Pollyana

Rest assured the pub culture is alive and well.
Yes there are Weathersoons and harvesters and Fayre and Simple ( a chain I discovered tonight when seeking a late pint) but there are also a multitude of traditional familiar "local" pubs all across the country. Even the chain pub tonight had a traditional welcome and a good beer garden, and I went there after visiting three traditional pubs within 15 minutes walk. The majority of my experience these days is London/Gatwick/Brighton/Bristol/Somerset/Wiltshire and I have no problem finding good honest pubs. But I know they also exist in their hundreds across the rest of the UK -thank goodness!

astera

Yeah, tell me about it. I rented a dinky, little Merc recently in Bournemouth and wasn't happy about switching from big to small, but after a day on the roads I reckon I would have been better off with a scooter Bali-style. Roads are ridiculously narrow at times, but what's completely insane is that on those narrow roads people are still allowed to park. So with two cars unable to pass it can become rather chaotic.

I noticed this too and it's rather unexplainable because many countries in Europe have top-notch mobile operators with terrific internet speeds and flawless coverage. I just don't get why the UK has problems with putting its operators in line and getting them to up their game. Then again the only people who have problems in the UK are... non EE customers. Switch to EE and the experience is light years ahead of the rest of the pack.

Agreed, though it's worth noting that Australia doesn't seem to cater to anything other than the average base customer, so Woolworths and Coles it is. There is no Waitrose or M&S equivalent here.

This started, albeit at a much slower pace, before the turn of the millennium. I too cannot fathom why a pub would choose to lose all its character... at a cost. Maybe it's aimed at bringing in the young crowd who couldn't tell a pub from a dentist's office if it wasn't for the stack of bottles on the wall...

Overcrowded. Never got that feeling in Singapore or Tokyo, but I have in London. Masses of tourists focusing on the city even though the best of the UK can be found outside London...

I don't quite find OZ to be an outdoors nation or one that explores much, most people I have met seem to just shuttle between word/school and home and on weekends they don't do much. Heck, even on a 3 week break most don't venture too far out (or anywhere). Not sure about the Healthcare beyond GP visits which work quite well here with the Medicare card.

That really varies. Some kids - surprisingly to the delight of their parents - are strongly brand-orientated at an early age. I could never understand this as I personally do not give a rat's ass about what brand of pants I wear. All this is usually a result of a) parental upbringing b) peer pressure c) advertising. Take your pick and mix as to what results you will get and where...

C-Diddy

Hey Hutch,

Loved reading about your comparisons. I have to agree 100% with you. I have lived in Sydney for over 6 years and Perth for a few months on another visit, but am in the UK at present in Worcestershire.

I'm working at the high likelihood of getting back into Sydney sometime later this year before Chrsitmas, to work and live with the aim of gaining my Citizenship.

The UK economy and attitude in general has put me off again. It seems to never change. I have family here but feel my best efforts here are not doing them or me and good.... therefore, I'm highly considering a move back to Sydney. or wherever I can secure a job offer in Australia.

Would it be alright to ask you any advice on where currently I could find work? Reliable/good Agencies or anything you may know of off hand? Any help/info would be gratefully received. PM me if you wish. Again, great story and enjoyed reading it

renth

Great review, I agree with nearly all of that.

I got back yesterday from a 3 week trip. The countryside is beautiful plus the birds and butterflies in the garden are great, I love the dawn chorus.

Everything else was shit, driving, expensive prices, pubs (all my old haunts were nearly all empty plus prices have gone through the roof), dickhead "Border Force" staff. I don't think I'll ever be going back now my dad is dead.

Amazulu

I was there a few weeks ago

Traditional pub culture still exists and will always be around to a degree but it is getting less and less all the time - just as the dire 'culture' of Wetherspoons, Yates etc rises. Wetherspoons are shit. Sure they are cheap but the atmosphere in most of their places is awful and they serve dog food

Alcohol prices were interesting. Yes, you can pay GBP2 for a pint in some places but they are usually dumps. In one trendy but totally going off bar in Manchester, I was paying GBP6.50 - basically up with Perth prices

Booze in supermarkets is dirt cheap

Driving is a major PITA. Heavy traffic everywhere. You do notice the courtesy of drivers there but driving standards are no better than Australia

Everyone drives nice cars. You see nice vehicles parked outside shithole houses

I found 4G coverage to be excellent most places that I went - Google maps was a life saver

A lot of groceries are cheaper but a lot isn't - swings and roundabouts

Eating out is generally of a lower standard than Australia

Service standards are generally low but then they are here too

Technology prices (apart from phones) are ridiculous. Stuff is 15-30% more than in Australia and there is no bargaining

I went to 3 northern cities - Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield - and they are all physically pretty grim places. Some nice architecture interspersed among a sea of grey, bland and run down. Saying that the people are generally pretty friendly (especially in Liverpool) and the night life is good

Everywhere I went the pavements were filthy and broken, smeared in chewing gum, litter all over the place. They cannot repair roads properly. Full stop. Some of the surfaces were a f**king disgrace and like something out of the 3rd world

The countryside is so lovely and was a highlight

Overall I had a great time. Met up with some old friends from SA days, went to my brother's wedding, drank in some superb, friendly pubs. If I had to live there again I could but it would be a struggle. The great job opportunities for me, coupled with the top contracting rates on offer and the truly awesome tax avoidance possibilities may prove too strong a lure and a few years could possibly be spent there - never, ever permanent though

Oh, and British girls, overall, have massive tits and dress like sluts - top eye candy and no complaints from me

Beoz

xizzles

OK, that's good enough a reason to head back to Blightly as any!

Beoz

Definitely something in the water that other countries don't seem to have.

xizzles

If I could, I'd import some of what they are drinking, add it to the taps back home and I'll make a right royal killing here in Singapore

Beoz

You'll need triple dosage

Buzzy--Bee

Not as a chain-store, no. But there are many many great independent grocers.


Never confuse Queensland with Australia.

BB

Beoz

That piece of advice is golden.

astera

Haven't seen any. One of my wife's friends told her that she absolutely has to visit this one place, called something like Miss Flannegan's, and that she would never shop elsewhere once she saw the place.

My, what a frigging mistake that was. All this organic nonsense, no real food but just seeds and stuff... it felt like the sort of place you go to to get grub for your pet parrot or hamster. This was my remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds."

This is Australia. The rest is just latching on to the best that this country has to offer. Every time I feel like I need to bolt out of here I remind myself that there are less fortunate souls trapped in Sydney - which admittedly is a lovely city at the right time of year - and then there are those stuck in Melbourne for whom Sydney must seem like paradise. Just kidding...

old.sparkles

Girls is probably the correct term - lots of 13/14/15 yr olds look and dress like 21 yr olds.

Amazulu

I meant women

Sorry for the confusion