BadgeIsBack

To be honest, I don't think the Australian PR machine is as good as the inside of many a migrant's head! Ultimately they sell it to themselves - and God they do! You see it all the time. The fascination with beaches, dolphins, red wine on tap. You'd think some only live for that bit of sun they treat themselves to every year.

mad city fan

Great and honest update, its not a negative post its just how life is,( I will be writing one simular if things carry on the way they are Just want to wish you guys luck

BadgeIsBack

I thought it was because it was cheap. Was!

Also I put it down to the fact that Brits are obsessed with sun and beaches and think they are those sort of people when really they may not be. 10 years ago, I had the impression that Perth had a reputation for real Australian city life - beach after/before work and that's what seems to really appeal.

Nu-Shooz

Well i have to be honest and say we went to Perth for the weather. But after afew years there we realised that living in the sun is difficult too. Not much there either to keep you busy, so we left, simple

jellibaby

Good luck with the new adventure - hope it all goes smoothly and you settle in to your new lives.

BadgeIsBack

I would have been the same. (Weather is a bonus for me).

the troubadour

Do agree with that but i guess it is part and parcel of the whole deal.
The need to pschc themselves up to a new life perhaps?
Then in reverse if and when they return.

flower123

i think people underestimate how important freinds and family are and how much happiness they bring

evelyn oneill

Can i please join your group -dont be seduced by Australia? we going home soon too.xxx

mohogony

Your a thousand times more likely to be killed in a car accident in OZ then by some dangerous creature, they only kill a few people a year while a coupe of thousand killed on the roads, baseing your decsion where to live on that is a mistake, there arent any dangerous jellyfish in the waters of the east coast only in tropical queensland. NSW and VIctoria are not humid.

TigerFeet

Nice honest reply...

And to be honest I can relate to alot of what the OP has said and others as well..

I have to say though that to come to Australia (Perth or otherwise) and expect to rock up into jobs like you had in the UK may be a little niave..

We left the UK 5 years ago, my husband was an Operations Manager and I worked in the fitness industry. On arrival my husband had to go back on the tools and earn half the money he earned in the UK. He went from a suit to overalls and I swear I never seen him work so hard for so little in my life.
I struggled to get a job and no luck....but never gave up trying until eventually somebody gave me a 'chance'. (I found my UK qualifications meant squat diddley here!)

To cut a long story short we have worked really hard and low and behold within a a couple of years we began to make headway and now I can honestly say we have attained a lifestyle beyond our dreams.
Initially my husband worked every hour God sent and as ssoon as he could he also applied for promotions when they came up. Sure enough, he too got a chance. And now, he now manages a dept, has company Ute and all the trimmings.

So please, you guys out there who are on the verge of emigrating, this isnt a bed of roses, it isnt all dished out on a plate and there will be tough times ahead, but if you are determined enough, you will make it work, you just have to want it to.

Best of luck!
TF

PS I was really homesick too but stuck it out. Have gone through so much but ask me now what I think? Its brill! Best thing I have ever done! And I feel very, very fortunate and for my family too.

PPS I really should post more often, sorry x

PPPS Guess what? I am gong back to the UK for a 3 week holiday this year to see my Nan who I havent seen since we came here Looking forward to the trip however I will be glad to come back 'home'

billabongbunyip

Yes, I have wondered this many times too.

Perth is like Adelaide and Darwin – they all call themselves cities but are really just big country towns.

Numerous people have told me that Perth is quite and fairly boring place to live. But I have never lived there, so I don’t know how true that is.

I often wonder if the isolation of Perth is a major problem for some people.

I absolutely love living in Sydney (well the outskirts anyway) – we felt settled and at home after only a few weeks. So it is sad to read of people still not settled in Perth after four years. Something is not right.

billabongbunyip

Pity about all the Great Whites in the ocean then!

billabongbunyip

So sad to read this.

I say definitely be seduced about Australia – it is a lovely country and a wonderful lifestyle.

On a different note, I must admit that I do find it quite amazing that people decide to migrate to a country that they have never been to before.

When people take a gamble like this, it is hardly surprising that it often falls short of their expectations.

You certainly can’t base your views on what you see on Neighbours or Home & Away (don’t laugh – I know someone who did just that!)

I had been to Australia on holiday before I emigrated. Once as a backpacker on a working visa and once as a tourist. So I knew what to expect and already had some idea about where I wanted to live. More importantly, I also knew where I didn’t want to live.

Perhaps those thinking of migrating should take a holiday here first. A holiday can be done fairly cheaply. I understand that return flights the UK are quite low at present. Once here you can save money by staying in YHA’s. Flights within Australia are exceptionally cheap – I recently saw Sydney to Brisbane flights advertised for just $69.00.

For my holiday I arrived in Sydney and spent time visiting the tourist traps in the CBD, then took a flight from Sydney to Brisbane. Then a bus from Brisbane to Cairns. Then after arriving back in Brisbane, I took a bus back to Sydney.

I did this over the course of 12 weeks (you could do it quicker but I wanted to take my time). Hopping off the bus here and there. Hiring a car is another option.

Along the East coast I stopped at places that took my fancy after reading a tourist guide book. Places included, sailing in the Whitsunday Islands, walking in tropical rainforest on Dunk Island and in the Daintree National Park.

From Cairns I travelled up Cape Tribulation (which is just stunning) and did a 4WD trip up the Old Telegraph Road in Cape York and this was a wild adventure in itself.

Back down to Cairns for a flight to Melbourne, stayed a few days but didn’t like the feel or vibe of the place. Flew back to Brisbane, as I had accidently missed Fraser Island on the way up and wanted to go there.

After Fraser, I returned to Brisbane and then took the bus back down to Sydney. Spent a few days in the Blue Mountains and doing day trips around Sydney. And then flew back to the UK.

From this trip I discovered that I disliked Cairns, Brisbane, Byron Bay and Melbourne.

But absolutely loved Sydney, Leura (Blue Mountains), Hyams Beach (NSW), Uki (NSW), Kangaroo Valley (NSW), The Daintree-Cape Tribulation region (QLD), Atherton Tablelands (QLD).

So when I migrated I knew for a fact that Melbourne was off the list and Sydney was on it. No doubt this is the reason why it only took me a few weeks to settle once we moved to Sydney.

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