Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
May 5th 2013, 12:36 am
#16
Wannabe PPP
Joined: Apr 2013
Location: Button Moon
Posts: 121
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
How did this thread turn into another cost comparison? I go back every year for a holiday. I try to make sure its in the english summer as it opens up opportunities to do more things and there's more events on. This summer will be doing a drive through France then checking out the First Test at Trent Bridge. Very much looking forward to it.
May 5th 2013, 4:22 am
#17
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
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Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
I s'pose it seems (to me) that the major cities in Oz are more expensive to buy and rent in than just about anywhere in the UK, excepting London, Edinburgh, and the odd enclave here and there. There's property you just couldn't get in either of the other countries though - lifestyle acreage in Oz where something similar would be completely out of reach of the majority in the UK, or chocolate box period property in the UK that you'll never find in Oz. It's when looking at the character, period properties in the UK (even in the south east and being half an hour on a train to London away) that the prices in, and close to, Australian capital cities look a bit crazy to me. Still, nowt I can do about it. It is what it is!
May 5th 2013, 6:34 am
#18
Banned
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,300
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
It really depends. Chocolate box places can end up being a lot more expensive after all if they are commutable to London and tick a few boxes : I see the decline in UK house prices and a lot of value, but the really great places that tick all the boxes are not that cheap. And this is from the viewpoint of a high dollar and a lot of equity. Our Australian place just happens to tick all the boxes that someone from the UK might look for. Quite rare maybe.
May 5th 2013, 8:33 am
#19
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 157
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
A few quick points in Australia's defence here:
1. We can get a good meal here for a couple for considerably less than you describe. One of the first things we noticed was how much cheaper and higher quality the eat-in food was. Takeaways on the other hand are not!
I quoted $150 for 5 of us. I know we live in Perth but even I would draw the line at paying anywhere near that for 2 of us. Still think $150 for 5 in a very average family pub/restaurant is a lot.
2. The dirt-cheap price of alcohol in Britain is not a good thing, in my opinion. It is these low prices that have turned many of the town centres across the country into Hogarthian no-go war zones. £1 a pint? Really? How could that ever be necessary? Major problems here also with alcohol and violence, and that's with the price it is! Plenty of no go areas, king hits are a big problem and drink driving. Seems to be everyone just wants to fight when they have had too much drink..same in UK and here, very sad really. I wouldn't go to areas like that in the UK and wouldn't here. Lots of problems now with gangs at train stations fighting and drunk at night. My 16 year old had a car full of drunken yobs throwing empty beer cans at him and his mates not very late at night a few weeks ago and has been chased by drunken youths a few times
3. I used to pay around a quarter of my take-home pay on fuel just to get to work to earn the pay in the first place. We had to do the commute because the house prices in the city were totally unaffordable.
1. We can get a good meal here for a couple for considerably less than you describe. One of the first things we noticed was how much cheaper and higher quality the eat-in food was. Takeaways on the other hand are not!
I quoted $150 for 5 of us. I know we live in Perth but even I would draw the line at paying anywhere near that for 2 of us. Still think $150 for 5 in a very average family pub/restaurant is a lot.
2. The dirt-cheap price of alcohol in Britain is not a good thing, in my opinion. It is these low prices that have turned many of the town centres across the country into Hogarthian no-go war zones. £1 a pint? Really? How could that ever be necessary? Major problems here also with alcohol and violence, and that's with the price it is! Plenty of no go areas, king hits are a big problem and drink driving. Seems to be everyone just wants to fight when they have had too much drink..same in UK and here, very sad really. I wouldn't go to areas like that in the UK and wouldn't here. Lots of problems now with gangs at train stations fighting and drunk at night. My 16 year old had a car full of drunken yobs throwing empty beer cans at him and his mates not very late at night a few weeks ago and has been chased by drunken youths a few times
3. I used to pay around a quarter of my take-home pay on fuel just to get to work to earn the pay in the first place. We had to do the commute because the house prices in the city were totally unaffordable.
May 5th 2013, 9:38 am
#20
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Joined: Mar 2006
Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Posts: 1,717
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Many people make the mistakef of just going back to there old area, hanging out there and comparing the new life with the old. The UK is a fantastic place to holiday in. The size of Victoria but with incredible diversity. If you are going back treat it like any other holiday and seek out new places and experiences. If your idea lof a holiday is lying on a beach in hot sun then you are probably going to be disappointed. On the other if you enjoy visiting a country with an incredible rich history some stunning countryside great cities with good shopping and if you know where to look excellent food.
