emigration reality
Jun 23rd 2006, 11:26 pm
#16
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 881
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by kporte
this is how i feel. at the moment i am pressured into a lot of hours at work, never see my wife and am at work most weekends.justify this to myself by booking an exotic holiday or buying some pointless gadget to make myself feel better about my life slipping by. due to overtime money is ok but life rating is poor. want to get out of this cycle and focus on what is important, you know?
All depends what you want out of life.
L-j xx
Jun 23rd 2006, 11:29 pm
#17
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Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 10,784
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by Hutch
The somewhat harsh bottom line is - you can't. I mean, it's no different to the UK at the end of the day - there are areas here that'd I'd never consider moving to in a million years and yet people love them. You can visit places, have a coffee in a local cafe, drive around the streets and try and get a feel for them, but it's not until you actually live there that you'll really know if it's for you and yours. That's why it's so important to rent when you first arrive - then if you find somewhere's not your cup of tea, you can just move on to somewhere new. That said, there's plenty of folks here who live in Brisbane and can give you an idea of which areas are worth bothering with, and which aren't. Oh, and I'd definitely recommend a recce. 
Jun 23rd 2006, 11:36 pm
#18
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 10,784
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by ELLJAY
Know exactly what you mean.We don't have much dosh but we deffo spend more time together as a family. Hubby has just walked to the local shops with eldest son to buy some bits to fix up bikes we "picked up" from council clean-up! (when people throw out the stuff they no longer need). It's so true - once you stop buying "stuff" you don't need - you're life seems so much simpler. In uk i felt i was constantly on a treadmill - weekends ame and went and it would be Sunday night - and you hadnt had any leisure time. You go to parks here on the weekend -and they are packed with families - being together - total cost - nothing!
All depends what you want out of life.
L-j xx
All depends what you want out of life.
L-j xx
Jun 23rd 2006, 11:49 pm
#19
Account Closed
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 881
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by kporte
so true. my local shop is a 100 yards away and i jump in the car. i'm not lazy, just mentally knackered and always tired.even applying for oz has got me on a diet and feeling perkier. i don't want a merc and a mansion, just to feel i am living a healthy happy life. we want to go to oz and start a family, feeling life there is better for this. does this seem fair or another daydream. that's a point. i never used to daydream and i do it all the time now.
Bumped into a couple in Kmart the other day. (you can always spot the Poms! - they are the ones asking "do you sell blow-up airbeds"?) Anyway......they are doing 6 months in each place (Brissy, Sydney, Perth Melbourne). What a fantastic idea!
L-j xx
Jun 24th 2006, 12:50 am
#20
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,997
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by kporte
been visiting BE for a few months now and it has amazed me how my ideas and misconceptions of a life in Oz have changed. when the idea of moving came to my wife and i, the motive was simply for a better quality of life. i believed that the cost of living was far less than the uk, that houses were a giveaway and that i would earn far more dough. i am not entirely sure where i gleaned these useful nuggets of info, but joining BE put me right. there have been many threads concerning these issues, and posters such as arkon have been berated for posting opinions percieved as negative. thank god for the "negative" posts or i'd be going into this like the light brigade!! my wife and i are still very much up for it and i have the possibility of a decent job on reasonable pay in the picture from yesterday, but now our tentative plans are geared around realistic goals and the 4 bed house with pool and two new cars has changed to 2 bed house and 2 year old Holden with high mileage!
i still hold onto the belief we will have a better quality of life but because we will be prepared to downsize our life in a lot of ways. it is so easy to get carried away with the idea that Oz is some kind of shangrila and i thought i was past this at 40. your thoughts on this, as always, will be most welcome.
cheers
i still hold onto the belief we will have a better quality of life but because we will be prepared to downsize our life in a lot of ways. it is so easy to get carried away with the idea that Oz is some kind of shangrila and i thought i was past this at 40. your thoughts on this, as always, will be most welcome.
cheers
You're right. It is important to get a mixed bag of views, at least that way you wont be disappointed. Australia is a beautiful place to live and thankfully for most people it's a great choice, however for some it seems like purgatory and an expensive mistake and this is why it is such an emotive subject. No one moves to Aus because they hate Australia, however for some people Australia just doesn't "gel" somehow...and this can have devastating effects and be very very stressful.
We had no pre-conceived ideas about Aus. Having never even visited before we had no idea what we would like or dislike about it however we did expect it to be different to the UK, which I think helped temper our initial views. Don't ask me why we didn't visit and why we risked everything, as although we are risk takers it was probably the most risky thing we have ever done. However for us it has worked out, albeit life aint perfect, but we realise this wherever in the world you live. Our life in UK was good i.e great jobs and excellent standard of living etc...but we lived to work rather than worked to live.....and herein lies the answer... FOR US....as the answer is that simple really.
