I grew up in England and moved to Oz with my Australian girlfriend after I graduated . I lived in Melbourne for the next 3 years and had a great time, but towards the end of the 3 years realised that better weather wasn’t everything in life. I had reached a bit of a dead-end career-wise (due in no small part to Aussie bureaucracy) and decided to move home about a year ago.
Coming back to the UK felt like waking up from a deep sleep. The speed with which things happen was really refreshing and things that I’d taken for granted previously suddenly became really appreciated.
Some of the people on this website (and in general) strike me as incredibly naive with regards to Australia, making comments about the place either without ever being there or having just arrived and blinded by sunshine. They seem to think that moving to Oz will result in one big beach party, one never ending barbeque and talk about the place as if it was the garden of eden. Sorry, it isn’t.
Being realistic, you will do essentially the same things as you do here: commute to work, work, commute to home, eat, watch TV, go out, sleep, repeat, repeat, weekend. Having held several jobs in Oz, I worked with a vast number of different of local people, primarily in a similar age bracket (20-30) and of a similar background (relatively middle-class and mostly degree-educated). This pattern generally holds true.
Unless you live in London you are likely to spend longer on your commute in Australian cities. Many of my friends thought nothing of travelling an hour each way to work, in fact several even had longer journeys combining driving to their local train station, catching a train into the city and then tram to their office. Very concentrated CBDs and virtually unchecked suburban sprawl means that people often live huge distances from their place work. I now live on the edge of Leeds, 5 miles from the city centre. In Melbourne this would be classed as an inner suburb. Where I live now is walking distance from rolling hills, cows, sheep, literally a couple of miles to the Dales.
The unemployment rate is higher in Oz and depending on what industry you work in, you are likely to find more job opportunities in the UK and likely to get paid more for the same work, especially if you are a skilled professional. If you don’t live in the South-East of England, the cost of living is very similar. Coming from the Yorkshire, I actually found Sydney expensive and Melbourne comparable. There are overs and unders, sure, but averaged out across a ‘Basket of Goods’ prices were very close – its certainly not as cheap as the States and not nearly as cheap as smug locals would have you believe.
You seem to get more public holidays in Australia but less annual leave. 4 weeks is standard, where many employers in the UK now offer 5 or even 6 weeks (even if it is salary-sacrificed into flexible benefits packages). The holidays are all bunched up around Christmas – that’s also their summer holiday because of the reversed seasons. Apart from Afl, nothing seems to happen there over winter (actually most of the year round come to think of it).
With your time off their is infinitely more things to do in the UK, or at least from the UK. Generally 2 hours travelling time is what you want to arrive at your destination of choice. Within 2 hours I could be in Paris. 2 hours from Melbourne and i’d be driving through never-ending nothingness, on the way to Wolf Creek probably.
Having been back in the UK for about 12 months, I have had a much outdoors lifestyle than in Oz. It may be warmer there, but you seem to spend your life in an air-conditioned cocoon. Since being back I have played more golf, gone walking in the dales and the lake district (there is nothing that I saw in Oz that can compare to these in terms of beauty). From where I now live, I can go on day trips to York and Harrogate and go to lovely country pubs for Sunday dinner. I have only been back a year but have already been for weekends away to Prague and Paris, worked in Chicago for a fortnight and am going to Tuscany in June. These sort of opportunities simply do not exist from Australia. Once you are there, it is very long way to anything else.
Don’t get me started on Australian TV (non-stop American reality show imports littered with adverts). The music scene is awful. The food is strictly Greek/Italian or Viet/Thai. Nobody has heard of Tapas. Curries are almost impossible to find. And French food might as well not exist.
A lot of people cite their children as the prime reason for emigrating which I find quite strange. As if a bigger garden and a bit more sunshine is all kids need!
Did i think my friends and colleagues were any happier or more rounded individuals as a result of growing up in Australia? Certainly not. For most of the people I know in Australia, many have rarely been outside the state of Victoria. The vast majority have only been outside of their home country once or twice, generally on a year out working in a bar in London, ‘doing’ all of Europe in a 3 week contiki tour.
Whilst, I count many Australians amongst my best friends, I have to admit that on the whole, the geographic isolation and inward-focused media leaves them relatively uncultured, often quite narrow-minded and occassionally extremely bigotted when compared to people of similar socio-economic backgrounds in the UK. Those that don’t believe me should have been in Oz when the Shappelle Corby case was in the news. The way people I knew (and the country as a whole) reacted to it made me embarrassed to be in the country at the time.
