The obligatory '2 year' thread.
#16
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,374
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Not gonna be a long one this.
Landed in Melbourne June 9th 2008 and after a year renting in Pakenham we bought a house in Berwick (yes we've gone upmarket )
Me and the missus both work full time and the kids are at school.Kids are very settled and seem to enjoy it here..my lad loves AFL Wife also seems to like it here.
As for me i'm seriously underwhelmed by the whole thing.Heres a list of pro's/cons.These are only my opinions and quite frankly i couldnt give toss if people agree...
Pro's
Climate - love the back end of summer and all of Autumn.Warmer all year round
Beaches on the Mornington Peninsular - i wanted to move here but the missus won
Relative 'safe' feel of Melbourne
Cons
Work - pay/conditions worse than in the UK
Geographical position - friggin miles from anywhere in Aus let alone the rest of the world.
Social side - Bbq's in the garden and thats yer lot...miss the pubs/pub atmosphere.
Family - The biggy for me ( wont go into details )
Schooling - Shite...too 'touchy feely'.Kids seem to do bugger all work.
Houses - Piss poor build quality.Cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
Cost of living - If you think Blighty is expensive then dont come to Aus.Total lack of competition (banking,supermarkets etc)
Aussie 'pride' - Aus is the best place in the world...end of .What a load of old bollocks Goes way over the top to he point of being embarrasing.
I could waffle on for ages but i wont bother.If the family was'nt happy we'd all be on a plane back home but it looks like i'm gonna have to suck it up for a while.
Two more (long) years and the kids can get citizenship and then take it from there...home to England hopefully.
After reading all that i've just wrote i'm not totally down on Aus its just that i really dont think moving to Aus has been worth all the aggro mentally,financially,emotionally etc.
Home is where the heart is...so so true
Thanks for reading
Lee
Landed in Melbourne June 9th 2008 and after a year renting in Pakenham we bought a house in Berwick (yes we've gone upmarket )
Me and the missus both work full time and the kids are at school.Kids are very settled and seem to enjoy it here..my lad loves AFL Wife also seems to like it here.
As for me i'm seriously underwhelmed by the whole thing.Heres a list of pro's/cons.These are only my opinions and quite frankly i couldnt give toss if people agree...
Pro's
Climate - love the back end of summer and all of Autumn.Warmer all year round
Beaches on the Mornington Peninsular - i wanted to move here but the missus won
Relative 'safe' feel of Melbourne
Cons
Work - pay/conditions worse than in the UK
Geographical position - friggin miles from anywhere in Aus let alone the rest of the world.
Social side - Bbq's in the garden and thats yer lot...miss the pubs/pub atmosphere.
Family - The biggy for me ( wont go into details )
Schooling - Shite...too 'touchy feely'.Kids seem to do bugger all work.
Houses - Piss poor build quality.Cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
Cost of living - If you think Blighty is expensive then dont come to Aus.Total lack of competition (banking,supermarkets etc)
Aussie 'pride' - Aus is the best place in the world...end of .What a load of old bollocks Goes way over the top to he point of being embarrasing.
I could waffle on for ages but i wont bother.If the family was'nt happy we'd all be on a plane back home but it looks like i'm gonna have to suck it up for a while.
Two more (long) years and the kids can get citizenship and then take it from there...home to England hopefully.
After reading all that i've just wrote i'm not totally down on Aus its just that i really dont think moving to Aus has been worth all the aggro mentally,financially,emotionally etc.
Home is where the heart is...so so true
Thanks for reading
Lee
One thing i really wish though is that we could afford to buy a house i think that would help me settle more, but no way can we afford it here!, however in scotland...........
We really shoud've stayed where we were , in the long run we are gonna be up shit creek financially!
#17
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,374
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
I hear you Lee
Iv'e been here 5 years, waiting for that magical feeling settled moment.
Well it's never surfaced. Now i feel as if i am stuck here. Other members of the family like it Eldest daughter now 15 and half, i can't disrupt her education now...wouldn't be fair.
I feel as if i have lost myself along the way
Your not alone!
Iv'e been here 5 years, waiting for that magical feeling settled moment.
Well it's never surfaced. Now i feel as if i am stuck here. Other members of the family like it Eldest daughter now 15 and half, i can't disrupt her education now...wouldn't be fair.
I feel as if i have lost myself along the way
Your not alone!
#18
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 181
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
I,m sitting in the sunshine coast mate and i thought we were sitting in the same room everything you said is bang on but we will have to suck it for a wee while longer due to the money they really love themselves I can,t even watch the local news on the telly just in case i boot it in cheers
#19
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
I'm with you pal - ditto.
I feel fine one day and all over the place the next.
I feel fine one day and all over the place the next.
#20
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Yep Lee gotta agree with your points, i have been here three years and cant seem to write a three year post, to be honest am all over the place in my head, wanna go home, dont wann, think its better for the kids, etc, etc.
One thing i really wish though is that we could afford to buy a house i think that would help me settle more, but no way can we afford it here!, however in scotland...........
We really shoud've stayed where we were , in the long run we are gonna be up shit creek financially!
