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As a very ‘British’ person living in Australia, there are a great many things that I will never be able to get used to, find a little bizarre, and confuse me a tad. For me, these are the things I love the most about our life here in the Southern Hemisphere.

Being in Australia, means we’ve had a great many things to get used to. The bugs, the heat, the spiders, the sausages; the enormity of a road trip. Christmas in the summer, ten-week school terms, and my favourite one of all; the drive through bottle shop.

• The Drive Thru Bottle shop– Every time we drive into a bottle shop I feel a wave of naughty excitement. We zoom in and pull up to the cashier, and it always feels like we have ram raided the joint. I half hide in the foot well, and half cover my face in case there’s cctv. I truly expect the guy behind the till to press the alarm, or at least look a little terrified. No, he just stands there, beeps through our slabs of beers and waves us on our merry way! Did he not see us DRIVE IN….? In the CAR!!! Weird!!
• Laundry – Hanging out the laundry is like dicing with death in Australia. If the sun bleached, stiff as a board washing doesn’t break you the spiders will. All of my pegs are stuck together with one big, giant, sticky spider web, so I have to pick very carefully and shake every peg. If anything even remotely tickles me, it’s blatantly going to be a deadly spider, so I jump, shriek, holler for assistance, and every time it’s my own hair blowing against my back.
• Singlet Sun tans – I will never be able to look at men with “singlet sun tans’ without guffawing like a crazy woman. It’s the pasty white skin, the brown neck, and the dark brown arms. It’s as if they’re wearing a beige coloured vest with nipples printed on it. Wouldn’t you work on that tan a little more appropriately?
• Sausages – I know this is probably a sore subject, a Pom criticising Aussie snags. I’m sorry, but this Pom likes pork sausages, not beef, not chicken, not lamb… Just pork! I don’t even mind if they’re jazzed up with a bit of apple, or hell, let’s go crazy and do a pork and fennel, beef is just wrong. Having said that, on a Sunday at Bunnings, I have been known to gobble down a sausage sizzle, drenched in bbq sauce.
• Fairy bread– Now my dedicated followers, who’ve been here since the start, know how shocked I was to discover ‘Fairy Bread!’ It terrifies, and delights me at the same time. I cringe when I see it, yet I wish I was 5 again so I could gorge on it.
• “Hey how you going?’ – I am proud to inform you that I have tried to use this greeting on a few occasions, but it turns out I still just confuse myself, and anyone else hearing this in an English accent. Going? Going where? What?
• The distance between places – Oh lord, the distances we travel, for a little weekend away are phenomenal. Australia is even more mammoth than I had ever imagined. Thank goodness we bought a car that had been ‘pimped’. We have three dvd screens, wireless headphones, snack holders, and cables to plug in just about any device from an iPhone to the tumble drier. This has made the distances a little easier to cope with, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to being told “it’s only 600km till the first stop!”
• Smiggle – Now I know these stores are in UK, but until we came to Australia I had no idea they existed, how much money we would end up spending in them, or how much I would want to buy for myself. I adore everything about Smiggle; apart from the prices.
• Frozen Coke- Shoot me now!
• Slang- Oh the slang is another favourite of mine, and I use it at home as much as I can. Ah that’s a ripper, chuck a u’ey, macca’s, garbo, metho, servo, rego, righto. There’s even a Facebook group dedicated to ‘Aussie slang that only Aussies understand’. I’ve ‘liked’ their page!
• My children’s accents – Almost as soon as we landed at Sydney International Airport, the children’s accents started a wonky route, to a bizarre town called “craziness”. I will never ever get used to Monty saying “warder”, “scooder” and “Hainds”.
• Christmas in the summer – No, no no! No matter how lovely the carol services are, or how wonderful Santa looks in his giant throne in Westfield; no matter how awesome I am at creating an Aussie pavlova masterpiece, or how my Christmas ham is a delight. Christmas in 40 degrees of heat is unacceptable! Blinds closed, air con to max, a pile of M&S mince pies your aunty had shipped for you, and bed socks on; it’s the only way to do an Aussie Christmas. (After a little jaunt to the beach to get burnt obvs!)
• Sharks – Sharks really do deserve to be able to swim around freely in the ocean, and yes we’re invading their space, but jeez they give me the willies, and I just can’t bear it. I’m desperate to learn to surf, but I know I’ll get eaten. I’d love to dive, but I know I’d have my arm bitten off…  If only we could politely ask them to allow us to have a little paddle before they need their lunch! I spend every Sunday morning, standing on the beach, watching my two taking part in Nippers, hoping that there are no hungry Great Whites out there about to pounce on my babies! Why oh why did I agree to get updates from ‘Dorsal Shark Reports’?

