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Originally posted by trevd72 i hoped this thread would be a collecction of peoples own experiences. i understand the need to challange ideas but i did not intend this thread to develope into a debate as such. i understand that once i put my question out into the public domain that i have no control but i would appreciate it if this thread would be a collection remarks concerning what it is like living in australia. i dont know about everyone else but we just want to start again and australia was the only country we could agree on. sure the weather and the beaches are good for perhaps the first 6 month but then what. are the things that make the uk appear second best going to creep in, possibly with more cons. and what pros make it worth while or habitable. i know its all about what you want. it needs to personal otherwise it is someone elses opinions and not your own and that is what i was after. ideas coming from different people in different circumstances and from different backgrounds. |
Originally posted by dugongs Fair enough maybe so. Does that make my experience any less valid. I was trying to share honest experiences and I have already received two criticisms one from an aussie who complained that I put the cons list first. well sorry mate but on the excel spreadsheet they were side by side but i do not know how to post it like that on here without the pagination going up the wall. As for the whinging Aussie - bugger him. Why is he using a British Expat site set up for BRITISH people? |
Pros
Beaches are good and warm enough for 4-6 months Having a Pool when its 37C Most Aussies polite and well mannered Less pretension Eating outdoors Laid back attitude Going to the shops barefoot Cocaktoos on the lawn Lizards in the house 6 month summer Watching the storms in summer Cons Humidity can be a bit of a downer (but its not that bad) Bureaucracy Taking credit card tot he doctor Laid back attitude (she won't always be right) Inspecting bags when you leave stores Customer service Lack of choice/quality in supermarkets/shops Lack of heating/insulation in houses Remoteness from rest of world TV and news coverage |
I live in Mornington, Vic and come from South wales,
Heres my list.......... pros space less traffic (not in city tho) excellent local shops wildlife loads of things to do with kids lots of parks and reserves great fresh fruit and veg in shops local beaches Weather, anything is better than endless rain all winter! cheap petrol cons miss family and friends duaghters school - she's much further ahead than her classmates and worry that she may feel isolated. flies red tape - licences for everything crap tele, radio cant get broadband here difficult being a vege here, gets easier as time goes on but lack of labelling means hours spent examining ingredients on everything! Thats all I can think of at the moment. We've been here 3 months so are very much in the adjustment phase still. I get terribly homesick at times and wonder if we've done the right thing. Obviously we, like everyone else doing this, thought long and hard before we moved. We wanted a change of lifestyle, my other half used to commute 3 hours per day in nightmare traffic for work and desperately wanted a break. There's no opportunities in his line of work in Wales so unless we moved it would always be this way. There was nowhere close to work we felt we could live in the UK, so we decided to go for a complete change instead. I have second thoughts at times because I feel the kids are really missing out on living close to their family. I didn't really appreciate them till we moved! But then again the kids are v happy for their dad to be home more and actually see him everyday instead of every few days. And hubby has been totally relaxed since we moved. So it seems we cant have everything wherever we live. We're going to give ourselves 2 years and then reassess our situation, and either move back or elsewhere who knows. Wouldn't it be great if we could just bring all the good things about our old and new lives together, then life would be just perfect! Em |
Re: List of Pros and Cons
Originally posted by trevd72 there are threads that say how good things are and threads that say how bad things are in Australia. Can we get a definative list from people who have actually moved out there of the pros and cons of life in australia. and if possible comparisons with the UK. I do realise that peoples opinion are based on circumstance for example, we have an above average wage and I work 7 minutes from home so commuting and traffic is not a problem. I also live in the ex-mining villages of east durham so we are not exactly over-supplied with culture and things to see and do. we live in an ex-council house in an area where not all house are owner-occupied (one neighbour is a council tenant). My point is our expectations are very different. so it would be good to qualify some of the points. i suspect this is easier said than done but i would appreciate it. Firstly I must say that this is a really good thread. Secondly, of course it is going to come down to personaly opinions, the type of person posting a response & how happy or unhappy they are with their own life & situation. I've read some posts on people that are unhappy in Oz, but sometimes their reasons were 'cos they hated their job or the area they were living in. Now, if you have these 2 situations anywhere in the world, doesn't it seem obvious that you will be unhappy no matter where you are?! Plus it aslo depends what you let bother you, an earlier post mentioned as a con, your bags been checked when leaving shops, well I personally didnt see this as anything except thats just the way things are done there. I believe alot of it comes down to acceptance, as