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I haven't been following it that closely but I read this today https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-56924188

Is it true Australia isn't even letting it's own people back in?

On 25/04/2021 at 20:25, andrewfx said:

Hi all, looking for some insight into the IT industry in Australia. We have been thinking h about making the move for a few years now, which would be in the next 2-4 years. 
I work as a network engineer in the UK, and have worked in this job for the past 2 years (will have the adequate experience when it comes to making the move).

I wondered if anyone on here works as a network engineer, or even in IT? What is the industry like over there? I currently work for a UK government department, but worked for a big service provider previously. I am CCNP certified and have a BSc in network engineering too. 
 

We would like to move to Melbourne, as I have done research which shows that is one of the best area in Aus for IT. I notice that not a lot of jobs are advertised with salaries - but from what I found I think I could earn 90k+ does that sound reasonable?

I work from hone permanently in the UK, I also wondered how common this is in Aus? Or at least partial WFH? And also about flexible working - I work flexi time, which means I can fit my working hours around my family life which I love. Is this common practice in Aus?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar situation and if you think you made the right move to go to Aus and work in IT!

 

Thanks in advance. 

I'm a BA not a tech IT resource, we lived in Perth for 11 years. You would be right to target Sydney and Melbourne for IT jobs, much more plentiful than in Perth. There are some big players in Perth, but not many. So, opportunities are limited somewhat.

I don't know what the WFH opportunities are like, Perth has had nothing like the scale of lockdowns we in the UK have had so I doubt WFH has become as ingrained there. They didn't like it when I was there (different times, granted) nor did I ever hear of flexi working.

On 28/04/2021 at 13:36, jimmyay1 said:

I feel for may British people who were thinking of emigrating to Australia and for whom even the cheaper states and areas are probably now forever out of reach in terms of buying a house. 

For anyone wanting to move to Aus the high cost of housing is going to become a real disincentive to bothering if they already live in a reasonable but better value area overseas. 

House prices just went up 9% in the UK this past 12 months. That could offset it, dependent on area.

6 hours ago, Toots said:

We bought a block of land at Mullaloo (Perth) a few minutes walk from the beach for $12,000 in in the early 80s.  Easily affordable then .  Now a block there is from $199,000.  The median price of a house in Hobart is now $600,000 ...............  a huge rise in a few years.

Totally agree that anyone with a comfortable, happy life in the UK should think very carefully before migrating these days.

You probably wouldn't get a garden in Mullaloo for $199k Toots. A decent block by the beach would be $500-$750k.

14 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Ever been in the City of London at the weekend?  Some of the pubs don't even open.  Some CBDs are so office based there is no one living there at all.

There was an article about the 'square mile' on the BBC yesterday, a plan to convert the now unused 'new normal' ex-office space to accommodation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56888615

We had the reverse cycle a/c heating and I couldn't use it. The air is so horrible and dry it was getting on my chest and drying my skin out. Plus, the heat isn't retained, as soon as you switch it off, it dissipates.

I was planning on getting a wood burner, they're great. Aside that, just normal electric heaters do a job although you need them close to you in open plan houses. And obvs switching them on and off is very manual.

A day out

As if.

Let's be factual for once, the use of the word 'most' is misleading here. 'Most' people who move back to the UK stay in the UK. Fact.

Tbf, Asda are about to do the same thing here albeit that the part-baked stuff is coming from a distribution centre rather than the other side of the world. They reckon that people buy specialty bread these days rather than normal loaves. Not sure I buy that excuse.

Fair enough, stand corrected.

Whilst we lived there, Woolies were fined twice, maybe three times, for advertising their veg as 'Australian Grown' when it wasn't; it was from SE Asia. So, the signs they have up in the shop are boll****.

Also, the bread wasn't fresh, they were importing part-baked frozen bread from Ireland, finishing it and passing it off as fresh.

Those wouldn't necessarily be issues if they weren't advertising them as premium goods and charging a fortune. And hiring Jamie Oliver to pass them off as 'The Fresh Food People' .

Why did you remove the Covid and other debating threads from CTF? Threads everywhere else are just being hijacked now.

