moneypenny20

Don't bother reading if you hate Aus or are easily bored

Well, we've been here exactly one year and one day and can honestly say we have not regretted a minute of it (ok, maybe my eldest a bit but she is happy now).

We spent our first few weeks in a fab apartment on the 15th floor of a block on Main Beach - the only thing between us and the ocean was the surf club - thanks again Debsy - we couldn't have had a better start. Very quickly decided that we weren't going to find a decent rental anytime soon so two weeks after arriving we bought our house, which isn't great but is on a fab bit of acreage in the hills about 5 minutes drive from the ocean. Everyday I drive away from the house, get to the end of the road and see the ocean one way and the hinterland the other - It's ticks a lot of my boxes

Hubby found work really easily - went for an interview on the Friday and started as a Mechanic on the Monday. Downside - possibly one jerk he works with but there is always one. Another downside - he's working in NSW and so for six months of the year he lives in two time zones. Upside - during those six months he leaves work at 4:45 and gets home at 4.

Girls settled well into their schools. Soon made friends. Didn't find the work any easier or harder than the UK - just different. Sleepovers happen a lot. They do gym, trampoline and love that. They have swimming in the local Olympic pool, trained by very experienced lady who I think swam for Aus and who charges them $5 per child for an hour and a half - can't be bad.

Youngest has started Cheerleading and has her first public performance tomorrow so looking forward to that.

Me, well I haven't found proper paid work but am doing a fair bit of volunteer work - either in the High School Tuckshop or as a Radio Operator for the local Volunteer Marine Rescue guys, sitting a foot or so under the camera of the webcam at Currumbin on Coastalwatch - have a look - not a bad view. Have also trained to do the Uniform Shop so have been doing that occasionally which is paid and might lead to something permanent in the Admin of the school.

Friends. Happy to admit it's hard to find friends that you actually want to be friends with but it happens slowly. Got some great friends of here but they are generally in different states but hell, that's what BE and MSN is for. Have some great friends here on the coast so not completely billy no mates. Had a problem with a few but decided they are ars*hol*s and as such don't need them as mates anyway. Don't feel the need to have people round for barbies every five minutes or even go to others, we actually get on really well as a family so social life is probably nearly as it was in the UK, just not the great mates we had there, but then I was there for over 40 years and only here 1 so it's not complicated.

This bit will probably wind up the Aus is tough/crap/incompetent brigade but no apologies - it's just how things have happened for us, in our small area, and I will be the first to say we have been lucky but we have had nothing tough happen, have had no crap service, no aggro and definitely no incompetence. Any time I have had to deal with either the Commonwealth Bank, the Council, Utilities etc etc I have had exceptional service very very quickly. One example which has carried through was thatI had to contact Centrelink about a query on our tax return, the phone rang three times, immediately got an Aussie human who knew the answer to the question, gave it happily and then asked if I wanted to go through any other questions there and then. I know many people have a totally different experience but this is mine so..........

We were lucky enough to have enough equity from our UK property to buy outright and have a pool put in - stacks of people are not in this position I know so maybe we have had it slightly easier in that respect. We have had great service, kind, interested, helpful neighbours, every Aussie we have met have been lovely. We got caught in our first traffic jam last night on the motorway - re laying the road, but only there about 20 minutes - no worries.

Homesickness. Haven't been homesick - I can't be, I am home. Realised a long time ago that as long as I am with hubby and girls and we are happy and healthy we are "at home".

People sick. Not really. I love the majority of my family and hubby's. But we probably speak more now than before. Friends in the UK - well what can I say, I miss my best mates but knew that and we still text, e-mail, chat nearly as much as before. My bestest mate's 13 year old boy had his third long stay in Great Ormond street, prior to yet another 7 hour op and I couldn't be there but I was on the end of the phone and as she has stacks of family, that's what she wanted from me.

We have had two people close to us die in the last year. Very different and both very sad but we firmly believe that everyone dies for a reason and we can do nothing more than we did, whether we were here or there. If an immediate family member were to die, we have the money put aside to go back if required - we are still executors for hubby's mum and step dad so will have to face that sometime but it's not happened so we don't need to think about it.

Would we go back. Today the only answer can be a definite no. In five years time, who knows and who cares. We live for today, and tomorrow doesn't exist but would never say never because we have no idea what is round the corner.

Shit happens, rubbish service happens, but depending on attitude, in the grand scheme of things it just doesn't matter. We are very much glass nearly full people and nothing and no one is going to bring us down easily.

We feed possums, badger birds, lorikeets, etc on our verandah. We have kangaroos, wombats, turkeys in the garden. We had a Koala wander along our verandah one day. Life is good.

Wakey wakey - it's all over


Nearly forgot, promised Cresta. This is my life, my experience of life in my little tiny area of Aus. What happens in other places to other people will be different. None of us are wrong with our views, they are just different.

northernbird

Excellent post. Here is wishing your next 12 months are as pleasurable.

NickyC

What a great post.

I, too, have never had any of the 'bad' experiences that people whinge about here. I guess we must both live in that 'parallel' Australia.....

Cheers - here's to the next 50 years - hope they're as good as the last one.

Centurion

Thank you for sharing. This board has had regular visits from the I hate this country and everything in it brigade recently. Your post will no doubt cheer many and show that it can and often does work. Best wishes.

moneypenny20

Ooops just remembered something crap did happen - we got burgled but as I said shit happens. Insurance company were brilliant and we were definitely over compensated which didn't make up for the photos being lost but happy enough with the outcome.

hedgehog-girl

What a great post! Well done you. I love your theory on homesickness and if you don't mind, I will be pinching that!

CHnJ

Have you noticed how much less sh*t 'happens to' people with a positive attitude?

Excellent post. Have some karma. Glad you're having fun.

sme

Glad its worked out well for you.

So no yearnings to return to Harpenden then

moneypenny20

Me and my youngest were discussing this very thing this morning and looking at the ocean, the creek, hills and blue blue sky and the answer was nah, don't think so

Mrs Jackaroo

Fab post Pen!

Rosie Cheeks

Love this post, what an interesting read.
Best wishes to you for many more happy years on the Gold Coast

Keebs

Enjoyable, down to earth reading on life in your little bit of Oz.

Cheers

Mrs Keebs

PS we share your thoughts on 'home sickness', we're healthy & happy, both have jobs, small group of friends, broadband, MSN & Skype ;-)

Wendy

Great post mate

kazza

A lovely bit of reading making me wanna get there even more
good luck for the future
karen

lesleys

Did you mean butcher bird?

We like it here too.