of clubs at all levels (you will see when you get here that "Saturday morning = sport" for most Aussies)

We have been here for 5 months now, and we have a fairly busy social life, and some really good friends - not something we expected after such a short time.

But as someone said to me when we first arrived - people here already have friends - they don't owe you anything - so if you want to meet people, its up to you to make the effort! Very true words.....

hope all goes well with your move

Trax