Here a Year!

[TC for short]

Well, it's finally come. A year ago today Mrs Short, the short Shorts and I landed in Sydney with 7 suitcases and various holdalls. A few hours later we landed in Melbourne with not one single suitcase. Nice welcome, Qantas!

I have to confess to times when I thought we'd be back in England (or Europe at least) by now, but here we are & here to stay... at least until July!

It's been a bizarre journey of ups and downs for us. Having been promised a posting to Brisbane before we signed up, towards the end of my training in Melbourne that changed to Sydney, then to Melbourne & finally to Adelaide. We'd been to Brisbane & Sydney before & had friends in both, & by the time Melbourne was on the table we'd lived there for 6 months. We arrived in Adelaide knowing how to spell it!

We lived in 3 different hotels for a total of 6 1/2 months & the poor kids had one box of toys between them. I've sat 11 practical exams and about 30 writtens with more to come (but I have a Diploma and an Aussie licence to show for it) and Mrs Short has here nursing registration in both Queensland and South Australia.

Like a few others here we've not managed to sell the house in Enlgand, but now it's rented out to friends. A lot of money disappeared down the mortgage hole until that happened though! We're still making a net loss, but at least now it's more-or-less manageable.

The short Shorts have settled down well into their new school and are making progress. At their level (primary) it seems a lot less stressed than in the UK. Class sizes are roughly the same but there seems to be more sport & more outside visits. Wish there were proper school lunches, though.

So what have we found out so far?

We like Australia, but it's by no means a paradise. A lot of things seem stuck in the 70s (Life on Mars?!) which is frustrating, but people seem generally more friendly and happy to help. It is proving hard to make Australian friends though. Cost of living seems roughly the same as the UK. Some things are better, but some worse. We're astonished that there is no double-glazing here!
Adelaide seems a nice town, particularly to raise a family in. I'd have difficulty in recommending it as a holiday destination, though; there isn't the vibrancy or joie de vivre of other places.
We love the wildlife, the beaches, the ease with which you can get "far from the madding crowds". We love the ease with which we can get into and get about the city centre. We love just going to the garden to get a lemon for the G&T!

Are we going to stay? At the moment our plan is to give it 5yrs (ie another 4) and review things then. However there are work issues which could change that at any time. It's been undoubtedly the hardest year of our lives and with the benefit of hindsight we would probably not have made this move but that's more of a work issue than an Australia one. However when you are given this sort of opportunity, if you don't take it you'll always wonder "what if..?" We took it, and while I wouldn't go as far as to say it's "Heaps Good" I'll settle for "Heaps not bad"!

TC.

Ps The above is all IMHO. You're quite entitled to your own!

[scooterdan]

Nice one mate...!!

Youv'e been through alot just in the first year!!

Hopefully see ya at next lads night!

Dan

[cazzie]

Great to read your post, you clearly have been through a lot in your first year. Good luck with 2009 and I hope the work issues are all resolved in the near future. Happy New Year!

[Devon]

CONGRATULATIONS on your first anniversary
Hope the work issues sort themselves out and that your next year is a lot easier!
Good luck

[Django]

Hey well done the Shortster.

How do you see it stuck in the 70's??? A number of people have said this but I can't see it myself. You are right though its not perfect but then where is? I would say though that for me, it is nearer perfect than where I came from.;)


Good post dude

Pete

[TC for short]

Thanks everyone. And Django -

No RDS

No DAB

The cars! Haven't seen so many Cortinas for years, and didn't even realise they carried on with the Capri!

top-loading washing machines

single glazing
pine cladding (you should see our place!)
waiting for the telephone/gas/electric chappy to connect you
Mullets
Girls with mullets!!
and you just KNOW Mrs Slocomb's pussy is out there... somewhere!

TC

[Django]

Thanks everyone. And Django -

No RDS

No DAB

The cars! Haven't seen so many Cortinas for years, and didn't even realise they carried on with the Capri!

top-loading washing machines

single glazing
pine cladding (you should see our place!)
waiting for the telephone/gas/electric chappy to connect you
Mullets
Girls with mullets!!
and you just KNOW Mrs Slocomb's pussy is out there... somewhere!

