The Bournes

Really dont know where the time has gone since arriving this time last year! We have kept ourselves busy with just settling into our new lives, but must admit we felt quite settled after 3 months, once all the sorting everything out was done. We have no regrets what so ever, thankfully, we have not been homesick, although do really miss family and friends.

The first 6 weeks were the hardest, sorting all the paperwork out (driving licence, medicare, etc), buying a car, phones, deciding where exactly we wanted to live, finding rental house, job, daycare, buying furniture (even though we shipped our thinks from UK) still have to buy loads, finding our way around everywhere, and trying to keep the kids amused and spend time with them (2 year old and 3 n half year old last year).

We have been pretty lucky i guess with things, however the last few months has brought us some stressfull times with various probs, but think we are over the worst. Oh is starting a new job (2nd since arriving) in the morning, hes a chippy, first time out of work since arriving, been out for 3 weeks, however we did have my folks out for the first time so didnt matter too much. There are still jobs on the coast, you just have to look harder, but our experience is if you are good at what you do, you wont be out of work for long. Oh was the last to go on the last job, and he was the last one on the job, and there were ozzies that had been there from the start.

He's only just sorting his licence out now, just incase something happens again, there are more trade jobs available if you have your licences and work self employed or sub contract.

In November we purchased land, its due to finish around 2-3 weeks time, its not been too stressfull, its all gone through quite smoothly, and we are very pleased with the builder, GJ Gardner.

We have made plenty of friends, some we see weekly, others now and again, but always in contact be it txt or email (find everyone is so busy you dont always have much time to meet weekly! Most are poms, that i have met from the kids groups, they are all great, really helpful, find that everyone helps each other, whatever the problem, as all in the same boat, dont have family around to help. Have also made some good ozzy friends, again from the kids groups. OH has made friends, but only 1 good 1, so if you have kids when you emigrate, its much easier, well for the mom anyway, but then you eventually get invited to events so then oh meets more oh's!! Ive been out on quite a few girls nights out now, with different groups of friends, so have a 'social life' again, me and oh have only been out on our own a few times, babysitters cost too much, taxis cost a load too, but dont really mind too much, still have a great night in, not watching the bad tv either, just enjoying the hot/warm nights outside, with good food, good music on and a bottle of wine or two! Kids seem to go to bed much earlier here than in UK, so its now great having nights in.

As for living on the sunshine coast, Peregian Springs, near Noosa, we really couldnt have picked anywhere better, its great for families, so much to do, and everywhere is just stunning. We do still go to the beach every week, well, more like 4-5 times a week!! We spend time down the hundreds of parks, by the rivers, picnics, sunset watching, camping, fishing, craft markets, great cafes/bars/restaurants, sunday daytime original bands in the park, various events/festivals, and no, we dont get bored by any of it, and dont think we ever will!! 4 year old does Ballet and swimming lessons, doing really well in both. Ive met some great families and so the kids have lots of friends.

We were 100% ready for migrating when we did, and think this has helped us through the stressfull times you come across, and make you settle easier and quicker. I feel you really have to want it, to 'suceed' here, and for it to not be a huge mistake. We also came with the intention that it was forever too, we obviously knew we could go back to UK if we wanted to, but also made us believe it was, 'no going back', so that we would have to make it work. Although its been very easy to adapt into our new lives.

This next year will be about settling into our new own home, OH's new job, sorting school out for 4-5 year old for next feb, sorting myself out with a training course to get a new trade/skill, greeting more visitors from UK, and enjoying more of our Ozzy life down under!!

Thanks for reading and hope its useful to peeps!!

If anyone wants to know anything more, about life here on the sunny coast or migrating in general, just post and i will try to reply.

bluekipper

Just want to say congrats on your 1 yr update and Im so pleased your all enjoying your new life in OZ,, you are very lucky you have not encoutered homesickness! its not a very nice thing to experience,, I got it real bad, eventually came home! see, thats the other thing - I kept calling the UK my home,, for it to really work in OZ you need to change that thought 1st!

Bluekipper

nbn8

Hi

Brilliant post thanks, this section of BE is really informative for people waiting for visa's etc to hear your experiences and I particularly find this interesting.

