Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
Nov 3rd 2007, 3:38 am
#46
UK is Home
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Home- "Glasgow"
Posts: 1,137
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
we live 3-4 hundred yards from the kids school with 830 pupils at their primary and by 3.15pm the streets are deserted
where do all the kids go? as far as i`m led to believe from the other parents thay all go to activities (indoors) which are plentiful around here, and cost a fortune.My 8 yr old daughter started the gymnastics not long ago and after one session was told she should upgrade to the more advanced class only costing another $70 on top of the original cost of $110 joining fee (10 weeks)and when they do their little competitions locally its only $150 for the leotard and $150 for the track suit all in all there are plenty of live sports for the kids here but ou will pay for it!!!
oh, one other little thing,as soon as it starts to get dark i wouldnt let the kids stray outside the street, as soon as they go 20yards from the house you cant see them, when it gets dark here its DARK!!!
where do all the kids go? as far as i`m led to believe from the other parents thay all go to activities (indoors) which are plentiful around here, and cost a fortune.My 8 yr old daughter started the gymnastics not long ago and after one session was told she should upgrade to the more advanced class only costing another $70 on top of the original cost of $110 joining fee (10 weeks)and when they do their little competitions locally its only $150 for the leotard and $150 for the track suit all in all there are plenty of live sports for the kids here but ou will pay for it!!!oh, one other little thing,as soon as it starts to get dark i wouldnt let the kids stray outside the street, as soon as they go 20yards from the house you cant see them, when it gets dark here its DARK!!!
One of our reasons for wanting to emigrate is the hope that instead of being stuck indoors with the kids during the winter watching TV (or having to trapse around shoppping centres or indoor soft play centres!)we will live a more outdoor life in Oz and have access to much better and readily available sports facilities.
I was just wondering if this is really the case or have i got rose tinted glasses on?!
I was just wondering if this is really the case or have i got rose tinted glasses on?!
Nov 3rd 2007, 6:55 am
#47
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 924
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
We definitely live a more outdoor life here. It does help that we have a pool though! The kids are in and out of it whenever they can, even if the weather isn't brilliant (wetsuits are wonderful things). We also live just across the road from an oval which leads into the bush, so OH and I go walking a lot which we never did in England despite being on the edge of the South Downs. DS1 and OH also go cyling in the bush.
There are lots of playgrounds around - most have clean toilets which always helps with kids!
My eldest is sporty and is thrilled at the options for sport he has here during school time, though there are no "after school clubs" as such. Most kids we know here do a Summer sport and Winter sport. Water based activities are cheaper here than we found them in the UK. At the end of the day though, it's really whatever you make of it. I used to hibernate through the long dark Winter evenings and struggle to get out of bed in the morning, so I'm much happier here as even if the weather isn't brilliant, it never seems quite as awful as it was in the UK.
There are lots of playgrounds around - most have clean toilets which always helps with kids!
My eldest is sporty and is thrilled at the options for sport he has here during school time, though there are no "after school clubs" as such. Most kids we know here do a Summer sport and Winter sport. Water based activities are cheaper here than we found them in the UK. At the end of the day though, it's really whatever you make of it. I used to hibernate through the long dark Winter evenings and struggle to get out of bed in the morning, so I'm much happier here as even if the weather isn't brilliant, it never seems quite as awful as it was in the UK.
Nov 3rd 2007, 10:14 am
#48
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 199
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
Don't want to spread more doom and gloom, but Australia has an obesity crisis that is probably worse than the UK and similar to US. The stats below are out of date for Aus and current for UK. I think Aus has the highest alchohol consumption per head in the world.
Form Aus bureau of statistics:
Overweight and obesity pose a major risk to long term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses. In 2005, 7.4 million people aged 18 years and over (54% of the adult population) were classified as overweight or obese
The Age article:
In the first study to look at the weight of Australian children over the last century, researchers found that obesity rates jumped from 4 per cent in 1901 to more than 30 per cent in 2003
UK:
Soaring obesity rates mean 22.4 per cent of women and 22.7 per cent of men are now classed as so overweight their health is at serious risk.
Our attitude is we will go and make the most of it. I was surprised with the stats above and hoped we would find Ausssies to be active and fit, making it easier to join in and be part of it. Unfortunately it seems like this is not the case and it really is down to yourselves.
