Originally Posted by tictac

-Dark nights all year round & lack of activity after dark - we spend more time indoors now than we did in the UK! What is it with the Aussie hermits?

Originally Posted by ezzie

No point moving interstate...it's all more of the bloody same!

Woke up this morning determined to 'try a new tack'. Went to a different church with family. They actually had parking spaces for those new to the church...how desperate is that? We went in, no one spoke to us. The 'band' (fairly woeful, attempting to look cool ... or like Roy Orbison anyhow) played 3 'hymns' which all sounded the same and were impossible to sing in the same key for longer than 3 bars. Then the Pastor invited everyone to greet each other, at which point everyone vaguely looked around, greeted only those they knew and then collapsed under the strain of having to be friendly for more than 10 seconds. This was followed by more dirgey songs, me falling asleep, then coffee and bickies with the congregation where everyone only spoke to those they knew.

Now we're a really friendly family....but I think I give up. Someone please tell me it's not like this in England now. We're been here in Sydney so long I'm terrified we'll go back to the UK and everyone there has forgotten how to make new friendships too.

Originally Posted by isleofmanmike

Hi Ezzie
I attend a small Elim church on the Isle of Man and I can assure you that if you visited us on a sunday morning that you would be made to feel most welcome, you would not be ignored......and there would be plenty of people willing to have a chat with you....

Originally Posted by saveme

I've noticed a few people complaining about lack of evening activity out of doors in OZ.

Yesterday evening I took advantage of the first really nice day of spring and went for a bike ride to Hythe, Dibden Purlieu, then over the forest to Beaulieu and back to Marchwood.

Apart from a few people at Hythe Marina to watch the cruise ship Aurora depart there and around the pubs and 7-11's I hardly saw a soul.

I discussed the bluebells with a lady walking her dog, passed a couple of joggers, spoke to a couple strolling by the lake in Beaulieu and that was it. There weren't even many cars on the road which is how most people see the New Forest.

I don't think Anglo-Saxons 'do' outdoor living. Brits, like their Aussie counterparts are all indoors watching the TV, and when they do go out they take to their cars (30 million plus.)

Originally Posted by ezzie

Mike...are you still trying to get everyone to emigrate to the Isle of Man?
Don't worry, haven't forgotten all you've said, and we may be there yet to try out that lovely new hospital! Now I've got the church to drop in on too!

Originally Posted by Mike_Dawson1234

Not so true my friend, the Brits do go outdoors, you would be amazed just how much of England is still green pastures and meadows , places to walk along with your dog without taking a machete with you to chop down the bush.
The trouble with Oz is the fact that you can't just drop into your local village pub for a pint or two on the way home.
I miss the old place, even with it's problems...nowhere is perfect but in England you can find yourself again.

Originally Posted by Mike_Dawson1234

Not so true my friend, the Brits do go outdoors, you would be amazed just how much of England is still green pastures and meadows , places to walk along with your dog without taking a machete with you to chop down the bush.
The trouble with Oz is the fact that you can't just drop into your local village pub for a pint or two on the way home.
I miss the old place, even with it's problems...nowhere is perfect but in England you can find yourself again.

Originally Posted by Pollyana

No, not everything of course, and I'm sure its not limited to Aus, but there is an accepted culture here of backhanders, under-the-table deals etc. People will say they know it goes on, but they just let it continue and never do anything about it.

QUOTE]

If someone tells me that the Aussies are poor drivers I have no problem accepting that because you have only to look at the road toll to confirm it.

But in eighteen years living in Sydney I never once was asked for a backhander.

I continue to use a real estate agent to manage my property in Sydney - they charge only 5 per cent too when all estate agents in England quote me at least 10 per cent if I want to rent my home here. My accountant probably robs me of enough without asking for backhanders.

Australian law pretty well follows British law, as does government so I don't even know where the extra opportunities for graft and corruption occur.

Originally Posted by saveme

Just because you havent seen something doesnt mean it is not prevalent! I have seen corruption first hand on at least 4 occasions in the last 6mths, and it is a well known fact that aussies do business "under the table" so to speak.
Corruption is not just about backhanders either it comes in many forms.