OH is also a chippy and we have two little ones so I can relate to your update quite a bit. One question we have applied for our 175 visa under myself as I am still on the CSL list Secondary Teacher so I have only had my skills assessed.

OH wants to work when we arrive should he get his skills assessed prior to coming out i.e vetasses / TRA or is this for visa purposes only? would doing this in the UK be of any advantage? Could he come out without it and work whilst applying for his licence in Oz? Not sure how all of this works!!!

We are also headed for QLD - we are looking at SC or GC and cannot decide. How far is Noosa from say Brisbane?? Other area we considered is Coomera any advice?? We will prob end up spending a few weeks driving round various areas trying to find a suburb and primary school for our daughter 6.

Anyway thanks again for a great post and I hope I feel the same 12 mths on. Nicky

The Bournes

Hi, Oh had to do his TRA for the visa, and for this we needed indepth statements from every employer/contractor/agent, in which i kept all copies and brought them here. To get your licence sorted, you firstly have to have your uK qualifications recongnised by Oz, and they then send you a brand new Austrailan equivalent of our NVQ ones. This was straight forward, as we just sent in copies of all the evidence we needed for the TRA. So, you dont really need to do the TRA, BUT, you will need a hell of a lot of evidence you need to get sorted before you come here. Basically the TRA means nothing here to get work or licences.

After you get the certificate, you have to do a business course, 3 days i think(we are at this step), then you can get the licence.

when he first arrives, he will need to do the his Blue card exam, most jobs require them, but especially trade jobs. We have just sorted the ABN out, so he can work on this new job as contract work. most chippy work is contract, however we were lucky to get an employed job, which was still well paid. oH works on site in construction, this is the best paid, when we first arrived I got him to ring up work shop joinery ads, they are only on $22 ph!

Dont be put off with lack of work, there's still work about, just less than before, everywhere you look theres sites and building going on, and from what family have said, you are lucky to get A job, let alone one you want or are trained to do!

We much preferr S.coast to G.coast, although we still like to go down every now and then, just for something different, or stop off on our way to Byron Bay, BUT, it is much more busier, traffic bad, doesnt look as nice, beaches are nice but have highrises on all, sunny coast is a lot safer we feel, you can still have Gcoast similarities like at Mooloolaba/caloundra but not as rough. The only thing we dont have that Gcoast do are the theme parks, but you dont go there everyweek anyway, so can easily do a day trip down to them a few times a year if need be.

From Noosa airport takes roughly an hour, Brisbane the same really, or could be longer if traffic bad. G.Coast takes roughly 2-2.1/2 hours from here.

Sally Simpson

Really lovely update & so nice to read such positivity

Good luck moving in to your new home

scottishcelts

What an excellent update - we have only been here 6 months, but those first 6 weeks you were talking about seem like a complete blur now! Time passes so quickly and there is so much to do at first, i don't know how i managed to get through it all!

Babsw

all these updates coming up,can't believe we were all waiting 12 months ago for visas etc. Great to hear life is going so well for you, we've been here six months now and loving it.
You sound so happy and settled, its good to read. We are also going through licencing process and OH is going into licencing office tomorrow to queue up and wait for help. We think he has everything but we both doubt it,seems to simple....
Good luck with house-we are also building but way behind you on that, just getting wrapped at moment.
Take care, Babs

LoneRanger

A great post and more of these please! Very uplifting and I hope you and your family continue to embrace the good life in Australia

Lone Ranger

Ribbit

Sounds great - hopefully will be joining you in Noosa in not too distant future.

Kooky.

Happy Anniversary! Sounds like a very different story from ours but thankfully just as happy. You're right, the first few months you are so busy getting everything sorted, you wonder where they went.

(12 months yesterday, in Sydney, for us.)

Family of 3

Blimey, is it that long?

The Bournes

just a few pics to go with the update

The Bournes

and few more...........

SurferBoy

good stuff. Had a beer at your surf club last sunday.

The Bournes

Did you go down to see the bands, they were all great, its got to be a fave of mine, chilling with a beer or wine, watching the bands on a sunday afternoon