my wife and i have been in bris since may 2007 and our life is just fantastic.
everything we hoped for has come to pass in our move and some on top, we love our life here.
we both feel however that the uk is a fantastic place to live and the whole ""britain has gone to the dogs "thing is utter mince. tbs, our primary reason for leaving was the fact that my trade is all but done in the uk and any hopes of me making things easier for myself as i get older were minimal. in oz, the market for my particular skills is more receptive and after years of working 7 days a week under constant pressure, i am working in a cushy office job, 38 hrs a week for good cash. some may say lucky you but the fact is i am top notch in my trade and if you can say the same, she'll be right here.
we would like kids, and to be honest on a uk trady wage that is tough. my wife is the major earner but we can get by on what i earn here, just. in the uk my wife would have to continue working , no choice, and i would be slogging my guts out 7 days. just the way it is.
none of this is easy however. i am a late child and at 42 have 86 year old parents in the uk that i may never see again. that is a mindf***!

i do find myself defending oz quite a lot, but not as some say, " to justify the move" but because i find a lot of the critisisms unfair or exagerrated. there are a lot of faults here but you can counter each one with a similar comment on any country around the globe.
i am not sure after a bottle of wine, what i am trying to say here but i guess i may be feeling a bit guilty for giving some people who are unhappy a hard time, primarily because oz has been so positive for us.
reading this back it is rambling , but i will post it anyway, as it is heartfelt.
the question; i love oz, i love the uk, i am happier here. am i unique?

I am very pleased that all is good for you, my OH says he is the best at what he does to so hopefully he will be right to

to be fair, all men say that. in my mind there is no doubt i am the best sheetie, lover, barbequeer etc etc

i would like to make it clear that the reference to barbecuing looks much worse on the page than in my head

Ahhh but saying it and being it are 2 different things, he is da best (according to him )

i believe him. he isn't a sparky by any chance?

to be fair, i am a bit pissed

No thank god the licensing would drive him mad, pipe welder, air con installer, boilermaker all of the above

ah, in my general ballpark then. i am a sheetie / fabricator welder/ boilermaker.
we can't both be the best, shall we be british and declare a draw

Mate I think you make your point very well, and it is very balanced.

I feel the same really. the parent thing is tough, but OZ is very positive for us to. I came for the adventure and to be honest I liked it more than I would imagine, it has taken a while to settle , but when I compare it to the UK, I personally have a better lifestyle here, that makes it really tough to go back.

I do miss the UK, I love it to, but it is hard to return to something which is not as good as what you have here.

Your not unique in that sense, i think a few feel that way.

Regardless, a good point of view and post

Please don't take this the wrong way, but your thread has confused me. I can see that life is good for you now and that is fantastic, everything that we all dream of, and who wouldn't wish that for you? But you begin by saying how great the UK is and then you fail to point out how - quite the opposite it would appear. So, yes, I am confused.

Personally I think the UK is a stinking shit hole, and I would leave here with nothing if I could only get a visa!

All the very best to you and your wife and goodluck for the future (you made the right decision)

Nic

the uk is a fantastic country for too many reasons to list. for my personal situation, life is better here on almost all counts.
the things that are poor here have no impact on me tbh. the telly is crap but i am usually on the deck with a glass of wine watching the bats of an evening. with the pubs, i prefer to have my friends round and put the world to rights round the table.

most of my issues with the uk could be laid at my own door.
for a long time it was clear that i would have to rethink work but just carried on in the same rut. not really the uk's fault.
never really took advantage of the leisure/ recreation opportunities, preferring to have a moan about the weather and the cost of council tax, ignoring the fact that if we had bought a nissan micra instead of the audi, we would have a bit more cash to save or spend.

the move here let me shed an old skin and slip on a new one, leaving behind my mistakes and allowing me to restructure my life, reinvigorating me and focusing me on what i want and need from life.

both countries are fantastic and full of opportunities. my life has improved here because of a great many reasons, one of which is because australia is great, and for me, offers more for my personal circumstances but the main reason is my new outlook on my life

[QUOTE=kporte;6881071]ah, in my general ballpark then. i am a sheetie / fabricator welder/ boilermaker.

this is not possible! MY OH is the best fine limit sheetie! he told me so himself...

Mate, that's a great post and very inspiring.

Karma on it's way