Aus suits us and vice versa. It isn't everyone's cup-o-tea and life here certainly is not a bed of roses, the job situation for example is dire IMHO and very much over rated / over stated ....but again this is MY opinion based on MY experience. I accept everyone's views differ based on THEIR experiences.
For us, the Aussie people, the climate, the lifestyle, the "easiness" of life <read less day to day stress> is so much more enjoyable. And sometimes this is attributed to insignificant things, take for example yesterday.
I had to go to the Doctors, so off I trot, unannounced to my local GP, only to find them fully booked up [my fault, no appointment]....anyways, I go home, ring a few local GP's and manage to be seen in the afternoon. I go to Dr's, get my prescription and then go to Medicare to get a refund for the cost of seeing the Dr.
Medicare office are so professional, so prompt and so efficient and refund me $31.45 of the $46 dollars it has cost me to see the Dr. I then go across to the Pharmacy and pick up my prescription for $20. Again, efficient, polite and professional. Now all in all, I was seen on the same day, was "serviced" politely and efficiently and professionally and it cost me about $35 bucks. Now personally speaking, this was far less stressful than when I lived in UK.
In UK I would ring the Dr's surgery only to have a surly receptionist tell me I should have rung earlier and then ask me what's wrong ....then I would have been informed that unless it was an emergency <read life threatening> then I could have an appointment in a week
..Now personally speaking, it is things like THAT that used to stress me out. If I'm poorly, then the last thing I want to do is be vetted by a friggin receptionist or wait a sodding week, by which time I'm better, so I waste mine and the Dr's time
Then there is car parking; Here in Aus unless you go to the cities, parking is generally free. Yes FREE! My father came here for three months and in the end I nearly had to stamp a message on his forehead saying "Free parking" as he would have a heart attack every time I walked away from the car. He was paranoid I might get a parking ticket as he couldn't believe parking was free, and he would frantically be searching out for a parking meter worried I might get a parking ticket. "Dad....it's free" was what I said every time I parked the car, even before we set out to go anywhere and "are you sure" was always his response
Then there's the litter and dog shit; Yes, I know...not a big deal to some folk....but one thing I noticed was the lack of it here compared to UK. And believe me, I lived in a nice place in UK....but for some reason people still thought it was OK to let their dog crap and not have to clean up after themselves. And before anyone starts, I've got a dog so I love dogs. It's the owners that need training
. Anyways, as I was saying, I've noticed here there are a lot of recreational areas with BBQs etc, and often people are out and about with their dogs, and the owners have their doggy bags to clean up. Of course there will always be a few selfish so-and-so's...but in the main people are respectful and responsible owners.And then there are the BBQ areas. Again these are generally free, even the gas ones. I see people use them then clean them for the next person. You see the odd area untidy but in the main they are well kept and clean..
These are just a few examples of the day to day living that for us creates a better standard of living and of course the list is not exhaustive. There are also things that we miss from UK. How can you live somewhere for a long time and not do so?.... but this is Awwwwstralia....and it's a different country....and we have emigrated....so WE have had to learn to adapt
I accept this is not the same for everyone...and there are certain things you just can't compare. Missing friends and family for example. It doesn't matter where you are you are going to miss them once you decide to emigrate. That is part and parcel of emigrating, so no point even comparing this, of course you have no idea how you will cope with it until you do move though.
So....in summary, Aus aint perfect. There are some things which in my view are backwards here in Aus [work ethics for example] and other things where Aus beats the UK hands down and then other things where you will miss regardless [friends & family etc], but for us personally... overall Aus is the winner. It's a less stressful, more fulfilling day-2-day lifestyle and although very, very different, it's got some tremendous positives. This isn't the same for everyone though, and the only way you can ever know....is to try it!!
Good luck in your new adventure
Jun 24th 2006, 1:02 am
#21
Bloomin' well done it!!!!
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide!!!!!
Posts: 689
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Great post.
You're right. It is important to get a mixed bag of views, at least that way you wont be disappointed. Australia is a beautiful place to live and thankfully for most people it's a great choice, however for some it seems like purgatory and an expensive mistake and this is why it is such an emotive subject. No one moves to Aus because they hate Australia, however for some people Australia just doesn't "gel" somehow...and this can have devastating effects and be very very stressful.
We had no pre-conceived ideas about Aus. Having never even visited before we had no idea what we would like or dislike about it however we did expect it to be different to the UK, which I think helped temper our initial views. Don't ask me why we didn't visit and why we risked everything, as although we are risk takers it was probably the most risky thing we have ever done. However for us it has worked out, albeit life aint perfect, but we realise this wherever in the world you live. Our life in UK was good i.e great jobs and excellent standard of living etc...but we lived to work rather than worked to live.....and herein lies the answer... FOR US....as the answer is that simple really.
