MARYROSE02 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 No, they don't. No, it's not. Of course it is. It's a city of 4 million people. Not all 4 million will share your values...but there will be plenty who do. Can I propose myself as an example of what can be achieved with a life in Sydney?! Perhaps I should travel to the UK and perform in a roadshow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abz123 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Which is very close also to the Queen's Birthday holiday in Oz...which is always the 2nd Monday in June (except for Western Australia). That's because we'd have to wait until Christmas for a public holiday after the WA Day in June otherwise :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thank you all for your replies! comments about space, weather and outdoorsy lifestyle were to be expected. Although I have to say (we live in London, well surrey zone 6 and commute to CL if to be precise) quality and variety of food and restaurants in Surrey/London are brilliant and it would be hard to beat that. As for chavs... Never had any issues with them being around or causing trouble so it does depend where you live in both countries I suppose. We are moving to Sydney and I really hope "troubles with bogans' is not going to be an issue as for "less intellectual snobbery" that's a bit of a concern... We are more academic types and have more degrees between us than money which is not an issue in the uk at all. But if people in Aus are purely measured by how much they make and we are going to be looked down on by people making a fortune on mines etc than I don't really see it as a positive... That's a very shallow approach in my view... I think it depends where you work & who your friends are. I work at a uni where they will now only employ academics with PhDs, even in vocational programmes where having practical experience is considered by the profession to be important :rolleyes: Having said that, as one who doesn't yet have a research higher degree, I feel that my colleagues are supportive of my efforts to earn one. From what I've seen, I earn more here than I would in a similar role in the UK, but I have less holidays & probably more pressure to achieve set goals. But generous paid parental leave & super adds value to my employment. None of our friends seem particularly interested in how much anyone else earns, but I think that's because most of us have known one another for a long time - some since childhood. To answer the original question about what makes life better here: for me, I just prefer living here. It's not necessarily better than living in England, just different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 You would think that when Australia is 32 times bigger than the UK (I think?), with a population 1/3 of the UK, that everybody in Australia has plenty of room, whilst everybody in the UK lives on top of each other. But that is not the case because most of the population of Australia is concentrated in a few large cities, 4 million in Sydney and Melbourne, 3 million in Brisbane. Apart from London, Sydney and Melbourne are bigger than any British city, bigger than Birmingham even. Most people in the UK seem to live in cities, towns, and villages, with relatively easy access to the countryside. I could never get over how easy it was to get on a train at Waterloo, and in 20 minutes or so, be flying through green fields. 20 minutes out of Central, and you are still trudging through the 'burbs. If you want to get out of Sydney, there are only really four main highways - Princes, Hume, Great Western, Pacific, with large stretches of them, still single lane highway. (I think the Hume might be dual carriageway through Albury now? The Pacific Highway is steadily being upgraded.) During Sydney's rush hour, the roads and railways are all clogged, and you can spend an hour, two hours each way commuting. On the rare times I wake early, I might turn the radio on at 5.30am and hear that, as usual, the M5 is at a standstill from Revesby to the Main Tunnel. Maybe it is still far more pleasant than commuting in the UK. Maybe people migrate from the UK, and tell each other how wonderful it is commuting in Sydney, but I've not heard many Aussies telling each other that! . So many people, especially those who have never been here just don't get this... sure if you divide the amount of land in Oz between the population it would make for a hefty average acreage... But the reality is that plots in the cities are getting smaller and smaller - Some new builds in Brisbane are really shocking, as lovely old queenslanders are bulldozed to squeeze in tiny townhouses. My house in Sussex is 15 mins from Brighton and an hour on the train from London. It is next to a national park and I can walk for 5 mins and just see farmland and green hills. Like many I have to live in a city in Oz to be close to work, but I do miss open spaces, quiet, and the countryside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 You would think that when Australia is 32 times bigger than the UK (I think?), with a population 1/3 of the UK, that everybody in Australia has plenty of room, whilst everybody in the UK lives on top of each other. But that is not the case because most of the population of Australia is concentrated in a few large cities, 4 million in Sydney and Melbourne, 3 million in Brisbane. Apart from London, Sydney and Melbourne are bigger than any British city, bigger than Birmingham even. Most people in the UK seem to live in cities, towns, and villages, with relatively easy access to the countryside. I could never get over how easy it was to get on a train at Waterloo, and in 20 minutes or so, be flying through green fields. 