surfndirt

Very severe case of rose tinted specs there I'm affraid...... Very rose tinted. Alot of the burb's in the big cities are worse here than in the UK. Plus the gangsters seem to have found a way of getting hold of of end of guns here too - in some burb's it's like the USA but with no way to protect yourself. Just imagine what it would be like moving to said USA. You wouldn't think that was going to be a 'cure all' fair weather utopia would you? So why think Australia is? Is it because you have made a judgement call based on the never ending slew of Aussie propaganda packaged as 'life down under' TV shows or something? In which a couple of heavily 'inherited' people set about buying a dream house in Perth for $700,000? There are the opportunities here - just do some proper research and understand that everywhere is the same in terms of issues... If you are a middle income earner in the UK - taxed to buggery on PAYE, hammered by car running costs, in a state of anxiety about the constant price rises of everything - including your drinks at the pub. It is 100% the same here.... No different what-so-ever.

Being in London

G'Day Jimmy, I ride dirt bikes out that way most weekends - get the same question about 1x a month on average. By far the easiest answer is to pull out a map of the South East of London and map out some of the surrounding towns villages of London. Then think realistically about what a complete nightmare it would be to into and out of the city every, single, day. BM, Melton, Greendale etc etc - they are all cheap for a reason buddy, that being it is not really commutable. Take, for example, where I currently work which the top of Lizzy street in the CBD. From BM I would need to travel; - ~ 1hr? From BM to Southern Cross - 10mins from SC to Melb Central - 10mins walk from MC to office Melbourne is the same as any other big city mate, no difference just cos some randoms from Reading were on a TV show once where they bought a house in the D ranges for $350k. The TV wouldn't show the miles and miles of traffic jams to get anywhere near the city. Or the train car parks all full at 7am everyday for the commute.

Tassie is the best place in Australia, end of. Bit hard to get a good paying gig - but them are the breaks. It's a totally different attitude down there to the main land and a million miles away from the rat race that is Melbourne. Although leaving for Texas in April, our Mam is actually getting here tonight from the lake district. I have an extended trip planned for them in Tassie - they are gonna love it!

Gotta say it...... What did everyone expect when moving to AUSTRALIA? I agree, it's nasty but hell - did you not think it was gonna get hot or sommat? I'm not one for coining a phrase but this thread is well and truly in the whining poms bucket. No offence meant to anyone though like.

Ha, maybe one day - seem to get far more 'enbraced', shall we say, when at the bar in Dallas / Austin and ordering a pint in my bestest NE accent. No shortage of instant friends with which to hang out for the rest of the evening - again, if you know what I mean.....

What about a fella with a geordie accent who lives in Texas - have I just scored first prize or what? hahahhahahhahahaha

I guess I would equate it to somone looking to move to the UK with a good job in London. Then, specifically due to lifestyle reasons deciding that they want to live in Royal Ascot and drive into the city everyday. For those of us that have lived and worked in the SE / London, imagine doing that everyday - it's basically like signing your life away to the car / freeway. Remember, it is generally accepted that Aussies (even by most Aussies) are some of the most aggressive shite drivers in the world. Like others have said - this does not sound like a good plan!! Also, like Blobby - I tried to live in my place in Torquay and work in the city (Melbourne) once - lasted 4x weeks before I was back in a house share in the city. It's just a horrid way to live a life. All the best what-ever you decide...

Given you are already all the way out there - you should get down to Philip Island. Probably only 30mins from C'bourne. Some of the best beaches in the country down there, you can also watch some really good surfing if the surf's good. The best bakery is the one on the left in San Remo just before you go over the bridge onto the Island itself. Biggest caramel slice I've ever had there :-)

Mate, VS, what a story ay. Homeless in the doorway of BHS in the boro to living the dream in WA - that is a farking awesome tale to tell..... Brilliant, just brilliant. Honestly, next time you go back you should phone up a few schools in Grangetown n Southbank n that and go do a talk for em. Proper rags to riches storty - I bet you would turn at least a handful round from twoking and knockin out smack. I was thinkin of doing it but all I did was get out of a min wage delivery job in Stockon when living with me Mam!

Sincere apologies I was not pointing that mentally retarded brush at you at all. In fact, a very extreme turn of phrase so I retract it in it's entirety. What I mean is I think a section of the public in Melbourne / Aussie are just basically daft.

Rent where you wanna live and buy where you wanna invest. Example, my last place in Texas - USD$60,000; rents for USD$1200 a month. 5x of em and the world is your oyster; don't really have to work any more :-) Example, rent on our current two bed working class terrace in Albert Park, Melbourne = AUD$550 a week. Buy it = AUD$1200 a week. I honestly think people in Melbourne are actually mentally retarded.

Are you talking about the UK or Australia?