TC

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Guess I must be still living in the 70's coz I don't even know what RDS is(off to google it now lol). I know DAB as in radio I had one of those in the UK and to be honest until you mentioned it I'd forgotten all about it. seems you may have a case.

Pete

[Bodie]

I am therefore proud to be one of your Australian friends! We are glad you made the move and hope to see you stay here for a long time yet. It's good being back here in the UK but we're glad that we're coming home next week (well ... I am). See you all soon,

Tracey

[TC for short]

Thanks Tracey!
Glad you're having a good hol. Looking forward to seeing you.

[thebaddeleys]

Hi The shorts,

It was very helpful to read your post, we (me, my husband and two young children) moved here in October 08 and when we got here we loved it, we thought the beachs, the marina, the sunshine was all amazing! But as life went on and Chris (my husband) started work. which he hates, we have found Oz to be expensive to live here! The wages don't seem in line with the cost of living here, have you found this?

Before we came here we said that we would defintely give it a year, as we thought only then would you be able to compare it to the UK and truely know if it was for us.

However 3 months in we are already thinking that some things here are driving us mad... the cost of living, the cost of clothes, the lack of chioce for everything, i guess its mainly about the money!

Our eldest is 3 so would start school in 18mths or so, so we think we need to get sorted and settled somewhere by then, whether that be Oz or UK.

Any advice from anyone would be much appreciatted x

Well, it's finally come. A year ago today Mrs Short, the short Shorts and I landed in Sydney with 7 suitcases and various holdalls. A few hours later we landed in Melbourne with not one single suitcase. Nice welcome, Qantas!

I have to confess to times when I thought we'd be back in England (or Europe at least) by now, but here we are & here to stay... at least until July!

It's been a bizarre journey of ups and downs for us. Having been promised a posting to Brisbane before we signed up, towards the end of my training in Melbourne that changed to Sydney, then to Melbourne & finally to Adelaide. We'd been to Brisbane & Sydney before & had friends in both, & by the time Melbourne was on the table we'd lived there for 6 months. We arrived in Adelaide knowing how to spell it!

We lived in 3 different hotels for a total of 6 1/2 months & the poor kids had one box of toys between them. I've sat 11 practical exams and about 30 writtens with more to come (but I have a Diploma and an Aussie licence to show for it) and Mrs Short has here nursing registration in both Queensland and South Australia.

Like a few others here we've not managed to sell the house in Enlgand, but now it's rented out to friends. A lot of money disappeared down the mortgage hole until that happened though! We're still making a net loss, but at least now it's more-or-less manageable.

The short Shorts have settled down well into their new school and are making progress. At their level (primary) it seems a lot less stressed than in the UK. Class sizes are roughly the same but there seems to be more sport & more outside visits. Wish there were proper school lunches, though.

So what have we found out so far?

We like Australia, but it's by no means a paradise. A lot of things seem stuck in the 70s (Life on Mars?!) which is frustrating, but people seem generally more friendly and happy to help. It is proving hard to make Australian friends though. Cost of living seems roughly the same as the UK. Some things are better, but some worse. We're astonished that there is no double-glazing here!
Adelaide seems a nice town, particularly to raise a family in. I'd have difficulty in recommending it as a holiday destination, though; there isn't the vibrancy or joie de vivre of other places.
We love the wildlife, the beaches, the ease with which you can get "far from the madding crowds". We love the ease with which we can get into and get about the city centre. We love just going to the garden to get a lemon for the G&T!

Are we going to stay? At the moment our plan is to give it 5yrs (ie another 4) and review things then. However there are work issues which could change that at any time. It's been undoubtedly the hardest year of our lives and with the benefit of hindsight we would probably not have made this move but that's more of a work issue than an Australia one. However when you are given this sort of opportunity, if you don't take it you'll always wonder "what if..?" We took it, and while I wouldn't go as far as to say it's "Heaps Good" I'll settle for "Heaps not bad"!

TC.

Ps The above is all IMHO. You're quite entitled to your own!