The land of Shakespeare, cotswolds, Devon Somerset and Cornwal.Yorkshire, Harrogate Whitby The Moors, Brighton Bath Ludlow Chester. Scotland, the Highlands, Isle of Skye, Edinburgh, the lochs. Whisky and Golf. The great industrial cities of the north. Manchester, leeds and Liverpool with their interesting museums and galleries. London, one of the great cities the world and a place I can always find something new to discover every time I visit.
Wales, Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons.
Great Pubs ,Sport Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wimbeldon, Lords, Twickenham, Ascot.
This is just a quick list of the top of my head without even thinking to hard. On top of that you have family and friends to catch up with and when your done with all that you have Europe on your doorstep.
I am always staggered at the amount of people on here who seem to have a crap holiday after spending so much money and travelling so far.
The land of Shakespeare, cotswolds, Devon Somerset and Cornwal.Yorkshire, Harrogate Whitby The Moors, Brighton Bath Ludlow Chester. Scotland, the Highlands, Isle of Skye, Edinburgh, the lochs. Whisky and Golf. The great industrial cities of the north. Manchester, leeds and Liverpool with their interesting museums and galleries. London, one of the great cities the world and a place I can always find something new to discover every time I visit.
Wales, Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons.
Great Pubs ,Sport Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wimbeldon, Lords, Twickenham, Ascot.
This is just a quick list of the top of my head without even thinking to hard. On top of that you have family and friends to catch up with and when your done with all that you have Europe on your doorstep.
I am always staggered at the amount of people on here who seem to have a crap holiday after spending so much money and travelling so far.
May 5th 2013, 9:40 am
#21
Last resort... format c:/
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Singapore to Surfers Paradise to... Tenerife... to Gran Canaria!
Posts: 1,626
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Keep in mind that the Pound has collapsed from 2 Euros to the Pound to below 1.20 , so in a way the lack of a real estate bubble-burst could be partly attributed to the steep currency decline. Especially since when the proverbial hits the fan then it's not basic properties that suffer most, whereas higher end ones will hold out nicely with the Pound being so heavily discounted.
I know this doesn't do much for people earning money domestically and first-time home-buyers who aren't after major fireworks but simply want their own place, but those looking to buy abroad (including retirees) have also had their plans hit hard due to the currency collapse.
I know this doesn't do much for people earning money domestically and first-time home-buyers who aren't after major fireworks but simply want their own place, but those looking to buy abroad (including retirees) have also had their plans hit hard due to the currency collapse.
May 5th 2013, 9:47 am
#22
Joined on April fools day
Joined: Apr 2012
Location: 30 miles from a decent grocery store.
Posts: 10,642
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Keep in mind that the Pound has collapsed from 2 Euros to the Pound to below 1.20 , so in a way the lack of a real estate bubble-burst could be partly attributed to the steep currency decline. Especially since when the proverbial hits the fan then it's not basic properties that suffer most, whereas higher end ones will hold out nicely with the Pound being so heavily discounted.
I know this doesn't do much for people earning money domestically and first-time home-buyers who aren't after major fireworks but simply want their own place, but those looking to buy abroad (including retirees) have also had their plans hit hard due to the currency collapse.
I know this doesn't do much for people earning money domestically and first-time home-buyers who aren't after major fireworks but simply want their own place, but those looking to buy abroad (including retirees) have also had their plans hit hard due to the currency collapse.
May 5th 2013, 10:10 am
#23
Wannabe PPP
Joined: Apr 2013
Location: Button Moon
Posts: 121
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Many people make the mistakef of just going back to there old area, hanging out there and comparing the new life with the old. The UK is a fantastic place to holiday in. The size of Victoria but with incredible diversity. If you are going back treat it like any other holiday and seek out new places and experiences. If your idea lof a holiday is lying on a beach in hot sun then you are probably going to be disappointed. On the other if you enjoy visiting a country with an incredible rich history some stunning countryside great cities with good shopping and if you know where to look excellent food.
