bencrom81

I wouldn't say you need to adapt to anything, especially in the east of Sydney. id say itd be 50/50 brits and aussies. I would also say there are large differences between attitude, sense of humour, characters between brits and aussies. most people that live in east Sydney are generally unbearable but especially the Australians!

ive not found it hard to make friends, got plenty ex pat mates here in Sydney. aussie mates, not so much. ive learnt that the laidback sociable friendly aussie is from the Fosters ads only; certainly in sydneys eastern suburbs the 20-40 year olds are over privileged, private schooled cliquey idiots. I'm from northern England so these types of people don't fool me one bit. all façade and bravado, then rely on daddy to fund their drug habit and subsequent therapist sessions.. great fun to observe, but does have its time limit. eastern suburbs is a funny old place!

I'm exactly the same. I have one aussie acquaintance. the rest are british. sounds bad I suppose but that's just the way it is, its a sense of humour thing I guess.

sorry to be blunt but this is a typical case of the grass is always greener. if you convinced your OH to move back, he would think 'boy who cries wolf', and right he should. nowhere and nothing is perfect, just make the most of where you are now.

hang on. you applied in October last year and still not had your test yet?? I'm in Sydney too - with a notoriously slow council in Waverley - I applied in December and did my test early January, just waiting on my approval now. a mate in the same council missed his as his letter arrived after the ceremony date itself!! I wont be fully relaxed until I have that passport in my mitts

ok. never once did I mention Sydney to be perfect. in fact I'm heading home this year, but comments slagging the place off are laughable and stem from people not hacking it here usually. cant make friends, cant earn enough money, cant fit in, cant apply sunscreen, cant understand the trains, cant cope being away from home. as far as saying a city is a city?? ok, a day is a day, a woman is a woman, food is food, people are people, boobs are boobs... rubbish. traffic is everywhere, in every city. I suppose I do criticize others choices when they whinge!

a city is a city? so Sydney is the same as Reykjavik, the same as Preston, the same as Sao Paulo, the same as Milan? Complete nonsense and a typical English perspective. just crack on in benidorm with your coffee mate, full English breakfasts and Tetley teabags!

agreed. apart from the harbour bridge, palm beach, northern beaches, Narrabeen, the rocks, opera house, botanical gardens, ferry to manly, manly beach, barangaroo, Sydney fish markets, the bondi to coogee coastal walk, bondi beach, watsons bay, double bay, the harbour, the French inspired charm of Paddington and the cosy pubs, the cafes and bars of surry hills, Randwick races, vivid festival, mardi gras, the cove beaches within ku ring gai national park, fish and chips at the boathouse watching the sea planes land, the hike to figure 8 pools in Bundeena, the best coffee in the world, the quirkiness of the golden age cinema in surry hills, afternoon lunch at Chiswick, paddleboarding in rose bay overlooking the city, lunch in icebergs overlooking the waves at bondi, concerts at the enmore theatre, breakfast in the quirky cafes of newtown.. there is simply nothing to do in Sydney.. now I am heading home to the UK this year after 7 years here, some good times, some bad times, but if you're bored here or would advise people to go to the NT (?????!!!!!) for sightseeing instead of Sydney, I think its your marbles you need to look for, not your visa's! Those people who slag Sydney off, it can be an unwelcoming and harsh place, not everyone wants to be your mate. some can hack it, some cant.

jammy bugger. are you straight to kingsford smith or having second thoughts about leaving now? looking forward to getting mine.

agree with a lot of your views john. having just sweated myself through my 7th Sydney summer, its only now ive accepted I just cant stand the heat. I don't understand the UK mindset of unless youre boiling your internal organs on a beach to sunstroke, you cant be enjoying yourself. hence the excruciating facebook posts of Aus weather status from ex pats. that said, a Sydney winter is pretty glorious.

yeah agreed. I'm on a similar wage ($120k) and do not have a car, share a flat (eastern subs/bondi) etc to ensure I have enough spare cash to enjoy the city and what it has to offer, restaurants, shows, gym, nights out etc. basically prioritising. I have no intention of buying here or indeed staying much longer as the cost of living is a rip off now. I'm off home up north in the UK as soon as my citizienship ceremony is boxed off, til then ill crack on and enjoy Sydney. not Campbelltown though, i'd rather live in a swamp.

