Originally Posted by jad n rich (Post 7963727)

Dont move because by grabbing the atlas and calculator you have decided that each aussie has 28,000 acres of space each compared to one person per inch in the UK.

Especially not if your going to move to Northlakes/fields/meadows/forest ;) where you will be 1metre from your screaming neighbours who love to live outside ( your bedroom window ) :eek:

Originally Posted by Petals (Post 7963821)

Australia is different that is why we emigrate is it not for difference, not Britain in the Sun if you want that I guess Spain may be the place.

Originally Posted by Lord_Farquar (Post 7963816)

Makes me laugh when people use that as an excuse to move to Australia, then go and live in suburbia? Oh but we have a big house and a swimming pool?!.

Surely if you want to move to somewhere with a low popultation density you could move to the Falkland Islands or Mongolia? If you want better weather and low density try Namibia.;)

Originally Posted by sallyclaire (Post 7963828)

Yes but they speak Spanish there!;)

Originally Posted by willamos (Post 7963407)

These are a few things (cautionary tales) I think Brits should be aware of before embarking on life down under. Please add to them if you can think of more things and/or modifications:

* Moving country does not fix all issues in your life. This should be obvious but I get the impression from reading some stuff on here that a lot of people actually believe it will.

* Australia is NOT devoid of a large, large number of the UK's problems. If you believe that Australia is a crime-free zone, for example, you may be disappointed. Stuff happens here all the time (Quoll recently reported some fairly random shootings/stabbings near where she is in Canberra on another thread) and the idea that these things are unique to Manchester or London is silly. Where I am there was a mugging at knife-point not three minutes from where I live recently and there is a MAJOR vandalism and 'tagging' problem. It's supposed to be a nice area though, so would hate to be in a dodgy area like Broadmeadows, parts of Frankston, Dandenong or Footscray.

* The weather is different in Australia, but not NECESSARILY better. In Melbourne, the climate is surprisingly similar to the UK (unpredictable and often cold and windy) and whilst the summer is longer and warmer than in the UK, the really hot days (40 plus) are very uncomfortable and you cannot really enjoy them as being outside in that heat is unbearable. You have the risk of bush fires at one end of the country and serious flooding at the other. Tasmania can get both. If you are moving for the weather (this seems to be a major life priority for a lot of people, which is quite foreign to me personally) be careful where you go to.

* It is impossible to predict prior to leaving what and who you will miss - and how much. You may find yourself missing things more than you think. It is easy to be in Britain, amidst all the British moaning and complaining, and think that there is nothing you will miss. It is very easy to misjudge this and only see the light, so to speak, once you are 10,000 miles away.

* If you are in a mixed nationality relationship (which may well be the very reason for the move) you can find yourself feeling quite trapped/stifled by being surrounded by your partner's family/friends constantly, especially when you do not have any of your own around.

Originally Posted by kporte (Post 7963955)

Good post.

Originally Posted by sallyclaire (Post 7963957)

Pity it's gone downhill since!

Originally Posted by jimbo_d (Post 7963753)

But that's Melbourne, the weather is renowned for being shite, the place is either really cold or on fire, everyone knows that before they move. Re: bushfires, yes they happen, but they don't affect 95% of Aussies as they don't live in the bush, most people live in cities

Originally Posted by Merseygirl (Post 7964006)

Living in the city is no guarantee of not being affected by bushfire. Sydney is almost surrounded by bush and national parks and the suburbs stretch out into these areas and were badly affected by fires in 1994.

Melbourne has the Dandenongs and Adelaide has the Mount Lofty ranges, Canberra is also surrounded by bushland - again quite a few suburbs have sprung up in these areas. They are beautiful but also potentially dangerous places to live. So you really need to consider the bush fire risk if you want to have the best of both worlds - close to the city and the bush.