Your Top Spots in Oz !!!
Jun 9th 2004, 9:38 am
#76
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2004
Location: Benfleet Essex
Posts: 34
Originally posted by Herman
My top spots, in no particular order:
Appollo Bay, love it, so pretty it could almost be English (!).
The Grampians. Great hiking, great views, uncrowded.
Mossman Gorge
The Malaya Restaurant in Darling Harbour.
Fraser Island, especially stumbling across a backpacker free azure coloured lake by accident when lost.
Blue Mountains - hiking and mountain biking, too many nice spots to list. There's a trail there, forget the name, which is about 25km downhill with a train station at the top and the bottom. You free wheel for the entire day - my kind of mountain biking!
Surfing at Fingal Beach once in 1996, the only time in my entire life that I got inside a barrel and out again. Took me 75 days of intense surfing every day from dawn until dusk with my Aussie neighbour and surf coach (carpenter, worked 5am to 10am only!) to build up to that one moment, which will never be forgotten and sadly never repeated.
Lake Corangamite because it was so deserted and felt kind of spooky. Just my wife and I and millions of birds as far as you could see.
Hunter Valley vinyards (Jazz in the vines - go there).
Walking across Sydney Harbour bridge on a clear day.
Some of the secret parks along the northern Sydney harbour foreshore.
The pittwater behind Palm Beach, north of Sydney. Hire a boat, we did this regularly with friends. Some awesome lunch spots up there.
Mosman Bay near Sydney (where the Rowers club is located) - we lived overlooking the bay for a year. The high life.
My top spots, in no particular order:
Appollo Bay, love it, so pretty it could almost be English (!).
The Grampians. Great hiking, great views, uncrowded.
Mossman Gorge
The Malaya Restaurant in Darling Harbour.
Fraser Island, especially stumbling across a backpacker free azure coloured lake by accident when lost.
Blue Mountains - hiking and mountain biking, too many nice spots to list. There's a trail there, forget the name, which is about 25km downhill with a train station at the top and the bottom. You free wheel for the entire day - my kind of mountain biking!
Surfing at Fingal Beach once in 1996, the only time in my entire life that I got inside a barrel and out again. Took me 75 days of intense surfing every day from dawn until dusk with my Aussie neighbour and surf coach (carpenter, worked 5am to 10am only!) to build up to that one moment, which will never be forgotten and sadly never repeated.
Lake Corangamite because it was so deserted and felt kind of spooky. Just my wife and I and millions of birds as far as you could see.
Hunter Valley vinyards (Jazz in the vines - go there).
Walking across Sydney Harbour bridge on a clear day.
Some of the secret parks along the northern Sydney harbour foreshore.
The pittwater behind Palm Beach, north of Sydney. Hire a boat, we did this regularly with friends. Some awesome lunch spots up there.
Mosman Bay near Sydney (where the Rowers club is located) - we lived overlooking the bay for a year. The high life.
Hi Herman
Why on earth did you come back ?
Essex Girl
Jun 9th 2004, 10:13 am
#77
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,432
Originally posted by Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Why on earth did you come back ?
Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Why on earth did you come back ?
Essex Girl
Jun 9th 2004, 12:06 pm
#78
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2003
Location: Perth, Since Jan 05
Posts: 708
Rottnest Island (amazingly clear sea)
Tangalooma (aka Moreton Island off coast of Brissie) - feeding dolphins and proposing to the girfriend
Sydney Harbour
Mandurah, WA watching the wild dolphins
Melbourne & The drive up the Great Ocean Road
Tangalooma (aka Moreton Island off coast of Brissie) - feeding dolphins and proposing to the girfriend
Sydney Harbour
Mandurah, WA watching the wild dolphins
Melbourne & The drive up the Great Ocean Road
Jun 9th 2004, 12:07 pm
#79
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2003
Location: Perth, Since Jan 05
Posts: 708
Originally posted by Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Why on earth did you come back ?
Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Why on earth did you come back ?
Essex Girl
Hi Essex Girl
I noticed you were in Benfleet - That is where I work.
Where and when are you off?
Dave
Jun 9th 2004, 12:20 pm
#80
Senior member
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Paris
Posts: 835
Originally posted by Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Why on earth did you come back ?
Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Why on earth did you come back ?
Essex Girl
Been back a year now and have not regretted either going or returning. Its all good, as they say.