20 minutes out of Central, and you are still trudging through the 'burbs. If you want to get out of Sydney, there are only really four main highways - Princes, Hume, Great Western, Pacific, with large stretches of them, still single lane highway. (I think the Hume might be dual carriageway through Albury now? The Pacific Highway is steadily being upgraded.) During Sydney's rush hour, the roads and railways are all clogged, and you can spend an hour, two hours each way commuting. On the rare times I wake early, I might turn the radio on at 5.30am and hear that, as usual, the M5 is at a standstill from Revesby to the Main Tunnel. Maybe it is still far more pleasant than commuting in the UK. Maybe people migrate from the UK, and tell each other how wonderful it is commuting in Sydney, but I've not heard many Aussies telling each other that! I love living in Sydney, but living in the centre, and working mostly outside 9-5, I can avoid most of the jams. There's no way I'm going back to live in England, but I know that commuting to Southampton from my village in The New Forest, and getting out in the countryside was far easier than in Sydney. 12 miles in 20 minutes outside the rush hour from Marchwood to Southampton Mail Centre, by Soton Airport. In the rush hour it was different, of course, but worse than twelve miles in the Sydney rush hour? I doubt it. And as far as the weather goes, well, I continued to cycle and walk right throughout the year. Naturally, I had to adapt to cold or wet weather but that is what 'Long Johns', thermals, and Gore-Tex are for! Of course I could only swim in The Solent for about three months. I always intended to have a swim in October, but I never managed it. Here, I can swim all year round, which is wonderful. While not meaning to disagree with everything you say I might add that that is one thing I like about living in my part of Brisbane. I can live 4km west of the city with all of those city advantages but have creeks, bushland and nature at the end of the street surrounded by beautiful trees etc, a small mountain 2km away full of nature parks and trails and properties changing to "horsey" country 20 mins away. Brisbane has 2.2million btw unless you're adding in gold coast, sunshine coast and toowoomba. I do agree that the average plot size and house size in Brisbane is far too big and reducing this average is vital, with infill housing and smaller new builds, to making a place more liveable and preserving surrounding countryside as the UK has done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I wasn't sure of the population of Brisbane, nor Birmingham for that matter, though I Googled the latter. I've been known to call Sydney 'Birmingham with a beach.' I did know that, with the Gold and Sunshine Coasts starting to merge into Brisbane, it's possibly going to become one huge urban area? Much the same in Sydney with Wollongong to the south, and Central Coast/Newcastle to the north. (Long ago, I read somewhere that 'NSW' stands for 'Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong.' It's probably not fair to compare The New Forest with Sydney too, one a semi-rural area of villages, towns, and a few small(ish) cities - Bournemouth, Southampton, Salisbury, the other a city over four million. 4.20 pm as I write this, and I am going to have a late lunch, then drive down to one of the beaches, Clovelly maybe, or Neilsen Park, where I will swim, then sit and watch the water, until it gets dark (as long as the wind is not blowing too strong.) If it was Marchwood, in summer, well, I'd be getting ready to cycle to Lepe or Calshot for a swim, then probably ride home via Beaulieu, maybe even Lyndhurst to Ashurst. Is one better than the other? No. I'd like to get myself a bike, and I've been thinking how I could plan out routes to the beach here, whilst avoiding the traffic, but it's difficult. It's like cycling in London. In Marchwood, there is the one nasty road - the Marchwood bypass, which is mostly avoidable on a bike. And the other roads are just not as busy as here, and even when they are, like the road from Cadnam and the M27 to Lyndhurst, I still don't mind cycling on them. The road from Totton to Lyndhurst has a cycleway almost its entire length. Of course, I wouldn't go out for a ride past 4pm in winter! And no swim either and I've been in shorts for two or three months now, with two or three more to come. I don't actually relate to many of the differences that other people cite between 'here and there.' I have had two 'big' jobs in my life, fifteen years with The Department of Defence here, and twelve years with Royal Mail, and I went from one to the other in five weeks. Mostly, the people and the work practices, and the conditions were exactly the same. I got a job once here for Xmas with Australia Post, and the work was exactly the same, working on a computer terminal, processing letters that the letter machines could not 'read'. The computer room at the ATO in Penrith was a carbon-copy of the computer room in Royal Mail, rows of terminals, people beavering away for an hour on, ten minutes off I realize that our experiences are all subjective, but I don't really notice differences between work, people, CV's, interviews, pubs, sense of humour, beer, not REALLY noticeable anyway. I've got Pommie friends and I've got Aussie ones. I don't change how I speak and how I relate to them. There's no 'them and us' for me, anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 PS, I'm 'talking too much!' (and I typed 1,500 words about Australia Day earlier, too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishenka Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thanks a lot for all your replies everyone. Well, basically my hubby is behind the whole Aus idea and he really wants to go whether I am only keen to go if it will improve our lifestyle, and it's not like we have a bad life in the UK at all... but so far all advantages I can see is sunshine and bigger houses or and possibly better work/family balance. traffick in Sydney is as bad as in London, houses as expensive as in London. According to other topics education is not as good as in the UK (??), despite paying taxes for Medicare and having private insurance you still somehow end up paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for surgeries etc (really don't get why Ausies are happy with a system like that).. apparently Aussies are a bit racist or let's say less tolerant than Brits (???) not a problem for hubby or my son but I am not a native English speaker, never ever had any issues in the UK, while at Uni, or at work etc and have tons of great friends probably that's why comment about "all that matters in oz is how much you earn and how big is your house" set me of as it's kind of feeding my paranoia 8) i understand that people are mostly likely to complain on a forum and write negative stuff but as much as this forum has been very useful for practical info, I almost feel that I wish I never seen it as there are so many negative things and people going back cos it's bad that I am practically freaking out.... 