But try telling those people in Sydney whose landscape has been ruined by corrupt council planners taking bribes from developers to build souless concrete monstrosities over the years tearing apart the citys history.
I had a conversation about this very subject with some aussie colleagues at work a couple of weeks ago after that thread i did on it in here.
Not one of them denied it!!! In fact i got a whole catalogue of corrutpion stories from each of them.

It IS prevalent saveme and it disgusts me.

Originally Posted by saveme

Just because you havent seen something doesnt mean it is not prevalent! I have seen corruption first hand on at least 4 occasions in the last 6mths, and it is a well known fact that aussies do business "under the table" so to speak.
Corruption is not just about backhanders either it comes in many forms.

But try telling those people in Sydney whose landscape has been ruined by corrupt council planners taking bribes from developers to build souless concrete monstrosities over the years tearing apart the citys history.
I had a conversation about this very subject with some aussie colleagues at work a couple of weeks ago after that thread i did on it in here.
Not one of them denied it!!! In fact i got a whole catalogue of corrutpion stories from each of them.

It IS prevalent saveme and it disgusts me.

Originally Posted by tictac

Not particularly missing family or 'friends' in the UK but can't see us staying here (Brisbane) indefinitely. Starting to think about heading back once/if we decide to go for citizenship

Reasons (in no specific order):

-Dark nights all year round & lack of activity after dark - we spend more time indoors now than we did in the UK! What is it with the Aussie hermits?

-The Media - cheesy at best but looks great on a 60" plasma

-Lack of sophistication/culture/class - lost your shoes mate? Love those white-framed sunnies <inserts w anker gif>

-Lack of culture - hotels - say no more. Southbank?

-The wannabee American mentality - talking, spelling, TV :curse:

-*My* inability to relate to the Aussie rules/rugby culture and having no appreciation for Australian sporting legends

-Fozzies (fake ozzies) - poms who have been here 5 minutes and all of a sudden are ending their sentences in a raised-tone fashion and parading around Dan Murphy's in thongs and boardies before going home to settle down for their nightly episode of 'The Biggest Loser' or 'Big Brother' or who have suddenly become Bronco's/Lions season ticket holders and enthuse about the joys of sport despite never having attended as much as a school relay race in the UK and not knowing the tune to Match of The Day

-The eyesore of the urban environment - graffiti, cables. 5hithole as Liam Gallagher would say, but looks better with the sun on it

-Cowboy mentality - and that's just the police

-*My* belief that the whole country is corrupt from top to bottom - law and order is a sham and everybody is on the make - out of you!!

-Lack of road safety - we were nearly ploughed into by a RACQ car last night as it took a bend on 2 wheels

-Complete lack of faith and distrust of anyone in a position of power be it government, work or school

-Constant suspicion that you are being ripped off - tax, tax, tax.

-Feeling as though you have to be 'on guard' all the time

-Lack of variety in anything apart from fast food

-Being able to jump on a plane and experience a different way of life and being able to 'get away from it' for a while. I crave the greenery and freshness of The Lake District and the differing cultures within Europe - all an hour or two's drive/flight from our former home in the UK.

-Despite being fortunate enough to have (what some people would class as) an extremely generous income, home ownership and the possible need to have a fairly large mortgage (on what I class as overpriced property) is a constant source of worry and soul searching. It's hard, for the first time in my life, having to contemplate the thought of not owing one's home in order to 'live the Aussie Dream'. My end goal changes daily.

-Obsession with money and financial worth - we came here to get away from that (see above)

-Hidden costs of everything - You can have the simple life but it's gonna cost 'ya somewhere along the line.

-Living in a 'City' populated with country bumpkins

-Feeling trapped in a place where, for some reason, development and progression are crippled

-Brisbane (Bligh) - bigging up Brisbane and making out it's a rival to places like NYC, London etc when in reality, it's soooo behind the times in countless ways


There are many, many things I like about Brisbane and Australia but the things above, however trivial they may seem to others, *I've learned* are the things that matter to me

Originally Posted by tictac

Don't get me wrong. I'm not the sort of bloke who spends the day whinging about this, that and the other and waxing lyrical about the UK - these are just my observations.