Jun 11th 2004, 9:35 am
#81
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2004
Location: Benfleet Essex
Posts: 34
Originally posted by Herman
A number of reasons really. My wife is Czech and for her family to visit us there would have been a once in a lifetime expense. We only ever went on a secondment for a few years so did not actually emigrate. We love the UK but fancied the change when the opportunity was presented to me, especially as it sorted out a little visa problem we had with my wife (then my girlfriend). Also I am very much a career man, with a great job in corporate finance in the city of London and to be honest the work in Sydney was dire and unfulfilling in comparison. So all up, we wanted to be near the people we loved, work is better for us in London and we are financially far better off in London, which means we can ultimately retire earlier whilst still maintaining a great standard of living. We also love travelling and usually go to Europe for the weekend at least once per month, we really missed this and after a few years were very bored with the beaches and bbqs lifestyle and felt fairly trapped down there.
Been back a year now and have not regretted either going or returning. Its all good, as they say.
A number of reasons really. My wife is Czech and for her family to visit us there would have been a once in a lifetime expense. We only ever went on a secondment for a few years so did not actually emigrate. We love the UK but fancied the change when the opportunity was presented to me, especially as it sorted out a little visa problem we had with my wife (then my girlfriend). Also I am very much a career man, with a great job in corporate finance in the city of London and to be honest the work in Sydney was dire and unfulfilling in comparison. So all up, we wanted to be near the people we loved, work is better for us in London and we are financially far better off in London, which means we can ultimately retire earlier whilst still maintaining a great standard of living. We also love travelling and usually go to Europe for the weekend at least once per month, we really missed this and after a few years were very bored with the beaches and bbqs lifestyle and felt fairly trapped down there.
Been back a year now and have not regretted either going or returning. Its all good, as they say.
Oh Well I guess its a case of been there done that and bought the T-Shirt then.....
Good Luck to You I wish you every happiness.
We are hoping to emigrate to Perth we have two children 7 and 11 and I want them to live a more stress free life and laid back lifestyle than you have in the UK
When we go there will not be the option of coming back unless we want to end up living in a Council house because we would have spent all our money in Oz.
Jun 11th 2004, 9:35 am
#82
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2004
Location: Benfleet Essex
Posts: 34
Originally posted by Herman
A number of reasons really. My wife is Czech and for her family to visit us there would have been a once in a lifetime expense. We only ever went on a secondment for a few years so did not actually emigrate. We love the UK but fancied the change when the opportunity was presented to me, especially as it sorted out a little visa problem we had with my wife (then my girlfriend). Also I am very much a career man, with a great job in corporate finance in the city of London and to be honest the work in Sydney was dire and unfulfilling in comparison. So all up, we wanted to be near the people we loved, work is better for us in London and we are financially far better off in London, which means we can ultimately retire earlier whilst still maintaining a great standard of living. We also love travelling and usually go to Europe for the weekend at least once per month, we really missed this and after a few years were very bored with the beaches and bbqs lifestyle and felt fairly trapped down there.
Been back a year now and have not regretted either going or returning. Its all good, as they say.
A number of reasons really. My wife is Czech and for her family to visit us there would have been a once in a lifetime expense. We only ever went on a secondment for a few years so did not actually emigrate. We love the UK but fancied the change when the opportunity was presented to me, especially as it sorted out a little visa problem we had with my wife (then my girlfriend). Also I am very much a career man, with a great job in corporate finance in the city of London and to be honest the work in Sydney was dire and unfulfilling in comparison. So all up, we wanted to be near the people we loved, work is better for us in London and we are financially far better off in London, which means we can ultimately retire earlier whilst still maintaining a great standard of living. We also love travelling and usually go to Europe for the weekend at least once per month, we really missed this and after a few years were very bored with the beaches and bbqs lifestyle and felt fairly trapped down there.
Been back a year now and have not regretted either going or returning. Its all good, as they say.
Oh Well I guess its a case of been there done that and bought the T-Shirt then.....
Good Luck to You I wish you every happiness.
We are hoping to emigrate to Perth we have two children 7 and 11 and I want them to live a more stress free life and laid back lifestyle than you have in the UK
When we go there will not be the option of coming back unless we want to end up living in a Council house because we would have spent all our money in Oz.
Jun 11th 2004, 3:18 pm
#84
Senior member
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Paris
Posts: 835
Originally posted by Essex Girl
Oh Well I guess its a case of been there done that and bought the T-Shirt then.....
Good Luck to You I wish you every happiness.
We are hoping to emigrate to Perth we have two children 7 and 11 and I want them to live a more stress free life and laid back lifestyle than you have in the UK
When we go there will not be the option of coming back unless we want to end up living in a Council house because we would have spent all our money in Oz.
