Yep, people in OZ do that, ( and I bet plenty in the UK do it too, know my family have huge get togethers, maybe its more inside) but its not a great reason for leaving UK. Leaving your family in on the other side of the world and then watching aussie families having get togethers is one of the things many have posted on here as incredibly difficult to take Like rubbing salt into a wound emotionally.

OK in a nutshell........

Emigrated in Jan 2006 to Illawarra...well paid job job secured from the UK
Returned August 2008.....to far better job than the one I left

Returned due to:
wife was depressed with Australia and medical world too far behind UK
missed friends and family more and more the longer we were there
schooling not up to scratch
lack of shopping choice
shite TV
lack of history
lack of culture
finance/IT world behind the UK
wife and I became "bored"
nepotism in the work place
horizontal laid back attitude to getting anything done
corruption
fear of our childrens future in a small world that is making the workforce very mobile........the Illawarra is never going to be awash with jobs...and Australia is not a dominate force in the world (I'm not saying the UK is by the way)
simply don't think they would be well equipped to get on outside of Aus (and by the way I recruit many people every year and the ones from down under I see don't stack up against Europeans for business experience)

What makes you think your children will be treated equally to others in Aus when they are in the work force?

I had a very senior role in a family run Australian business, met politicians, councillors and prominent businessmen including chairmen of leading banks. I firmly believe the opportunities are better here....for UK expat people.... if you are at all at the top end of business and looking to forge a career to get to the top or somewhere near it.

OK.........'nuff said on that

Positives:
great scenery I will sorely miss
lovely beaches (seen one seen them all really)
made a few good Australian friends who are great company
sunshine...I will never forget my lovely warm weekends
sport for all is embraced

My last advice is...do your homework, research everything, do your homework again then research everything again and again and again. Once you have done all that they only way to find out if it is for you is to do it.

A bloody long way to go, but Aus is a great place for some not all....just like every other place. All depends what you want.

We moved to Melbourne first - due to work but it really wasn't for us. We needed to live within commuting distance of Melbourne and rented in Sandringham which was nice enough but.... We found that to have the kind of house and lifestyle we desired ie. largish plot of land, modernish house and pool then we couldn't afford that in Melbourne and still be within a reasonable commuting distance. The other thing is that whilst people do have pools in Melbourne their use is quite limited due to the weather. One other thing too we found was that in our opinion the people there were a little aloof - despite living in the same rental for a year, whenever we said hello to our neighbours it was as though they were horrified and dashed off in the other direction. Anyway, we moved up the road to Brisbane and we just love it here. Great place, great house, lovely friendly and warm people. Everything is very, very easy.
This of course is our opinion. You must research well and form your own opinion. Good luck.

For me it comes down to personal opinion. I dont personally believe that there is anything inherently "better life for the kids" about Australia but I know I am in the minority. One of mine, having grown up here, has emigrated in the opposite direction for the better lifestyle, better opportunities both socially/leisure and career wise!

Australia is part of the world - we have probably a higher percentage of immigrants than UK and despite PC claims to the contrary, I really think it is a precarious multiculturalism which still sees ethnic no go areas in some places (not Mornington of course which seems to be predominantly British from what I can gather!). Our migration is largely (east) Asian and you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in HongKong if you walk down some Sydney streets for example. We have gangs, we have crime, we have drugs, all of those things, but not everywhere of course, in the same way that not everywhere in UK is similarly afflicted.

Your life is what you make of it no matter where you live and there are good and bad things about both places. I would like to think that UK has the potential to turn to a much more positive place and move out of its current doldrums and I know the DS also has that sense of optimism about the way forward from here and that is another reason why he stays.

I also believe that kids' lives are enhanced by the relationships in them and if your extended family and friends network is solid and positive then you do disadvantage them by isolating them from that network. My boys luckily had their grandparents visit in our granny flat for half a year while they were growing up and so everyone benefited but not every family can do that.

When you have grown up in one place there comes a time in your life when you get bored with it - I admit to being bored witless in Australia but having been here 30 years (almost!) I am at the stage that many Poms are at and thinking - is this all there is???? And with that boredom comes a certain sort of contempt for what you have and that drives people to make the significant changes of moving country. If what you are after is adventure and you can do it without jeopardising your future and burning any bridges for anyone in your family then go ahead and have fun but generally, if it aint broke then dont fix it!

.....business reasons....certainly wouldn't go there for the weather....

what line of business by the way ?

....fantastic post.....spot on.

design and manufacture of ventilation equipment. especially acoustic treatment items. plus some allied trades such as sheet metal work and fin ishing.
As for family. I'm one of those people who left home at 16 and never looked back. Wife only has parents, but only loves them 10% of what she does the kids.

We're in The Basin - ask away if you have any questions! We've been in Australia nearly three years and are really enjoying it. Our girls are 5 & 6 and they are flourishing. Many of the negatives many posters encounter and not relevant to all areas.

Totally. I'd also say that many of the negatives many posters encounter don't feel like negatives to other people.

But in my short 33 years I have noticed the change is attitudes.

Yeah its called life! things change!

I agree with Hutch, its the so called "negatives" about the UK that I miss, people, lively debate, people of different ethnicity and background... The UK has a history of immigrants dating back hundreds of years and its what makes for such a rich culture.....

However, if you prefer bland white suburbia you won't be dispointed here!

You can have as much 'different ethnicity' as you want in Melbourne - depending on which suburb you choose. Australia also has a history of immigration over the past 200 years. That's one of the many things I love about Melbourne - the eclectic suburbs.

rach, as you know the basin is lovely and i think so too, but i was reading in the paper that the police raided a teen party at 'think it was the senior citz club in the basin', where there was alot of underage drinking and one teen hospitilized,

I know this happens everywhere , but i think if moving with teens you gotta think long and hard about keeping them busy and outta trouble.

Yes, you may be right, I live in Adelaide, also need to point out though that Aus only allowed white immigrants until very recently!

As you said this happens everywhere and this incident isn't really something worth picking up on. Teenagers will always find ways of getting into trouble and the only protection you can give them is teaching them right from wrong and hope they are well enough equipped to use a level of judgement. I would certainly be more concerned having teenagers in the UK than in the Basin.

Moving teenagers to another country away from friends is another matter and as you say one that needs to be thought about long and hard.

There have been Chinese people living in Australia since the goldrush (1860s).
Pacific Islanders have lived in Australia since sugar production began (also 1860s).

The 'white australia' policy which was in place during the first part of the 20th century began to be lifted after the war (1949). That's hardly recently.

Take a walk down any Sydney street or thru any Australian uni and you will see people from every possible ethnic group. If you believe that Australia lacks ethnic diversity - you really should get out more..