Why do you want to move to Australia?

[siscar]

GilbertGrape said:

siscar said:

These threads are always good for a laugh, but the reality is that most first world countries have their pluses and minuses. What makes it even better is that the pluses and minuses are different for different people.

Take climate - I am one of the silent many that actually quite likes the English climate. It rarely gets too hot, rarely gets really cold, a fair amount of rain but that gives us a lot of greenery. So for me climate is a reason to live here and not Australia, but if you like it hot then you will prefer Australia.

So all of this one country is better than another stuff is just rubbish. Everywhere is different, everyone will have somewhere that suits them better than others but it fortunately it isn't the same place for everyone.

Australians have all the greenery they could ever want, and just a short, inexpensive, 3.5 hours flight away.

Not sure if that was intentionally funny but it sums up this sort of debate.

[siscar]

GilbertGrape said:

Everything in Europe is closer to the UK, we get it. Everything that is better though?

I've been to Disneyland....The REAL Disneyland in California, not the McDisneyland in Europe.

And I flew from NZ. Everything is within reach of Aus and NZ.

again

You do realise that Los Angeles is over a thousand miles closer to London than it is to Auckland don't you?

Of course everything is in reach if you count sitting on planes for 8 hours or more as being in reach.

BTW I've been to Disneyland in California, it's the oldest and worst of them all.

[GilbertGrape]

siscar said:

GilbertGrape said:

Everything in Europe is closer to the UK, we get it. Everything that is better though?

I've been to Disneyland....The REAL Disneyland in California, not the McDisneyland in Europe.

And I flew from NZ. Everything is within reach of Aus and NZ.

again

You do realise that Los Angeles is over a thousand miles closer to London than it is to Auckland don't you?

Of course everything is in reach if you count sitting on planes for 8 hours or more as being in reach.

BTW I've been to Disneyland in California, it's the oldest and worst of them all.

Interesting humour you have there.

That flight isn't as bad as you might think. No where near as long as the flight that so many Brits are taking as they move down here.

So, California has the oldest Disneyland huh...that would be a bonus for many Brits so passionate about old stuff.

[thehawk]

siscar said:

BTW I've been to Disneyland in California, it's the oldest and worst of them all.

No way, I've been to Hong Kong, Paris and LA. LA is by far the best. May be the oldest but it is maintained to an extremely high standard. HK is very small, really suitable for small kids only and the Paris one is a bit of a joke with terrible customer service and horrible food.

[siscar]

GilbertGrape said:

Interesting humour you have there.

That flight isn't as bad as you might think. No where near as long as the flight that so many Brits are taking as they move down here.

So, California has the oldest Disneyland huh...that would be a bonus for many Brits so passionate about old stuff.

I've done Auckland to LA, it's 12-13 hours as opposed to about 11 hours London to LA. The point being that there isn't much of the developed world you can't reach in under 12 hours from London, meanwhile there isn't much you can reach in under 12 hours from Aus/NZ.

Now that isn't a criticism, some people may like that, but it is a fact.

The California Disneyland wasn't great when I went there, but that was a while ago. I think though that the Florida one is rated the best by most people.

[deviant]

Dont forget the many thousands it costs to get on a long haul flight from aus. Thats why so many either holiday within aus or head to asia...for most a trip to the US, UK or Europe is a retirement dream.

[big_rob_sydney]

XB70 said:

I lived in Sydney for 18 years and been here for 4.5 years.

For those who don't know, those suburbs are (almost completely) tips that any sane person would want to leave immediately. I am not going to go into the specifics but anyone from Sydney will know what I am talking about.

Try somewhere average and decent, as in where you would actually like to live and not aspirational Lotto wins, and you are looking at Parramatta, North Rocks, Carlingford...ie, heading northwest - definitely not South West unless you want to live in fear. "Fully sik bruv" and "my cuzzes are gonna come round" - insider reference to Sydney living!

I love living here in the UK - the people are great, I don't feel anywhere near as 'cautious' as I did back in Sydney, there is so much to do, the ability to live a decent life (comparing salaries on what the actual same job provides in both countries, not doing a £ = $ conversion) here is far above back 'home'. Most things are far more affordable than back in Oz.