Aus suits us and vice versa. It isn't everyone's cup-o-tea and life here certainly is not a bed of roses, the job situation for example is dire IMHO and very much over rated / over stated ....but again this is MY opinion based on MY experience. I accept everyone's views differ based on THEIR experiences.
For us, the Aussie people, the climate, the lifestyle, the "easiness" of life <read less day to day stress> is so much more enjoyable. And sometimes this is attributed to insignificant things, take for example yesterday.
I had to go to the Doctors, so off I trot, unannounced to my local GP, only to find them fully booked up [my fault, no appointment]....anyways, I go home, ring a few local GP's and manage to be seen in the afternoon. I go to Dr's, get my prescription and then go to Medicare to get a refund for the cost of seeing the Dr.
Medicare office are so professional, so prompt and so efficient and refund me $31.45 of the $46 dollars it has cost me to see the Dr. I then go across to the Pharmacy and pick up my prescription for $20. Again, efficient, polite and professional. Now all in all, I was seen on the same day, was "serviced" politely and efficiently and professionally and it cost me about $35 bucks. Now personally speaking, this was far less stressful than when I lived in UK.
In UK I would ring the Dr's surgery only to have a surly receptionist tell me I should have rung earlier and then ask me what's wrong ....then I would have been informed that unless it was an emergency <read life threatening> then I could have an appointment in a week ..Now personally speaking, it is things like THAT that used to stress me out. If I'm poorly, then the last thing I want to do is be vetted by a friggin receptionist or wait a sodding week, by which time I'm better, so I waste mine and the Dr's time
Then there is car parking; Here in Aus unless you go to the cities, parking is generally free. Yes FREE! My father came here for three months and in the end I nearly had to stamp a message on his forehead saying "Free parking" as he would have a heart attack every time I walked away from the car. He was paranoid I might get a parking ticket as he couldn't believe parking was free, and he would frantically be searching out for a parking meter worried I might get a parking ticket. "Dad....it's free" was what I said every time I parked the car, even before we set out to go anywhere and "are you sure" was always his response
Then there's the litter and dog shit; Yes, I know...not a big deal to some folk....but one thing I noticed was the lack of it here compared to UK. And believe me, I lived in a nice place in UK....but for some reason people still thought it was OK to let their dog crap and not have to clean up after themselves. And before anyone starts, I've got a dog so I love dogs. It's the owners that need training. Anyways, as I was saying, I've noticed here there are a lot of recreational areas with BBQs etc, and often people are out and about with their dogs, and the owners have their doggy bags to clean up. Of course there will always be a few selfish so-and-so's...but in the main people are respectful and responsible owners.
And then there are the BBQ areas. Again these are generally free, even the gas ones. I see people use them then clean them for the next person. You see the odd area untidy but in the main they are well kept and clean..
These are just a few examples of the day to day living that for us creates a better standard of living and of course the list is not exhaustive. There are also things that we miss from UK. How can you live somewhere for a long time and not do so?.... but this is Awwwwstralia....and it's a different country....and we have emigrated....so WE have had to learn to adapt
I accept this is not the same for everyone...and there are certain things you just can't compare. Missing friends and family for example. It doesn't matter where you are you are going to miss them once you decide to emigrate. That is part and parcel of emigrating, so no point even comparing this, of course you have no idea how you will cope with it until you do move though.
So....in summary, Aus aint perfect. There are some things which in my view are backwards here in Aus [work ethics for example] and other things where Aus beats the UK hands down and then other things where you will miss regardless [friends & family etc], but for us personally... overall Aus is the winner. It's a less stressful, more fulfilling day-2-day lifestyle and although very, very different, it's got some tremendous positives. This isn't the same for everyone though, and the only way you can ever know....is to try it!!
Good luck in your new adventure
You're right. It is important to get a mixed bag of views, at least that way you wont be disappointed. Australia is a beautiful place to live and thankfully for most people it's a great choice, however for some it seems like purgatory and an expensive mistake and this is why it is such an emotive subject. No one moves to Aus because they hate Australia, however for some people Australia just doesn't "gel" somehow...and this can have devastating effects and be very very stressful.
We had no pre-conceived ideas about Aus. Having never even visited before we had no idea what we would like or dislike about it however we did expect it to be different to the UK, which I think helped temper our initial views. Don't ask me why we didn't visit and why we risked everything, as although we are risk takers it was probably the most risky thing we have ever done. However for us it has worked out, albeit life aint perfect, but we realise this wherever in the world you live. Our life in UK was good i.e great jobs and excellent standard of living etc...but we lived to work rather than worked to live.....and herein lies the answer... FOR US....as the answer is that simple really.