lets face it, we are all doing reasearch on the subject of moving, so we all have a fairly good idea what to expect. Although I will admit living & experencing it, is very different from reading some very helpful threads. People complain about the humidity, the spiders, the isolation, the lack of family & friends, I know these are all bummers, but I knew all this before I went there & I am bearing it all in mind this time round too, but you either accept that this is part of Oz or you will always be battling against it. Just like we have to accept our lack of summers & the very high cost of living, ( me in Ireland). I know I'm going to miss my family like mad, miss my friends, the local pub etc. but I also know that there is alot more out there. And finally a lesson I learnt the hard way, is that if you decide to stay or go you are always going to have to sacrifice something, be it your family, lifestyle etc. its just up to you what that sacrifice is & is it worth it. Must say do not understand all the fuss about Oz t.v., I can honestly say it was not one of the deciding factors to do we stay or do we go!!Lol! Look forward to hearing more.... Deirdre |
Re: List of Pros and Cons
Originally posted by steve & dee Firstly I must say that this is a really good thread. Secondly, of course it is going to come down to personaly opinions, the type of person posting a response & how happy or unhappy they are with their own life & situation. I've read some posts on people that are unhappy in Oz, but sometimes their reasons were 'cos they hated their job or the area they were living in. Now, if you have these 2 situations anywhere in the world, doesn't it seem obvious that you will be unhappy no matter where you are?! Plus it aslo depends what you let bother you, an earlier post mentioned as a con, your bags been checked when leaving shops, well I personally didnt see this as anything except thats just the way things are done there. I believe alot of it comes down to acceptance, as lets face it, we are all doing reasearch on the subject of moving, so we all have a fairly good idea what to expect. Although I will admit living & experencing it, is very different from reading some very helpful threads. People complain about the humidity, the spiders, the isolation, the lack of family & friends, I know these are all bummers, but I knew all this before I went there & I am bearing it all in mind this time round too, but you either accept that this is part of Oz or you will always be battling against it. Just like we have to accept our lack of summers & the very high cost of living, ( me in Ireland). I know I'm going to miss my family like mad, miss my friends, the local pub etc. but I also know that there is alot more out there. And finally a lesson I learnt the hard way, is that if you decide to stay or go you are always going to have to sacrifice something, be it your family, lifestyle etc. its just up to you what that sacrifice is & is it worth it. Must say do not understand all the fuss about Oz t.v., I can honestly say it was not one of the deciding factors to do we stay or do we go!!Lol! Look forward to hearing more.... Deirdre I couldn't agree with you more.:) |
Re: List of Pros and Cons
Originally posted by trevd72 there are threads that say how good things are and threads that say how bad things are in Australia. Can we get a definative list from people who have actually moved out there of the pros and cons of life in australia. and if possible comparisons with the UK. I do realise that peoples opinion are based on circumstance for example, we have an above average wage and I work 7 minutes from home so commuting and traffic is not a problem. I also live in the ex-mining villages of east durham so we are not exactly over-supplied with culture and things to see and do. we live in an ex-council house in an area where not all house are owner-occupied (one neighbour is a council tenant). My point is our expectations are very different. so it would be good to qualify some of the points. i suspect this is easier said than done but i would appreciate it. We moved from South Tyneside to Sydney 5 months ago now so we are are still going through the settling in process, going from small country town to Sydney although in the southern suberbs which is kind of country too with the same geography as we were used to in the North of England, beaches close by, river ect. However, here the view is absolutely spectacular, I work as a community nurse, the difference is absolutely astounding, weather fantastic most days sun all the way, fantastic scenery my husband is a bricklayer and pleased he isn't in the UK at the moment. Pros, well here goes: Outdoor lifestyle suits us and the kids better. Loads to do whatever you are interested in it's there (not like this in the North East of England). Kids, we never see them always out doing something, drama, tennis, friends, ect, they just sat watching telly in UK. No TV licence. No waiting to see a doctor, can see any doctor you want. Chemists open 7 days a week. Weather New year celebrations in Sydney fantastic Australia day celebrations fantastic. They sure know how to celebrate these Australians. Cost of living cheaper. Cons: Television crap. Constantly checking for bugs around the house (3 daughters in the house, big nightmare!) School fees, you pay for everything here, public or private schools. Tax, self employed status so have to sort that out with tax accountant. GST and Tax on everything. Roads are absolutely a nightmare, very confusing when you first come here, gets better as time goes on, but the condition of the roads are appauling. Poor infrastructure. Geordie accent sounds Irish to most Australians, having to explain that we don't come from Ireland (no disrespect to anyone Irish). Christmas not so good, no family to celebrate it with. This could also be a pro whichever way you look at it. I don't know where you plan to settle, but I generally feel that it depends on why you are relocating and what is going to be important to you, if you have a family then it will probably centre around them for a while until you do settle, there are many days we wouldn't want to be anywhere else, then some days all we want to do is go back to our old lives, then we talk about it and know that we have done the right thing, we wouldn't have it any other way. Good luck whatever you do. :beer: :beer: :beer: |
