gazf

HI,
I have been here now about 9 weeks and have to say I am not very impressed so far. The house prices which by UK standards are still quite cheap have put most 4x2 above $300000 and in most cases well above. Now as I said compared to the UK still quite cheap but if you do compare to the UK you realise that what you get for your $$$ is a very basic house No double glazed windows or doors, no insulation in the loft, the list is long,poor finishing which you most certainly would not accept back in the UK.

Then there are the schools Fantastic, brand new in some cases but a long long way behind the UK in the level the children are educated. My Child is 6 years old and will be 7 in August, this means she is now in year 1 over here and is being taught how to spell words like THE, HAS ,HAT,DOG, CAT, etc
when we left the UK she was getting towards the end of year 2 and was spelling words like SCULPTURE,CAUGHT,etc .As for maths i,d rather not go there. Please remember the state does`t provide writing books or any stationary at all, parents( and any passing pervert ) will be sat outside the class room 20 Min's before the kids are let out chatting and disrupting the class. there are no restrictions on who is hanging about the schools,and no controls about who picks the children up. There seems very little to choose between the state and private sectors unless you want a religious backdrop to education, private fees are reasonable but waiting lists are long, the state seems to rely on a large private sector taking children off its hands.
Hospitals again nice and modern in general but for gods sake don`t take ill unless you have very expensive medical insurance, and then hope is not a mental illness (acute lack of funding in this area ) or your troubles will really begin.
If you are a tradesman or have any formal qualification be prepared for the locals to tell you you need to either start at the bottom or retrain to Australian standards ( in general far below British & European standards). On the plus side this creates employment and safeguards the jobs of the local population.

What next? oh yes TV and radio - well I came here to get outdoors anyway so won`t bore you with that one.
Food not bad I have to admit.
Cars New very cheap used overpriced in comparison to new, petrol and car insurance very reasonable.
The beaches great , the parks Great , the people are nice and friendly.
I am sure this post will annoy or upset some people but it is how I preserve the situation here in Perth.

Kelli28

why would you need double glazing?

Didnaeseeu

I think this post is an informative post from your perspective, so should'nt annoy/upset people!!!

But you like it then

gazf

Yes I like it but am unsure if it is somewhere I,d like to spend the rest of my life, time will tell.

OzTennis

I'd suggest you read the first post in this thread:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306666

BTW it was reported in the last few days that 1/5 of 11 year olds in the UK are illiterate and there have been calls to return to the traditional way of learning how to read - C A T spells cat etc. The government have re-iterated that they want children to be taught by the new phonics method!

OzTennis

pako

Oh well you can always go home

possoms

Because its bloody freezing in winter

Kelli28

hehe well that would make sense

possoms

LOL I wouldnt have believed it until I spent a winter in Perth

Whats it like in Brissy in the winter? do they have winter? sorry if its a blonde question

tiredwithtwins

Good for you gazf for posting an honest picture of how you are finding aus.

someone else put up an 'im loving it here' thread, and got rave reviews - they posted honestly about how they are finding their new life - gazf has only done the same so please dont lets start pulling him down for posting honestly and giving his opinion - just because its not what you want to hear, doesnt mean he should be slated for posting.

sue

Kelli28

dont know yet im just a wannabe too i think its mild compared to uk but i must admit im surprised theres a need for double glazing over there.
my first flat here didint have double glazing or central heating mind you it was baltic in winter

Phoenixuk2oz

It's generaly warm during the day [20+ degrees]but quite cold/nippy on an evening. Defo long trousers / long sleeved top....but nowhere near double glazing type cold ......in Brissy that is

google

I guess it's all about making trade-offs.

I left China to settle in Sydney this year and found to my great dismay that the service standards and I.T infrastructures in Australia are lagging far behind that of China.

one simple example:
We ordered a sofa from Harvey Norman in early April, but it took 5 weeks to arrive. I guess the furniture stores here are not at all well stocked. In most large Chinese cities, the goods are normally delivered on the same or next day. I figure this is a result of the sparse population here.

But dont get me wrong, I still prefer to stay in Australia, which is a democratic nation.

Banksia

If it isn't in new houses and there are few if no businesses which retro fit it, it could be because the locals see no or little need for it. Double glazing is unknown in Sydney too.

As to the rest of your message, post on. There is no point in people coming to Australia on false knowledge. There are plenty who find it to their liking. More, in fact than there are places for them.

As to temperatures, let see how you feel by next February.

MrsDagboy

I still cant work out if our house here is that much warmer than our other house or if my medication is working overtime but I don't think its even been cold so far this year. We've had a fire going a few times, but havent seriously thought its been cold. Most nights I've only had to slip a jumper on after 9pm (like tonight, cos we dont have a fire), got up in the mornings with just a summer nightie, no dressing gown or slippers etc, havent used them yet this winter.

A couple of nights its been nippy, but not cold cold - has it?