We've decided not to emigrate, as you may have seen in another post.

I thought that while I am weaning myself off this addictive site, I would add something that I think is quite important to those of you planning to emigrate:

After our reccie trip in Feb '06, I came home and said "no way am i moving there". I think that the image of Australia that I had conjured up in my head just didn't match what I had seen in reality. I had heard all about Australia being a paradise place from my son, husband, friends over there, tv programmes, holiday brochures, sport programmes & my expectations were extremely high.

I will list for you my reasons for not wanting to emigrate back then (I did change my mind about emigrating by July '06). These are the reasons I gave my nearest & dearest, some may seen weird or offensive, but it's how I felt:

1) Adelaide is just a huge urban sprawl & not pretty at all.
2) There are plenty of tatty looking shopping centres in the suburbs, graffiti etc
3) People swear too much, including the children & on the radio
4) It is much more windy than I expected
5) The rivalry between the cities really got on my nerves "Get over it!"
6) The Aussie humour is more forced than the british, not as subtle
7) Aussies seem to have a chip on their shoulder where it comes to Brits
8) Aussies are desperate to have visitors to their country because they feel so cut off from anywhere else (i had previously thought it was because they were proud of their country)
9) The choice of food & goods in general was not that good
10) Sitting on the beach, I wondered how much i would enjoy it without having my sister & her kids to share it with - a feeling of loneliness
11) Most people live in suburbia on fairly small blocks
12) Locals were totally unaware of skills shortage & need for migrant workers - so where were the jobs we had be lead to believe were aplenty?
13) Hungry Jacks/Burger King were full of unsavory characters in city, just like uk
14) The bbq's we went to were a complete let down compared to those we go to in uk - i thought they'd be much bigger & better, but a few sausages, a steak & a bun seemed to be the limit
15) Lots of the beaches were not rural/picturesque & away from it all, they were in front of residential areas or shops
16) Service was really bad in some restaurants
17) Much of life is limited to the 1 city
18) Locals moan about benefit scroungers & low-lifes
19) The flies get on your nerves
20) Killer mozzies are going to be a threat to Aussies in the near future (so said a news programme)
21) Tv is really rubbish
22) It's pretty much the same as the uk, except sunnier weather
23) Water supply to Adelaide seemed a bit unsavoury - had to come along way

Before you start to disagree with the above please hear me out:
I believe that for some people like me, if they read this, then go to Adelaide, they will be very pleasanty suprised. I wish someone had said all the above to me, then I would have been pleasantly suprised too. I'm not writing this post as I'm now bitter & twisted that my husband's pulled the plug on the whole venture. I want those of you who are emigrating to carry my comments with you and then LOVE it! It'll be much better than you expect then and you can think 'what the hell was that becky talking about?!' Also, if I hadn't ranted on about all of the above sillyness/pettyness to my husband - maybe he wouldn't have had doubts in the end?

We'd still move if we had more money behind us, so please don't take offence to my thoughts. Remember, our reccie trip had been an emotional time too - I absolutely detest flying and we also stayed with my ex and his wife & kids (my son lives with them) and it was the first time he'd socialised with me since we last went out together in 1987!! It was all absolutely great, but bizarre. A three week reccie which involved that in Melbourne and deciding if we wanted to emigrate to Adelaide :loopy:

I hope I've put my point over clearly enough. It really is not an Aussie/Adelaide bashing.

Good luck to all of you & I hope our decisions work out for all of us whatever they are :sign03:

Enjoy Adelaide, it is lovely really ;)

Hi Becky & WOW that must have been hard to post! Reads great though and I do get some of the things you said.

I've just one thing to ask, if you don't mind? At the end you said that you'd still go "if we had more money". So is it money and the security of that which really makes the other niggling things seem much greater, or less? I'd probably be the same, if we had ££ zillions then so what, pop over to see what it's all about.

How much do you think money helps?

