Big problems

[Busybarry]

My wife, 2 children and I moved to Sydney 6 months ago.

They all love it.

However I absolutely hate the place.

Whilst our reasons for moving here to Australia are still valid, I think Melbourne/Perth May be better.

Sydney is fortunate for the geography around it, lovely beaches and hills. My god though! It's an overpriced rattrap with no soul, ignorant people who seem to think their city is brilliant for having a bridge.

The houses are so overpriced it's unbelievable! I pay $800 per week for what can be described as "in original condition" or old fashioned in normal language.

The schools are much worse than the one our kids attended in the UK, I know 2 people (one is a dick)

I think Melbourne offers much better value and we'll be away from the Sydney is everything mentality!

Can anyone give me advice?

[xxlornaxx]

We felt similar..we considered melbourne but changed our mind after visiting as it just didnt feel right for us...now we are moving to queensland..but we dont have kids to consider. New south wales is beautiful though..could you move further away from the city?

[Quoll]

Um, I suspect you are going to find the same wherever you go TBH. The cities aren't cheap and the suburbs sprawl for miles. Schools are going to be much of a muchness and wherever you go there will be folk you don't see eye to eye with. It all depends whether you want it hotter or not I suppose. You could try Canberra! It's expensive, too, though!

[Guest Guest66881]

I have a friend who just moved from Sydney been there two years he said it was soulless and full of ignorant people too?

He's gone to Adelaide (job offer) and so far he's loving it, saying the peeps are really cool and talking to his face, more than he got in Sydney?

[pablo]

I have a friend who just moved from Sydney been there two years he said it was soulless and full of ignorant people too?

He's gone to Adelaide (job offer) and so far he's loving it, saying the peeps are really cool and talking to his face, more than he got in Sydney?

 

I asked for directions 3 times in Adelaide,every time the lads got out of their car,got a map from the boot and spent 5 to 10 minutes giving directions.

"Every" time i or we went out i was invited back to house parties and stay behinds,only there a short time admittedly but thats my experiences fwiw,cant comment on Sydney,never fancied it meself tbh

[Mark 1234]

Melbourne is no better than Sydney, believe me. I agree Adelaide may be a better option.

[Guest]

Definitely don't go to Perth - it is everything you describe Sydney to be. i suspect much of Australia is the same - it is simply different from the UK (why wouldn't it be?) - you have to decide whether the benefits outweigh the costs (financial and otherwise) - for some people they do, for others like us it was a wake up call on how ungrateful we'd been for the blessing of being born British.

[stevie ellis]

 

Definitely don't go to Perth - it is everything you describe Sydney to be. i suspect much of Australia is the same - it is simply different from the UK (why wouldn't it be?) - you have to decide whether the benefits outweigh the costs (financial and otherwise) - for some people they do, for others like us it was a wake up call on how ungrateful we'd been for the blessing of being born British.

so ya didna like oz then? jockland better?

[zk2102]

Doesn't sound very different to London. Although we have more than one bridge and no beaches Any city on that scale is going to seem faceless and unfriendly. Could you not move out to another,smaller, friendlier suburb? I know I couldn't live anywhere near a city centre for exactly the reasons you describe. I hope you manage to find something more suitable soon.

[caramac]

I have to agree with you re Sydney- we found it to be like that, but it might just have been where we decided to live. We met some lovely people, but most of them had moved from somewhere else too, either international or interstate. One friend is still there and is still finding it tricky. She's from QLD.

Parts of Perth can be the same, but we moved from an area like that to somewhere else which was lovely and the people were great.

My oh lived in Melbourne and we've visited several times and I think it does have a different feel to Sydney, for us anyway. I got the feeling that the people were more at ease with themselves and not constantly worrying that someone else was about to overtake them, socially, financially of professionally.

I hate generalisations, but I didn't like the arrogance of many of people we came into contact with. I guess it comes with knowing where to avoid. I know the areas of several cities I wouldn't live in in the UK for the same reason, but we didn't really know what to expect there. Not just us though. Even my born and bred Sydneysider friend couldn't wait to leave the area either! It's very hard to get a real feel for a place until you're actually living there.

If we go back we'll probably head for Melbourne at least to start with, although I fancy a stint up north too.

[garyupnorth]

We are in Adelaide and have been here the same length of time, you need to ask is it the city or the country that is failing you.......BTW we had a better quality of life, better schooling for our daughter, better jobs and more security in the UK. We gave it all up to come here.

 

You have to also remember that everybody's journey down under is different. We fly back in December and I'm sorry to say that our dream has come to an end. I honestly think that there is nothing here in Oz that you cannot do in the UK.

