sean trethewey

Just thought it would be nice to see how people feel about Australia in comparison to the UK once they have seen the real Australia.

sean trethewey

Anybody??????????????

Wendy

I'll tell you when I get there.


All Oz people are in bed now. Bump it up around midnight.

grahampaula

Ill second that ask us in 6 months

Suni&Jay

I'll tell you in a few months (Hopefully)

sean trethewey

Will do, i didnt think ,Stupid me!!!!!!!!

Wendy

They tend to hang around a lot between 10am and 2pm too.

sean trethewey

Thanks!!!!

PADDAD

We've been here two and a half years and we're going home.

I can't participate in the poll as such as I am going home but I don't hate Oz. It is a beautiful place and I think there is a lot of opportunity here. However it all boils down to missing family and friends and the old familiar way of life. We have achieved some of what we set out to achieve i.e bought the beautiful home with pool and got our citizenship which incidentally brought 'crunch' time.

Initially for the first year we were constantly busy at the weekends and had at least half a dozen short breaks one of which included chartering a yacht for 10 days in the Whitsundays (highly recommended). You kind of reach a saturation point I think where you want more. More in the sense of having something more to do at a weekend instead of going to the cinema because it's too hot or trekking down to the beach which becomes a bit monotonous.

The sense of not really belonging i.e. no extended family to spend time with especially at the weekends and hence feeling very lost. No very close friends that you can speak to easily about anything. My boys who are aged 14 and 11 feel the same sense of 'not really belonging'. We thought the older one out of all of us would never want to leave Oz because he was the one who appeared to have really slotted in. He made a lot of friends and and has developed a passion for stunt blading. However despite this he feels he doesn't really fit in here. My 11 year old has been 'grieving for England' since we got here in 2003. The term 'grieving for England' is the one that his school has used to describe him.

I am really bored living here. For me, I feel I have no soul here, no real emotional tie. It's a bugger really because we do love the lifestyle.

I feel that I can be objective now, at least I've lived here and I know what it's like to live here, been there done that. It's certainly not a lost experience and I won't reach 60 and have any regrets about not coming here. This is our experience and in no way reflects on what others experiences are or will be. I know people here who either love it, will settle for it, hate the U.K. and will never go back, or just live in hope that one day they will feel settled.

It was agony reaching a decision to return to the U.K. but at the end of the day it came down to needing a sense of belonging and missing family and friends and homesick for the old way of life.

I think we will always look back and wonder if we have made the right decision returning to the U.K. but then I think that home is where the heart is and my heart is in England.

Good luck to everyone coming over, chances are you won't be disappointed with the lifestyle.

Wendy

Aww, lovely post.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

toon williams

Me to!!!!

binbird

For us, the move was definitely worth it.......so far! Who knows how we will feel six months or a year down the line but we are feeling positive. We have only been here since September so perhaps we are still in the "honeymoon period"!

We were happy in the UK too but we feel that moving to Australia acted as a catalyst. Hubby was working in a financial services company and is now working for Lexus. I had been at home for the last 8 years raising our family but now that they are all in school I will be starting a part time job a week on Monday.

We haven't felt any homesickness (yet). We had two lots of visitors over Christmas and we have got close family who moved out here at a similar time to us and hubby's brother and wife have been here for nearly two years so I think this has all helped us.

Yes, the weather adds to the feel-good-factor and we do feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to make this move. So far, it is a refreshing change so long may it last.

Binbird

sean trethewey

Great post!!!!!!! Good luck for the future where ever you end up.

jad n rich

Yes, although were giving a rather more long term reply than most (6th year)

We really integrated into australian ways, became self employed, bought the huge house with pool, took up australian sports such as surfing, and have managed to see each and every state usually by long driving holidays so would have seen more of aus than most aussies. During that time weve had two contracts living in places well away from the tourist settlements many prefer. Been through private and state schools and further educaton. Lived on anything from rural acerage to 2 seconds from the beach.

Like PADDAD has said tho some people reach saturation point, australia may be the size of USA or europe but it really only has several main centres and much of the rest is vast expanses of repetition. You do most definately begin to feel What now??

What suited our children at age 3/6 parks and barbies, we are now faced with older children who want more from life. We know whats ahead for them, cars & parties, we have a 19 year old.

Weve also lived here long enough to realise all the issues that affect any westernised society are here too.

We were lucky we arrived when australia was cheap, in that time we have seen the price of most things spiral, I think if we arrived now it would have been a lot tougher, we appreciate we were lucky in timing.

Family has been difficult, I am close to my family, we took for granted airfares in the UK were cheap, I wrongly assumed the same would be the case here, the plan was always to fly back and see family, however Ive seen them twice in 6 years, and we dont struggle income wise, its just a very expensive thing to do from here.

We will probably stay this year due to work commitments, If australia ever got competitive on airfares and remaining in contact with the rest of the world became an option I would probably consider it on a more long term basis.

Families grow and change, in that time weve outgrown what more we can achieve in australia thats all.

sean trethewey

Thanks for the reply, can you tell me if you want to move back because of your family or do you just prefer the UK, if so what do you prefer about the UK?.