So many coming back!!
 

I have just been reading about people coming back home from mainly perth or surrounding areas, i'm quite amazed, there's us all here desperate to get out there but the same applies to all of those there. Our friends have been gone 5 weeks and are loving it, they've bought their new 4x4 they've bought a house near perth and are renting in bunbury because they have to stay there for a certain period for their visas. They are having barbies, swimming in the indian ocean when it's pi**ing down here, what more could we want. Seriously i know that these are not the right reasons for wanting to go but i hope these people realise how bad things are here, the cost of living is horrendous, we work to exist not to have any quality of life, the incomings are nowhere near as much as the outgoings, council tax is ridiculous in fact it's tax, tax, tax for more than is necessary, my husband works sometimes 7 nights a week just to try and keep on top but of course we are not. The youngsters just starting out have absolutely no chance of getting on the property ladder.
I know OZ will not be the be all and end all of everything but surely when the sun is shining or the sky is blue not black, you can feel better equipped to cope with it.
Good luck to everybody coming home
carol

Re: So many coming back!!
 

I'm not having a dig at you, I'm just telling you as it is. THIS IS NOT UTOPIA. IT IS JUST AS HARD TO SURVIVE OUT HERE. Like the old saying goes "never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes"

Re: So many coming back!!
 

You will find that there are various reasons for moving back to the UK. Some people suffer such homesickness, they are physically ill, others, who have never been to Aus, or even if they have been here on holiday, find that living here is totally different and not what they want. Others just can't find work and so can't afford to stay. With these reasons, no matter how hard the sun shines, it is just not worth it.

There is no way of knowing if you are going to suffer home or people sickness until you have been away, with no prospect of getting back regularly.

For some reason Perth and Adelaide seem to have more than their fair share of returnees, but people from other places go back as well. You will also find that however much they hated it, or it didn't work for them, they are grateful they tried it. Quite a few get back to the UK and decide that Aus was what they wanted afterall and head back again.

Please don't judge others. We are all individual and have different wants and needs.

Re: So many coming back!!
 

[QUOTE=daisymoo]I have just been reading about people coming back home.....


You will never know whether you will love it or hate it or just simply put up with it, until you actually do it.
We all have the intention of coming to Oz for a better life, but sometimes it takes that move to realise what you did have back in the UK.
That is certainly the case for me. Am I going moan about the cost of getting there and getting back and bring up all the things I dislike about Oz? NO. It was an experience, glad I tried it, not for me thank you.
If anyone asks me about moving to Oz I would say "Do it".
Also anyone in the process of trying to get visas, just about to make the move, I wish you all the very best and good luck in the future.

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Have found talking to others who emigrate that some people just come with unrealistic expectations.

Some people (the returnees) are surprised when they get here and miss family...der didn't you expect that but all your family expect you to rush back but they are not rushing out to see you.

Some people don't seem to allow for the fact that people may not want to employ you at first, we tried to think of lots of alternative jobs as well as our UK jobs but in the end ended back up in the UK jobs at similar levels and pay.

Some people come expecting to have all Aussie mates and for some reason are vehemently opposed to having any British friends. They don't seem to realise it's the other immigrants on the look out for new friends as all the Aussies already have theirs from years back so are willing to be friends but at a lot slower speed.

We avoided Peth for the very reason there is only mainly Perth (no offence to people who chose Perth as you chose it because you liked it). We wanted the option of other cities nearby to go to on holidays etc. NZ is closer to us than Perth.

Last reason I can give is think the returnees spend to much time thinking of UK and only looking at bad points of Aus and not getting on and enjoying the fact it's sunny, less vandalism and pub binging hassle, nice sea, lots of free pools where the bbq's haven't been stolen and quite family orientated except the no kids in pubs after nine rule.

Nobody forced them to come if they don't want to stay let them go back and the rest of us will enjoy ourselves... :D :beer: .

