Anyone in Adelaide want to go home?

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Hi all

 

Have read a few posts recently with people saying that they would go home tomorrow if they could.

 

Is anybody out there willing to share their views on this. Why is it that you want to go home?

 

We have just returned home from our reccie, rose tinted glasses still on, and are hoping to move out permenantly Feb/Mar time, visa depending of course!!

 

Would love to hear your reasons for wanting to come back to the UK if you could.

[Carole Jolly]

Hi. We have not done the reccie which we would have liked to do, but with the house not selling we have decided just going for it!

Whilst the Auzzies are still sleeping can you tell us why do liked it so much? what areas did you visit and how long did you stay.?

ta

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Yes, of course. We were not going to do a reccie either because of the cost. However, Sean (hubby) has a job there and his employer wanted to meet him and so persuaded us to go and have a look. It cost us £6k but he really looked after us while we were there. We visited almost everywhere in Adelaide including

 

Barossa Valley (wine tasting)

Victor Harbour

All suburbs along the coast from Old Noarlunga up to Glenelg

The City including Rundle Mall shopping area and Central Market on Friday night (great!!!)

Elizabeth and Gawler

Many of the hills suburbs from flagstaff Hill/Aberfoyle Park area up to Mount Barker, Handorff etc

 

Not much we didn't see to be honest, they kept our days pretty full.

 

We loved it because there is so much open space, the houses are bigger, the gardens are bigger,the sun was out and it was 18 degrees, even though it was end of August and still winter. It did get pretty cold at night though. We stayed in Aldgate near Stirling, which is up in the hills and apparently it is about 8-10 degrees cooler up there, than it is down on the plains ie the coastal area. Also everyone we met were friendly and welcoming. The pace of life just seems much much slower. In fact, for the first few days we thought Adelaide was on stop!!!! Once we got used to it though we were really chuffed. The roads are very wide too with hardly any traffic on them.

 

It is such a different way of life, or at least it felt like it. Saying that we were only there for a 2 week holiday and I know that things are very different when you actually live there.

 

However, Sean's new boss is Australian and is born and bred in Adelaide. He knows a lot of people, as he is in business, and has agreed to look after us. We are very fortunate as he is willing to "hand hold" us through the whole process of housing, cars, schools, etc etc

 

Hope this helps, if you want any further info pm me and I will gladly oblige!

 

What are your intentions?

[Carole Jolly]

You really did see a lot. It was nice to read your experience as we are feelling a little anxious at the moment with only less than six week before we leave.

Your husband boss sounds fanastic too. What does your husband do? Will you be working and living in Adelaide Hills, where you stayed on your visit?

We have not got jobs to go to as we felt we needed to see the areas first. So i guess the answer to our intentions has to be 'see what flows'. This is quite shocking to a lot a people we know in Enlgand. One of the first questions they ask if have we got jobs to go too!

When will you be moving over? Hopefully for the summer eh! its just rain rain and more rain at the moment here.

Keep us posted x

[Guest Nick11]

With me it was security of our old lives.,jobs, friends.Wondering why we gave it all up.

Starting all over again and the reality of it is scary!

[Guest cazzie]

Hi all

 

Have read a few posts recently with people saying that they would go home tomorrow if they could.

 

Is anybody out there willing to share their views on this. Why is it that you want to go home?

 

We have just returned home from our reccie, rose tinted glasses still on, and are hoping to move out permenantly Feb/Mar time, visa depending of course!!

 

Would love to hear your reasons for wanting to come back to the UK if you could.

 

Hi there,

I really hope my posts have not put you off. While I have found these first few days very emotional, there are parts of my days which I have really enjoyed - the sunshine and the seaview for a start. I am also lucky in that my husband Bill is Australian(dual citizenship) and had a secure job already, so no immediate financial worries and no pressure for me to find a job in the first couple of months, which is great.

The minus for me has been missing my family - but I am extremely close to my family and love them so much, so it will be hard. I definitely don't want to jump on the next plane home now and do feel more positive about my life in Adelaide.

Good luck with it all - you have so many positives with your husband's job - I'm sure you will love it here. Best wishes, Cazzie

[Guest donna T]

Hi there,

I really hope my posts have not put you off. While I have found these first few days very emotional, there are parts of my days which I have really enjoyed - the sunshine and the seaview for a start. I am also lucky in that my husband Bill is Australian(dual citizenship) and had a secure job already, so no immediate financial worries and no pressure for me to find a job in the first couple of months, which is great.

