noodle

I'd like to share with you what I thought I would get if I move to Australia to get some feedback.

Don't know why, but it's something I've always fancied doing. I imagined getting alot more for our money with regards to housing and lifestyle in general. I imagined the weather to be decent from spring to Autumn enabling us to be out more, go for days out with our kids, instead of about 1 month a year here. I imagined making lots of new friends in similar positions and basically building a better way of life for us all. I imagined hubby coming home from work to us all sat in the garden for a barbeque. I imagined lots of days out to the beach. I imagined having a bigger house so that I could have another baby. I even imagined owning a bit of land where I could keep a horse (ultimate dream).

I didn't imagine it to be like holidaying in Spain, where it's sunny every day and people walk around smiling all day (because they're on holiday) and so thought I wasn't disillusioned by the prospect, but after reading some of the threads on here, stating things like how it isn't so great, probably worse than UK, loads of crime, loads of drugs, no jobs etc, and even someone wanting to come back to bring up her child, I am really fed up and dreading the prospect of spending the rest of my life here, instead of living my deram in Oz. Everything seems to contradict what I originally thought. In fact, right now I feel like crying! It's not that I hate it here, but going to Australia is in my heart, and unlike some of you on here, I actually don't care what my family think, they've shit on me all my life and I'm always happier without them!! Sorry, just feeling sorry for myself!!

We have about 50k in equity and hubby earns about £38k here, but we can't nearly afford a nice house in a nice suburb of Melbourne. I don't seem to have anything positive to say to my husband at the mo, could anyone convince me otherwise?

johanne

Hi noodle, its only natural to feel like this you havent been there that long and you are probably feeling a bit down and depressed with that long flight, it takes awhile to feel normal and not bob up and down when you walk around the shops

i remember when you went you were full of it and raring to go so dont let yourself get down about it..at the minute it is 6.55pm and its pitch black and its been dark and grey ALL day and the same for tomoz..aussiw will pick up soon dont worry then you can dust your bbq down and get stuck in, remember why you went in the 1st place and that there is thousands of people who would kill to be in your position now...just take each day as it comes and dont stress over things you cant control, trust in yourself and your family that you have made the right choice to move to aussie and dont see it has the end of your life, its only the beginning. Wipe your tears look out of that window see the sun ( sorry if its raining) and look around you, were can you get that in the uk?...i cant say cheer up cos only you knows how you are feeling at the minute ...
take care of yourself your husband and your kiddies and enjoy...
xx
ps which part of melbourne did you end up in?

Arron

Hi noodle,
I don't think i'm in a postion to offer any advice, as i'm still in UK with my family , but this is how i see it for US.
We've never been to Oz before but are hoping to settle in Adelaide next year. This site ,for me, has offered some great advice and on occasions has highlited the "down" side of Oz(re- crime etc) but at the end of the day ,you must remember that "advice" on here is given in good faith and in some cases is only the opinion of the poster. The only way to find out is to go and see for yourself, even if it's for a short holiday if you can afford it (we can't).
For me it's the idea of sitting here in 5 years time wondering what might have been. It may not work out for us, but we're going to give it a try. I know there is crime in Oz and life is not one big BBQ, and ( perish the thought) go to work. But it's new, a new life, a new start, it will be what YOU make it.Nothing ventured nothing gained, and all that. At the end of the day it's YOUR choice.


:lecture:

Arron ( what do i know ? )

jandjuk

This is all possible if thats what you want. The weather won't always be great, and depending on your personality, you may get bored with the BBQ and the beach and the bigger house etc, you may not. Only you will discover that.


Whether it's worse or not is a matter of taste... don't let the reality of life Australia put you off. Aus is no better or no worse in many ways, but it is DIFFERENT to the UK. It can sound like Aus is littered with drugs and crime and bad driving - and these things do exist, but will have no greater affect on your life than they do in the UK. These should not be your reasons for deciding whether to emigrate or not.


