fizzybangs Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Some of you may know already but I have lived here for 32 years, had lived abroad for a year before coming here so did not get homesick and loved my life here until I returned to UK for another long holiday the year before last. Australia used to be a fabulous place to live and people were very friendly and there was no noticeable racism. The cost of living versus wages was not luxurious but there was little genuine hardship. The weather was also more predictable! That has all changed. We spent 3 years travelling all around Oz and saw some extraordinary sights before our trip to UK so I did not expect to come back from that trip to England feeling as though I had just woken up out of a dream. The cost of living here is exorbitant and if you think your utility bills are high you will get a shock coming here! Our grocery bills are criminal because of lack of competition and limited product choices in comparison to UK. Our house prices and rental costs are high. You have companies closing down over there? Same here but it has been going on longer. I know several people who have struggled to find work here yet have obtained jobs back in the UK easily by comparison. During the day, if you live in the suburbs it can be very lonely as people stay indoors out of the sun or else are at work. We have a dearth of sprawling suburbs in Australia and there is not the neighborliness that you get in the UK. The shopping is usually done in air conditioned malls and they all contain the same shops so it is very boring. Public transport in Brisbane is very expensive but if you go into the city by car you will need a mortgage to pay for a car park all day and many roads have toll charges. It was not like this for years when I came out - it seems to have crept up on us without us being aware! Life is not easy in Australia. If you go to Perth for example you may find it very hard to find a rental home to live in and if you do it will cost you a fortune to get set up. Our telecommunications costs are also exorbitant and shock people coming from Britain. If you and your wife are fully prepared for a challenge and can cope with possible feelings of isolation then come. I am happy with my own company so it probably doesn't bother me as much as it does those who have had a good social life in the UK. My kids live here yet I am hoping to return to live in England as soon as I can and believe me I never thought I would leave my kids here but I know that I will have a much better life in the UK. Having toured all around and across Australia it is time to explore the beautiful British Isles which is so much smaller - how many UK residents do that before exiting to live abroad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellers and Whitehead Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Some of you may know already but I have lived here for 32 years, had lived abroad for a year before coming here so did not get homesick and loved my life here until I returned to UK for another long holiday the year before last. Australia used to be a fabulous place to live and people were very friendly and there was no noticeable racism. The cost of living versus wages was not luxurious but there was little genuine hardship. The weather was also more predictable! That has all changed. We spent 3 years travelling all around Oz and saw some extraordinary sights before our trip to UK so I did not expect to come back from that trip to England feeling as though I had just woken up out of a dream. The cost of living here is exorbitant and if you think your utility bills are high you will get a shock coming here! Our grocery bills are criminal because of lack of competition and limited product choices in comparison to UK. Our house prices and rental costs are high. You have companies closing down over there? Same here but it has been going on longer. I know several people who have struggled to find work here yet have obtained jobs back in the UK easily by comparison. During the day, if you live in the suburbs it can be very lonely as people stay indoors out of the sun or else are at work. We have a dearth of sprawling suburbs in Australia and there is not the neighborliness that you get in the UK. The shopping is usually done in air conditioned malls and they all contain the same shops so it is very boring. Public transport in Brisbane is very expensive but if you go into the city by car you will need a mortgage to pay for a car park all day and many roads have toll charges. It was not like this for years when I came out - it seems to have crept up on us without us being aware! Life is not easy in Australia. If you go to Perth for example you may find it very hard to find a rental home to live in and if you do it will cost you a fortune to get set up. Our telecommunications costs are also exorbitant and shock people coming from Britain. If you and your wife are fully prepared for a challenge and can cope with possible feelings of isolation then come. I am happy with my own company so it probably doesn't bother me as much as it does those who have had a good social life in the UK. My kids live here yet I am hoping to return to live in England as soon as I can and believe me I never thought I would leave my kids here but I know that I will have a much better life in the UK. Having toured all around and across Australia it is time to explore the beautiful British Isles which is so much smaller - how many UK residents do that before exiting to live abroad? Wow! That is spot on. I have holidayed in Oz every few years since I was 6. The last time I came to Oz was 12 years ago on a whv. It has been my dream since that first holiday to move to Oz. you summed it up very well..it is def not the same place I remember, and it certainly isn't 'living the dream'. The job thing is so true also, always worked in UK, but have only got intermittent work for the last year in Oz. fab post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I have read lots of posts on here and there are many reasons that people leave oz.But if you read them most are "I miss my Mommy" posts. How great it is to be near friends and family again, or I miss my family and mates in the pub. Well 'I miss my Mommy' and family as most of them are in Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest74886 Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Some of you may know already but I have lived here for 32 years, had lived abroad for a year before coming here so did not get homesick and loved my life here until I returned to UK for another long holiday the year before last. Australia used to be a fabulous place to live and people were very friendly and there was no noticeable racism. The cost of living versus wages was not luxurious but there was little genuine hardship. The weather was also more predictable! That has all changed. We spent 3 years travelling all around Oz and saw some extraordinary sights before our trip to UK so I did not expect to come back from that trip to England feeling as though I had just woken up out of a dream. The cost of living here is exorbitant and if you think your utility bills are high you will get a shock coming here! Our grocery bills are criminal because of lack of competition and limited product choices in comparison to UK. Our house prices and rental costs are high. You have companies closing down over there? Same here but it has been going on longer. I know several people who have struggled to find work here yet have obtained jobs back in the UK easily by comparison. During the day, if you live in the suburbs it can be very lonely as people stay indoors out of the sun or else are at work. We have a dearth of sprawling suburbs in Australia and there is not the neighborliness that you get in the UK. The shopping is usually done in air conditioned malls and they all contain the same shops so it is very boring. Public transport in Brisbane is very expensive but if you go into the city by car you will need a mortgage to pay for a car park all day and many roads have toll charges. It was not like this for years when I came out - it seems to have crept up on us without us being aware! Life is not easy in Australia. If you go to Perth for example you may find it very hard to find a rental home to live in and if you do it will cost you a fortune to get set up. Our telecommunications costs are also exorbitant and shock people coming from Britain. If you and your wife are fully prepared for a challenge and can cope with possible feelings of isolation then come. I am happy with my own company so it probably doesn't bother me as much as it does those who have had a good social life in the UK. My kids live here yet I am hoping to return to live in England as soon as I can and believe me I never thought I would leave my kids here but I know that I will have a much better life in the UK. Having toured all around and across Australia it is time to explore the beautiful British Isles which is so much smaller - how many UK residents do that before exiting to live abroad? Yep, I agree with much of what you have to say and I have only been here 7 years, the rise of virulent racism here is what concerns me most apart from the practical issues that you highlight, also what troubles me here is that anything constructive to address issues takes so long to achieve, if it ever is achieved, whereas tearing anything down whether it is buildings or wrecking institutions like making people redundant, or making money for the private developers happens overnight. Its like anything that requires thinking about goes into the 'way too hard basket' and anything that just requires bull headiness gets into the 'today basket' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 its the increasing violence thats more noticable to us, every weekend and large brawls, no respect for the police here the portable police signs going up warning to lck doors etc due to a spike in home invasions too, sad but its all the same the world over, dont get me started on utility bills in perth!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I think people are starting to realise that shock horror Australia actually has the same problems as the rest of the world, whatever next its the increasing violence thats more noticable to us, every weekend and large brawls, no respect for the police herethe portable police signs going up warning to lck doors etc due to a spike in home invasions too, sad but its all the same the world over, dont get me started on utility bills in perth!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I think people are starting to realise that shock horror Australia actually has the same problems as the rest of the world, whatever next sshh you know you'll upset em :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 sshh you know you'll upset em :cool: Yeah that keeps me awake at night :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I think people are starting to realise that shock horror Australia actually has the same problems as the rest of the world, whatever next No, never!!!! Everyone knows the streets are paved with gold, there is no crime or unemployment and the unicorns frolic gaily in the bush with the kuddly koalas and skippy roos. It always strikes me as very amusing that the Poms seem to refer to it universally as Oz - conjuring up visions of yellow brick roads and fantasy lands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flathead Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 It always strikes me as very amusing that the Poms seem to refer to it universally as Oz - conjuring up visions of yellow brick roads and fantasy lands. Well they got the fantasy bit right:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I dread to think what I'll read after 6.30pm uk time. Can you point me in the direction of the unicorns please, My grandaughter would like one for xmas,!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest71686 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Some of you may know already but I have lived here for 32 years, had lived abroad for a year before coming here so did not get homesick and loved my life here until I returned to UK for another long holiday the year before last. Australia used to be a fabulous place to live and people were very friendly and there was no noticeable racism. The cost of living versus wages was not luxurious but there was little genuine hardship. The weather was also more predictable! That has all changed. We spent 3 years travelling all around Oz and saw some extraordinary sights before our trip to UK so I did not expect to come back from that trip to England feeling as though I had just woken up out of a dream. The cost of living here is exorbitant and if you think your utility bills are high you will get a shock coming here! Our grocery bills are criminal because of lack of competition and limited product choices in comparison to UK. Our house prices and rental costs are high. You have companies closing down over there? Same here but it has been going on longer. I know several people who have struggled to find work here yet have obtained jobs back in the UK easily by comparison. During the day, if you live in the suburbs it can be very lonely as people stay indoors out of the sun or else are at work. We have a dearth of sprawling suburbs in Australia and there is not the neighborliness that you get in the UK.The shopping is usually done in air conditioned malls and they all contain the same shops so it is very boring. Public transport in Brisbane is very expensive but if you go into the city by car you will need a mortgage to pay for a car park all day and many roads have toll charges. It was not like this for years when I came out - it seems to have crept up on us without us being aware! Life is not easy in Australia. If you go to Perth for example you may find it very hard to find a rental home to live in and if you do it will cost you a fortune to get set up. Our telecommunications costs are also exorbitant and shock people coming from Britain. If you and your wife are fully prepared for a challenge and can cope with possible feelings of isolation then come. I am happy with my own company so it probably doesn't bother me as much as it does those who have had a good social life in the UK. My kids live here yet I am hoping to return to live in England as soon as I can and believe me I never thought I would leave my kids here but I know that I will have a much better life in the UK. Having toured all around and across Australia it is time to explore the beautiful British Isles which is so much smaller - how many UK residents do that before exiting to live abroad? Lived all but 2 years of my life in uk. I think you'll find people talk to their neighbours less and less in the uk too, and all the malls in the uk have the same shops as each other too. It's modern life im afraid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flathead Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Lived all but 2 years of my life in uk. I think you'll find people talk to their neighbours less and less in the uk too, and all the malls in the uk have the same shops as each other too. It's modern life im afraid Oh! It's all changed in the last few weeks then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I think people are starting to realise that shock horror Australia actually has the same problems as the rest of the world, whatever next Interesting to see the "intellectuals" responding to this..........................so Oz (or the UK..........to be balanced) are the same as Rio, Tijuana et al are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugby Lad Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 surroundings approximating to a motorway services crossed with a funfair casino. Absolute gold. Best description I've seen of the "Great (???!) Suburban Aussie Pub" Just letting you know that I'll definitely be stealing that line. In the interests of fairness there are decent - and some very good - pubs (mainly in inner-city Sydney that I know of) but they're few and far between accross the whole country unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Hi guys I'm just wanting to get some idea of why people decided to come back to the UK? What were the main influences etc. my story is that iv always wanted to move to oz. to cut a long story short I was all set to go in 2007 but met my now wife. It wasn't an easy decision but I fell in love. I do regret not going and I'm constantly hounded by it. Just want to get a feel of what made you comeback as she's very close to family so not convinced she will ever do it. Thanks Jamie As the Aus v UK debate is gathering pace and the personal digs becoming more frequent - A reminder that the OP is asking what made people return to the UKl, please remind yourself of the OP when responding - the member is new to PIO and has asked a genuine question - please put your bickering aside or start your own thread, but try not to spoil this one. It would be a shame to close a thread that is of genuine interest to some of the membership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Also a reminder this forum is for people who are going to have issues with Australia so if you don't want to read please use other parts of the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Oh! It's all changed in the last few weeks then? Must be the last couple of days I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Also a reminder this forum is for people who are going to have issues with Australia so if you don't want to read please use other parts of the forum. Spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest74886 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Absolute gold. Best description I've seen of the "Great (???!) Suburban Aussie Pub" Just letting you know that I'll definitely be stealing that line. In the interests of fairness there are decent - and some very good - pubs (mainly in inner-city Sydney that I know of) but they're few and far between accross the whole country unfortunately. I'm glad to know I've brought a little cheer into peoples mundane existences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfarrell Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I miss my Mammy! I miss my family. I also miss my friends even tho I would prob only see them maybe twice/three times a month, you just pick up where you left off. My friends are from primary school so we know each other inside and out. I miss the fresh cool air. I miss the buildings / surroundings of Dublin. I miss the diversity of Ireland. I miss being only 10 mins drive into the city (or 25 mins walk) with all the great shops / cafes / restaurants / proper pubs. I miss being 5 mins walk to the beach, even in the cold rainy days. I miss walking to school each morning with the kids and seeing all the neighbours and other kids on their scooters and bikes. I miss good spuds. I miss Irish tv. I miss my Indian takeaway. I miss the local butchers for good value deals (im a veggie but the rest of the clan are complete carnivores! The list goes on and on. Apart from family and friends I will agree the rest seems so petty.. but put them all together its our day to day life. We came here thinking the grass would be greener. And I completely underestimated the homesickness. While I do love the sunshine and the beaches unfortunately its not enough for me. I do not see what we will gain from being here compared to what we gave up. My husbands wages are much higher here but the cost of living I feel is more expensive so it evens out. My kids desparately miss having family surrounding them and being part of a community. My eldest misses both her Nannas, her best friend, her lovely small school, her drama club. (my other to are too small to understand or miss anything) They had a good quality of life back home, we werent forced to leave Ireland cos of the recession we just thought there was something better out there for us. Took us to come here to realise what we had back home. So we hope to head back in January and start again. Its tough when I think bout how much it has cost us to get here but I keep reminding myself that money is not everything. Being happy and healthy is. I could say all the things I dislike about Australia but theres good and bad everywhere so whats the point. Its just not for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest74886 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I miss my Mammy! I miss my family. I also miss my friends even tho I would prob only see them maybe twice/three times a month, you just pick up where you left off. My friends are from primary school so we know each other inside and out. I miss the fresh cool air. I miss the buildings / surroundings of Dublin. I miss the diversity of Ireland. I miss being only 10 mins drive into the city (or 25 mins walk) with all the great shops / cafes / restaurants / proper pubs. I miss being 5 mins walk to the beach, even in the cold rainy days. I miss walking to school each morning with the kids and seeing all the neighbours and other kids on their scooters and bikes. I miss good spuds. I miss Irish tv. I miss my Indian takeaway. I miss the local butchers for good value deals (im a veggie but the rest of the clan are complete carnivores! The list goes on and on. Apart from family and friends I will agree the rest seems so petty.. but put them all together its our day to day life. We came here thinking the grass would be greener. And I completely underestimated the homesickness. While I do love the sunshine and the beaches unfortunately its not enough for me. I do not see what we will gain from being here compared to what we gave up. My husbands wages are much higher here but the cost of living I feel is more expensive so it evens out. My kids desparately miss having family surrounding them and being part of a community. My eldest misses both her Nannas, her best friend, her lovely small school, her drama club. (my other to are too small to understand or miss anything) They had a good quality of life back home, we werent forced to leave Ireland cos of the recession we just thought there was something better out there for us. Took us to come here to realise what we had back home. So we hope to head back in January and start again. Its tough when I think bout how much it has cost us to get here but I keep reminding myself that money is not everything. Being happy and healthy is. I could say all the things I dislike about Australia but theres good and bad everywhere so whats the point. Its just not for us. Very sorry to hear it has worked out so badly, only consolation I can offer is that you have made the decision now rather than in 3 or 4 years time when everyone back home will have moved on and whilst there is some chance of you or your OH rebuilding a career . Also console yourself that for quite a substantial percentage it doesn't work out, sometimes after persevering for 20 years plus, I know we are leaving after 7 years and it is costing us mega bucks, but its also partly because the financial situation here does not stack up if you retire what with the price of housing and the rate of price inflation which no one seems to be getting to grips with, and partly because I personally feel like I'm living in a very bad production of an 'Opera Buffo' being played out on some stage in a banana republic. Bon Voyage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny7334 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Very sorry to hear it has worked out so badly, only consolation I can offer is that you have made the decision now rather than in 3 or 4 years time when everyone back home will have moved on and whilst there is some chance of you or your OH rebuilding a career . Also console yourself that for quite a substantial percentage it doesn't work out, sometimes after persevering for 20 years plus, I know we are leaving after 7 years and it is costing us mega bucks, but its also partly because the financial situation here does not stack up if you retire what with the price of housing and the rate of price inflation which no one seems to be getting to grips with, and partly because I personally feel like I'm living in a very bad production of an 'Opera Buffo' being played out on some stage in a banana republic. Bon Voyage Hi OztoFrance, Can you expand on what you mean by "the financial situation here does not stack up if you retire what with the price of housing and the rate of price inflation". Does this statement apply to you or do you mean this for people generally throughout Oz? As someone in their 30's who intends on contributing to super for many years to come I would like to think that with super and a few additional personal savings we would have enough to retire, but I have never really done the maths TBH and am not sure what is provided here in terms of state pension etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest74886 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Hi OztoFrance, Can you expand on what you mean by "the financial situation here does not stack up if you retire what with the price of housing and the rate of price inflation". Does this statement apply to you or do you mean this for people generally throughout Oz? As someone in their 30's who intends on contributing to super for many years to come I would like to think that with super and a few additional personal savings we would have enough to retire, but I have never really done the maths TBH and am not sure what is provided here in terms of state pension etc. The Govt pension is discretionary here and is means tested so if you have a large amount in super and your own home then you may not actually qualify for the pension until you have run your super down to a low enough level, the advantage with the pension is that as soon as you qualify for a part pension you get a lot of freebies like reduced price prescriptions, but the govt can change things and it is pushing the retirement age upwards as with the UK and some parts of Europe Super is supposed to provide people with a personal pension but at 9% unless you are on over 120k I personally do not see how you can put sufficient away in 40 years to afford you a decent retirement which might last 25+ years. Super is predicated on the Stock market growing at something in excess of 5%pa for all the years you are contributing in order for your investment to accumulate to a large enough sum for it to last your retirement, which a lot of pundits say needs to be anything between 400k and 800k as a pot. There is another issue which are the fees which the super providers take which can be between 0.5%-1% which takes quite a chunk out of your contributions each year. My personal position is that I am much older than my wife , she is still working and I am retired, although we have some super of mine because we cannot access her super we don't have a sufficient aggregate sum without using equity from our house, which is now sold, but if we buy another house which would be to our liking and in an area we want to live in we will not have enough equity to boost our super without eating into the capital therefore leaving my wife short when she is alone and dependent on her super alone. So in order for both of us to be able to retire now we need to reduce down the cost of a house and we have decided that can be achieved back in Europe, that is one of the major push factors in our decision making allied to a number of pull factors around being in Europe. The issue around price inflation is that I believe it is much higher than the official statistical body says it is, or at least it is on the items which are important to you as you retire, food, fuel and entertainment and that the inflation is at the top of the price range, ie 5% on prices which are already at $200 for a basket of goods grows a lot faster than 5% for a basket of similar goods priced at a starting price of $140 and this obviously has a bigger and bigger affect on you when you are on a fixed income such as when you are retired I stress that these are my own thoughts on the situation and you need to investigate for yourself with some people who have all the facts to hand although if you keep some of my thoughts to hand it will give you some basis for the good old b--ls--t detector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 i have never heard it better said bout your heart being broken that is exactly exactly how i felt in oz. are you still in oz? Hi yes we're still here although my son (14) is currently living in the UK with his grandparents attending school etc. It was hard to let him go but he has missed them dearly from when we came and in his mind Oz will still be here but time with his grandparents is precious!....I get this sense of looming depression when I think that I can't go back to the UK. When we talk about going back it's like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I hesitate about going back because as parents we need to provide for our children. We have very little (extremely little) savings and need to work to pay bills etc. We have jobs here and a mortgage. Going back gives no guarentee to employment etc. It's just a scary decision to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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