The minus for me has been missing my family - but I am extremely close to my family and love them so much, so it will be hard. I definitely don't want to jump on the next plane home now and do feel more positive about my life in Adelaide.

Good luck with it all - you have so many positives with your husband's job - I'm sure you will love it here. Best wishes, Cazzie

 

Cazzie

If you need a chat PM me and come for coffee one day next week.

Donna x

[Guest J-inOz]

I don't want to go home, but just move states.

Adelaide is much better than where we came from, but it just doesn't tick all the right boxes for us.

Adelaide in most cases is so behind the other states and progress is slower.

Once you have seen the few sights there is too offer, there isn't much else to do.

 

Obviously this is my opinion and there will be many others defending Adelaide.

You will really have to decide for yourselves, as some love it, others move on, either back to the UK or Interstate.

 

Sorry, I know this was slightly off topic, but just giving my view of Adelaide.

 

Julie

 

PS. I know of some people going back because of not being able to make ends meet or just for the fact that they miss their home comforts, family and familiarity.

 

Even though Australia is English speaking, it is still a culture shock to most and can be hard to adjust for them.

 

J

[Guest salisbury massive]

My friend Tracy just went back to Wales. They had been here nearly 2 years, could not afford to buy a house and they missed their family terribly. Her hubby said he hadn't been so skint since he left school. One of their kids had a slight learning problem and wasn't getting any help like you do in the Uk and was falling behind badly. So anyway they left in August. This week they were asking each other if they should just turn the container around when it gets there and send it straight back. The kids have settle straight back into their old life and their youngest who wouldn't have started school until July next year here has gone into Reception this week and despite never having been to pre-school here has settled well. She said it hasn't stopped raining since they got back. She's also predicting they will be back.

 

I think once you emigrate you never belong in any one place, if you can't settle here you long for what you left behind, when you go back, you wish you'd stayed.

 

Even after 3 years here, I could easily pack up and go back when I'm having a bad day. What would I go back for, family, friends, cheap holidays and disposable income. Until you move away or have experienced death of a loved one , you can't possibly know how it feels not to have family on tap and miss out on so many special moments. We left before my youngest neice was born, when we went back for a visit last year, she didn't even know us - so sad. I've missed out on saying goodbye to my nan and her funeral, two 18th birthdays, my mum and dads 50th wedding anniversary, my cousins wedding, an engagement and countless "special" birthdays.

 

Trading your new life for your family sometimes isn't what you think its going to be.

 

Jo

[Guest Medindie Delight]

Hi all

 

Have read a few posts recently with people saying that they would go home tomorrow if they could.

 

Is anybody out there willing to share their views on this. Why is it that you want to go home?

 

We have just returned home from our reccie, rose tinted glasses still on, and are hoping to move out permenantly Feb/Mar time, visa depending of course!!

 

Would love to hear your reasons for wanting to come back to the UK if you could.

I am currently on a contract in Adelaide and I go back to the UK in 2011, and although i am starting to settle, i am still looking forward to going back.

 

For me, Adelaide and Australia as a whole has little of the negative aspects of UK life, crime, rain, country run by idiots, more rain, traffic congestion and rain, but there is nothing laudable either, it's just very bland and boring.

 

Life in general is like being thrown back 20 years, styles, attitudes, infrastructure. My aussie girlfriend has come back with me the last 2 visits to the UK and even she now wants to leave.

 

I think if you want a simple, quiet, non descript and safe life then this is a good place to be, if you like modern life, luxory experiences (meals out, local winebars, Pubs with plush armchairs, fashion), or if you like to travel and explore then this isn't the place to be. 6 hours drive from Birmingham there aren't many parts of the country i couldn't get to, yet 6 hours drive from here there is nothing of note, the scenary is beutiful but once I've seen it i'm ready to move on, it doesn't satisfy the soul or thirst for life.

 

And then there is your friends and family, I will never understand why you would choose to leave them behind.

 

I know we are all different and want different experiences from life, but this is just my view, and it's there to be shot down.

[Guest Aussie pat]

Hi Zak,

 

I certainly don't think your point of view deserves to be shot down. I agree with all the points you have made and I've lived in both the UK and Adelaide. I know I will miss some of the things that you like about the UK, as will others. Everyone has to decide what they are looking for and should be realistic about where they move to. Remember though that people look for different things at different stages of their lives and that you are still young and may not be a parent yet. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Adelaide.