Your reasons should be based on whether both you and your husband really want to do it. If it's both of your 'hearts' then go for it. You should go for the adventure, with the possibility of a better life, not the guarantee of a better life.

It will be a lot of hard work, and it will be tough - it will not be perfect, but it could be very rewarding if you want it to be.

It's kind of like what they say about having lots of money - money only makes you happy if you were happy before the money. It's exactly the same with emigration. Emigration is not a magic pill for life's problems, but it is a fun adventure.

nosuchluck

Just wanted to say that i whole heartedly agree with everything everyone above has said. We cant' wait to get to Australia, never been and maybe thats a good or bad thing, who knows, but we are relishing the experience, we don't want to sit with our grandchildren in a few years saying, 'if only'.
How long have you been there? we have only recently sent off our main app. but are willing the months away waiting for the time when we can start our new chapter in our lives.
Just wanted to say that i am thinking of you
rach

PeteY

Noodle, firstly, this forum i full of peoples opinions. Individual views. Many here love aus, and post that they do.

There are LOTS of problems living in australia, but there are LOTS of problems living here in the UK. Some of the problems are the same and some are different.... I'll list a few.

Crime...depends hugely upon where you live, but you are generally just as likely to be affected by some kind of crime in either country. You can't escape crime by emmigrating, but by the same token you probably won't experience any more, if you see what i mean.

Drugs....do they affect you here? They should'nt be a problem down under.

No jobs..... Well, this is one of the things that is GENERALLY going in the Uk's favor. Jobs ARE around in oz, but they will normally be lower paid than thier equivilent in UK, and will often be harder to obtain. Its very relative to what you do though. If you are a chippie, brickie or a sparkie, you will get a job with a livable salary relatively easy. If you are an office worker, or IT, you will be able to get somthing eventually, but it will be more difficult than for a tradesman.

Salaries are relative to living costs though. Living costs are on the whole lower, as are the salaries. If you work out living costs in relation to your salary, its cheaper to live in aus.

Somone wanting to come back to bring up her child....Thats simply her choice. From memory (although not sure) the main draw factor was her desire to be around family with a newborn?

Education....Some say its worse in aus. In my, and many others opinions, thats a load of rubbish. I know LOTS of highly educated and succesful australians. My wife and her 2 brothers all turned out fine, as have all our aussie friends. Statistically, australia scores higher than the UK.

House prices...VERY variable accross oz. Sydney can more more expensive than London in many areas. Perth and Brisbane are alot cheaper. Darwin, and towns further afield are even cheaper. A VERY VERY rough guide to what you would need to spend in the main cities to get a half decent house would probably be Sydney $550k, Melb $350k, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth $300k, Darwin and other smaller more isolated cities $200k.

The weather in oz is hotter and dryer than the UK wherever you are. In northern oz, and parts of the east coast they actually get more rain than the UK, but its generally stormwater and heavy showers, not the persistant drizzle you get in a UK winter. In summer up north it gets VERY humid. In winter down south it can actually get pretty damn cold !!

Positives are things like the fact that outdoor persuits ARE more accessible. The bush is easy to get to, there is less congestion, a good health service (as is the NHS), lots of beaches and an outdoor lifestyle.

You CAN have many of the things you mention in your first paragraph, if you want them badly enough.

If you want the outdoor lifestyle, lots of outdoor leisure persuits etc, you will love aus. If you are a town type, then it MIGHT not be quite what you are after....

nosuchluck

PeteY
just wanted to say what a great positive post, we are only at the early stages, submitted main app. in September and we are at the new chapter, new life, excited stage but no doubt there will be times in the long wait ahead that i may feel a pinch of doubt, so i have taken the liberty of printing your words of wisdom out to keep me going!
great objective post as always
regards
rach

Tazzy

Noodle, I'm sending a BIG HUG your way............did you get it?
Chin up babe, things will get better. Keep PETE Y reply in mind. I agree whole heartedly with him. You've made the move, you are actually there, now its time to make your dream work. You have to still work for it, Rome wasn't built in a day, but I bet you'll be BBQing with the rest of them in no time.

