Migrating to Australia was once just a dream and even coming here for a holiday was something I didn't think seriously about. This dream however turned into a possibility when my twin sister Rosabelle and her husband Marc located me in August 2008. The meeting with the both of them was made possible by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) who paid for the entire trip (4 days in Perth) the following month and I flew to Australia for the first time by Malaysian Airlines.

The three of us returned to Malaysia and they spent 2 months with me after which they returned in November 2008. I then flew a second time to Perth in January 2009 to spend almost 3 months with them. They live in a 20 foot caravan but fortunately they were offered a house care take and I was given the opportunity to live with them. The house was situated in the outskirts of a small town and it had a orchard comprising of plum, pear, peach, apple, mulberry, lemon, figs and strawberries. It also had a large garden that had herb plants such as sage, rosemary, thyme and vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini, capsicum, onion, potato, garlic, silver beet, beetroot, rocket, chives, kayle and some choy sum.

During my stay they took me to visit various places along coast as well as visit a lavender farm, wineneries, cheese factory, chocolate factory, deer farm and some national parks. We also did some fishing and swimming in the river and sea and stayed 3 days in Albany to do some sight seeing.

The stay was wonderful and the food good (mainly home-cooked) and I was impressed by the friendliness and courtesy of the Australian people. I liked the climate (there are 4 seasons but while I was visiting it was summer) and the fact that the small towns had few people and vehicles on the streets and the air was always very fresh. I enjoyed visiting the supermarkets (Woolworths, Coles and IGA) that always had specials at reduced prices and the fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood was always fresh. I was amazed at the variety of different types of processed meat and got hooked to pickled pork and love the way Rosabelle grilles pork chops (adds just salt).

In all, I was totally captivated by the Australian lifestyle and with the help of Rosabelle and Marc I have now formally applied for residence here. Once my holiday here ended the three of us again returned to Malaysia for the second time and we spent 6 solid weeks together to tie up the loose ends. We then flew back to Australia and since then have been together.

We have been travelling from place to place and staying at the coast most of the time. Our activities are fishing and crabbing where possible.

Since my third arrival in Australia I have been here for about 3 and a half months and getting used to the lifestyle in a caravan. We go into town once a week to do our grocery shopping and a chance to access the internet.

As winter has just ended and it is still early spring the nights can be quite cold and Rosabelle has bought me a pair of winter shoes to be worn in the caravan. The majority of the household items, electrical and computer stuff and footwear come from China and are fairly expensive here unlike in Malaysia where China goods are usually cheap. Labour charges are costly over here so one tends to do-it-yourself where possible. I am hoping that when I need to visit Malaysia again that I will be able to bring over as much stuff especially household items, footwear and bed linen and probably have to make a long list.
 

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The following pages are slide shows of photos about the regions I have visited so far. Click on a picture to view.