Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > Australia
Reload this Page >

Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Old Dec 8th 2010, 12:51 am
  #31  
BE Enthusiast
 
debbieuk's Avatar
 
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: waikiki WA
Posts: 341
debbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to beholddebbieuk is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

we came with $40,000 AUS 2 yrs ago...no furnishings, just a couple of boxes of 'stuff'...i had a job, hubby didn't...2 pre teens.....

couldnt afford a house...so we rented....no worries... hubby got a job and we saved up for 18 mths got a decent credit score a deposit and bought our house.

yes mortgages are expensive here but we wouldn't have had a hope in hell of owning a house like this in the UK. it is not the best house in the best area..it is a lovely house in a lovely area. 20min walk to beach (there it is again) but we go to the beach most days...fishing, dog walking, chilling.

we love it, some dont, to me it is very sparkly...
debbieuk is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 12:53 am
  #32  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 252
littda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nice
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by debbieuk
we came with $40,000 AUS 2 yrs ago...no furnishings, just a couple of boxes of 'stuff'...i had a job, hubby didn't...2 pre teens.....

couldnt afford a house...so we rented....no worries... hubby got a job and we saved up for 18 mths got a decent credit score a deposit and bought our house.

yes mortgages are expensive here but we wouldn't have had a hope in hell of owning a house like this in the UK. it is not the best house in the best area..it is a lovely house in a lovely area. 20min walk to beach (there it is again) but we go to the beach most days...fishing, dog walking, chilling.

we love it, some dont, to me it is very sparkly...
Very good point. IMO properties here are much better than the UK, similar to the US for example. Much more living space, better facilities (laundry rooms, garage, decks etc).
littda01 is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 1:47 am
  #33  
sjz
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Location: NZ=>UK=>AU=>UK
Posts: 43
sjz is just really nicesjz is just really nicesjz is just really nicesjz is just really nicesjz is just really nicesjz is just really nicesjz is just really nicesjz is just really nice
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by littda01
Very good point. IMO properties here are much better than the UK, similar to the US for example. Much more living space, better facilities (laundry rooms, garage, decks etc).
Personally I much prefer the houses in the UK. The only strange thing I find about UK building is why they build semi-detached houses in the middle of the English countryside when they’ve got all that space - surely one extra wall isn’t going to break the bank?

Houses here may have more space in general but what they’re built out of has to be considered as well. Wood and tin here, brick and stone there. Here, I’m too cold in winter and too hot in summer whereas I was never cold inside any of the 6 different houses I lived in during my time in the UK, regardless of what the weather was doing outside.

Why do the aussie councils allow people to bastardise the period properties here so much? They rip the back off a period weatherboard property and put on a two storey, corrugated iron and glass brick extension – awful. Why not just rip it all down and start again instead of building these hotch-potch disasters all over the place?

Give me a Georgian period property over a modern aussie new build any day – I know which one will still be standing 100 years from now.
sjz is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 1:53 am
  #34  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,412
Steve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by sjz
Why do the aussie councils allow people to bastardise the period properties here so much?
Thank Joh Bjelke Petersen for the lack of respect for heritage propetty in Brisbane if that's where you are.
Steve2009 is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:06 am
  #35  
Frequent Flyer Member
 
bcworld's Avatar
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 10,994
bcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by littda01
Melb is unpredictable too.
No it isn't. In fact exactly the opposite is true. The warmer parts of Australia have the less predictable weather.
bcworld is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:09 am
  #36  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,600
spartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond reputespartacus has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

When I was on the migration trail and feeling a bit low with the whole thing, the lyrics to Gabrielle's "Dreams Can Come True" were always inspirational . ..
spartacus is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:09 am
  #37  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Perth
Posts: 2,237
HelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by bcworld
No it isn't. In fact exactly the opposite is true. The warmer parts of Australia have the less predictable weather.
How do you explain WA then?
HelenTD is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:24 am
  #38  
BE Enthusiast
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 516
macy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of lightmacy is a glorious beacon of light
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by HelenTD
How do you explain WA then?
It depends on your dream, as previous posters have said I can't remember the last time i went to the beach but I love chilling out on the deck with a glass of wine listening to the parrots, I can't remember the last time I went in the ocean but I love sitting out under the stars with the kids watching a free movie. Make no mistake Australia is expensive, it can get too hot and it can feel too cold, you will get homesick, however in my opinion it never feels like we made a mistake and I thank goodness that we made it here and I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else......there are lots of people who would trade places with me in a heartbeat and I feel very lucky to be living in Brisvegas............
macy is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:27 am
  #39  
Frequent Flyer Member
 
bcworld's Avatar
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 10,994
bcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond reputebcworld has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by HelenTD
How do you explain WA then?
It's a very large, sparsely populated state in the west of Australia.
bcworld is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:32 am
  #40  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Perth
Posts: 2,237
HelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond reputeHelenTD has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by bcworld
It's a very large, sparsely populated state in the west of Australia.
Yes, most expats know what and where it is, even if a lot of eastern states Aussies don't. WA is a very warm part of Australia and the weather is very predictable here, so it doesn't fit into your statement "The warmer parts of Australia have the less predictable weather".
HelenTD is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:37 am
  #41  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 252
littda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nicelittda01 is just really nice
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by bcworld
No it isn't. In fact exactly the opposite is true. The warmer parts of Australia have the less predictable weather.
I'm sorry, what? "4 seasons in one day and all that?"


sjz - I agree that UK period properties are very nice to look at. However, they don't adapt well, and generally it costs a lot to fit them out like a new place.