Oh Well I guess its a case of been there done that and bought the T-Shirt then.....
Good Luck to You I wish you every happiness.
We are hoping to emigrate to Perth we have two children 7 and 11 and I want them to live a more stress free life and laid back lifestyle than you have in the UK
When we go there will not be the option of coming back unless we want to end up living in a Council house because we would have spent all our money in Oz.
My family has a real connection with Australia.
My cousin emigrated to Perth a year ago (he works in IT) with his wife and 2 little daughters. He's South African though, so for him it was a matter of trying to live somewhere with a similar climate and culture, where he could work late without being the victim of robbery and taking a bullet (a long story). They love it there so far but are struggling a bit financially as unlike the British who come with stacks of cash, their rand denominated savings barely covered the cost of a house deposit.
My younger brother recently surprised the family by announcing that he and his girlfriend (soon to be fiancee I suspect) have applied for visas to emigrate to Perth. He backpacked with me around Australia in 1996 and he always swore he would be back one day. They want to go primarily because he does the same kind of things as Aussies in his spare time but is actually better than most of them. He's a competition surfer and an accomplished kite surfer and there are not many better places on the planet to do these things than Perth.
My step sister emigrated to the Gold Coast 6 years ago but came back the same time as us a year ago. She once came on this site and read Dottys posts, (who also lived in Gold Coast area), and said she could have written them herself. She never really settled and after 5 years decided enough was enough.
And I have lived in Oz for 4 of the last 8 years, once backpacking and once on the secondment. I truly love the place but at this point in our lives its not for us. We'll go back for holidays and may consider living in a small beach town when we retire in 30 years time, but not right now!
Jun 11th 2004, 4:47 pm
#85
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2004
Location: Benfleet Essex
Posts: 34
Originally posted by Herman
Thanks very much. Good luck to you too.
My family has a real connection with Australia.
My cousin emigrated to Perth a year ago (he works in IT) with his wife and 2 little daughters. He's South African though, so for him it was a matter of trying to live somewhere with a similar climate and culture, where he could work late without being the victim of robbery and taking a bullet (a long story). They love it there so far but are struggling a bit financially as unlike the British who come with stacks of cash, their rand denominated savings barely covered the cost of a house deposit.
My younger brother recently surprised the family by announcing that he and his girlfriend (soon to be fiancee I suspect) have applied for visas to emigrate to Perth. He backpacked with me around Australia in 1996 and he always swore he would be back one day. They want to go primarily because he does the same kind of things as Aussies in his spare time but is actually better than most of them. He's a competition surfer and an accomplished kite surfer and there are not many better places on the planet to do these things than Perth.
My step sister emigrated to the Gold Coast 6 years ago but came back the same time as us a year ago. She once came on this site and read Dottys posts, (who also lived in Gold Coast area), and said she could have written them herself. She never really settled and after 5 years decided enough was enough.
And I have lived in Oz for 4 of the last 8 years, once backpacking and once on the secondment. I truly love the place but at this point in our lives its not for us. We'll go back for holidays and may consider living in a small beach town when we retire in 30 years time, but not right now!
Thanks very much. Good luck to you too.
My family has a real connection with Australia.
My cousin emigrated to Perth a year ago (he works in IT) with his wife and 2 little daughters. He's South African though, so for him it was a matter of trying to live somewhere with a similar climate and culture, where he could work late without being the victim of robbery and taking a bullet (a long story). They love it there so far but are struggling a bit financially as unlike the British who come with stacks of cash, their rand denominated savings barely covered the cost of a house deposit.
My younger brother recently surprised the family by announcing that he and his girlfriend (soon to be fiancee I suspect) have applied for visas to emigrate to Perth. He backpacked with me around Australia in 1996 and he always swore he would be back one day. They want to go primarily because he does the same kind of things as Aussies in his spare time but is actually better than most of them. He's a competition surfer and an accomplished kite surfer and there are not many better places on the planet to do these things than Perth.
My step sister emigrated to the Gold Coast 6 years ago but came back the same time as us a year ago. She once came on this site and read Dottys posts, (who also lived in Gold Coast area), and said she could have written them herself. She never really settled and after 5 years decided enough was enough.
And I have lived in Oz for 4 of the last 8 years, once backpacking and once on the secondment. I truly love the place but at this point in our lives its not for us. We'll go back for holidays and may consider living in a small beach town when we retire in 30 years time, but not right now!