When I am back visiting family, I look around and think "WTF" when I look at the prices of thing, what you can do and so forth - aside from the (few) major attractions, there is actually not a lot to do. Yes, you can have a 'weekend bbq' out the backyard with your mates over and talk about footy, cricket.....here, I can drive to Bruges for lunch (which I have done).

In Oz, you may want to drive up the coast for the weekend...you have two highways up there, on being a two lane backroad, the other being a 4 lane (2 each way) motorway designed for 150kph travel and which is policed to 110kph by the most draconian police force you will ever find, to get to Nelson's Bay, sit around at the bbq and then back home again. Do that a few times and you ask "is this it?". UK - where would I even begin. There is just so much and, if that is not enough, all of Europe on the doorstep and the United States 7 hours and £299 quid away!

Just on the police, I will say that there is no way the abuse that is handed out to police here would be tolerated back home. It would be a very very stupid individual who thought he could sqaure up to a cop, spit and abuse them and think that he would be getting off easy. I digress.

Overall, having lived in both countries, I don't want to ever go back - my wife gets homesick but I dread the thought of ever going back.

It is great for a holiday but that is about it.

• wanders off to look at £10,000 ($AU23,0000) Maserati 3200GT's for a blast to Germany* yep, it sux here ;-)

Mate, I never said those suburbs were supposed to be Vaucluse (or Chelsea for a similar UK type suburb). They were simply there to say that you can get a home in Sydney for far less than the prices he was quoting. This is a fact.

Are they "dodgy" suburbs? Some of them are, for sure. So? You dont think there are dodgy parts of London? Of Leeds?

Moving on...

Agree with the police and roads comments (big country, harsh treatment, etc).

Agree cars are much cheaper here in the UK.

Agree with the travel options here in the UK.

But something I find strange about a few OTHER posters here, you guys get hung up on the age of things. Someone mentioned "if I had a spare weekend"... this doesnt automatically translate to "I want to go and look at old buildings. If *I* had a spare weekend, there are loads of other things I could do.

In a sense this almost defines it. By looking backwards, you guys are looking at past, faded, glories. When *I* look back, what I see are many suburban streets that are barely wide enough for one car, garages that arent garages at all, rather sheds, many houses dont even have garages because they were built so long ago, forcing people to park on the streets, making traffic even worse.

In short, there are tons of historical things in the UK that impact negatively on TODAY, and the future.

Its just a perspective.

FWIW, I dont feel anything for either the UK or for Aus these days. Why am I here (UK)? To earn money. Simple. Once I'm done, I'll be heading out ASAP.

And not back to Aus if I can help it, either (wife notwithstanding).

[thehawk]

XB70 said:

I've read a few more of your posts and, with respect, you have not got the faintest idea what you are talking about. I used the above as examples, noting that this is, by and large, a car forum but let's go into details.

House prices - as unaffordable as here
Shopping - more expensive, more limited range
Cars - addressed above - go have a look at www.carsales.com.au and have a browse
Things to do - virtually any country will have fishing, sports, cinemas (citing some of the examples) but I really think you need to pull out a map of Australia - there are a handful of major coastal cities, some inland cities and that is it

It is not a case of 'growing up' which actually a juvenile comment to make, since I would be as happy with my family here, Oz, a mansion in Long Beach or a dump in the desert since my family are the most important thing to me. But as this discussion is more why about someone would want to move from A to B, you are missing the point.

You can do everything back in Oz that you can do in the UK....the thing is that, from the UK perspective, you can do everything you can do in Oz and a mind boggling range more.

So at the end of the working week, having had a shocking time, you decide to get away for a few days, you can pile the kids into car and head off to Gosford or pile them into the car, go under the ocean in 25 mins and be in France en route to Disneyland. For kids in Oz, Disneyland is for the most part, within reach to them as a Veyron is to us.

As for kids/family (since you appear to think I am a car obsessed person who needs to grow up), my children here would most likely be able to learn another language that they can actually use (perhaps at a young age when we bring them to France or Germany or Spain), able to see so many more places, countries, culture, historical monuments etc than back in Oz and, when older, spend an exchange year on the Continent.

