chris955

..

Wendy

Scalectrix!! I was poor, I had to play on the road with the real cars

billingham

you had a road?

Wendy

Well I say road, but it was more of a dirt track

sssss

Thanks. To be honest my main reason to move is for children. I dont think i want to move for me but for my future kids. Just unsure whether oz is much safer than uk i suppose if not then i would rather stay put. Hate to be unsettled all my life and the posts on here from ping pongers etc really worry me! Not what i would want for me, i just want to be settled

quoll

Dont move for the kids. Australia isnt anything magical which is going to guarantee them a better life. If you are going to move, do it because you have an opportunity not to be missed or an itch for adventure.

Bermudashorts

In that case you should stay put.

Wendy

So what happens if you move then for some reason you don't have kids!?

I don't think anybody really does it JUST for the kids. It may be a factor, but it's never the only reason. You have got to really want it, mostly because it's really isn't an easy thing to do. Even those of us who really love our life here, and like me wanted it for as long as they can remember, find it tough in the first 6 to 12 months.

So yeah, YOU have to want it.

In Exile

why dont you consult with them when they a) exist and b) are a bit older?
many people had and continue to have awesome upbringings in the UK.
I did. My niece and nephews (5 and 7) love it.

Again, its the person who brings up the kids, not the country.

the troubadour

If it is not your wish to relocate then my advice is don't do it.

KJCherokee

You missed the point, or possibly I didn't state it clearly enough. What I meant was that Australia offers a lot more for the outdoor enthusiast with plenty of open countryside and spectacular scenery (try finding somewhere in the UK where you can drive for 500km and not see another vehicle), but if your lifestyle is clubs and TV then there is nothing over here that you can't get in the UK so lifestyle is not a reason to emigrate.

quoll

But the point is that you can drive 500km in UK (even 50km) and see such a fabulous variety of scenery whereas in Aus you can drive 500km and see exactly the same scenery and have no idea where the hell you are (just dandy when you break down on the Hume and try directing the NRMA to your location!)

I find the UK outdoors so much more friendly and accessible - but each to their own!

This outdoor lifestyle thingie is another furphy really - if you arent outdoorsy people in UK then you probably wont be in Aus either when you are needing to slather every sq inch with sunscreen and insect repellent, sweat like a pig whenever you venture outside and watch your skin turning to tanned leather in front of your very eyes.

KJCherokee

You've missed the point again! Sure there is great scenery in Britain - I've recently returned from a holiday which included a week in the Lake District - but in Australia you can find scenery that you will never see in Britain (or Europe) but the city lifestyle is the same anywhere in the English speaking world.

DeadVim

Given the current economic conditions and the housing market you are more likely to be an outdoorsy person in Oz.

Or at least living in a tent.

folic

As always, I'm in agreement with Quoll, who has repeat personal experience to back her comments, considering she's lived in Oz for years and at the same time revisits the UK frequently. Of all the comments to be found in this forum, Quoll's are best to be relied upon for the pure, unvarnished truth, imo

When we were kids (brought to Oz by parents seeking 'adventure and better life for themselves and family) our intrepid adventurer parents insisted we have a 'better quality of life' and experience first hand ' Oz's great outdoors and superior climate' lol

We camped, biked, drove, motelled and caravaned and walked. And it was an ordeal, most of the time. Only thing which made it bearable were the kids we met and formed temporary friendships with

Nowadays, I watch the superb production ' Coast ' -- only to see what TRULY superior 'great outdoors' and 'quality of life' is all about ! It's in Britain !. And it doesn't take dozens of hours stuck in the back of a car, passing hundreds of miles of monotonous Aussie scenery consisting of washed-out scrub interspersed with more washed out scrub !

Take the journey to Queensland's Far North. We imagined it would be tropical - Hawaiian looking - with tall tuffed palms and lower down the sort of rich, tropical greenery you find in expensive garden nurseries. No. It was more washed-out scrub and still more -- even up to Port Douglas and around Trinity Beach

Going south to Bega in southern NSW - not much there either - nothing you wouldn't see anywhere in the world -- some grass, some cows, some old farmhouses

Go west, to Kingaroy, Biloela, Proston, Gayandah --- yep, more washed out scrub and miles of empty, lonely road with a farmhouse off in the distance. And those farmhouses are nothing spectacular - nothing heritage listed - nothing scenic - nothing you'd remember

Head to Toowoomba. Yes, you're getting the picture -- more washed out scrub and lonely, lonely roads. And when you get there, what do you find ? A mock English structure, the university (surrounded by not much at all)

So what's all this we keep hearing about re: 'quality of life' and 'magnificent climate and scenery' in Oz ? It rains here. It gets very cold and also very hot and very dry and very wet here. Rare to find double-glazing. People with their heads to the ground, weighed down by worry, unemployment, mortgage pressures, rising costs, racial tensions, massive immigration, ever rising energy prices, expensive across the board, jobs being shipped overseas, crippling welfare existences for young and old unable to find work

Better quality of life ? Great outdoors ? Great climate ? They've been telling porkies about Australia since they decided to utilize it as a penal colony

And despite well over a decade of repeated requests by academics and public alike, the Oz government continues to refuse to make public the number of Aussies who leave Oz permanently each year. Oh -- and let's not forget the official number of Aussies who travelled OUT of Australia last year in preference to holidaying in Oz's supposed 'superior climate, great outdoors and scenery'. The official number of Aussies who'd had enough of Oz and wanted to go somewhere nice for a change -- numbered over 6 million ! A quarter of Oz's entire population ! Even in these difficult financial times. So ponder that ...

Then you look at Britain, that treasure trove of unspoiled scenery - with its astonishing variety - with its abundant means of transport - with its history, its charm, its uniqueness - with its innumberable islands, each with history, mystery, and so within reach. Its coves, bays, harbours, inlets - all with their unique charm. Its beaches, its marshes, its lakes and rivers, tumbling streams, waterfalls, magical pasts

Sure, come to Australia, by all means. The Aussie government will paint a rich tapestry of supposed delights for those stricken with 'grass is greener' syndrome. But here's a hint: put the money for your return fare in a very safe place -- for when you accept you've been unable to find much in Oz that you didn't have a better version of, right under your nose in the UK