Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
Aug 11th 2011, 7:01 am
#31
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
Wow Folic, what a fantastic post, it could have been written by me but with more words 
The problem seems to be that we are constantly being told it MUST be better here than the UK, surely it has to be, doesnt it ?
I grew up here and love many things but for us personally it doesn't offer enough and is getting too expensive. That's not to say of course that it doesn't suit many others but please don't get sucked into thinking that Australia offers a magical solution and a 'better' life.
The problem seems to be that we are constantly being told it MUST be better here than the UK, surely it has to be, doesnt it ? I grew up here and love many things but for us personally it doesn't offer enough and is getting too expensive. That's not to say of course that it doesn't suit many others but please don't get sucked into thinking that Australia offers a magical solution and a 'better' life.
Aug 11th 2011, 7:33 am
#32
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
folic I think your childhood sounded great! It's a shame you don't look back with fond memories. I was brought up in Australia and had much the same experiences as you, and I look back very fondly on them. It was a wonderful carefree time for me. I loved the camping under the stars, hearing the noises of the bush, the BBQ breakfasts, guaranteed sunshine, having a ball down the beach in the summer. In the winter we visited the same region "south Western Australia" however, being so large, it was totally different experience. We stayed in wood cabins in the forests of Karri Valley, climbed the 2nd tallest trees in the world, loved walking in the rain, stayed on working farms learning all about farm life feeding chickens, collecting eggs, milking cows (badly!), visited museums, galleries and had a wonderful time. Being one of five children with an absent father we didn't have much money at all, but I don't look back and feel hard done by in the slightest.
I have visited the UK three times for extensive work holidays and now have lived here for 10 years. We have a great time in the great outdoors of Scotland frequently camping, kayaking, walking, travelling up and down the west and east coast, visiting galleries, museums; also in England, Ireland and Wales doing much of the same..
Having spent a lot of time in each country's backgarden I think both have equal merits. It's definitely what you make of it and what appeals to you personally. I love the wildly different scenery of the different countries - I enjoy the differences. You can't compare them to each other and I think we're just foolish if we try to do, that's what they are - different.
It's definitely more about the person and how engaged they are - some people hate sitting on a white beach with a book doing nothing, some hate hustle and bustle city holidays in Europe, some hate walking in the wind and cold of a Uk 'summer', some hate the blistering heat in the height of an Aussie summer.... it's definitely what appeals to you
I say make the most of life, you don't want to look back and regret a thing.
I have visited the UK three times for extensive work holidays and now have lived here for 10 years. We have a great time in the great outdoors of Scotland frequently camping, kayaking, walking, travelling up and down the west and east coast, visiting galleries, museums; also in England, Ireland and Wales doing much of the same..
Having spent a lot of time in each country's backgarden I think both have equal merits. It's definitely what you make of it and what appeals to you personally. I love the wildly different scenery of the different countries - I enjoy the differences. You can't compare them to each other and I think we're just foolish if we try to do, that's what they are - different.
It's definitely more about the person and how engaged they are - some people hate sitting on a white beach with a book doing nothing, some hate hustle and bustle city holidays in Europe, some hate walking in the wind and cold of a Uk 'summer', some hate the blistering heat in the height of an Aussie summer.... it's definitely what appeals to you
I say make the most of life, you don't want to look back and regret a thing.
Last edited by Still Game; Aug 11th 2011 at 7:36 am.
Aug 11th 2011, 7:40 am
#33
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
Wow to the posts. Its so odd as i did think i wanted to go to oz for me as well as kids (due soon for baby 1) but since i have really thought about it i have the wobbles.
I am worried about missing family, the wildlife (i know i am a wimp but really am that scared of creepy crawlies), the cultural differences between aussie and english ( i keep hearing about how different we are but unsure exactly what this is) , the whole stress of the move into the unknown.
We are not majorly outdoor people but assume this is just because the weather here is rubbish but then when i think about the sun over there and heat i worry that this will still impact our outdoor time anyway. We do like to spend time walking, sitting outside in the sun, eating outside but also like shopping, bars, restaurants, theme type places, going to spa hotels...
Not really the camping type as prefer a nice hotel!
But then i worry about society in the uk - the riots are the tip of it. Knife crime, youths on the street, being scared to go to the shops..... I though oz or south australia was 'better than this'
I am worried about missing family, the wildlife (i know i am a wimp but really am that scared of creepy crawlies), the cultural differences between aussie and english ( i keep hearing about how different we are but unsure exactly what this is) , the whole stress of the move into the unknown.
We are not majorly outdoor people but assume this is just because the weather here is rubbish but then when i think about the sun over there and heat i worry that this will still impact our outdoor time anyway. We do like to spend time walking, sitting outside in the sun, eating outside but also like shopping, bars, restaurants, theme type places, going to spa hotels...
Not really the camping type as prefer a nice hotel!
But then i worry about society in the uk - the riots are the tip of it. Knife crime, youths on the street, being scared to go to the shops..... I though oz or south australia was 'better than this'
Aug 11th 2011, 7:43 am
#34
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
Depends entirely on where you live. Every country in the world has this, it's whether you choose to live in areas where crime is prevalent.
Aug 11th 2011, 7:54 am
#36
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Aug 11th 2011, 8:01 am
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
Aug 11th 2011, 8:01 am
#38
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Aug 11th 2011, 8:10 am
#39
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
Please don't base a huge life changing event around wee beasties! 
I think if you can afford to make the move, won't be worse off financially and can handle being away from family and friends, then go for it.
Do your sums and your research carefully. Look at the positives and if they outweigh the negatives what have you go to lose. If it doesn't work out, then at least you gave it a shot.
I think if you can afford to make the move, won't be worse off financially and can handle being away from family and friends, then go for it.
Do your sums and your research carefully. Look at the positives and if they outweigh the negatives what have you go to lose. If it doesn't work out, then at least you gave it a shot.
I was going to say this...the finances and reality of moving away from family and friends has to weigh more heavily in the decision than spiders.And FTR I'm a former arachniphobe, but I swear moving here has cured me of most of it...huntsmans as an exception...
Aug 11th 2011, 9:01 am
#40
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
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
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
Aug 11th 2011, 9:04 am
#41
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
I can't. Have only visited Adelaide once in the 90's and York never. Although we are visiting York (and Yorkshire) for 5 nights in September.
Have you completed a lot of research online? You shouldn't base decisions on people's opinions on a forum.
You'll get people on here clearly hating Australia and also hating the UK. Do as much research for yourself and make your own opinion up - it's your life afterall.
Have you completed a lot of research online? You shouldn't base decisions on people's opinions on a forum.
You'll get people on here clearly hating Australia and also hating the UK. Do as much research for yourself and make your own opinion up - it's your life afterall.
Aug 11th 2011, 9:13 am
#42
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
To be honest you will find pockets of that everywhere, there are places in the Brisbane area I wouldn't go to after dark. We have loads of knife crime, gun crime, kids on the streets etc etc. I haven't lived anywhere here or the UK where it was an issue.
There is a lot of gang related crime in all States and cities.
The problem is that Brits tend to assume it has to be worse in Britain when in fact it really isn't.
There is a lot of gang related crime in all States and cities.
The problem is that Brits tend to assume it has to be worse in Britain when in fact it really isn't.
Aug 11th 2011, 9:16 am
#44
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
Should have added a caveat, life is what you make of it if you have the means and impetus to do so. Who thought such a simple saying would cause such an impact on a forum!
Aug 11th 2011, 9:52 am
#45
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Re: Whether to do the move or not- oz the good bad and ugly needed!
IMO only boring people get bored after all life is what you make of it. 