Yes, all of this can happen in kids/people in Oz but here is the massive difference....there are far far fewer people who would have access to the funds to be able to do that.

Here in the UK, the end rewards of what you get from a week's work are far beyond what you can get back home.

Don't get me wrong, I spent 18 years of my life in Oz, my parents and siblings are there and will remain so, and it offered me so much......but the UK and Europe just offer so much more.

And yet Ironically you are subjecting your kids to the cruelest treatment imaginable - giving them an English accent

[big_rob_sydney]

thehawk said:

XB70 said:

I've read a few more of your posts and, with respect, you have not got the faintest idea what you are talking about. I used the above as examples, noting that this is, by and large, a car forum but let's go into details.

House prices - as unaffordable as here
Shopping - more expensive, more limited range
Cars - addressed above - go have a look at www.carsales.com.au and have a browse
Things to do - virtually any country will have fishing, sports, cinemas (citing some of the examples) but I really think you need to pull out a map of Australia - there are a handful of major coastal cities, some inland cities and that is it

It is not a case of 'growing up' which actually a juvenile comment to make, since I would be as happy with my family here, Oz, a mansion in Long Beach or a dump in the desert since my family are the most important thing to me. But as this discussion is more why about someone would want to move from A to B, you are missing the point.

You can do everything back in Oz that you can do in the UK....the thing is that, from the UK perspective, you can do everything you can do in Oz and a mind boggling range more.

So at the end of the working week, having had a shocking time, you decide to get away for a few days, you can pile the kids into car and head off to Gosford or pile them into the car, go under the ocean in 25 mins and be in France en route to Disneyland. For kids in Oz, Disneyland is for the most part, within reach to them as a Veyron is to us.

As for kids/family (since you appear to think I am a car obsessed person who needs to grow up), my children here would most likely be able to learn another language that they can actually use (perhaps at a young age when we bring them to France or Germany or Spain), able to see so many more places, countries, culture, historical monuments etc than back in Oz and, when older, spend an exchange year on the Continent.

Yes, all of this can happen in kids/people in Oz but here is the massive difference....there are far far fewer people who would have access to the funds to be able to do that.

Here in the UK, the end rewards of what you get from a week's work are far beyond what you can get back home.

Don't get me wrong, I spent 18 years of my life in Oz, my parents and siblings are there and will remain so, and it offered me so much......but the UK and Europe just offer so much more.

And yet Ironically you are subjecting your kids to the cruelest treatment imaginable - giving them an English accent

I found some of this pretty funny too. XB, you seem to think the only place to learn a foreign language is in Europe? Come on. When I lived in Campsie as a kid, I could learn 50 languages amongst the kids in my primary school.

Do you really think Church Street Parramatta is just Skippy central these days?

And for what you're talking about regarding the proximity of Europe, believe me, there are LOADS of people who never go.

I'm reminded of a classic story here on PH regarding the building of the Chunnel. On being asked why the French got to their point faster and why the Brits were late, the pseudo-funny reply was "Would you be in a hurry to meet the French?"

I know loads of people do go over, but it isnt the be all and end all. Take a quick straw poll in your office, and ask them how many have driven over?

I get it with Ryanair and Easyjet you can get a cheap flight over, but you could just as easily fly from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane.

[thehawk]

big_rob_sydney said:

thehawk said:

XB70 said:

I've read a few more of your posts and, with respect, you have not got the faintest idea what you are talking about. I used the above as examples, noting that this is, by and large, a car forum but let's go into details.

House prices - as unaffordable as here
Shopping - more expensive, more limited range
Cars - addressed above - go have a look at www.carsales.com.au and have a browse
Things to do - virtually any country will have fishing, sports, cinemas (citing some of the examples) but I really think you need to pull out a map of Australia - there are a handful of major coastal cities, some inland cities and that is it

It is not a case of 'growing up' which actually a juvenile comment to make, since I would be as happy with my family here, Oz, a mansion in Long Beach or a dump in the desert since my family are the most important thing to me. But as this discussion is more why about someone would want to move from A to B, you are missing the point.

You can do everything back in Oz that you can do in the UK....the thing is that, from the UK perspective, you can do everything you can do in Oz and a mind boggling range more.