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Because that way, you'll be a mile away, and you'll have his shoes. ;)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

People have a bigger comfort zone than they thought, but only realise it once they have stepped outside of it

Recreating a new one is sometimes a thing which some returnees could not do sufficiently quickly or just were unwilling to do full stop.

The thought of ever having to return to that cold, grey skied, alcohol sodden, badly managed, dirty, overcrowded country sends shivers down my spine

Re: So many coming back!!
 

I agree with you and it is all about stepping out of your comfort zone , its a hard thing to do, I have been away for over twenty years and i still long for haome but for the reasons that you stated I would have a hard time comming back . My friend's son always tells me when I am back that "I'm or your just trying to fit in " its tough

Re: So many coming back!!
 

:D :D

Re: So many coming back!!
 

It really boils down to what you are inside ,you wont find that out untill you come to australia its an expensive way to find out your value system but nevertheless worth it .I think personally most brits wouldnnt want to live in anew beaut housing site of say several thousand homes with very little infrastructure and night life but they seem to jump at the chance if it means living in the sun

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Carol

It is not all you dream it to be over here!! Don't get me wrong each and everyone of you have to give it a go. We have been very successful here well hubby has I however have gone backwards career wise.

But Hubby spends 3 hours a day commuting whereas in the UK he was home in 15mins. Oz charges you for everything it costs to see the doctor, there are as many taxes, it may seem cheap here but you wait till you are earning the $ then it is all relative.

We do not get the lifestyle we were looking for. And so what if the sun shines everyday you get over it and it becomes the norm. When it is really hot everyone is inside with the blinds shut and the a/c on with the lights on hardly what you could call enjoying the great weather!!

Anyway we are happy here but are returning as we feel our daughter is missing out on knowing her family. But then we never left the UK cos we didn't like it we just fancied a change. A change we have had and now we are returning.

We have not had a holiday since we arrived beg 2004 and in the UK we could go abroad at least twice a year.

Annual leave is 20 days a year sick leave 10 days a year and maternity/parental leave well you will be lucky.

Jo

Oh and as for property it is the same here house prices have gone up so much that youngsters can't get on the ladder either

Re: So many coming back!!
 

But lots become ping pom poms. Sometimes you have to go home to realise that actually it wasn't so bad over there afterall :)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

You will see a lot of people making comments like :"same sh*t, different bucket" or 'what you gain on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts". I won't go on and on, but this just about sums it up really. So, perhaps council tax is extortionate in the UK, but my monthly phone bill from Telstra (who practically have a monopoly out here) or the cost of my flight back home on Qantas (who practically have a monopoly out here - bit of a pattern here) could make you cry. And young people here can't get on the housing ladder either. But yes, you got sun, and you got warmth, and you got the beaches, and to be honest if thats what makes you happy, you'll be happy here. Unfortunately, a lot of people, myself included think that this will make them happy, and realise that actually, given the choice between beaches and their friends and family back home, its the friends and family they want. This is very common!
Most people here, even if they decide to go back, would agree this is a great country, just that some of them would prefer maybe to visit it, rather than live here.
Others come here, love it from day 1 and 20 years later are still loving it - so good luck to you, and hopefully you'll be happy here, but its good to have an open mind.

Re: So many coming back!!
 

We are one of those ping pong poms.
We are on our way back although we are not returning to the same place as we were, I do think that was a big problem for us. We did not settle in Adelaide and put it down to homesickness, but the reality is, we did not like Adelaide that much. (our opinion).

All I will say to those returning to the UK or anywhere else is, (like it was said to us plenty of times)...try somewhere else first...believe me its an expensive way of testing what you do want. If that does not work then at least you know either way.

LibbyX

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Where are you off to next time Libby?

Re: So many coming back!!
 

In today's Courier Mail (can't be bothered to search for the online link) a report is saying that 1/4 - 1/3 of the cost of buying a house is going on government charges (read: tax). So if you buy a $450k house, you hand over $150k in tax.

And did you know that the top rate income tax here is 48.5%?