Aus suits us and vice versa. It isn't everyone's cup-o-tea and life here certainly is not a bed of roses, the job situation for example is dire IMHO and very much over rated / over stated ....but again this is MY opinion based on MY experience. I accept everyone's views differ based on THEIR experiences.
For us, the Aussie people, the climate, the lifestyle, the "easiness" of life <read less day to day stress> is so much more enjoyable. And sometimes this is attributed to insignificant things, take for example yesterday.
I had to go to the Doctors, so off I trot, unannounced to my local GP, only to find them fully booked up [my fault, no appointment]....anyways, I go home, ring a few local GP's and manage to be seen in the afternoon. I go to Dr's, get my prescription and then go to Medicare to get a refund for the cost of seeing the Dr.
Medicare office are so professional, so prompt and so efficient and refund me $31.45 of the $46 dollars it has cost me to see the Dr. I then go across to the Pharmacy and pick up my prescription for $20. Again, efficient, polite and professional. Now all in all, I was seen on the same day, was "serviced" politely and efficiently and professionally and it cost me about $35 bucks. Now personally speaking, this was far less stressful than when I lived in UK.
In UK I would ring the Dr's surgery only to have a surly receptionist tell me I should have rung earlier and then ask me what's wrong ....then I would have been informed that unless it was an emergency <read life threatening> then I could have an appointment in a week
..Now personally speaking, it is things like THAT that used to stress me out. If I'm poorly, then the last thing I want to do is be vetted by a friggin receptionist or wait a sodding week, by which time I'm better, so I waste mine and the Dr's time Then there is car parking; Here in Aus unless you go to the cities, parking is generally free. Yes FREE! My father came here for three months and in the end I nearly had to stamp a message on his forehead saying "Free parking" as he would have a heart attack every time I walked away from the car. He was paranoid I might get a parking ticket as he couldn't believe parking was free, and he would frantically be searching out for a parking meter worried I might get a parking ticket. "Dad....it's free" was what I said every time I parked the car, even before we set out to go anywhere and "are you sure" was always his response
Then there's the litter and dog shit; Yes, I know...not a big deal to some folk....but one thing I noticed was the lack of it here compared to UK. And believe me, I lived in a nice place in UK....but for some reason people still thought it was OK to let their dog crap and not have to clean up after themselves. And before anyone starts, I've got a dog so I love dogs. It's the owners that need training
. Anyways, as I was saying, I've noticed here there are a lot of recreational areas with BBQs etc, and often people are out and about with their dogs, and the owners have their doggy bags to clean up. Of course there will always be a few selfish so-and-so's...but in the main people are respectful and responsible owners.And then there are the BBQ areas. Again these are generally free, even the gas ones. I see people use them then clean them for the next person. You see the odd area untidy but in the main they are well kept and clean..
These are just a few examples of the day to day living that for us creates a better standard of living and of course the list is not exhaustive. There are also things that we miss from UK. How can you live somewhere for a long time and not do so?.... but this is Awwwwstralia....and it's a different country....and we have emigrated....so WE have had to learn to adapt
I accept this is not the same for everyone...and there are certain things you just can't compare. Missing friends and family for example. It doesn't matter where you are you are going to miss them once you decide to emigrate. That is part and parcel of emigrating, so no point even comparing this, of course you have no idea how you will cope with it until you do move though.
So....in summary, Aus aint perfect. There are some things which in my view are backwards here in Aus [work ethics for example] and other things where Aus beats the UK hands down and then other things where you will miss regardless [friends & family etc], but for us personally... overall Aus is the winner. It's a less stressful, more fulfilling day-2-day lifestyle and although very, very different, it's got some tremendous positives. This isn't the same for everyone though, and the only way you can ever know....is to try it!!
Good luck in your new adventure
Now thats what i call a good honest post.
Work-life balance - -thats the thing for us.
Thankyou
xRachx
Jun 24th 2006, 1:04 am
#22
Bloomin' well done it!!!!
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide!!!!!
Posts: 689
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Great post.
You're right. It is important to get a mixed bag of views, at least that way you wont be disappointed. Australia is a beautiful place to live and thankfully for most people it's a great choice, however for some it seems like purgatory and an expensive mistake and this is why it is such an emotive subject. No one moves to Aus because they hate Australia, however for some people Australia just doesn't "gel" somehow...and this can have devastating effects and be very very stressful.