Pros (in no particular order)
Vast number of parks to visit Beaches Easy free parking at shopping centres (most of the time) Wildlife Weather Having a pool Kids having a great childhood Slower pace of life Still plenty of things to dream about (no, we aren't living the dream) Friendly people Actually going somewhere every weekend Going to the beach with kids after work Cons Employment situation can be hard (wages/working hours/getting job) worry about kids future as an adult retirement - how will we afford it!!! cold houses in winter taxes on everything TV Missing family & friends |
Re: List of Pros and Cons
pros
parks beaches weather (although in melbourne that can be very changeable!) variety of restaurants lots of different cultures cost of petrol cons banks supermarkets are pretty crap compared to sainsburys tescos etc interest rates on visa cards cost of toiletries cost of makeup cost of books maniac drivers and too much road rage |
Couldn't agree more with you Lany about Melbourne drivers. Even though the roads system is very well laid out and traffic isn't that heavy for a city Melbourne's size, the drivers seem possessed! Especially those driving around in Holden Commodores. No offence to Holden drivers.
One thing I like about driving in England is that most drivers are very polite. Then again, most drivers are compared to Melburne drivers! |
As for the whinging Aussie - bugger him. Why is he using a British Expat site set up for BRITISH people? [/QUOTE]
I am not sticking up for the whinging Aussie (what order the list was printed in hardly matters), but I feel that I must explain. I am an Australian living in England wanting to go back to Australia with my English husband. So in effect, I am an Australian utilising this site just the same as you. Sometimes it becomes a little difficult to stomach the really personal criticisms (a lot I agree with) and it is only natural to want to defend your people and country at times. |
Originally posted by MeganEkno As for the whinging Aussie - bugger him. Why is he using a British Expat site set up for BRITISH people? I am just revisiting this thread after giving up on it when first posted - it all got very personal! I too am an Australian living in England, wanting to move back with my Irish husband. I came to the UK convinced it was the place for me to live in for the rest of my life - definitely wearing rose-tinted specs! Now after 4 years, getting married and having a child I can finally appreciate Australia, pros and cons. Some people cop a lot of flak on this site for talking up their perceived positives of moving to Australia - there's always someone to point out the negatives. I'm not denying there's a downside but if you move to another country (or down the road) with the negatives in the front of your mind, I'd say chances are it won't work out for you. For example, look at all the families on New Life Down Under - before they even left the first family was saying "I don't really want to go, too far away from family etc etc" and surprise surprise it didn't work out for them! Contrast them to the single dad in Perth who just went with an open mind and loved it! I am sorry to get carried away here but these thoughts have been brewing in my head for a couple of days - I was losing sleep! A shortened list for me would be: Pros better weather more relaxed attitude broader curriculum at school more sports in school beautiful countryside (so does UK too) Malt Milo Manly Beach Won't be living in Tottenham! Cons No Eurostar Isolated TV is crap but that's not the end of the world Media's bad John Howard both those lists have the potential to go on and on... :D |
starting the process of emigrating
my wife, the children and i are wanting to move to oz (Perth):scared: my wife and i are both nurses and we are a bit scared of the whole thing. i think its' the 'not knowing' and as i am a bit of a control freak :scared: please will someone help me and give guidance to understanding? (in very simple language), what Australia has got to offer !
by the way I am a bit concrete in my thinking also, so keep it simple. :o :confused: |
Re: starting the process of emigrating
Originally posted by noelf my wife, the children and i are wanting to move to oz (Perth):scared: my wife and i are both nurses and we are a bit scared of the whole thing. i think its' the 'not knowing' and as i am a bit of a control freak :scared: please will someone help me and give guidance to understanding? (in very simple language), what Australia has got to offer ! by the way I am a bit concrete in my thinking also, so keep it simple. :o :confused: I mean, what made you choose Australia over Austria, Argentina or Azerbhaijan?? |
Originally posted by jezdavies Couldn't agree more with you Lany about Melbourne drivers. Even though the roads system is very well laid out and traffic isn't that heavy for a city Melbourne's size, the drivers seem possessed! Especially those driving around in Holden Commodores. No offence to Holden drivers. One thing I like about driving in England is that most drivers are very polite. Then again, most drivers are compared to Melburne drivers! |
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