Your kids will struggle to get on the property ladder here too and who knows? Your hubby may have to work long hours to get a decent wage too.


FWIW I'm just playing devil's advocate. I love it here, I'm not dissing the place but I really think you need to take a look at the bigger picture. Your post screams out that you think everything is so much better here when the reality is that some things are better and some things are not.

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Not everyone has an horrendous life like you describe in the UK. Not everyone ultimately wants what Australia has to offer. Some people feel that Australia was nice for a time, but not where they want to be long term. It does have a lot to offer, but alongside that, you will make compromises to live there. It's all about personal choice, and there is no right or wrong about what you choose - it's what works for you. Everybody has hurdles to overcome, and no amount of planning can prepare you for what it really feels like to emigrate.

Ask the people whose marriages are under immense strain because of the stresses of starting a new life, or whose kids are unhappy at their new school, or whose mums are 10000 miles away and sick, whether they go to bed each night thinking "ah well, at least the sun is shining".

Good luck for you and your family with the move and hope it's all you want it to be. :)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Folks have pretty much covered most bases on this thread already, so I thought I'd just add that my main reason for going is the stuff I know I can't experience in the UK: the wide open spaces and the natural history. Having been in Aus for a total of 6 months on two previous trips, I know that Aus' natural history can keep me happily engrossed for the rest of my life. :) I just wish more people would take an interest in going exploring because there's so much to see...

I doubt I'll be any better off in Aus materially (in fact probably the opposite) and I'm not going for the weather, beaches or barbies. Nope, I know what I like about Aus, and the rest will just sort of 'happen' around me! :D

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Daisymoo, not having a dig, but can you take off the rose tinted glasses.
Like others have said, people have different needs. You will still have to work when you get to oz, you will still have bills to pay etc. Hopefully you will have a better lifestyle, and that is one of the many reasons we are moving. Hope you find what you are looking for, good luck

Suni

Re: So many coming back!!
 

This is funny to read. When i joined here nearly 3 years ago posts like this were common place and in those days you had the likes of PB and Dotty screaming in a very condecending way for us to "take off our rose tints" And all of us telling each other to "just ignore them. They're only bitter etc"

So. Would any of us listen? NO! Because it was our dream to live and we were gonna do it no matter what some tool on an internet forum said.

Now it seems to have come full circle. Those of us who have been around a bit realise that, although said often in a somewhat offensive manner, PB, dotty and the like DID have some very valid points.

Now WE all choose to share those points but in a constructive, less condecending way and kindly say "take yer rose tints off love, yer dreaming" :D And we certainly have more back up these days too.

So. Would knowing what i know now change my decision? No. But its been a long hard road and i wouldn't choose to do it ever again :eek:

Everyones needs, wants and expectations vary immensly and for that they should never be judged :)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Ditto what the loony tune says ;)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

That's good to hear from you Hevs; you've had a gutfull of late.

Take care. :)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

What suits one wont suit the other.

I am sometimes shocked for SOME of the reasons for returning, as in missing UK shops and admit to being jealous for those that get their visas easily, have the cash to get everything at once and then come back within a month.

But, I am not in their shoes and as I say, Im just jealous - probably because we have had a constant struggle and still feel a million miles away to getting the visa.

I can understand the pain someone feels if a loved one back in the UK is ill, the isolation and the need to return.

As I say, different reasons, some I can understand and some I cant but we cannot impose our way of thinking on others.

What constitutes as a valid reason for returning for one, isnt for another.

Althought the guy that had driven 15 mins from Brissie airport and then turned round and went back, well, I really dont get that.

But its their life and their choice how they live it.

Re: So many coming back!!
 

lol! Thread link please! :eek:

Re: So many coming back!!
 

