With 3 weeks and 2 days to go we ask why?

[guspjmh]

We fly out in 23 days and are nervous but excited. We keep asking ourselves "why are we doing this?" With this in mind I thought I'd make a list - I'd love others to add their reasons to the thread too!

 

Reasons why:

 

1 - Better quality of life for us and kids - surfing, boating, fishing, cycling, just being outdoors!

2 - Weather

3 - Living by the sea

4 - Less materialistic lifestyle - focus on living enjoyably, not buying things (I know we could do this at home, but it's easier when you can enjoy an outdoor lifestyle in good weather!)

5 - For an adventure - to feel we are living our lives rather than stagnating in our UK comfort zone.

 

That's a few to start anyway.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I think that "nervous but excited"must be a bit of an understatement! Such a big move.

 

You pretty much nailed the main reasons.

From a personal point of view I would add:

Safety and security...these were massive factors in our family making the move.

The children's future was top of our list. We saw Australia as being a place where the playing fields were level and my kids could achieve anything they wanted to (with some effort) but without barriers created by the system under which we lived.

 

All the best Angus.

 

Tamara

[Guest vikkiann]

Mine was simple ...

 

I was fed up with hubby running his own business working 14+ hours per day! at least 6 days per week.

The move here gave the kids back their dad and I got my hubby.

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Fun......Adventure......Experience.....

[SwanseaJack]

Hi

Completely agree with you all. Also you Judy have to watch the news to see the country is on a downward spiral in so many ways.

 

But as you say its the lifestyle and opportunities for my husband and I and especially our daughter. I know the day we leave will be emotional when leaving the family but I think as soon as we land the new life starts and we will work extremely hard to make it work.

 

Good luck to everyone

Kathy x

[Jessica Berry]

I have just been on Skype with my brother who still lives in my UK home town. He was still at home and going into work a bit later today. While we were chatting he gets a text from one of his staff saying 'can you get us some bread and milk on your way in because the (usual) shop (they get it from) has been done over again and it is closed'!

 

Reckon this sums up 'why we did it'!

[minty]

Becouse we have the gumption to get of our arses and make it happen. Many dream, few do.

[Anne B]

We fly out in 23 days and are nervous but excited. We keep asking ourselves "why are we doing this?" With this in mind I thought I'd make a list - I'd love others to add their reasons to the thread too!

 

Reasons why:

 

1 - Better quality of life for us and kids - surfing, boating, fishing, cycling, just being outdoors!

2 - Weather

3 - Living by the sea

4 - Less materialistic lifestyle - focus on living enjoyably, not buying things (I know we could do this at home, but it's easier when you can enjoy an outdoor lifestyle in good weather!)

5 - For an adventure - to feel we are living our lives rather than stagnating in our UK comfort zone.

 

That's a few to start anyway.

 

I was reading this thread on pomsinoz and it seems to cover a lot of the points you make, with a lot of discussion on point 1 (better quality of life).

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/moving-back-uk/185658-never-under-estimate-pull-back.html

 

As for point 4, I don't feel people are any less materialistic here than in the UK, if that is a change you want to make then great, but you don't have to move countries to do that.

[Guest Mrs Bon Jovi]

For us it was more

 

Why not?!?

 

[guspjmh]

I was reading this thread on pomsinoz and it seems to cover a lot of the points you make, with a lot of discussion on point 1 (better quality of life).

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/moving-back-uk/185658-never-under-estimate-pull-back.html

 

As for point 4, I don't feel people are any less materialistic here than in the UK, if that is a change you want to make then great, but you don't have to move countries to do that.

 

I checked that thread you posted out, but it seems to descend into an argument quite rapidly over what an improved quality of life is and why can you not have it in the UK - we have quite a clear idea of what we'd like to do, (and we do it for most of the summer when we go down to a beach hut in the south of the UK). Unfortunately, the climate in the UK doesn't allow us more of it...