It’s become blatantly obvious to me, I was wrong, we are not the same. In no way at all are Brits the same or even similar to Australians. We do everything differently, from pouring beers, to the language we speak. That is in no way a criticism, it’s a fact!! We’re very, very different.

I adore Australia, I love the beaches, I love the weather, I love the lifestyle, I love the road trips. I love the trees, I love the birds, I love the wombats (and their cube shaped poos! I know right!), I love the bbq’s. I love the opportunities here, I love their pride, I love the children singing the national anthem at school. I truly love the blatant honesty of the Aussies. I love the way they don’t take any s**t from anyone. I love the way they fight to the bitter end. I even secretly love the way they have a tendency to bollock other people’s kids.(Could you imagine that happening in Tesco’s?) I love the dreadful TV shows, I love the endless sport on TV, I love the passion they have for their teams.  They are honest, fair, incredibly, no… insanely, competitive, and much bigger drinkers than us (even though they wouldn’t admit it). All the things that make us so different are the reasons why I love it here, why the whole family love it here, and why I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else right now.Olivia xx

Firstly, I’d like to say thank you for checking us out, and finding out a bit more about what we do!

We have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have been following our journey.  It’s been heart-warming to have so many people get in touch to say they have loved our blogs, and then looked to us for advice on making their move abroad a reality .

We are delighted that you have come here to get some of your questions answered!

What can we offer you?

We offer honest, down to earth advice on what moving abroad is all about! We are not migration agents; we are not a removal company, and we can’t get you a visa. We can however tell you how we managed to start our adventure, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly parts of getting away and being far from home! Let’s face it, just getting around a supermarket with the children is like negotiating a minefield, so moving abroad is a big step!

Why talk to us?

We are an ordinary family, who have made the leap and moved abroad. We have travelled a lot together, and we know just how manic but seriously rewarding it can be.  I was lucky enough to have lived in a mixture of countries including Germany, Italy, the UK and Abu Dhabi! This means we know what it’s like to pack up, we know what your heart is doing, and we also know you will not regret it! We’ve done it enough times.

We would love to advise, encourage, and assist in your decision making; or even comfort you when you’re feeling a little overwrought!! We want your emails, your questions and even your stories if you’d like to share them.

We promise that you will get a brutally honest answer to whatever questions may be playing on your mind! It doesn’t make a difference where in the world you are moving; the issues we advise on are usually the same issues we stumbled across, only we had no one to ask!! So whether it’s schools, supermarkets, cost of living, or even just asking where the best beaches for kids are, we know someone can help if we can’t!

I’m not moving to Australia so how can you help me?

Don’t panic, if we really can’t answer your question, we have contacts based in numerous different countries including Hong Kong, the UAE, the USA, the UK, and many parts of Europe. Don’t be shy, all questions are welcome; no matter how random you think they are, we’ve probably been asked it before!!

Email us now ( olivia@thewilsonsofoz.com ) or send us a message through our Facebook page and let ‘The Wilsons of Oz’ guide you through the bedlam to a new, exciting life abroad!

I really look forward to hearing from you,

Liv xx 

As a mother of two children who have been moved around a lot in the past few years, I know first-hand how challenging it can be for them, and for us. (Believe me, Tim has come home from work to a semi drunk, angry beast of a wife on many occasions.)  What seems like a huge adventure to us adults, can be daunting when you’re small. Monty had only just turned three when we left the UK. He wasn’t fully aware of what we were doing; he was more interested in getting on the plane, his headphones on, the movie started and gorging on a cheese board. Poppy was 6. She had no front teeth, a sweet little bob haircut, a beautiful English accent, and was as pure as the driven snow. She was the one who understood she had to say goodbye to her first friends. She waved farewell to the only school she had known, the teachers, her grandparents, her home. This is colossal when you’re six, not only saying goodbye to everyone and everything but also comprehending that, and grieving properly. It’s a big deal. We all think the kids just adapt, and yes they do to a certain extent, but who knows what they’re really thinking? We tried our hardest to prepare them, showed them maps and pictures; told them what we would be seeing, talked in comedy Aussie accents, researched the schools. We watched countless YouTube clips of boxing kangaroos, and even bought Vegemite for a pre Australia feast! Monty was a loyal Marmite monster and was horrified by the whole Vegemite catastrophe. Oh how the tables have turned!