So at the end of the working week, having had a shocking time, you decide to get away for a few days, you can pile the kids into car and head off to Gosford or pile them into the car, go under the ocean in 25 mins and be in France en route to Disneyland. For kids in Oz, Disneyland is for the most part, within reach to them as a Veyron is to us.

As for kids/family (since you appear to think I am a car obsessed person who needs to grow up), my children here would most likely be able to learn another language that they can actually use (perhaps at a young age when we bring them to France or Germany or Spain), able to see so many more places, countries, culture, historical monuments etc than back in Oz and, when older, spend an exchange year on the Continent.

Yes, all of this can happen in kids/people in Oz but here is the massive difference....there are far far fewer people who would have access to the funds to be able to do that.

Here in the UK, the end rewards of what you get from a week's work are far beyond what you can get back home.

Don't get me wrong, I spent 18 years of my life in Oz, my parents and siblings are there and will remain so, and it offered me so much......but the UK and Europe just offer so much more.

And yet Ironically you are subjecting your kids to the cruelest treatment imaginable - giving them an English accent

I found some of this pretty funny too. XB, you seem to think the only place to learn a foreign language is in Europe? Come on. When I lived in Campsie as a kid, I could learn 50 languages amongst the kids in my primary school.

Do you really think Church Street Parramatta is just Skippy central these days?

And for what you're talking about regarding the proximity of Europe, believe me, there are LOADS of people who never go.

I'm reminded of a classic story here on PH regarding the building of the Chunnel. On being asked why the French got to their point faster and why the Brits were late, the pseudo-funny reply was "Would you be in a hurry to meet the French?"

I know loads of people do go over, but it isnt the be all and end all. Take a quick straw poll in your office, and ask them how many have driven over?

I get it with Ryanair and Easyjet you can get a cheap flight over, but you could just as easily fly from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane.

And don't forget, many European languages are practically dead, Mandarin would be much more useful.

[Fiddlemesticks]

thehawk said:

XB70 said:

And yet Ironically you are subjecting your kids to the cruelest treatment imaginable - giving them an English accent

Funny you say that because i dread my 3 year old growing up with an aussie accent. Face it, you can have a rocket scientist with an aussie accent and he would still sound like a dumbass who works with sheep.

[whirligig]

Fiddlemesticks said:

thehawk said:

XB70 said:

And yet Ironically you are subjecting your kids to the cruelest treatment imaginable - giving them an English accent

Funny you say that because i dread my 3 year old growing up with an aussie accent. Face it, you can have a rocket scientist with an aussie accent and he would still sound like a dumbass who works with sheep.

Cruel! .....but you have a point

[cardigankid]

Fiddlemesticks said:

thehawk said:

Fiddlemesticks said:

Swimming
Shopping
Site seeing
Casinos
Pubs
Clubs
Tennis


And Australia only does Casino better than the UK for any of these. So if the weather is either st or too hot in Oz you are pretty much stuffed.

I can say with confidence that Melbourne and Sydney have better swimming, shopping, casinos and tennis.

As for pubs and clubs it's personal taste and the area you live in, although a traditional English pub is something special in itself, but the vast majority of modern day pubs in the UK are characterless stholes with horrible food, which makes them on a par with the average Aussie pub.

Melbourne and Sydney have better Shopping, than what? London, Manchester, Leeds? Are you mental. I've been to all the cities shopping and you're having a laugh. Holy st thats very funny. I suppose if you like shopping at Target and David Jones, then you're right. Paul Smith, Ted Baker, Saville Row, Harrods... hmm. not sure about that.

At least they have tennis and swimming. Get me a plane ticket immediately.....

That turns you on does it? if you want to do all the worldwide brands you will do it better and cheaper in Hong Kong. If you want to find speciality stuff, you will do it a hell of a lot faster and cheaper on the internet than wandering round London. Been in Harrods lately? Flea bitten dump. Anyway, if you do National Trust places, you will tend to find that the most interesting ones are the houses that were done in the last 150 years, like Lutyens and Norman Shaw. Old crumbling ruins built by John of Gaunt, Ayers Rock...is there really that much difference. Its what is going to be built that matters.