 

We aren't unhappy here in the UK, quite the contrary - life is good, we're well off financially, and I don't feel like some that the UK is 'going to the dogs'. We've always wanted a warmer climate - the lack of sunlight here for 4 months a year has a big impact on my mood and energy levels - and after much research Adelaide seems to be the kind of place that we can have the lifestyle we want. Having visited in March, it just reinforced this belief.

 

The materialism point is more about feeling trapped by jobs, mortgage and weather so buying things to get pleasure, rather than enjoying the simple things more. It's highly unlikely our incomes will be even close to comparable to what they were in the UK, but we will have more to do in terms of outdoor stuff - water related in particular.

Edited December 17, 2013 by guspjmh

[dudleycat]

Hi Gus,

 

Good luck to to you and the family, it's going to be a very special New Year for you all! Our reasons are pretty much summed up by mrs BJ, Why Not?? We don't have kids and have none planned, so apart from our immediate family (who are all wondering why we are still in the UK!) there really isn't a good enough reason for us to stay on the corporate ladder here.

Please keep me posted on the job front once you get settled, I would love to keep in touch

 

good luck and have a safe flight.

[snifter]

We moved so our son could grow up and know his family and heritage here in Aus. We are an Aus/Brit family and always planned to live here at some point, at least for a few years or longer. I wanted my son to have the chance to get to know his family and Aus/SA/Adelaide while he is still young. As he gets older it would be harder to make the move as he'd be more settled into school, friendships would be formed and so on. Moving when we did was pretty much the best time I think. I grew up a child with parents from two countries and cultures so know how it goes and wanted to make sure we gave ourselves time here. 2-3 week holidays once a year or every two years don't cut it if you want to build decent ties.

 

Hubby was also fed up of English winters (the past 2 or 3 being cold and wet and him being a cyclist he was over wearing thermals for 6 months straight).

 

We'd all be just as happy in England still. We like it here also, both places have plus and negative points to them.

[Anne B]

I checked that thread you posted out, but it seems to descend into an argument quite rapidly over what an improved quality of life is and why can you not have it in the UK - we have quite a clear idea of what we'd like to do, (and we do it for most of the summer when we go down to a beach hut in the south of the UK). Unfortunately, the climate in the UK doesn't allow us more of it...

 

We aren't unhappy here in the UK, quite the contrary - life is good, we're well off financially, and I don't feel like some that the UK is 'going to the dogs'. We've always wanted a warmer climate - the lack of sunlight here for 4 months a year has a big impact on my mood and energy levels - and after much research Adelaide seems to be the kind of place that we can have the lifestyle we want. Having visited in March, it just reinforced this belief.

 

The materialism point is more about feeling trapped by jobs, mortgage and weather so buying things to get pleasure, rather than enjoying the simple things more. It's highly unlikely our incomes will be even close to comparable to what they were in the UK, but we will have more to do in terms of outdoor stuff - water related in particular.

 

Hi Gus,

 

I only included the link as I had just been reading the discussion on 'Quality of Life' as a reason for moving, and then read your post with Quality of Life as number 1. It is possible to have a great quality of life here, but then it is also possible in the UK. For us, on balance it is about the same, some things are better, some are worse. I think the post made a good point about family, I am lucky in that my husband has a large extended family here and they are genuinely nice people, so it is always possible to find people to babysit, help out etc - I couldn't imagine how much harder it would be without that.

[Diane]

...but we will have more to do in terms of outdoor stuff - water related in particular.

 

That's probably about the only bit I disagree with - OH and the kids used to spend every weekend at the sailing club in the UK, and tbh it was one of the very first things we tried to find here, a decent sailing club to join for them, but we just couldn't find one (although we liked Clayton Bay on the lake there - when it had water!)..and I must admit a spate of shark attacks just after our arrival here put OH off sea-sailing a little.

