dunroving

I think Australia has a lot in common with the US in that regard. There's a positive side to the "frontier mentality" at times but not always so.

Being able to count on almost constantly pleasant weather is possibly the #1 thing I miss. It's all swings and roundabouts, though I don't think I ever will adjust completely to the constant drizzle here.

chris955

I do see what you are saying to a degree. I wear tshirt and shorts for 8 months of the year here, we can go for a walk and see noone else or see a car, I dont go fishing, dont go sailing and dont swim

Stormer999

Now you are just being silly Unless you wear them under your top clothes or inside a heated house.

rabble_rouser

More like 8 days...and that's if we're lucky!

MissBetty

I actually do a lot more outdoors stuff since I've been back in the UK funnily enough and I've lost a fair bit of the weight I put on in Oz. I hated the fact you had to plan going for a walk before it got too hot, in the UK I walk everywhere and rarely use my car no matter what the weather is like.

As for outdoor stuff well that's fine if you don't mind the heat/snakes/mozzies etc. In the town where I was a paramedic I dealt with at least one snake bite a week, sometimes more, and at one point we had a really nasty outbreak of dengue fever. The water was full of stingers and I used to see crocs on the beach all the time - this was in a town full of 5 star luxury resorts too - not the back of Woop Woop!

The thing is though I truly believe it's what suits you and your lifestyle that makes you happy where you live. I'm a keen surfer and I lived at the Goldie for a while, that was great but I missed going to music concerts, weekend mini breaks to Europe, flexibility in my job, being close to my family - stuff like that.

Honestly in the end I just found Australia boring! I certainly don't hate it, that's not what I'm saying, but I was so happy to leave and I'm in no hurry to go back. My life here is so much better BUT I can't stress enough it's down to the individual and what makes THEM happy!

Celticprince_86

Well said! The heat and expense of New Zealand is why after several years of farting about, I've made up my mind that I want to leave within at least 2 years.

MissBetty

Ok well reading through some of these replies made me think a little bit about other reasons I left Australia. Bear in mind this is tongue in cheek, it is probably only relevant to people who live/have lived in far north Qld BUT it may well help as a survival guide for any of you planning to move there! I did think about moving to Sydney but paramedic wages are much lower in NSW and the rent is much higher so I simply could not afford it so stayed where I was.

I now present 'Tales of the Tropics' lol!

When I first moved to FNQ I was stunned by its beauty - pristine beaches, boats bobbing on the sparkling waters of the Marina, palm trees and the tropical climate. I happily moved into a stunning house, with a pool (of course!) right on the beach. It was beautiful but it was March (dry season) and I did not know what horrors lay ahead............... Luckily my neighbour - a lovely woman of my Mum's age - was there to dispense invaluable advice on a daily basis. Shirley, I will never be able to repay your kindness!

Weevels - one day I poured my cereal out of a box I had opened the day before, sloshed on the milk and sat down happily shoving spoonfuls in my mouth as I watched the news. As I looked down at the bowl I saw that, curiously, my cereal seemed to be moving all by itself, on closer inspection I saw it was FULL of tiny wriggling creatures - dear God! I went pale and promptly ran to the toilet to throw up what I'd just eaten. Opening the box I saw it was indeed full of mini critters - wtf? I asked my neighbour who told me they were weevels and attracted to sugar so you had to seal everything in plastic containers once opened. I once left a plate on the side with a few drop of honey left on it and when I came back into the kitchen a few minutes later you could not see the plate as it was smothered in a heaving mass - YUK.

Cockroaches - scuttling across the floor when you least expect them, leaving their evil little poops all over the place just to let you know "Yes, while you were sleeping we ran all over your kitchen counters - ha!" I complained to the letting agents so they fumigated the place, I invested in Mortein bombs and so the cockroaches and I went to war. Their numbers were culled but it was rather unpleasant one morning when I got up and trod on a recently deceased one in my bare feet. Cockroach guts oozing up between your toes does not get your day off to the best start - YUK.

