Originally Posted by Buzzy--Bee (Post 8679827)

That is not Australia mate - its Queensland. Please don't confuse potential emigrants to other states where these things are not relevant.

Originally Posted by bcworld (Post 8679946)

Works all ways doesn't it. Do you ever say Australia when you actually mean where you live? Like 3 posts above this one?

Originally Posted by Buzzy--Bee (Post 8679967)

I certainly did not appreciate the difference between all the states before I emigrated - we just don't have that focus in the UK - imagine if you had to have a different driving licence in Berkshire than you did in Oxfordshire!

Originally Posted by Buzzy--Bee (Post 8679967)

Probably, but I did mean Australia in that one!

I certainly did not appreciate the difference between all the states before I emigrated - we just don't have that focus in the UK - imagine if you had to have a different driving licence in Berkshire than you did in Oxfordshire!

BB

Originally Posted by Hutch (Post 8677591)

I've said it before and I'll say it again - It's Australia, not Narnia. You basically have all the same problems any western style democracy has - fat kids, fat people, crime, thoughtlessness, bad roads, bad public transport, rising house prices, rising energy costs, water shortages, expensive petrol, shite TV. So take all that as a given. What all the above leaves us is the gray areas in between and it's largely down to you as to how you use them.

For example, one of the posters above complains that they never see kids on bikes, well it's a very different story in my little town where there's always kids on bikes, kids walking dogs, kids on skateboards. Just goes to show how different things are from town to town, city to city. Other people complain about the public education system and send their kids to expensive private schools. The top performing school in this area (public or private) is the public school my son attends - but more important than league tables as far as I'm concerned is that he's happy there. Other people complain that the houses are expensive whereas we managed to swap a titchy detached bungalow with two bedrooms for a detached four bedder with dlug and pool. Not bragging about it, just pointing out that not every town in Oz is stupidly expensive.

So bottom line. Expect most aspects of life to be exactly as they are - bills need to be paid, laundry needs to be done, kids need to be taken to school, tax has to be paid. Then work in the margins - choose where you live veeeery carefully, consider public transport options where you are, get good advice on the schools. Once you have all that covered then you can go about the task of reinventing yourself, as many of us have done, in whatever way you want.

Originally Posted by Buzzy--Bee (Post 8680085)

Is my suburb the only one left in Australia where loads of kids cycle to and from school, they are allowed to play in playparks and can climb trees because it's beginning to sound like it!!!

Sheesh maybe my choice of suburb was even wiser than I previously realised!

BB

Originally Posted by bcworld (Post 8680039)

Well I'm driving out through the suburbs to Camberwell every day at the moment - very rare to see kids cycling to school. The fact that the journey is taking me half the time during school holidays makes me think most of them must get ferried there in a Toorak tractor.

Originally Posted by asprilla (Post 8680186)

Here's a topical article.....

Parents under fire for letting kids cycle to school.

Originally Posted by macy (Post 8680227)

The kids enjoy a great school, they play out down the street and I call them in just before dinner - just like my mum did 30 years ago.

Their friends are polite, kind and generous to other people, they grow up more slowly and do not have or want a mobile phone they do not msn and all the other things 10 year olds in the UK seem to be into and do not seem to have the same desire to be an age they are not.

They have sports which they love, we have the bbq's, we don't do the beach too much but we love the pool and they love Marco Polo on those hot summer days with their friends, they camp out in the garden they climb the trees at New Farm Park and we all still get after 6 years those " I live in Australia moments" and yes it is so worth the move over......

We have breakfast in a cafe on those lovely warm mornings in the summer with a great cup of coffee watching the world go by, we have Christmas at Noosa after saving all year and we get those bills in January that seem to take an age to pay off but we thank our lucky stars we live here......:thumbsup:

Originally Posted by pomtastic (Post 8680087)

Quick question, how long ago did you swap your 2 bed UK house for a biggun with pool? Average house prices now in UK are £170K ($300K AUD) Anywhere half decent in Perth, a 4x2 with pool with OK (not the best) state schools is going to cost you $600K+. Best state schools $800K+ on average. I'm guessing by your number of posts that you've been here for a long time?

It's all very well if you got here years ago, like we did (8 years ago), exchange rate, house prices were all cruisey but the beast if completely different now.

P.S Why on earth would you want to reinvent yourself?

Originally Posted by Hutch (Post 8682445)

Four years ago - almost to the day. Our old house has since been sold again - nine months ago - and went for 50k gbp more than we got for it - 275K. Straight currency conversion of that 275K to AUD at today's tourist rates is 500k AUD. That 500k AUD would get you a larger house than we have, closer to the beach and river in our little town.

And as to reinventing yourself - clearly you're happy in your own skin, many people are not.