davidw

I've read and enjoyed the wide range of posts in this forum. Running through the disagreements, there seems to be fairly ood agreement that one is exchanging career prospects (UK) for lifestyle (Oz..or NZ) More controversially, Oz is often decried as backward, 20 years behind the Uk, which may be true. To put this in perspective, could I pose this question? Would the same comparisons be true between the UK and Canada or would Canada be considered more advanced and cosmopolitan, with obviously more favourable proximity to USA and Europe. I ask because I studied in Canada two decades ago and now live in Perth. I can see Canada seems more sophisticated, but per capita income and HDI ratings are very similar.

Thanks very much

David

salonit

yes it may be the case...........

lots of us want to come to Perth for the lifestyle - well i certainly do ! I accept it may be seen as backward but that it exactly what I want ! I am now looking at the different areas to live ..any ideas? - have noticed that near beach near Town is exp ( as expected ) any up and coming areas in perth that u may know about? still searching.....

salonit

forgot to mention ( thats why i started replying to u) I originally was going to apply for Canada but chose Perth due to weather and the fact that I would havr to do more exams in Canada!

Daltrey

I always thought it was NZ that was considered
20-25 years behind everyone hadn't really heard that
of OZ.

MY wife's from NZ,she has lived in Japan,Oz,NZ,USA,
the Philippines, and Canada not necessarily in that order.

I don't think there is really much difference between
large cities in the UK,USA,and Canada as far as
them being up to date with Europe.

Because of the isolation of Oz and NZ,I guess that's why
some say they a bit behind the times.

Cities like San Fransico,Toronto,Sydney,Auckland,
would seem to me to be similarily cosmopolitan.

I would say large Canadian cities are more cosmopolitan,
than equally sized US ones because they are less industrialized
and immigrants to Canada generally live in it's larger cities
i.e Toronto which is very cosmoplitan.

This is kinda of a vague question when you consider
Scotland and Northern Ireland in the UK, obviously New York is more cosmoplitan than Aberdeen or Yorkshire,London more so than Syracuse,NY and so forth.As far as Perth I don't know anyone from there so I can't help,but,I would generally say Canada is at least as Cosmopolitan as anywhere in the UK,and more so than a lot of it.

Florida_03

Same arguments hold except you get to enjoy living in frozen tundra.

Check immigration figures into US from Canada...that might give a clue. Lot of immigrants (I mean lots) use Canada as a staging post for immigation into the US.

Megalania

Ginkgo Biloba is sometimes described as a "living fossil". What does that mean?

Daltrey

Try the Southern US,Florida has the nice city of Miami,
famous for it's riots and illegal cuban immigrants.

Property is nice and expensive and it's overcrowded
in the winter as seniors citizens flock there.

An unless you are on the coast think Brisbane type humidity.

As a bonus you get another backward Bush
running the state !

Whoohoo!

dotty

Having lived in Canada and OZ, in my opinion Canada is way ahead of OZ. Hard to be behind in a country when the USA is only a short drive away from most of the major cities.

However is it not the backwardness (for want of a better word) that a lot of people are looking for in OZ?

Daltrey

As I said my wife is from NZ but,has of course has close relatives in both OZ and NZ,and from talking to them I always got the impression that parts of NZ were like going back 20 years.

Are we saying that OZ is in the same boat as NZ
concerning being behind the times a bit?

davidw

how close to the beach do you want to be. i guess there are 4 tiers. first, on or overlooking the ocean, very expensive in perth, even as far north as quinn's rocks and as far south as mandurah. second, a short walk to the beach but no view (still expensive. third, a short (5 minute) drive to the beach (more affordable). fourth, a longer drive (cheaper).

And what beach you want, to walk and play on or to swim in? the best swimming beaches are either in pricy areas or generally a fair way north or south. walking beaches maybe a bit cheaper. but its usually only a few minutes more drive to bathing beaches.

most immigrants seem to go up north or far south, i guess for the beach access/price ratio. we chose the south, palmyra, about 2.5km from freo and 10 odd km from perth and we are less than 5 minutes drive from the beaches. imho, there are quite a few bargains in the older southern suburbs, depending on your pockets, in descending price order, parts of freo, bicton, palmyra, white gum valley, even parts of willagee, a less well off suburb, slowly gentrifying, on the edge of freo and the ocean and near perth, but probably a few years from flourishing.

don't know the north as well, but many on the forum do.

hope this helps, at least to prompt reactions that may correct any misinformation of mine.

jayr

I'd say Oz so far in my experience has a mixture of 2003, mid 1980's and mid 1950's - quite a curious mix, happy to expand if anyone remotely interested.

davidw

please do expand, nicely put.

david

welshpom

As the saying goes, Canada - zipcode 667 - neighbour of the beast.

jayr

Well, as I see it so far:

2003 - well, sort of obvious I guess but I think I mean that on the surface things appear here to be the same as in other 'western' civilised nations, lots of coffee shops, mobile phones, whatever.

1980's - in so many ways (and I speak really only from Brissy experience), look at the haircuts - as last seen in my 1980s school photographs. Relative to UK, the 'shabby' look to supermarkets and the lack of convenience stuff (I realise the UK is way ahead of others in this), the unsophisticated advertising/marketing (everything's 'Super' this or 'Crazy' that), the generally poor fashion/availability of clothing, the laid back (which I like) or in some cases inefficient (which I don't) way things are run - good example being the huge inefficiency and cost associated with going to a Medicare shop to get your $15 back - why do they exist? The way shops close early.

1950's - The apparent respect of authority, everyone waits patiently at pedestrian crossings for the lights, even if the road is empty, the signs on trains telling you all the things they'll fine you for doing, the private school uniforms (Boaters? striped jackets? and as for the poor girls in bizarre dresses), the way school kids give up their seats to adults (not seen this for a while)


Anyway, some of this may only go for Brissy, I've heard the urban myth of Qantas pilots telling passengers arriving from Sydney to put their watches back to 1985. Overall, as I said earlier its a curious mix, relaxed, quaint or damn annoying depending on how my mood takes me.

dotty

Get in your Tardist now

Melbourne
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Canberra
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Outback
Tasmania (sorry but they do stare at you)



Spooky
:scared: