sarahl322

To all of you have made the BIG move, what is your quality of life like? I mean, do you have more time with your family? Do you do more things? Go to more places? Or is it the same but in a different country?

We are planning the BIG move this September to Brisbane, my worry is that it will be the same as UK but in a different country. Currently my husband and I have no quality of life together, no time with our daughter and I am hoping that will change. We come home from work at 7pm do dinner, bath my daughter then bed, there is no play time, weekends are the same, washing, cleaning, shopping etc. It really bugs me that my childminder sees more of my daughter than I do, as good as she is!

Any replies with your views would be great!

Thx, Sarah

Wendy

Put it this way, you don't need to move over 10,000 miles to make more time for your family. It doesn't miracuosly happen just cos you moved country.

If you want to spend more time with the family, then you have to make the effort here just the same as you do over there.

Of course for a lot of us, the move does give you a sense of 'I can achieve anything' so changes are more likely (well at first anyway, then you start to get into a routine again )

sarahl322

Thanks for that, we do need to make more time you are right, we are hoping for me not to work full time over in Brisbane which would give us more time with our daughter and each other. But would you say you go to more places, Australia is a huge place with lots of places to see - do you do this? Or do you become complacent after a while and do the "normal" stuff?

Wendy

I'll let someone who has been here a few years answer that. I've only been here for a year, and have done quite a few things so far (and have loads more planned) but then it's all pretty new to me so that could just be the novelty factor.

We haven't really done much these past few months, but we have just bought a house and are doing it up. Also it's a bit cold down here in South Australia just now

sj oldfield

Things arent that different over here. Work, shopping, BIGGER houses to clean. You just have to make the time. Leave the housework for the weekend and spend the time together!!!

sj oldfield

Also it's a bit cold down here in South Australia just now [/QUOTE]

Bloody cold here in WA as well!!!!!!!!!

Rachel69

We have been here just over a year now, and back in the uk we hardly spent any quality time at the weekends with our 4 kids, but since we got out here we do much more together as a family and are out most weekends, whereas before we would mostly stay in and catch up on odd jobs and housework , shopping etc, boring stuff!!!

The Crow

Hi Sarah

Everyone will have different experiences. It was necessary for me to work part-time in England and OH had to work a lot of overtime too. He may have been lucky enough to have secured a job there on more pay, but we also wanted to move to another area for my daughters' schooling, so the increase in mortgage would have cancelled that out.

Here, I believe, we have been incredibly lucky. My OH works day shift and has very little overtime. His basic is as good as his basic + o/t was in the UK. Our mortgage has been halved (it wasn't high in the UK) and I don't need to work. We have a beautiful house in a wonderful semi-rural area (but close to heaps of facilities). I can also afford to be a gym member. We don't have lots of surplus dollars for flash holidays or luxuries - but I never expected, or particularly wanted, that at this stage.

We are very busy - exploring all the lovely surrounding countryside, beaches, lakes, interesting suburbs and the city. There are also lots of events on - around the suburbs and in the city. We also spend lots of time with good friends we've made. The better weather means I'm often out and about with the girls.

We also have Mt Baw Baw an hour and a half away and will be visiting soon to sample the Aussie snow! It may not be up to OH's snowboarding needs, but the girls will adore it.

The downside to all this is - the housework rarely gets done There is always something better to do. It's always clean enough - but, put it this way, it would take us a while to work out if we had been burgled

So, this is a very positive post - but I'm sure negative experiences will balance it.

Rachel

arkon

For me it's worse by a mile, Time with the family is about the same but to my mind you can always make time for the family no matter where you are, no need to change country to do that.

I do far less things here, the disances to everywhere is too great and the differences between places is so small the trips just aren't worth it.

Give me Europe on the doorstep and lush diverse UK anyday. Cheap flight, infinite choice....etc.... I could go on but I wont, so I'll just answer your question....

For me a massive NO.

soonbethere

Well my opinion is, no change, as someone else said 'same s**t different bucket' which i think sums it up, the bucket being much newer, shinier! our weekends are spent with our daughters, and we noticed that spending more time with each other as we all did when we arrived, (your stuck with each other 24 -7, like it or not at first) we all learned a lot more about how we all tick, we are closer for it and we love it here. But i think like someone else said you need to make an effort, it is easier to make time at weekends. I think that the shop opening times leave us all free for a nice weekend, although i found it difficult not having the flexibility of having the shops open all the time. (sad eh)
To conclude (!) when you go out practically anywhere its clean, warm and friendly, so when you do get to go out as a family, even for an hour its a nicer feeling, and the time spent is (oh not a cliche!!) quality time!

birdynumnum

[QUOTE=sarahl322;4930135]To all of you have made the BIG move, what is your quality of life like? I mean, do you have more time with your family? Do you do more things? Go to more places? Or is it the same but in a different country?

Hi

If a primary motivating factor to migrate is to achieve more time with your family, I'd try to do so without moving across the world.
In terms of doing more things - different things I'd say & after a while (maybe years), theres a definate lack of variety of things to do/places to go nearby. For me I do less I reckon purely as theres less to do. I really miss the choice/diversity of the UK and access to other countires nearby, took it for granted when I was there.
At 1st it seems theres loads to do here but you can run out after a while.
In terms of going to more places - by its very nature being an isolated and quite spread out country - it takes a long time to access other places of interest, so its easy to live within the perameters of a given area.
Whereas the Uk is small its packed full of different places near and far. In contrast, Oz is VERY big and theres not alot in it without HUGE distances between.

The Crow

I think where you settle is crucial. You can see that from the different responses. I have MUCH more within a 45 min radius here than I did in the UK (I was in Bristol), apart from more historic cities/villages.
Certainly quick and cheap access to other countries cannot compare - that is hard for me, as I love Europe (I've done most of it to death, but still yearn ). However, those factors cannot compare to the improvement of our day to day lives and environment.

birdynumnum

I really agree on where you settle being crucial.
Its funny, I was thinking of you when I wrote that post. You seem to have chosen a place that offers alot of choices - near & far. City/coast/hills/hinterland villages/rainforest walks....... well done!!!!!

sarahl322

Thank you everyone for your replies, it makes for very interesting reading.

We are not moving purely to spend more time together although that is a factor. It is something my husband and I have always wanted to try and think now is the best time to do it, my daughter is 4 this yeat so not yet started school so she won't miss school friends but be able to make new ones in Australia when the time comes. We want our daughter to have more of an outside life rather than in doors in front of the telly, and are hoping with the warm weather, places to go and see, parks, beaches etc Brisbane will give us that. We chose Brisbane because I have family there but that wasn't the only reason, we feel Brisbane would suit us best but won't know until we get there. We will be able to buy a house outright so no mortgage would mean I wouldn't have to work but could do part time if I wanted to.

How easy did you find it to make friends? Do you go to these meet ups? I am quite a social person and love to chat (!!!) so I am hoping we will make friends quite easily and quickly?

Thanks again for all your replies.

Australia_bound?

If you wish to spend more time with your family, why do you need to move 10,000 miles to do so?
People in Aus still have the tedious washing, cleaning stuff to do etc etc etc, it's part of life Unless you intend of being extremely wealthy and then you can pay someone to do it

I always thought people moved to Aus for what it can offer them