Why do you want to move to Australia?

[Baby Huey]

Fiddlemesticks said:

Expensive mortgages

thehawk] said:

Unless you live in a stty town in the NW it's the same in the UK.

Expensive mortgages, not houses. Having done some quick research Aus. mortgage rates are 2 to 3% higher than they are in the UK. That would make very large hole in your wages.

Plus Fosters is st.

[Bing o]

JRM said:

For my it's the weather, beaches, cleanliness, friendly people, as well as the new experience, new atmosphere, plus I can (in theory) get a job still in the financial sector and progress my career.

Really, unless you work for an Aussie bank, it's seen by most as a retiremnt home for people who are bored of/can't handle working anywhere else?

(Based on what my Global head of 20 years experience told me about his 3 years there)

[Flintstone]

I emigrated, stayed five years, took Aussie citizenship. I'm in no hurry to rush back there.

[thehawk]

Bing o said:

JRM said:

For my it's the weather, beaches, cleanliness, friendly people, as well as the new experience, new atmosphere, plus I can (in theory) get a job still in the financial sector and progress my career.

Really, unless you work for an Aussie bank, it's seen by most as a retiremnt home for people who are bored of/can't handle working anywhere else?

(Based on what my Global head of 20 years experience told me about his 3 years there)

And his point is what? That life is all about working?

[Yoshiwaan]

R4PID said:

They're not as far behind when it comes to watching Neighbours?

I like Fosters.

Boomerangs are fun.

They're the nation that gave the world the great Dame Edna.

I like Fosters.

Neighbours is st.

Nobody drinks Fosters in Australia.

Boomerangs are fun for 10 minutes until you realise that most of the time it's just a stick.

Everyone loves a famous crossdresser.

SimonV8ster said:

Better quality of life ?

More laid back, less stressful, could buy a better house for the same money, live in a nicer area, people are more friendly.

I dunno about more laid back/less stressfull, depends what you do. Houses are only affordable if you've earned the money in pounds beforehand. If you're basing people in Aus being more friendly from the ones you've met in England it's worth noting that the best Aussie's travel, back home it's pretty much the same as England. Maybe a touch more optimistic.

JRM said:

For my it's the weather, beaches, cleanliness, friendly people, as well as the new experience, new atmosphere, plus I can (in theory) get a job still in the financial sector and progress my career.
I can catch a ferry to work across the most stunning harbour in the world (would have to live in either Mosman or Manly). Fabulous place to bring up my son, the whole attitude to sport and outdoor living - which after this summer seems even more attractive.
Plus a whole new part of the world to explore over a few years, I just love it out there and can't wait to move - planning the emmigration next year sometime I hope.

Yeah that's pretty much true, it's not super different to England though, see above.

Maxf said:

2 words: Boxing. Kangaroos.

They kick as well, so technically they aren't boxers.

[Fiddlemesticks]

thehawk said:

Fiddlemesticks said:

Got worse healthcare

In what way?

Fiddlemesticks said:

Well given that the public system is slow to respond to treatment for this without private healthcare, whereas i have found the NHS to be much better.

My father had a brain tumour in March and he would have found just as prompt, just as good if not better and far cheaper treatment in the uk.

My sister is an RGN, our friends daughter is an Intensive Care Nurse and our family friend is a Radiologist. ALL have said that Australia is light years behind the UK in healthcare technology and treatment.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Worse education

No, it's ranked higher up the tables in OECD studies. You may disagree with what they teach, but when it comes to important things like maths and science it easily outranks the UK - NZ beats Australia.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Yes but you are counting private schools in oz as well as state schools. The state system is ste here compared to the UK. If we included private schools in the UK stats they would rinse Oz.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Weather sometimes to0 hot to go out with your kids between 10 & 5 (think Dec-Feb)

If you're a wuss. It's not that bad, although that could depend on where you live. I suppose.

