I’ve been writing this blog for 10 years now, and I’ve shared so many things with you, including how to deal with homesickness as an expat, what not to do when you move to Australia and challenges you’ll face when moving to Australia.
But something I’ve not talked about before are some of the key things I did right when I moved to Australia. There are a few things that came to mind when I started thinking about this topic, and in no particular order, here they are.
6 Things I Did Right When I Moved To Australia
1. I Did Heaps Of Research
We moved to Australia back in 2013, and our visas were granted in 2012. But even before this I was well and truly in the research phase.
And this was back in the day when Facebook groups were just starting to exist, and there were hardly any blogs about moving to Australia. The only one I could find then was Bob In Oz so I read pretty much everything I could on that site! I just checked and sadly it doesn’t exist any more but he was a bit of a legend!
One thing that was popular back then were online forums, so I joined Poms in Oz and Poms in Perth and read every thread I could find about Aussie life and making the move to Australia. These don’t seem to be live any more either.
Today there are heaps of expat/emigration blogs out there, and Facebook groups are really the go to for asking questions or sharing information, making the research phase of moving overseas so much quicker and simpler.
2. I Came With A Positive Attitude
I truly believe attitude can make or break any experience and emigration is no exception.
Moving to a country at the opposite end of the world that I’d never visited before, with a toddler and no jobs lined up was serioudly terrifying.
But I had an inner peace about the whole thing – I just knew deep down that it would all work out one way or the other. Even days where I was overwhelmed and had no idea how we would make it through, I dug deep to that belief that we would be fine.
And guess what? We were! Keeping positive in the face of adversity and the inevitable challenges that come with emigration really can get you through darker days.
3. We Arrived With 3 Months Of Savings
Before we moved, we worked out roughly how much money we would need to survive for 3 months in Australia without any income.
And then we worked hard and saved even harder to ensure we had these funds on hand before we got on that plane. We also saved enough for a cheap car – this was back in the day where you could pick up a decent cheapy car for around $5k. I think this would be almost impossible today but having enough funds to buy a car outright was important to us. Perth doesn’t have the best public transport network due to its size and spread, and we needed to be able to get around especially after we found work.
3 months of funds seems a little low to me now, but that might just be because I am older and wiser and even more risk-averse now! If possible, I’d recommend 3-6 months of funds to hand before moving to Australia, but that may just not be realistic for many people who have to save every cent just to pay for the relocation itself.
4. I Built A Support Network Before We Arrived
Thanks to the online forums, I managed to build a bit of a network that was ready to support us when we landed.
Now these people may not be in my tribe today, but for those first few months, they were essential in being there for me to chat to, hang out with, and having kids my son’s age for him to socialise with too.
Like I said before, this is even easier with the advent and popularity of Facebook groups these days.
5. We Said Yes To Every Invitation
Now this is my golden rule of moving countries – say yes to every invitation possible for at least the first 6-12 months!
Even if its not the usual crowd of people you’d choose to hang out with. You just don’t know who you’ll meet at any event or gathering, so don’t miss any opportunity to potentially meet your new best friends!
6. I Started This Blog & Facebook Group
OK so this one came a bit after our move to Australia. I started my own Facebook group for South Africans in Perth & WA about 6 months after we moved to Australia, and 2 years later I set up this website.
The group started the day Nelson Mandela died, and I saw some absolutely disgusting comments and posts about this on the largest group for South Africans in Perth. Admin on the group did not seem to care about this blatant racism and generally deplorable commentary, so I thought stuff it, I’ll start my own group. Within hours we had over 400 members, and then I got banned from that group for calling out that behaviour and promoting my new group 😛 oh well!
I worked hard to make my group an inclusive, welcoming one, and was creating so much content for the group I considered how I could increase my reach even more. And after attending a course about blogging for work, I decided to set up my own blog to share help and tips on moving to Australia.
Starting the Facebook group and this blog has helped me to build a lot of friendships and business connections which still exist to this day, and they have helped to build an amazing community of humans for which I am super grateful – you all know who you are!
All these decisions and actions have helped us to build a fantastic life in Australia, and given me the confidence to share my thoughts and tips with you all. If you’re planning a move to Australia, no matter where in the world you are currently, I hope this post helps you!
Don’t forget I have a shop full of helpful digital products that you can use to plan your move to Australia with ease. You will find a whole heap of checklists, planners and even a cost of living calculator to work out if you can survive or thrive in Australia.
One last thing – if you enjoy reading my content, I would really appreciate you sharing this on your social media or sending this post to a friend who might enjoy it too. It really does help me reach not only more people, but the right people too. Thank you so much!
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