To all who have settled here!

[Tyke]

I know it's a big shout - but a telephone call prompted me to post this ( yes you Paul - you had some really good insights)


To all of those who have now found themselves settled here - or well on the way.

PLEASE post about how you are doing now.I know you are getting on with your lives and don't need the forum as much.After many calls and chats with people who have arrived over the last few years I know there are many happy settlers here. Come on - pop a post in and tell us about it!!
A nice "pay it forward" :):)

To those who I know - and often meet in Dan Murphy's - NUDGE,NUDGE!

It would redress the balance a little.
When people are unsure if they have made the right move they will come back into or join the forum.It is only natural and not a criticism by me - just an observation.
Those who have settled happily in general kind of "fade away" and get on with it.

Bad news and gossip do always seem to make the headlines in any media - C'mon let's hear some good stories for once - it would be helpful to others!

NB - please ,no arguments/sniping/ negative posts - seems to be enough of that already.

To the cynics - no ulterior motive,we just need to see a balanced view for the benefit of those making a huge decision!

[ShaunWilson]

3 years in, 3 kids who love the place, nice new built big house in a great area. Great friends from all different nationalities. Real culturtal diversity. Lots for kids to do. Work is good at the moment. Sunshine and lollipops!! What more could we ask for.

[Nick11]

Nearly 3 years in and we luv it. No plans to return to the u.k at all.
We luv Adelaide.

[Moosh]

8 years in Adelaide. I left everyone in Luton, Bedfordshire to be with the one I loved. I've lived in 3 suburbs - Underdale, Seaford and now McLaren Flat. I've been through hell and back with health issues. I've had lots of different jobs either being unfairly sacked, made redundant or been too sick to work! Have made lots of really good friends with both aussies and poms. Also had bad experiences with friendships but it doesn't take long to ween out those not worthy of knowing you. Still, with all that has gone on in our lives, all is good. This is where we call home and we love it!

[STINKY FEET]

I'm replying as I a guilty of reading and not posting except when I'm selling/ buying something !

We've been here since June 07. Husband started work one month in and still in same job. He has made some genuine mates at work who have included us as a family in all manner of social occasions.
I've had 2 jobs , my colleagues have been sooo wonderful. They have been such a source of advice and support and have a great sense of humour.
My daughter settled in a matter of weeks. She was 10 when we arrived and did 2 and a half years in primary. She started high school in January and is thriving. She has a great social circle and is involved in sport and dance.

We actually have a smaller circle of "friends" than when we first arrived here. We did the "don't turn down any invite" thing for a while, and keep in touch with some of the people we met early on, but as time passes you make connections with people more naturally.
Our circle is now a mixture of people we have met from work, sports clubs and parents of children's friends. I would class these people as friends not simply accquaintances.

We have had lots of visitors from the UK. Both sets of parents have stayed for 3 months at a time and both loved it and can see why we are here. We won't be going back for visits, I prefer them to come here- we could only manage a couple of weeks due to school and work committments- they can come for the whole summer !
Of course we miss people- we keep in touch on the phone and internet. It's not the same as being with them but we have got used to it. The airport goodbyes don't get any easier either....

Apart from this , I really don't see any negatives to living here. We are not rich or mortgage free. Our quality of life has improved 100%. We spend more family time and time outdoors. The scenery is amazing, the beaches beautiful, the space makes you feel like you can really BREATHE. This is home.

[Tina]

we arrived just over two years ago, never been before, no jobs lined up, sold up in the uk with a container on the way, packed up the cats for their flight. arrived on a temporary visa. o/h got job after one phone call (painter), he started work after having a month off, i applied for jobs and got one pretty quickly (qa).. both our jobs here are paid more than we had in the uk so this has pleased us and helped. had no problem with getting a rental (even with two cats) and this was a brand new house, didn't stay long and broke the lease to buy a house, found this process pretty simple and straight forward (even on a temp visa). found everyone really nice and helpful wherever we have been.

• some things i find cheap some i don't,i just shop around if i need to
• live by there rules, accept there way of doing things that's our motto (well with a little winge anyway)...

we have met some fantastic friends mainly on here but who cares where they come from as long as they are nice people (which they are), we have a very good social life now and do things we wouldnt have had the chance or bothered to do in the uk.. the weather does help with this...

medical... i know where i would rather be regardless if i have had to pay for things sometimes, an answer on any query we have had within a week is priceless and puts our minds at rest. cannot fault any doctor/medicare/dentist we have been to over the two years (again even though we were on a temp visa)... only one thing was refused to me because of our visa and that was a recent eye test they said i had to pay because of our visa $60 but we were only weeks away from perm so i said i could wait and will return with our new full medicare card and this then apparently is free (i had to pay in the uk).

for us this is the place we want to be and are happy, however we would be happy anywhere really,
this country because of its weather has given us more things to do outside of the house instead of sitting in front of the telly and this is what we used to do in the uk, because when we were there it was too cold/wet/dull and dreary to do things on such a regular basis, plus we sat in traffic for most of this time.

i must admit i don't like the winter here and could easily move to Queensland for the 3 months but hey there is a light at the end of the tunnel not like our experience in the uk.

but overall for us best thing we have done for our lives, whether we stay for the rest of our lives, who knows what is around the corner, but for now we are good.....:)

[nikkinoodlesuk]

deleted ..........