 

Hedy

[Guest guest569]

You all seem to mention the lives " you " left behind and the lives " you " now have in adelaide. I left the uk with my young family for the kids. They had no choice so i used my crystal ball and saw their future better in slow old Adelaide by the beach in the sunshine or shivering in the cold 15 degree winter .I might be right or i might be wrong. On a bad day i could easily say lets go back but this is all the kids remember and i couldn't do that to them.

[Guest cazzie]

Hi Zak,

I totally respect your viewpoint and enjoyed reading your post, thank you. While I agree with many of your views, I also think that what matters to us as individuals depends very much on what stage of life you are at. The slowness of Adelaide does appeal to me. as does the scenery. Bill and I are in our 50s and definitely not party animals (boy, did we used to be!) but we appreciate walking, cycling and the beaches, so Adelaide should suit. As for leaving the family, a hard choice but one I have had to make to be with my husband. Marriage is about compromise and Bill has just spent 18 months in England to be with me, leaving his grownup children behind and now I am doing the same. Life is short, too short and we should all do the best we can, whatever the circumstances. Good luck,

Cazzie

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Hi all

 

Thanks for sharing your opinions and experiences. As parents, Sean and I are hoping that we will be able to provide a safer environment for our 10 year old daughter to grow up in. We are not making the move selfishly for us. Things are not bad for us in the UK financially and we accept that we are more than likely going to be worse off in Adelaide.

 

However, the slower pace of life and the reduced stress levels seem attractive. At the moment we are under a lot of stress, not our own, but problems that our family have that we share. The thought of having none of that is great. However, I am not daft and I realise that moving to Adelaide will be quite the opposite. I will be going from dealling with EVERYONE'S

[Guest guest569]

Hi all

 

Thanks for sharing your opinions and experiences. As parents, Sean and I are hoping that we will be able to provide a safer environment for our 10 year old daughter to grow up in. We are not making the move selfishly for us. Things are not bad for us in the UK financially and we accept that we are more than likely going to be worse off in Adelaide.

 

However, the slower pace of life and the reduced stress levels seem attractive. At the moment we are under a lot of stress, not our own, but problems that our family have that we share. The thought of having none of that is great. However, I am not daft and I realise that moving to Adelaide will be quite the opposite. I will be going from dealling with EVERYONE'S

You might be lucky like me and find the wages here in Adelaide do compare to some in Uk.

[Guest ReadyPenny]

oops - dont know what happened there!

 

I meant to say going from dealing with everyone's problems and helping everyone out to - NOTHING! It will be very difficult. We are hoping to have more time as a family, just the 3 of us, but after a while I fear we may get fed up of that and start to miss what we left behind.

 

Bottom line? We are going to move to Adelaide with the intention of giving ourselves 2 years to settle in and make it home. If this doesn't happen we will return to the UK and start all over again!

 

Daunting prospect I know!

Mandy

[Guest J-inOz]

Or you could be like us, stepping back 10 years financially and still no signs of continuous work after nearly 3 years.

Saying that we know where we are better off.

 

I agree about doing it all for the kids as well, even though times get tough, the kids are doing great, much better than they would have done in England.

 

J

[Guest ReadyPenny]

J

 

Having met new employer etc we know what our income is going to be and it seems it will be ok. Having said that, we are only looking at the pay, and have not yet had to balance it with the cost of living. Everything looks good on paper doesn't it?

 

He will be on more money over there, but we dont know what our expenses will be. For a start the rent there will be more expensive than our mortage and then everything else needs to be added on top.

 

Why are you having problems with work?

 

Mandy

[bill]

I am currently on a contract in Adelaide and I go back to the UK in 2011, and although i am starting to settle, i am still looking forward to going back.

 

For me, Adelaide and Australia as a whole has little of the negative aspects of UK life, crime, rain, country run by idiots, more rain, traffic congestion and rain, but there is nothing laudable either, it's just very bland and boring.

 

Life in general is like being thrown back 20 years, styles, attitudes, infrastructure. My aussie girlfriend has come back with me the last 2 visits to the UK and even she now wants to leave.

 

I think if you want a simple, quiet, non descript and safe life then this is a good place to be, if you like modern life, luxory experiences (meals out, local winebars, Pubs with plush armchairs, fashion), or if you like to travel and explore then this isn't the place to be. 6 hours drive from Birmingham there aren't many parts of the country i couldn't get to, yet 6 hours drive from here there is nothing of note, the scenary is beutiful but once I've seen it i'm ready to move on, it doesn't satisfy the soul or thirst for life.

