fish.01

Why not? Lots of georgian terrace in sydney...most British immigrants seem to want to move to large new estates in outer suburbs so character homes never seem to be shown on these shows. It's a pity as we have so many nice character homes but they just concentrate on new stuff with swimming pools.

dunroving

... the lesser-known cousin of Jenson Button.

sallysimmons

I know, I was kidding ;-)

I couldn't live in the kind of places he was showing people, but he sure was making it sound as though Australian life is paradise and England sucks. Boo hiss, Phil!

sallysimmons

LOVE his show! He shows people who are building their own homes from scratch. I have absolutely no DIY skills but he inspired me - the other day I plugged a hole in the wall with pollyfilla (sp?) and painted it!

Be sure to tell him how much he has inspired me

fish.01

...not too new for a Georgian terrace.....plenty of them.

beachgal21

I've watched 2 episodes of this program and I do enjoy it. But I agree with you Sally, he does seem to paint a very rosy picture. I've never been to Australia so my opinions are based on what I've seen on tv and what I've read on these forums. I read about the very high cost of living, having to deal with lots of flies, spiders etc and that it can be very difficult to make good friends amongst Australians. Yet you never hear mention of anything like this during his program, so it seems a very unbalanced view. Maybe his program is secretly funded by the Australian Government in an effort to 'cherry pick' professionals from the UK

fish.01

Probably because you can read the total opposite of these views on the forums as well....talking about 'cherry picking'...unless MBTTUK is the only stuff you read

sallysimmons

OK, who wants to be me? Off to 'A Salt and Battery' for fish and chips at lunchtime.

Better have salad for dinner tonight to make up for this.

I think it's a real problem to pretend Shangri-La exists anywhere, but the image presented of Australia on that show is of paradise. I've moved around a lot and I know one thing about paradise - it doesn't exist. If people leave what the perceive to be a dreary life because they imagine nothing but sun, sand and surf, I think they could find themselves very unhappy when reality sinks in.

beachgal21

Oh shut up

fish.01

A few people on another thread were commenting that one of these shows (can't remember which one) was a lot more realistic in their latest season. Obviously sounds like it wasn't this one.

Since the pound has dropped so much Australia is out of reach for a lot of Brits at the moment and they should reflect this on the shows.

islandwoman120

I sure will do that, Miss Sallysimmons. At least you didn't use toothpaste like we did in college dorm days! LOL

beachgal21

That's probably 'Wanted Down Under', I've seen that several times and yes it does seem more realistic. The last couple I've seen have shown how difficult it can be to find work there and also how much more expensive the cost of living is now the exchange rate isn't as favorable.

dunroving

I did catch an episode a week ago (I don't usually watch it, I ws just checking the channels after setting up my new Humax receiver), in which the couple realised that houses were way above their budget (he was a bricklayer, I think).

I didn't get the chance to watch it until the end, but I remember thinking, "Don't do it!" The wife was really worried about leaving family, but the husband wanted to start a new life that would give his kids more opportunities. It just seemed like if they moved to Australia it would be a recipe for disaster.

[Edit: the prog was "Wanted Down Under", not "Phil gets the Chance to Visit his Wife's Country at the TV Company's Expense", or whatever the correct name is]

beachgal21

I think they still voted for Australia in the end. In fact thats something that amazes me about about the people in the this show, that even after seeing how badly off they could be, they still opt to up-sticks and go.

dunroving

I'm really surprised - I bet there were tears at the airport. I really hope it works out for them, but I just can't see it.