All the best,

Graham

Light the blue touch paper and retire to a safe distance and watch the fireworks... :huh:

At least there will be one more shrimp on the barbie for the rest of us.. :P

Sure you can find or see most of what you mentioned in Adelaide but they are by far out weighed by the good stuff down here.. :D


Corker......nearly been here a year.. :clap:

Me again.....Just read your other post, well done for being so honest.
I remember when we arrived home after our reccie, saying that I would be happy never to return to Adelaide, and listing a lot of things on here that I didn't like about the place. That didn't mean that I hadn't enjoyed the reccie, I was just being honest - as you have - about a place where we were planning to spend vast amounts of cash to get to, with our 3 kids that we were going to take away from friends and family etc. I was scared to death, and like I said before - OH had been negative about the whole thing since the day we left on our reccie.
Like others have said, we have our visas for another 4 years, and a lot can happen in that time. In 4 years you (and hopefully I!) could be more financially secure, with less of the dreaded money worries, which - lets face it - are a major factor in moving halfway across the world. I'm still hopeful that we can give our kids a great life, we live in a nice pocket of Derbyshire, we are all healthy, we both have jobs, and can afford a holiday and sports activities for the kids. We have a whole lot more than a lot of people and for that I'm so greatful. Moving to Oz would be nice, but being a stable, happy family seems to make more sense at the moment. If ever you fancy a beer in Nottingham, and a chinwag just give me a shout!
Good luck
Caroline :D

Hi Graham,
How much do I think money helps? I haven't got a clue really! Ask the people who have had the bottle to move to Adelaide. Throwing our secure financial situation here up in the air here just ended up seeming too risky when we are unsure of job opportunites in Adelaide. Our $300k to buy a house just seemed to be able to buy less and less as time went on. I also found it off putting that our price bracket on estate agent details seems to be quite often for houses marked as 'get your foot on the ladder', 'investment opportunity', 'great holiday home' whereas here in UK we are a few steps up the ladder with a manageable mortgage. The thought of giving up a decent salary & job where he doesn't work many hours at all (some days & even some weeks, zero hours :yeehah: ) with company car, pension, bupa etc was, in the end, not worth the move to my husband. Wrong or right decision, we'll never know now. Yes, if we had bags of dosh, we'd certainly give the move a try, also if we had nothing to lose here: if we were unhappy with our home, way of life etc.

Corker; I know the good outweighs the bad in Adelaide. :)

Rodmac; Our situation is far too friendly to be on the Trisha show, much to my son's disappointment - he'd love a big punch up between his four parents & a good bit of drama to get hung up on; the friendliness & fairness & joint complaining about his teenage behaviour irritates him immensely :lol:

I hope no-one gets firey about my post. If it's read properly, it will be understood in the good way it is intended.

I dont think we should bother it sounds like Iraq!!

Anyone have anything positive to say this is very dour. I am off to by a noose :D

Lee

An interesting post, and I respect your views - every last one of them. But I also consider that they are a 'snapshot view' of the short time you spent here. Had you spent longer, some would no doubt have been proved more strongly, others would have evaporated and you would have forgotten about them.

Good luck with the life you have chosen, and thank you for posting - I am one of those who believes everyone should be allowed to post their opinions and that it is all grist to the mill for those who have not yet moved.

That was in interesting post.

I can't say i can agree with most of it (the Hungry jacks/swearing etc maybe).

We came to Adelaide having never been to Australia before. We bought a house 2 weeks after landing. We love it.

The beaches are not as tropical as I expected but they are not crammed full of people.
The weather is Great... Yes it is very changeable but that is good in my opinion.....

I expected SA to be a Hill Billy Town with tumbleweed running everywhere as my family members that have visited Australia before never made it to this beautiful part of the country.

The good life we can make for ourselves here for outweighs the Cold, Cold, Damp, Dark nights of England when my Husband had to work long silly hours just to make ends meet so i could look after the children at home back in the uk.

I have found the Aussies to be SO friendly. We have made so many friends already and have only been here 3 months.

Go back to the uk? NO THANKS!

Yes we have bad days when we miss our family but with Skype and e-mails, phone calls and texts I probably speak to family and friends more than ever now.

Good luck with your life and I Hope this has not put anyone else off coming to Adelaide. It is Great!!!!!
:clap:

Seconded. :-)

Glad to see you are making a go of it :-)

It is an honest post, and advice that someone wishes to pass on to others.

