For those looking at comming out
 

I know I will get slated for this but for those who are thinking of coming out here I thought I would let you have some info:-

I think the biggest mis information is that people have rose coloured glasses.


I am in a very good job high paid. The things I would say to people are:-

Work is ok if you are high paid the cost of living comparatively to the UK is:-

Food - far more expensive
Travel - air travel - far more expensive
Travel - Car second hand far more expensive
Travel - new car cheeper
Travel - petrol - far cheeper, but have to travel further
Clothing - cheeper not as much choice lot of imported crap
Houses- cheeper, standard of build poor
Eating out - cheeper, but no good pubs
Cinema - same
People - friendly if they have to be (if they work for you or with you)

The things I miss - open space that you are allowed to go on. Most of the land in Oz is privately owned.
If you go outside of a city you will not have any lights on the road at night, there is no public transport outside of cities so if you have children you will have to run them everywere we spend about 15-20 hrs per week doing this.

Culture there is non, history museums are full of aboriginal crap once you have looked at one boomerang you have seen them all. The Oz culture revolves around drinking at home (cant walk to a pub outside the city) watching the football (Oz footbal), fishing in a muddy river if there is any water, working 50 hr / week for low pay staying inside in summer as it is to hot to go outside.



Derek

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Well, possibly, but that's because you've stated as fact a load of things that are down to a) where you live and b) your personal attitudes.

Food - far more expensive - swings and roundabouts - meat's a hell of a lot cheaper here, veggies depends on the season
Travel - air travel - far more expensive - than what, and flying to where - I can fly Sydney to Cairns (2500km) for $165 (£50) on Virgin Blue - don't think thats expensive.
Travel - Car second hand far more expensive - ermm, yes, but since they hold their value much better, nobody does any worse out of it.
Travel - new car cheeper - which new cars? Holdens yes, Range Rovers no.
Travel - petrol - far cheeper, but have to travel further - I don't have to travel further.
Clothing - cheeper not as much choice lot of imported crap - so I suppose that the racks of clothes in Marks and Spencers and Next don't have 'Made in China' printed on the label? It's all made in a mill in Bolton is it?
Houses- cheeper, standard of build poor - inner city ain't cheap and the standard of build is down to you - if you think a build's shit don't buy it.
Eating out - cheeper, but no good pubs - some bloody excellent ones round here.
Cinema - same
People - friendly if they have to be (if they work for you or with you) - I used to have to fight people off with a big stick in the UK - couldn't walk 20ft down the high street without having complete strangers rushing up to befriend me.

I see.

That's actually true - bugs me as well.

Ermm, yea, I used to live in the Cotswolds, don't recall the A46 being floodlit either.

Excellent bus service here, plus mainline trains all the way up to Sydney. But yes, you have to ferry kids around to clubs and friends houses and stuff, how is that different to the UK?

What did you want, morris dancing and stately homes? To be honest, you're a bit ****ed if you think 'culture' is museums.

I've got two excellent pubs within walking distance of me, plus the bar at the golf club (excellent) and the bowlo ... oh and three wineries with restaurants. Not bad for someone who lives in the arse end of nowhere.

It's shit because it's Australian, but it's somehow great and fantastic and not wanky if it's British football? LMAO :rofl:.

Well, if you insist on going fishing in dried up rivers then I think you should take up another hobby - or come down and fish in my little local river, the Shoalhaven. :D

Hot? In Australia? You're having me on! I've just emigrated here with a suitcase full of Damart thermal underwear!!

:thumbsup:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Thanks Hutch, you saved me the effort of typing all that!

My only other comment is that people who make the decision to come out should be able to do so with the full support of their family and friends, without fearing that they will be judged by society. There's nothing wrong with coming out, it's not their fault, they don't choose to be the way they are, and how can anyone be truly happy living in the closet? ;)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I'd agree with some of the OP's that a lot of this depends on where you live and what your expectations are. Also bear in mind that if you are looking for a carbon copy of the UK in the sun then you won't find it.

In terms of the open space that you can go onto huge parts on NSW are National Parks which are (in the main) freely accessible by all. It seems fairly similar to the UK where the majority of easily accessable open land belongs to either the NT or is part of a National Park.

I'll agree with you on the pubs however. Outside the inner city around here they are (in the main) souless places full of Pokey Machines and gambling windows. Its like having a beer in your local Ladbrokes:thumbdown:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I'd just like to pick you up on this one point (think Hutch has covered the rest!) -
Its actually their country, so don't you think its only right that their rich culture should be displayed for the rest of us to view?

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I think the OP is saying that compared to British Pub Culture aboriginal culture is boring and inferior? I could be wrong...

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

let's hope so

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

You can't drink in Ladbrokes :p

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

brown paper bag... they'll never know

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

The staff are hand picked from the finest drinkers, believe me they know ;) (I worked there :D)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

somebody got out of bed on the wrong side....

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Shame as Ladbrokes would be a more welcoming place to have a beer than my local. Much more ambience and better decor:D

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Mate, you should learn to use the spellcheck button, it comes in handy ;)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

is this the thread for those in the closet so to speak?