just read the book. pretty amazing that you think those will be the 20 questions. I feel a lot less stupid already today.

yes I agree. I'm moving back soon after I grab my citizenship but it really surprises me how many people cannot hack living abroad. I really believe some people aren't mentally strong enough to pursue adventure away from the comforts of home, family and familiarity. when the first thing goes wrong, they claim they are missing the smell of their nans kitchen or their cousins dog. all excuses that are rather lame. if you want to go, just go! if you are unsure, accept things will get tough and no, Australia doesn't owe you a living, a nice car, a swimming pool or cheap groceries. ive been here seven years and lived in gorgeous waterfront apartments with girlfriends, then lost it all and had a suitcase next to a mates sofa and beans on toast for a few weeks whilst I pieced myself together. ive missed weddings, lost family members and been absent from loads of family and friends events and milestones. ive also learned here that life can get really hard and learning to deal with it on my own and depending on myself has given me the confidence and knowledge to tackle the next step at home.. what I would never have considered is bailing when the chips are down then blaming small stuff. maybe not the right place for this, but some people need telling.

of course you cant look at castles or travel to Europe every day. people have normal lives to lead, which includes work, commuting, washing, ironing, hobbies, making dinner, washing the car, taking the kids to school. pretty much like you cant go surfing, lie on the beach, scuba dive the great barrier reef, stroke a koala or take photos of ayers rock every day in oz. people's expectations astound me these days. i'd like to see the shade of green of the grass most people on here believe exists.

surprised that this isn't a busy time for them? eastern suburbs of Sydney starts getting bearable from now as people move on chasing the sun up the coast or pack up their stuff and leave to start afresh in spring in the UK. If I had my citizenship now I'd be planning my getaway now.

concord? I'm a bondi boy so never been there. I work in the CBD so haven't been west of Balmain in a year or so. having said that I'm breaking my duck tonight and having a weekend in the blue mountains. youre right it is depressing. like many things in life, sacrifices are needed.. I live in a very modest flat share in bondi, don't drive and earn 130k. means I can get home once a year to see family, eat at nice places now and again and generally enjoy what the city has to offer. that said, theres not much left at the end of the month, but I don't intend staying here for much longer so I'm not leaving anything undone!

Agreed, anywhere west of Balmain and youre talking a completely different city.. auburn, Granville.. basically like mini istanbuls! Bondi is very much a vegemite love it or hate it place.. coffee, breakfast, early weekend mornings on the beach before the sun rises, views of icebergs, the disjointed scruffy charm of the place and the cliffs between bondi and bronte are all winners. however the rubbish bars, rubbish housing, rubbish parking, rubbish people can outweigh these things. agreed with you there johnny til you mentioned darling harbour?! get your head tested, worst area in Sydney. unless you like tourist restaurants, dodgy aquariums and tacky bars.

Im in almost an identical boat movingback.. I can apply for citizenship in December, have been here over 5 years and have become disillusioned with Sydney.. im over the peter pan lifestyle (im 33 and still have a student lifestyle here), the expense, the isolation of the city and more than anything else, the transiency of the place.. I play soccer/footy here and the amount of mates who've left has actually resulted in my social circle dwindling, with mates that have stayed moving and settling far far from the city.. that said, there are enough things to keep me here til I get my passport - the fact im nearly there, the thought of getting back to the UK and it not feeling quite right; the breakfasts and coffee!; the sense im still on an adventure, planning trips home and better work opportunities here.. I absolutely feel your pain and it makes you feel guilty as it seems a nothing issue; but one that gradually impacts on your thoughts.. ive found Sydney is quite a soulless place behind the beauty, very much a kim Kardashian city.. but the fact I know I wont be in Sydney forever and that home (Manchester) is just a flight away if it all gets a bit much gives me a bit of comfort. although the horizontal rain today in the CBD reminds me of a winters day on deansgate. stick it out til December, ill do it if you do!