How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
Nov 7th 2007, 2:17 am
#16
Australia's Doorman
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: The Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia
Posts: 11,056
Nov 7th 2007, 2:22 am
#17
Oxford - SEQ August 07
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Little Mountain, QLD.
Posts: 377
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
I've been here 2.5 months (Brisbane) and although it's all new still, I think it's quite similar to the UK, obviously apart from the weather.....And there are better outdoor facilities, parks, pools etc. here.
If you have small children, and are a stay-at-home parent, you have routines anyway, so life doesn't change that much. You will still be washing/ironing/cooking etc etc. no matter where you are!
But the weekends are better!
It's what you make it.
Mrs. urno
If you have small children, and are a stay-at-home parent, you have routines anyway, so life doesn't change that much. You will still be washing/ironing/cooking etc etc. no matter where you are!
But the weekends are better!
It's what you make it.
Mrs. urno
Nov 7th 2007, 3:56 am
#18
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
We have just applied for a Skilled Migration Visa and hope to move to Sydney sometime next year, hopefully!
I must admit though that as the reality of what we (myself, wife and two girl's, aged 4 and 3) are doing dawn's I am beginning to question if we are actually really doing the right thing.
I mean we live in a lovely village on the outskirts of York in a good sized family home. My eldest daughter has just started at a really good school where she has settled in really well and both myself and the wife have good jobs in Leeds. We live reasonably near all the grandparents who are actively involved with childcare and baby sitting and the children love them to bits.
Yet, despite all this I have a burning desire to pack all this in, move to the other side of the world, to where we have never been and where we know about four people!
Actually writing this down makes me shake my head.
I think, and please tell me if you think I am right or wrong, the main reason for wanting to do this is for a perceived better life, long term, for us but mainly the kids. I work shifts and long hours here and we really want to spend more quality time as a family.
We feel that the UK is slowly heading into an undesirable place to bring up children. Is Australia any better?
Also, perhaps because things are too comfortable in our lives, 'I' really want some excitement and adventure before we are too old and I feel that if we dont do something like this now I will forever regret not doing it.
Any advice would be much appreciated from people who have made the switch
I must admit though that as the reality of what we (myself, wife and two girl's, aged 4 and 3) are doing dawn's I am beginning to question if we are actually really doing the right thing.
I mean we live in a lovely village on the outskirts of York in a good sized family home. My eldest daughter has just started at a really good school where she has settled in really well and both myself and the wife have good jobs in Leeds. We live reasonably near all the grandparents who are actively involved with childcare and baby sitting and the children love them to bits.
Yet, despite all this I have a burning desire to pack all this in, move to the other side of the world, to where we have never been and where we know about four people!
Actually writing this down makes me shake my head.
I think, and please tell me if you think I am right or wrong, the main reason for wanting to do this is for a perceived better life, long term, for us but mainly the kids. I work shifts and long hours here and we really want to spend more quality time as a family.
We feel that the UK is slowly heading into an undesirable place to bring up children. Is Australia any better?
Also, perhaps because things are too comfortable in our lives, 'I' really want some excitement and adventure before we are too old and I feel that if we dont do something like this now I will forever regret not doing it.
Any advice would be much appreciated from people who have made the switch
York is fantastic, sister lives there now, was there in January, the warm month with the odd flood
But your kids are at the easy age to do this, complete nightmare once they are older, education etc, so whats to stop you doing it for a year or 2. Why sell up and play currency housing market fluctuations which seem unprdicatable at the mo, just rent admittedly in sydney that wont be cheap but neither would buying a house. Look at it as a couple of years travel and if you like it then sell up.
Nov 7th 2007, 4:08 am
#19
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 9,668
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
Nope - NSW, about 40km north of Sydney. And I know it's all relative - I'm comparing to traffic in London, Colchester, and the M25 in between....... I remember even on a Sunday it would take us ages to get anywhere, and the thought of Tesco's anytime after midday - the 7th circle of hell!
I am all for 'going for it' too, as long as it's thought through and not just one person fulfilling a dream at the expense of others.
And if they're all on board for it, then great!
Nov 7th 2007, 4:57 am
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: where else but Queensland
Posts: 474
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
Well. I must say that I am a little deflated though I really appreciate your honesty.
I really thought the type of advice I would be getting would be mainly of the 'yeah get yourself to Australia, its fantastic, you wont regret it' variety!
