Pollyana

Even if it is the same information as before, just repeated

Pollyana

I'm going on a one-way ticket this time, and I shall put Departing Permanently on the pax card................ I shall be a Statistic





Four weeks later I'll be back on a return ticket bought in the UK

Sashi

And I am glad that you do bring your prospective to the table.

People can often get carried away with the immigration dream after watching a few eposodes of "Wanted Down Under".

However I dont think immigration is a scam as you stated in your original post, scams are designed to cheat, immigration offers people a freedom of choice, to certain people who are lucky enough to qualify to fit the bill.

I have a daunting feeling that I too will be one of those ones who may have to come back and moan about the costs etc etc, however, its still a adventure for me, still got the rose tinted specs on, allbeit with a lighter shade.

Alfresco

Adventures are good and if you have enough beans to pay for stuff with those beans and have a great experience along the way, then that is what counts the most.

Enjoy life and the adventure.

Zen10

You're doing this because of the price gouging on Australian flights? If so, how long can you keep that return open for? I looked into all kinds of ways to get the same prices as everyone else on earth pays, but it started to get ridiculous.

By going on a budget plane to HK with zero consumer rights, then a regular intl to LHR, and same in reverse, which was a lot of hassle, I managed to get it down to just 20% more than a British price. Normally it's 40% - 50% higher.

Beoz

Spent some time in London and the south east a few weeks back. Was surprised to see how expensive it was. Feels like everything has gone up from a few years back. So no, won't be quitting one expensive place for another. Especially when the London salary is about 0.4 on what I currently make in Oz.

Regarding those flights. If you want to do it on the cheap, get the low cost airline out of Oz then book from there. Mind you with all the hassle and the many a deal that comes on, its hardly worth it.

Zen10

We noticed that booze has got very expensive in Britain - around 50% more than five year ago. In fact, we noticed it was pushing Australian prices. Also noticed that you couldn't get single-vineyard wine in British supermarkets unless you went up to $25 and then a very small range (choice of two in M&S, iirc). But then we live an hour from dozens of the world's best vineyards, so I guess we're a bit spoilt!

Pollyana

i always fly Qantas, and go home around every 6 months so its no hassle getting the returns and booking "backwards". Pure luck this time that the UK Qantas site had dropped prices rock bottom at that moment

Mike at Taree

And the Stella is down from 5% ABV to 4%
When that happened they still had masses of 5% so they dumped much of it here and it was in Dan Murphys on a great special. However it was a mere shadow of the original "Stella's for the Fellas" brew I remember from the 1970s and 80s.

BadgeIsBack

There must be no doubt that there are huge savings and offers in UK supermakets (and far more choice!) but my visit 5 years ago told me that parts of the UK compared to Australia was not necessarily cheap or cheaper in all cases.

I think it would be fair to say that I should not assume that everything is 1 pound now, without first looking for myself.

brits1

Nearly all major Cities are expensive, we have just returned from visiting a couple in Italy (and what a beautiful country it is) and nearly fell our chairs at the prices of food, etc but as is usually the norm the "locals" will know where to go for cheaper meals etc and the suburbs where cheaper anyway. Years ago we visited Sydney and found it very expensive more so than Perth but then a few years later we visited Sydney again and found Perth was now just as expensive but the "City" salaries were not. I think that was one of the reasons we started to holiday abroad, that and wanting to have a change of culture.

RedDragon2008

Dolphin is always cheaper in Japan versus bayside

Mike at Taree

A few years ago when we were in Yorkshire the price of meat at Asda etc was horrendous compared to Australia, until I twigged that the only people who bought meat at the supermarkets was people just picking up a tray of mince or a couple of chops on the way home.

On visiting Barnsley Market there was a meat hall that looked straight out of a Breughel painting (probably as old) and I picked up fresh roasting silverside for the equivalent of $A8 a kilo and pork for similar, and that was in the days when the dollar was only worth 43 pence at the time - if you bought where the locals bought then it was similarly priced to Australia on most items, except the bloody petrol of course.

Looking at the property market in my idle moments and comparing rentals in particular, for what you pay PCM for a wee terraced house or flat in me old Newcastle upon Tyne you'd get far better in most Australian Provincial cities outside Sydney or Melbourne.

Our current 3 bedroom, ensuite, DLUG, ducted air con, separate laundry etc villa is only about 2/3 of the rent a similar property would attract in most locations outside of the SE of England, and only one street back from the ol' Pacific Sea and a surf beach that makes Home and Away seem like a Pilot Project.

La Vida loca

A few hundred posts later and the same old rhetoric, bla bla....

sonlymewalter

yup....59 actually .......but same ole same ole