Snakes - Everywhere, especially great big pythons hanging from the trees. My sister came to stay with me and came in - ashen faced - one afternoon after sitting by the pool. "Do you know there is a f***ing big snake in the tree out there?" "Um yeah, probably" I replied "But they don't come near the house so don't worry!". One day I awoke, opened my shutter doors to the balcony outside my bedroom to find a huge snake skin, just lying there - gulp. Just to say "Hello, yes I'm a HUGE snake and, while you were sleeping, I sat out here just a few feet away from you deciding whether to come in or not but I was far too busy shedding my skin - this time!" The windows remained firmly SHUT for the rest of the time I lived there and I slept with one eye open for a least a year - YUK.

Maggots - Went away for two days once and left a few food scraps in the bin, nothing unusual there you'd think but oh no. On my return I was greeted by a sea of maggots pouring out of the bin which I didn't even know how to start dealing with so I promptly poured Dettol all over them, waited til they died then scooped them up and flushed them down the toilet. Lesson learned - ALL food waste straight down the waste disposal ASAP. The smell was disgusting too and lingered for DAYS - YUK.

Mozzies - I seem to have to sort of skin mozzies love and, despite my best efforts, I was always covered in bites. Lying awake of a night time listening to that piercing whine of a mozzie in your room has to be one of the greatest tortures know to man. Eventually you fall asleep exhausted only to wake up in the morning looking like you have been feasted on by a whole swarm - and then the itching starts. Everyday I would spray my body with foul smelling chemicals and I bought a mosquito net for night time to thwart my tormentors. One night I woke up and got up to use the loo, caught my foot in the net, twisted my ankle, fell and hit my head on the hard wooden floor - cursing, rather loudly. The next day I had a big lump on my head, a swollen ankle and both legs? Covered in mozzie bites. FFS.

Mould - Ah saved the best til last - the scurge of the tropics, something so evil it invades everywhere, silent and unrelenting, destroying everything in its path. The wet season starts in the Tropics around Nov, this I knew but accepted that, meh, rains quite a bit, bit stormy but hey, no real dramas. Ah such blissful ignorance! It all started one day when I pulled my fav black skirt out of the wardrobe as I was going out that night, to my horror I saw the whole think was covered in a thick green fuzz. On further inspection of my wardrobe it seemed that everything else was covered in spots of green too, frantically pulling everything out I noticed that my shoes and bags were covered in mould as well. I could not deal with this alone so, in despair, I ran round to my neighbour's wailing and clutching some mouldy clothes. She explained to me that, unless you were prepared to have one room with your clothes/shoes/bags in with the aircon on full blast 24/7 from Nov til March, then you had to prepare for the wet season. She came round to my house and pointed out that spots of mould were also starting to appear on my wooden furniture as well and she would help me but first we needed supplies. Ok so for mouldy clothes you had to wash them in hot water and white vinegar followed by a regular wash to get rid of the vinegar smell. Things that you didn't wear on a daily basis had to be washed, throughly dried, sealed in vacuum bags then sealed in plastic boxes into which you placed dehumidifier pots, these had to be changed every few weeks as they filled up with water very quickly. Anything leather/suede was the same but, if already mouldy, they had to be placed out side in the sun first to kill off the mould spores, then brushed throughly before you put them away in a sealed box, same as your clothes. Furniture had to be sprayed with a mix of warm water with oil of cloves as it kills the mould spores off, bleach only well, bleaches them so they come back. You have to spray and wipe every bit of furniture, the re spray and leave the mixture to dry on the furniture. This has to be repeated every two weeks or so to keep mould at bay. For soft furniture covers you wash the same as clothes but then spray everyday with a eucalyptus spray which keeps them fresh and mould free. It was an exhausting process but you have to keep on top of it or else the mould will just destroy everything! Lots of my clothes were dry clean only so off I trotted to the dry cleaners and, unhappily, handed over nearly $300 to have my best stuff restored to its former glory. When I picked my clothes up I took off the plastic, hung them up to air and then prepared to pack them away as I'd been instructed. Popped downstairs to make a cuppa and came back up to find a HUGE cockroach sitting right on the front of my fav (v expensive) light grey Calvin Klein dress. I swiped it off. The cockroach did a huge s*** down the front of my dress, I roared and promptly stamped its brains out. Then I cried, I finished my cup of tea and went back down the cleaners. YUK.

