This is a really good point....we applied ourselves, and succeeded.....very easy.

All the info you need is online. We came over 5 yrs ago, my missus is a nurse.

Some people advised us to use an agent but we could'nt justify spending all that cash on something we could do ourselves....as it happens another couple we know started the process at the same time but used an agent..and we got our visa's 5 months b4 them

Good luck mate, personally we have never looked back. We had never been b4 , didn't know anyone so it was a huge step for us, oh and we had a 4 year old as well....

I think if you have an open outlook on life and accept things will be different then you have a good chance of making a better life for yourself....there are lots of people on here who do nothing but whinge and whine about Oz and the people, but then again i think they would whinge and whine no matter where they lived.

It is by no means utopia, we think its pretty damn close....

The more posts I read like this I just want to pack up and go.

I cant believe you went over without ever being there before, that is awesome, hell of a risk but well worth it by the sounds!

Keep the advice coming!

I came over without having been to Aus as I saw no risk - if I want to go back to the UK I don't need a visa.

To me, it's the weather. We're in Melbourne so we get the seasons. I never find it freezing cold but sometimes we do get 40C days. You will quickly get used to 30C days which come around a lot in summer (usually). Went on holiday to the Gold Coast and found the humidity was a killer. I love going for an hour's walk and found that within 10mins I was dripping. So, GC is a lovely place but the humidity would make me miserable.

I get the impression everywhere in Aus is crying out for tradies so take your pick. The big money is in mines if you are happy to live in the middle of nowhere. To start off I would suggest choose a capital city with a climate comfortable to you. See what you think and determine whether Aus is where your life is.

If you want info on areas, name it, you will be surprised how much info comes your way. This place is a goldmine. The more specific the question the better the answer because more people tend to post, so you get an array of opinions.

Just do it. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Yeah it was very risky as we both had decent jobs, a lovely home and security.

But we could see no way forward for us, but more importantly for our son, so we said what the hell, nothing ventured nothing gained.
I know for some people it is or has been difficult, but we have not been to bad. The worst i felt was when we were renting, just had a feeling of not belonging, that changed as soon as we bought our own place.

Plus the bonus of meeting some incredible people, we now lead a full and happy life, we always seem to be doing something but its nice sometimes to do nowt....

By the way if your looking down the Gold Coast, you'll be surprised i think, it is such a diverse area, you will have a tough decision on where to live i think.

You have the glitter Strip, which is around Surfers, but then you have the beautiful, serene Hinterland.....really is Chalk and Cheese.

superb post, and the only attitude that'll get you through with your sanity intact. It's going to seem like an odd thing to say considering the gravity of what we've all done/are about to do, but I'd personally try not to think about the pro's n cons too much.

I got a phone call at 3am 3 1/2 years ago, had a word with the wife and we were gone. There's alot to be said for going along for the ride and just lapping up the adventure.

On the whole I'd say we're no happier here than in England, but we're happy, which is good enough for me

It seems a lot of you just packed your bags and went without ever being there and dont regret it.

Housing wise, we want to be in a good neighborhood with a few pubs or whatever so we can socialise, would like quite close to the beach, but aslong as we're not miles inland we dont mind.

We did that 28 years ago - fed up with a job where people had to die/retire before a promotion came along, fed up with living in a small box on a new estate, so we sold everything, packed what was left into 6 suitcases and one tea chest, and hopped onto a flight to Adelaide with our 5yo and 3yo daughters.

I was sick with nerves the whole way over, and it took me 6 months to land a full-time job (I got 6 weeks work as a relief teacher in between - couldn't do that nowadays with no teaching qualifications or experience!). Now I'm firmly established in my profession here, a grandfather 5 times over, and wouldn't change it for the world. Even in that first 6 months we never considered going back.

Yep, we went over with hubby never having been (and my only experience was a holiday of 2 weeks). We were fed up of a long commute to earn a decent wage and decided that moving closer to London still didn't tick enough boxes so ended up moving to Sydney We got a skilled visa, packed up our house and 3 kids (plus one on the way) and didn't look back. We didn't see it as a risk, we could always come back but wanted to give it a decent go so agreed to give it 2 years even if we hated it initially. Luckily that didn't happen, it was love at first sight

As someone else said, you're at a perfect stage of your life to move so why not, eh? Sorry I can't help with areas but I hope you can whittle it down - research everything to death - I honestly thought I was going to break google sometimes with my constant searches

Good luck with your decision making - you sound like a positive sort of guy who's willing to track down opportunities so I'd say Oz would be a good fit for you.

Just to add a few words of balance.

You are posting in part of British Expats where most people will respond positively to questions about the move... we all did it and we are all still here, so we must have found it OK.... BUT, and its a big but, it does NOT work for everybody.

Plenty do NOT make a success of it and return to the UK, and before people start saying that's all down to the attitude of the people involved, that's just bollocks. Very few of those who sold up everything and made the move to Australia planned to be returning home again. For some, and its a sizeable percentage, it just never works out.

For the other side of the coin to all these success stories you are being told, check out the Moving Back to the UK part of British Expats. It can be an eye opener.

I fail to see that this post would receive more favorable comments because of where its posted, if people read the post then they will respond accordingly.

Your point however is a good one, it does not work out for all people for whatever reasons. Like i said in a previous post, you have to be realistic and accept change, take off the rose tinted glasses and deal with real life.

It is a huge life changing move, and its inevitable that it won't work for some, but then again it does work for some...so you pays your money and take your chance.
I have every respect for people who have tried, found it not to their liking and moved on, at least they had the balls to do it in the first place.

I think if you give it your best shot and it doesn't work out then there is no failure, just an experience which you may look back on with fondness in later life....

Not for nothing was the Barbie known as the Godzone and its posters Godzoners.
The Barbie is, was and probably always will be, biased in favour of Australia. Unsurprisingly, that bias extends into the main Australian board. Nothing wrong in that, just so long as the poster is aware of that bias.

I completely agree - it's the things that you don't do in life that you regret, not the things you've done and didn't like.

Looking back with fondness at an experience that may have destroyed you financially is pretty unlikely. Coming to Australia and not having it work out can be ruinous for some... a very very expensive 'experience'.

The OP is in his mid-20s with no children, positive equity in his house, a skill that's in demand and what he considers to be a realistic set of expectations about living in Oz. Whilst I agree a move shouldn't be taken lightly I don't think it'll lead to his 'financial destruction'.

Speaking personally, we recently moved to the States for a few years (from Sydney) and for the first time I'm experiencing homesickness and it's blooming miserable, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but I don't regret coming to live here. Financially these few years are neutral for us but the experience is a good one for us all, despite missing home.

For the Op maybe... but there won't just be the Op reading this thread. There are people hiding away in the background all the time, and I think these hugely positive threads, whilst generally a good thing, really can give some people the wrong impression.