I would say something similar, but would add an extra footnote; almost in some cruel twist of irony, I still believe in what I believed in 4 years ago, it hasn't actually changed; in other words, I don't feel I need to feel guilty about rose tinted glasses. I still haven't changed, I'm still true to myself, if that makes sense.I am more open to telling other people that it might not be plain sailing, because I feel more charitable from an expats point of view. For a long time, I couldn't be bothered! Initially, I preferred to concentrate on showing people the real 'funny' australia, if only the positives so I got a reputation for positivity if not rose tints. I had no need for negativity because I had lived here. I often wonder how I might have gone if I had not visited here before joining the forum. Meanwhile I was making sure my wife was absolutely sure she didn't have a rose tinted view of Australia herself. I remember sitting her down and warning her! Seems like only yesterday.

I was also lucky to see the real Australia, outback, rural, semi-rural and suburban and not as a holiday. And the funny thing, is that I STILL like Australia for the same reasons I liked it 4 years ago. Nothing has changed! So it is a kind of a win win situation.

Hevs I loved that post you did (last year) when you agreed with me (oh no!) and said "you either get it or don't get it". I was like, at last, someone knows what I was trying to get at all those years ago! I think that is more important than rose tints, or lack thereof. :)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

I may have to steal that phrase as my motto... ;)

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Another Billy Connolly fan? :D

Re: So many coming back!!
 

LOL, I was trying to remember who'd originally said that! :D

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Oh God , wish i hadn't read this thread, i really don't need this just now :scared:

Re: So many coming back!!
 

That seems to about sum it up for a lot of people.

What next though?

G

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Are you sure about this Wayne? 6% on stamp duty, GST on Solicitors fees, survey etc, these could all be counted as tax. But 25 - 33%? You don't think it meant that 1/4-1/3 of the cost of moving was tax as opposed to the actual purchase price of the home?

Cheers

Buzzy

Re: So many coming back!!
 

I posted this on another thread today:
Taxes add to affordability problem

March 28, 2006
Government taxes and charges are adding up to 34.8 per cent to the cost of buying a new house says consultants UrbisJHD. In Melbourne government charges contributed over $91,000 or 24 per cent to the cost of a typical $366,000 house and land package, up from $37,000 in 2000. In north west Sydney government taxes and charges added $198,000 or 34.8 per cent to the cost of a home. GST on construction costs was the largest contributor to the tax take

Re: So many coming back!!
 

I've just bought a house and at no time can I remember anyone mentioning 1/3 to 1/4 as the stamp duty... buggered it it is.

Re: So many coming back!!
 

For a NSW house we're looking at ...

Initial Requirements (assuming sale price of $399,000):
Stamp duty: $13,445
Legal fees: $800
Loan application fees: $655
Total: $14900

So that'd be 3.75% ...

I'd say you were right mate ... lot of bollocks being talked on this thread ...

Re: So many coming back!!
 

If you read it correctly from the newspaper report it is talking about new builds and the government tax they are talking about includes GST charged on the construction of the house Not just stamp duty

Re: So many coming back!!
 

in west australian today:
house: $373,700
stategovrnnmentcosts[stamp duty,land tax and infrastructurecosts]$22,731
federalgovernment costs [gst and company tax]$36,157
local govrnment costs $614
other costs [compliance fees ,building code of australia ,and other costs at all levels of government ]$26,607
TOTAL CHARGES $86,109
how factual these figures are i wouldnt know

Re: So many coming back!!
 

That was it.

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Hi Mrs JFW,

We are off to the Goldcoast. We did visit there on the way back to the UK and fell in love with the greeness and tropical look of Queensland. We stayed up at Noosa Heads and it was lovely. We knew then we had made a mistake but thats life and you learn by it and just get on with it. Roll on June 1st!!

LibbyX

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Is this it?
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...E25658,00.html

Re: So many coming back!!
 

Read the good and the bad, Margaret. Then have a good long think, or really don't think about it. Just put it in the back of your mind and let your subconscious work on it. It is better @ long term processing multiple threads than your conscious mind.

If you are going into a Project like this with a positive frame of mind, you have started on the right track.

And remember, no-one has died of a spider's bite for the last 30 years. :p