We had no pre-conceived ideas about Aus. Having never even visited before we had no idea what we would like or dislike about it however we did expect it to be different to the UK, which I think helped temper our initial views. Don't ask me why we didn't visit and why we risked everything, as although we are risk takers it was probably the most risky thing we have ever done. However for us it has worked out, albeit life aint perfect, but we realise this wherever in the world you live. Our life in UK was good i.e great jobs and excellent standard of living etc...but we lived to work rather than worked to live.....and herein lies the answer... FOR US....as the answer is that simple really.
Aus suits us and vice versa. It isn't everyone's cup-o-tea and life here certainly is not a bed of roses, the job situation for example is dire IMHO and very much over rated / over stated ....but again this is MY opinion based on MY experience. I accept everyone's views differ based on THEIR experiences.
For us, the Aussie people, the climate, the lifestyle, the "easiness" of life <read less day to day stress> is so much more enjoyable. And sometimes this is attributed to insignificant things, take for example yesterday.
I had to go to the Doctors, so off I trot, unannounced to my local GP, only to find them fully booked up [my fault, no appointment]....anyways, I go home, ring a few local GP's and manage to be seen in the afternoon. I go to Dr's, get my prescription and then go to Medicare to get a refund for the cost of seeing the Dr.
Medicare office are so professional, so prompt and so efficient and refund me $31.45 of the $46 dollars it has cost me to see the Dr. I then go across to the Pharmacy and pick up my prescription for $20. Again, efficient, polite and professional. Now all in all, I was seen on the same day, was "serviced" politely and efficiently and professionally and it cost me about $35 bucks. Now personally speaking, this was far less stressful than when I lived in UK.
In UK I would ring the Dr's surgery only to have a surly receptionist tell me I should have rung earlier and then ask me what's wrong ....then I would have been informed that unless it was an emergency <read life threatening> then I could have an appointment in a week ..Now personally speaking, it is things like THAT that used to stress me out. If I'm poorly, then the last thing I want to do is be vetted by a friggin receptionist or wait a sodding week, by which time I'm better, so I waste mine and the Dr's time
Then there is car parking; Here in Aus unless you go to the cities, parking is generally free. Yes FREE! My father came here for three months and in the end I nearly had to stamp a message on his forehead saying "Free parking" as he would have a heart attack every time I walked away from the car. He was paranoid I might get a parking ticket as he couldn't believe parking was free, and he would frantically be searching out for a parking meter worried I might get a parking ticket. "Dad....it's free" was what I said every time I parked the car, even before we set out to go anywhere and "are you sure" was always his response
Then there's the litter and dog shit; Yes, I know...not a big deal to some folk....but one thing I noticed was the lack of it here compared to UK. And believe me, I lived in a nice place in UK....but for some reason people still thought it was OK to let their dog crap and not have to clean up after themselves. And before anyone starts, I've got a dog so I love dogs. It's the owners that need training. Anyways, as I was saying, I've noticed here there are a lot of recreational areas with BBQs etc, and often people are out and about with their dogs, and the owners have their doggy bags to clean up. Of course there will always be a few selfish so-and-so's...but in the main people are respectful and responsible owners.
And then there are the BBQ areas. Again these are generally free, even the gas ones. I see people use them then clean them for the next person. You see the odd area untidy but in the main they are well kept and clean..
These are just a few examples of the day to day living that for us creates a better standard of living and of course the list is not exhaustive. There are also things that we miss from UK. How can you live somewhere for a long time and not do so?.... but this is Awwwwstralia....and it's a different country....and we have emigrated....so WE have had to learn to adapt
I accept this is not the same for everyone...and there are certain things you just can't compare. Missing friends and family for example. It doesn't matter where you are you are going to miss them once you decide to emigrate. That is part and parcel of emigrating, so no point even comparing this, of course you have no idea how you will cope with it until you do move though.
So....in summary, Aus aint perfect. There are some things which in my view are backwards here in Aus [work ethics for example] and other things where Aus beats the UK hands down and then other things where you will miss regardless [friends & family etc], but for us personally... overall Aus is the winner. It's a less stressful, more fulfilling day-2-day lifestyle and although very, very different, it's got some tremendous positives. This isn't the same for everyone though, and the only way you can ever know....is to try it!!
Good luck in your new adventure
You're right. It is important to get a mixed bag of views, at least that way you wont be disappointed. Australia is a beautiful place to live and thankfully for most people it's a great choice, however for some it seems like purgatory and an expensive mistake and this is why it is such an emotive subject. No one moves to Aus because they hate Australia, however for some people Australia just doesn't "gel" somehow...and this can have devastating effects and be very very stressful.
