Originally Posted by Mogwai

I moved over last may to work in Newcastle NSW on a sponsored visa (457). I came with a good job to start with and so I had none of the work problems encountered by others on this site.
The first 6 months were fine, I had a new circle of friends an australian g/f and work was going well but little things were niggling me and they soon grew into larger things that bothered me. I'll list the main ones:

Poor music and music scene. I'm a musician and a music fanatic so the lack of a decent music scene and tours was a big thing.

I'm not a TV fanatic but the TV has to rank among the worst I've ever seen. Barring a few exceptions the Ozzies struggle to make any good homegrown comedy/drama etc etc. The radio is awful too. I have to listen to the commercial stations at work all day and all I can say is: Australia there are other bands than The Chilli Peppers, Nickleback and Coldplay. Also I've heard the "new" Pink song 1 million times in the last 6 months therefore it's no longer new Mr Brainless DJ.

There are about 3 or 4 nice buildings in the whole of Newcastle and the rest is forgettable blandsville. Yes it's a new country and I'm not taking a pop at them on this one, I'm just saying what bothered me about the place.

Fashion? Boardies and T shirts and maybe chuck a pair of jeans on if you're going out. The clothes shopping is poor and Sydney is nothing to shout about either shopping wise considering it's supposed to be one of the worlds great cities.

Beer: There's a few good brews to be had (Coopers, James Squire, Little Creatures) but the majority of the rest (VB, Crown, Tooheys, XXXX, Carlton Draught etc etc) are bland, characterless toss. I had to laugh at a Bogan trying to chat up a German girl in a bar the other day: He was drinking VB and claimed that Oz had better beers than her home country .

Weather: Yes I like warm weather and heat doesn't bother me too much but I found myself hankering for a palpable change in seasons rather than just sun everyday and maybe a torrent of rain everynow and again. Sounds crazy but I like the strange winter light you get on clear days in Europe and the feeling you get when you go into a warm house from the cold.

Anti english press: Yes we get the idea: We: old colonial overlords, You: Aussie battlers who manage to beat us at most sports simply because we give less of a shit about them than you who use them as a substitute for lack of culture. Some papers are worse than others. The editor of The Daily Telegraph deserves a good kicking for all the aniti english bile he's printed during this ashes series.

Australia is the best country in the world. This is apparently true according to a workmate of mine. Once I'd finished listing the myriad faults of his beloved homeland he obviously labeled me a pommy whinger but my point was simple: Australia has faults and that most Aussies are so caught in their "True blue battler" crap that they deny all the minus points.

--------------------------

I move back in 20 days and yes I'm looking forward to it but I don't view England with rose tinted specs. There are as many problems if not more than Oz there, but I'll return with a much greater awareness of what I appreciated about it in the first place.

Originally Posted by Eric Hitchmo

Australians slag off the UK all the time when they are in Aus. They consider insulting us as part and parcel of being an Australian, (a "time honoured tradition" as I heard it called in their media more than once), but as arkon says, give them anything back and they start crying. If you have the slighest sense of pride, and your not prepared to doff your cap to them, disown your background and tell them how crap the UK is and how great they are, you'll find it gets on your nerves pretty quickly.

Originally Posted by ShozInOz

These are all fairly accurate points. Though for me you miss some more important ones, but that is from a different perspective. Newcastle really is the pits, and so are most regional towns IMO. There is only one city in Australia that we would consider moving back to: Sydney. (OK, and maybe Melbourne at a stretch.) It is a long way away just for that city. The rest of Aus we can easily do without. That is the dilemma for us: do we return for a few square miles and the weather? With a family it is different. From a 20something person's perspective, Europe is the place to be.

Originally Posted by Danny B

If an Australian ever slagged the UK off if in front of a Brit here in Britain, are you trying to tell me that the Brit wouldn't get upset? of course they would.

Originally Posted by Mrs Best

Shoz - Melbourne's ok. No, it's not home - but there is stuff to keep you occupied for.....at least a year or maybe even two - at a stretch!!

Originally Posted by Eric Hitchmo

Australians slag off the UK all the time when they are in Aus. They consider insulting us as part and parcel of being an Australian, (a "time honoured tradition" as I heard it called in their media more than once), but as arkon says, give them anything back and they start crying. If you have the slighest sense of pride, and your not prepared to doff your cap to them, disown your background and tell them how crap the UK is and how great they are, you'll find it gets on your nerves pretty quickly.

Originally Posted by seasprite

Good post and interesting perspective...those days seem so long ago now I am 37 and brain diminished with 2 small boys! However I agree wholeheartedly.Oddly enough my husband and I were discussing who Aus is best for (emigree wise). We both thought young, starting out in life, but actually it is so barren here and wages so poor that it is probably one of the least enjoyable places to emigrate to whilst still in the bloom of youth. Will you be going back to your "old" life? Happy landings.