I think however it was a case of "what would be lost" rather than " what would be gained".

Very very lucky to have a lifestyle of so many perks to a job, and probably a wise decision to stick with those securities.

I take with the post one thing " same as uk only sunnier", if it is, i will have to take the sunnier option then.

Like i said it's an honest post, and it's gonna get some honest from the heart answers i feel.

Cheers

Mik.
" i think i could always come back if it went wrong"

Oh sh!!ugar make mine a large one . WARNING to admin this could seriously be the thread to damage your Brit readership we might all end up on the Isle of wight soon .!!!

Well how ironic, someone who came over for a few weeks doesnt like it...well all i can say is you didnt meet the right people.I've not met an auzzie yet with a chip about me being a pom, and i meet an awful lot of them at work.
Yeah its not that pretty but when you finish work and go to the beach with your family thats when its pretty.
The sense of humour thing is worldwide, i've met many poms who dont get my humour...like im bovered.
Anyway enough negative.....if u think like this then don't come, one less whinging pom to worry about.

The more I read your posts the nearer an invite to Tyke Towers ;-)

I think this is probably one of the best and most important posts I've ever seen on AB and I think a lot of folk will misunderstand becky's intentions in posting it.

It must have been difficult to write and I admire her for posting it.

I think most the first part is completely wrong of course, but that's just my opinion as opposed to becky's.

Both views are perfectly valid.

I think there are two important lessons that this should ram home to all potential migrants:

• Be realistic in your expectations. If the bubble is too big - it will probably burst. Adelaide is a state capital city (albeit a small one) in an industrialised nation. But there is still so much here to enjoy and to be proud of. We were lucky - we could have moved to almost anywhere in the world - we turned down Canada, the US, NZ, France and a dream job and lifestyle in South Africa before settling on South Australia as being the best place in the world (for us) , but paradise - no, not even close. To quote an old Eagles song -'You call some place paradise - kiss it goodbye'
• Look at your own attitudes to life, I don't know Becky, so I'm not going to jump to conclusions, but it reads like a classic 'Glass half empty' view of the world. I'm probably too far into the 'Glass half full' camp myself, but I get the impression that I would look at almost everything on the list and see it in a completely different way.

As has been said, a brave and difficult post (although I sense a lot of painful 'what-if's down the track).

When you move to a new country it often turns out that what you learn the most about is yourself....

Perry

5) The rivalry between the cities really got on my nerves "Get over it!"


Get over it!!

Stevo,

[QUOTE] Also, if I hadn't ranted on about all of the above sillyness/pettyness to my husband - maybe he wouldn't have had doubts in the end?[QUOTE]


Is it then fair to put doubts into the minds of the people who have newly arrived here or still deciding to make the move here just because your financial circumstances wouldn't allow you the life you want over here?

We have been here for 8 years and didn't have a lot when we came here but have built up our lives and ourselves over the years to become very happy and settled.

Okay, some parts of the City are not great but some parts are beautiful..... The beaches here are beautiful.....Maslin, Sellicks, Normanville.....etc. The people in the main are funny, friendly and very down to earth. I've been to some ripper barbies. Oh, I can't go through all your reasons but the [/QUOTE]4) It is much more windy than I expected[QUOTE] just made me shake my head in sorrow.

Well, we can't switch the wind off for you but I hope, once you settle down from your horrific experience of coming to Adelaide, you will see that life is what you make it and "Wherever YOU go, there YOU are."

Im sorry but I don't agree with your comments either, but you are entitled to your opinion, as it's a free country. We have been here 9 months this week and love the place. Sure, there are ugly parts of Adelaide, but if you dont like them, dont go there!

I have travelled all over the world and I personally think Adelaide is one of the prettiest, most well thought out cities I have ever visited. I love the parks in the centre, and I even love the new airport. :rolleyes:

We both landed jobs in our professions within a few weeks, and have been welcomed by the Australians with open arms. I dont think it is possible to form a balanaced opinion on a place after a mere reccie. We had reccie on Sep 04, and although we liked it here, we knew we hadnt even scratched the surface.