I went out to Liverpool yesterday, it was like VE day!!! Best day in years.

It's a given the rate of infection is going to jump, it's keeping people out of hospital that's the trick. That's why all the appropriate groups were vaccinated first. If the vaccine is up to scratch, shouldn't be an issue. If it becomes an issue, it means the vaccine is ineffective or there's another new variant and that's a whole new ballgame then.

Only takes 3 pages for the super Aussie wannabes to appear .

Ok, everything is better in Australia than anywhere else , close thread.

10 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I don't see it as "bashing".  I prefer living in Australia hands-down, but I can still recognise that in general, the shopping is better in the UK.  I'm not getting hot under the collar about it, though.  It's just a fact of life - a nice benefit if you're living in the UK, and a minor irritation if you live in Australia.  There are pros and cons to every country and this is just one example.

Exactly, it's not about point-scoring is it? Inevitably, there are some things that are better/personably preferable in one country than the other, you could provide a list either way. When it comes to anything and everything retail, IMO the UK is much better. Demographics, geography and market forces dictate that.

15 hours ago, MacGyver said:

With the introduction of Aldi and Spudshed (WA) I think coles and woolies have had to up their game. I can’t buy a tv in the supermarkets here, but I now tend to think the produce is of a higher quality (and often more local produce) than the produce on sale in tesco. 

Marks and Spencer’s is the exception, I would never buy a weekly shop in marks when I lived in Scotland but some of their products are fantastic and I do miss shopping there.

I went to a couple of Spudshed's in WA and found them a bit scruffy.

Woolies is better than Coles, Woolies compares favourably with Asda/Morrisons. Much more choice in Asda/Morrisons mind, and way cheaper. Tesco is a step up from that and there's nothing in Perth like M&S or Waitrose stuff. I haven't even been to a supermarket for about 6 months, just automatically do the delivery now.

If your set-up is the same as mine, the mobile app doesn't need that extra authentication layer. Do you have that installed on your new phone?

The desktop version needs the SMS confirmation, which is your issue. But if are set up for the app, and know your next level authentication (they call it memorable details or something), you can get in there. And download statements from there.

We flew Perth-UK with our snub-nosed pooch but were restricted as to which months she could fly. We left in April so I'm thinking maybe it was the Northern Hemisphere summer months that weren't allowed.

EDIT - she flew via Dubai.

On 27/03/2021 at 08:51, Paul1Perth said:

That would have been a few years ago. There are more houses and more people now. 

My wifes Sister lives in Tolpuddle in the UK. When we stayed with them we suggested going to the local pub in the village. Thay said nobody goes and wouldn't come. We went and were 2 of the 3 people in the whole night. Apparently the other guy who was in usually has a friend turn up but he'd given it a miss that night.

To be fair Mindarie was a long way from anywhere, with km's of bushland either side a few years back. When they opened the brewery there it almost closed due to lack of customers. Now it's doing really well, the owners of the boat have spent thousands on it. Last time I went was to see a Pearl Jam tribute band. Packed and a brilliant night.

Downside of all the people moving up there is how they rip a lot of the coastal bushland up. That's progress I guess. When we moved here the freeway stopped at Hepburn, there was no railway and Marmion Ave was a quite 2 lane road. The one pub at Hillary's was empty in the week. 

You have to be careful where you pick. If pubs open late are a big part of your life, live closer to the City.

It was about 2014/15, the place was fully developed.

The brewery at Mindarie does the worst beer I have ever tasted. I went to a lot of breweries in Australia and most were fine if you like that craft/Pale Ale type beer. But that place at Mindarie, the beer (the whole range) is bloody awful.

We didn't have much choice as to where to live, we moved to Perth to be near family and they all live in Quinn's, Mindarie, Butler etc. If I had free rein of choice, I think I'd probably go South of the River that stretch from Applecross to Freo way. Expensive like. And immaterial now.