Couch potato culture appears to rule in Aus as well. They seem to be big on watching sport (with a tinny in hand), not taking part
Form Aus bureau of statistics:
Overweight and obesity pose a major risk to long term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses. In 2005, 7.4 million people aged 18 years and over (54% of the adult population) were classified as overweight or obese
The Age article:
In the first study to look at the weight of Australian children over the last century, researchers found that obesity rates jumped from 4 per cent in 1901 to more than 30 per cent in 2003
UK:
Soaring obesity rates mean 22.4 per cent of women and 22.7 per cent of men are now classed as so overweight their health is at serious risk.
Our attitude is we will go and make the most of it. I was surprised with the stats above and hoped we would find Ausssies to be active and fit, making it easier to join in and be part of it. Unfortunately it seems like this is not the case and it really is down to yourselves.
Couch potato culture appears to rule in Aus as well. They seem to be big on watching sport (with a tinny in hand), not taking part
Nov 3rd 2007, 10:52 am
#49
locked in the attic
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,657
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
Don't want to spread more doom and gloom, but Australia has an obesity crisis that is probably worse than the UK and similar to US. The stats below are out of date for Aus and current for UK. I think Aus has the highest alchohol consumption per head in the world.
Form Aus bureau of statistics:
Overweight and obesity pose a major risk to long term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses. In 2005, 7.4 million people aged 18 years and over (54% of the adult population) were classified as overweight or obese
The Age article:
In the first study to look at the weight of Australian children over the last century, researchers found that obesity rates jumped from 4 per cent in 1901 to more than 30 per cent in 2003
UK:
Soaring obesity rates mean 22.4 per cent of women and 22.7 per cent of men are now classed as so overweight their health is at serious risk.
Our attitude is we will go and make the most of it. I was surprised with the stats above and hoped we would find Ausssies to be active and fit, making it easier to join in and be part of it. Unfortunately it seems like this is not the case and it really is down to yourselves.
Couch potato culture appears to rule in Aus as well. They seem to be big on watching sport (with a tinny in hand), not taking part
Form Aus bureau of statistics:
Overweight and obesity pose a major risk to long term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses. In 2005, 7.4 million people aged 18 years and over (54% of the adult population) were classified as overweight or obese
The Age article:
In the first study to look at the weight of Australian children over the last century, researchers found that obesity rates jumped from 4 per cent in 1901 to more than 30 per cent in 2003
UK:
Soaring obesity rates mean 22.4 per cent of women and 22.7 per cent of men are now classed as so overweight their health is at serious risk.
Our attitude is we will go and make the most of it. I was surprised with the stats above and hoped we would find Ausssies to be active and fit, making it easier to join in and be part of it. Unfortunately it seems like this is not the case and it really is down to yourselves.
Couch potato culture appears to rule in Aus as well. They seem to be big on watching sport (with a tinny in hand), not taking part
Yesterday evening we spent 4 hours transporting and watching, our daughter's compete in volleyball and netball matches.
The sport centre that holds the volleyball matches has 8 courts and the first matches start at 4:20 and the last ones finish at 9:20. All ages and abilities at school level compete, upwards from 8 years. Girls and boys of all shapes and sizes, with tremendous parental support. As a spectator you take your life in your hands as there are balls flying everywhere! The same goes for the netball matches, frantic, continuous activity all evening, with boys also playing in mixed teams at primary level.
This scenario is played out across the city in numerous suburbs and continues again throughout Saturday. This is not forgetting the soccer, swimming, cricket, athletics, gymnastics, orienteering, baseball, tennis, rowing....you name it, you can see it going on somewhere in Adelaide.
Combine that with training on Tuesday and Friday mornings and Wednesday evenings and that's just for 2 sports and there's little time for TV, although I always manage to squeeze in a bit of laptop time for BE!
Don't fully understand the high levels of obesity here as with so much activity you would assume there wouldn't be such a large problem. However, perhaps the cheap cost, prevalence and 'ease' of junk food in relation to healthier alternatives is a factor.
Nov 3rd 2007, 11:06 am
#50
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
There are thousands more who fall by the wayside.