I just think that maybe not everyone is cut out for migration...it probably helps if you dont have massive close family ties in the UK. Most of our close UK friends here have similar family relationships, and maybe that is why we are all so settled and happy here. (no more out-laws droppping in uninvited! <_< :ph43r: )

Becky - good post but that was Adelaide, what about trying another part of Australia?

I totally agree with Elaines reply on this one.

:sigh:

I must admit Becky I can see where you are coming from - I actually left a Mcdonalds near the city once because I felt uncomfortable having the kids there (it was a Friday evening)

I think a lot of your observations are spot on - BUT I also think a lot of them came from only being on holiday.

I came out knowing that whatever happened I was not going back within 2 years - it cost too much in emotions and money to not give it that long!

It takes time to get a feel of a place, I come from Birmingham (well partly) and I know a lot of people don't think much of the place - my Grandma steadfastly refused to go near the bullring (the old one) yet she loved going round Preston markets :blink: - but you can't take things at first glance - I loved Birmingham and its people!

Adelaide has so much going for it that you couldn't see on holiday - the sense of community - ever since we have been here we have had people including us and inviting us into various circles - people (that I have met) seem to want to know that you are ok and enjoying your new life.

If you are here for the festivals you are lucky - for me it is them that really makes the city - I won't ever forget watching the opening ceremony of the arts show last year or the skyshow (unfortunately cancelled this year) or spending a whole day watching the buskers at the fringe - cos we couldn't get the kids to leave!

BBQs I can follow, we used to have much more interesting bbqs in the UK - but in the UK we would have friends round and a big barbie maybe twice a year, whereas here you are doing it every week - plus there is no asda with marinated mint lamb kebabs here *sob*, the barbies we tend to go to are really good and its usually the sides that make it - but thats me!

At first glance Adelaide is sprawling and many of the city suburbs are alike and merge into one, and there is a penchant for using an American strip mally look - but Adelaide is also stunning the views from places like Waterfall gully and windy point (and both very different).

I love our beaches - and if you see what the other cities have on offer - St Kilda in Melbourne and Bondi in Sydney there is no comparison - we are so lucky to have such gorgeous beaches so close to the city. Go out of town for maybe 30 minutes and you have stunning secluded beaches - Aldinga and Moana are popular, but you still feel like you are the only one there - the bigger 'surf' type beaches in Encounter bay - are fab too, and even quieter out of whale season. I walked from West Beach to Glenelg and back one day last winter and didn't see a soul the whole time.

As I said I can see where you are coming from and I totally respect your decision to stay in the UK - I'll be honest, if I had come out on a reccie I doubt we would have moved either - and I knew that, which is why we didn't.

I agree with Perry, we need more honest posts, there is no point everyone shouting 'come and join us, the waters warm' (which it is) - people will only arrive disappointed, we have a responsibility to get across both sides of the penny!

Just a quick mention about the Wanted Down Under series on at the moment in the UK - they were very selective about the shots they used - the closest you got to the city was the festival centre, which is like going to Sydney and only showing the Opera House - there were no real city shots or suburbs and no shots of North or South road (can't think why!) and hardly a stobbie pole in sight - I expect people realise that - but just thought it was worth a mention!

Nikki
xx

Brave post.. i can agree with most of it ( tongue in cheek tho)


Not really relating to this post...
How come when anyone dislikes here, you get the " migration isnt for everyone, migration isnt for the weak" etc etc... Just because they dont like here.. they may have different standards, outlooks therefore simply havent found the right place yet!

K

Please don't think this post is a bit back post, I just thought I'd add my comments...

I have editied your quote, I thought the post was a good read. Mind you I didn't like the place when I arrived, I felt quite down for a couple of months, it was only until I started getting myself on my feet that I thought better things.

I'm not saying Adelaide is the be all and end all, I am more than willing to give anywhere else a try in the future if I feel I will benefit from another move.

I know Australia in general suits some and doesn't for others. I have had my tough times since I arrived, I know I don't want to go back to the UK, maybe for a holiday, if I get unhappy here I will try somewhere else, I always keep my eyes open for other opportunities. ;)

Brave post.

