What is it about Australia?

Every time I turn around somebody’s son or daughter is travelling there, friends are heading out for extended stays and numerous people I know are in the process of submitting paperwork for visas to go live on the continent – a nightmare by all accounts.

I suppose if you’re in the market for upping sticks and emigrating, the reasons for choosing Australia are self evident. Weather, opportunities, weather, relaxed lifestyle, weather, 11,000 beaches and did I mention the weather?

Then I find a great book, Jump Down Under by Iain Ayres, which gives you all the information you need about making the permanent move to the antipodean continent. I thought it might be one of those pro-forma, cookie cutter books with endless lists of things to consider when you’re thinking of emigrating, which end up leaving you frustrated and strangely empty because they never tell you what you really want to know.

This book does not disappoint. It’s amazingly readable given the wealth of information packed in its pages. Although its audience is aimed at a UK readership, the information is relevant to anyone interested in the move, warts and all.

I love how the book is laid out starting with an introduction telling you how to use the book and asking the question, Why Move To Australia? Obvious but gets you focused before delving into the meat of it.

Rather than chapters Iain starts each section with a case study of people who have already made the move and survived, transcribing hours of interviews answering questions such as –

●How did you become interested in moving to Australia

● Was it easy to get a visa?

●Do you get homesick and long to be back in the UK and how have your parents taken to your move?

●Being sponsored by your job must be very worrying, if you lose your job would you have to leave Australia?

●Was it a difficult transition to move into the Australian Corporate working environment?

●How have your children adjusted?

●How do you stay in touch with friends back in the UK?

● Australia is well known for its spiders and snakes, does this concern you?

●What would you say to others coming to live in Australia?

●What was it like to arrive in Australia?

●What are the misconceptions of Australian life?

●How did you prepare for the move?

●Were the last few days in the UK emotionally difficult?

Each case study is followed by the nitty-gritty practical information you need to get you from the dream to the reality – I’m going to list them to give you a taste for how comprehensive this book is :

●Getting and keeping your Australian visas

●Choosing where to live in Australia

●Staying in contact with friends and Family

●How to start your new life in Australia

●Snakes, Spiders and other nasties

●Finances, pensions and Taxes

● Resource pages for every contact you could ever need

There wasn’t any point where it felt stodgy or contrived, it flowed effortlessly and easily at every turn of the page. By the end of it I was completely engaged, feeling this was a book anyone contemplating the move needed to own.

For anyone who has pondered, dreamt about or already started to make the dream their new reality, you must get a copy of this book, sit down with some marker pens and knock yourself out highlighting facts you need to be aware of. It’ll be well worth it knowing people like you have made the move, struggled through the heartache of transition and survived.

Congratulations Iain, this is a great book and will be appreciated by every Australian bound Pommie.

Check out Iain and loads more information on his website jumpdownunder.com, find him at twitter @jumpdownunder, or  facebook

Click here for Amazon Link available at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Summertime (23 May 2011)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 190749863X
• ISBN-13: 978-1907498633