Our 1st year in Melbourne
 

A year has come and gone and we're still hanging in there.

Heres our 6 month update:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ghlight=gsidhu

Since then on the job front the wife has managed to get some permanent work, which has really helped. My IT work is ok though had to take a pay cut and our project is struggling for funded, so its looking like a tuff time ahead.

We sold off the block, decided I didnt want to build anymore, just too risky for us at the moment and just felt once everything was costed up it was too overpriced.

My wife has managed to make some friends locally which have helped her settle in, I tend to socialise with work mates after work in the city or at lunchtimes - I work with a good bunch.

I get abit bored sometimes on the evenings though as I used to like going to the pub with mates and watch fussball. But we having a swimming pool, cinemas, restaurants 10 mins away so just learned to keep busy.

Weekends fly by theres always something we find to do, be it housework, visit family, watching shows or sight seeing.

Been to visit Tasmania which i found so so, then Whitsundays great place, though for us Cyclone Hamish put a dampener on things so didnt get to see nothing else apart from Hamilton Island.

The jury is still out whether this is a better place for us,I do like it, I feel relaxed and always feel I have more time here. Im 1 year away from getting my citizenship so we will stay and get that then come back to the UK as we'd planned. Melbourne is a good place and I like calling it my second home.

However financially in the UK i'm able to earn much more, and whilst we dont have kids I'd prefer to earn as much as can before making the decision to finally settle somewhere then with over 2 years experience of living
in Oz we can really make an informed choice of which will be more suited to us.

In the meantime we're gonna carry on with our Oz adventure and experience all the things Oz has to offer, and on that note my car's service should be done now so me better off.

Next update due in a year.