I hear their is a lot of British leaving Aus and going to Canada as their emigration system has just been streamlined and points have been reduced to encourage workforce growth.

I like Adelaide but it won't be the place for us to live longer than three years.

I haven't read all the replies thoroughly however.

All in all I think your comments were ******* (No offence), yes Adelaide and Aus is not for everyone, but obviously it is not all great for you in the UK or else you wouldn't have even CONSIDERED emigrating.

I think you would have got more support if you had streamlined and backed up your claims. Graffiti - none in the UK is there?

Killer Mozzies......haven't heard the Rann government warning us about them. And your last point about Water what is that about?

Sorry to sound aggressive but it was a pretty ill informed post. If someone who had/is living here had posted that with a few years experience I would have given it more respect.

BTW the things tha are not as good here that matter to , are bank charges, take aways shutting at 8-30, paying to go to the tip. Not the quality of TV!!

Rant over..

Becky,

Fairplay for being 'honest' about your feelings!

Adelaide is for some and not for others. We fell into the 'not for us catagory'...hence moving to Brisvegas!

Mike

G'day Becky,

Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. Hope you don't mind but I'd like to address the points you raised and of course it's only my opinion....

1)Adelaide is just a huge urban sprawl & not pretty at all.

The choice of living options in Adelaide are many and varied from inner city properties to outlying properties with acreage. You have the cosmopolitan beachside suburbs to quaint hills villages.

2) There are plenty of tatty looking shopping centres in the suburbs, graffiti etc

There are plenty of the larger Americanized shopping malls or the good old fashioned High Street shopping precincts like Unley Road and The Parade at Norwood just to mention a couple. Can’t forget the Central and Farmers Markets that are also dotted around the suburbs.

3) People swear too much, including the children & on the radio

Languages differ the world over but to be honest I don’t bother listening to radio stations that feel the need to allow and use profanity to achieve ratings, vote by turning the dial is my motto. I try to lead by example when it comes to swearing.

4) It is much more windy than I expected

The climate firstly, I love it and it’s changeable nature. You will find wind a lot worse when it comes to those coveted areas with views. The wind also means no mosquitoes and flies so I take the good with the bad.

5) The rivalry between the cities really got on my nerves "Get over it!"
City rivalry? Do you mean the SYD v MEL, ADL v BNE or the suburb banter? Australians are very proud people and will always praise the areas in which they live, no harm is meant and generally none is taken.

6) The Aussie humour is more forced than the british, not as subtle

Aussie humour and British humour are both great in my opinion. I guess one just needs to understand the finer points of the basis of the humour and its intent. These days even I get confused with some British humour (being so subtle) and have been know to take things that have been said as an insult where it was not intended. I guess this works both ways and one just needs to become accustomed to the different interpretations and that just takes time.

7) Aussies seem to have a chip on their shoulder where it comes to Brits

Chips on shoulders can be found on many people in many different countries. I work in Tourism and Retail and have found many different nationalities approach me with this weighty problem but generally over here in Australia we are very friendly and try not to let this chip bother us.

8) Aussies are desperate to have visitors to their country because they feel so cut off from anywhere else (i had previously thought it was because they were proud of their country)

Correct Becky I am enormously proud of this country I choose to call home and welcome all visitors with open arms without dollar signs in my eyes when the enter the door. Yes Australia has a shortfall of workers in some specialized areas but not all. The country is not desparate for visitors but on the other side of the equation we enjoy sharing our country with other likeminded people even if only for the short term.

9) The choice of food & goods in general was not that good

To be honest I have never encountered a problem in obtaining anything I have ever needed, except perhaps for one British staple……jellied eels !

10) Sitting on the beach, I wondered how much i would enjoy it without having my sister & her kids to share it with - a feeling of loneliness

Loneliness is an indeterminate thing when you move cities or country. All one can do is to get out and build a social network as soon as they can. Oz natives are well known for their friendliness so you won’t be short of someone bailing you up to say G’day.

11) Most people live in suburbia on fairly small blocks

Yes a lot of people do live on small blocks of land and tend to gravitate towards the metropolitan area areas mainly due to work. The main reason blocks are so small (no different to the UK ) lies with the developers wanting more dollars for the acre so I guess if you wanted more space then you could buy 2 blocks or look toward buying rural properties. On my last visit to the UK block sizes in the areas that I travelled were very similar if not smaller especially in the new area developments so I guess the issue probably exists the world over.

