FluffyTheCampfireSlayer

...this is a follow on from another thread, which got me to thinking about how Aussie neighbours (NO, not the TV show) differ from our British neighbours?

In the UK, our neighbours went out of there way (generally) to be good neighbours. They said hello with a smile, kept the noise to a minimum and generally tried to be 'neighbourly' in any way they saw fit!

Over here, I have noticed that things are quite different.....

In our last place, they didn't give us the time of day. It was a big apartment block, we were just numbers I guess. Loud music and noise was the norm - nobody said a word! :curse: Naturally, we retaliated - never been able to play my music so loud without my conscience eating away at me!

This place, we have the Saffa family next door - or, the 'disfunctionals' as we call them. When we first moved in she was at the door of the van with the dodgiest grin on her face, wildly thrusting out her hand! Alarm bells rang from the orf!
Anyway, turns out, he works away somewhere. When he's home, she must cause about $5000 worth of damage to the place each time (by the sounds of things)! We noticed a nice big plasma through the window initially - they now have a 24"(ish) olde worlde telly! The woman is a physcho!!!! One night we arrived home from't pub (we had a friend visiting from the UK) to find a police car and ambulance blocking our drive. We got out of the car to find 'her' being dragged, half screaming, half kicking into the ambulance!! She was obviously released the following morning, because the following night all 3 of us had to endure the screaming, crashing and banging again (3AM this time)!!! apparently, he's a cold bastard!!! That's all she kept screaming!

So, that brings me onto t'other side - a well to do family, or at least you would think so from the seriously swanky Merc on the drive!

Trouble is, they have a frikkin great Alsation with an even bigger frikkin great mouth on it!! :curse:

We have tried to ignore, we have been round there and politely asked them to shut it up (thats the problem - they ignore it).
T'other night I lost it and screamed and shouted out of the window at him to 'shut his ****ing dog up or else'! It did the trick, but, to be honest......why did it have to come to this?

What is it with Aussie neighbours? I'm all for live and let live but surely, there's a limit?? :curse:

TraceyW

We had wonderful neighbours in the UK and we have wonderful neighbours to the one side here, they're English. However, the other side we too have disfunctional Aussie's. They're always screaming and shouting at each other, the police have been round and we were told there is a drug issue in the house. They have two little kids aged 2 & 3 that they allow to roam around freely and cross the roads. They also enjoy having sodding parties on a regular basis and insist on playing crappy rap music at full pelt most days. Complaints to the rental agent gets us no-where.

comet555

We've lived in our house for just over 6 months now. I have yet to meet the neighbours on either side of me. I've waved at them on occasion but they don't seem to be bothered with any sort of get to know you's. Fine by me. I actually don't hear a peep from anyone in our neighbourhood, except the occassional get together at the neighbours behind us. Even then it's not that bad.

I did however met the guy that lives right behind us. We were both in our backyards and he made a point to say hello and talk for a bit. I nice polish guy who's lived in Australia for the last 20 years. We'd been living here for about 4 months before we talked to him.

Sometimes I wish I had more sociable neighbours, but on the otherhand maybe I'd have more crap to deal with!

quoll

Next door - very quiet Vietnamese family who wave when we see them (and vice versa) but who are rarely out in the yard and we havent actually spoken in years. Next door on the other side single Aussie woman with children who are allowed to visit her under supervision on a reasonably regular basis. Very quiet and has not responded to any overtures on our part (not even to garden produce we have left her on occasion, knowing she is on a limited income). Across the road a super elderly German couple who look after our chooks and collect our mail when we go away. Next to them a pleasant Swedish/Aussie couple whose yard looks like a bomb site because they are growing Australian native grasses and flora (it really does look daggy!). We are on a corner so across the road in the other direction - Aussie woman with Aussie male friend who beats her up and who has been engaged with local gang warfare - we have called the police a few times. Let us just say that we are pleased we have no kids at home because the language on pension pay days can be a tad OTT! At least the family with the budding percussionist moved a while ago - drums at midnight may have been super for him but not for the neighbourhood. They were replaced by a couple of young Asian students who sent around a note to the neighbourhood advising us of their impending birthday parties - kudos to them, the parties were as quiet as can be!

