From a different perspective
 

Hi all,

Firstly, I feel I should compliment you all on the truly excellent quality of postings that I have keenly read over the past few days. I did not know of this forum until recently.

By way of introduction, my wife and I arrived (supposedly for good) at the end of November and as I write we are in Hobart, Tasmania (escaping from Queensland). We were only supposed to visit Tasmania for 10 days in December after which we had intended settling on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.

But even though we have visited Australia 3 times previously (and had visited all the major cities before deciding on Brisbane), something just appeared to be wrong. Brisbane was hot when we arrived. I don't like the heat. After living in Durban, South Africa, for so many years I wanted to avoid heat and humidity. But there were other aspects that bothered me about the areas around Brisbane and most have been highlighted in previous postings by other contributors.

Oddly, the first thing that bothered me was the ridiculous size of the vehicles. I was being told that we should definitely go for a Landcruiser or Prado because of the fact that they seat 7 and when your relations visit they all need to be wearing seatbelts - it's the law! I found this a ridiculous (almost pathetic) reason to purchase a monster sized vehicle I also wondered why there appears to be this fetish of driving V8's over here. I admit they sound awesome but what is the point of having a V8 that can do 0-100 in 7 seconds when the speed limit is 60kms in built up areas? In the Sates they are all automatic and consequently far quieter than the manual models here which seem to give the "hoons" enormous pleasure in revving the vehicle to the redline as they travel in first gear from red light to red light.

The general sloppiness of Queenslanders (from Coolangatta to Noosa) also bothered me. It seems that the climate in Queensland dictates that one must dress in shorts and singlet (or vest) and thongs or go bare-foot (oh, and have at least a half dozen tattoos littered all over one's body). Yeugh!

There are a tremendous number of ex-South Africans in Brsibane, however, and it would have been easier to adjust with a support group. To me, at least, the Queensland I saw was just one big beach with one big beach culture mentality.

Anyway, before I ramble on too much, thank you all for the postings. There have been some real gems. Your experiences have forced me to look at myself and question what I am doing here. Originally, it was to escape the violence in South Africa. But, although we have visited the UK on so many occasions, it has never occurred to me that we should consider settling there.

There were many but there was one particular posting from a lady who intends moving back to Scotland that made me really think. It occurred to me that, whilst my wife and I will never have children, she has a son in Dublin who may soon be producing grand-children. My parents are in London as is my sister who is expecting her first in August.

Hey, we only live one life and it is a short one. Maybe I should be thinking of spending it with family.

Wish you all the greatest happiness and success with your decision-making.

You are right, we do only have one life so you need to think about what is right for you. If you decide to leave Australia don't think of it as a mistake but as an extended fact-finding holiday. Sometimes we have to experience something that is wrong for us before we can know what is right.

Hope you are able to reach a decision that is right for you in the near future.

Re: From a different perspective
 

Hi Goose,

You have got Queensland summed up! My goodness they are a sloppy bunch! We`re sticking it out here for the time being, but feel that Queensland is not for us. The whole "laid back" mentality of the state is far to difficult to set up a successful business, and the attitude also extends into the State`s education system.

Whilst this will probably suit a lot of burnt out ex-Londoners, it`s not for me, I`m afraid!!!

My sentiments exactly, this has be one hugh learning curve for me and Goose you are so right about Queensland.:cool: :)

I forgot to say that for 6 months during 2002 we toured Europe in a campervan taking in Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and finishing in England before flying to Spain and Portugal. We fell in love with the cultures and history of that part of the world.

We are just so far away from all of that now.

Goose, you seem to have a great life, most people are 9-5ers what do you do for a living if i'ts not to personal :)

Hi Jeannie,

My wife and I owned and ran a small business and sold most of it in March 2002. With time on our hands we decided to make the most of the opportunity and see the big wide world. Sadly, we have nowhere near the amount of capital required to do that on a continuous basis and the time is fast approaching when we have to settle down and start again.

Good luck to you. You wont be short of South African company in the UK. Not sure why, but somehow I seemed to have a lot in common with the South Africans at work when I first moved to London. I have ended up with some tremendous lifelong SA friends and through them have met masses of SA's living in the UK. I love their attitude to life - work hard, play hard, travel widely and smile!

Thanks Herman, I've enjoyed your postings. Your balanced and unemotional contributions have helped shaped my decision-making.

Praque is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities my wfe and I have ever visited. The Charles Bridge at sunrise or sunset is an unforgettable experience.

It has the most incredibly beautiful gorgeous and wonderful range of architecture (spanning every imaginable style) of any city in Europe (thanks mainly to its interesting history, culture and the fact that it didn't suffer the bombing raids of WWII nor any of the other lootings of various other wars). A real gem and a wonderfully inexpensive city to visit.

Your wife is very lucky to be Czech.