12) Locals were totally unaware of skills shortage & need for migrant workers - so where were the jobs we had be lead to believe were aplenty?

Locals have been aware of the skills shortage for years, just ask anyone who is on an elective surgery waiting list as an example. There has been plenty of media exposure with regards to other specialized areas of employment with vacancies that simply just cannot be filled.

13) Hungry Jacks/Burger King were full of unsavory characters in city, just like uk

Unsavoury characters as you say are everywhere. In my opinion to overcome this situation one could always pack a picnic or buy take away from Maccas or HJ’s and have it in a park or garden as there are plenty of those around Adelaide, problem solved!

14) The bbq's we went to were a complete let down compared to those we go to in uk - i thought they'd be much bigger & better, but a few sausages, a steak & a bun seemed to be the limit

There are BBQ’s and BBQ’s. I prefer to go all out when I put one on but everyone has different ideas. Whatever happened to the old saying ‘it’s the thought that counts’. You can make your BBQ as elaborate or simple as you wish, you do not need the likes of the expensive big supermarket pre-prepared meats and salads, go on be a devil experiment, DIY it is so much better for you, your pocket and fun!

15) Lots of the beaches were not rural/picturesque & away from it all, they were in front of residential areas or shops

Metropolitan beaches are not exactly rural as they are in the city, you need to venture a bit further out and try places like Sellicks, Normanville, Victor Harbor and Yorkes Peninsula. If you are after the tropical paradise AKA glossy tourist brochure beaches then I am sorry you have got the wrong state, try Queensland.

16) Service was really bad in some restaurants

If Restaurant service is bad simply call a Manager or Maitre De and express your concerns. If that fails simply vote with your feet. I have never really had a bad experience with a restaurant here, in saying that the choice is enormous and I have certainly not visited them all.

17) Much of life is limited to the 1 city

???

18) Locals moan about benefit scroungers & low-lifes

I think the vast majority of people in the world moan and whinge about benefit receipients who do not wish to contribute to society for one reason or another, even British expats on this forum do from time to time post about people who cheat the system in the UK.

19) The flies get on your nerves

Ahhhhh flies, you do honestly learn to cope with them, one way or another. Refer to my reply on point number 4, where there is air movement there are no flies or mosquitoes, so windy weather is good for something

20) Killer mozzies are going to be a threat to Aussies in the near future (so said a news programme)

Sorry Becky I gave up believeing in sensationalized journalism years ago….it must have been a slow news day when that story was aired.

21) Tv is really rubbish

Each to their own with regards to TV. I’d don’t mind the Australian programming actually, just hate the American imports, dare I say it…..I don’t understand the humour in the sitcoms, refer to my reply in point 6. Aside to all of that we spend so much time outdoors doing other things the last thing we want to is sit in front of the box.

22) It's pretty much the same as the uk, except sunnier weather

Have to disagree with you on that one Becky. After holidaying in the UK of recent years, not unlike your reccie to Australia I found the UK nothing at all like here really, actually the sun shone for a while when I was there.

23) Water supply to Adelaide seemed a bit unsavoury - had to come along way

You won’t find much disagreement with regards to the water here in Adelaide Becky but when it is all said and done it is still drinkable and sanitary and will not kill you.

I wish you all the very best for your future in the UK Becky.

Now I'm finally off to put in the citizenship forms, thanks for helping me make a long put off decision.....still call Australia home :music: :music: :music: :music: :

Thanks for Becky for posting.....going out with a bang eh? :D

I think most if not all (not sure about the mozzies :unsure: ) of these points have been discussed at some point on this forum....but when they are listed bullet point fashion under a 'to the point' title I think they certainly grab your attention :P It's easy to overlook negative posts and dismiss them one at a time when you are gambling with your whole families future and so much want it to work... this must be worrying to everyone waiting to get here..... IMHO there are alot of truths in there, but it's a very subjective experience dependant on lots of variables....closeness to family and friends, desirability of area you are migrating from, amount of money you are bringing, a certain degree of being in the right place at the right time for jobs, your nature (for coping outside your comfort zone and making new friends from total strangers) etc, etc.... From what information Becky has given (and I know from personal experience) I feel she has made a wise decision.