There is massive problems of drug abuse (especially Crystal Meth and Heroin) and gambling is seen as socially acceptable, normal even. People who think that anti-social behaviour is purely a British problem are absolutely deluding themselves. My ‘neighbours’ in Melbourne used to use our stairwell as a urinal. Fights in pubs and on the street are commonplace, often much more violent than in the UK. My girlfriend’s cousin recently had a freind die in her arms from stab wounds inflicted after a fight out in Perth. Another friends of mine has permanent damage to his eyes after a gang jumped him in St Kilda and kicked and scratched and gouged at him, completely unprovoked. Young people get involved in illegal drag-races out in the suburbs every single weekend. If you keep an eye on the local news you may also have heard about the Cronulla race riots, Premier Brack’s daughter recently being taken to A & E after underage binge-drinking and yobs defacing the ANZAC memorial. People who think this stuff doesn’t happen in Australia are, frankly, living in cloud cuckoo land.
Because of the nature of the work I do, most of the people I worked with had been to University. Because of the financial constraints of tertiary education in Australia, the majority of people I knew had both lived at home and worked part time to fund their studies. University was 3 of the best years of my life, mostly as a result of living away from home and being completely immersed in the student way of life. The Australians I know have a massive void in their experience as a result.
I grew up in a small village in a rural area. As a result we had big a massive garden. Did this make my childhood more enjoyable? No. The things I enjoyed most were trips abroad or knowing that I would be able to do what I wanted in life, going away to University and having the world at my feet.
I used to go on holiday at least once a year either with my family or with school. The furthest kids go in Oz is on school camp to Maloooonlongatta or somewhere else completely irrelevant.
For people like myself, young, ambitious and cultured, Australia has very little to offer. From England I may not have the time and money to do everything that I want to do. Trapped in Australia, however, there simply weren’t enough things to keep me occupied. The world is an amazing place, I couldn’t be removed that far removed from it again. People contemplating a move to Oz should really look beyond the beaches and shiny office buildings before they decide to sacrifice all the things they take for granted.
I agree that many people really don't look at the reality of moving to Australia. That may also have something to do with the way the country is portrayed in the UK.
This country as just as many social problems as the Uk but in the UK people get outraged by certain things and we say so and the newspapers tend to be quite negative about everthing in the UK. In Australia you get 6 lines in a newspaper and that seems to be the end of it, they are also more upbeat about the country. To be outspoken about things that are a concern really is considered to be unAustralian. That seems to me to be a way to control the population into submission of we are the greatest.
I am always amazed by people who run down the UK and then give you the "Australia is wonderful" when they have never been here! Everyones experience will be different, mine have been rubbish and we leave in a few weeks time. The only thing I feel is relieve.
When you come here most people take 20 years step backwards, for us it was 10 years and if I could turn back the clock I would in a heart beat.
Consider, working here is longer and in many cases harder and the pay lower.Petrol may be cheaper but longer distances usually take that advantage away.Food very expensive with fruit and veg being extortionate. Schools and medical is something to think about and I mean seriously. You pay of a lot of things here for the children that you don't in the Uk ie soap, toilet rolls, reams of paper.There is no medical assistance for children under 16 and the dentist situation is dire. The cost at the dentist is more than the Uk. You can get private health insurance and this you can claim on your tax. You will pay to go to the doctors. I pay $57.00 and get $37.00 back from medicare.The there is medicine on top of that and again your looking at more than the UK.
If your coming to Australia because it is cheaper then you would be wrong. If you want extra space and a different lifestyle more house for the same money then yes make it a consideration.
I agree with all of your post. I was the victim of crime after only a few months. My son was attacked at work.He was also bailed up by a guy in his 30s on his way home from school because the guy nearly run him over and my son had the never to tell to watch what he was doing etc and the guy went mad. If you listen to everything about Australia you would think it was perfect with perfect people it's a load of rubbish.
My son used to catch a bus to work the female bus driver abused him very aggresivley about not having any change. I rang up the bus company (I didn't think swearing and shouting was appropriate.) The guy on the other end of the phone grunted at me and when he got on the bus the next time she abused him for me complaining. Please! I have been informed that we don't complain here because we are a laid back town. Laid back another word for lazy, don't give a damn, don't have too, don't want too.
I could tell you more but for 20 months it as been more than enough.
