Moving To Aus

[Lima]

Hi All

A friend is thinking about moving to Aus and would like to know what everyone's experiences are/were and what it all entails.

[tongtastic]

well, where does one start. i went there on holiday last year and fair enough we saw it in a different mode but you can do so much there. its like living in england but with the weather of back home - its great. you can do so much with the aussie dollar. well thats what we thought anyway and we had a great experience there.

[FerrariSucks]

but thats taking pounds in, how about people earning Aus$ do they feel the same???

[tongtastic]

all my inlaws have moved there from zim where they couldn't afford anything and now they just live the high life and are loving it. they are always doing something and going places.

[Bianca]

Lima - your friends best bet is to talk to an Aussie Consultant. We are using http://www.australia-migration.com/ and have been for our initial consultation with them - and they were really helpful.

[tongtastic]

are you thinking of moving there bianca?

[Bianca]

Yes we are - going on hols there 1st tho to get an idea of the place and then will most pobably start the whole process of moving there when we get back to the UK in April.

[tongtastic]

thats fab. where abouts are you travelling to when you get to aus? we went up the eastern side and to perth - was just fab!

[Bianca]

We are doing pretty much what you did + Ayers Rock!

[Nyala]

We moved here in 2001 and honestly, we couldn't have made a better decision. I can't say we're living the high life but we are certainly doing a whole lot better than we did in Zim. There are opportunities here that make your life a lot easier - as with anywhere, you have to be prepared to work hard for the dollar but you can do so much with it. Although it's been hard breaking into the social life, we have made a few very good friendships here and it is much like Zim, camping, fishing, braai's, etc. We have also found that due to the vastness of this country / continent we have done a lot of travelling and seen so much.

The education is excellent with a lot of support from pre-school level all the way through to adult education. Once you have the all important 'papers' (certificates) you can find work pretty much anywhere. If not then the factories are always on the look out for labourers and the pay is as good as a qualified artisan - I once worked in a food factory as a labourer while I was studying and I brought home as much as my qualified Boilermaker husband.

The public medical system is fantastic and the private system is affordable and covers almost every scenario - I think the only surgery not covered is elective plastic surgery and elective dental.

In Zim the thought of owning our own home was as far away as the stars, we always rented. We now have a lovely home in a quite farming area and the mortgage is as much as we would have paid rent per week.

Thats just my experience in rural Australia, I don't know what the cities are like in this regard. We live in Eastern Australia about 300km from Melbourne. I hope this helps a bit, my advice - get as much info as you can about the whole of Australia before you make a move - different states have different laws and systems up and running. Good luck, I hope you have as much success as we have had here.

[biffon]

Australia is great even more so if you have lived in the UK a bit as then you get to appreciate the lack of servants and tough laws governing every aspect of your life..
but Tongtastic is right there is always something to do and places to go and even if you collect carbage or clean houses for a living you will still be able to afford a nice car and other "luxuries"

The guys that have a tough time of it are usually the ones that cannot handle having to do their own ironing and not being able to smoke at the cricket!

I love it although i miss zims terribly and would go back in a heart beat if life was not so tough there.

Ive heard Brsibane and Perth have the most similar lifestyles to SA, but Sydney seems to be a big attractant too for some reason.....

AS i have direct experience with Perth i can say that life here is very easy to adapt to, we might be the most isolated capital city in the world but i see that as a benefit sometimes... we have so many parts of western australia where you can go and be the only people for 100's of kms.

The kimberly
http://www.australianbedandbreakfast.com.au/west-australia-bandb/images/king-george-river-kimberly.jpg

Ningaloo reef (the only western facing coral reef in the world)
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0411/ningaloo_reef_australia.jpg

margaret river (wine region)
http://www.slh.com/fpics2/a/apeausa.jpg


Pemberton (karri forests-WOW!)
http://www.westernaustralia.com/a2/multimedia/WATC/9007108OLFKarriValley3.JPG


Esperance (the best beaches in Australia)
http://www.perthcentre.com.au/upload/webContent/(c)smyth_seb028_capelegrandbeach1.jpg


Ord river -barramundi fishing...
http://www.abc.net.au/kimberley/stories/m406461.jpg


are just some of the highlights of a great place to live... good luck topping that!! :D

[djsam]

It has ups and downs. I waited 18 months for a work permit which was tough and in Sydney at least the people are generally very rude and caught up in the rat race that is Sydney. Also their roads were outgrown by population about 20 years ago !

Life definately improved for me when I got out of Sydney.

[biffon]

yeah true -Aussie drivers are shocking/rude and their inner city roads are almost as bad is the UK's! very very cramped up - no room to move!

but if you just take it easy and not fuss then you will be fine

[sally]

I would love to move to that side of the world, but i prefer New zealand to OZ, its stunning, and has everything, the only problem is the winter, its too cold for me!! A friend of mine is always encouraging me to move to OZ perth area, so you never know......one day!!!

[Nyala]

Beautiful pic, Biff. Here are some to add to the gallery....

4133

12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road
4134

Beauchamp Fall, Vic

4135
The Grampians

4136
Loch Ard Gorge, Vic

4137
Sapphire Coast,NSW

4138
Murray Cod, Murray River

So many beautiful places to see here.

[biffon]

12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road



erm isnt it like 9 apostles now :D :D :smiley32: :smiley36:

[Nyala]

I think it is...lol. A few have toppled over and great pains are being made to keep the rest upright.

[Bolty]

Takes a Victorian to damage a national monument doesnt it

[Nyala]

Oiiiii...play nice!!!!....lol

[Bolty]

http://campaignbrief.blogspot.com/2007/02/it-pays-to-be-local-unless-youre.html

[Bolty]

Click the square to watch the AD!!

[Bolty]

too true!! Only joking

[Bolty]

The Clipsal 500 is back in Adelaide for another year

[Nyala]

Thats good... untrue, but funny....


At least we can drink the Victorian water without getting manyoga :)....hehehehe

[Shayne]

One of the most famous and frequently visited sites in Australia by Australians

[biffon]

oi everyone knows the kiwis are the sheep shaggers here... keep your sheep for yourselves

[Bolty]

If thats the case then why is Auckland the location for the new movie 'Silence the lambs?

[biffon]

hey bolty - wouldve thought youd be at the races today... didnt you manage to get tickets?


looks like they had a crashing time of it yesterday hehe :D as usual at the clipsal! damn that track is narrow!!!

[Bolty]

It goes for 2 days and i went yesterday - the 2nd round starts in a minute on the box