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Not at all. I'm full of the joys of spring (even though it's autumn) :)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Can I start a book on how fast it will be before someone suggests the OP post this on the MBtoUK forum. Oh bugger I just did:rofl:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Thanks Hutch :) I get very frustrated when some posters assume that their part of Australia is the same as everyone elses.

We're 32kms out of the city and have lights on the roads (well, apart from the scary mountain ones), we have public transport and we have a great pub, with dart board, open fire and Old Speckled Hen (no pokies or TAB)!

I used to work for the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, so perhaps my view on culture is wider than some - but, for me, Melbourne and surrounds are stacked with cultural activity.

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I was gonna advice that as well, he says he's got a well paid job...obviously theres no paperwork involved then eh ??

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

What I was trying to say is have a proper look at where they are going what they want and think before you come out.
Oz has a lot going for it.
The biggest problem with this forum is that some of the negatives are never given credence. If you move out from one of the bigger cities in OZ you can be very isolated. Go north from Melbourne for over 2 hrs and apart from Bendigo or Echuca the towns have about 200 people with a small corner shop and nothing else. All the towns are about 1/2 hr from any other town. A Sunday drive would constitute driving for 2-3 hrs to get anywhere.
Other things to consider :-


Phone costs - higher cost
Internet - higher cost
Education cost - books, school fees (even non private)
Dental - high cost no NHS (even though it is hard to get in the UK)
Medical - 33% private
Road deaths are shocking I think it was 25 at xmas!
Weather - much better
Weather - much better
Weather - much better
I had to put something in that was good!

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I don't really think that this is a negative about Oz as such. Its a negative for an individual if they choose to live somewhere like this and don't like the low population density. To others its a positive and they thrive on living in an area like this. You also can find that lower population areas can have a much greater community spirit than much more populated areas.

I think where it can become a problem is if people emigrate to these areas without understanding what it means to live in a fairly remote area in Australia.

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Totally.

I disagree - but as I said, don't post opinion as fact.

Well sure, they're little rural towns. Why would you move to a rural area if you wanted big city buzz and a Stockland shopping centre on your doorstep?


:D

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Not True !!
i live in Mildura, population of Mildura alone is about 55,000, surround areas equal roughly 20,000, its a big place up here, and believe me there is more than a corner shop :rofl: dont create assumptions on places from what you hear from other people ;)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I'm intrigued by the open spaces thing. Down here we seem to have tonnes of the stuff (and a lot with nice boardwalks). Certainly my part of Australia provides me with more open public space than any of the places I lived in the UK.

:)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

GREAT POST !!!!!!!!!!!! SPOT ON:thumbsup:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Yea, it's the whole right-to-roam thing though - pretty much any field or land in the UK you could almost always find a public footpath across it. That's down to the age of the UK of course and I can see why it's different here. Just a bit of a shame when you can't, for instance, walk along the coast here because it's privately owned. That said there's some enormous public parks and rain-forests around that you can walk on. :)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I guess this is less of a problem where I live (Mornington Peninsula). I can only think of a couple of small places where you can't walk along the coast due to private property (ex-bombing range excepted). This footpath is interesting as it goes through people's gardens. They try to make it look like you can't use it (i.e. there is a door at one end) but it's open to the public under the Queen's Chain rule.

:)

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

This is a positive, right?

One of the things I am looking forward to when we move back downunder (used to live in rural NZ) is being able to see lots of stars at night.

Buzzy

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Well I love lack of lighting. And as I remember areas where I lived in the UK the countryside roads didn't have lighting either but I guess views are relative to where you come from and what you're used to.

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Absolutely! I'm not even rural really, just on the edge of a suburb - but the stars at night are just amazing. Every night they are so bright and clear.
Besides, don't we all have headlights for driving on unlit roads at night?:confused:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Yeah. I also love the lack of lighting. Back in the UK the streetlights in our old road were 'upgraded' by the council to meet EU standards. The result was the road was like Blackpool illuminations. If you didn't have blackout curtains then bedrooms on the front of the house never got properly dark. I'm sure years ago the street lights used to be turned off after a certain time but now they burn right through the night even though almost nobody is out. What a waste of energy:mad:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

And roo bars.....!

Buzzy

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I think the part of your post that struck me as making the rest of it seem just a miserable rant was the rather sweeping generalisation that native born Australians are friendly only when they have to be. Complete tosh.

I dont doubt some of the points made are valid, and if anyone thinks that Australia is cheaper to live in than the UK is suffering delusions, but it is swings and roundabouts. I could post a list of things which are cheaper if you like, or maybe parts of the UK culture which I detested so much that I have left the country permanently.

From your perspective you may think that Australia is crap, crap enough for you to move elsewhere as you've posted on other threads, but for some us we have a different perception of Australia. And frankly, I love it.

People considering migration are of course excited and sometimes do seem optomistic, overly so sometimes. But then others seem overly negative....

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Negativity is a state of mind...

You could be living anywhere in the world but if you have a mind that homes in on the negative, you are basically stuffed! :p

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

I applaud your post.
Get ready to be slated for your thoughts and observations though !! .:lol:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

Scroll up, Einstein. Nobody's slated him - couple of us have, however, pointed out that holding an opinion does not make it a fact.

God this is getting tedious ...

:zzz:

Re: For those looking at comming out
 

not as tedious as living in Perth mate ;)