VEIK Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Hi everyone I would really value some advice if possible please? We are currently in the middle of applying for our visa and we will soon have to specify where in Australia we would like to head for. We are a mixed race family - my husband is black and I am white and we have 2 children aged 2 and 5. We live in London at the moment where the children are surrounded by black, mixed and white children and whilst I know we won't get the same diversity in Australia we would like them to grow up somewhere where they aren't completely isolated because of their colour. We were considering Melbourne but also maybe Brisbane or Queensland in general - Can anyone offer any thoughts or advice on the best location for us. Thank you in advance for any help x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 You definitely can get the same diversity in australia in certain places..but im in sydney so cant comment on the places you have mentioned specifically Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Not really. Urban rather than rural for sure. The predominant mixed marriages in Aus are more Anglo/Asian and there are loads of them (mainly East Asian). Not so many Anglo/AfroCarribean mixes. Go where you can get a job I reckon. You'll probably encounter some racism wherever you go - it isn't far under the surface. Queensland is renowned for its redneck status but racism everywhere is legislated against of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VEIK Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 Thank you for replying so quickly - much appreciated. I'm sure it would be the same in the UK too. I'm sure if we moved to rural Wales we might encounter a few stares so the advice to go where the work is definitely the way we should be thinking. Thank you again x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bal67 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Hi we too are a mixed race family hubby is white and I am Indian we have been together nearly 23 years, married for nearly 19 years have a 16 year old daughter and 13 year old son and have been to many countries abroad and and in uk and have never ever experienced any racism whatsoever!!! We were in Perth on a reccie for 3 weeks made some lovely new friends whilst visiting some of our friends from the UK, but are now heading for Adelaide as hubbys job came off the WA skills list and we are really looking forward to starting our new life but the through of any racism has never ever come into the equation. Times have changed!! Bal xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 You certainly won't get the diversity of London in Oz, but saying that diversity is growing. I do see some mixed couples here in Perth,(Black and White) and Perth has a visible black population in recent times(mostly African folk) so not as rare as you may think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hoffer Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 have to say the stereo type of racism in QLD worried me at first (I'm white wife is Malaysian) but we have visited twice now and move in the new year and not seen or heard any. Then we realised there are the braindead everywhere so why let it affect where we want to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyman Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I have my daughters Aboriginal friend coming over on Friday , she is at the same private school and I know she is of good nature as I have met her without her knowing, it was at the performing art exhibition ,she was dishing out nibbles and I could tell she was a good girl ......hope she likes curry ......! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 My experience of QLD is that it can be quite backwards when it comes to racism. I was in the building trade both on the tools and office based and both where quite bad when it came to accepting diversity. I might get dressed up as banter but (sorry to compare UK/AUS) compared to London, QLD towns I had experience of (brisbane, rockhampton, mackay, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast) where overtly racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 My experience of QLD is that it can be quite backwards when it comes to racism. I was in the building trade both on the tools and office based and both where quite bad when it came to accepting diversity. I might get dressed up as banter but (sorry to compare UK/AUS) compared to London, QLD towns I had experience of (brisbane, rockhampton, mackay, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast) where overtly racist. 50 years in Australia and I saw far more racism in the 16 years I lived in the UK. 14 years in the Mackay district and have not seen any racism. You must have been to the wrong areas, simmo. Actually, there was a local news article claiming 56 nationalities in the Mackay area. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I live in Melbourne and one of my neighbours is in a mixed race marriage and she has never told me of any racism towards her or their family. I think its like anywhere, we like some people we do not like others and its nothing to do with race its all about what we are like ourselves. In Victoria many different races have moved to country town and been well accepted, people just want people to come to their towns basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sustain Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I think Melbourne is a good option:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flybyknight Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Melbourne is the way to go. I've been here just over a year, its like the united nations here, every conceivable culture colour and lifestyle, and it just works. you don't feel the undercurrents of any kind of racism or hatred. its a breath of fresh air tbh. we're all human, we were all born naked. and in Melbourne it feels that way. i'm sure, you're gonna love it my wife just mentioned, we know a mixed race family. lol. in thinking about our conversations with them, they have never mentioned any issues. and they seem as content, confident and successful as anyone else i've chatted to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlhall Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I have lived in QLD for the last 4 years both in town and the outback and I have not seen or witnessed any racism and non of my mixed race friends have ever commented on racism, obviously I cannot guarantee you will never come across racism but in my honest opinion I do not think you would have any problems. Like