Nov 3rd 2007, 11:34 am
#51
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 199
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
We definitely live a more outdoor life here. It does help that we have a pool though! The kids are in and out of it whenever they can, even if the weather isn't brilliant (wetsuits are wonderful things). We also live just across the road from an oval which leads into the bush, so OH and I go walking a lot which we never did in England despite being on the edge of the South Downs. DS1 and OH also go cyling in the bush.
There are lots of playgrounds around - most have clean toilets which always helps with kids!
My eldest is sporty and is thrilled at the options for sport he has here during school time, though there are no "after school clubs" as such. Most kids we know here do a Summer sport and Winter sport. Water based activities are cheaper here than we found them in the UK. At the end of the day though, it's really whatever you make of it. I used to hibernate through the long dark Winter evenings and struggle to get out of bed in the morning, so I'm much happier here as even if the weather isn't brilliant, it never seems quite as awful as it was in the UK.
There are lots of playgrounds around - most have clean toilets which always helps with kids!
My eldest is sporty and is thrilled at the options for sport he has here during school time, though there are no "after school clubs" as such. Most kids we know here do a Summer sport and Winter sport. Water based activities are cheaper here than we found them in the UK. At the end of the day though, it's really whatever you make of it. I used to hibernate through the long dark Winter evenings and struggle to get out of bed in the morning, so I'm much happier here as even if the weather isn't brilliant, it never seems quite as awful as it was in the UK.
Our son is 11 years old and couldn't get into a cricket team in the UK. He would also like to do rugby and is already a club swimmer and plays cello in a strings club. It would be great if he gets all these opportunities at school or elsewhwere. The new opportunities for ocean/beach like surfing/snorkelling excites us all. OH might resurrest his tennis and golf.
We are paying quite a lot of money for him for all this in the UK, so don't really expect that to change. Just so long as it is out there. After all we are going for a new life and a refreshed attitude to making the most of it
Nov 3rd 2007, 2:39 pm
#53
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 9,668
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
Don't want to spread more doom and gloom, but Australia has an obesity crisis that is probably worse than the UK and similar to US. The stats below are out of date for Aus and current for UK. I think Aus has the highest alchohol consumption per head in the world.
Form Aus bureau of statistics:
Overweight and obesity pose a major risk to long term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses. In 2005, 7.4 million people aged 18 years and over (54% of the adult population) were classified as overweight or obese
The Age article:
In the first study to look at the weight of Australian children over the last century, researchers found that obesity rates jumped from 4 per cent in 1901 to more than 30 per cent in 2003
UK:
Soaring obesity rates mean 22.4 per cent of women and 22.7 per cent of men are now classed as so overweight their health is at serious risk.
Our attitude is we will go and make the most of it. I was surprised with the stats above and hoped we would find Ausssies to be active and fit, making it easier to join in and be part of it. Unfortunately it seems like this is not the case and it really is down to yourselves.
Couch potato culture appears to rule in Aus as well. They seem to be big on watching sport (with a tinny in hand), not taking part
Form Aus bureau of statistics:
Overweight and obesity pose a major risk to long term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses. In 2005, 7.4 million people aged 18 years and over (54% of the adult population) were classified as overweight or obese
The Age article:
In the first study to look at the weight of Australian children over the last century, researchers found that obesity rates jumped from 4 per cent in 1901 to more than 30 per cent in 2003
UK:
Soaring obesity rates mean 22.4 per cent of women and 22.7 per cent of men are now classed as so overweight their health is at serious risk.
Our attitude is we will go and make the most of it. I was surprised with the stats above and hoped we would find Ausssies to be active and fit, making it easier to join in and be part of it. Unfortunately it seems like this is not the case and it really is down to yourselves.
Couch potato culture appears to rule in Aus as well. They seem to be big on watching sport (with a tinny in hand), not taking part
Hutch has the links...
Nov 3rd 2007, 3:58 pm
#54
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 130
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
One of our reasons for wanting to emigrate is the hope that instead of being stuck indoors with the kids during the winter watching TV (or having to trapse around shoppping centres or indoor soft play centres!)we will live a more outdoor life in Oz and have access to much better and readily available sports facilities.