So when people say where did you used to live in Australia? I tell them xxxxxxxxxx and they always say "Oh wow, how lovely, why on earth did you come back here?" I offer up a weak smile and say "Oh you know, I missed my family."

chris955

I love FNQ and used to go up there at least twice a year but no way could I ever entertain living there. The humidity is just insane and yes the bugs are something to behold. I love snakes and that was the main reason for my trips but I can understand it would be unsettling for those with a fear.
The problem with those places is you see a postcard or a holiday programme and it looks idyllic and for a couple of weeks it really is but living there is a whole different ball game.
I know I am looked upon as a hater but I do cultivate that for some of the numpties on these forums. Anyone that knows me knows the truth, hate is just so far from the truth BUT I do hate what the country has become, an insecure nation with a huge chip on its shoulder constantly having to outdo the UK. The ironic thing is over here Australia barely registers on the countries psyche.

Almo

Um. You do realise there was the odd thing going on before Cook rocked up, right?

I'll acknowledge that you won't find much in the way of Georgian refectory tables or Louis the whatever chairs but for someone who's interested in collectables/vintage rather than true antiques, Australia proved a treasure trove. We had huge fun at auctions and house clearances because there are still a load of Aussie houses with massive barns that people have been lobbing their old stuff in since the barns were built. We found tons of stuff that you either can't get at all here, or would pay through the nose for. In fact, I was sorely tempted to pay for a container and go on a buying spree before we left Oz, just to sell the stuff on here. Plus, the weather in some parts (not FNQ! ) is conducive to preserving older items, including cars, in a way that the British weather is not.

chris955

Talking of cars, we bought the rustiest car I have ever owned back when I was young and stupid, a Ford Falcon in Geelong. Who knew you could fill holes with papier mache.

rabble_rouser

Lets be honest, its a no contest. UK, Europe, etc. is always going to beat Australia every time when it comes to old. Its embarrassing how wealthy the heritage is in Europe. I had to chuckle being over in Oz visiting historical sites thinking, my house back home is older than this!

"Antiques" weren't worth beans here before '97, now anything made of hard wood has been sold off, but of course the stuff a little harder to ship abroad like the houses and streets and whatnot still remain.

In any case I've seen my fair share of old things for a lifetime so it won't bother me not having museums or castles to visit.

Almo

I'd agree that the New World has far, far less in the way of historical architecture etc and it was one of the things that we missed about the UK and even a factor in our move back. That's not to say that Australia doesn't have any history though! I know I sound pedantic but as someone with an interest in languages, I can tell you that Australia is pretty culturally/historically rich in that regard.

I can't comment on antique pricing in either country before '97, I wasn't old enough to have an interest in such things! We're finding a fair few interesting things here in the UK too but definitely think Australia had the edge for what we like, which is a shame given that we no longer live there!

I'm not sure where you are in Oz but the Melbourne Museum is pretty good, especially the bug section, if you ever do get the urge for a bit of a museum trip.

dunroving

Mainly when they thrash us at rugby or cricket.

quoll

I agree! I do so much more outdoors here in UK. Just yesterday it was such a lovely day I went for my usual walk and ended up doing 22 miles because it was just so nice at every decision point. I did put a hat on at 3pm but I wasn't rugged up to the nines. It's only recently that I've started to put on a light fleece and I still had bare legs (long shorts) yesterday. My husband cycles in t shirt and shorts most of the year (he lets me know on those days where he has to wear a jacket!!!). In consequence I've lost over 50kg with all the walking and better eating that I do here! We save a fortune in petrol! I now regularly walk 4.5 miles for coffee!

I did grow to hate Aus I must admit but that's because I thought I was trapped there forever. I can look upon it with marginally more equanimity now and know that I will have yo return one day but in the meantime I am LIVING! Not just marking time under the air conditioner! However, horses for courses of course!

aussietobe

Ciao!