Ceri

I don't agree.. I've been an expat for a little over 12 years, my most recent visit back to the UK was in Feb/march this year for a month. To me nothing has changed .. my home is the same place that I love and miss, except for the cost of houses that's all that has changed, plus they have curry in the deli counter in Tesco's and Asda.. that's a new one to me lol
It all depends if in your memory you have a distorted , rose tinted view of any place, whether it's a view of the Uk or a view of Aus.. that you may find it odd... ie your memory is playing tricks on you.. you choose what to remember . Haven't got that prob myself

Vegemite Kids

True to an extent but most Australians that have been living away from australia for some time still have family contacts that keep them informed about how life is. Not the same as living there I agree but still not out of touch with the situation also.

Badge

[QUOTE=hevs]Nope! Its brown most of the year.

Aus has the same problems as the UK. It has high tax, crime, drugs, extortionate dental fee's, heavy traffic in the cities, and graffiti, so if you are disillusioned with this in Uk, you will be the same here only possibly homesick aswell!!!

However Aus offers IMO a cleaner enviroment, a very diverse set of flora fauna and climates AND a unique lifestyle and outlook that i have never expierienced anywhere else on my travels.
QUOTE]

Agreed. Australia has bad points, but IMHO it is the value-added aspects which I like here.

Also Australia, may, give the people who were the ''have nots" in the Uk to become the ''haves'' here. eg. Parts of Melbourne are as bad as where I had a home in S London, only here I can afford to buy away from all that.

BM

ABCDiamond

Ceri
I assume you had a good look around the area that I lived in, in the UK then ? To be able to state that my memory is playing tricks on me.

Also it took me more than one month to figure out what my area was really like again, and that I ended up preferring Australia after all . Maybe my area was so much more different to yours, being such a big place. In 10 years things had certainly changed. I went back for 4 years, and gave it a real chance.
No distorted, rose tinted views, but a REAL comparison. On balance, taking account of positives and negatives of both countries, Australia wins for me. Thats why I now live here, happy in the knowledge that I have really looked into both countries fully.

MikeStanton

But, please compare like with like. Melbourne is not comparable to S London - parts of Sydney are. As the second Oz city, perhaps you should be comparing Melbourne with Birmingham.

Have a gander at this Oz report (2001) pages 10,11 - the gap between rich and poor in Oz and UK are comparable (UK is slightly worse). But, with children - the gap is significantly worse in Oz than UK.

www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/seminars/japan.pdf

Quinkana

London <-- city.
Melbourne <-- city.
Comparison - both have a high density of roads, buildings and dogs.

cresta57

Who's got the signature "same sh*t different bucket"??? That sums it up for me perfectly.
Australia has many of the problems the U.K has and more besides.
The grass around here is black and burned for as far as the eye can see. The bush fire seasons here early this year.
Don't get the wrong impression I/we love it here and don't regret the move in the slightest. I had serious doubts with all the hastle's we've had but all things considered, now there all sorted I'm more than content with my life

MikeStanton

Einstein <-- man
Millwall football supporter <-- man

Just like your response : not a useful comparison.

London is one of the world's great cities, more than 2x Melbourne's population and is one of Europe's hubs. Melbourne is a city stuck on the bottom corner of nowhere significant.

Quinkana

London is a sewage and garbage factory once at the centre of a military and industrial madhouse responsible for global social and environmental destruction.

Melbourne is a sewage and garbage factory notable for relative innocuousness.

GRYB.

MikeStanton

Ah, something that can be compared.... UK has signed up to Kyoto, Oz has not - and continues to pump out more greenhouse gases per head than any other country. Probably explained by Oz's massive consumption of Mcdonald's hamburgers....

possoms

Hi Cal B

As you can see you have opened a very big tin of worms in Oz v UK personally i can't be **!!** with all the bad karma of it all.

We are trying to emigrate to Oz simply because we want to live near the sea -something we cant possible afford to do in this country- sit and look at the flora and fauna on a big varandah sipping a large glass of wine and overall start a new life if its not what we hoped it will be then ke sara sara we return at least we've tried it.

Kay

Boomerang

Really I cant understand whats the point of a fight to see whats the best Uk or Oz. We all know no place on earth is perfect.

Bix

Exactly.

One mans meat is anothers poison.
Individuals must decide.

alkristensen

Hi

Im choosing oz as im not that bothered about all the downsides of england and oz as they are comparible.

I want to go to a country thats warmer than the u.k. and want to live near the sea as im a diver and what better place than the G.B.Reef to live near with english(or a version of) speaking people with generally a more laid back approach to life than us in the uk.

I dont have any more expectations than that as i will be very dissapointed if i wanted a massive house with a jetty pool etc, im more than willing to have a 1 bed apartment wit a balcony thats 5 mins cycle to work or beach which wouldnt be in the piss rasin every day like it is in the north.

People are happier when the bright weather comes out and im up for that for however long it takes to get bored, as i know that i can return to the 6 day 65hr weeks in my shop and my nice house in rural cheshire that i rarely see due to being at work all the time..............yippeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Im just turned 33 and had a heart and 2 brain ops 2 6years ago!!

Is it worth the blood sweat and tears to pay for all this??

Hell no, thats why i want the sun and the ocean and the outdoor life, whilst working for enough for a couple o beers and the rent!

I HAVE LEARNT MY LESSON.

And if it all goes tits up at least we can say we tried and didnt like it and come back

Only you can make your own destiny happen..................oh, and TRA and DIMIA and ,and , and,.............................................. ......


GOOD LUCK IN WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO.

alk

possoms

Good on yer mate just sorry it took such a shit tide of events for you to get here

Kay