You can try to prepare your children until the cows come home, but sometimes it’s the feeling in their hearts that you don’t anticipate and just can’t coach them for.

Poppy has always been our ‘home bird’. She knows what she likes and she likes what she knows. Moving to Australia was pushing it for Poppy, but we knew it would be the best thing for her in the long run. We knew we had to go with the flow, weather the storm and pray! Thankfully, she took to it like a duck to water, and two years in, a serious tan, an awkward obsession with boys, and a handful of meltdowns, it’s as if she’s been here forever. I thought it may be a good opportunity now we’re ‘settled’ in Melbourne, to ask Poppy her opinion on moving, being the new girl, and the challenges she has faced on the other side of the world. I’m doing this interview for my sake really, but also to show other parents who may be about to move their kids away from the lives they know and love, just what an adventure it’ll turn out to be. (Fingers crossed for an upbeat positive interview!)  Hold on I’ll just cut the power to the tv and rip her iPod from her claws so I have her full attention!

The Interview

How did you feel when we told you we were moving to Australia?

I felt really shocked and sad. I’d never moved before and I didn’t know what it was going to be like. Actually it was really fun, even though we never went to that waterpark you told us about!! (oops)

What did you imagine it would be like?

I didn’t really know. I thought I wasn’t going to make any friends, and I was scared, but actually it’s been really good and I have lots of friends.

What has been the best thing about living in Australia?

Everybody is so nice and friendly, and we have a really big house. The weather is nicer, and we can go to the beach. I go outside to play all the time, and I like all the sporty things here. Netball is the best! Also, we go on better holidays now, and mum likes camping. (Ey?)

Is there anything you wish we had done differently?

I wish I had gone to a smaller school in Sydney. It was too big and that was scary. I like small schools because it’s easier to make friends and you get to know everybody.

What do you miss from home, if anything?

I miss my friends and family the most. I miss everything about them. I don’t miss anything else. Oh no… hold on… What’s that coffee shop called…. Café Nero! I miss the hot chocolate.

What advice would you give to a child who’s been told they’re moving abroad?

Don’t be afraid, because you’ll have a great time! You will make lots of new friends. Also, you always have someone to talk to, your mum and dad, or even your friends back home. Sometimes you get treats from the teachers when you’re new.

How do you keep in touch with your friends? Is it easy?

I keep in touch with my friends on Skype and Messenger. I got an iPod for Christmas so now I can text and email whenever I like. It’s so easy and it makes me feel like I’m still at home sometimes. I don’t like writing letters though. I sometimes play games with my friends whilst we’re on Skype, even though its morning there and night time here. That’s weird!

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would go back to England to see everyone.  After that I’d come back here of course.

Thank Goodness

Phew, there wasn’t a dramatic revelation about how darn unhappy she is. I think it’s a breakthrough for the Wilson’s. *Just giving myself a pat on the back.

Embrace the adventure

It is a huge adventure, being away from home, travelling to new places, meeting new people and drinking lots of beer. Your children may hate you for making them move, they may act like little bastards just to spite you, but don’t worry, you’re doing the right thing, just breathe, and try not to strangle them too often. It gets easier…. they tell me.

As we all move around more than we probably should, we need to be aware that initially the journey might seem a little overwhelming to a small one. Hell, it’s overwhelming to us, the exhausted plate spinners, trying to keep everyone and everything together, as our husbands go off to their new jobs and we finally realise the horror of not having a babysitter on hand!!

Looking to up sticks and move with little ones?