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishenka Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Yes please, Unfortunately I am not really familiar with your achievements and would love to hear your story! thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londongal76 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 When i went to Sydney last year, the way i described it to people back here in London, was that it was London, but on the water with lovely beaches and scenery. It's very similar to here, expensive houses, big companies, city living, just a nicer setting. It's also why I prefer Brisbane to Sydney personally, as i've been in london for 15 years and I want a different pace of life if I get over there. It depends what you want from life I guess. You can compare places endlessly, lord knows i've been doing that in my head for the last 3 weeks, but I just found I live a lot more when there's blue skies, gorgeous beaches and you don't have to worry about the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thanks a lot for all your replies everyone. Well, basically my hubby is behind the whole Aus idea and he really wants to go whether I am only keen to go if it will improve our lifestyle, and it's not like we have a bad life in the UK at all... but so far all advantages I can see is sunshine and bigger houses or and possibly better work/family balance. traffick in Sydney is as bad as in London, houses as expensive as in London. According to other topics education is not as good as in the UK (??), despite paying taxes for Medicare and having private insurance you still somehow end up paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for surgeries etc (really don't get why Ausies are happy with a system like that).. apparently Aussies are a bit racist or let's say less tolerant than Brits (???) not a problem for hubby or my son but I am not a native English speaker, never ever had any issues in the UK, while at Uni, or at work etc and have tons of great friends probably that's why comment about "all that matters in oz is how much you earn and how big is your house" set me of as it's kind of feeding my paranoia 8) i understand that people are mostly likely to complain on a forum and write negative stuff but as much as this forum has been very useful for practical info, I almost feel that I wish I never seen it as there are so many negative things and people going back cos it's bad that I am practically freaking out.... 8) 80% of people who migrate to Oz stay there - this forum tends to attract people moving one way or the other, most of those happy in Oz drop off after the first year or two. So this isn't representative of migrants actually in Australia - look at the posts of fifi, madcow, Que Sera Sera or Ali (amongst many others) for happy Poms in Oz. I am one of the returnees but I had particularly difficult circumstances that weren't down to Australia. I wish I'd not made the comments on 'how much you earn' - it was supposed to be a positive - Australian's aren't typically snobby like a lot of Brits, especially in Surrey So take some deep breaths, find out the facts for your situation and then decide if it will be a better lifestyle for YOU. You do have to accept it is a DIFFERENT country and culture - the education system is different (not worse!), the healthcare system is different (not worse!), the only racism I observed was towards the indigenous population and a limited amount to those from the Indian sub-continent (but only by the usual expected ignorants & probably less so than in the UK). If you want the UK with sunshine & a bigger house then you are not going to find that (& bigger house is a bit of a myth, it depends where you are moving from/to) Just remember a forum is about opinions NOT facts - no-one sees the world without their own filter, some of us try hard to be impartial others have a particular axe to grind/role to play and don't even try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 When i went to Sydney last year, the way i described it to people back here in London, was that it was London, but on the water with lovely beaches and scenery. It's very similar to here, expensive houses, big companies, city living, just a nicer setting. It's also why I prefer Brisbane to Sydney personally, as i've been in london for 15 years and I want a different pace of life if I get over there. It depends what you want from life I guess. You can compare places endlessly, lord knows i've been doing that in my head for the last 3 weeks, but I just found I live a lot more when there's blue skies, gorgeous beaches and you don't have to worry about the weather. I don't think London/Sydney can be compared. I think London's beauty is in it's buildings and history, whereas Sydney has a more lovely "natural" surrounding - ie, the harbour, the sunshine, the light (plus some amazing man-made stuff like the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, some of the older buildings). London makes me feel happy with it's old buildings and quirkiness, whereas Sydney does the same with the water-side setting, blue skies and more of an open feeling when walking around. From what I understand, I can agree they are similar in housing costs - ie, bloody expensive! Both are great but very different in my opinion (sat here in London today feeling very chilly!