Tazzy

Say G'day to the Kangaroo's for me, I'll be chasing them soon!

noodle

OOPS, I'm sorry people, I'm not in Melbourne, just hoping to be. I'm trying to decide whether all my dreams will come true, or am I living in dream land? I'm so confused, but if I was on my own I'd go tomorrow. Husband needs the reassurance more than me, but I'm the one who has to convinve him. I had already done that until he read some of the negative aspects of Melbourne on here.

Please give me confidence. Johanne, you've lived there, what do you think?

Noodle.x

noodle

You're a love Tazzy, thanks for the hug. Bloody well need it and I bet you do too!! Thanks for the huge reply from PeteY, great response. It's such a huge step to take, as I've said before because it will affect my whole family and that's why I'm worrying so much. Are you sure of work out there Tazz?

Noodle.x

markeh

Hi noodle,

I think we all get depresed from time to time.

Remember life largly depends on those around you and your husband loves you and you love him, so all in all it should be ok.

My wife often asks me of late if I am Ok, normally whan I'm having a sulk & a face like thunder. I look at her & realise that she loves me and all is fine. (Followed by a hug as well )

You are not doing this alone, hubby will be there with you supporting you and that's all you should need. ask him for a hug and see how you feel after that.

Remember money comes & money goes, but as long as you have someone who loves you and it's not freezing outside then you should be ok.

Bye
Markeh

noodle

Thanks Markeh

Yeah, we all get depressed and my husband 's there for me and we love each other to bits. Sometimes people's descriptions of Melbourne are no better than living in the centre of Manchester, which I'd hate. What I'm worrying about really is if I've taken my family to a worse place than they're in now!! Which I might add, is a lovely Cheshire village where I don't have to worry if I leave my door unlocked.

Noodle.x

footie chick

Hi Noodle.

Keep your chin up. We all have days when we want to fall down and cry, and yes sometimes we do. A good cry helps.

I hope it all works out the way you want it to. A lot of people that emigrate have probably been where you are now and most have got through it.

Take care

footie chick

downunderpom

Hi Noodle

Sounds to me (especially the bit about having a horse) that maybe you should look at living outside of Melbourne? Transport is good, if you're looking at working in the city. I presently live in the Parramatta area outside Sydney, and work in Sydney. By train it takes me 30 minutes to get in, by car it takes 30-40 minutes depending on the time of day. So, you can have the 'village' atmosphere, with some elbow room, if you trade off against the travel time. For me this was a no-brainer, as I'd come from the UK where I was taking 90-120 minutes to get into and out of London from Oxon.

What PeteY said was brill (TOP post, Pete) and I'd just like to stick my two penneth on top of the bit about education:

I was educated in Oz, and took my Junior exams (as they were then known) in Qld, and got 7 subjects. I had these results 'translated' when we moved overseas, and they equated to 11 'O' Levels, including several distinctions, so no worries about Oz education.

Keep your chin up - when all the wait and worry is over, and you're finally here, you'll find that it's all been worthwhile.

HiddenPaw

Hi Noodle
I replied to your PM - sorry for the delay.

Pete Y is right - we are mainly going back for family reasons. One to have the bbaby and family support, two because my husband has never really settled since leaving his brother, and other family (including 4 grandparents), whom he is very close with.

It sounds to me like your family is you, hubby and 3 kids - if no one else matters then go for it. The people who matter to you will be with you.

I'm sure once we have established our own family, our priority will be me, hubby and our own children, and the rest of our family will have to play second fiddle (in the nicest way!). It's just that at the moment, we need our family to help with the new baby. (I don't even know how to hold a baby, never mind look after it 24hrs a day!!)

As I said in my message, we personally don't like Melbourne, and if it weren't for the baby, we would be going to Adelaide for a reccie!

Good luck, keep you chin up, live your dreams......it's not a bad place for everyone, that's for sure.

HP