Hya Mate, Go and do an access course for a Uni Degree, or sweet talk a Uni to let you in as a mature student. 5 years later (2x years working in the UK first and a 3x year degree) and the world is your Oyster. It may seem hard, but it can be done - believe me; I know. Do a business related IT degree, not programming / computer science. How do I know, cause that's what I did 10 years ago in Middlesbrough, as did the (now) close circle of mates that I have from Uni who'd all done the same (Lancashire, Leeds). 2x of which now live in Sydney. The world is a totally different place once you have done your time mate - really, have a think. I have people I worked with in the UK who live in Mid Wales, earn 85,000 GBP a year and do projects all over the country staying in flash hotels Monday - Thursday. Anyone can do it mate - anyone. You just need the drive to succeed, if that is Australia then use that. Mine was a 2002 Honda Integra Type R :-) hahahaha All the best

What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you like the London lifestyle in your spare time? If so, then I would say you need to stay put. If you dream of surfing on a weekend, getting out bush or going on adventures like that then come to Aussie. Being in the city here is the same as a city anywhere - only more expensive (yes, even compared to London). There is nowt special about the cities here at all, regional living and the ability to easily get out of em and do stuff mentioned above is the sweet spot here. Don't move here if you are the type that likes to spend weekends in a city - you are far better off in UK / Euro land, for sure.

As I have said before - Sydney = London with warmer weather (and London drivers are a bit more pleasant). LKC - from what I recall you live in the Beachside eastern suburbs of Sydney? That's like someone from Maida Vale telling someone one the Isle of dogs in a 1x bed flat that it's 'lovely in London'.... To the OP - the reason you don't like it is because it's gash..... Was probably great 30 years ago, not now. Melbourne is kinda the some although it's not as gash. Alot of idiots who have evidently been told by someone at some point in they're lives that they are sh*t hot - just not as many as Sydney. I personnally really like going to Sydney for a weekend on the turps with the lads - categorically don't want to live there though. Just about managed to secure passage out of Melbourne too.... REGIONAL is the way to go!!

Very good approach and analysis here mate - can see why you are on the 140k salary range = head screwed on. As many have said on other threads in the past, it is a very unfortunate fact of Aussie life that - moving here now is pretty much a down grade in lifestyle for most middle class people from UK, Canada, USA. Mid nineties, hell yeah - best standard of living and place to live in the world I reckon twenty tinies - not at all. What really interests me is the number of people who will come for a look see and then start trying to justify the move with a list as long as your arm of stuff you will need to compromise on when living in Aus. What, may I ask, is the point of that? Going from a Waitrose lifestyle to an Aldi struggle so you can join the Aussie dream. Doesn't make any sense to me. Greed, excessive immigration and a generation which have benefited from a never ending positive economic cycle have totally changed this country - the Billy Connolly Australia of the Ninties is gone I'm affraid. Replaced with 'investment portfolio's' and 'the latest SUV' or 'cafe culture'.... There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, it's called Alice Springs & Tasmania... The real Australia!

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Hya, I have said this on other threads before but there is no contract that you sign when boarding the plane to move here :-). Plenty of people don't like it here and that is just perfectly fine, I've been here 8 years and have a ripper set-up but I, like alot of others still miss the UK. Like others have said, it's no biggy at all and the only people who will comment on how mad you are for returning are one's who aint been - simple as. I have a bunch of mates from the North East and we all grew up surfing and dreaming about living in Australia, out of 5 - I am the only one still here. None of em back in the NE have any intention of coming back here and are actually a bit anti Aussie TBH.

How many K's?

Yeah, just can't get the image of hammerin it past a winner in his 3 series with flames comin out the back of me v8 ute..... I'm not an attention kinda person but rollin round in one of them would be pretty bloody cool I reckon

Will do - bugeting about a grand (pounds) I reckon

Sidster - I like the sound of ya mate :-) Great to hear you are gonna take it - also, you have the same idea. Will be like being a celeb on the drive home in one of them, bugger the cost. I was actually thinking of getting a cheap tranny van as well. I see you are in Bacchus - ride bikes up Lerderderg every weekend. Sometimes Greendale too. Good part of the world hey. I'm going back (via Texas) for a good time, not a long time.... hhhahahhah

Hi All, What ya's reckon? Ship back a 2008 HSV Maloo ute. Been seriously considering it - can you imagine (if a petrol head, of course) hammering it down the M1 in one of them..... Also, I have regular day dreams of screamin along the Autobahn taking on S5's and M5's at 280kph. They sell for a pretty penny in the UK too. Could run if for a year and then flog it for a house deposit (not a London house, of course). Just a bit of day dream kinda fun for a run of the mil Monday.... Discuss (if you want)

#Hasthtag - What-ever hahahahahhah