Emigrating before ever visiting Australia?!

[CarterTucker]

Hello...

With the flight prices going up so much, we have given very serious thought to not coming on a 'trial visit' to Australia

Moving our whole life to a new country that we have never even set foot on! (makes me nervous!)

So, we'd love to hear from others that did just that!

How did it work for you...were you just as nervous? As my husband said to me 'we know we dont want to stay here, we cant see any reason that we wouldnt love Australia either'.....I think he has a good point....

Looking forward very much to hearing from you all.
Regards, Kelly, Jay & Children

[northern mover]

Hi Kelly Jay et al

Now THAT is BRAVE!!
If you know folks out there, ask them all about it. Read loads about the place you choose and check out all the best places for schools etc......

Like you i found the flights quite expensive, but went anyway.
2 weeks back in April, not nearly long enough to do it all, but enough to know we want to go there!

I didn't meet anyone rude, pushy or unhelpful (even immigration and estate agents were lovely!) my husband met a coupe of ex-pats after playing golf with the hotel owner!! Seriously, 2 days in and he was off with the locals (you dont get that in the UK). Not one had a bad word for the place (adelaide), and not one wanted to come back home.
If I could, i'd go tomorrow.
I hope it works well for you
Jane

[sarahtemple]

Hi,

Just wanted to say that we are in the exact same boat! Our visa is underway, but i am 3 months pregnant and we also have a two year old so a reccie trip is out of the question!

I have family in Melbourne, they have been there for 19 yers! and i spoke to my aunt last week and the only thing she could say was that she wished they had done it sooner!

Good luck with your move!

Sarah, Alan, Jamie and bump!

[Janice]

Hi there,

We are doing exactly the same having never been to OZ but are emigrating, mad isn't it.. We have the house on the market and I have a PR sponsership so once everything is in place we are off.. Our families think we are bonkers, but only regret the things you've done. We were like you going to go for a quick tour of Perth but with 3 kids it seemed a lot of money and we probably wouldn't get a good feel for the area. Just go for it...
Janice

[Tiffani]

I think a lot of people go that route even though it probably puts us in the category of "clinically insane"

The fact is that even with a vacation you can't really tell if you'd want to live somewhere. Living and vacationing are two entirely different things, so while you can get a "feel" for a place on holiday, it's not like renting a house, getting a job, looking for the best local bakery, etc, none of which you can do until you actually MOVE here.

I would love to have had the option of visiting before moving down here, but it didn't work out (everything happened really fast for us). It's taken a bit of adjustment but apart from some issues importing our dog, things are going well I'm happy we moved here, even blindly!

[kaz101]

I am far too much of a control freak to have moved here without having been here at all. I agree that a holiday is not the same as living here but at least it gave us an idea of what we did and didn't want since we weren't moving to a big city (out of choice).

As others have said just do as much investigation as you can online and of course you have us so that you can ask questions. We have members living in the Mornington Peninsula, Sydney, Brisbane, and of course South Australia (my home state now). And probably other places I've forgotten too!

We actually thought that even if we didn't like where we settled we'd just move after a while (but we love Mount Gambier). Australia is so big and so varied that there's bound to be at least part of it that you like!

Regards,
Karen

[Ric&Martha]

...but we're in the same boat. Long term job opportunity has us looking to move to Oz NOW without ever having been there even for a holiday visit. Melbourne area is our target (well, maybe further out in Victoria somewhere), but we're most likely be making the decision final, putting the house on the market and making way within a week! We haven't even told our 5 kids as yet!

We're studying, researching, googling, as much as humanly possible ...trying to absorb and integrate information as best as possible. Any info about Melbourne area, schools, housing, transportation, cost of living, etc. is well received and appreciated.

Thanks and best regards,
Ric, Martha and kids

[uligargon]

I can see many of us are in the same situation. Moving to a complete new world and different way of life. Plane tickets are really high to do a reccie trip, I consider it is the gamble of my life... all or nothing. Here in Mexico I will be quitting a well payed job, what is the most important thing I'm planning to leave behind (family in first place), my familiy think I'm nuts, but when I read the news that someone was killed, or another one crashed in his car due to the road bad condition (holes and holes and more holes in road), or when it takes me more than 40min to get to my job due to the traffic... I realized I want a better life for me and my future family. Doing this move blindless is crazy, but having familiy here is more that that, it is really insane¡¡¡

Nothing that doing more and more research before leaving... that is all a got...

[CarterTucker]

Thankyou all for such great messages, I must say that its great to know that so many of you are in the same boat. It has really settled my mind to know that with research, research & more research it is possible & we arent totally mad.....

We worked out that the trip could have ended up costing us at least £8000 ,probably alot more (My husband is self employed he would have lost a months salary too)

Im wondering what we do now...? I suppose we start the Visa process, but where to start? Wow....that will really start the ball rolling! ( Nervous & Excited about that prospect)!

Kind Regards, Kelly.

[scottishcelts]

Hi all, well we have no intention of going on holiday to Oz before moving there and we've never been there!

Only that was the intention but now thanks very much to the bloody banks we may well have to visit before moving to validate our visas, as we can't get our house sold!

Anyone with a bit of spare cash that wishes to buy it to rent out please p.m. me and i'll get the ball rolling!

Yes i'm desperate now!