The land of Shakespeare, cotswolds, Devon Somerset and Cornwal.Yorkshire, Harrogate Whitby The Moors, Brighton Bath Ludlow Chester. Scotland, the Highlands, Isle of Skye, Edinburgh, the lochs. Whisky and Golf. The great industrial cities of the north. Manchester, leeds and Liverpool with their interesting museums and galleries. London, one of the great cities the world and a place I can always find something new to discover every time I visit.
Wales, Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons.
Great Pubs ,Sport Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wimbeldon, Lords, Twickenham, Ascot.
This is just a quick list of the top of my head without even thinking to hard. On top of that you have family and friends to catch up with and when your done with all that you have Europe on your doorstep.
I am always staggered at the amount of people on here who seem to have a crap holiday after spending so much money and travelling so far.
The land of Shakespeare, cotswolds, Devon Somerset and Cornwal.Yorkshire, Harrogate Whitby The Moors, Brighton Bath Ludlow Chester. Scotland, the Highlands, Isle of Skye, Edinburgh, the lochs. Whisky and Golf. The great industrial cities of the north. Manchester, leeds and Liverpool with their interesting museums and galleries. London, one of the great cities the world and a place I can always find something new to discover every time I visit.
Wales, Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons.
Great Pubs ,Sport Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wimbeldon, Lords, Twickenham, Ascot.
This is just a quick list of the top of my head without even thinking to hard. On top of that you have family and friends to catch up with and when your done with all that you have Europe on your doorstep.
I am always staggered at the amount of people on here who seem to have a crap holiday after spending so much money and travelling so far.
May 6th 2013, 2:54 am
#24
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Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Yorkshire - Queensland - NSW
Posts: 843
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Hi
I have not been on this forum for a long time!!
My Family and I have settled really well in Aussie with a great job, home, friends. I am thinking of paying the expensive air flight costs to go back for a visit to Blighty to see my famiy. But keep thinking of all the fantastic places I could spend my money on travelling to, on this side of the world including Australia. Is it worth going back and have things changed at all? friends who have been back say it hasn't.
Not sure what to do ????
I have not been on this forum for a long time!!
My Family and I have settled really well in Aussie with a great job, home, friends. I am thinking of paying the expensive air flight costs to go back for a visit to Blighty to see my famiy. But keep thinking of all the fantastic places I could spend my money on travelling to, on this side of the world including Australia. Is it worth going back and have things changed at all? friends who have been back say it hasn't.Not sure what to do ????
If you are thinking like we did that this was going to be holiday stop what you are doing and spend your money here in Australia or go some place else!
May 6th 2013, 7:04 am
#25
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Joined: Mar 2006
Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Posts: 1,717
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
We only just went back at Christmas for the first time after being here 7 years. It was an eye opener to say the least everyone seemed to be in the same position to a point... same attitude and such I found it disheartening and I released why I moved away in the first place. I am glad we went back as now coming back to Australia I have realised so much and to think how good we have it family/career compared to the lifestyle we lived before. I also did not miss all the foods I thought I would. It made me realise I had changed so much in the last 7 years and not many people had. The money that we spent was crazy enough for a deposit for a house but saying that now I have more of a plan to buy here in 5 years time- get my arse into gear and do my Bachelors degree so for us it was the best thing going back !! I will now be saving up for a proper holiday as the 6 weeks was no bloody holiday! If you are thinking like we did that this was going to be holiday stop what you are doing and spend your money here in Australia or go some place else!
If you are thinking like we did that this was going to be holiday stop what you are doing and spend your money here in Australia or go some place else!
May 6th 2013, 7:59 am
#26
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Scotland
Posts: 7,949
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
One thing to look out for is a country which has gone back in time politically. The country is run by ministers and advisers who overwhelmingly went to Eton/St Paul's/Westminster/Oxford (and live in Notting Hill) with only 4 of 22 cabinet ministers being female (reduced from 6 in the last re-shuffle) and few come from outside the south-east of England.
5 schools (Eton, Westminster, St Paul's, St Paul's Girls and a 6th form college in Cambridge) provide more entrants to Oxford and Cambridge than 2,000 secondary schools combined (2/3 of all). Banking, Directors of Companies, Civil Service and Politics are also dominated by the Chumocracy as the Sunday Times called it in an article yesterday from which the above is quoted.
Nowts changed that way, in fact it's got worse under Cameron/Clegg/Osborne etc. Cameron just appointed Boris's brother (Eton/Oxford) as his chief policy adviser much to the irritation of many in his party.