I wish anyone luck who wants to try.Do look into things though. If you are trying to come on a tra visa be aware that just because you can do your job in the Uk that you will be required to go and get Australian standards from tafe this will cost you more money and I believe this is about to change from the 1st of September and it will be more expensive. Ask these questions it can make a big financial impact on your life if you are not aware of the time and money you may need to spend when your here just to bring your qualifications up to scratch. Oh and renting a house is cheaper.
What's wrong Flem old mate. Won't the Aussies listen to your whingeing anymore?
You've tried to do them a favour by constantly telling them what's wrong with their country and they just refuse to listen. You've also done your best to make them as miserable as you and that hasn't worked either.
Yep, nothing else to do now but go back to where you're appreciated and treated with the respect you deserve. And of course, free soap and toilet paper for the kiddies. What more could you want?
What's wrong Flem old mate. Won't the Aussies listen to your whingeing anymore?
You've tried to do them a favour by constantly telling them what's wrong with their country and they just refuse to listen. You've also done your best to make them as miserable as you and that hasn't worked either.
Yep, nothing else to do now but go back to where you're appreciated and treated with the respect you deserve. And of course, free soap and toilet paper for the kiddies. What more could you want?
Again someone is shot down in flames for not giving a rosy picture of OZ.I wish I had paid more attention to some of the negative posts before I came. Cant we all post ,good and Bad ,without this backlash?
nI would have thought the saying when in rome comes to mind. I f anyone goes to Oz thinking it will be the same as the uk I would have thought they are going to be in for a shock, anyway just like to say different strokes for different folks and wouldn't life be boring if we were all the same. If you don't settle in Oz at least you have tried it! Good luck to all of you where ever you settle.
Marina
Last edited by alfixie; 02-08-2007 at 09:32 AM.
Reason: spelling mistake
Rental housing is a problem in Oz, rentals are usually houses bought as investments by either older people or young people trying to make money for their early retiremment, there are no Dukes or Earls that own vast amounts of land with terraced houses on them like I remember in the UK.
Government housing [Council Houses] seems to have been at a standstill over the last 20 years & young families are suffering as they can't afford to buy, anyone trying to buy a house in Sydney [not the outer suburbs] with a nice big backyard for the kids, forget it unless you have won the lotto or the pools, most large blocks have been bought by developers & units built on them, like anything else these days, when things get scarce, prices go up.
For the Mr & Mrs average who want to live close to the beach, have a nice yard for the kids, etc, etc, you are going to have to move north or south of the city, that can mean even 100 kilometers either side, we are 100 k's south of Sydney [Illawarra area] houses are a lot less than in Sydney, in some cases half the price, the farthest point from any of the many beautiful beaches is 20 mins, unfortunately if your job is in Sydney, you will have to drive or catch a train, I think you may find this is the case in any major city in Oz these days, the joys of emmigrating.
What's wrong Flem old mate. Won't the Aussies listen to your whingeing anymore?
You've tried to do them a favour by constantly telling them what's wrong with their country and they just refuse to listen. You've also done your best to make them as miserable as you and that hasn't worked either.
Yep, nothing else to do now but go back to where you're appreciated and treated with the respect you deserve. And of course, free soap and toilet paper for the kiddies. What more could you want?
I didn't think my post was a great whinge or overly negative. The point being that it is far from perfect here. Many people are wanting to come to Australia but they are not given all the nitty gritty of the life here. It does not suit everyone. People need to be aware of certain aspects of life here,you still have to live come the end of the day.
I should have known that an old pom would rattle the cage in protest because someone doesn't feel the same about Australia as they do. Frankly I don't care. I don't hate the place, I just can't get on with where I live here in OZ end of story.
Again someone is shot down in flames for not giving a rosy picture of OZ.I wish I had paid more attention to some of the negative posts before I came. Cant we all post ,good and Bad ,without this backlash?
No joetrac you can't your not allowed! This is my second time here in oz,my oh and teens wanted to try again in a different part of the country .We have done that and found working in the Uk easier apart from anything else. We have tried and thats that.
Wendy It most certainly isn't all doom and gloom, but sometimes I am horrified at some post from people that have never been here. Checking your qualifications and making sure you are allowed to work ,I thought would have been important. If you need to get Australian standards then knowing the cost and how long it is going to take you to get the qualifications surely this would help you if you were moving here?
I think doing your homework before the move is important and nothing prepares you for actually living here - it does feel very different. I do feel very fortunate that we have settled in very well and very quickly.
Ali
__________________
"POZZIE" - HAPPY AND LOVIN IT!
I'm sick of following my dreams, I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later
