shayne Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hi, My name is Shayne and I'm new to the forum. I live in Essex (no jokes please!) with my husband and three teenagers. We are considering making the 'Big move' and just wondered if you can ever know that it's the right decision and how to come to a conclusion ? Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayliandnathan Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Welcome to perth poms shayne )) kayli 27 Nathan 29 Ethan 4 and little miss on the way. starting out can only but create a million questions .... We have been on the visa trail now for just over 2 years and being unsure in the beginning we know now that it's defiantly the way forward for our young family I'm pregnant ATM so visa on hold untill baby arrives in May and the move for us can't come quick enough!! We are sick of poor weather, lack of lifestyle activities to offer our children and also the lack of employment opportunities, we want to enjoy our lives not just living each day doing the same thing day in day out ... Work,home,work,home!! it's as though as time goes on our life here seems like it's not ment to be! we are hoping that austrailia will give us the life and future filled that we dream of and will be full of good times!!! Leaving family is our only pull but we are hopefully they can visit and too enjoy time in aus. Our main drive to want to move is our children Ethan is 4 and I have a little girl on the way. We live in a very deprived valley in South Wales which has very little to offer our children and their futures. Hope u decide what's best for u all as a family )) kayli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aligard Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hi Shayne, Everyone is different and has there know reasons for moving. Pluses and negatives for both sides so it all boils down to why YOU want to go and what you want for you and your family. It's a long roller-coaster ride ( and expensive ! ) so make sure you are 100% before starting the journey. Try writing the + and - down....maybe that will help. Good luck and hope you find what your looking for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hi Kayli, Thanx for your thoughts, it's such a help, we echo many of your feelings of why we should go. Best wishes for your new arrival in May. Kind regards, Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hi Aligard, Thanx for your reply. Wise words !! Very much appreciated. Kind regards, Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I don't think you can ever be sure until you live here. For some, things they didn't dream of being a problem became one and for others with reservations they took to it like a duck to water and never looked back. I came without reservations and hopeful it would work out - we both wanted to try it. I used to look at the posts of people returning to the UK and we'd chat as a couple "what would we do if that happened" and coming up with things we would do, some of the returning to UK posts I could ignore, one (many moons ago) said they'd decided on the journey from the airport because of the surroundings ... well most areas around airports are barren or industrial, so we knew that wouldn't effect our migration outcome, or the lady in Adelaide who went back because she couldn't find Robertsons apple and blackcurrant cordial. My advice is to be realistic, expect a different country, different ways, different culture. A lot of people say they want to move for a 'better life' ... that's subjective and if that's one of your reasons - try to work out what that means for you as a family, is it realistic etc., Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic964 Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 With the general hype concerning the Aussis lifestyle, we decided to come out here for a holiday, and see what it had to offer. That really allowed us to get a feel for the country the people and whether it could be right for us. The gut feel then (2006) was that it was better than the UK, and offered more opportunities to enjoy the non work time. We finally made the move in 2012, and our gut feel was right. We live outdoors summer and "winter" and for us the work life balance is very different. Couple of other thoughts 1) Family. We put aside part of my salary to fly out family to visit. Both our parents are in their 80's, but to date have been really happy to get on a plane anf fly out here. We get to see them, and they get to see australia. 2) Money. We don't compare UK and Aus prices. If you do, especially in WA then you'd think twice. We live a simpler life, but enjoy it immensley. Overall its really difficult to do a thorough +/- reason as to which is better, but our gut feel was enough to get us to a joint decision. Maybe this helps, I hope so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper59 Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Shayne, I absolutely agree with the posts above - it is such a personal thing and everyone has different experiences. There is no black/white, yes/no to this. 'Making the right decision' for one person/family will undoubtedly be different for others. From our (relatively short) experience, we have made the right decision to move to Perth. I suppose that only time will tell whether that will remain the case, although I am reasonably sure it will. There are negatives to moving to the other side of the world, without a doubt, but for us, weighing up the pros and cons, especially work/life balance and family time/activity opportunities, the pros win! I concur with the advice of listing your +ve/-ve points, in priority order and weigh them against each other - that should give you a good idea of whether you should come. Also, running through a few 'worst case scenarios' would be worthwhile, as suggested by ali. For us, it has been expensive, time consume and emotional getting here, but everyday that the sun is shining and we are enjoying family time and outdoor activities over here, we say 'Yes, it has all been worth it'. Good luck with your decision making and the visa application process if you do decide to come to 'Wonderful WA'! Regards, S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I was offered a job in Oz and not having children we decided it would be a great adventure. We did consider leaving for a while and returning to the UK as i went through a period of feeling very unsettled. We figured out why that was eventually and i am fine now in Oz and so glad we didnt leave. I am away at work at the moment - half way through a month long stint and have just chatted to my wife by skype and i think i can sum up our life not in this conversation and why i like my life in Perth: Me: Is there anything special you would like to do when i am home? My wife: Not really as we have a lot of things to do with the house (we are about to start building our first home) and and anyway we need to save some money Me: Ok, how about we just go to the beach a couple of days. Once to our beach and do some body boarding and then pop down to Doddies beach just for a swim and a spot of lunch watching the water My wife: Perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Hi Ali, Thank you for your advice. I totally agree that you need to live somewhere to really know how you feel. Now I need to digest all of the advice eveyone is giving me and take it from there. Help !!! Kind regards, Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Hi Nic964, Thank you for your reply. I, am overwhelmed by how helpful you all are and as the saying goes, a problem shared........ Listing +/- reasons sounds like my first step. Kind regards, Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Hi Sapper59, Thank you for your reply. As you say, everyone is different and has their own experiences. I am beginning to realise that my dilemma cannot be solved easily. I sense such positivity in all the replies and find this in itself a great help ! Kind regards, Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Right, now you've had all the gushy, supportive stuff, how about those Essex jokes everyone? Same as above from me really. All I know is that right now, my soul belongs in Perth. I don't just exist here and move from day to day, I'm overwhelmed by the change in spirit in myself and especially my son. The problems and challenges we face will be the same the world over, no matter where we are but if your heart is happy, I think they're so much easier to manage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne Posted February 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Hi Verystormy, Thank you for your reply. It's reassuring to read that although you went through a phase of feeling unsettled you are now happy in Oz. Kind regards, Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne Posted February 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Hi Portlaunay, Thank you for your reply. Seems no one knows any Essex girl jokes then ??? I'll have to tell you all some ha ha. A very soulful response which touched my heart, your words could almost be from a book of meaningful quotations. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Kind regards, Shayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.