mulben

I had to write a paper on this very subject many years ago and the figures have stuck in my mind
26% of all Australians aged 18 to 30 are outside the country every 12 mths

Sydney to Hong Kong 7300Km
Perth to Singapore 3900Km
Perth to Sydney (road ) 3900Km or 3300 air Km

London to Moscow 2500Km
London to Athens 2375Km

It shows that to travel in Australia is a lot further than anywhere in Europe

Melbourne is the second biggest Greek city in the world

What appears to upset you is that the OZ local has a positive attitude
would life be better if they all said it was a s**t hole

lapin_windstar

Australians are pretty keen travellers but obviously, it's not always true that travel broadens the mind. There's no guarantee anyone's going to get smarter or more worldly just because they spend two weeks in Kuta or Shagaluf.

kimandken

Sydney and Brisbane, why would you bother???? Loads of lovely places to live here in oz. I would never move to the city, like back in UK any city is full of ignorant people (not them all, but most) I have met many Australians here up and down the east coast and 99% of them are very pleasant people!!

I do hope you enjoy life back in dreary England, good luck!

tonrob

An important point I like to remember in this regard is that I'm Welsh and therefore am better than everyone else.

I'm also not in Australia, but I thought it was a point worth making nontheless.

sonlymewalter

mate there's good and bad, ignorant and stupid people the world over. Not any one country can claim this as their unique asset.

Overall Aussies are good eggs with a few stinkers.

Bit like the UK really

MDawson

Nothing dreary about England , thats just your opinionated opinion.
You just have to know how to enjoy the UK , Wales is very nice also , we were there just last week , at least you can walk for miles and miles through green countryside without being eaten alive by variuos horrible creatures.
Anyone who doesn't know how to enjoy the old UK is just plain boring.

mulben

I would think all Welshachusaettians should be regarded as vastly superior
to the Antipodeans , particularly as their moniker is so impressive.

(Australia needs a Dragon on its flag - I,m jealous )

sonlymewalter

Pot calling kettle mate

petensue

You can go off some people you knowSue.

dogscogs

Definitely not my opinion of your average joe American, it's a big country and on the whole I find them to be some of the most humble and friendly people I have met. A little insular from time to time but for the most part, decent people.

I have found many Australians that I meet in daily situations to be rude and arrogant however. Particularly here in Sydney.

Example 1)

Meeting foot traffic in a supermarket or other such busy shop: Most Australians stop dead and stare at you blankly as if to say "Move, you are in my way" without saying anything. Would an "Excuse me please" hurt you so much?

Example 2)

Driving: Aussie drivers seem to go out of their way not to let you into their lane and will even do their upmost to prevent you getting in by closing the gap whether traffic is heavy or light.

Example 3)

Driving, again: Why is it when you let someone out, or in, they never say thankyou? not so much as a nod or a wave.

I can only describe it as a sense of entitlement of sorts...

Australian_2005

Sounds like my experience of London
Not saying that Australia is better or worse than the UK. I've been blessed to have lived in both.
Have to personally say I've found many Scottish people far more arrogant and rude than Aussies I've encountered, but also some of the nicest people I know are Scots. Is swings and round abouts. No 1 nation has a 100% pleasant population.

AlanEll

This thread is very interesting and just makes me even more look forward to moving from England to Australia within the next year. I want to live in a country that is proud itself. I am pretty sick of being in the UK and everything is so negative. Uk is a great place to live, but no one says it !!

I am a scot who has enjoyed living in England for 10 years, but looking to get out before it implodes. I'm certainly glad I am out of Scotland as it is such a negative parochial country. Although I have enjoyed England, there is no doubt whatsoever that it is a country that is going downhill in a big way. They are letting too many people in (and that includes scottish !!), and the economy has no foundations (what does england make now ?). England is a nation of homeowners, who spend money based on the equity of their houses.

My kids are going to be better off growing up in a country that is POSITIVE and proud of itself, even if it borders on arrogance !!

Hope you enjoy your wet walks in the minging Derbyshire peaks, where the sun pokes through the dreary clouds once a year. Say hello to all the hairy bikers enjoying their ice cream in Matlock !!

Kim67

Oh no, not this arrogant aussie thing AGAIN. We were having a BBQ with some South African friends in our compound a couple of nights ago and this subject came up. It seems that Aussies, Kiwis and South Africans are very similar and are quite often categorised as arrogant by Brits. We think it's just because we like to tell it like it is. And as for national pride, my brit born (but aussie raised) husband finds it really sad that his english relatives have such a low opinion of their own country and people. They're always so miserable and negative about everything. But again I think it's where you live and the people you mix with in either UK or Aus. As someone has pointed out, the OP probably lived in some bogan hole with people that, as an Australian, I would probably not like living near either.

Si T

Seconded

Pollyana

Thirded