Interesting to hear all your comments and in fact the majority are indeed quite true.
I grew up in Uk and lived there for 28 years until I went to live in sydney for 18months thereabouts. All that time I felt completely disillusioned with australia, the people, the winter etc etc. I managed to persuade my now husband to go back to the UK - we stayed for 5 years where i worked as a salaried gp. In that time i realised how much I missed australia and its beautiful unspoilt countryside and beaches. I was sick of the rain, gloomy days, NHS, politics, high taxes, congested roads etc etc I agree that being close to europe is great and we often used easyjet/raynair for a weekend away but I am looking forward to exploring the pacific and more of Se Asia. Indian, chinese and italian food for that matter are better back in the UK but i do love the thai food here in australia (as good as thailand) and nobody does a steak as good as the aussies!
Needless to say we have moved back to Oz but now live on the sunshine coast which I find much more settling than sydney ever was. It is laid back, people are friendlier, the weather so far has been better up here than sydney. We do go outdoors more here than when we were in cheshire. All we ever did there was go to trafford centre or ikea shopping. Luckily my husband (programmer) and i have found jobs. I work in beautiful maleny. I get the best of both worlds the country and the coast! Hopefully we will be here for many happy years although I am a realist and I might change my mind yet again in another 2-3 years! Afterall i still have family in the UK which I miss.
Location: Wellington Point QLD, ex Barrow-in-Furness
Posts: 146
Mr JRAJ,
You say you are Indian, but were born and brought up in Pinner, London? Surley this makes you English? If your born and bred in England, your English, if your born and bred in Wales, your Welsh. If you want to use a tag to show your "race", why not say "of Indian desent".
Personally I never use my "tag" of saying I'm of Scottish/North African desent.
Born in England, brought up in England. Therefore English.
I'm sorry to hear you have suffered racism in Sydney. No one should have to put up with that, but unfortunatly, some people are so narrow minded they don't know anything better. Believe it or not, one of my elder brothers was sent down last year for various racism offences. He seems to have forgotten his roots. Needless to say I think he's an arse and have had nothing to do with him for the past 6 years or so.
I've rambled to long. I hope things improve for you in Sydney.
All I can say to Gag and JRAJ is that you obviously have no kids are are under the age of 30 so you don't remember when times were good in the UK and we never wanted to leave, before Tony Blair started to let anyone in and engllish is now not the first language spoken in many schools! Before you started to give a load of wages back to government for everything, before goups of kids hung out on street corners in packs of 15+ and scared the life out of you cos they have nothing to do, before houses and cars got constantly broken into.
Don't knock things you don't know about, let people experience for themselves what Oz is like, if it's not for them, they can decide what to do themselves. You are looking from a difference perspective than a lot of people who post on this site so as my mum used to say if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!
Well Gags,sorry it didn't work out for you in australia but you really shouldn't condemn or insult people who are embarking on this life changing journey.Do you really think that people go to oz and think it is all bbq's and beaches and that they dont put in months/years of research?.Dont you also realize the heartache and trauma that people on this site suffer through leaving loved ones behind and saying goodbye to people they might never see again,taking huge risks not only with their own lives but those of their children?
Do you honestly think that people might go through all this do this just so they can have a few barbecue's and go swimming!! if you do then i am afraid sir that you are the naive one,quite a suprise really coming from someone who is degree educated and a world traveller like yourself.
Let me just try to explain briefly to you why people are leaving england in droves searching for something they hope is better for themselves and their children,life in england has changed dramatically over the past few years,people find themselves working 12/14 hours a day maybe more to survive and pay all the taxes that this goverment keeps inventing.There is very little quality of life here any more and people are just fed up with it,can you blame them?they have had enough of stealth taxes ,had enough of the NHS service,had enough of crime,violence,and had enough of paying for the freeloading economic migrants who are coming in such numbers that our whole fabric of society is threatened,councils cant cope its as simple as that ,in certain areas shools are in near meltdown as well as housing and we are supposed to just suffer it and pay up like good british citizens.
I drive around the london streets 12/14 hours a day 5/6 days a week,this great cultural metropolis with the royal opera house in all its splender and people sticking needles in their arm on the doorstep!,shaftsbury avenue the theatre center of london with people savagely fighting and sticking knives in each other in front of all the tourists who come here for a cultural experience.Tail gateing? you should drive down park lane mate ,gambling? only a matter of time before every major city has a super casino.Travelling time!it can take 2 hours sometimes to get from one side of london to the other to get to your favourite tapas bar!!
So yeah it might not be all plain sailing in oz but people are just looking for a different if not better way of life and dont forget not everybody is"young ambitious and cultured" like you!!.
Hi Gags,
I have only been in oz for 10 months and im afraid i completly agree with you...... if you could place the weather & beaches of oz in the uk then we would have the perfect world..... oz is def in a coma and 90% of the time there is nothing to do...... along with every thing else you said you are SPOT on !!!!
__________________ ** Here There,Where Ever Be Happy**
I'm sorry that Australia didn't work out for you, but wonder why after 12 months of having such a wonderful like back in the UK you have felt the need to join a site that is primarily for people looking to migrate to Australia?
I respect all the opinions that you have formed for yourself about your life and experience in Oz - because they are yours, but really you should not judge other peoples reasons for migration as they too are personal to them.
Alot of people here are of a more mature age than yourself, and have families, they will not have taken their decisions lightly, selling family homes, leaving well paid jobs and support networks - travelling alone and without many responsibiliies is a wonderful thing - it becomes much more difficult when you have the welfare of your children and family to consider.