I was just wondering if this is really the case or have i got rose tinted glasses on?!
I was just wondering if this is really the case or have i got rose tinted glasses on?!
I have to say, the above is the main reason we want to go to Australia.
We have 3 young children and we all enjoy the outdoor life. But must admit we get out and about alot more in the summer than in the winter.
Me and hubby fight to take the dog out when the weather is not suitable for the children, just for the peace and quiet.
I don't know about others, but when it's winter (cold and dark) don't them walls come in when the kids have lots of energy they want to waste.
We are hopefully heading to Adelaide, or possibly Melbourne. I don't think these are quite as humid as other places and I am hoping it won't get dark to early...
Well, will keep on dreaming and hoping it is what I imagine. Hopefully the driving will improve though, as that does bother me...
Bye for now
Tracey
Nov 4th 2007, 7:36 pm
#55
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Bicton, Perth
Posts: 197
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
Hi
I have to say, the above is the main reason we want to go to Australia.
We have 3 young children and we all enjoy the outdoor life. But must admit we get out and about alot more in the summer than in the winter.
Me and hubby fight to take the dog out when the weather is not suitable for the children, just for the peace and quiet.
I don't know about others, but when it's winter (cold and dark) don't them walls come in when the kids have lots of energy they want to waste.
We are hopefully heading to Adelaide, or possibly Melbourne. I don't think these are quite as humid as other places and I am hoping it won't get dark to early...
Well, will keep on dreaming and hoping it is what I imagine. Hopefully the driving will improve though, as that does bother me...
Bye for now
Tracey
I have to say, the above is the main reason we want to go to Australia.
We have 3 young children and we all enjoy the outdoor life. But must admit we get out and about alot more in the summer than in the winter.
Me and hubby fight to take the dog out when the weather is not suitable for the children, just for the peace and quiet.
I don't know about others, but when it's winter (cold and dark) don't them walls come in when the kids have lots of energy they want to waste.
We are hopefully heading to Adelaide, or possibly Melbourne. I don't think these are quite as humid as other places and I am hoping it won't get dark to early...
Well, will keep on dreaming and hoping it is what I imagine. Hopefully the driving will improve though, as that does bother me...
Bye for now
Tracey
It's really interesting to hear everyone's views and Im really grateful for the replies-it all helps to build a picture of lies ahead.
But could someone please explain what 'mowing' means!!!!! (I might be showing myself up to be a bit thick but I just don't get it!)
Nov 4th 2007, 7:42 pm
#56
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
One of our reasons for wanting to emigrate is the hope that instead of being stuck indoors with the kids during the winter watching TV (or having to trapse around shoppping centres or indoor soft play centres!)we will live a more outdoor life in Oz and have access to much better and readily available sports facilities.
I was just wondering if this is really the case or have i got rose tinted glasses on?!
I was just wondering if this is really the case or have i got rose tinted glasses on?!
Spent the weekend at wet and wild, if you think the aussies are fit and fabulous go there
OMG bloody horrible sights.
Nov 4th 2007, 7:44 pm
#57
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,821
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
Nov 4th 2007, 7:50 pm
#58
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
clothes here are massive, so flattering reckon if your a 14 in the UK a 10 will fit here, loads of women are huge and the sizes seem to have been 'adjusted'.
Nov 4th 2007, 7:54 pm
#59
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,821
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
(am kidding btw!!)
On a serious note - I was reading somewhere that Australia actually has a very serious obesity problem?
Em x
Nov 4th 2007, 9:16 pm
#60
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,560
Re: Do you live a more outdoor/ active life in Oz?
i agree with that when i was a kid we were out no matter what the weather is like, for hours, here i cant really let my daughter out for more than an hour at a time as she's so fair
i walk everywhere here as i dont drive yet i walk my daughter to and from kindy 20mins each way there are kids that live 5min from the school and still get driven there ive noticed that alot over here people tend to use there cars more but things are alot more spaced out.
i walk everywhere here as i dont drive yet i walk my daughter to and from kindy 20mins each way there are kids that live 5min from the school and still get driven there ive noticed that alot over here people tend to use there cars more but things are alot more spaced out.
Last edited by kez81; Nov 4th 2007 at 9:22 pm.