Having been there and done it - what sort of visa do you reckon we should be applying for and do you think my hubby as an electrician (ie tradesmen) would find a job easily enough. We have quite a comfortable standard of living here and I would not like to think I could move over to Oz and find myself family a lot worse off
what do you think......some of the feedback you get from a few people on here is a bit scary
:scared: :scared:
Jun 12th 2004, 10:47 pm
#86
Guest
Posts: n/a
Bumping that up for you, so you can at least get a reply from others
Originally posted by Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Having been there and done it - what sort of visa do you reckon we should be applying for and do you think my hubby as an electrician (ie tradesmen) would find a job easily enough. We have quite a comfortable standard of living here and I would not like to think I could move over to Oz and find myself family a lot worse off
what do you think......some of the feedback you get from a few people on here is a bit scary
:scared: :scared:
Hi Herman
Having been there and done it - what sort of visa do you reckon we should be applying for and do you think my hubby as an electrician (ie tradesmen) would find a job easily enough. We have quite a comfortable standard of living here and I would not like to think I could move over to Oz and find myself family a lot worse off
what do you think......some of the feedback you get from a few people on here is a bit scary
:scared: :scared:
Jun 13th 2004, 7:40 am
#87
Senior member
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Paris
Posts: 835
Originally posted by Essex Girl
Hi Herman
Having been there and done it - what sort of visa do you reckon we should be applying for and do you think my hubby as an electrician (ie tradesmen) would find a job easily enough. We have quite a comfortable standard of living here and I would not like to think I could move over to Oz and find myself family a lot worse off
what do you think......some of the feedback you get from a few people on here is a bit scary
:scared: :scared:
Hi Herman
Having been there and done it - what sort of visa do you reckon we should be applying for and do you think my hubby as an electrician (ie tradesmen) would find a job easily enough. We have quite a comfortable standard of living here and I would not like to think I could move over to Oz and find myself family a lot worse off
what do you think......some of the feedback you get from a few people on here is a bit scary
:scared: :scared:
Hopefully someone else will suggest the best route for an electrician for you. Having spent some time in Oz one thing I do know is that tradesman seem to do very well there and given that its a growing country with lots of new development happening everywhere, I suppose this will continue.
Jun 14th 2004, 10:12 am
#88
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2004
Location: Benfleet Essex
Posts: 34
Originally posted by Herman
I'd love to be able to offer visa advice but really I'm not qualified as I've been to Oz on a working holiday visa and then a skilled sponsored visa which was all taken care of by my employer. My brother is going to try to get sponsorship by my cousin and as a fail safe he is going to Perth for 6 weeks in January to speak to some firms. He is an architect so I assume will go for some kind of skilled visa, but I haven't really discussed the visa with him. He's probably lucky as his best friend from university, another surfing/kite surfing/diving enthusiast, lives in Perth and recently became a partner in a good sized architects practice and is trying to pull some strings to sponsor him.
Hopefully someone else will suggest the best route for an electrician for you. Having spent some time in Oz one thing I do know is that tradesman seem to do very well there and given that its a growing country with lots of new development happening everywhere, I suppose this will continue.
I'd love to be able to offer visa advice but really I'm not qualified as I've been to Oz on a working holiday visa and then a skilled sponsored visa which was all taken care of by my employer. My brother is going to try to get sponsorship by my cousin and as a fail safe he is going to Perth for 6 weeks in January to speak to some firms. He is an architect so I assume will go for some kind of skilled visa, but I haven't really discussed the visa with him. He's probably lucky as his best friend from university, another surfing/kite surfing/diving enthusiast, lives in Perth and recently became a partner in a good sized architects practice and is trying to pull some strings to sponsor him.
Hopefully someone else will suggest the best route for an electrician for you. Having spent some time in Oz one thing I do know is that tradesman seem to do very well there and given that its a growing country with lots of new development happening everywhere, I suppose this will continue.
Hi Herman
Thanks for the above advice - We decided to go and see an agent at the weekend - nice australian guy living just up the road from us with his english wife and he reckons that my husband stands a good chance of obtaining a skilled visa - He also said that as a tradesman he cannot see any problems with him getting a job and I also found an address for a farm in Pinjarra just outside Perth and took the liberty of e-mailing them and asking some stuff and they were very helpful indeed and said that they only knew one electrician there but that he was always flat out busy so could not see as hubby would have much problem either
So I feel a bit better about it all again now although sometimes I think that some of the people on here are very negative and you wonder why they are bothering at all.
Till Later