1. Go to the library and seek out picture books about adventures, travel and anything even remotely related, enjoy them as a family, not just alone, with a glass of wine!
2. Buy an atlas, show them the maps, buy a globe, really teach them about the destination. The good bits only, they don’t need to know crime rates, murder statistics or the rising problem of homelessness in your chosen city.
3.   If your children are old enough, get them an address book and ask their friends to fill in their details in pencil. You can rub out the ones you aren’t keen for them to ‘keep in touch with’. High five for that little tip!
4. Ask relatives to chat to your children about how they are feeling. Sometimes they don’t like to worry us parents, and let’s face it, moving is hard enough without constantly having to sit down and go through it all AGAIN!
5. Arrange a party for your children to say farewell to their buddies. Hopefully your clever friends will bring handy gifts for them to play with en route, and it’s a good chance to let your hair down with people you really know. It won’t be long before you’re the ‘new mum’ getting smashed for a bit of confidence and totally over doing it, as everyone looks on horrified. Making ‘mum friends’ is tough; if the kids don’t let you down, your manic “I don’t get out much” drinking soon will.
6. Throw away all gifts of lollies, sweeties, noisy or glowing toys and DO NOT under any circumstances take them on board a long haul flight! (Trust me!)
7. Plan some day trips to look forward to when you arrive. Believe me, you’ll need to get out; let the children kick the living daylights out of each other in the fresh air, and find the local dog poo to trudge through…. If all else fails, at least you might find your local pub!
8. Join some social media groups to meet people, ask questions and chat to a few weeks prior to departure. I know, it seems corny, but it’s easily the best way to get an insight into your new life, or how you’re not going to live it. Either way it can be a great way to make emergency friends for you and your children; believe me you’ll need them, and beggars can’t be choosers.

My advice to you

I guess the best advice from one mother to another is: Do anything you can to make the ride as smooth as possible for you, for the kids, and also for the people you are leaving behind. And when you’re sat on your new veranda, sipping chardonnay, the kids bickering in the background, at least you’ll know you tried your flippin’ best! What more can anyone ask for?

Olivia xxx

Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason!

Six weeks!! We’ve survived the first six weeks in Melbourne. I may sound surprised by this, that’s because I am! The summer holidays was never going to be an ideal time to move, especially as Christmas falls slap bang in the middle, but we have survived…pretty much alone!

We arrived in Melbourne, in a rain storm, the skies were grey and to be honest I was dreading it. I spent about a day thinking “oh shit, we’ve done the wrong thing” and “everyone was right about the weather’, then the clouds cleared and the angels started to sing! We love it!  We really, really love it! We picked a great location to settle. We can walk to the beach, walk to school, walk to the train, it’s brill. It’s almost surreal how friendly and downright bloody wonderful the people are.

We have learnt that Christmas on our own at home is probably not going to be repeated. Christmas is just the wrong time to be away from everything Christmassy you have ever known. Christmas is not Christmas without a dark, cold morning, a thick dressing gown, that Christmas smell ( you know the one.. the cinnamony, pine tree one), and that nervous excitement that your drunk old aunt might say something really outrageous at lunch. It’s family time, it’s getting everyone together, playing games, laughing, eating too much and drinking even more. This Christmas was not like that at all. The first few hours of opening gifts, eating lashings of Nutella on toast and downing prosecco was fine; even a few ‘odd’ hours on the beach surrounded by lots of families (granny and all) laughing and hugging, and well… just being bloody family like, wasn’t too dreadful. It was when 3 o’clock hit, and I brought a feast to the table, in the style of my idol Nigella, (minus the heaving breasts) enough to feed about 18 people, that’s when the crapness crept in. Monty had passed out on the sofa clutching his remote control car, so it was just the three of us at the table. No sooner had I plated up, Poppy had cracked her cracker, practically poured her lunch off her plate straight into her mouth and asked if she could leave the table and go out to play with her friends. So Christmas lunch, enough for a small army, was left for Tim and I to tackle alone, whilst listening to Monty snoring on the sofa, like someones very drunk uncle Bob.

Table for 1!

Thank god I had worn my ultra stretchy trousers, the pavlova for 12 went down beautifully, even after 45 roast potato’s (well they were super crunchy) and almost a whole Christmas ham! I had completely forgotten the neighbours had invited us over for a drink later in the day! I had to Vaseline my whole body so as I could slide into something that blatantly didn’t fit, and pop next door to meet more new faces and drink more beer. I honestly resembled a sweaty pink toad, you know when they puff out their bubble chin!

This wouldn’t have been so bad if this wasn’t the same neighbour who had rescued me when I managed to lock myself and the kids out of the house on day two of being in the street….. in my smallest pyjamas… When I say pyjamas, what I really mean is a teeeeeeeeny pair of shorts (only legal in the dark), and a baggy vest top with no bra. Nothing like making a good first impression. And second…..