 

So we actually do a lot less water related activities here than we did in the UK! There's plenty of other stuff though to fill the gap - OH continued with much of his cycling here, and cycles to work every day, plus of course there's kids' sports which they didn't do as much of in England, but that could be down to the school they went to here and there. Oh and I played basketball for a while with a women's team as well here, which I never would have imagined doing in England...but that's not to say it wasn't available.

[guspjmh]

That's probably about the only bit I disagree with - OH and the kids used to spend every weekend at the sailing club in the UK, and tbh it was one of the very first things we tried to find here, a decent sailing club to join for them, but we just couldn't find one (although we liked Clayton Bay on the lake there - when it had water!)..and I must admit a spate of shark attacks just after our arrival here put OH off sea-sailing a little.

 

So we actually do a lot less water related activities here than we did in the UK! There's plenty of other stuff though to fill the gap - OH continued with much of his cycling here, and cycles to work every day, plus of course there's kids' sports which they didn't do as much of in England, but that could be down to the school they went to here and there. Oh and I played basketball for a while with a women's team as well here, which I never would have imagined doing in England...but that's not to say it wasn't available.

 

We don't really live anywhere where we can sail regularly anyway - although we do in the summer when go to Christchurch area. If I buy a boat in Australia, like a RIB or similar then we will be able to go out on the water much more. Also the amount of sport is a big draw, as I want both kids to be involved.

[Guest Guest75]

We don't really live anywhere where we can sail regularly anyway - although we do in the summer when go to Christchurch area. If I buy a boat in Australia, like a RIB or similar then we will be able to go out on the water much more. Also the amount of sport is a big draw, as I want both kids to be involved.

 

 

Don't forget the fishing........can be greet fun here.Especially if you have a boat. Give me a shout if you are thinking of a boat. I can give you a few tips.

 

 

Moving here is a massive gift to your children - it gives them a much better start in life - up to them to choose what to do with it!

[guspjmh]

Don't forget the fishing........can be greet fun here.Especially if you have a boat. Give me a shout if you are thinking of a boat. I can give you a few tips.

 

 

Moving here is a massive gift to your children - it gives them a much better start in life - up to them to choose what to do with it!

 

 

Fishing is a definite incentive for getting a boat. Just need to pass the test, but it seems straightforward enough.

 

Will definitely be after your advice, cheers! What do think of the brooker 445?

[Guest Guest75]

It's like a millpond out there as I look out today but with an expected 43c you would fry!!

 

The test for your boat license is easy - dare I say too easy. No practical test and to be honest it is pretty dangerous out there at times. We lost two newcomers locally last year due to inexperience. Try and get yourself out on other boats first to give you some pointers (not those White ones with big teeth!)

 

The Brooker looks a fair boat for local trips . Make sure you have a decent sized engine on . Noticed on the link below the boat is shown on with a 50HP motor but in the details comes with a 40HP! - 20% less power can make a drastic difference.

 

http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-for-sale/boatdetails.aspx?seot=1&R=11453640&silo=-1&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_Price_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&Cr=&trecs=2&__N=1456%20284%204294911016%204294893542

 

Loads of new / secondhand to choose from. A good time to buy is winter when most boats are not as active.

[guspjmh]

It's like a millpond out there as I look out today but with an expected 43c you would fry!!

 

The test for your boat license is easy - dare I say too easy. No practical test and to be honest it is pretty dangerous out there at times. We lost two newcomers locally last year due to inexperience. Try and get yourself out on other boats first to give you some pointers (not those White ones with big teeth!)

 

The Brooker looks a fair boat for local trips . Make sure you have a decent sized engine on . Noticed on the link below the boat is shown on with a 50HP motor but in the details comes with a 40HP! - 20% less power can make a drastic difference.

 

http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-for-sale/boatdetails.aspx?seot=1&R=11453640&silo=-1&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_Price_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&Cr=&trecs=2&__N=1456%20284%204294911016%204294893542

 

Loads of new / secondhand to choose from. A good time to buy is winter when most boats are not as active.

