I second that "Enjoy the adventure"! We started the process with the large house, swimming pool and tennis court mentality as well.

However, we have come to realise (this could be controversial, it is purley our opinion so please take with a kilo of salt! ) that actually we just cant stand the UK any longer; its overcrowed with joyless rude overworked hypocrites and a political system that seems hellbent (chuckle, full rant mode here!!) on destroying all quality of life. A fantastic place to live if you have a spare £2Million, otherwise horrible.

Gosh, that rant quite took me by suprise! Ok, calm now... I also second another poster about having a visit; better to blow £6k having a look first rather than £60k giving it a go (unless you just like adventure, in which case just do it ).

Mind you, ask 20 people what the best thing to do is and you will probably get 20 different answers!

Mat

I went through EXACTLY that............in 1989.

We had a one year old and a 4 year old..............neither of us had been to Australia.

In fact, we only applied because it was the 'in' thing...............all our friends were.................and it was taking up to two years to hear whether or not you were accepted.

We were accepted within 4 months of applying and, although my wife had always wanted to come................I never did. When we got that letter, we both did an about turn. I DID want to come, she didn't.

We let the offer lapse, tried to settle, didn't work..........so we applied and were granted an extension. We sold up, gave notice, and were in Sydney within two weeks.

We hated it.

I think it's hard on a man where he is the sole provider..............lots of pressure to find the dream job, etc................and provide.

It's natural to care......................you're parents.

Don't let it blind you from doing it, though. You're getting a chance so many would die for.

Your kids are at a fine age................they'll settle.

God, I wish I'd been brought here when I was 12...............

Gordon

However, we have come to realise (this could be controversial, it is purley our opinion so please take with a kilo of salt! ) that actually we just cant stand the UK any longer; its overcrowed with joyless rude overworked hypocrites and a political system that seems hellbent (chuckle, full rant mode here!!) on destroying all quality of life. A fantastic place to live if you have a spare £2Million, otherwise horrible.



HURRAH- summed up brilliantly by yer man.

Kids will thank-you in the long term for the move, the opportunities are endless for them.

It was slightly easier for us (harder in some ways), as my hubby has been out here for three years working, so I knew what I was walking into.
Be realistic about what you are coming out to. I thought of it like this when I got doubts: Imagine your life as it is in Britain-no better-no worse- and apply a large dose of sunshine- loads of seaside-interesting animals- a focused educational system, and that will probably be the worst it can get (oh unless you live inland?)

And keep talking to people. In a situation like this sites like this are a godsend!!!!!!

Large dose of sunshine and seaside. Is Canberra inland? Oh mummy, got it wrong again Still, the [political] animals will be interesting

You are right in that talking on sites like this helps. Having attitudes about a Country like I have expressed is provoking controversy. We have had quite a few folk in UK turn on us and really take a pop. Funny thing is that we 100% agree with them because if you really love and are patriotic about a place then idiots like me saying 'its awful' is going to get you riled. However, the person who argued that I was wrong the most then went on to get hideously drunk and started a fight (luckily not with us - we just watched and quietly chuckled)

Mat

We Canberrans do try and avoid the pollies most of the time - we do get points though if we hit one while driving!

I would hope that you have at least been to visit the country before you decide to uproot and move here for ever! It is a good place to bring up kids, especially if they happen to be even half sports minded!

I am still unconvinced by the education standards but I may be comparing it unfavourably with the education system in UK of 30 years ago. Let us say that my boys' degrees were certainly nowhere near the standard of mine in London!

Now that my kids have grown, one of them has virtually emigrated back to UK because of a much better career path than he could have had here!

The disadvantage of being here for any length of time though is that the value of the dollar makes it almost impossible to move back to UK because you wouldnt get on the property ladder again.

Oh, and not all of us live in 6 bed McMansions with swimming pool - some of us make do with the quarter acre block and a little weatherboard house!

True, very wise to reccie a place before such a big, and expensive, move! Having said that, i have been meeting some fab folk on this forum who have setted very well and didnt reccie first.. Being a sado geek, i'd love to see statistic about who stays, who goes back and if having a reccie first changes anything.

In the UK I was working on a quite large sofware project in a big open-plan office. Of the 30 folk working on the project, 7 were South African, 5 Aussie and 6 Kiwies. All the Aussies and 5 Kiwies planned to return soon, and 4 of the South Africans were in the process of moving to Oz/NZ. All had the same sort of reasons as my mini-rant (i'm better now... The pills are working ). The UK of today is very different to the UK of 30 years ago.

Interesting comment about your degree. There is a consensus here (UK) qualifications have got easier. I have to agree. Government here seems to think a population of 100% degree holders is good. Whatever....

House prices in the UK are just stupid and, i think, 90% of the problem. An economy where the average house price is 5.6 times the average salary is not a healthy economy. It means that the folk living here have to work soooo hard just to pay the mortgage....; gonna stop, feel the rant coming

There does seem, in the UK, to be a 'all Oz houses have a pool, stables, are the size of Wales and cost $4.78' sentiment. Folk we chat to seem genuinely shocked when we tell them our $480k home will be in 900m2 block be slightly smaller than what we have here (was nothing special) and have less character. Still, I love telling folk and then watching their expression as they wonder why we are going; no point in explaining it to them as they wouldnt gettit..

Mat

Tam,
I think it is normal to worry, part of the job of being a mother. My OH also feels I look at what can go wrong too much but I think you have to look at all the positives & the negatives in order to make a balanced decision.
We haven't been to Oz before either although we have lived abroad previously so have a good idea of the problems & also of what we are looking for.
My personal opinion is that the whole process is an emotional rollercoaster, but I ask myself, what will I think when I'm old & grey? (no comments please!!!). I think I will be glad I gave it a go whatever happens!

Hiya,

I am lucky that my girls are 4 and 18 months so the move wont be to bad on them, yes i do think it would be the same on your eldest moving to oz to moving to a school down the road, its different people, but i do think it will be easier in oz as kids will want to no about England (so family in Cairns told me)

I am getting all my family and friends to get web cams so keeping in touch will be great and we can all see each other.

I do think though women think of what they are leaving and men look at what they are gaining.

I would say whatever will be will be just go with the flow and enjoy it.

Kerry

We got ourselves and chums some fantastic video phones 'Grandstream GXV-3000' and joined 'Free World Dialup' (FWD). I tested to stuff and it works fantastic, it connects using the internet so you need broadband. Its easy and quick to setup (my mum did hers!) then you use it just like a normal phone - except there is video as well!!!

For those chums who cannot afford a Videophone (they are about £150) but have webcams, they are using a Softphone called 'Kapanga' and also using FWD. The quality of video is really good and the system is actually usable (OH uses it to keep in touch with parents in Spain already).