One thing i really wish though is that we could afford to buy a house i think that would help me settle more, but no way can we afford it here!, however in scotland...........
We really shoud've stayed where we were , in the long run we are gonna be up shit creek financially!
I like it here (some of the time) but overall, I wish I wouldn't have moved here in the first place.
#23
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Yep Lee gotta agree with your points, i have been here three years and cant seem to write a three year post, to be honest am all over the place in my head, wanna go home, dont wann, think its better for the kids, etc, etc.
One thing i really wish though is that we could afford to buy a house i think that would help me settle more, but no way can we afford it here!, however in scotland...........
We really shoud've stayed where we were , in the long run we are gonna be up shit creek financially!
One thing i really wish though is that we could afford to buy a house i think that would help me settle more, but no way can we afford it here!, however in scotland...........
We really shoud've stayed where we were , in the long run we are gonna be up shit creek financially!
Aus does have its positive points but i just feel it will never feel like home to me and therein lies the problem ...cant help the way i feel ! Good god i actually sound like a girl
#26
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
You know what, I can't disagree with anything that you've said. We arrived 3 months after you....
Can't comment on the schools but kids do appear to be behind when I compare my niece with my mates kids here
Just keep on crossing off the days on the calendar, your time will come around soon enough.
In the meantime, as you say, it's about sucking it up and getting on with it
Although I do remember you saying that you weren't particularly bowled over when you came back and posted, but it's obviously got more for you than here
Personally, I'll probably be back to blighty later this year....
Wishing you all the best
Can't comment on the schools but kids do appear to be behind when I compare my niece with my mates kids here
Just keep on crossing off the days on the calendar, your time will come around soon enough.
In the meantime, as you say, it's about sucking it up and getting on with it
Although I do remember you saying that you weren't particularly bowled over when you came back and posted, but it's obviously got more for you than here
Personally, I'll probably be back to blighty later this year....
Wishing you all the best
#27
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Hi Lee
I actually like living here and can appreciate much of the safety and improved standard of life stuff. I do however know exactly what you mean. I explained it to an Argentinian and a well travelled Australian the other week as 'there is a trade off when you lose the edginess and variety of the UK for the safety of peace of Australia, if you don't get it right Australia can seem very bland'. Both of them got what I meant.
I wish you and all the posters in this thread well in finding your place to be.
I actually like living here and can appreciate much of the safety and improved standard of life stuff. I do however know exactly what you mean. I explained it to an Argentinian and a well travelled Australian the other week as 'there is a trade off when you lose the edginess and variety of the UK for the safety of peace of Australia, if you don't get it right Australia can seem very bland'. Both of them got what I meant.
I wish you and all the posters in this thread well in finding your place to be.
#28
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Hi Lee
I actually like living here and can appreciate much of the safety and improved standard of life stuff. I do however know exactly what you mean. I explained it to an Argentinian and a well travelled Australian the other week as 'there is a trade off when you lose the edginess and variety of the UK for the safety of peace of Australia, if you don't get it right Australia can seem very bland'. Both of them got what I meant.
I wish you and all the posters in this thread well in finding your place to be.
I actually like living here and can appreciate much of the safety and improved standard of life stuff. I do however know exactly what you mean. I explained it to an Argentinian and a well travelled Australian the other week as 'there is a trade off when you lose the edginess and variety of the UK for the safety of peace of Australia, if you don't get it right Australia can seem very bland'. Both of them got what I meant.
I wish you and all the posters in this thread well in finding your place to be.
You've got it spot on .... 'BLAND' is the perfect word to describe my Aus existance.
Many thanks for that
#29
Victorian Evangelist
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Melbourne, by the beach, living the dream.
Posts: 7,704
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
This weekend I'm out to dinner with friends Friday evening, off to the boat show at Melbourne exhibition centre on Saturday and being part of the audience at the filming of the X factor on Sunday. (mmmm Natalie Imbruglia mmmm)
That is considerably less bland than my average weekend in London used to be!
BB
#30
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
I haven't come across that Aussie pride thing in people.
I actually like living here and can appreciate much of the safety and improved standard of life stuff. I do however know exactly what you mean. I explained it to an Argentinian and a well travelled Australian the other week as 'there is a trade off when you lose the edginess and variety of the UK for the safety of peace of Australia, if you don't get it right Australia can seem very bland'. Both of them got what I meant.
.
.
Then stop being bland and go and do something interesting.
This weekend I'm out to dinner with friends Friday evening, off to the boat show at Melbourne exhibition centre on Saturday and being part of the audience at the filming of the X factor on Sunday. (mmmm Natalie Imbruglia mmmm)
That is considerably less bland than my average weekend in London used to be!
BB
This weekend I'm out to dinner with friends Friday evening, off to the boat show at Melbourne exhibition centre on Saturday and being part of the audience at the filming of the X factor on Sunday. (mmmm Natalie Imbruglia mmmm)
That is considerably less bland than my average weekend in London used to be!
BB
One piece of advice to the board - or bored. Stop acting bland. Take this in the nicest possible way :make things happen and stop acting like a peasant.
Failing that, increase intake of booze and smokes.
Last edited by BadgeIsBack; Jun 29th 2010 at 10:46 pm.