We had no pre-conceived ideas about Aus. Having never even visited before we had no idea what we would like or dislike about it however we did expect it to be different to the UK, which I think helped temper our initial views. Don't ask me why we didn't visit and why we risked everything, as although we are risk takers it was probably the most risky thing we have ever done. However for us it has worked out, albeit life aint perfect, but we realise this wherever in the world you live. Our life in UK was good i.e great jobs and excellent standard of living etc...but we lived to work rather than worked to live.....and herein lies the answer... FOR US....as the answer is that simple really.
Aus suits us and vice versa. It isn't everyone's cup-o-tea and life here certainly is not a bed of roses, the job situation for example is dire IMHO and very much over rated / over stated ....but again this is MY opinion based on MY experience. I accept everyone's views differ based on THEIR experiences.
For us, the Aussie people, the climate, the lifestyle, the "easiness" of life <read less day to day stress> is so much more enjoyable. And sometimes this is attributed to insignificant things, take for example yesterday.
I had to go to the Doctors, so off I trot, unannounced to my local GP, only to find them fully booked up [my fault, no appointment]....anyways, I go home, ring a few local GP's and manage to be seen in the afternoon. I go to Dr's, get my prescription and then go to Medicare to get a refund for the cost of seeing the Dr.
Medicare office are so professional, so prompt and so efficient and refund me $31.45 of the $46 dollars it has cost me to see the Dr. I then go across to the Pharmacy and pick up my prescription for $20. Again, efficient, polite and professional. Now all in all, I was seen on the same day, was "serviced" politely and efficiently and professionally and it cost me about $35 bucks. Now personally speaking, this was far less stressful than when I lived in UK.
In UK I would ring the Dr's surgery only to have a surly receptionist tell me I should have rung earlier and then ask me what's wrong ....then I would have been informed that unless it was an emergency <read life threatening> then I could have an appointment in a week
..Now personally speaking, it is things like THAT that used to stress me out. If I'm poorly, then the last thing I want to do is be vetted by a friggin receptionist or wait a sodding week, by which time I'm better, so I waste mine and the Dr's time Then there is car parking; Here in Aus unless you go to the cities, parking is generally free. Yes FREE! My father came here for three months and in the end I nearly had to stamp a message on his forehead saying "Free parking" as he would have a heart attack every time I walked away from the car. He was paranoid I might get a parking ticket as he couldn't believe parking was free, and he would frantically be searching out for a parking meter worried I might get a parking ticket. "Dad....it's free" was what I said every time I parked the car, even before we set out to go anywhere and "are you sure" was always his response
Then there's the litter and dog shit; Yes, I know...not a big deal to some folk....but one thing I noticed was the lack of it here compared to UK. And believe me, I lived in a nice place in UK....but for some reason people still thought it was OK to let their dog crap and not have to clean up after themselves. And before anyone starts, I've got a dog so I love dogs. It's the owners that need training
. Anyways, as I was saying, I've noticed here there are a lot of recreational areas with BBQs etc, and often people are out and about with their dogs, and the owners have their doggy bags to clean up. Of course there will always be a few selfish so-and-so's...but in the main people are respectful and responsible owners.And then there are the BBQ areas. Again these are generally free, even the gas ones. I see people use them then clean them for the next person. You see the odd area untidy but in the main they are well kept and clean..
These are just a few examples of the day to day living that for us creates a better standard of living and of course the list is not exhaustive. There are also things that we miss from UK. How can you live somewhere for a long time and not do so?.... but this is Awwwwstralia....and it's a different country....and we have emigrated....so WE have had to learn to adapt
I accept this is not the same for everyone...and there are certain things you just can't compare. Missing friends and family for example. It doesn't matter where you are you are going to miss them once you decide to emigrate. That is part and parcel of emigrating, so no point even comparing this, of course you have no idea how you will cope with it until you do move though.
So....in summary, Aus aint perfect. There are some things which in my view are backwards here in Aus [work ethics for example] and other things where Aus beats the UK hands down and then other things where you will miss regardless [friends & family etc], but for us personally... overall Aus is the winner. It's a less stressful, more fulfilling day-2-day lifestyle and although very, very different, it's got some tremendous positives. This isn't the same for everyone though, and the only way you can ever know....is to try it!!
Good luck in your new adventure
xRachx
Jun 24th 2006, 1:18 am
#23
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Asia Pacific
Posts: 4,922
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by kporte
there have been many threads concerning these issues, and posters such as arkon have been berated for posting opinions percieved as negative. thank god for the "negative" posts or i'd be going into this like the light brigade!!
Perhaps it is the nature of this forum though that the content and happy tend to get less attention than the gloomy and whinging. The same people of course who probably moved from the UK because they were unhappy there of course. Running theme perhaps ?