There are some days, most in fact, where I'm happy to be where I am and try to take the positives out of the good things that are available to me and my family:

- weekend walks with the dog on the beach
- watching the lad play and getting involved with his cricket and football teams
- playing backyard cricket
- watching the birds (feathered variety and the other sort
- all the other things that the wonderful climate allows us to do which would not be available to us in the UK
- the simple, uncomplicated (if slightly anal) Australian ways
- warm evenings at the Suncorp watching the Roar with a beer, hot days watching the test match at the GABBA with a few more beers, and lively evenings in our corporate box at the Suncorp watching the Broncos (saveme - take note )

My gripes listed in my previous post are more about the things which have come as a shock to me and things which years of planning did not prepare us for.

There is no amount of planning or any computer program which will provide you with the answer as to whether or not you will adapt to Aussie life. It's very much a case of suck it and see in a lot of respects.

We envisaged work playing second fiddle to an outdoor life of adventure, social gatherings and exercise. In reality our life has become more about work and less about the fun stuff apart from at the weekend. I'm going to take up golf (driving range) and join the local gym as a means of filling the void which comes with weekday evenings in the belief that it will provide a worthwhile alternative to reality tv, coffee club and the 'puter.

Our plan over the next few months will be to decide whether Australia, given the reality of the situation, will provide us with the lifestyle outcomes we want in the long term, together with freedom (to travel) and the option to own our own home without being financially crippled by a huge mortgage.

If we decide we can't have/do these things here, then we'll do what's right for the kids and seek to obtain citizenship before going home satisfied that we did and made the best of the opportunity we were given. There will be no sense of 'failure' on our part just like there would be no sense of failure if we went to Benidorm for a fortnight's holiday, decided it was crap, and came home pledging that we had no desire to return.

Moving interstate would be an option if we weren't so weary. In the words of Celine Dion - "I've got nothing left"

Cheers

Originally Posted by WelshRanger

Far away (only 24 hours doesn’t seem a lot but when combined with jet lag and cost it’s more than you anticipate).
Climate can be very harsh, heat can be overbearing, both dry heat (Adelaide) and humid (Brissie)
Some Aussies have extreme dislike of ‘Poms’.
People don’t tend to walk anywhere
Drive though off licences
Once out of city suburbs feeling of being cut off and isolated, only sparse small villages and towns lie between the cities
Lack of places to go once you have seen the sights and been to the local places umpteen times there’s nowhere else to go. You have to travel interstate, which means you have to drive long distance with overnight stops or fly which is expensive with a family.
4 weeks holiday as standard
Mossies (especially in SA), Redbacks, Huntsmen, snakes. Jellyfish, blue ringed octopus etc. etc
Pokies (gaming machines)
Pubs??!!
Chocolate – even Cadburys
Have to pay to see Doctor and Dentist, Medicare only meets some of the payment you have to make up the difference.
School fees, you have to pay these whether you’re working or not can be expensive if you’ve got 3 kids (doesn’t apply in all states)
Interstate rivalry
Lack of choice in supermarkets
You might have to re-qualify even though your qualifications are recognised to emigrate, amazingly it doesn’t mean that they are recognised for you to work there e.g electricians have to re-sit exams and qualify before they can work fully, even if they are fully time served and have full UK quals, applies to other occupations too e.g mental health nurses
No light evenings
Poor TV, more and more advert breaks as the evening goes on
Rental houses can be scruffy no heating/aircon (you need heating in most cities other than Darwin and Brissie, it does get cold in Aus!)
Stobie poles
Salaries relatively low and cost of living no longer cheap
Property auctions
Cars mainly Holden (Vauxhall) or Mitsubishi
Distances, timezones
Graffiti
Feeling of having to be on your guard all the time – can’t believe what you’re told
Disdain for Aborigines
Politicians, Police
Compulsory to vote
Hook turns (Melbourne)

Plus, plus, plus......