British Expats - 4 years in Brisbane

Hi All,

I thought I'd do an update as I remember I loved reading them while waiting for my visa-hope you dont get too bored!!

We moved to the northern suburbs of Brissie on the 4th of May 2007.'We' being my hubby Phil,myself and our two children,Alana,who was 5 at the time and Arron who was 3.I had already secured a nursing job prior to leaving the UK and Phil agreed to take some time off to settle the kids in at school etc.

We arrived with $5000 cash in our pocket and 5 boxes of shipping and really had to start from scratch.We managed to buy the basics and rented a nice house.We found the kids a great little state school and began our new adventure.

At the four year mark it has taken 4 rentals to find a one we can really be settled in and although we will never be able to afford to buy,we love our 4 bedroomed,two living room house with a swimming pool!We have a long lease so do feel quite secure.We've built up our furniture and have aquired a dog,two cats and three mice!
Obviously buying would be the goal but we honestly cannot afford the repayments or the deposit even though I get a good wage.I think thats because we came with nothing,my hubby having been made redundant in the UK 18 months prior to our emigrating.Anyway,its a small price to pay for living in such a beautiful place and I think our kids will be able to afford to buy when the time comes.

The kids have settled in really well and view themselves as Aussies.They love the outdoor life and have lots of friends.I think it did help bringing them so young-Arron has now been in Australia longer then he was in the UK-its a little sad!

I have progressed very quickly here being a British trained childrens nurse and I love my work.There are differences in the nursing but I actually think the standard of care provided here is quite good.The big difference I have found is the medicare system and having to pay to see the GP and then claim it back.I have found a GP that "bulk bills" so its easier to budget now.There is a large private sector and we had private hospital cover for a while but decided we would actually be quite happy using the public system as we would of in the UK.I do have "extras" cover to help with dental fees and physio etc which is very well worth while.

Phil is a duty manager at a local restaurant/bar and loves it.His hours fit in well with the kids school hours so we dont have any child care worries.

Lots of discussion goes on on here about friends and how easy it is to make them.I had loads of friends in the UK and ,to be honest,have found it harder to make good,close friends here.I think its because in a place where you've lived the majority of your life you 'collect' friends over many years but when you relocate you are starting from scratch.I do have some really good friends here-some met through the kids school but some not-I have made great friends through work too.I have a mixture of Aussie and British friends all who are great!

We are making the decision this year as to whether to leave the kids in a state school for high school or whether to go for the private option.It seems to me that there are really three choices.State schools,church schools that charge a fee or the much more expensive private schools.Although we are not religious, I think we may opt for a church school.They are inexpensive(about $4000 per year paid in installments) for private education and most seem to have good reputations and quality teaching.The state schools locally to where we are have mixed reputations and some are downright notorious!From speaking to local teachers I think this may be a good option for us.

We love living in Queensland and it really is beautiful.We spend our days off swimming in our pool,catching up with friends at the beach or one of the local parks or driving up to the sunshine coast to spend the day at one of the beautiful beaches up there.We also have passes to 3 theme parks on the Gold Coast(about an hour and 15 minute drive from the house) and have just been to Movieworld today!

Its has been a tough summer living in Queensland this year and my work place suffered flood damage and we were evacuated from the city.It gave us a greater respect for the weather and what it means to live in a subtropical environment.We were ok at home though so were lucky.The response of the Aussies was amazing and they just get back up and keep going.

We have been back to the UK once since we moved and have found it very expensive to travel home.The cost for all 4 of us is about $8000 just for flights.I keep thinking we could go all-inclusive to Fiji for less!

My sister had a baby in November and I cried for a week! At the same time some lovely friends of mine told us they had decided to return to the UK to live after being here for 6 years.It really unsettled me and I struggled a little bit but to be honset thats as bad as its been for me.Phil left the UK and never looked back! I dont know whether thats a man thing!It has been great this year as my sister in law moved over and has just been sponsored by work to stay-we have family in Oz!

OMG! This is a REALLY long post so I apologise. I feel like theres so much more to say!

Any queries just inbox me if you have a burning desire.If not I hope you haven't fallen asleep and have found out some useful info.Good luck to all about to make the move-my advice is "go for it" -you'll never know if you don't try!

Andy x