Australia isnt for everyone. It is for us though and I have to return back to the UK in a few weeks for a wedding. Thankfully only staying 5 days before I can come back home again. Would have stayed even less time but flights and prices didnt allow. I have a strange dreading of going back there. I wouldnt swap my life here for all the tea in china (and I like tea a lot!)
Jun 24th 2006, 1:20 am
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Brisbane w.e.f 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 401
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by kporte
been visiting BE for a few months now and it has amazed me how my ideas and misconceptions of a life in Oz have changed. when the idea of moving came to my wife and i, the motive was simply for a better quality of life. i believed that the cost of living was far less than the uk, that houses were a giveaway and that i would earn far more dough. i am not entirely sure where i gleaned these useful nuggets of info, but joining BE put me right. there have been many threads concerning these issues, and posters such as arkon have been berated for posting opinions percieved as negative. thank god for the "negative" posts or i'd be going into this like the light brigade!! my wife and i are still very much up for it and i have the possibility of a decent job on reasonable pay in the picture from yesterday, but now our tentative plans are geared around realistic goals and the 4 bed house with pool and two new cars has changed to 2 bed house and 2 year old Holden with high mileage!
i still hold onto the belief we will have a better quality of life but because we will be prepared to downsize our life in a lot of ways. it is so easy to get carried away with the idea that Oz is some kind of shangrila and i thought i was past this at 40. your thoughts on this, as always, will be most welcome.
cheers
i still hold onto the belief we will have a better quality of life but because we will be prepared to downsize our life in a lot of ways. it is so easy to get carried away with the idea that Oz is some kind of shangrila and i thought i was past this at 40. your thoughts on this, as always, will be most welcome.
cheers
) it's not that bad We found out about the ongoing pain of the redtape and so many thing to have to do when we arrived.We are taking the bad with the good and promising ourselves that no matter how we feel we will give it at least two years to settle. We are both in our 40's with a teenage daughter and adult son. Hubby is still working hard and does admit to missing his old work collegues and boss but still going through the redtape for his electrical licence. We have managed to buy the 4 bed and pool home but it will be tight but was in the UK. We have also managed to buy a decent 2nd hand car, a landcruiser. I call it a flippin' bus.
We are at the stage now of trying to go out and join one or two clubs to try and make a new circle of friends. I think that will come in time.
What we enjoy is the outdoor lifestyle like BBQ's and just sitting by the ocean. I think it can be as expensive or cheap as you make it. We were never ones with a great deal of money and are definately no better off here that way. However the lifestyle suits us. We seem to be partying more here and taking things more in our stride.
I do agree that it wont suit everyone but for us it is.
Good luck
Lesleym
Jun 24th 2006, 1:20 am
#25
Bloomin' well done it!!!!
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide!!!!!
Posts: 689
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by Centurion
If you believed everything that Arkon said about his dark and miserable perception about Australia then the whole country would have hung itself by now
Perhaps it is the nature of this forum though that the content and happy tend to get less attention than the gloomy and whinging. The same people of course who probably moved from the UK because they were unhappy there of course. Running theme perhaps ?
Australia isnt for everyone. It is for us though and I have to return back to the UK in a few weeks for a wedding. Thankfully only staying 5 days before I can come back home again. Would have stayed even less time but flights and prices didnt allow. I have a strange dreading of going back there. I wouldnt swap my life here for all the tea in china (and I like tea a lot!)
Perhaps it is the nature of this forum though that the content and happy tend to get less attention than the gloomy and whinging. The same people of course who probably moved from the UK because they were unhappy there of course. Running theme perhaps ?
Australia isnt for everyone. It is for us though and I have to return back to the UK in a few weeks for a wedding. Thankfully only staying 5 days before I can come back home again. Would have stayed even less time but flights and prices didnt allow. I have a strange dreading of going back there. I wouldnt swap my life here for all the tea in china (and I like tea a lot!)
Jun 24th 2006, 4:07 am
#26
Banned
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Godzone, utopia, Paradise Island under the sun.
Posts: 1,177
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Great post.
And then there are the BBQ areas. Again these are generally free, even the gas ones. I see people use them then clean them for the next person. You see the odd area untidy but in the main they are well kept and clean..
Good luck in your new adventure
And then there are the BBQ areas. Again these are generally free, even the gas ones. I see people use them then clean them for the next person. You see the odd area untidy but in the main they are well kept and clean..
Good luck in your new adventure
Jun 24th 2006, 4:38 am
#27
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,997
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by Lord Pom Percy
Someone said that if they had public BBQ's in the UK they would all be vandalised and destroyed in no time.
