Our year in Sydney
Jul 27th 2007, 5:50 pm
#16
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Port Macquarie, NSW
Posts: 356
Re: Our year in Sydney
I used to love reading these updates in the run up to our big life change, so now it’s my turn to tell my tale.
Our decision to emigrate to Australia was made on a bit of a whim. On a chilly evening in March 05, Steve and I joked about moving to a warmer country, the next thing I knew I was asking lots and lots of questions on this website and got to work on the old TRA, organising medicals, police checks etc. To be honest, we got so wrapped up in the whole process of emigrating, the discussion about whether it was the right thing to do or not, never seriously took place. At the time, we were enjoying a very nice life in Somerset - good jobs, nice house, friendly town and just started our 3 & 4 year old girls in a good school. In the run up to the move, friends kept telling us we were brave / crazy to be giving it all up to move to a country on the other side of the world that we had never ever been to, nor knew a single soul. Quite naively we thought that we’d just give it a go, and if we didn’t like it, we’d just jump on the plane and go back home again. It wasn’t until I landed in Sydney airport in July 06 that it truly dawned upon me that having left our jobs, sold our house, spent a considerable amount of our savings getting here and saying all those farewells, just jumping back on the plane was not an option. “What had we done!”
By sheer fluke, we ended up renting a house in a fantastic suburb that luckily ticked all the boxes on our wish list – safe, family friendly, good schools, near the City, near the beaches, near the bush.
I was very fortunate that I managed to secure a job here before I left the UK (albeit on a much reduced salary!). Due to children starting school later here, Steve opted to be a ‘stay at home dad’ until the youngest went to school (Feb 08). After 3 months of renting, we had a nose around a house that was up for sale around the corner from our rental and within 6 weeks, we were in! It was going for a good price as it was in need of modernising, but with Steve being a builder with a bit of time on his hands – it was an ideal project for him.
We’ve had our down days, frustrations caused by not understanding how to do basic things that we took for granted, getting used to a much lower household income and me working longer hours. However, one year in, we are all really happy with our lot – even more than we were in the UK. The webcam and a constant stream of visitors from the UK have kept homesickness at bay. We miss friends and family, but have made loads of great new friends (Oz and Brits).
For a couple of non-risktaking, country bumpkins, it’s been a helluva year. We have no gripes with the UK whatsoever, but can’t see us going back there in a hurry…
Our decision to emigrate to Australia was made on a bit of a whim. On a chilly evening in March 05, Steve and I joked about moving to a warmer country, the next thing I knew I was asking lots and lots of questions on this website and got to work on the old TRA, organising medicals, police checks etc. To be honest, we got so wrapped up in the whole process of emigrating, the discussion about whether it was the right thing to do or not, never seriously took place. At the time, we were enjoying a very nice life in Somerset - good jobs, nice house, friendly town and just started our 3 & 4 year old girls in a good school. In the run up to the move, friends kept telling us we were brave / crazy to be giving it all up to move to a country on the other side of the world that we had never ever been to, nor knew a single soul. Quite naively we thought that we’d just give it a go, and if we didn’t like it, we’d just jump on the plane and go back home again. It wasn’t until I landed in Sydney airport in July 06 that it truly dawned upon me that having left our jobs, sold our house, spent a considerable amount of our savings getting here and saying all those farewells, just jumping back on the plane was not an option. “What had we done!”
By sheer fluke, we ended up renting a house in a fantastic suburb that luckily ticked all the boxes on our wish list – safe, family friendly, good schools, near the City, near the beaches, near the bush.
I was very fortunate that I managed to secure a job here before I left the UK (albeit on a much reduced salary!). Due to children starting school later here, Steve opted to be a ‘stay at home dad’ until the youngest went to school (Feb 08). After 3 months of renting, we had a nose around a house that was up for sale around the corner from our rental and within 6 weeks, we were in! It was going for a good price as it was in need of modernising, but with Steve being a builder with a bit of time on his hands – it was an ideal project for him.
We’ve had our down days, frustrations caused by not understanding how to do basic things that we took for granted, getting used to a much lower household income and me working longer hours. However, one year in, we are all really happy with our lot – even more than we were in the UK. The webcam and a constant stream of visitors from the UK have kept homesickness at bay. We miss friends and family, but have made loads of great new friends (Oz and Brits).
