LittleHobo

Hey...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511311 - 2 months in...

Well, now we are 7 months in and we have done quite a bit and have had plenty of ups and downs....

Where we are at the moment. I have a job in a Melbourne Suburb and am on a temporary contract until end of September, boyf is just about to start is pre apprentice course to hopefully lead to an electrical apprentice.

We have rented a lovely unit in Frankston and slowly building up our furniture as we came over here with nothing...

We have brought a car and just brought a van so we can go on road trips... so we are getting there.....

Now, how have we felt.... Well, i have been so up and down that i can really now understand why people want to return home and do return home so soon. I have gone through so many emotions that i thought i was going crazy. I have come close to making the decision to go home a few times only to remind myself i have always promised to give it a year.... I was/am lonely as we don't really have any friends, our age anyway... boyf is struggling as he is working in a factory until he gets an apprentice, i worked there also and that nearly tipped me over the edge!

We had our first car go up in smoke, 3 days after moving into our unit and just as we were congratulating ourselves on how far we have come with not much money we get a knock at the door 4 in the morning - our car had an electrical fire and was in a burning mess on the drive (so so lucky it was not in the garage!). So a few steps back we went... but we carried on climbing...

We have had a few visitors here and now have a friend staying with us and have more coming out at the end of the year... I have decided to take a trip home next year (feb time) so i can stop panicking that i am never going to see anyone ever again and get on with my life here...

The calls home are getting easier as i used to get really depressed after a call to everyone.

I have made a few friends through work, but dont really see them socially.... i do miss the interaction with my friends at home and i know eventually we will get friends here.

We are going to take our new van out on its maiden voyage this week along the great ocean road to see the southern right whales in Warrnambool... which i cant wait for and the winters are so much better than the ones at home... i was wearing a vest today in my garden so it cant be all that bad.

The things that i really struggle with are the lack of decent girls clothes shops and have to result in ordering stuff on line - i do miss going clothes shopping!!! Some of the chains in the UK need to realise that they will do so well over here!

So for now still no regrets, just would like more friends to meet for a beer (oh and i miss the pub lifestyle and cant believe all the frigging tabs and pokies that are over here).

Well that is us... it is not easy to move country, and i didnt really think about what i was leaving behind until i was gone, you dont really appreciate the closeness of friendships and family also until you cant knock on their door...

marvinc

nice update, hope you continue to settle well

flo&mags

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So the weather is OK then - we are heading out to yr area-ish & arrive 4 July. Staying at Balnarring Motor Inn until we get a house. So your settling in then - any advice that you would give. There are 4 of us in the party - 2 girls, hubby & me. Have to say goodbye to my family at the weekend - which is going to be tough, but has to be done.
Have u seen any spiders yet? Im obsessed with them & think they will jump out at me at any opportunity!! I know I'm a poof pants!!

Flo.X

Brisben

Sounds good , I bet you miss MK shopping, I certainly miss MK !

LittleHobo

I soooooooooooooooooo miss shopping in MK!!!! I have a friend coming out in November so will be ordering a load of sale stuff for her to bring for the summer

Where abouts were you from??

LittleHobo

Weather is great for winter... no complaints from me on that! Although the dark nights are still about... 5.30 it starts getting dark, but hey, at least it is not 4pm!

Take loads of pics this weekend, it is nice to look back on them when you are missing everyone.

Are you buying or renting? Have you found anywhere yet? realestate.com.au are good... we got our house (renting) throught hocking stuart - www.hockingstuart.com.au they were the best that we found... but be prepared to go to lots of viewings... a tip would be to get the application off the agents before you view a house so you can fill them out and photocopy them (so you have loads of copies) and hand them in there and then if you want that house....

I have seen any deadly spiders! No huntsman, no redbacks... the only ones i have seen are daddy longlegs..... I am starting to think they are myths??

Advice - speak to each other if you are feeling homesick, dont bottle it up... i feel loads better after i have spoken to my fella about it... plus get out and do stuff... even if it is going to the gym.. it is good to chat to other people as you do get consumed (well we did) with it just being us two all the time...

Drop us a mail if you want when you get here... good luck with the leaving do...

melbournegirl

Frankston is not exactly known as a fashion hub so I would suggest if you want to go clothes shopping than try Chadstone Shopping Centre which has a much bigger variety of stores though they have started yet another big renovation/extension so some of the stores have temporarily relocated but it is still worth the drive. Soon they are opening a huge new gourmet food section (November). You will see a few UK brands such as ****, Jigsaw, Laura Ashley.

Also Southland shopping centre though not as good as Chadstone is still superior to Frankston.

Best place though to go is the city - Melbourne Central, GPO centre (Karen Millen is there) , QV, Flinders Lane.

If you are into funky type fashion then try Chapel Street or Brunswick street, Fitzroy.

DFO - Direct Factory Outlets in Moorabbin is worth a visit if you are down that way. It is one of those places where you can get some great bargains or come away with nothing. Worth a visit though.

Brisben

Place called Rushden, about 20 miles from MK, but used to go there often, especially clubbing at the winter gardens, which I miss even more than the shopping !

Buzzy--Bee

Balnarring is lovely. A little known fact - Balnarring is the cleanest beach in Victoria.

Buzzy

LittleHobo

dont tell me you used to go to ultra vegas!? i used to love clubbing at the winter gardens! haha..or Zazoo's... or what was it called after that...? My mind has gone blank!

Tis not the same with the theatre district now...

Brisben

Loved Ultra Vegas, Gatecrasher events and the awesome new years eve parties etc.

I know then days have gone !

VanessaB

[QUOTE=LittleHobo;6474215]Hey...

I can relate to all you say we have been here just over 16 months and have not really made many friends except people at work but dont socialize out of work with them. We have gone from going out most weekends with friends or family to staying in and the local which is a TAB is quite a drive away. There is a Irish Bar at Knox shopping centre which we go to once a week so my husband can have 2 pints of Kilkenny and then its back home again so i can have a glass or 2 of wine. It's a shame you are so far away we could meet up and have a night out.

Vanessa

The Crow

[QUOTE=VanessaB;6489186] Have you tried The Oak Tree Tavern in The Basin (not too far from you) - they have Kilkenny on tap as well as Guinness & Old Speckled Hen. Nice cosy pub with no TAB. The Acorn a few doors down has Guinness too.

ozzieeagle

If I had to relocate back to the UK... god forbid.... Knowing that I cannot afford even a basic type of house in my first choice of abode in London. I would almost certainly choose MK to live in. It feels very similar in certain respects to Aussie, especially ease of getting around and wider straight roads etc. I maybe even able to upgrade to a better type of property, MK being cheaper than Melbourne.

Giving up that pub culture combined with shopping is a hard cost.

There is a fantastic little walk from my Brothers gaffe in Simpson down to the Plough along the canal, only 5 mins and the other way up through fields to the pub at the Open University, with lots patrons with different cultural background.

Very tempting for me at present, everytime I feel like that though, I think of traffic jams, crowded areas, and indifferent service, and Aus starts to feel good again.

I will continue to visit family in MK for years to come yet, and I'm more than happy to come here.

Brisben

I would move to MK too if I didn't move doen the to dorset or devon area.

Like you state, think of all the reasons you left and all the nice things you now take for granted and even though MK is a decent area I wouldn't want to live in the UK in comparision to Australia !