Bob I actually live in the state! I hope everything works out for you do not get overly concerned about things, I am sure you will find the locals welcoming and friendly wherever you decide to move to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambethlad Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Oz is very integrated, tolerant and multicultural. Don't know why people would think they would experience racism here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellers and Whitehead Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Oz is very integrated, tolerant and multicultural. Don't know why people would think they would experience racism here. What an odd thing to say, racism is worldwide! I lived in cronulla, Sydney for example where some years ago they had the race riots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Oz is very integrated, tolerant and multicultural. Don't know why people would think they would experience racism here. tongue in cheek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Melbourne is the way to go. I've been here just over a year, its like the united nations here, every conceivable culture colour and lifestyle, and it just works. you don't feel the undercurrents of any kind of racism or hatred. its a breath of fresh air tbh. we're all human, we were all born naked. and in Melbourne it feels that way. i'm sure, you're gonna love it my wife just mentioned, we know a mixed race family. lol. in thinking about our conversations with them, they have never mentioned any issues. and they seem as content, confident and successful as anyone else i've chatted to. The thing is people are friends and we do not thing "oh they are a "mixed race"family"they are just another family. Melbourne does have them all we have lots of same sex marriages with kids and people from every corner of the world. Its what makes it so interesting and gives us the opportunity to try different foods, festivals on the cheap, we do not have to travel for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fensaddler Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Melbourne has the reputation of being the most diverse, multicultural city in Australia, and the most comfortable with that. This has certainly been my experience. You will almost certainly be fine here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Not sure about Melbourne or Sydney as I've never been. My youngest daughter lives in Brisbane and has a black boyfriend and has never experienced anything untoward ( well except for her own narrow minded British Father that is but that's another story!) I live in Perth and it is very multicultural , personally I've not witnessed any issues, I've a friend who is Indian, her OH British, and they have had no issues. I was on a train last weekend coming back from Showgrounds on the Freo line, and in the carriage we were in only myself my OH and an Aussie family next to us were speaking English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 It is wrong to assume there in no racism in Australia as that clearly isn't true. There is nothing to match the mix of London Down Under, but Melbourne would come the closest. It is fact there are not a lot of black folk in Australia. While a black/white couple are not unique, they are far from the norm and here is not as easy going in the general sense as would be London. (which is ultra tolerant) That's not to say there will be issues down here but wrong for white folk on here to comment there won't be issues. Australia has not been a country of mixed races for so long as to make folk oblivious to racial issues. It has been suggested that Australia is the most casually, comfortable racist country in the world.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyman Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 It is wrong to assume there in no racism in Australia as that clearly isn't true. There is nothing to match the mix of London Down Under, but Melbourne would come the closest. It is fact there are not a lot of black folk in Australia. While a black/white couple are not unique, they are far from the norm and here is not as easy going in the general sense as would be London. (which is ultra tolerant) That's not to say there will be issues down here but wrong for white folk on here to comment there won't be issues. Australia has not been a country of mixed races for so long as to make folk oblivious to racial issues. It has been suggested that Australia is the most casually, comfortable racist country in the world.... Here here........:yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VEIK Posted November 6, 2013 Author Share Posted November 6, 2013 Seriously - thank you to all of you for taking the time to comment and give me your advice. As long as the children are ok I am not bothered about anything else and it sounds as though on the whole they will be. All you can do is be yourself and people can love you for that. If they don't like our family because of the mixed colour of us all then that's up to them. It happens in the UK too but Melbourne definitely sounds like best place for us to consider heading to. Thank you again to you all xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerksPom Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 VEIK, we just got back from two weeks in Oz today. We've been going once a year for a decade now and we're emigrating out there in Jan. I'm of Indian origin, my wife's blonde with blue eyes and our two young kids are a mixture of that eclectic mix! On this trip and others we've seen people look, stare, whisper- the usual. Kinda like the UK in the 70s/80s but not confined to any age demographic. It's mainly curiosity I guess but you'd think it wouldn't be an issue in a place like Sydney, where we'll be living. I wouldn't call it racism as such though, merely ordinary folk seeing something that's unusual to their eyes and way of thinking. In our experience, the older generation try to make contact and start a conversation about where we're from, whereas younger people just look and stare a bit. Or it could just be I'm incredibly handsome and people stare at my beauty, in which case my mirror needs a new battery or summink :biggrin::biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark 1234 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 In Melbourne, there are two stereotypes: All blacks live in housing commission flats, and all Indians / Pakistanis / Sri Lankans live in Dandenong or Reservoir working illegally, or are refugees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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