 

If your reasons for coming to Oz are still valid, then give it a bit longer and hang in there, don't get caught out though, as we have friends who cannot afford to get back and are stuck here after investing everything over here, hoping that it would improve and it hasn't for them. It's a gamble and it pays off for some and doesn't for others.

 

good luck

Gary.

[wakeboard1980]

My wife, 2 children and I moved to Sydney 6 months ago.

They all love it.

However I absolutely hate the place.

Whilst our reasons for moving here to Australia are still valid, I think Melbourne/Perth May be better.

Sydney is fortunate for the geography around it, lovely beaches and hills. My god though! It's an overpriced rattrap with no soul, ignorant people who seem to think their city is brilliant for having a bridge.

The houses are so overpriced it's unbelievable! I pay $800 per week for what can be described as "in original condition" or old fashioned in normal language.

The schools are much worse than the one our kids attended in the UK, I know 2 people (one is a dick)

I think Melbourne offers much better value and we'll be away from the Sydney is everything mentality!

Can anyone give me advice?

 

Where in Sydney do you live and work? I'm not sure you will find what your looking for in Melbourne.

 

The bridge is pretty good though.

[Guest]

My wife, 2 children and I moved to Sydney 6 months ago.

They all love it.

However I absolutely hate the place.

Whilst our reasons for moving here to Australia are still valid, I think Melbourne/Perth May be better.

Sydney is fortunate for the geography around it, lovely beaches and hills. My god though! It's an overpriced rattrap with no soul, ignorant people who seem to think their city is brilliant for having a bridge.

The houses are so overpriced it's unbelievable! I pay $800 per week for what can be described as "in original condition" or old fashioned in normal language.

The schools are much worse than the one our kids attended in the UK, I know 2 people (one is a dick)

I think Melbourne offers much better value and we'll be away from the Sydney is everything mentality!

Can anyone give me advice?

 

I have a feeling that your problems will follow you to whichever city you move to.

[Petals]

I moved from Sydney to Melbourne but not because I did not like the people or the place, because it was just more expensive to live there than Melbourne.

 

I am a Melbourne lover however as others have said you may need to change your attitude as places are what we make of them. If you want to live anywhere near the CBD in Melbourne the houses are older and depending on the price you pay for rent on condition. Schools well they are schools what can I say, often depends who is in a particular year with our children whether its good or bad.

 

Melbourne for me has it all, I like the four seasons of the year, no humidity and the people are generally ok. However if we smile most people are ok wherever we are

[Mark 1234]

My wife, 2 children and I moved to Sydney 6 months ago.

They all love it.

However I absolutely hate the place.

 

Women and children first.

[Chortlepuss]

I live in Brisbane and want to go back to UK. Hubby loves it here but he has a great job with lovely colleagues and that makes all the difference. He also isn't that bothered about socialising which helps in a country where IMHO it's hard to make real friends. Strangely one of the reasons we are staying a bit longer is for my youngest to finish school. He has a superb state school, better than any I could pay for here or at home in UK. My daughter went to state school and did pretty well, hubby teaches there. I don't really buy the line that education is poorer here. We're from a village in SE UK with a great community spirit, do struggle in suburbia. Most people here seem very nice, just not interested/too busy to socialise. Worked in Sydney and do find it soulless, I think Melbourne is more interesting but people no friendlier. Brisbane has its prettier areas but I think the most soulless of all. Adelaide is my favourite place in Oz, great size, lovely beaches, nice architecture. If an Australian city can have some community spirit, I reckon this would be your best bet.

[Gbye grey sky]

I live in Brisbane and want to go back to UK. Hubby loves it here but he has a great job with lovely colleagues and that makes all the difference. He also isn't that bothered about socialising which helps in a country where IMHO it's hard to make real friends. Strangely one of the reasons we are staying a bit longer is for my youngest to finish school. He has a superb state school, better than any I could pay for here or at home in UK. My daughter went to state school and did pretty well, hubby teaches there. I don't really buy the line that education is poorer here. We're from a village in SE UK with a great community spirit, do struggle in suburbia. Most people here seem very nice, just not interested/too busy to socialise. Worked in Sydney and do find it soulless, I think Melbourne is more interesting but people no friendlier. Brisbane has its prettier areas but I think the most soulless of all. Adelaide is my favourite place in Oz, great size, lovely beaches, nice architecture. If an Australian city can have some community spirit, I reckon this would be your best bet.

 

Can I just ask which school. Our daughter will be 11 when we move to Brisbane. Doing a recce next year and want to look at a couple of schools. The area we move to will be largely dictated by the school we choose. Looking at Ormiston but would like to look at alternatives. Thanks.