Fiddlemesticks said:

If you're a wuss? hmm. ok lets try 38 degrees outside. Its not wuss like, its ensuring your 3 year old doesnt fry, nor get too overrun by flies. You're right it does depend where you live. Whats wussy about not wanting to boil. I've lived in Karratha and Perth. Both hot and i didnt mind it too much. However i'm talking about kids and young kids. You can walk out in light rain, clouds, nice sun, but not when its bloody humid and over 35 for any stretch of time.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Terrible TV

Agreed, quite possibly the worst in the Western world, and worse than a few third world countries I imagine.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Awful driving

Generally agree

Fiddlemesticks said:

Nil car related benefits

Not sure what you mean - tax breaks?

Fiddlemesticks said:

I mean that there is no where to enjoy driving fast but safely without ridiculous points and fines for marginal speed. Its hard to buy a nice car here for good money, limited choice, boring roads and awful driving.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Expensive cars and poor choice thereof

I think there is a reasonably choice and while some are more expensive finance is easy to get. Anything exotic is obviously priced only for the very rich, but in general I wouldn't be losing any sleep over the fact Audis, BMWs, Mercs etc cost a lot over here. Get over the badge snobbery and it opens a lot more avenues.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Choice? Well if you like Falcons, Commodores and Toyotas. Look at the number of choices of 2nd hand cars. There are many you just dont get here that you get abroad. I'm not talking badge snobbery at all. I'm talking anything sports related and european is seriously thin on the ground.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Expensive mortgages

Unless you live in a stty town in the NW it's the same in the UK.

Fiddlemesticks said:

My mortgage here is lower than mine was in the uk but a lot more expensive. Try 9% v 6%.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Limited travel opportunities

I love Asia, the Pacific and Australia/NZ - no shortage of places to go.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Well actually its bloody expensive to go anywhere and its a long away. Once you remove Fiji, NZ, Singapore and lower Asia, everything else is at least 6 hrs + away. Whereas Europe offers so many different places cheaply within reach.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Expensive Air Travel

I just paid £70 for a 4 hour flight on Emirates from Auckland to Melbourne. On Jetstar I can fly my family of 3 from Melbourne to Bangkok return for £300. The only expensive thing about air travel here is getting to the States or Europe.

Fiddlemesticks said:

I bet you bloody cant fly to Bangkok from Melbourne for 300 quid.Random choice, but Mel to Bangkok, in Nov 2008 comes out at $3000, or c.1300 quid. Thats not cheap.

Fiddlemesticks said:

High Taxes

As an IT contractor I've paid minimal tax here and in the UK, so couldn't really comment.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Busier than you would think in the places you are most likely to live

But still nothing like the UK

Fiddlemesticks said:

Yep agree. I just means its busier than you would think.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Narrow minded inhabitants that are friendly as long as you agree with them

Isn't everywhere like that? Admittedly the Australians have to be one of the worst races for giving it out, but being completely unable to take it.

Fiddlemesticks said:

Nazi police with absolutely zero tolerance for speeding.

Can you ever drive fast in an Aussie city with the slow dimwits behind the wheels?

[SleeperCell]

In my ad hoc experience, more British people seem to harbour the desire to move to New Zealand rather than Australia.

[Bing o]

thehawk said:

Bing o said:

JRM said:

For my it's the weather, beaches, cleanliness, friendly people, as well as the new experience, new atmosphere, plus I can (in theory) get a job still in the financial sector and progress my career.

Really, unless you work for an Aussie bank, it's seen by most as a retiremnt home for people who are bored of/can't handle working anywhere else?

(Based on what my Global head of 20 years experience told me about his 3 years there)

And his point is what? That life is all about working?

The poster said progress his career - I was merely pointing out that this may be hard to do if you work for an international finance house...

If you've made your cash and you want the easy life, then fine, it's a great move.

[big_rob_sydney]

BigLepton said:

Fiddlemesticks said:

.


If you think Australia is great, from my point of view its

Got worse healthcare
Worse education
Weather sometimes to0 hot to go out with your kids between 10 & 5 (think Dec-Feb)
Terrible TV
Awful driving
Nil car related benefits
Expensive cars and poor choice thereof
Expensive mortgages
Limited travel opportunities
Expensive Air Travel
High Taxes
Busier than you would think in the places you are most likely to live
Narrow minded inhabitants that are friendly as long as you agree with them
Nazi police with absolutely zero tolerance for speeding.

Having lived there for a couple of years I fully agree with your assessment except nowadays it's full of slightly disillusioned naive Brits wandering round who had convinced themselves it was utopia, only to arrive and find out it's just another country with decent weather. Most of them have been there a few months before the penny drops and they realise work is no easier, there is less money and really they have ended up swapping their extended family for better weather.

I think a lot of the initial points have been covered.

One thing I'd point out, is that most of the comparisons to me tend to be between Sydney and London. This obviously doesnt cover every situation (yeah, no st sherlock), but its a starting point at least.

One thing I've noticed, is that here in the UK, the difference between a 3 bed house and a 4 bed house seems pretty big. I live in Carshalton, and its almost like an extra £80 - 100k for a house thats one size up in the number of bedrooms.

To buy a 4 bed house in Sydney, its nowhere near as expensive.

I'd pretty much agree with a lot of what is said though. And in saying it all, my answer is not to go to Aus, but head for Spain. I've mentioned this a few times, though by the reaction of some people they seem to think I've mentioned it a million times. I dont know why they react in such a way to that. Every time I go to Spain (around Benahavis), its like Sydney was 25 years ago. No hassles, not a lot of traffic, wide variety of good local foods to chose from, good local drink, good weather, plenty of outdoors sports, and generally a very enjoyable place. On the up side, there’s no hole in the ozone layer that’ll turn you into a lobster after 30 seconds on the beach. On the down side they don’t speak a lot of English, so there’s a host of issues there.

Still, my parents immigrated 40 odd years ago from Italy, and if they could move to a country that wasn’t their native language, then so can I.

For what its worth, after having lived in Aus for 29 years, I can take the blinkers off enough to recognize that its not the be all and end all. Plenty to offer, sure, but its not as if it’s the only country in the world.

[thehawk]

Healthcare - I don't think there is a vast chasm, life expectancy certainly doesn't support that either.
Education - Proof is in the pudding - Aussies are very successful when they go overseas and can hold their own against British educated people. The OECD is based on a government schools - it's a standard assessment at 16/17 years old. It's the same study that basically proves that kids that start school at 6/7 years old (Switzerland, Japan etc) perform as well, or better in the Asian countries, as those who started at 4.
Weather - Kids in many parts of the world put up with excessive heat. i have many friends who have toddlers in places like Singapore, Thailand and there is never a problem.

The bottom line is that the UK, Aus, NZ, US, Canada are all excellent countries to live in or bring children up. More often than not the differences that people complain about are overly petty.

Jetstar were offering a special a few months back, basically 2 for 1 deal. Probably closer to £400

[BigLepton]

big_rob_sydney said:

I'd pretty much agree with a lot of what is said though. And in saying it all, my answer is not to go to Aus, but head for Spain. I've mentioned this a few times, though by the reaction of some people they seem to think I've mentioned it a million times. I dont know why they react in such a way to that. Every time I go to Spain (around Benahavis), its like Sydney was 25 years ago. No hassles, not a lot of traffic, wide variety of good local foods to chose from, good local drink, good weather, plenty of outdoors sports, and generally a very enjoyable place.

Just better hope this never goes ahead!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7515125.st...

[JRM]

Well I think you don't know until you try these things, it's easy to bh about the UK and moan about the weather, so why not try somewhere else for a couple of years and see if you like it.

Just because some people moan about Aus doesn't mean it's not worth trying for a bit. I find it really quite funny that some people moan about UK and fancy a change and those in Aus are moaning about Aus and saying 'don't come'.

[big_rob_sydney]

BigLepton said:

big_rob_sydney said:

I'd pretty much agree with a lot of what is said though. And in saying it all, my answer is not to go to Aus, but head for Spain. I've mentioned this a few times, though by the reaction of some people they seem to think I've mentioned it a million times. I dont know why they react in such a way to that. Every time I go to Spain (around Benahavis), its like Sydney was 25 years ago. No hassles, not a lot of traffic, wide variety of good local foods to chose from, good local drink, good weather, plenty of outdoors sports, and generally a very enjoyable place.

Just better hope this never goes ahead!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7515125.st...