If we sold up here we would have around £200k so from what little I know of house prices over there that probably wouldnt stretch very far.
Also I work in Web Offset printing and from what I know most of the good jobs are in Sydney. We have only lived in York for a year and came here from Leeds (which is a fairly big city). To be honest I personally do find it a little dull. I have previously lived in Hong Kong, for two years, and I loved the hussle bussle of it all!
Maybe if we do go then it might be an idea to rent our house out in the UK, for a few years, before we fully commit. Even if it dos'nt work out then at least we will have given it a go and therefore no regrets?
I really thought the type of advice I would be getting would be mainly of the 'yeah get yourself to Australia, its fantastic, you wont regret it' variety!
If we sold up here we would have around £200k so from what little I know of house prices over there that probably wouldnt stretch very far.
Also I work in Web Offset printing and from what I know most of the good jobs are in Sydney. We have only lived in York for a year and came here from Leeds (which is a fairly big city). To be honest I personally do find it a little dull. I have previously lived in Hong Kong, for two years, and I loved the hussle bussle of it all!
Maybe if we do go then it might be an idea to rent our house out in the UK, for a few years, before we fully commit. Even if it dos'nt work out then at least we will have given it a go and therefore no regrets?
For us it was a totally different story to yours and we felt the UK held nothing for us. Our life is substantially better here, and we feel our kids have a much healthier lifestyle than they would have had in UK - but it all depends on what you're coming from, what you're prepared to do to get what you want and whether your expectations are realisitic.
Good luck.
Nov 7th 2007, 5:34 am
#21
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,133
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
$500k will get you a perfectly serviceable house with a bit of land within a realistic hour's commute to Brisbane CBD however.
Sydney? Different kettle of fish probably, never lived there, never fancied it.
Is here (Brisbane, the outskirts in general) a better environment to bring up kids (all other things being equal). In my view an unequivocal 'Yes'.
Nov 7th 2007, 5:38 am
#22
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 9,668
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
Aye, lack of traffic is not a reason to move here from the UK.
$500k will get you a perfectly serviceable house with a bit of land within a realistic hour's commute to Brisbane CBD however.
Sydney? Different kettle of fish probably, never lived there, never fancied it.
Is here (Brisbane, the outskirts in general) a better environment to bring up kids (all other things being equal). In my view an unequivocal 'Yes'.
$500k will get you a perfectly serviceable house with a bit of land within a realistic hour's commute to Brisbane CBD however.
Sydney? Different kettle of fish probably, never lived there, never fancied it.
Is here (Brisbane, the outskirts in general) a better environment to bring up kids (all other things being equal). In my view an unequivocal 'Yes'.
Drive to central Sydney is an hour and a half if you're upper mts.
Hour if you're lower mts.
Fresh air, great schools, slower pace of life than the city, beautiful scenery... great place to let kids grow up.
Nov 7th 2007, 5:43 am
#23
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,133
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
If you lived hour and a half commute from Sydney in the Blue Mountains, you could get a 4 bed house, decent land, for about 400 K...
Drive to central Sydney is an hour and a half if you're upper mts.
Hour if you're lower mts.
Fresh air, great schools, slower pace of life than the city, beautiful scenery... great place to let kids grow up.
Drive to central Sydney is an hour and a half if you're upper mts.
Hour if you're lower mts.
Fresh air, great schools, slower pace of life than the city, beautiful scenery... great place to let kids grow up.
My wife however is a Brisbane lass and would never leave, and as I have mentioned elsewhere she is ALWAYS right about such things.
Nov 7th 2007, 8:58 am
#24
Where traffic lights rule
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Brighton QLD
Posts: 2,460
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
We got a rental for $275k a few months back, 3 + 1 beds large rumpus room walking distance to the station, would happily live there.
So there are places alot less then 500k
So there are places alot less then 500k
Last edited by themerlin; Nov 7th 2007 at 9:06 am.
Nov 7th 2007, 9:01 am
#25
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
Nov 7th 2007, 9:21 am
#26
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
You seem to have a good life now. I understand the itch although we didn't have it but we did have a good life even if hubby worked all the hours someone sends for sod all money. What we didn't have which you appear to is close loving grandparents. They are worth their weight in gold and never underestimate how much you will all miss them and them you. We were happy to move somewhere where we knew no one. Are you and your wife happy to do that?