3 hours ago, bug family said:

Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go, its funny how you take for granted certain things back home when your there and do not even think about them at the time, for instance the availability of 24 hr shopping like Tesco's or restaurants open till gone 11pm, or pubs open till whenever they feel like...here the evenings entertainment choice is coles or woolworths 

I remember my Dad and Bro coming over on holiday one year and I took them to Mindarie Marina for a few pints mid week, in the summer. We were in one of the pubs (Boat, I think) and they asked us to leave at 10 past 9 as we were the only ones in there. Walked around the corner to the other pub and they were shutting up as well. I was embarrassed beyond, I could see my Dad thinking, where the hell are we?

But, different strokes different folks, Australia is it's own place and you have to respect differences. This is why I always wince on here when I read people thinking they're moving to the UK in the sun. It's not.

On 21/03/2021 at 15:17, Moobear said:

Hi everyone,

My family and I are in the very beginning of our process (covid has of course put a pause on it) we know we want to come over using a 189 visa. However we don’t know exactly where in Australia we want to go and would love some advice from those in the know. We have two kids (8 and 2) and them attending good schools is a MUST for us. My partner is an electrician and neither of us drive so would need to be somewhere there are local or commutable work opportunities. We would also love to be walking distance to the beach as we live in a coastal town now and our favourite thing to do is walk to the beach. 
Thanks for reading  

Learn to drive before you move to Australia otherwise you've no chance of making it work. Seriously.

Having worked in Aged Care in Australia, I can guarantee you there are big changes coming, it's question of when. But this isn't an Australia-only problem, the day will come pretty soon when, if you retire and have any personal fortune, you won't get state assistance. 100%.

Yeah, it will give at some point, has to. The money isn't there.

@Steveozz1 your situation is a lot like ours was. We moved in our late 30s, the wife & I, no kids. We stayed 11 years, moved back to the UK 2 years ago. Neither of us had strong inclinations to move to Australia, to move anywhere really; we liked our UK life. But the wife's family had been moving to Perth bit-by-bit and, eventually, she was the only one left. She started to get down about it so we agreed to move.

A lot resonates about your post. For the first 2 or 3 years, I kept sending messages to friends and family about how hot it was, and how great that fact was - "Look, it's 39 degrees today!!". That died a death when the novelty wore off and I grew to hate summers, it certainly became my least favourite season there. People in the UK equate weather like that to their holidays but, when it's incessant and you're trying to live a normal life in it, it's nothing like a holiday, quite the opposite IMO. We lived 10 mins from the beach, which we visited quite often with the dogs. We had a nice garden and pool at home. The pool saw use for about 2 years then after that it just became a maintenance burden. We found a lot of the activities to do and places to visit became very 'samey' very quickly. They are nice and so on but, they do work off a theme that has a shelf-life. At least for me anyway. We also found it very restrictive as to what we could do with the dogs. Our social life became really stale, Perth doesn't have a great 'scene' and what places there are are bars really rather than pubs.

I wanted to move back after about 4 years or so. The wife didn't so I stuck it out hoping that one day she'd land on the same page. She did eventually but not before I had started to think to myself that I might have to broach the issue a bit more, she knew I wasn't completely happy, she didn't know how seriously unhappy I was.

So, we moved back to the UK and yeah, it's not perfect. But it's much better for us. Our social life is great again, well it was pre-Covid and will be again post-Covid, the amount of places to visit and weekend away is unbelievable, we were in the habit of a weekend away every other month, we'll get back to that soon. The dogs can come practically anywhere with us, obvious places aside. The weather suits us, it's absolutely not an issue in our lives, at all. So, there is no doubt you could make it work. A couple of people aside, I have to say I can't think of anything that I miss. That sounds bad, a bit of an indictment but it isn't meant to be. Perth is a nice place, great for young kids. But it wasn't right for us.

There are better qualified people on here to advise you how to broach this with your husband. Small steps might be the solution I guess, holidays etc. when you can. Good luck.

Obvs if you don't have your broadband with them, or all the channels or a second box, it will be less. That's why they do bundles. If your bundle is all the channels, a second box and their broadband, it will be >$200. If you want one box, basic channels and no broadband, it will about $40/$50 as a new customer. The website explains all this.