Its not till 2025, and even then, there are a lot of technical issues to sort out.

Who knows?

[BigLepton]

big_rob_sydney said:

BigLepton said:

big_rob_sydney said:

I'd pretty much agree with a lot of what is said though. And in saying it all, my answer is not to go to Aus, but head for Spain. I've mentioned this a few times, though by the reaction of some people they seem to think I've mentioned it a million times. I dont know why they react in such a way to that. Every time I go to Spain (around Benahavis), its like Sydney was 25 years ago. No hassles, not a lot of traffic, wide variety of good local foods to chose from, good local drink, good weather, plenty of outdoors sports, and generally a very enjoyable place.

Just better hope this never goes ahead!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7515125.st...

Its not till 2025, and even then, there are a lot of technical issues to sort out.

Who knows?

Yep - 2025 plus manana could easily equal 2050!

[aussiebruce]

thehawk said:

Healthcare - I don't think there is a vast chasm, life expectancy certainly doesn't support that either.
Education - Proof is in the pudding - Aussies are very successful when they go overseas and can hold their own against British educated people. The OECD is based on a government schools - it's a standard assessment at 16/17 years old. It's the same study that basically proves that kids that start school at 6/7 years old (Switzerland, Japan etc) perform as well, or better in the Asian countries, as those who started at 4.
Weather - Kids in many parts of the world put up with excessive heat. i have many friends who have toddlers in places like Singapore, Thailand and there is never a problem.

The bottom line is that the UK, Aus, NZ, US, Canada are all excellent countries to live in or bring children up. More often than not the differences that people complain about are overly petty.

Jetstar were offering a special a few months back, basically 2 for 1 deal. Probably closer to £400

Hawk, it's painfully obvious that you are not an Aussie or at least not a proper one. Can you please remind all the poms to go to Canada as Canada does not have deadly spiders under the toilet seat, man eating sharks and crocks, deadly Jelly fish and killer Kola's and that's not to mention the snakes that hang around the toilet bowl S bend and get you when you least expect it.

(there's enough pomes there already)

[BigLepton]

aussiebruce said:

(there's enough pomes there already)

We know the feeling, every other Australian is here, but oddly claims they would rather be back home, almost as if they are forced to stay here. . . . . . . .

[POORCARDEALER]

Pal is over there, he is a joiner, he can earn better money here (well, he could), he reckons houses around Sydney are much more expensive than in the north of england

[drivin_me_nuts]

BigLepton said:

aussiebruce said:

(there's enough pomes there already)

We know the feeling, every other Australian is here, but oddly claims they would rather be back home, almost as if they are forced to stay here. . . . . . . .

.. indeed. Aussies seem to like the UK for reasons best known to themselves. Mostly a friendly lot until it comes to sport when they seem to get a little vexed when 'not winning' is mentioned in passing conversation. Odd that, the sensitive Sheilas that they are..

[BigLepton]

drivin_me_nuts said:

BigLepton said:

aussiebruce said:

(there's enough pomes there already)

We know the feeling, every other Australian is here, but oddly claims they would rather be back home, almost as if they are forced to stay here. . . . . . . .

.. indeed. Aussies seem to like the UK for reasons best known to themselves. Mostly a friendly lot until it comes to sport when they seem to get a little vexed when 'not winning' is mentioned in passing conversation. Odd that, the sensitive Sheilas that they are..

Sport is all they have, that's why they get so touchy about it. I mean what else has Oz contributed to the world?

[smack]

BigLepton said:

drivin_me_nuts said:

BigLepton said:

aussiebruce said:

(there's enough pomes there already)

We know the feeling, every other Australian is here, but oddly claims they would rather be back home, almost as if they are forced to stay here. . . . . . . .

.. indeed. Aussies seem to like the UK for reasons best known to themselves. Mostly a friendly lot until it comes to sport when they seem to get a little vexed when 'not winning' is mentioned in passing conversation. Odd that, the sensitive Sheilas that they are..

Sport is all they have, that's why they get so touchy about it. I mean what else has Oz contributed to the world?

Rotary clothes line.... A marvel of modern engineering