[foxychick]

Been here 2½ years, took a VERY long time to settle and found a lot of things harder going than expected, but it does happen eventually. Didn't leave the UK becuase we hated it, but wanted to try here, and did not want to live with regrets.

A visit back to the UK at Christmas made me a lot more settled, realised friends I have there will always be friends if you both put a bit of effort in, and missed the friends I have made here. A llot of it was also me realising and accepting that I will now forever feel unsettled and to just accept that and go with that. Live each day at a time. Leaving family never gets easier, again something you have to learn to live with.

Having visited a few other places around Oz - have to say, I really like Adelaide.

[maria]

Our move to Aus was initiated by OH, he had a father, sister and her family in Melbourne and we'd visited there many times over the years, and so we decided to move to Melbourne. Father in law died the day we left the UK, not a great start to our new life.
After 6 months in Melbourne OH was so homesick and depressed he just wanted to go 'home' We came very close to splitting up as a family at that point, i was really bitter, he'd 'dragged' me away from a relativly good life in the UK , i was also determind that i wasn't going back to the UK without a fight.
We made a decision to move to Adelaide, based on a weekend we'd spent here. Both my girls weren't too happy about it, they'd made friends and settled in Melbourne, but they certainly didn't want to go back to the UK. OH spent 3 weekends here in SA before the move trying to secure a rental, it was almost impossible. Just as we were about to give up hope i discovered another ex pat website and someone was breaking their lease, we got it and moved to Adelaide in April 2007. I had no problems finding a job, OH decided to retrain and do something he'd wanted to do for a long time, he became a support worker for people with learning disabilities. Oldest daughter has had no problems in finding work either and although she didn't stay in the UK to finish her A levels has landed herself in a good job, and has some great friends. My youngest settled here really quickly, she was 13 when we arrived, made friends at school and at the local soccer club.
This is now 'home', its different from the UK in so many ways, some good, some bad, financially, we're better off here, i certainly earn more, OH earns a similar wage with much less hours than he did in the UK. The weathers fantastic (most of the time) we live 5 mins from the beach, 20 mins to the city or the hills.
OH went back to the UK in Sept last year, though he enjoyed seeing his family and old friends he couldn't wait to come 'home'. For us it was definantly the right decision and yes even though it wasn't easy i'd do it again, my kids have a future here that i really dont think they'd have had in the UK.

[stufi1997]

What a good idea for a thread Tyke...I come back on periodically but seldom read very many posts as I feel a bit out of touch nowadays, Visa changes and new modl lists and things make you feel like you can't really offer advice to the newbies anymore.

We are Stuart, Fiona and Aaron(11) we arrived on April 12th 2008 knowing nobody and nothing...we had been active on the forum since we started the visa process though so had it as a back up when we arrived. My daughter Louise(21) arrived 1 month after us on a backpackers visa, she wasn't on our SIR495 one...she was supposed to be coming with us but backed out at the last minute and didn't show up at the airport, that's why she came out later!

We've had various ups and downs and my daughter has gone back home again, but left last May with every intention of getting back here someday...never thought we'd see that day!! She struggled initially to make friends and contacts and trying to get her off her behind and get a job was a struggle, but she loved it in the end.

We both work. Stu is a painter and has worked basically since we got our house in Victor Harbor, sub contracting for a local guy. I work as a home support worker with the elderly. Our wages are better here and although I'm starting to get very itchy feet and want to go travelling I want to stay in Australia...that's more a reflection on my character though, not the place...reckon there's gypsy in me somewhere.

Aaron has settled well in the public school, he still has an accent but has very long and unkempt hair now, other than that he's happy and making "progress" at school.

Stu works from 7:30 til 4, 5 days a week, unless it's too hot! which doesn't happen often....we live and work in Victor mind you.
We have various friends, all from different walks of life and of all different ages...we have been quite lonely at times in the last 2 years but that's partly yearning for our close families we left in Scotland and being in Victor I think, but all in all we all feel we have made the right choices and the future certainly looks brighter for Aaron than what he was headed for if we'd stayed in Scotland....

It is different and sometimes I have to stop and remind myself about the difference in cultures and upbringings, just because aussies speak roughly the same language....doesn't necessarily mean they are going to get it.
We are planning a trip back in May 2011 for my daughters wedding and although I go through phases of being excited about seeing everyone again, I have no doubt that this is where we stay now........ Cheers Fiona xx