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| 12 month update; What a year! | |
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| Topic Started: 5 Jan 2009, 01:23 PM (505 Views) | |
| Gail.C | 5 Jan 2009, 01:23 PM Post #1 |
A phenomenon
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We left the UK on 14 December 2007 and arrived on 22 January 2008 after a long trip across the US stopping at Bermuda, Bahamas, Orlando and Hawaii. It was a great trip but the kids were too young to enjoy it. I’d like to do it again when they’re a bit older and we’re a bit richer!!! I’ve got to say the hardest part was packing up the house and saying goodbye. I was so stressed when I left. I never want to go through that again! Once arriving it all went very smoothly. We’d opened an HSBC bank account before we left so we just had to go and present ourselves at the bank and got our credit cards straight away. Medicare, tax file number, drivers licence, ambulance insurance and medical insurance was a piece of cake thanks to the advice from Britvics. We negotiated a long term car rental for a low price (Red Spot car rental) as we didn’t bring enough money to buy a car. I eventually got one through work on a salary sacrifice which worked out well instead of buying. We stayed in Southbank for 3 weeks and got a rental apartment in Port Melbourne after our first viewing. We can’t afford a decent house there but our standard of living is excellent. We have water views, cafe culture and great restaurants, easy commute to work and a fantastic nursery (one of my biggest worries before arriving). OH commuted from Fleet to London by car everyday before so it’s great for all of us that we both drop the kids off and pick them up together. It’s made a big difference to his relationship with the kids so it was worth moving just for that. Finding jobs was relatively straight forward. We waited for a few weeks before we started looking so we could settle in. I’m an accountant and OH is an IT project manager. We’d made contact with recruitment agencies before we left. When we arrived we met them all in person and waited for them to set up an interview. I got offered a job on my first interview within a week of looking and OH got one a week later. That was pretty good considering we had run out of money. We’d only sent over $22k as we’d left our house in the UK and it burned very quickly. Don’t underestimate how expensive things are and how much you need to set up. The rental deposit and first month’s rent took the biggest chunk and paying for 2 kids full time nursery places from day one ($3,500 per month) took the rest of it. Although it was very easy and straightforward to physically settle, I had quite a few lows emotionally when took me by surprise. I never get depressed but I got the 3 month blues and missed friends and my house desperately. Someone on Britvics (Big Ape I think) hit the nail on the head. He said it’s because you go through so much stress moving, the enormity of what you’ve done doesn’t hit until it’s all over and you’ve got nothing else to do. This trip has been in planning for at least 2 years and about 5 years in thought. I became obsessed before I came gleaning every bit of information I could to make sure we’d made the right decision in choosing Melbourne. Even after a reccie to Perth and Melbourne the year before I kept thinking maybe we should have gone to Brisbane and Sydney for a look. I was addicted to Britvics and I think at my worst point I was going on at least 10 times a day even during work. I planned everything to the last detail which on reflection was good as the move was easy but it did stress me out. I think the depression was me crashing after it was all done and mistaking it for homesickness. Anyway it’s all gone and I’m back to my usual happy self. We’ve just had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Better than anything we ever had in the UK. It may not have been as Christmasy here but I won’t swap warm, long days for short, cold ones ever!!! Below is my list of likes and dislikes. Although I’ve put quite a few dislikes they are minor niggles rather than absolute hatred and don’t bother me that much. •The city, the city, the city. I adore the outdoor cafes and restaurants and trams. We drive in every day and it’s so easy from Port Melbourne. •The traffic is better. We can go anywhere and know we won’t spend most of the day in a traffic jam on a weekend. I can’t say the same for rush hour on the Monarsh or Nepean but the weekend is pretty good. •The people are really friendly and we haven’t experienced any POM bashing yet (although we know it goes on). My work colleagues are lovely and are teaching me how to speak Aussie :Grin: •Lack of spiders. We’ve only seen one spider and that was in Sydney. •Nice days in winter. We had some grey days like the UK but a lot of days with blue sky. •There’s always something to do that we’ve never been bored. Every week there’s an event on in the city or a festival somewhere. We’ve not spent one weekend day at home since we got here. In the UK we gave up going places for the day if the weather was nice as we’d spend the whole day in a traffic jam on the M3. •We love the vineyards. We go out for a drive and stop off at a vineyard for wine tasting and pick up the occasional gem. •We can’t wait to go skiing. We didn’t go this year as my youngest was only 1 year old and was too young to cope with the cold. He wasn’t talking at the time and wouldn’t have been able to tell us if he was cold. Roll on next year though!! •Cheaper petrol •Quality and price of meat. Our dislikes are: •We’re not impressed with the houses near the city. They are old, overpriced and don’t have proper gardens. However we wouldn’t be able to afford a decent one near London so it’s on par really. •Some of the suburbs are very tatty and are expensive to boot. Part of Port Melbourne is lovely (Beacon Cove) and the other half could rival a UK council estate. Lots of grafitti, armchairs strewn on the pavements etc. I even saw a smashed up TV all over the pavement on the weekend. We settled in Port Melbourne for an easy commute to work but now the kids are settled (and so are we) it’s hard to move again. We will have to move eventually if we want to own a house again but our quality of life will reduce by commuting to the city on a packed train. •Stamp duty is higher than the UK. •The weather hasn’t been as hot as we expected. The winter was freezing without central heating and ducted heating just doesn’t cut it. •For some reason we thought that the work environment would be easier here. We expected the Australians to be laid back and not work long hours. It’s quite the opposite and I think the British are more relaxed at work. We both work in the two largest companies in Australia so maybe it would be different in smaller companies. I work at least 45 hours a week but am considered by my colleagues as working part time. I had a bit of back handed comments for leaving at 5 to pick up the kids. There seems to be a competition on who can work the longest hours and I get emails sent to me at 1am in the morning which is madness. If they can’t do their work in normal hours then something is wrong in my book. •OH is missing football. It’s on at 2am in the morning which is too late. It’s good for me as he used to stay in on a Saturday afternoon watching it when I wanted to go out. So I certainly don’t miss it!!! •Clothes, perfume and cosmetics are expensive as it’s all imported. I’ve hardly bought anything and miss M&S and other high street shops. •Amazingly Australian wine is more expensive here. The British supermarkets must negotiate better prices to buy in bulk. •The cost of food in the supermarkets is the same as the UK but eating out is cheaper. •No BOGOFs (buy one get one free) For those about to move, my advice is: •Do your homework before you come so there’s no unpleasant surprises. •Bring as much money as you can to start up. •Don’t decide on a suburb before you come as you may not like it or you can’t afford a house and therefore have to move again which is hard if the kids have settled. There are suburbs we thought would be lovely and turned out to be grot and others that were never on our radar that we love. •Try not to compare to the UK too much. 50% will disappoint you and 50% will be better. •It’s very likely you’ll get homesick and a 3 month low/depression. Try to remember why you left the UK in the first place. Try not to look back at the UK with rose coloured glasses. All in all we really do love it here. We’ve now visited all major cities except for Adelaide and think Melbourne is really the best place. I want to say a big thank you for those on Britvics especially some that are no longer here (like Buzzy Bee) who helped me so much in the months leading up to the move in 2007. Good luck with the move for those about to arrive. You're coming at the right time :thumbsup: Gail |
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| Amanda & Simon | 5 Jan 2009, 03:08 PM Post #2 |
Braiiiiiinnnss
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:clap: Good post Gail. Agree with everything there apart from the price of Aussie wine, which we have seen cheaper, same as and dearer than the same stuff in the UK. Though it does depend a lot on where you go, what offers are on etc. Especially agree how some areas round here look a bit tatty with the graffiti and junk, and if it's somewhere with lots of Fed era houses it almost looks like they're going for a post-Katrina New Orleans look :yucky: Still, upsides outweigh the negs and glad you're all happy where you are, and IMO it's a nicer bit of Port Melbourne there. |
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| koalakim | 5 Jan 2009, 03:34 PM Post #3 |
Legend
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Hi Gail Great 1 year report! Apart from your little down spot sounds like everything has gone well for you in the first year and would agree with 99% of your observations - the other being I have managed to buy quite a few decent bottles of red wine for $5! Port Melbourne is nice and I wish we'd discovered it earlier! If we have to do a move back to the city then that would be my first port (ha ha) of call. Glad you both found work although I nearly fell of my chair when you quoted the child care prices! Apparently winter was one of the coldest on records (they keep saying that each winter I've been here!) and the heating is useless - it is my pet gripe! So I actually end up being more fed up than I was in the UK. Hope your second year is just as if not more enjoyable! KK |
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| Petals | 5 Jan 2009, 03:55 PM Post #4 |
A phenomenon
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Wonderful post had to smile at your description of part of Port Melbourne like a council estate that is exactly what it is. It has a lot of state housing and its only really Beacon Cove which is built on the old docks and things that is newish. Glad you are enjoying life here and hope you find a niche with a nice home. |
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| nee | 5 Jan 2009, 04:59 PM Post #5 |
..like a Britvic'er....but weirder...
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Really enjoyed reading that! Great 1st year report! 1 thing though.....ducted heating... We are just about to have it installed.....is it really that useless? In comparison all we have at the moment is 1 Rinnai gas heater, so surely ducted heating to more rooms should be better than that? We fully froze in winter!! There was a log burner in the kitchen here that we ripped out (couldn't use it due to young kids) :( We can see why the previous owners used it! |
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| Gail.C | 6 Jan 2009, 03:41 PM Post #6 |
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A phenomenon
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Hi Kim Yes the child care prices are horrendous. Luckily being on a permanent visa I got a lot back in child tax credits but that was at the end of the financial year. So it did eat into our money when we first arrived. If we'd come on a temporary visa it would be worth working with those prices. We actually paid a lot more in child care in the UK but I earned more there. After child care tax credits I'm paying out roughly the same % of my salary as I did back home so it's not too bad. Number one child starts school next month so it will ease on the purse strings a little bit although I still have to pay for before and after school care and holiday care. Gail |
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| Gail.C | 6 Jan 2009, 03:45 PM Post #7 |
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A phenomenon
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The problem with ducted heating is the heat disappears straight away when you turn it off whereas central heating stays around for a bit. Also it dries the air more than central heating so if you leave it on all night you'll be overheating and gasping for water in the morning. I'm not familiar with the alternatives but it's worth asking which type of heating remains for a while when the unit is switched off. Gail |
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| hevs | 7 Jan 2009, 03:33 PM Post #8 |
Forever Ignored.
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Are you serious? :crazy: It was the only heating in my house growing up and I survived! Thats why God created fire guards :mah: We have a coonara and wouldn't be without one. Ever. Thank goodness our new house has one too. Ducted heating is ok when its on, but like others have said, as soon as its turned off, out goes your heat. Hydronic heating is way dearer to install but gives out heat when its turned off, so IMHO way more efficient...however not as efficient as a log burner :whistle: :Grin: Gail, so glad its working out for you and that you are feeling more settled :yeap: |
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| Adsy | 8 Jan 2009, 02:36 PM Post #9 |
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Member
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That's a really good update Gail, and it's great that you've all settled so well. I particularly empathise with the comments on traffic in the UK compared to here: like your OH I used to drive to London (from Basingstoke) and after a few years of battling my way through traffic I'd had more than enough. And we also used to stay local when the weather was hot due to the M3 car park. Here we know that we can get in the car at the weekend and within half an hour be up in the hills, in the city or on the beach. Perfect. Adsy |
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| ValeSpark | 9 Jan 2009, 02:38 AM Post #10 |
Addicted Member
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Glad to hear its all working well for you. Pete, Ruth and Jasmin |
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| Gail.C | 9 Jan 2009, 02:44 PM Post #11 |
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A phenomenon
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Hi Pete How's it going for you? Have you left Australia yet? If so, how are you finding it back home. Gail |
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| koalakim | 9 Jan 2009, 07:30 PM Post #12 |
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Legend
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Hi Pete Nice to see you're still looking at Britvics! Hope all is well back in the UK - as Gail said how are you finding things? Good luck Kim |
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| tam_n_brett | 9 Jan 2009, 10:47 PM Post #13 |
A phenomenon
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Hi Gail and family :waving: great post and very helpfull too to us still stuck in Blighty!! Best wishes on your continued adventure x |
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| stuckinblighty | 12 Jan 2009, 04:33 PM Post #14 |
make love not war
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Nice update :yeap: Lee :flower: |
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| grax2 | 13 Jan 2009, 05:19 AM Post #15 |
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Member
  ![]](http://209.85.122.87/static/1/pip_r.png)
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Thanks for the great post. We are coming out in 10 days for our 3 week reccie and i am going to stay on for a couple of months and try to get some work. Hopefully if things go okay, i can get some time to look at houses, schools etc etc. I would be interested in PM to your OH as i am also an IT PM \ Tech Manager and looking for some info on the IT jobs market. As the kids keep telling me, 10 more sleeps dad :thumbsup: cheers Graham |
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| Gail.C | 13 Jan 2009, 01:32 PM Post #16 |
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A phenomenon
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I can tell you that the IT market is starting to slow up. The big companies are shipping more IT jobs to India and IT contractors are being asked to take pay cuts. There are still jobs around if you have good skills but not as many as last year when we were looking. You can send a PM to him. He's Crusader on Britvics. |
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| grax2 | 14 Jan 2009, 07:01 PM Post #17 |
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Member
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Thanks for that. Just PM'd him and hopefully we can have a chat when we arrive next week. cheers Graham |
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| bradybunch | 14 Jan 2009, 09:08 PM Post #18 |
Bradybunch
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Thanks for the update - it's always good to get other peoples' perspectives. Pretty much all that you said seems to fit with other views, so it is good to see consistency on the good and bad, as you don't then get rose tinted spec syndrome. Very best wishes for the next 12 months. Lorraine |
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