I'm sure you would have understood that peoples talk of BBQ's and swimming pools aren't
peoples main reasons for leaving the UK and that generally these are humours comments???
You're right about TV - it's rubbish, but I watched very little in UK and don't watch it much here either, but then I never expected Australia to be England with sunshine.
Great that you still manage to get outside - my little boy loves soccer - he managed to play only 3 times last year from October - December in the UK because the of the weather, he hasn't had one game called off here (even if it's raining), and it may not mean alot to many people but to my son it's meant the world. We can't judge how successful the move here is on the material things we gain. It's the little things like that which make it worthwhile.
I think it's great that you've posted and told us about your experience, I think it helps people to focus on what the move and Australia will really be like, but it doesn't mean it will be the same for all of us. Given your time over and being in a relationship you would probably still go - treat it as the life experience it was - you've done what alot of people would love to do - be greatful.
Ali
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"POZZIE" - HAPPY AND LOVIN IT!
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy
Ok, so you feel that the only real difference is the sunshine, well, here in sunny Plymouth we pretty much have it all. Good weather, sea on one side of us and Dartmoor on the other (I spend a lot of time mountain biking and fishing on the moors). We've got some great restaurants and bars, great local bands and a local football team on the up (unlike Leeds....)
However, we also have idiots who like to run riot through once pleasant residential areas ripping wing mirrors off cars and causing a general nuisance during the hours of darkness....because they're bored and it's 'the fault of society'. We have a wave of Eastern Europeans who now drive busses and taxis. Last weekend a Czech taxi driver killed 2 local motorcyclists because he was driving on the wrong side of the road.
Last year a schoolgirl was killed in Exeter when the Polish Bus driver drove for 2 miles on the wrong side of the road before crashing into a ditch.
Our local Police force are currently trying to get another Pole evicted from his country to face rape and attempted murder charges on an Exeter woman 18 months ago.
3 months ago 2 more Eastern Europeans were found dead in a city industrial estate after overdosing on heroin. The percentage of 'Eastern blockers' here now is probably only 3 - 5%, but it seems that the vast majority of serious crimes involve them now.....and we haven't even seen the Bulgarians and Romanians yet.
I can still remember the day that Australia sent out a warship to stop a boat load of immigrants from entering it's waters.....and it still gives me a warm feeling inside.
The government have excelled at making us pay twice for everything, for instance, when you next get car/bike/home insurance check the breakdown of costs. You'll see IPT @ 5% listed. What's IPT? It's Insurance premium tax, you pay that ON TOP OF VAT!!! so, overnight the government has helped itself to 5% of all insurance premiums......that must add up to Billions in the UK. Does anyone ever remember them announcing it? Thought not, and that's only one of the many 'stealth taxes' they've introduced.
It's easy to paint a grim picture of your environment if you only focus on the negatives, it's also easy to make any place sound like Utopia (although I think you've got your work cut out for you with Leeds)
I'm not naive, I know Australia isn't Utopia..... but I also know that England isn't either.
At the end of the day it's a case of 'each to their own' mate. Everyone I know who's gone to Oz (and I know loads scattered all over Australia) say they'd never EVER consider returning to the UK.....and that speaks volumes to me.
I grew up in Oz and have lived in the UK for the last 7 years. I moved here by myself when I was 18, excited by the prospect of travelling to Europe, gaining life experience; in fact, doing all the things that growing up in rural Australia, were not available to me. After 7 years of working my backside off, (in a well paid job), I still rent, struggle to pay my bills and have only been to Europe once, 5 years ago. I find it impossible to save money and therefore travel, go to the theatre and experience all the wonderful things the UK and Europe has to offer.
On the other hand, my twin sister stayed in Oz; she earns less than me in equavalent dollars; she owns a four bedroom house, has a brand new car and a boat and last year spend 5 weeks travelling around Europe. She didn't save for this- her salary, paid fortnightly, was ample money to cover the expenses.
Australia really does not suit some people. It is down to what your expectations are; if you can afford to travel to Europe every month or so, that is great- if you can afford to buy a house here; even better- I don't know anyone my age who has been able to do this in the last 3 years. If you enjoy going to the local and having a few beers and watching your favourite footie team, then fantastic. You probably will enjoy living in the UK.
I've been told my expectations are too high. I don't understand why I shouldn't be able to afford a house and a new car and have money left over every month to travel and do all the things I want to do. The answer? I live in the UK and pay rent which equals 40% of my monthly pay. My bills and council tax cost another £200 a month and once I've taxed my car and paid for insurance, food, petrol etc I have about £50 left a week.
Every country has good points and bad points; every country has crime and drug problems. But Australia still has opportunities for the average person on the average wage. And comparatively it is safer, especially for kids. Its not for everyone, but I for one cannot wait to move back home.
I totally agree with Gags, we have been in Sydney for 7mths and can't see many plus points here.
In essence it's another big city with all the sh1t to go with it.
I am an Indian, born and bred in Pinner,West London. In the 30 years of living there, I have never been mugged, burgled, beatenup, been a victim of racist slur etc.
Come to Sydney and get called a coon.!!! I said p1ss off it's a BLACK MAN'S COUNTRY.
CHILL OUT EVERYONE!
Lifes too short to be bitching about this! Each to his own, each has their opinion!
Just dont get nasty in replies and everyone will stay happy!
For the record , been here since Feb `05 and luvin` it!!
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Joanne and Mark
Brisbane. (since Feb 2005) "POZZIE" - HAPPY AND LOVIN` IT