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 apparently Aussies are a bit racist or let's say less tolerant than Brits (???) not a problem for hubby or my son but I am not a native English speaker, At the last census (2011), 40% of Sydney residents were born overseas. Country wide, about 65% of Australians have at least one parent born overseas. Sydney is a very cosmopolitan city. I can't see you, originally from Russia, as having any "tolerance" problem. And remember...there are over 1 million UK migrants living in Australia...and most aren't on PIO.:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thanks a lot for all your replies everyone. Well, basically my hubby is behind the whole Aus idea and he really wants to go whether I am only keen to go if it will improve our lifestyle, and it's not like we have a bad life in the UK at all... but so far all advantages I can see is sunshine and bigger houses or and possibly better work/family balance. traffick in Sydney is as bad as in London, houses as expensive as in London. According to other topics education is not as good as in the UK (??), despite paying taxes for Medicare and having private insurance you still somehow end up paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for surgeries etc (really don't get why Ausies are happy with a system like that).. apparently Aussies are a bit racist or let's say less tolerant than Brits (???) not a problem for hubby or my son but I am not a native English speaker, never ever had any issues in the UK, while at Uni, or at work etc and have tons of great friends probably that's why comment about "all that matters in oz is how much you earn and how big is your house" set me of as it's kind of feeding my paranoia 8) i understand that people are mostly likely to complain on a forum and write negative stuff but as much as this forum has been very useful for practical info, I almost feel that I wish I never seen it as there are so many negative things and people going back cos it's bad that I am practically freaking out.... 8) Your husband has planted the seed of an idea, so why not come out and see it if grows into a flourishing tree! (Sorry about the crappy metaphor, or whatever it is called!?) You can't compare Australia and England simply in terms of figures, like a debit and credit sheet. Most people never even think of coming to Australia. Plenty more do think of it, but go no further. Why not become one of the few who dare to be different!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 At the last census (2011), 40% of Sydney residents were born overseas. Country wide, about 65% of Australians have at least one parent born overseas. Sydney is a very cosmopolitan city. I can't see you, originally from Russia, as having any "tolerance" problem. And remember...there are over 1 million UK migrants living in Australia...and most aren't on PIO.:biggrin: They wouldn't be that bloody stupid!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Where to start??? Would be easier to trawl through my posts over the years if you're really interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Or any decent band Never had a problem on that score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I was going to respond to that earlier post with the observation that this has not been my experience at all. But I have never lived in Perth (as did the poster) or any other boom town which has a particular attraction for the financially ambitious. I live in Perth and I've never noticed any snobbery or anyone looking down on anyone else. There are an awful lot of new emigrants around the area where I live who are renting and openly say they couldn't afford to buy the house they are in. Included in our group of friends are other people that might own several properties and have businesses of their own. They don't look down on the people that are renting or treat them any differently. If they fit in with the group and have something in common everyone seems to get on just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Never had a problem on that score. Same here, seen every band I've wanted to over the years and some like Uriah Heep three times. He just needs to get out more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishenka Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Your husband has planted the seed of an idea, so why not come out and see it if grows into a flourishing tree! (Sorry about the crappy metaphor, or whatever it is called!?) You can't compare Australia and England simply in terms of figures, like a debit and credit sheet. Most people never even think of coming to Australia. Plenty more do think of it, but go no further. Why not become one of the few who dare to be different!? Thank you, we are going to be the "different" once although a guy from pss came to give a quote today and I was stubbed to discover I'll have to manage for 3 month with no furniture somehow (with a dog and a toddler in tow) lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishenka Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Thank you! There quite a few good points here i agree, Surrey can be very snobby but we live on a cheap street in a very affluent area cos of a catchment area of a great schooll (and we couldn't afford that in London nor can be afford private schools) and in all honesty never felt any snobbery yes all my local friends my sons buddies are way richer than us but I was never made to feel uncomfortable about it, maybe we r just lucky, I know many people who had different experience anyway, the decision is made if not for a better life than for an adventure at least! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 anyway, the decision is made if not for a better life than for an adventure at least! And that's the very best attitude to go with - it isn't a better life but it might be a life you like better, have fun finding out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Same here, seen every band I've wanted to over the years and some like Uriah Heep three times. He just needs to get out more! I think you've just scored a home goal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I live in Perth and I've never noticed any snobbery or anyone looking down on anyone else. Good to hear. I'm glad it isn't a problem in a boom city like Perth either. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 LMAO! I think you've just scored a home goal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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