 

And then there is your friends and family, I will never understand why you would choose to leave them behind.

 

I know we are all different and want different experiences from life, but this is just my view, and it's there to be shot down.

 

Your list of negatives about life in the UK seem to say everything about what is unsatisfactory about modern life. If "life in general is like being thrown back 20 years" means NOT having to tolerate the crime, lack of standards, boorishness and rampant materialism that dominates life in the UK (and increasingly the Eastern states in Australia), I am all for it. I personally believe that Adelaide is quite conservative and most of its residents are here for that reason. We aren't loud and brash, but we do like the "meals out, local winebars, Pubs with plush armchairs, fashion" that you have so far failed to find in Adelaide. Living close to the city and North Adelaide, as you do, I am surprised that you haven't found the lifestyle that you seem to crave. Maybe you are mixing in the wrong circles. Or maybe, being on a fixed-time contract, you aren't as committed as some of the rest of us. Oh, and like the rest of us, you presumably HAVE left your family behind, so you obviously know how the rest of us can do so. As for travelling 6 hours and finding something interesting - if you like large urban areas (such as Birmingham) then yes, you will be disappointed in the rest of South Australia. However, if you like to include a large dose of natural beauty, freedom, peace and tranqility in your otherwise busy modern life, South Australia is a great place to be. In the end, we all know what we like, and we will gravitate towards it. I know what I like and have found it. Good luck with doing the same come 2011.

Bill

[Guest lulu and bailey]

Hi all

 

Have read a few posts recently with people saying that they would go home tomorrow if they could.

 

Is anybody out there willing to share their views on this. Why is it that you want to go home?

 

We have just returned home from our reccie, rose tinted glasses still on, and are hoping to move out permenantly Feb/Mar time, visa depending of course!!

 

Would love to hear your reasons for wanting to come back to the UK if you could.

its hard to start again, you have to start at the bottom with jobs which can be very frustrating..my friend returned home because her 13 yr old didnt like school, she was ignored etc her husband had diff getting a job and when he did it was at a lower grade and pay...she just said she had a better quality in england..you spent a lot of money the first year just setting up and that can put a dampner on your spirits

[Guest Nick11]

I think you loose sight quickly of the reasons why you came here in the first place. It's rose tinted glasses in reverse of the u.k.

Passionate pom is quite right. We came to give our kids a better life and thats exactly what we've done.

[Guest graandjac]

Hi all

 

Have read a few posts recently with people saying that they would go home tomorrow if they could.

 

Is anybody out there willing to share their views on this. Why is it that you want to go home?

 

We have just returned home from our reccie, rose tinted glasses still on, and are hoping to move out permenantly Feb/Mar time, visa depending of course!!

 

Would love to hear your reasons for wanting to come back to the UK if you could.

 

You hit the nail on the head , from the day we arrived here was HOME and thats the way you must start to think, we have a sware pot , so if one of us slip up by calling the uk home a dollor goes in the pot:biglaugh:, How are people going to 100% settle when they dont even call Australia HOME. cheers Graham

[Guest lynne]

Zac lived in a beautiful area of England called Sutton Coldfield with good schools, large parks plenty to do and he also had access to a wonderful city called Birmingham.

When you compare that to Adelaide than you can see where his opinion comes from. However, if he had lived in a different area with different facilities than the opportunities to living in Adeladie would be of more benefit.

Some people don't see or mention the problems that happen in Adelaide. My friend has just had to pay for her son to go to a private senior school because the senior school he was allocated was of a low standard, recently a pupil had been stabbed by a italian boy. Two different gangs in the school. Also large houses are demolished and more houses are built in that area, than the catchment areas for good schools becomes smaller. This is the reason why my friend was one street out of the catchment area of a good school, and also the reason why she was allocated a poorly performing school.

[Guest cbeeb]

THe reason

i would leave i came from scotland but lived in ireland for 8 years, No social responsibility, everybody is out for themselves. miss people talking for the sake of talking. Houses are **** built, very insulurar people no craic. not close to parents vso not due to this. lack of water, crime rate high ( maybe seems worse as lived in rural ireland) poverty high. These are my reasons

[Guest cbeeb]

sorry best quote off tv ausralia needs less meat and sport more art and culture