Edited by cardigankid on Wednesday 1st October 08:13

[deviant]

I think the point has been slightly lost in what people are saying about old buildings or cars etc...

I assumed that when I moved to Australia most of my hobbies interests and passions would still be there for me or still as affordable but the reality was quite different.

Can any of you imagine giving up nearly all of the things that make you, YOU and then try and find something else to replace them with? It is much much harder than most people think to uproot your life and move to the otherside of the world and you all need to think VERY carefully about what you aim to get from the move and if your life really would be improved.
For me I cant say that life is really that much better than it would be in the UK.

[big_rob_sydney]

deviant said:

I think the point has been slightly lost in what people are saying about old buildings or cars etc...

I assumed that when I moved to Australia most of my hobbies interests and passions would still be there for me or still as affordable but the reality was quite different.

Can any of you imagine giving up nearly all of the things that make you, YOU and then try and find something else to replace them with? It is much much harder than most people think to uproot your life and move to the otherside of the world and you all need to think VERY carefully about what you aim to get from the move and if your life really would be improved.
For me I cant say that life is really that much better than it would be in the UK.

Mate, what some people find attractive, is what they couldnt really do at home, which is now possible (and thats a door that swings both ways, for sure).

I used to love doing track days at Eastern Creek. Moving to the UK, the weather is crap, and I’m just depressed when I look out the window at the constant greyness of the sky, the threat of rain for so much of the year, and the cold. It simply puts me off the idea of going.

But when you actually do go, you find that its very expensive to do a track day at, say, Silverstone, or Brands.

Along with actually getting to the circuit, due to the price of fuel here, its just been written off the agenda.

BUT, the flipside is, that there are new things for me to do, eg go to Spain or Italy for a weekend break. This is, for obvious reasons, impossible if you live in Sydney.

Horses for courses, really.

While I miss the track days immensely, there are new things that are interesting in different ways.

(and if you do the reverse, you might miss the travel, but enjoy a new experience of cheap fuel and cheap track days in Sydney).

[siscar]

thehawk said:

And don't forget, many European languages are practically dead, Mandarin would be much more useful.

Depends what part of the world you are in - Mandarin is only spoken in China but by a lot of people, Spanish is big in the Americas, but English is the language of the world

[Bing o]

siscar said:

Take climate - I am one of the silent many that actually quite likes the English climate. It rarely gets too hot, rarely gets really cold, a fair amount of rain but that gives us a lot of greenery. So for me climate is a reason to live here and not Australia, but if you like it hot then you will prefer Australia.

You are kidding? The weather is cold and wet from now until May (7-8 months), and even then summer is hardly glorious, and the whole country tries to get to the coast on the odd day that it is beach weather.

Going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark is miserable, having to wear 4 layers to keep warm - annoying. Complete lack of functional aircon or heating anywhere - suit and coat to get to the tube, 36 degrees once you're on it - how wonderful...

Asia is the way forward - Singapore and HK are close to some amazing places and cultures - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Phillipines, Korea, Japan, China etc.

Aus is about 12 hours away, as is Europe, and you can get to the East Coast of the US in 12 hours as well.

Apart from the filthy hot summer months, the climate is generally pretty good, and the diversity of culture and language is amazing, and you also get modern, functioning cities and low crime rates to boot.

England doesn't feel like home any more - too many meat heads, chavs and slappers - I certainly don't feel like I belong any more. I'm not even sure that there is a society to be part of anymore, it just seems to be everyone for themselves and screw every one else.

(And yes, I am taking my miserable arse away fom the country as soon as I can get a transfer at work).

[thehawk]

Bing o said:

Aus is about 12 hours away, as is Europe, and you can get to the East Coast of the US in 12 hours as well.

Aus is about 7-8 hours.

[Bing o]

thehawk said:

Bing o said:

Aus is about 12 hours away, as is Europe, and you can get to the East Coast of the US in 12 hours as well.

Aus is about 7-8 hours.

I thought Sydney was 12 hours? Though I imagine Perth is more like 8 hours? (Based on Aussies I met in my time in HK)

Australia is quite big for a little island though....

[cardigankid]

deviant said:

For me I cant say that life is really that much better than it would be in the UK.

Hence the nom-de-plume.