I suppose a lot is due to culture. For example, the UK have milk delivered and some cultures would never understand the mentality of leaving milk on the doorstep without it getting nicked
Another cultural example is Germany / France where kids are allowed to drink alcohol at the dinner table. I found growing up with these kids meant alcohol really didn't play as an important part or interest them, probably because it was readily available and part of the culture. I on the other hand, in my youth was always getting pissed up
So in answer to your comment, I reckon the kids here in Aus don't seem to vandalise the BBQs because they've probably seen them around forever and a day and it's part of Aussie culture. They have also probably appreciated the recreational value at some time or another in their own lives.I don't know what the answer is...I just know on the whole things seem very different to UK....
Jun 24th 2006, 5:41 am
#28
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 11,948
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Who knows...I don't want to get into the UK Vs Aus vandal debate cos vandalism does occur here in Aus too
I suppose a lot is due to culture. For example, the UK have milk delivered and some cultures would never understand the mentality of leaving milk on the doorstep without it getting nicked
I suppose a lot is due to culture. For example, the UK have milk delivered and some cultures would never understand the mentality of leaving milk on the doorstep without it getting nicked
Coming from suburban Western Australia, this was like a step back in time for me - but in a good way.
A few years later, the dairy replaced their billy-filling policy with the delivery of milk cartons. Still very convenient, but I have to say that it lacked the olde worlde charm of the humble billy.
Eventually they stopped delivering altogether; I guess the service just wasn't economical feasible anymore.
Here in the UK, I have been struck by the fact that milk deliveries still exist - with bottled milk, no less! Tin foil tops and all... very quaint and old-fashioned. Good old co-ops still keeping the tradition alive.
It's not for me, though - I'd be too worried about my milk being sabotaged by some repulsive little chav.
Jun 24th 2006, 6:34 am
#29
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Frankston
Posts: 340
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by kporte
been visiting BE for a few months now and it has amazed me how my ideas and misconceptions of a life in Oz have changed. when the idea of moving came to my wife and i, the motive was simply for a better quality of life. i believed that the cost of living was far less than the uk, that houses were a giveaway and that i would earn far more dough. i am not entirely sure where i gleaned these useful nuggets of info, but joining BE put me right. there have been many threads concerning these issues, and posters such as arkon have been berated for posting opinions percieved as negative. thank god for the "negative" posts or i'd be going into this like the light brigade!! my wife and i are still very much up for it and i have the possibility of a decent job on reasonable pay in the picture from yesterday, but now our tentative plans are geared around realistic goals and the 4 bed house with pool and two new cars has changed to 2 bed house and 2 year old Holden with high mileage!
i still hold onto the belief we will have a better quality of life but because we will be prepared to downsize our life in a lot of ways. it is so easy to get carried away with the idea that Oz is some kind of shangrila and i thought i was past this at 40. your thoughts on this, as always, will be most welcome.
cheers
i still hold onto the belief we will have a better quality of life but because we will be prepared to downsize our life in a lot of ways. it is so easy to get carried away with the idea that Oz is some kind of shangrila and i thought i was past this at 40. your thoughts on this, as always, will be most welcome.
cheers
Jun 24th 2006, 7:13 am
#30
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,997
Re: emigration reality
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
When my family moved to Tassie (1981; I was 8 years old at the time) we had our milk delivered. In fact, it arrived in a billy! We'd scrub the billy clean in the evenings and leave it out overnight. The milkman would come round at some ungodly hour (usually 06:00) to fill it up from the huge milk vats in his truck.
Coming from suburban Western Australia, this was like a step back in time for me - but in a good way.
A few years later, the dairy replaced their billy-filling policy with the delivery of milk cartons. Still very convenient, but I have to say that it lacked the olde worlde charm of the humble billy.
Eventually they stopped delivering altogether; I guess the service just wasn't economical feasible anymore.
Here in the UK, I have been struck by the fact that milk deliveries still exist - with bottled milk, no less! Tin foil tops and all... very quaint and old-fashioned. Good old co-ops still keeping the tradition alive.
It's not for me, though - I'd be too worried about my milk being sabotaged by some repulsive little chav.
Coming from suburban Western Australia, this was like a step back in time for me - but in a good way.
A few years later, the dairy replaced their billy-filling policy with the delivery of milk cartons. Still very convenient, but I have to say that it lacked the olde worlde charm of the humble billy.
Eventually they stopped delivering altogether; I guess the service just wasn't economical feasible anymore.
Here in the UK, I have been struck by the fact that milk deliveries still exist - with bottled milk, no less! Tin foil tops and all... very quaint and old-fashioned. Good old co-ops still keeping the tradition alive.
It's not for me, though - I'd be too worried about my milk being sabotaged by some repulsive little chav.
You know what, it's experiences like these that make us who we are, make our cultures. Nice story Vash