Archive for July, 2006

1. Where you live. This is absolutely crucial. It should, without a shadow of a doubt, be your number one concern. Seems obvious when I say it, but I’ve lost track of the number of posts I’ve read on this forum from people who moved somewhere on a whim, with absolutely no fucking understanding of just how different the various parts of Australia are. And I’m not just talking about the difference between Victoria and Queensland, I’m talking about the difference between living on the coast and living 15 miles inland. The kind of people that live inland are very different to the folks that live on the coast. The kind of people that live in cities are very different to the folks that live in towns. I feel dumb even writing that, but some people just seem to have a brain spasm when they move here and think that because there’s some nice big houses and good beaches, that the area will be nice. So whatever you do, don’t rush into buying – get yourself a rental, test out the area, see if your kids settle into the school, find out if you can make friends, work out if the commutes doable – and if it isn’t – MOVE.
2. Cars. Petrol is no longer dirt-cheap in Australia. It’s currently around the $1.50 mark. That might seem cheap but the odds are that you’ll be doing a hell of a lot more miles here than you did in the UK where, thanks to the mass of humanity crammed into tiny spaces, pretty much everything was only a short drive away. So carefully consider the car you buy – sure you might have always yearned for a frigging great 4WD Prado, but they glug petrol – your average family car such as a Holden Commodore or the like is a way better choice. Now at the risk of being called a hypocrite, I should point out that we have bought a V6 3.3 litre Toyota Kluger. You know why? We work from home and our son’s school is 30 yards away. If I was having to commute there is no way I’d have got such a big car.
3. Your old social network. You will miss them more than you imagine. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the ladies will also miss that old network waaaaaaay more than the blokes – cold-hearted bastards that we are. If you have elderly parents and friends you’ve known since school then you will suffer. Sorry to be so harsh about it, but a little bit of blunt truthfulness really doesn’t hurt when you’re considering moving to another hemisphere. Yes, there’s the Internet and webcams and visits from ‘home’, but unless you can be self-reliant whilst you’re building your new life, you’re going to struggle. If you do fall into the above categories then it doesn’t mean you’re doomed to failure, just that you’ve got to tackle things head-on and be utterly pragmatic about it.
4. Overhauling your lifestyle. If you ask someone why they’re moving to Oz they often mention the weather, the laid-back lifestyle, the beaches and the environment for their kids. All of those things are fine – but if you’re emigrating to change your life, then do it – don’t just replicate your old UK life. At the risk of sounding like Dr Phil – embrace the differences.
5. Work. Actually I’m sure most people do obsess about this, but there are things a lot of people don’t consider. Firstly, just because there’s a ‘skills shortage’ doesn’t mean you’ll be able to walk into a job. Secondly, you’ll undoubtedly have to start several rungs down the ladder and work your way back up. Thirdly, you tradesmen often have the hardest time of all – just because you passed your TRA does not mean you’ll be able to drop into a similar job to the one you did in the UK – you’ll almost certainly have to do some courses at TAFE and keep on at your particular trades body until they give up the licence you’ll need to ply your trade. It can, and probably will, suck for at least 18 months to two years whilst you try and get everything sorted – go in knowing that and you’ll find it far easier to handle the knock-backs and grief. Oh and while we’re on the subject – none of this is Australia’s ‘fault’ – Australian-born tradesmen have to jump through exactly the same hoops. The rules were in place long before you decided to move here, they were not put in place just to piss off immigrant plumbers, brickies and electricians. Yea, I probably am being bleak, but you know what? It’s all true.

Good god don’t people like to rub your nose in it? I have truly lost track of the number of people back in the UK who have emailed, or texted of Skyped or MSN’d us telling us about the ‘heatwave’ that’s brought old blighty to its knees. This is usually accompanied by a quick Australian weather report telling me how warm it isn’t over here. I suppose we did have it coming though – when we were out here in Dec/Jan we phoned people up on New Years Day from outside the Broughton Hotel with a cool beer in hand, amid temperatures of 45 degrees and had a good gloat, so the karma’s come back to bite us in the arse. That said, the weather’s already starting to cool in the UK, the sun’s out here and the temperature difference between mid-winter Oz and mid-summer UK is a mighty 3 degrees.

In other news – we have been approved for a mortgage. No clear cut case for us either, since we have none, nada, zero, zilch Australian income. All our money is earnt and taxed in the UK at present (this may change but not for a while) and so we were assessed according to our stated UK income. We had a very good mortgage broker who did all the leg work and got us the goods with Westpac. Even better, though it’s a lo-doc mortgage, we won’t be paying the 7.5% interest rate, but a fairly standard 6.25%. After we’d submitted all the appropriate bits and pieces of paperwork it took them all of three days to approve us. From memory I’d say our last mortgage in the UK took nearer six weeks.

Ah yes, and we’ve put an offer in on a house. It’s up the road in the seaside town of Barefoot Bay. It’s a four bed, two storey, brick house with a very good sized garden, pool and plenty of space inside for us to have an office each and still have room for guests. It’s a 10 minute walk to the beach and 15 minutes from the Broughton River which is a staggeringly pretty stretch of water and protected marine sanctuary. The house is well under our budget, which we’re very pleased about and also means we qualify for the NSW first-time home buyers stamp duty waiver (saving us $20,000) and of course the federal $7000 rebate. Should be hearing back from the real estate agent regarding our offer soon.

In other news, my cartoon sized finger has exploded in an x-rated display of pus and blood and I’m now sporting a fetching fabric bandage which makes typing an interesting experience.

Oh wait, more news just in – our offer has been accepted!! Did we go in too high or just pick the sweet point? Who knows? Who cares?