3 go mad in Adelaide

D'ya know what? it's been lovely weather recently, school hols aswell so me and Rubes have been getting out and about a bit.

So where the bleedin' hell is everybody else? I walk down our street most days without seeing another soul! The other day we were walking home and I thought 'Have I just missed the 4 minute warning?' It can feel a bit disconcerting at times.

I know England is crowded, but I really miss the hustle and bustle - never thought I'd say that!

Ooops, really should've put this in 'The Rovers'!

Charlie Paynter

Do not EVER complain about the wide open spaces in Aus or that you 'miss' the crowds in the UK. I have just come back from a shopping trip with the the other half (Leicester City), and god, if there was ever a time I wished I was back down under is now!

Took 35mins to get into the multi storey car park, and when we hit the centre, you would have thought that it was Christmas eve!

Please do not kid yourself, the hustle and bustle is not very pleasant in this little old island - and still it is being populated by New Labour!

3 go mad in Adelaide

Hi mpg - are you visiting England or waiting to move? If it's the latter, you'd be surprised at the things you miss! Please also don't tell people not to complain in this area - it's what it's for! I happen to live in a very pretty street with beautiful views - but for me this place feels 'souless'. I am entitled to this opinion and once you get here, you may feel very different about things in the UK (or you may not and be a lover of all things Australia - I hope so)

I actually didn't think I was complaining anyway - just making an observation. Don't worry, you won't find queues to get into the shops over here - they're crap!

BTW - I'm from Northampton - just down the road from you!

Pollyana

I'll move it

Charlie Paynter

Don't take it personally about not complaining (I do enough of it!) What I meant is, appreciate what you have and remember what the hustle and bustle really is like in the UK!

I returned from living Auckland in 2001 (although I have had a couple of visits back since). I also worked in Sydney and so I am quite qualified in giving people advice through my own experiences, whether it is emigrating down under or returning back to the UK. But in a nutshell, the only reason why I decided to return to the UK was £££! Take money away from the equation and it is a no brainer to have remained in Australisia. I think the 2 biggest issues for new migrants to both Aus and NZ is salary v living expenses and missing F&Fs.

By the way, Northampton is just down the road from me! Best wishes.

quoll

I know what you mean 3! Wide open spaces or GAFA/GABA? (Great Australian F***/Bu**er All - depending on who is talking) - boring as batshit after a while. No buzz in the cities, not even Sydney although Darling Harbour has a bit of it and I suppose the Melbournians will claim the South Bank has a buzz (dont see it myself). I too miss the feel of a High St rather than the sterile malls we have masquerading as shopping centres here (how many times can you see the same shops in different places with very little variety and individuality I wonder?).

Soul-less is definitely the best descriptor!

Merseygirl

I know exactly what you mean. I remember arriving in suburban Adelaide many years ago and thinking "Where are people?" Where is the life? The only time you saw anyone was when they were driving past in their cars to go from their homes to the shopping mall - but there was no one walking along the streets. It all seemed (and still does seem) quite sterile and soulless. This is one of the reasons that I am glad that I work in the city as at least you do get to see a bit more action (although its still not a buzz). Yes I know that parts of the UK can be ridiculously busy but its people that give a place character and soul and a sense of community, something which is sadly lacking in a lot of Australia's suburban sprawl.

Fleaflyfloflum

I am married to a New Zealander, lived in Auckland and also lived in Adelaide and now Sydney. I disagree with you.
Both my husband and i cannot wait to get back to UK. Not just for family and certainly not for money, but for the vibe of England itself. Quoll is right, boring as batshit sums it all up for us.
Husband was only saying last night, he felt dead in his own country, dead in Australia and cannot wait to get back to UK to feel he is alive again, and that coming from a kiwi!

Nu-Shooz

Where i live it is like a ghost town everyday, i find it depressing.
I like to see people, talk to them, socialise etc...but no-one wants to know where i am.
Maybe i chose the wrong area, but i am used to hustle and bustle and prefer that anyday to peace and quiet. I am still bored out of my brains 2 half years later. My brain can't take it anymore

islandergirl

My parents used to refer to the suburb we lived in Adelaide as "Salem's Lot".

Nu-Shooz

LOL, i remember that programme, weird! Abit like where i live too

backagen

I certainly don't miss any hustle and bustle at all. To me that's a really bad thing.

I enjoy peace and quiet and not having to queue everywhere and easy flowing traffic.

I would never, ever shop in a "high street" if I could avoid it for the simple reason that malls are far nicer and far more convenience, and have a much better range of much better quality shops.

To me the crowds and the disorganised town centres and the heavy traffic are some of the things I certainly DON'T miss about UK.

Having said that Britain has some wonderful malls (and more being built all the time) that put a most Australian ones to shame. Depending on whereabouts you live, there are also plenty of lovely peaceful places in UK.

Tr1boy

I've just returned to Oz from a trip to the Uk (boo ) and I doubt any man does more clothes shopping than me Yes there were crowds, but no more really than there used to be. I went all over the SW and SE and met one lady from Lithuania and saw one Polish registered car on the motorway and that was it! i read an interesting article in TIME on the way over re the mass exodus of Polish people from britain. strangely I didn't read about it in the Daily Fail.

if you want to throw 'qualifications' around I've lived in Bristol, San Fran and Bogota, spent extended time in seoul and i've never felt so crowded as I do in Sydney. i think it's to do with epi-centre nature of australian cities that there is nowhere for the poulation to escape to. Wide open spaces are meaningless if the populace is not there. in Oz you have feast or famine, too crowded or deserted.

meljor

Know what you mean, if I am ever unfortunate to catch the beginning or end of Neighbors I always smile at the irony of the theme tune's lyrics, never see my neighbors wouldn't know them from Adam!

deborahjane

Know what you mean. I have lived here 5 years but have only just learnt to drive and pass my test. Used to walking everywhere with my children and in all the 5 years don't think we ever have seen anyone else walking on the pavements!

Not many children walk to school and nobody really uses the bus service around here.

We never knew or got to see neighbours as they drove straight in to their garage. Wouldn't even know them if we passed them.