Hutch is right as is Tiddly Pom. Your reasons need to be right and if you can take a year out and experiment with it then do so.
We wanted a new experience and we've been incredibly lucky - and it was luck because all the research in the world doesn't matter a fig when you get here. I'd love to say - sod everything and give it a go but I can't. You sound happy with your lives and dare I say it, you could possibly be having the dreaded mid life crisis (early).
Visit first, then decide. Oh and do you actually know you are able to get a visa? It would be terrible to get really excited by the move but then find you are not eligible.
Hutch is right as is Tiddly Pom. Your reasons need to be right and if you can take a year out and experiment with it then do so.
We wanted a new experience and we've been incredibly lucky - and it was luck because all the research in the world doesn't matter a fig when you get here. I'd love to say - sod everything and give it a go but I can't. You sound happy with your lives and dare I say it, you could possibly be having the dreaded mid life crisis (early
).Visit first, then decide. Oh and do you actually know you are able to get a visa? It would be terrible to get really excited by the move but then find you are not eligible.
Nov 7th 2007, 9:59 am
#27
cavey wavey
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: hand to mouth
Posts: 334
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
is it a general opinion to visit first or just bite the bullet and use the holiday money for other things i.e shipping costs, agents fees, deposits etc also with a visit first are you really looking at the place with a view to living there or with holiday head on part of me says go for a few weeks and look round another part says bo*****s to it and just go
Nov 7th 2007, 10:03 am
#28
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,133
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
is it a general opinion to visit first or just bite the bullet and use the holiday money for other things i.e shipping costs, agents fees, deposits etc also with a visit first are you really looking at the place with a view to living there or with holiday head on part of me says go for a few weeks and look round another part says bo*****s to it and just go
Nov 7th 2007, 10:05 am
#29
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 99
Re: How much better is it to live, and bring up Children, in Australia than the UK?
Why dont you rent your house out in England for a year and come over here and work as you would if you emigrated..then you dont have the commitment and you will see how you feel leaving your family behind.
We have been here 3 years and its not been a bed of roses.. I read an article someone wrote on this site yesterday who reckoned it takes about 5 years for the 'dream life' to become realisation.
My kids have a much healthier lifestyle..playgrounds(maintained and not vandalised) and parks aplenty. They can swim, sports are encouraged, joining 'nippers' so they can learn about beach safety and surfing..a good education
and no scallies..
My OH loves it here and has no desires ever to step foot back in England..quickly adapted to the beer and bbq lifestyle. For him its paradise..even started an apprenticeship, something he could never have done at his age in England.
But for me its harder, my eldest daughter decided to go back to England and is at uni there, she has her PR and can rtn at any time and I hold onto that..its then you realise how far away you are and not a quick hop, skip n jump..I looked at house prices in England and we couldnt afford to purchase the kinda house we sold..I have felt so sad and envious of friends with family here..and I never used to see my family that much in England!
There is no comparison between the lifestyles and opportunities available..OZ wins hands down..
Life is what you make of it and nothing ventured nothing gained..itd be awful to always wonder 'what if ' and your kids are young enough that you wouldnt disrupte their education..why not see for yourself before you commit?
We have been here 3 years and its not been a bed of roses.. I read an article someone wrote on this site yesterday who reckoned it takes about 5 years for the 'dream life' to become realisation.
My kids have a much healthier lifestyle..playgrounds(maintained and not vandalised) and parks aplenty. They can swim, sports are encouraged, joining 'nippers' so they can learn about beach safety and surfing..a good education
and no scallies..
My OH loves it here and has no desires ever to step foot back in England..quickly adapted to the beer and bbq lifestyle. For him its paradise..even started an apprenticeship, something he could never have done at his age in England.
But for me its harder, my eldest daughter decided to go back to England and is at uni there, she has her PR and can rtn at any time and I hold onto that..its then you realise how far away you are and not a quick hop, skip n jump..I looked at house prices in England and we couldnt afford to purchase the kinda house we sold..I have felt so sad and envious of friends with family here..and I never used to see my family that much in England!
There is no comparison between the lifestyles and opportunities available..OZ wins hands down..
Life is what you make of it and nothing ventured nothing gained..itd be awful to always wonder 'what if ' and your kids are young enough that you wouldnt disrupte their education..why not see for yourself before you commit?