I think it's good to hear all opinions good or bad. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.

I too thought quite alot of negative things on arrival in Adelaide. I was very dissappointed, especially with the aesthetics (sp!?) It wasn't my first visit to Australia but my first to Adelaide. Going back wasn't really an option for us so I just had to get over it and get on with it and in time (about 16 months) I actually grew quite fond of the place :D :crying:

It is a wonderful opportunty to get your Visa, a HUGE thing to carry through and must be a very tough decision to turn your back on....it's all to easy to swept away with everything forgetting that it's real until your sitting on packing cases in your empty home.

Food for thought indeed.......

Jan

OK, now I know where the expression 'wingeing poms' came from.....!

I quite like the wind...

Just to add my tuppence worth.....
I dont think you can get a fair view of ANY city or country in 3 weeks. We have been here 9 mths and are still finding out new things and learning. No wonder you came up with such riddiculous faults if you crammed so much fault finding into 3 weeks!
Those things you listed are here but they are everywhere else too! And they are NOT always here ie the wind, the flies,the mosquitos.
Parts of Adelaide are UGLY but so are parts sf Sydney, London, Los Angeles, Miami Bath and anywhere else you care to mention.
Bad language is all over the world as well I believe.
I have only met 1 aussie with a chip which soon shrunk to a fry when I asked her how far back was she a Pom!! It made her laugh , and me when she said her grandmother was a pom!
You are right about choice of food, but in my opinion it is better here..far less processed junk. Eating out is far better here i have only had 1 duff meal.
But then you only had 3 weeks I have had 9 mths and am still learning.
So I gather you didnt get down as far as Moana as all the beaches from there down are gorgeous( thats not to say the ones above it are not, but IMO those are the best) where in the Uk can you drive on to a beautiful beach??
Now missing family is the only valid point you have put, although I thought about this for a whole year and still made the choice to come, I am yet to sufer from homesickness.
Before we left I kept thinking am I doing the right thing? But the one thought that kept coming back was" if I dont do it I'll never know and always wonder what if?"
Good Luck to you all, it must have been a tuff time for you all.
sarah :rolleyes:

Am I the only one who likes the radio here? It's a bit near the knuckle admittedly but they don't skirt around and put off asking the questions which need to be asked.

On Nova, which I tend to listen to the most, the only slight criticism maybe that it tends not to hav to much musical diversity. Maybe thats another topic though.

2) There are plenty of tatty looking shopping centres in the suburbs, graffiti etc

Adelaide does have a problem with its grafitti (compared to the ret of AUSTRALIA). I remember going round England and the grafitti is much worse over there and clearly noticeable.

4) It is much more windy than I expected

Hmmm... The wind here is no where near like England. Not at all.

15) Lots of the beaches were not rural/picturesque & away from it all, they were in front of residential areas or shops

I take it you only went to Glenelg and Brighton and Seacliff yeah? About 30 minutes further down you have Sellicks, Normanville, Myponga beaches. All rural and picturesque.

21) Tv is really rubbish

Lost, Desperate Houswives, Prison Break, 24...

_________

Brave post though and hope everythiong works out for yous guys

I have grown to like the radio here now.
Triple J does put out some good stuff and by careful tuning over the day I can always find something I like.

Honest post and I have to agree with everything Becks says - that is exactly how I felt when I arrived. I hated it and I hated all the living it loving it brigade - not for living it and loving it but for not displaying empathy and tolerance of those having a harder time than they imagined.

However, we stuck at it, initially cos we couldn't return, we had no money to do it!

We have been here 15 months now and we are very settled. After about 8 months I suddenly realised that the road I had always driven home along had a beautiful backdrop of the Adelaide Hills. All of a sudden I started seeing things differently and could not believe I hadn't noticed some of the niceties of SA. We make much more of an effort here to be social and get out and see things - it truly is a frame of mind.