So thankfully Christmas is over, and the summer holidays are coming to an end. The pressure to entertain the children, feed them real food, not just gummy worms, and keep the house tidy is becoming too much. We have crammed so much in to the last 6 weeks, I am almost spinning in my shoes. We had an awesome day at the Big Bash, the first cricket game we had taken the kids to and they had a ball… (sorry!) We had a fab day at The Melbourne Museum, Monty was in his element! We raced into the city to Slide the Square. We went to Philip Island to see the penguins and the koalas, what an unbelievable day! I was thrilled we got home without a penguin hiding in Montys backpack! 

We have even popped our cherry when it comes to Aussie camping. I know, I know, you feel like you want to cheer for me, pat my back and shake my hand. I was proud of myself too. Two nights in a tent, in 35 degrees of heat, spiders, mosquitoes and no power was never going to be easy for me. The rest of the Wilson’s absolutely loved it, they didn’t mind the dried mud between their toes, grass in their beds and their hair all furry. I would have rather shaved my eyebrows off and had my nipples pierced. There’s still time! Tim is threatening to buy even more camping equipment and make me go again. I have suggested it would be great bonding time for him and the kids, so maybe I should stay home and make time to really scrub the bathrooms. Here’s hoping.

So, we made it, we’ve settled, and we’re ready for school! We’re ready to make more friends, join some clubs, and maybe just maybe some adult time for me and Mr W if we ever find a babysitter.

We never dreamt another move would be easy for any of us, but dare I say it, this feels like the best move yet!! Fingers crossed for some more adventures, lots more exploring, and heaps more happy times ahead! A new chapter begins!

And suddenly you just know it’s time to start something new & trust the magic of beginnings.

Day 3- The last leg

We left Lakes Entrance bright and early on our last leg of the journey! We headed into Metung for breakfast. It’s a very small, harbour town, which was bathed in sunlight this morning. There are plenty of little Cafes to choose from, but Monty ran to the nearest seat and sat down to peruse the menu! Thankfully he chose well! Bancroft Bites Serves perfect coffee and even more perfect food!  I love breakfast; even more so when it’s out and I don’t have to make it myself!  I had a delicious bowl of homemade granola with yoghurt and berries. The rest of the gang had oodles of bacon and sourdough toast. Once our tummies were full, we headed to the harbour to take some nice photos! As always this resulted in a beautiful family photo; the lake glistening in the background as if it was covered in diamonds, and Monty’s grumpy face because he didnt want to sit still for a photo. Ah well! Here’s a nice shot of their backs instead! 

We soaked up the sights; we spent more time here than Mr W had wanted to, so he was keen to hit the road…. at break neck speed! Tim had planned the route and we needed to cover a huge distance before we stopped again! Fingers crossed no one needs a toilet break as I think Daddy might lose it! 

We drove the 300km or so to Wilsons Promotory with one stop en route. It would have been a longer stop if we hadn’t landed in some kind of 1950’s zombie town. We let the children play in the park whilst we stuck to them like glue. The children found this very strange as I’m normally far enough away to be unable to push the swings, but within shouting distance if there’s an emergency. There was absolutely no way Tim and I could get out of swing duty, as the zombies were prowling the park fence. Ok ok maybe that’s a bit harsh! This small town was ‘eye opening’ to say the least. (I won’t name and shame).

We scrambled back to the car, which groaned as we hopped back in! There was barely enough room for the children to squeeze in by this point in the journey, but thankfully Tim managed to bend their little bodies around the scooters and melted advent calendars. And we’re off….

Wilsons Promontory National Park is well worth the seemingly endless roads to get there. I guess if it had just been Tim and I, it would have been a dreamy ride through incredible scenery, we could have listened to Michael Buble, I could have held his hand, the window open, my hair blowing in the wind…… However we drove the national park roads with Nursery Rhymes blaring, Monty insisting he was going to “puke if dad goes round another bend”, and Poppy literally crying with boredom.

Hurrah, we made it to the most Southerly point of the Australian mainland! Honestly, we felt like intrepid explorers! I gave Tim the biggest squeeze, “we’re here! How awesome are weeeeeee?” That heroic excitement lasted until we parked up and saw the smallest children with the hugest backpacks, carrying their own tents, all grubby from their 100km hike through the bush! Their parents looking all earthy and relaxed, incredibly proud of their little champs. I did what I am really good at, I thought on my feet!!  I threw my two into the nearest hedge, kicked some dirt onto them and ruffled up their hair a little. That’s better, now they look like they’ve hiked and not been hand fed chocolate biscuits and watched endless DVDs  all the way here. 