Before our Vietnamese neighbours the house was occupied by an urban indigenous family who eventually did a moonlight flit but that was a very difficult time - nothing in our back yard was sacred, they even nicked the pegs off the line and we regularly had to go and repatriate our garden hoses. The wife would come and borrow money off me - max $5 a time and never until she had repaid the previous loan but when she banged on the door covered with blood because her partner had bashed her with a nulla nulla then we did call the police and the ambulance!

Touch wood, ours is a "nice" neighbourhood in the scheme of things!

AndyR1976

Neighbours should be there for one another...

thats what I say

Cause thats when good neighbours become good friends.

So I'm told....

FluffyTheCampfireSlayer

Grooooaaannnn!!!

FluffyTheCampfireSlayer

Sounds like your typical Aussie urban street then!

bridie

We only have neighbours on one side (vacant plot the other).

They are a couple slightly younger than us (we are mid-30s)

He is hot

Pomster

ours are nice but can be colourful....
Greek on one side. Hubby is lovely, but think his wife has mental health issues and shrieks (in Greek) at him constantly.
Croatian on the other side who are elderly and speak about 10 words of English, so we have never had a deep conversation.

At the back are a lovely Aussie/Canadian couple who are good neighbours.

gobbyjock

When we were in our rental we had great Aussie neighbours, who Im still in touch with. (though the guy 2 doors up did like to hold parties whenever his dad was away on holiday). Hre in our own house we have Poms on one side with a dog that starts howling at 6.30 am when they leave the house, on the other we have a young Ausssie couple (she is called Kylie!) with a little baby - very friendly and no problems. The rest of the street is usually just a wave or nod in the mornings.

Nu-Shooz

Both my neighbours are Australian and both are ignorant. They don't let on at all, never have. I used to chat all day to my neighbours in UK so i feel rather foolish when i try to let on to them. They just look straight through me.

Past caring now, stuff em.

chrispy

Seems like we may be bucking the trend.. we have great neighbours both sides though one lot are sort of Welsh but have been here 20 years, they invited us to their family Christmas dinner and gave us presents!!!
The other side are true Aussies and are also really nice, they have invited us round for Pizzas and i often have a chat. The ones eitehr side of these are a bit iffy though, one wears a pink towel to collect his post sometimes and hardley ever acknowledges me, the other set a fire in the middle of summer in his garden (we are in bush blocks)...

So can't say i have noticed any difference as we had good neighbours in the uk. One thing i do notice is that Aussies talk more to you when you are out and about..

steve`o

down here in on gold coast things couldnt be better
we know everyone in the street, admitidly there are only 12 houses
and ones empty but on the 16th dec out immediate next door nighbours held a chrissi BBQ n drinkies and all 11 families turned out and had a great time

back in the uk we knew perhaps 4 or 5 of our nieghbours but only evey really socialised with one couple

perhaps its because i`m trying harder out here i dont really know but whatever it is it bloody good

regards steve

rjs

We have fantastic Aussie neighbours either side ,have been here 10 months & so far they have taken us on holiday,out for meals ,barbies ,babysat & had us over for christmas day ,one side and had us over christmas eve ,for parties & babysat the other side and a welcome to the street party.
The whole street are great and in my more drunken moments have demanded that none of them ever move

Wendy

My last UK neighbours - Father was a Council member (you know the type, guy with a beard looked like a uni professor from the 'open University', Mother owned a birthing pool and was very 'new age', they had a lot of kids (can't remember how many, but they had two 4x4's ) - their house looked like it needed fumigating and their kids were always playing outside our house.

On the other side, couldn't tell you as I never met them. It was a middle aged couple though.

Here, on one side I have a woman, she's about 50ish. She lives on her own and is obsessed with keeping her house and garden clean. She has on occasion thrown rubbish over our fence, but doesn't do it anymore as my OH told her he'd kill her if she did

The other side I have a family of 'bikers', really lovely people and we never hear a peep out of them. Do see them in the pub occasionally though.