For a couple of non-risktaking, country bumpkins, it’s been a helluva year. We have no gripes with the UK whatsoever, but can’t see us going back there in a hurry…
With reference to the first part of your message "What have we done!", we too are worried that we will feel like that, as my Husband has his own business and we live in a lovely part of Worcestershire, but like you, we want to make a better life for us and our Son.
We are constantly talking about all aspects of moving to the other side of the world, good and bad. It's something that we are definately going to do though.
It's nice to hear such a positive outcome.
Rachel, Nigel & Jacob
Jul 27th 2007, 8:55 pm
#17
Joined: May 2006
Location: in the Sydney asylum
Posts: 20,690
Re: Our year in Sydney
your post is great I think a lot of people can empathise with that getting caught up in the move stuff.
It sounds brilliant. I am hoping to move to Sydney the first week of Nov as OH in Edgecliff
thanks for posting it is a relief to hear nice things at times when you are panicking 'are we doing the right thing'
cheers
It sounds brilliant. I am hoping to move to Sydney the first week of Nov as OH in Edgecliff
thanks for posting it is a relief to hear nice things at times when you are panicking 'are we doing the right thing'
cheers
Jul 27th 2007, 9:07 pm
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: Preston, Lancashire
Posts: 808
Re: Our year in Sydney
Excellent post, we are planning to go over to Dapto in wollengong has anyone any ifo re the schools in the area? We have rellies over there but they don't have children in the primary schools any more and i'm struggling to compare schools on the net, the only info i can find is Dapto state school. Dos anyone else know the area??? 
Jul 27th 2007, 9:15 pm
#19
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Tropical North QLD
Posts: 21,434
Re: Our year in Sydney
Great post & glad all going well for you
Jul 27th 2007, 10:04 pm
#20
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: Our year in Sydney
Lovely update!
It sounds like the perfect life Well done!
It sounds like the perfect life
Well done!
Jul 28th 2007, 9:07 am
#21
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Originally Reading - now the Beautiful Central Coast!
Posts: 249
Re: Our year in Sydney
Hello
Lovely post - glad that things are working out for you - we will be over on 3 August 2007 and like you hubby is planning to stay at home with kids to get them sorted first and I will be the breadwinner!!!
I was just wondering what line of work you are in and if you have to commute from Killarney Heights.
Tracy
Lovely post - glad that things are working out for you - we will be over on 3 August 2007 and like you hubby is planning to stay at home with kids to get them sorted first and I will be the breadwinner!!!
I was just wondering what line of work you are in and if you have to commute from Killarney Heights.
Tracy
Jul 28th 2007, 10:04 pm
#22
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: Chelmer and Coolangatta
Posts: 612
Re: Our year in Sydney
Interesting story, brave folk! I'm so glad it paid off for you. It would be nice to hear a bit more about your first year if you get the time. Q
Q
Jul 29th 2007, 10:49 am
#23
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 190
Re: Our year in Sydney
Hello
Lovely post - glad that things are working out for you - we will be over on 3 August 2007 and like you hubby is planning to stay at home with kids to get them sorted first and I will be the breadwinner!!!
I was just wondering what line of work you are in and if you have to commute from Killarney Heights.
Tracy
Lovely post - glad that things are working out for you - we will be over on 3 August 2007 and like you hubby is planning to stay at home with kids to get them sorted first and I will be the breadwinner!!!
I was just wondering what line of work you are in and if you have to commute from Killarney Heights.
Tracy
I'm a Human Resources Manager for a national retail company and work on the North Shore. It can take anything between 20 minutes and 45 minutes to travel the 10km depending on what time I'm travelling.
There are a few business parks in the Frenchs Forest area (5 mins away), and Chatswood (10 mins away) is pretty commercial, so I could probably get a job closer to home if I wanted to. Lots of people in Killarney work in the City and there are buses every 20 minutes or so. Although the CBD is only about 15km away, it can take over an hour in peak traffic. Unless I've to to go in for work, I save my trips the City for weekends, it only takes 15 to 20 minutes.
Mhairi.