The campsites were full to bursting with families, groups of youngsters, hikers, surfers, all kinds of people…. And when we got to the beach we understood why people stay here! Even I could manage a night in a tent for the beaches. (Well, maybe a campervan). It was spectacular, it really was. We decided to walk down to Norman Beach (in honour of my grandad Norman). Tim unloaded the melted advent calendars, the gin, the box the Removalists left behind, the scooters, the crate of peaches we had bought along the way, and the first aid kit, to get to the bag I had packed the swimmers in. It was 34 degrees and my darling husband was getting a little cranky. Yay, we hit the beach. 

The ocean felt chilly to me, but the children were splashing around like little fish. I guess it was nice for them to be free after so long with scooters stuck in their necks. We had a beautiful time playing football, handball, kickaball, any ball game that Monty can create, invent the rules and win. 

By the time we got back to the car the children looked like sand monsters, I was dripping in sweat and the driver looked exhausted. Luckily we only had 222km until we arrived in Melbourne. 

As we drove into Melbourne the rain began lashing down, the wind picked up, and it honestly felt like we were arriving in Lincolnshire, UK. Our last minute booking of a motel was a massive disaster. The huge screen in the reception was showing the same photos as booking.com which were obviously not of the same hotel we were standing in. The beautifully manicured gardens were overgrown and full of rubbish, I think there may have even been an upturned trolley. The pool was green, the room was like a prison cell , which Poppy insisted “stank of vomit”. I felt tears creeping into my eyes. It’s raining, no, it’s pouring, we’re exhausted, and we have booked, what can only be described as a shit hole for three nights! Tim politely told the manager it was vile and there was “no way I could possibly have my family stay here”. The manager looked at me and the kids and handed Tim his money back. Thank god we had thrown them into the bush earlier as they looked like they might have freakish tendencies, which may have been the reason he was so keen to refund us. Thankfully we found a nice hotel and our road trip was well and truly over! What a wonderful trip it was, over 1000km of laughs, tears, wildlife spotting, junk food eating adventure, and 100 percent family time.

So we’re now two weeks into our Melbourne adventure. Thankfully the rain has stopped, the sun has been out and we are all loving it. The children have made friends, and spend hours outside playing. We have landed an awesome house in a beautiful street and we feel incredibly lucky to be here. Thank goodness, as I’m not sure the children will let us move again any time soon. 

No matter how sad we were to leave our friends and our lives in Sydney, no matter how hard we all found it, I know deep in my heart we have done the right thing! How could we turn down another wonderful adventure? 

Here’s to Melbourne and a few years of awesome sport on our doorstep! 

‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Dr Seuss

Part 1- Sydney to Melbourne

Well, it’s done! We have packed up our lives again and we’ve waved goodbye to Sydney. The garage was emptied of all the things we had shipped to Australia that we haven’t ever touched. Tim kept saying “do you think it’s time to get rid of the baby clothes?” And “do you think we’ll ever need this bit of wood Monty found when he was three?” Look, I am sentimental about things, and I’d rather the golf clubs went than the first stick Poppy ever found! 
Luckily everything managed to get squeezed into the removal truck so our garage in Melbourne will be chockablock too! Maybe we should have just come to Oz with a back pack each! 

It was a lot more emotional than I think we had predicted. We had only been in Sydney 19 months, but it truly became home, and was possibly the place we have been most happy! “Why on earth are you moving then?” I hear you say! Well, we like the adventure I guess.

We drove out of Sydney, the car was pretty silent. Everyone sort of staring out of the window, pretending they weren’t crying. Monty didn’t seem to give a stuff, he was more worried about the mentos mint he had dropped on the floor and couldn’t reach. 

The journey from Sydney to Melbourne is about 1000km so we were well prepared with snacks, DVDs…. earplugs! To be fair the children are really good in the car, it’s only the odd moment of “muuuuuummmm, Poppy’s lying down and her HAIR IS ON MY ARRRRM”. I suggested eye spy, but Monty wanted to change the rules to “I spy a singlet”, so we all had to look out for men wearing singlets. This would have been an awesome game if we weren’t hurtling through the forest seemingly alone. It was like Christmas when we arrived at a petrol station 500km into the journey and the cashier was donning a brightly coloured singlet! That’s 1 point to Monty!

Our first overnight stay was in a beautiful little town called Merimbula. It’s famous for its pristine beaches and its production of Sydney Rock Oysters. 