 

 

That's the model I'd been looking at! That's about the budget too. Would you recommend a larger engine but slightly older boat? Any specific recommendations? There don't seem to be many RIBs, which is what we use here.

 

What happened to those newcomers? We'd never be going too far offshore -just pretty local as it will be mainly with my 4 year old boy (over here we just tend to catch a few mackerel before he gets bored)!

 

It'll be at least March/April time I'd have thought by the time I sit the test etc. You think it's bad out there - over here you don't even need to pass a test and kids are always out in the summer on high powered RIBs, drinking and messing around with no idea what they are doing - no lights at night etc!

 

edit - sorry for all the questions!

Edited December 18, 2013 by guspjmh
To apologise for firing questions at Tyke!

[Guest Guest75]

That's the model I'd been looking at! That's about the budget too. Would you recommend a larger engine but slightly older boat? Any specific recommendations? There don't seem to be many RIBs, which is what we use here.

 

What happened to those newcomers? We'd never be going too far offshore -just pretty local as it will be mainly with my 4 year old boy (over here we just tend to catch a few mackerel before he gets bored)!

 

It'll be at least March/April time I'd have thought by the time I sit the test etc. You think it's bad out there - over here you don't even need to pass a test and kids are always out in the summer on high powered RIBs, drinking and messing around with no idea what they are doing - no lights at night etc!

 

edit - sorry for all the questions!

 

 

 

 

 

I reckon you could haggle up to that 50HP motor ( old nick name is Donk here).

 

2 Stroke or 4 stroke???

 

2 Stroke has much more "grunt" / torque to get you on the plane ( skimming the water with as little boat touching the water as possible) but they are noisier - cheaper to service though.

 

4 Stroke - much quieter ( been on one boat and did not know the engine was on!) could have higher fuel consumption and service costs.

 

My 115HP Mercury Optimax achieves 2.2 K's per liter on a very good day when I am out solo - which helps on 120K runs!!!!

Folk wonder why I appreciate people chipping in on days out !!

 

BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand:arghh:

 

Smartcraft gauges are the way to go if you want a lot more info on your boats performance /consumption.

 

I spent 6 months researching for our tub and still feel a little luck was involved at the end of it - my second love now!!

 

In your price range you have a huge choice ,it's virtually the most popular price band.

 

 

 

New / used???? .............entirely up to you.

 

I went new to get all the warranties / service /backup as my tub is an offshore rig and get's some crap thrown at it. That was my choice.

 

 

Really good used boats do come up on the fishing forums / FB pages now and again. If it's a regular poster in that group they probably are pretty genuine.

 

 

 

There are quite a few regulations here - both safety and Fisheries.

 

All boats have to have a minimum amount of gear on board - things like life jackets , 27mhz radio, flares.

 

The further out you travel - the more gear you have to have.

 

New boats tend to come with the standard kit included so you should be right.

 

Don't forget you will need a GPS and fish/ depth finder! Some include / some don't . You can buy small hand held GPS units to get you back on "Spot X", they are enough for starters and local. Fish finders / depth sounder need to be installed - starter ones are cheap as anything now. I think we have a black and white one in the shop for $99 - just needs fitting.

 

 

Have too much gear than not enough - you can be inspected by Marine Safety on the ramp or water - same with Fisheries who will check what you are catching. Personally I am all for it - keeps it safe out there and fish for the next generation.

 

Sorry - I have rambled on...............

[John Browning]

1) definitely. (-Get the kids into a surf life saving club and contact Bike SA)

 

2) mostly: climate wise, your first few months are going to be like a reallly long summer break in Sardinia

 

3) O.K. (-I made the mistake of getting a job in Felistowe thinking it was on the beach (.....but that's another story)

 

4) potentially yes, but really only you can make a less materialistic lifestyle happen

 

5) every day is an adventure, firstly wondering what is happening than working out why it would happen?

 

 

JB