BadgeIsBack

Sort of agree.

Others might claim:
a) it's not the case and/or
b) the reverse may be infact be true
c) if it is - its bringing in some needed balance.

I would say it's been a long time since the days when the forum had a 'optimistic Australia' bias - when dozens of posts gushing about life in Australia were posted - along with (optional) 'UK going to the dogs' posts.

I'd would say the forum is biased towards notifying all arrivals that:
Australia is not cheap: and:
Buyer beware...

I don't care whether people have lived here or not. There are people that live here and hate it and love it regardless.

moneypenny20

I'd say it's (the forum) going through it's regular 'downer' trough, it'll be back into the 'yay it's fab' peak in a while and then the 'haters' will moan that the godzoners have taken over the asylum again. It's rare for everyone to be happy at the same time, unless we all take the drugs at the same time anyway.

teza

Spot on! I think the thing that got up on everyones noses was the way of arguing "because google says so, it must be fact", just because google says wages are up and people are living it up, doesn't make it the truth unless you are in higher wages such as mining etc. As I said, we live in an area with a loads of FIFO families and that has raised our prices massively. Especially housing! I love my life here, but personally it rubs me the wrong way when someone who hasn't lived here keeps telling "but google says so".

Australia isn't for eveyone, never will be, but only way to truly find out is to try and live it, give your best shot with bit of reality and no expectations as the more you assume and expect, the harder it may get when things don't go as planned. It ain't cheap, but if you can afford it, then go after you're dreams!

... just don't keep telling people they are wrong if they are living the reality you are only googling.....

steve`o

too late

the rattle and dummy are well over the other side of the nursery
and he`s not playing with us any more

TheArmChairDetective

Two important points.
Cheap: Neither is anywhere else relatively speaking.
Caring: Well said.

Very true, but equally one doesn't need to live in the Gaza Strip to know it's not a healthy place to live.

steve`o

true, but the inhabitants have a better idea of whats real and whats hype

TheArmChairDetective

Agreed, but that doesn't mean they don't use Google to see what's cheaper in Oz than in the UK

moneypenny20

An old school friend of mine married a Lebanese guy in the 80s and moved there with him and had two children, as far as I'm aware she still is. I remember asking her WHY, thinking it was probably one of the last places on earth I'd want to be, she reckoned that yes whilst Beirut was dodgy , they lived a bit further north and had a great life in a fab village. Google isn't always your friend.

TheArmChairDetective

100% behind you, but neither is it your enemy. It is merely one of a variety of potential methods for research.

BadgeIsBack

Still not sure on the cyclical nature...Australia is too expensive now for everyone to be yaying like they were 10 years ago. IMHO, the forum as a whole has been 'grounded' for several years. Even the people who were once perhaps seen as Godzoners play the party line and talk about cost. (Perhaps they have had it beaten out of them?) Just look at the way new posters get short shrift from all...

Tell you what though - a few characters can fire things off - that's what it seems. They know who they are..

Look back 5 years - and we really had the 'culture wars'. Remember Hutch?

I'm not so sure - this forum could attract a bias.
I'm not 100pc what this bias might be - but internet forums whilst attracting diverse crowd have common traits - I mean - loads of people that use forums regularly, work in offices, often IT. I resigned myself to the fact that my Australian experiences are different to many, many years ago. I expect people to not see my experiences as their own. If I was a newbie now, I would probably get the wrong idea, and infact, get an overly negative flavour - due to cost - but a lot of the good things would be lost in the noise.

10 years ago, there were tens of 'Got it!' (Visa) every week and loads of people slapping themselves on the back. Remember?

steve`o

i`d admit that was probably one of my posts seven years ago,

BadgeIsBack

My line is that

Australia is not cheap. It is expensive. (Expensive compared to the States, and 'silly prices' in really cheap countries. I can tell you though that globalisation is making even parts of the 3rd world similar in price - unless you buy in a bizarre.....). It is broadly speaking comparable to the UK. I think that there are huge savings in certain products in UK supermarkets, and at the Boots cosmetic counter, and in books, ad finitum - but don't tell me that rates, insurance, utils, labour rates are always cheaper, they are not.

There are no contradictions here! I think I might have been acused of saying Australia is cheap though at least once...

BadgeIsBack

7 years ago was perhaps before the turning point mate.

BE is nothing like it was back before then. Some old sweats, sure, but there were some easy migrations back in the day.

steve`o

talking of this has made me look back at some old posts of mine circa early 2007 ( on my way ) my god that was a busy year i`m tired just reading what we did in 2007,
but as you said everything was quite easy and just fell into place, house, job, licenses etc

BadgeIsBack

I miscalculated your year as 2005...back then I think Perth house prices might have yet to climb above Syd and Melb!