New places (IMO) are not expected to have a lifetime of 100 yrs. More like 30-50, then its knock down and build again. Nothing wrong with that.

Old properties in Europe are one of the best things about European cities, but boy are they a bitch to live in and plan around.
littda01 is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:41 am
  #42  
BE Forum Addict
 
jothefw's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Location: Riverland, SA - Beds/Cambs/Nhants was home in UK
Posts: 1,503
jothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond reputejothefw has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

To the OP - I shouldn't be replying as I'm not a 1 yr only person but perhaps I can put something into the discussion?

If you expect Australia to sparkle, you are perhaps going to be disappointed. As many others have stated, same shit, shinier bucket perhaps.

Real life still goes on, albeit perhaps with more sun, more expensive lettuce, less Next or Marks and Spencers but reality it is and I still have to hunt out the dirty socks , clean the toilets and so forth!

I think we're in an unusual position - we didn't come with hopes of a pool in the backyard, or nightly walks along the beach. For us we wanted more time as a family and a better quality of life - by that I don't mean a flash car, house, holidays. We spend time as a family, having fun. This was our goal, we have achieved it, so I would say if that's what you mean by sparkle - yep it sparkles.

Still got money in UK as exchange rate is naff which in turn means we've not yet bought a house but it doesn't really matter at the end of the day. We'll do it at some point and then we'll buy but for now we're not fussed, we're too busy playing about in the flooded wetlands and rivers in our tinny

(Oh and when we do buy it'll be a new fangled modern thing with no gaps in the floor or roof, no damp, no mould) That's what most of the houses I lived in in the UK had, oh and of course it'll have masses of space!
jothefw is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:48 am
  #43  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
jad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond reputejad n rich has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

You would need to move here now because you totally love australia, its ways its people, its politics, its geography.....

You no longer move to get a financial upgrade, we came 10 years ago, pound bought 2.5+ and houses were a third of the price they are now and most of our bills are double or treble what they were then too. Lucky I guess.

Sparkle, umm, work, school, kids, housework, bills, does that sparkle cause you move??

You get different small pleasures in life, a blue sky in OZ, a frosty field in the UK, a kookaburra here, a robin there, pretty much the same really, everwhere has nice little things about it.

One thing that I wouldnt move for is OZ weather, weve got UK rellies out here now, totally surprised about the weather, Perth nearly boiled them, Qld was going through its "moist" phase and melb they hit in time for awful weather in their words. Yet every email before arrival was about how wonderful the weather would be, you cant tell em Harsh climate at best.
jad n rich is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 2:59 am
  #44  
Mostly Harmless
 
DeadVim's Avatar
 
Joined: Jan 2010
Location: Semi-rural wonderworld, Brisbane
Posts: 15,109
DeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond reputeDeadVim has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by jad n rich
You would need to move here now because you totally love australia, its ways its people, its politics, its geography.....

You no longer move to get a financial upgrade, we came 10 years ago, pound bought 2.5+ and houses were a third of the price they are now and most of our bills are double or treble what they were then too. Lucky I guess.

Sparkle, umm, work, school, kids, housework, bills, does that sparkle cause you move??

You get different small pleasures in life, a blue sky in OZ, a frosty field in the UK, a kookaburra here, a robin there, pretty much the same really, everwhere has nice little things about it.

One thing that I wouldnt move for is OZ weather, weve got UK rellies out here now, totally surprised about the weather, Perth nearly boiled them, Qld was going through its "moist" phase and melb they hit in time for awful weather in their words. Yet every email before arrival was about how wonderful the weather would be, you cant tell em Harsh climate at best.
Right now I'm avoiding going grocery shopping in our 'back up' car because it has no air-con and has been sitting in direct sun all day (and it is sunny at the moment, which is a change).

Wuss? Me? Yes

The phrase "Australia's great weather" always makes me chuckle ... still, only 5 months until it cools down and the good weather (for me) returns ...
DeadVim is offline  
Old Dec 8th 2010, 3:01 am
  #45  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,412
Steve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to beholdSteve2009 is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: Has the Australian dream lost its sparkle................anyone???

Originally Posted by macy
I love sitting out under the stars with the kids watching a free movie.
I don't know how it compares to the UK, but in comparison to Ireland there seems to be a lot more value afforded by the council to residents. The amenities are exceptional and the populus respects them. I can only imagine what would happen to free electric bbqs if we had them in parks in Ireland. They'd be pissed on and ripped apart most likely.
Steve2009 is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.