5 schools (Eton, Westminster, St Paul's, St Paul's Girls and a 6th form college in Cambridge) provide more entrants to Oxford and Cambridge than 2,000 secondary schools combined (2/3 of all). Banking, Directors of Companies, Civil Service and Politics are also dominated by the Chumocracy as the Sunday Times called it in an article yesterday from which the above is quoted.
Nowts changed that way, in fact it's got worse under Cameron/Clegg/Osborne etc. Cameron just appointed Boris's brother (Eton/Oxford) as his chief policy adviser much to the irritation of many in his party.
May 6th 2013, 8:20 am
#27
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Location: Yorkshire - Queensland - NSW
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Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Last edited by LINZI; May 6th 2013 at 8:28 am.
May 6th 2013, 11:00 am
#28
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
One thing to look out for is a country which has gone back in time politically. The country is run by ministers and advisers who overwhelmingly went to Eton/St Paul's/Westminster/Oxford (and live in Notting Hill) with only 4 of 22 cabinet ministers being female (reduced from 6 in the last re-shuffle) and few come from outside the south-east of England.
5 schools (Eton, Westminster, St Paul's, St Paul's Girls and a 6th form college in Cambridge) provide more entrants to Oxford and Cambridge than 2,000 secondary schools combined (2/3 of all). Banking, Directors of Companies, Civil Service and Politics are also dominated by the Chumocracy as the Sunday Times called it in an article yesterday from which the above is quoted.
Nowts changed that way, in fact it's got worse under Cameron/Clegg/Osborne etc. Cameron just appointed Boris's brother (Eton/Oxford) as his chief policy adviser much to the irritation of many in his party.
5 schools (Eton, Westminster, St Paul's, St Paul's Girls and a 6th form college in Cambridge) provide more entrants to Oxford and Cambridge than 2,000 secondary schools combined (2/3 of all). Banking, Directors of Companies, Civil Service and Politics are also dominated by the Chumocracy as the Sunday Times called it in an article yesterday from which the above is quoted.
Nowts changed that way, in fact it's got worse under Cameron/Clegg/Osborne etc. Cameron just appointed Boris's brother (Eton/Oxford) as his chief policy adviser much to the irritation of many in his party.
If I've noticed somthing about the UK in recent years is some new fashionable hatred for the establishment. The irony is that it's the same establishmment that have given the Uk all that is great - I mean nonone complains about all those comedians and scriptwriters who were all at Oxbridge or from the Top 10....the city has always been run by public school boys (and barrow boys)...to be honest, I think the GFC has really brought out some public chip and a need to find new flogging boys..life was sometimes crap under any government and each new government ends up entrenched in scandal and has a used-by date...!!!
I agree though that you have to find the time.
As I say, I check prices in the south of England, and West and also Wales and I'm not impressed by what is available. For a nice four bedroom detached place you're looking at $450,000 minimum, and these are the places with 50 windows looking over your fence at your back patio. After five years of what future historians will surely call a depression, I cannot believe they have managed to keep prices unaffordable. Stagflation, maybe.
But! it depends...
I am comparing life here and what we paid for it. If truth be told, it was an absolute bargain. Think rural Uk placed in Surrey... if I was desperately unhappy in Australia and living in the burbs I would be desperate perhaps for a 3 bed semi in London after all.
Last edited by BadgeIsBack; May 6th 2013 at 11:03 am.
May 6th 2013, 11:19 am
#29
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,603
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Agree, what do people expect from high achievers to associate with dead beats? Success attracts success.
Reminds me of material girl friends or should I say kept women getting upset when told to cut back on the credit card.
Nothing wrong with visiting the past to focus on the future
I would prefer a flat in London and house on the Devon Coast.
Likewise a townhouse in Armadale and a large estate in Daylesford
Nothing wrong with visiting the past to focus on the future
Likewise a townhouse in Armadale and a large estate in Daylesford
May 6th 2013, 11:44 am
#30
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Have not been back to Uk for 10 years has it changed?
Back on topic.... Just been back for the first time since 2008. That time was the first time back since we moved over in 2005. 2008 we noticed no change. The other week, massive change, didn't like it. Personally the next trip back will happen only because another parent has died or is dying. My money will, in future, be spent travelling to places I haven't yet seen (relatively) close to home.