FRAYNE

Hi everyone would just like to know how people settled into there new community did you find it easy, have you made friends with your Australian neighbours or do you tend to stay with the xpats I hope to move next summer,I dont have young children my youngest son is 30 and lives in Sydney we hope to move up the coast a bit,my husband was in the army for 22 years so we are used to moving around and making new friends but the boys were young then and it was probably easier ,just wondered how other people settled in and did you find it easy

wongstonn

Hi

Well my family have been here five months and I'd say we didn't have any Australian friends in the full sense of the word - for me meaning a deeper kind of friendship. Any 'proper' friendships we have is with other expats that came out at the same time. We are on friendly terms with plenty of Australians, and I haven't yet come across any Aussies that are unfriendly just because we are migrants.

To be honest, I rationalise it much the same as the time I moved within the UK. When relocating in the UK it took time to form those deep relationships. There are times, such as going to college when a bunch of people all are eager to make new friends at the same time. So it is perhaps no surprise that lots of recent migrants are eager to make new friends and befriend eachother. IMO befriending people who are not themselves in one of those life-change situations takes longer, but it will happen.

At least that is the way I see it. Anyone disagree?

Neil

mand8002

I too have made friends with mostly british expats, but I think that is because we are all in the same boat and all need new friends, whereas the Australians already have their friends and social circle. I have slowly made Australian friends though. The Australians are very friendly people.

wongstonn

Agreed. They are a nice bunch. I often sit on my commuter train from the CBD and reflect how uttrerly stressed the Brits were in a like situation, and how sanguine people are here.

kimi

Hi

Ive been here 10yrs, and I would say that when I first started work I made heaps of friends aussie and expats but to be honest most people I found are expats, maybe they have been here a couple of years or maybe they came as small children but you will find it easy, the lifestyle here tends to make people more friendly I think.

Hope this makes sense

Kim

FRAYNE

Thank you all for your replies we have been to oz a few times to visit my son and always found the Australian folk very friendly,my sons future mother and farther in-law have just been to England and stayed with us and they are really lovely people and made us feel part of the family when we came to Australia last exams,Iknow it will be different next time as we will not be on holiday and there is always the Expats so i will have someone to speak to hopefully JANET