I totally understand your reason for not emigrating - why leave all that security and familiarity when your lives are fullfilled - If I had done a reccie and didn't feel as if I needed to do something exciting with my life I would never have come but the job came up and the opportunity was there - call Australia our midlife crisis if you like. I would have regretted it if I hadn't tried.

To be fair I was aware of some peoples dissapointment with Adelaide before I came and we talked about how we would cope with all that and decided that even if we had moved to to another part of England there would be changes. We grossly underestimated the impact of that, so I don't know if other's honest opinion of the place really helped prepare us.

As others have said everyone is and individual. I know there are people out there who tune into Adelaidebrits and will be scared of voicing how they feel about the place for fear of recrimination (although there does seem to be a lot of more tolerant people on here than there was last year.) Those who are having doubts need support and a shoulder to cry on occaisionally - I was fortunate to have met a couple of English families who understood what I meant when I said it's all c**p. They also understood that it didn't mean I wanted to give up trying to settle. Thank god for them because I really enjoy it now. Despite my rant and raving they are still my freinds and are settling too.

Good luck, no matter what your decisions are. Lesley.

How can you say it is lovely really when you have just completely slagged the place off?

When I landed in Adelaide Airport, after 19 months of waiting for assessments, visa's etc I though OMG!!!! It was NOTHING like I thought it would be.

Couldn't afford a reccie, so just applied for the visa and went for it. Nothing to lose I thought.

Well I've been here 7 months now, Ive looked beyond the beach, BBQ and shopping centers, I've looked beyond the pubs, clubs and casinos and I've found the most stunning place I've ever seen.

How much time did you spend in the Barossa Valley, how much time did you spend talking to the 'old' aussies and getting tales from the 60's and how tough they had it. It's a beautiful place with lots of interesting people to talk to from all over the world.

People have it too easy these days and always want more than they have got. What ever happened to 'living for the moment' ;)

Lesley,
I understand exactly how you felt and what you experienced, so much so that it could have been me writing that thread. :)

Hi Becky,

Great post.

We were fortunate enough to have seen other parts of Australia that are just like you see on the TV and everything we had ever imagined of Oz before we landed in Adelaide.... Adelaide in our opinion is nothing at all like any other state in Australia, please dont think that all of Australia is like that there is a whole lot more to Australia than one State and I am sure if you visited a different state you would most probably change your mind about emigrating.

Best of luck for your future
Marie
x

"Going out with a bang" ? Yes, it's a bit like that! I just wanted to add what I thought was very important - not to expect paradise & for people to hear my whole experience, as I've found all opinions on here so incredibly valuable whether negative or positive.

"Cup half empty & winging pom" Yes, true - i went on the reccie expecting paradise, but then geared myself to taking off the gloves & rosey specs & checking out every aspect of the place which i may well have been calling home, having left behind a very secure life in the uk. I wanted to absorb everything so that I could go home and make a well judged decision - and I did, I initially thought "no way" then after thinking long and hard, I came to the opinion that Adelaide was worth a try.

All my negative points, I could equally turn around into positive points for you, but I wanted to express the flipside, as I wish I had heard this side before I went. For example I had heard that "Australia doesn't have graffitti & no-one drops litter", so it was a huge shock to see some. Laugh if you like, but that's how it was.

Yes, maybe we will think "If only...." one day, but we will have to remember why we made the decision to stay in the uk.

To whoever said to the effect of "Good you're not coming, one less whinging pom.." Watch out, we may change our minds AGAIN and still come to Adelaide!!!! :lol2:

Please don't get too defensive when people want to express the negatives, we all know that we're all different & lots of potential migrants on here want to hear EVERYTHING to try and make a life changing decision. I'm sure those of you in Adelaide who are absolutely "loving it" still have whinges, don't we all? At the least, taxes, government etc.

That is not strictly true ;)

There have been plenty of posts pointing out the 'downsides'

I remember you and several others attacking me for raising some points in the past.

You probably heard what you wanted to at the time....like many others.

G

thought you'd pop up on this one. :crying:

Kind of ironic isn't it?

One of the people who had a go at me now finds themselves on the receiving end :rolleyes: