seasea Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Hi all, It would be great to hear your stories. I want to hear about things that shocked you when you first moved over or things that pleasantly surprised you in Australia. Obviously, it's not a 3rd world country, but perhaps there are things that are catching up in terms or technology or perhaps ahead. Things that you do or don't have to pay for that you do or don't like. And anything else that you care to mention about everyday costs and living experiences. I'm also very interested in your social experiences of living in Australia. I want warts and all stories :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon4017 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I've learned that no matter how often you tell them, Aussies just won't accept that TimTams are basically rebranded Penguins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasea Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 Haha, yeah, I've tried TimTams. They are very similar, but I remember them being deeper than Penguins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasea Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 Is there are supermarket culture over there or is there a tendency for there to be a butcher, baker, grocer, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Is there are supermarket culture over there or is there a tendency for there to be a butcher, baker, grocer, etc? Both options are readily available although it sometimes works out cheaper to do the Butcher, Baker route rather than a supermarket. On saying that if you buy items when they are on offer (every few weeks normally for lots of things) supermarkets don't always work out bad price wise. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Customer service! It's IMMACULATE here! Actually a little annoying at times, but honestly, the amount of free stuff you get is huge too. The dog walks; lots of places well-maintained with a lot of poo bins and bag posts, lawn mowed, with clear off leash signs. Things aren't as expensive as everyone says they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Supercraps are just that, crap. Farmers markets and speciality shops are the go in Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon4017 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Is there are supermarket culture over there or is there a tendency for there to be a butcher, baker, grocer, etc? Probably depends whether you're in town or out in the sticks a bit. In cities, there is a big shopping centre culture. I lived in a village before I came, so I was quite surprised. It is convenient to have all the shops under one (air conditioned) roof. But sometimes I forget which mall I'm in because they all look basically the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furkew Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 if you need a tradie to come and give you a quote, Ring at least 5-6 different companies. 2-3 probably wont turn up or return calls to come and look at the job 1-2 wont send a quote without ringing them 3-4 times to remind them at least one quote will be so ridiculously high, because of a high work load, so if they get the job, it makes it worth while to fit you in because we have been here for a few years now, we know who to call now, but it was a real pain in the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapri Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Shocks: none really as I has done my research, but paying for medical appointments and kids dentistry is obviously different here. surprises: free school bus passes, things not as expensive as we had thought once you're earning Aussie dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 When we first arrived in Oz we popped into a local pizza place at 9pm. We lived 4k out of centre of Brisbane. They were quick to tell us we'd have to head into city as they were closing for the night! Early nights and early mornings are the order of the day here in QLD. I've just popped out at 6am - heavy traffic, place is buzzing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon4017 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 When we first arrived in Oz we popped into a local pizza place at 9pm. We lived 4k out of centre of Brisbane. They were quick to tell us we'd have to head into city as they were closing for the night! Early nights and early mornings are the order of the day here in QLD. I've just popped out at 6am - heavy traffic, place is buzzing! I was going to say; it's easy to calculate restaurant hours, just subtract 3 minutes for every kilometer outside the CBD you are. If you think that sounds complicated, wait til you're confronted with mobile phone tariffs. They really are shockingly complicated. 20$ real money buy you 50$ credit which can be used to buy bonus packs bla bla bla. Best bet: look on Whirlpool forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 When we first arrived in Oz we popped into a local pizza place at 9pm. We lived 4k out of centre of Brisbane. They were quick to tell us we'd have to head into city as they were closing for the night! Early nights and early mornings are the order of the day here in QLD. I've just popped out at 6am - heavy traffic, place is buzzing! Had this exact problem recently too! Aussies eat/get up way too early! Tradies come round too early. Everything starts too early. However I don't rely on chains as much here as back home. At home I would get coffee from Starbucks/Costa/Nero, here it's always independent. Same with food shopping as Tesco's doesn't just completely dominate my shopping time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy1982 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Been here 3 months so still early days but; Shocks - Lack of Jobs for skilled people, very poor customer service - be it in recruitment replies or real estate, price of food, price of cars, price of childcare is the most shock! Surprises/likes - no council tax for renting, not paying to park at most places We have lived here fr a year before and had been researching 3 years prior to our return but the shocks listed above still shocked us. My wife is an english trained midwife, meant to be the best in the world, and yet despite us getting a visa and being told 'they are crying out for midwives out here' she is still unemployed 3 months on......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Been here 3 months so still early days but; Shocks - Lack of Jobs for skilled people, very poor customer service - be it in recruitment replies or real estate, price of food, price of cars, price of childcare is the most shock! Surprises/likes - no council tax for renting, not paying to park at most places We have lived here fr a year before and had been researching 3 years prior to our return but the shocks listed above still shocked us. My wife is an english trained midwife, meant to be the best in the world, and yet despite us getting a visa and being told 'they are crying out for midwives out here' she is still unemployed 3 months on......... No offence to anyone on here but these 2 professions are full of idiots wherever you are! (i'm sure there's a few good ones somewhere) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy1982 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 No offence to anyone on here but these 2 professions are full of idiots wherever you are! (i'm sure there's a few good ones somewhere) In my experience in the past at least these 'idiots; have replied to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 In my experience in the past at least these 'idiots; have replied