Monteith's?

You are right, I've not had a beer now since Sept '12 but I find a few pints of strong gin with soda and plenty of chopped lime quenches the thirst. Pinot Noir, mmmmmm nice. Currently drinking Felton Road P Noir Block 3 & 5

Prefer Emmersons myself. Don't mind the Monteiths black and Celtic though.

Didn't try that one while I was there. Speights and Moa were others recommended to me but i preferred Monteiths.

Speaking of Pinot noir I managed to grab a few bottles of Ata Rangi, lovely stuff.

we did it six years ago and have no intention of ever going back to england, its works for some people but for others its not their thing, if you decide to make the move you have to really give it 2 years before going back to england.A few couples we know who came out here have gone back due to living costs etc, but plenty more have made a go of it and love the place.

Qn, you say you're "qualified in nothing else but retail" how do you propose getting enough points for a visa, I'd look into that first before looking at anything else.

I think he's already answered that, third para.

Im not so sure that "What jobs would be out there for me, could i get a minimum wage job for the time being or do they prefer Australian Citiziens ? Is the process long and stresfull ?" is the kind of detailed research one should undertake before shipping their lot across the planet.

I hope the OP gets the move they want, and that it works out, but I do suggest a bit more effort is expended first on the research front.

I agree with Standee on this, too many people have the attitude of 'well they all speak English so it must be like England but with good weather' and that's the end of the (non) research

I am not referring to the OP as a direct example.

BUT

Too many Brits have a colonial attitude to migration, the old "well, we gave them language and the bible" kind of approach, they should welcome us with open arms.

I was offered a job in Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games in 2006, but it was on $12k(AUS) less than an Aussie would have been paid, because I was an "incomer".

It depends what sector you work in, I've never heard of any Brit been offered less money. In fact the opposite is true.

Well that is very true but he did state in the original post that he qualified for a visa through his proven partnership.

I also agree with the points on doing your research but to be honest you can do all of the research you like and still have no idea of what its like to move to another town/city even in the UK let alone at the other side of the world - the example that I quoted earlier of my brothers friends moving to Perth after selling their daycare business in the UK and buying an identical business there should have been an easy move to make - exactly the same line of business, very similar business regulations to follow, they knew the job inside out and were very successful at it, they were basically stopping work on the Friday afternoon and starting again on the Monday morning in a new country where the sun shines all the time and everyone has xmas dinner on the beach, waht could possibly go wrong ?

Homesickness is what went wrong, within two weeks they were ringing all of their friends in the UK and asking when they were coming out to visit them, within twelve months they have built a small bungalow in their garden (big garden) and paid for and sponsored the wife's parents to emigrate permanently and live with them - not everyone would have the resources to do that.

They are still there after ten years, their kids love the life but the adults still confess to missing their previous lifestyle in the UK even though on the outside there is no possible justification for that, its a very strange thing is homesickness.

The Melbourne job was a state job, I believe that's why it was going to be less money.

Anyway, having looked into it, Aus isn't an option, wouldn't want to live there.

TBH Australia can hardly hold itself up as a beacon of equality

Indeed, one of my other reasons for not going, incredibly racist people.

Not all and certainly not in the cities.

I'm more embarrassed by some of my friends comments back home on fb then I ever hear out here.

My eldest daughter (26)moved on her own to Sydney in January this year and has absolutely no regrets. I speak to her via Skype every week and ask her the same question , "any regrets?" and the answer is always "no".
She was originally living at a place called Dee Why near Manly but has now moved further out to Gosford on the central Coast about 50 miles from Sydney as rental property was half the price of that in the Sydney area. Fortunatley she works from home and only goes into the office one day a week, which is about 40 miles away.

Whilst in the uk she had got into Rugby League reffing and now does that in the central Coast area (kids and teenagers games). It's been useful as she has made friends through this. And despite being a "pommie" woman does not get much grief from the sidelines. Far less than in the uk she says.

When she went she said she would not come home for two years to get over the 'homesickness' although we are going out to see her in August for three weeks and whilst there will attend my nephews wedding, he's been over there in downtown Sydney for six years now.

One thing that has helped Lucy is that she has bnot made her home and her life a shrine to England. If you're going assimilate into their way of life rather than remaining an Englander abroad. The only time she is allowed to be English/ British is when we play them at Rugby League.!
Give it a go. I'm 57 now and wish I had had the balls to do it.

I'm with Sheldon. I'd say I see and hear far less racism here in Brisbane than I used to in Leeds for example.

Aboriginal equality is a huge issue, and a lot of the current issues for Aborigines are indeed down to years of institutionalised racism. But successive governments have for some time tried to turn things around. Sadly a lot of the issues will not and cannot be solved by everybody 'stopping being racist'. In fact I'd argue that one of the biggest problems is the inability by some to view the problems in anything other than racial terms. Community isolation and remoteness, alcohol addiction, domestic violence, lack of education and opportunities will not be solved by everyone being treated equally.

As for moving overseas, I'd say the experience is completely personal. I miss lots of things from England - friends and family and a sort of connectedness to all things British, including and sometimes especially the rather naff stuff. But I wouldn't move back because my kids are Aussies, and to me work is work wherever you live.

But I've met Brits here who are more extreme than me in both directions - some who seemingly can't stand the place and want to go back to the UK ASAP (including one old couple who'd lived here for 40 years!), and others who started supporting Australia at sports the moment they got off the plane and are more Aussie than the Aussies.