As you know by now, I have become an avid fan of motor inns. So we managed to bag a room at the Ocean View Motel. On arrival we checked in, the lovely owners were very welcoming. We told them we were moving from Sydney to Melbourne the lady choked and said “poor you”. She must have seen the horror on our faces as she quickly backtracked and told us she was from South Australia, as if that made it ok! The weather is the only reason people think we’re nuts relocating. It’s just a rubbish reason to miss out on the opportunity of living in the worlds most liveable city! (Keep your eyes peeled for my next blog where I’m wrapped in my thermals, crying into my soup.)

The journey so far has been a real treat. We have driven through the forest, along the stunning coastline, through tiny remote towns; all with a bottle shop I may add. One little “tucker shop” we stopped at a few hundred kilometres into the journey was like something out of a movie. Not a soul anywhere, just one very grubby chap (think horror movie) with an awkward stare. Thank god we hadn’t broken down, (cue horror movie music). He had a bizarre selection of stock. It was mainly a bottle shop, but also had two meat pies keeping warm in the oven, a couple of racks of fishing equipment and a range of lollies and sweeties like no other shop I’ve ever been in to. Check out our Instagram feed for the Camels Balls gobstoppers! Delightful! 

These of course were an instant hit with the children who promptly made up a song about camels balls which they sang for the next 100k. They weren’t at all tempted to create a musical about the beautiful peaches and fresh apricots we found along the way!

So we’ve made it to Lakes Entrance and the children have already insisted we head straight for mini golf! Look out everyone, Mr W is very competitive. 

My girl,

I came in to watch you sleep this evening. So peaceful. My own little girl, as still as the night. I looked at you and wondered what you must be dreaming about. I hope you are happy my darling. I really do.

I wonder if you’re dreaming about our  impending journey to another place, I want to wake you to tell you it’ll all be fine. I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I want to wake you, and hold you because I know deep down you’re still just a little girl who is feeling a few butterflies in her tummy. I am writing this letter to you, hoping you can store these words in your mind for the times you feel like it’s all too scary.

I remember when we told you we were leaving the only home you had ever known. I remember the look in your eyes, the look that said “I’m not sure if I should be happy or terrified”. I remember holding your hand on the way out of school for the last time, everyone saying goodbye, hugging and kissing you. I know it was a huge step for you. It was a big one for me too. I know you found it hard to leave everything you had ever known to move somewhere completely alien to you. My darling, we all found that hard, I promise you that.

I know you found it tough being the new kid, introducing yourself over and over again. I found that tough too my darling. But we did it! And look at us now! Look at how far we have come! Look at how you have grown. Can you see how much you can achieve if you set your mind to it?

You were shy at first darling, but you soon made beautiful friends. You went to wonderful parties, you shared secrets, you became part of an awesome team, and you played on the beach until the sun set. This is all because you made these friendships. You chose them and they chose you.

As our house is packed up and the “for lease” sign is put on the gate; I want you to know that what ever we do, wherever we go, we’re doing it together. It’s all for you. We want to show you just how awesome the world is, we want to show you it’s possible to go wherever you want and that you can be happy wherever you are.

I know you can make friends, I know you can get through the “new girl” stage. I know that you can find your feet again, and we’re going to help you.

We’re about to set off on another adventure, we’re almost ready to go. We’re starting our goodbyes, and giving out our new address, all the while I have my eyes on you. I’m wrapping you up in endless hugs, wishing I didn’t ever have to let go.

Can you believe we’re coming to the end of another awesome chapter in our own little book? I told you my darling, I told you this would be a good one. I promised we would have a brilliant time. Just imagine what’s ahead!

So my dearest, most precious, brave girl, let me tell you again. I promise you will love our next destination. I promise I will help you settle in. I promise that you will find your feet in no time at all. Most of all, I promise I will be there, holding your hand and helping you all the way.  And when you’re grown up, and your own children have worries and fears, you can tell them all your stories and the tales from your book.  You can tell them how brave you were, how you stood tall, and how that helped you have the most wonderful life in all these different places. They will listen intently to you as you story tell about the different faces you saw, the journeys you went on and the people you befriended. You’ll have friends all over the world my girl, and I have no doubt at all that they’ll be friends for life.

My lovely girl, it’s nearly time to go. It’s time to take a deep breath, hold your head up high and believe in yourself. A new adventure awaits my darling and I know you’re going to be just fine.

Mumma xx

‘Daughters hold our hands for a little while and our hearts forever’