to me! I've only ever had replies when they smell some commission. Otherwise you are totally ignored in both Uk and Oz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil & Vikki Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 The cost of the rental was the first thing that shocked us about Australia. Remember looking on the real estate websites and on the first one or two pages thinking that they must of written the PW does wrong and what they really meant to say was PM. However, after reading a bit further we realized that the price was in fact per week and not per month. First shock before we had even touched down in the country lol. The heat was the second thing that shocked us. Yes we know it was going to be hot, but on our first weekend we had a rude awakening as to how hot. We left the UK and it was around 2-4 in the sun. We got here spent the first day catching up on sleep and then decided to go for a walk on the bridge. We had got half way, drank all the water we had got, were sweating and thinking what the hell. It ended up being one of the hottest days that year reaching 46 and we had decided to go for a walk when the locals were all in the shopping centres with the air con. What is that saying about ‘mad dogs and English men go out in the midday sun’ it was true for us that day. We then were shocked by the lack of choice when it comes to supermarkets. No places like Tesco’s, Asda, just four or so main players. As a result the good offers and deals we were used to were not to be found from now on. Coming from a small town in Worcester to a big city like Sydney, took us a bit to get used to. We were not used to the big city mentality. The speed of things and the amount of people going about their everyday lives as fast as they can took us a bit to get used to. One shock to this day is the general disregard drivers have for both people walking and on bikes. They seem to think I am in a car, I am going to go. Often you find yourself asking do cars here come with breaks as they do not seem to get used much in Sydney. If people see you on the crossing they will speed up rather than just stopping for a few seconds to let you cross. We have had situations where people will drive across the pedestrian crossing when you have started walking on it and when you have a pram. That is wrong and is it work the possibility of seriously hurting a family or possibly killing them, just so you can get a bit further down the road??? When we were in the UK we would slow down or even stop to allow ladies to cross with prams. Just see it as being a decent human act towards another fellow human. That does not seem to be the case that often here though. We personally love Asia and anything to do with it so the strong Asian community, shops and events like the Chinese New Year celebrations are really great for us. We love walking around all of the shops and looking what they have for sale. Often we cannot make out what they are and in a few situations we wish we had not discovered what it was, but love looking. We have also found the delights of China Town and its food courts. Oh and wow how nice is Laksa. Never had one before but now we totally love it. Talking about that sugar cane just is so nice. Always shocked by the cost of flights to anywhere from here. Was so used to cheap flights out of the UK and then realising the cost of flights from Australia was a shock. Love the family ticket you can buy in Sydney on a Sunday, pleasantly shocked at how much good value it is and where you can travel with it. Love that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Been here 3 months so still early days but; Shocks - Lack of Jobs for skilled people, very poor customer service - be it in recruitment replies or real estate, price of food, price of cars, price of childcare is the most shock! Surprises/likes - no council tax for renting, not paying to park at most places We have lived here fr a year before and had been researching 3 years prior to our return but the shocks listed above still shocked us. My wife is an english trained midwife, meant to be the best in the world, and yet despite us getting a visa and being told 'they are crying out for midwives out here' she is still unemployed 3 months on......... Now that's a surprise. I thought she would have got a job at least on an agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy1982 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Now that's a surprise. I thought she would have got a job at least on an agency. Yes, us too Paul but out of the agencies we have used 8 or so, all bar one want experience in Australia. Since posting the OP she has heard from the local gold coast hospital about possible casual shifts....fingers crossed. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Yes, us too Paul but out of the agencies we have used 8 or so, all bar one want experience in Australia. Since posting the OP she has heard from the local gold coast hospital about possible casual shifts....fingers crossed. Dan Good luck mate. My wife's a nurse, midwife and Health visitor qualified, think they call it triple certificate in the UK. We came out in 92 and the work situation was dire, I was out of work 5 months (IT, defence and communications) she went into the hospital for a chat the second week we were here and she came out having been measured up for her uniform, started work the following week. She had a lot of work from agencies later on but it meant working a few weekends and odd shifts but you have to do that when making a new start eh. Good news is when you've managed to get your first job it's been plain sailing for us ever since. I've been with the same company for 20 years this year and my wife has never struggled for work. All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibbs Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 The only thing that really shocked me is what other Poms were expecting. Especially when it comes to Perth. Oh, and I suppose how easy it was for the wife and I to get good jobs, a nice house, good cars and start enjoying life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Yes, us too Paul but out of the agencies we have used 8 or so, all bar one want experience in Australia. Dan Oh that old chestnut - presumably babies come out different places here? Or in a different way? Might be useful to have a UK midwife around if some poor birthing mum doesn't have the $$ to pay for an assisted birth and wants to pop 'em out the old fashioned way - I remember seeing a very well trained gynae in Brissie and she looked with horror at my notes and said 'It says here you have had a natural birth!' When I replied that having a section on demand wasn't an option for British women in the absence of clinical reasons she told me 'Oh we all find it much more convenient to have sections, it fits in with the consultants' weekend golf schedules better' I got the impression she wasn't joking........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbs75 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 if you need a tradie to come and give you a quote, Ring at least 5-6 different companies. 2-3 probably wont turn up or return calls to come and look at the job 1-2 wont send a quote without ringing them 3-4 times to remind them at least one quote will be so ridiculously high, because of a high work load, so if they get the job, it makes it worth while to fit you in because we have been here for a few years now, we know who to call now, but it was a real pain in the beginning. It was same in the UK... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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