Lifestyle and Leisure
Montoya's Australian Blog January 07
Starting this month, Dave will be keeping us up to date with the Montoya's latest happenings Down Under in his Australian Emigrate blog
It took the Montoya family - Dave, Linda and children Lauren, Chole, Joshua and Matthew - six years to realise their dream of emigrating from Basingstoke to Australia - a dream that has proved to be well worth it.
Well, it has been 16 months since we landed in Sydney! We spent the first month on holiday at Avoca Beach in Central Coast, it was beautiful there. We would of stayed for good had there been the work there, but that was not the case.
My work took me to Sydney, that's where all the good jobs and salaries are. We found a nice area in the North West of Sydney called Kellyville, this was to be home.
We rented here up to now for the last 15 months, all is well here. Great friends and neighbours, especially in our hour of need. (A long story where my daughter ended up in hospital close to not returning to us!)
I have had three jobs since being out here; I am in sales and have found that sales out in Australia is far different to the UK. Slower, more competitive and smaller amounts if that makes sense. Everything is greater to fight for and the rewards smaller. We have the disadvantage of the Far East being closer to Australia than the UK, hence the greater competition. I am a skilled sheet metal worker by trade, but spent 10 years of my 20 working life in the sales side of sheet metal (Fasteners, Consumables, Machinery). Sheet metal workers are highly required out here, but the hourly rate is less than the UK, I believe, and so is sales to a degree.
All in all, salaries are less out here than the UK in general, and cost of living we believe is higher! However quality of life is second to none, nothing in the UK comes close, especially if you have kids as we do.
Would I come back to the UK? NO! Yes, we are worse of financially, however our quality of life is far better. Beaches in the evening and weekends, boating, walking, sports and anything you can do outside in the great weather we have most of the year.
There is too much to list and talk about in short and I will go into depth more each month, please feel free to ask for anything in particular, areas to live, cost of living, schools, social, meet ups with other Poms, No cricket forums please!!!
Although we have enjoyed our time in Sydney, one thing still grates me: price of housing! Be warned, an average four-bed nice house in our area will set you back $500,000 (£200,000). May sound good but the average wage in Sydney I believe is around $60,000 (£24,000). Payments on a $500,000 house is around $4,000 a month - you do the maths! You need money behind you or two incomes.
Rent is around $450 a week for a good-sized place the same (cheaper to rent). However, we know we need to buy in the next year or two as prices will only increase. That's why we are moving to Queensland this month (Jan 07)!
House prices in comparison, 20 minutes from the beach (not an hour currently) same size are around $385,000 - $400,000, around a minimum of $100k cheaper. Salaries are a tad less in QLD too, depending on your profession. For me there is not a lot in it.
So we are moving to the Gold Coast, where life is slower, beaches are nicer and closer, people I think are a bit more approachable (not city life), and yes more Poms are there! Will update you with this next month when I put finger to keyboard.
For those of you looking to follow the dream we have, it is worth it - but be warned, all is not rose tinted glasses, there are heartache and pitfalls, hard work, highs and lows, Christmas can be a low - we have now survived two.
Be prepared, look into everything, check all areas and states, visit for a holiday before hand if possible (expensive but worth it, we did) and remember if it does not work out in the area you are in, look at moving, suburb or interstate as we are. Australia's a big place!
That's it for now, feel free to ask us anything, after all we are Poms, for now!
Montoyas DownUnder
Dave and Lin 37
Lauren 12
Josh 10
Chloe 6
Matthew (almost) 3
Email the Montoyas
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