For those of you that have emigrated to Australia what are the advantages and disadvantages.?

Question

We have 2 young children and are seriously considering moving to Australia. I just dont want to move and really regret it. For those of you that have done it what did you find the most difficult. I just find the whole thing scary but really exciting as well.

Oh im Irish not English :)

Answer 1

I lived overseas(Ireland) for 14 years and came back home (Australia)to live last year with my Irish husband and children.Even though I am Australian,I was still nervous about coming back.I was worried about how my children would fit in here,that my children and husband would get to home sick and we wouldn't never have enough money for them to go back home and if my husband would be able to find a job quickly.
I was happy living in Ireland,but my husband thought Australia would be better for our children.
I am so glad that we came.We all found it a bit difficult at the start.Even I was experiencing a little bit of culture shock,but after a year,my children are so happy to be here.There was one stage where my husband and I thought about going back to Ireland,but my 2 older children(15 and 12)(youngest is 4) said that they didn't want to go back to Ireland to live as they loved it in Australia.My 2 older children are in contact with all their friends back home every day via the Internet,and they have both been back home with their Dad twice already as you are able to save quite easily here as the typical lifestyle here allows you to be able to do so.I was a bit worried about them keeping in contact with thier friends back home on a daily basis,but it's all their friends back home that have helped them settle into Australia,by giving them encouragement.
The most difficult thing my family experienced was culture shock,but that was to be expected any way.
We decided that we wern't going to sell our house straight away in Ireland just incase we all wanted to go back,and that we would sell our house in Ireland when we would buy a house here.We did remortgage our house so that we could finace our move to Australia and have a bit of money to set our selves up here.We have since bought a house here,but still have our house in Ireland as again with the typical lifestlye here your able to save quite a good bit of money each week so there has been no need to sell our house.
If you need any more advice you can always email me.
Take care.

Answer 2

G'day,

Terrific answer from AngelaB. I'm an immigrant myself and have been living in Melbourne for over 16yrs and never regret the move. I never feel that I've been treated unfairly b'cos of my look or my heritage, which is different compared to life in my country of origin in South-East Asia.

If you come to Melbourne, this is what you'll find:
1. First of all... some people do not like the weather in Melbourne (you can have 4 seasons in one day). However, if you read the first article from The Age newspaper, you will find out that the weather is still more preferable than the other cities. Sure you can have 42C day in summer, but almost immediately you'll get a much cooler weather pretty soon afterwards. It is very rarely that you got 2 or 3 consecutive days of hot weathers (unlike Sydney, Brisbane or Perth).
2. Melbourne is a city of diversity. If you are a newcomer, and you do not look 'Anglo-Saxon', you do not feel like an 'alien', since you can find almost every race in the world walking in the city. They are both immigrants and overseas students.
3. THE FOOD!! Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Thai, All-you-can-eat, African, Lebanese, Mexican, Sea Food... anything else? All available and lots of them in a very-very-very affordable price
4. Pretty good public transport system. With one ticket, you can switch from train, tram and bus. They do not always come on-time, but still reliable and improving (www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au).
5. SHOPPING!!! Original branded clothing sold very cheap. There are even shopping tour, where the participants are taken to retails outlets just for shopping. Big temptations for ladies.
6. Crime rates... just read the second article on the bottom.
7. Cost of Living... I'll say it's second most expensive city after Sydney. Altho I have to say that some cities in Queensland can be more expensive to live.
8. Tourist attraction. This is the area that I think Sydney is better than Melbourne, since it has most of it's attraction within its suburbs. Most Melbourne attraction are pretty much out of Melbourne, such as the gold mines in the cities of Bendigo and Ballarat, The Great Ocean Road, Lakes Entrance, Grampians, skiing in Mt. Buller etc.

In regards to schools there are 3 choices: Public/Government, Christian/Catholic and Private. Public schools have pretty much the same standard wherever you go and they are the cheapest alternative. You usually just enrolled to the one closer to where you live. The list of government schools are from Victoria's website: www.victoria.gov.au
Private are the most expensive, since on top of the tuition fee, you will still have to buy books, uniform, etc. The list for non-government schools are here: http://www.isd.com.au/

I'm also providing a very recent question abt why do ppl move back to their country of origin to give you a different view.

I certainly hope this helps. Yes, there will be some time needed for adjustments, but there will be helps and supports along the way since Australia is built by immigrants (yes, this include the Caucasians and the Aborigines, so I was told).

Welcome to Australia and enjoy.

Answer 3

I migrated here nearly fifty years ago and have never regretted it. Australia is a wonderful country with unlimited opportunities. It is great place to raise children with excellent schools and universities.

Don't worry about the "dangerous" animals. They are highly venomous but not dangerous. For the most part they are shy and get out of your way. Most Australians have never seen a snake or any of the other venomous creatures. They are not a problem.

All of Australia is much closer to the equator than Ireland and the sun is stronger than anything you have experienced (unless you holiday in north Africa). Always treat the sun with respect. Use SPF30+, wear a hat and cover up. Keep an eye on the kids in the sun, sunburn can be serious here.

Answer 4

As sharifjunaid says, there are lots of dangerous animals in Australia. I live in Australia, so I can tell you. :P

Which is why I'm baffled that you're not moving to New Zealand, which is basically all the same pros without the cons. Much less crime, more socially-oriented government, more peaceful and virtually no corruption, nuclear free....etc. etc. Oh, and they're not in the grip of a serious drought, like Australia is. The most dangerous animal there is a spider that has caused three fatalities in recorded history, most New Zealand citizens have never seen it as it only lives under logs on sheltered, unused beaches, every hospital stocks antivenom and even without the antivenom you're not likely to die.

And if you're worried about the climate, just stick to the north. It's plenty warm up there.

There is also considerably more anti-English sentiment in Australia. New Zealand has closer remaining ties with the UK, and you will have a much easier time settling in there.

Take my advice and move to New Zealand instead. ;)

Answer 5

Don't be worried about what bites, eats you, they really are not that in your face, I know I am a herpetologist, it's harder to find a snake if you are looking for it ! check my source

Answer 6

Unlike in GB, there are things Down Under which can - and probably will - bite/eat/kill you.