[Rupert]

My wife, 2 children and I moved to Sydney 6 months ago.

They all love it.

However I absolutely hate the place.

Whilst our reasons for moving here to Australia are still valid, I think Melbourne/Perth May be better.

Sydney is fortunate for the geography around it, lovely beaches and hills. My god though! It's an overpriced rattrap with no soul, ignorant people who seem to think their city is brilliant for having a bridge.

The houses are so overpriced it's unbelievable! I pay $800 per week for what can be described as "in original condition" or old fashioned in normal language.

The schools are much worse than the one our kids attended in the UK, I know 2 people (one is a dick)

I think Melbourne offers much better value and we'll be away from the Sydney is everything mentality!

Can anyone give me advice?

 

Do you need to consider the practicalities of moving? Changing jobs and schools? It is a great deal of upheaval to go through six months later based on nothing more than a notion.

 

I am very sure that you will find Melbournites very proud of their city too, even more so than Sydney-siders perhaps. Australian's seem to have a strong sense of pride in their nation and their states and their cities, maybe you need to try not to be offended by that rather than hope to escape it.

 

Sydney is expensive though, cannot argue with that, but I think Melbourne is catching up, Perth is the cheapest of the three for house prices, but in all honesty based on what you have said, my feeling is you might struggle most with Perth as you would find it more different to what you are used to.

 

I don't have children, so have no idea on schools, but the trend I have noticed is that parents tend to either think the quality of the schooling is the same, or Australia is a little behind. So I don't think that is a Sydney thing that is going to change by moving to Melbourne or Perth. One thing I have noticed though and I take very little interest in children, but they do seem to be a hell of a lot nicer and better behaved over here. So I think they do something right here.

 

My gut feel is as someone else said, that your problems and issues are going to follow you whichever city you are in. I think maybe you just don't like it here.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Personally I find Sydney to have a lot more going for it than Melbourne. So I think you are going to say the same thing if you move. Perth never been, personally I think I would love it but most of the feedback on here is that there is nothing to do and its isolated (again just up my street).

If your wife and kids are happy why do you want to uproot them. Have you visited Melbourne ? The school holidays are coming up so why not have a fortnight down there looking at the suburbs.

[Lambethlad]

My wife, 2 children and I moved to Sydney 6 months ago.

They all love it.

However I absolutely hate the place.

Whilst our reasons for moving here to Australia are still valid, I think Melbourne/Perth May be better.

Sydney is fortunate for the geography around it, lovely beaches and hills. My god though! It's an overpriced rattrap with no soul, ignorant people who seem to think their city is brilliant for having a bridge.

The houses are so overpriced it's unbelievable! I pay $800 per week for what can be described as "in original condition" or old fashioned in normal language.

The schools are much worse than the one our kids attended in the UK, I know 2 people (one is a dick)

I think Melbourne offers much better value and we'll be away from the Sydney is everything mentality!

Can anyone give me advice?

 

I agree with your comments about Sydney. People get sucked in by the postcard pictures of the bridge and opera house. Melbourne is a much nicer place to live despite the longer winter and it is so much cheaper. Friends of ours are renting a 3 bedroom house in Frankston and are very happy. They pay $390 a week and are close to the beach, schools and shopping centres and its only a short drive to the Mornington Peninsula with all its wineries, beaches and parks and it's an easy commute to Melbourne central.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I agree with your comments about Sydney. People get sucked in by the postcard pictures of the bridge and opera house. Melbourne is a much nicer place to live despite the longer winter and it is so much cheaper. Friends of ours are renting a 3 bedroom house in Frankston and are very happy. They pay $390 a week and are close to the beach, schools and shopping centres and its only a short drive to the Mornington Peninsula with all its wineries, beaches and parks and it's an easy commute to Melbourne central.

Yes but personally I think there are a lot nicer suburbs than Frankston to compare. I think Sydney has so much more character than Melbourne and some stunning stone buildings. I love areas like Newtown and Glebe.

[Kapri]

Why don't you try somewhere a bit smaller?

We are in Lake Macquarie / Newcastle.

We still have the fantastic weather, beaches and bush but with much friendlier people and cheaper housing.

[Petals]

To the OP I would take some time and visit Melbourne before making any decision, what you like and what we like is so different, and we all have different opinions about which suburbs are the ones to live in.

[LKC]

I don't know which part of Sydney you are in, but would you consider trying a different suburb first? We have been very happy here in Sydney, and haven't come across the sort of attitude that you are describing at all, in the almost five years that we have been here. It is just that a move within Sydney would be considerably less expensive I would have thought, and then at least you could definitively say that Sydney wasn't for you. Just a thought.

[surfndirt]

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!!