Originally Posted by Lord Pom Percy

l don't know how you can compare OZ to South Africa, SA is a crime ridden semi-third world hell hole while OZ has been declared the second best country in the world to live in behind France. You should visit OZ and not judge it just by what the OZ - bashers on this forum say.

Originally Posted by Eric Hitchmo

Australians slag off the UK all the time when they are in Aus. They consider insulting us as part and parcel of being an Australian, (a "time honoured tradition" as I heard it called in their media more than once), but as arkon says, give them anything back and they start crying. If you have the slighest sense of pride, and your not prepared to doff your cap to them, disown your background and tell them how crap the UK is and how great they are, you'll find it gets on your nerves pretty quickly.

Originally Posted by Mogwai

I moved over last may to work in Newcastle NSW on a sponsored visa (457). I came with a good job to start with and so I had none of the work problems encountered by others on this site.
The first 6 months were fine, I had a new circle of friends an australian g/f and work was going well but little things were niggling me and they soon grew into larger things that bothered me. I'll list the main ones:

Poor music and music scene. I'm a musician and a music fanatic so the lack of a decent music scene and tours was a big thing.

I'm not a TV fanatic but the TV has to rank among the worst I've ever seen. Barring a few exceptions the Ozzies struggle to make any good homegrown comedy/drama etc etc. The radio is awful too. I have to listen to the commercial stations at work all day and all I can say is: Australia there are other bands than The Chilli Peppers, Nickleback and Coldplay. Also I've heard the "new" Pink song 1 million times in the last 6 months therefore it's no longer new Mr Brainless DJ.

There are about 3 or 4 nice buildings in the whole of Newcastle and the rest is forgettable blandsville. Yes it's a new country and I'm not taking a pop at them on this one, I'm just saying what bothered me about the place.

Fashion? Boardies and T shirts and maybe chuck a pair of jeans on if you're going out. The clothes shopping is poor and Sydney is nothing to shout about either shopping wise considering it's supposed to be one of the worlds great cities.

Beer: There's a few good brews to be had (Coopers, James Squire, Little Creatures) but the majority of the rest (VB, Crown, Tooheys, XXXX, Carlton Draught etc etc) are bland, characterless toss. I had to laugh at a Bogan trying to chat up a German girl in a bar the other day: He was drinking VB and claimed that Oz had better beers than her home country .

Weather: Yes I like warm weather and heat doesn't bother me too much but I found myself hankering for a palpable change in seasons rather than just sun everyday and maybe a torrent of rain everynow and again. Sounds crazy but I like the strange winter light you get on clear days in Europe and the feeling you get when you go into a warm house from the cold.

Anti english press: Yes we get the idea: We: old colonial overlords, You: Aussie battlers who manage to beat us at most sports simply because we give less of a shit about them than you who use them as a substitute for lack of culture. Some papers are worse than others. The editor of The Daily Telegraph deserves a good kicking for all the aniti english bile he's printed during this ashes series.

Australia is the best country in the world. This is apparently true according to a workmate of mine. Once I'd finished listing the myriad faults of his beloved homeland he obviously labeled me a pommy whinger but my point was simple: Australia has faults and that most Aussies are so caught in their "True blue battler" crap that they deny all the minus points.

--------------------------

I move back in 20 days and yes I'm looking forward to it but I don't view England with rose tinted specs. There are as many problems if not more than Oz there, but I'll return with a much greater awareness of what I appreciated about it in the first place.

Originally Posted by fishfinger

Why do people come on here aggravating? I just don't get it? This is the moving back to the UK forum and the OP is doing just that.

Why is it then that people who have nothing to do with moving BACK to the UK come on here just to pick holes in their reasons - what is the point?

Originally Posted by Mogwai

No but I know exactly who you're talking about. A guy I work with is a left wing hippy who has a CD of snippets where Alan Jones gets his arse handed to him by well reasoned intelligent callers.

Originally Posted by Lord Pom Percy

l don't know how you can compare OZ to South Africa, SA is a crime ridden semi-third world hell hole while OZ has been declared the second best country in the world to live in behind France. You should visit OZ and not judge it just by what the OZ - bashers on this forum say.

Originally Posted by Lord Pom Percy

l don't know how you can compare OZ to South Africa, SA is a crime ridden semi-third world hell hole while OZ has been declared the second best country in the world to live in behind France. You should visit OZ and not judge it just by what the OZ - bashers on this forum say.

Originally Posted by arkon

Like this place isn't crime ridden. Ok not on the scale of SA but here where I am it ain't too good. Last week the wife had her swimming costume $80 knicked from the gym while she was in the shower. The day before some friends has ALL their clothes knicked off the line. Same day 2 burglaries down the road and the police got a description (An male aboriginal on a red bike!)
That was just last week in my small area with a tiny population. Oh and that doesn't count the fire that has been raging for over a week at Harrington, police suspect arson. (It's still burning now and quite a few koalas have been killed)