After wishing to emigrate we have just spent 3 wks in OZ travelling

[The Smith Clan]

As a family we have had an amazing adventure travelling from Brisbane up the East Coast and as far South as Byron Bay which stole my heart. WE have had so many first time experiences and just living on the open road in a camper was amazing and such a free feeling. Before we left I could have stayed In Oz, but once back in UK the English countryside seems soo appealing. I never got the immediate pull like I thought I would as we have been considering a move since 2006, my mindset was I am on holiday and I would be working here if we moved. We travelled with my sister who has been on a WHV since last Oct in Oz so she was able to give us some advice.

 

What we learnt..

Oz is not very PC like UK so you will hear words used casually that would be considered offensive in UK words including swear words and words we consider racist.

We met some amazing friendly people who were so eager to help. Whilst travelling North on camps there were a lot of the older generation we feel travelling North for the weather in Winter and who did not seem amused there were children around and did not like to speak, not all but some and I guess this happens everywhere.

The English accent turns heads in Oz, I found this amusing, ppl would stop us to say how "cute" our accent was.

Food shopping was not as expensive as we though, Coles and Aldi were reasonable.

You can find Paradise in Oz some of the beaches are beautiful, especially Fraser Island and Whithaven but the countryside does not compare to UK.

We loved how it was Winter and the weather was so great, we understand this applies to Brisbane and further North, down South gets cold.

The outdoor living was amazing and all campsites had free bbqs and the parks and we loved this.

A fish and chip shop in Oz is not what you get at home you get fresh fish you can select to be fried we loved this.

Our children were off the internet for 3 wks and had limited tv access due to poor ariel reception on camper and did not miss these and were outdoor all day.

Commutes are long and as a social worker I would need my car so would be unable to leave my car and take the train. Working hours can be long.

The sun sets a lot earlier in Oz even in Summer, so no long days like we have here.

A lot of the things we did we could do in Uk its just not promised the weather.

For those considering to apply for Visas I would say we loved Oz and are planning another trip of travelling, we have agreed we could live here as an adventure and if we loved in then so be we would stay but the plan would be to go back to UK at some point.

Returning home you get a sense this is "home" I guess this depends on individual.

We also learnt from everyone we spoke to that the heat can be oppressive in Summer and you have to bear in mind the added risk in Oz of sun as this is a lot higher than UK and my sister explained that there suncream is a lot stronger than what we have in UK.

We felt that we would need to live down South to climatise but it still gets very hot in Summer.

I didn't get the over pull I thought I would but I would move there as an experience for us as a family but feel we would return home, we have discussed this and know this could change but it really is impossible to know unless you make the move.

If you plan to travel to Oz to see if you would like it only do so if you want a holiday we did as we wanted to travel but it won't help you make a decision.

Thanks if you got this far

[Tickled Pink]

Some of your info should be pointed out as Qld specific, not Australia. E.g. The sun does not set a lot earlier throughout Australia as a whole, Qld does not have daylight saving, other states do. Therefore some places do enjoy long days just like the UK. The heat changes in type (dry or humid) depending on where in Australia you live, some places and types of heat suit people much better than others. The humidity in QLD and the North can be oppressive on some days, but other states are not considered so unpleasant in that respect. For example, the heat in Perth is very different to Brisbane as it is not affected by tropical humidity.

[Guest]

I'm glad you all enjoyed yourselves. Sounds like a fab holiday.

 

Everyone's experience is different and depending what part of Aus you visit and how you find it will probably very wildly. I had very different views to you when I first visited on holiday but then I was in a totally different part of Aus that cannot be compared is is so different to where you visited.

 

I must admit no one has ever commented on my English accent. Apart from other Brits who like to try to guess what part of England I am from (and always fail :wink:). And our evenings are longer here in summer for sure. It stays light till around 8:30pm and I love the longer days of summer. Winter days are a bit longer too but definitely feel winter like in terms of weather which I quite enjoy.

 

I don't know the sun cream thing is true. I always thought that was a bit of an urban myth. I do think the Aussies are generally better at being sun smart and like the school hat, slip slop slap and so on is a thing here. As is free sun cream being dispensed at public events. Always good to see those stands and people ready with a big bottle to top up from. We all have hats, rash vests and various pots of sun cream and so on dotted round in the house and car. Plus decent polarised UV sunnies and stuff.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Guest
typo

[Guest]

Tickled Pink, I forgot QLD doesn't have daylight saving. I have gotten used to the time zones now and SA's spot in amongst it. The only thing I still forget sometimes is the TV guide times are often given half an hour out and I have to remember that our start time is that bit out :unsure:

[Gbye grey sky]

As a family we have had an amazing adventure travelling from Brisbane up the East Coast and as far South as Byron Bay which stole my heart. WE have had so many first time experiences and just living on the open road in a camper was amazing and such a free feeling. Before we left I could have stayed In Oz, but once back in UK the English countryside seems soo appealing. I never got the immediate pull like I thought I would as we have been considering a move since 2006, my mindset was I am on holiday and I would be working here if we moved. We travelled with my sister who has been on a WHV since last Oct in Oz so she was able to give us some advice.

 

What we learnt..

Oz is not very PC like UK so you will hear words used casually that would be considered offensive in UK words including swear words and words we consider racist.

We met some amazing friendly people who were so eager to help. Whilst travelling North on camps there were a lot of the older generation we feel travelling North for the weather in Winter and who did not seem amused there were children around and did not like to speak, not all but some and I guess this happens everywhere.

The English accent turns heads in Oz, I found this amusing, ppl would stop us to say how "cute" our accent was.

Food shopping was not as expensive as we though, Coles and Aldi were reasonable.

You can find Paradise in Oz some of the beaches are beautiful, especially Fraser Island and Whithaven but the countryside does not compare to UK.

We loved how it was Winter and the weather was so great, we understand this applies to Brisbane and further North, down South gets cold.

The outdoor living was amazing and all campsites had free bbqs and the parks and we loved this.

A fish and chip shop in Oz is not what you get at home you get fresh fish you can select to be fried we loved this.

Our children were off the internet for 3 wks and had limited tv access due to poor ariel reception on camper and did not miss these and were outdoor all day.

Commutes are long and as a social worker I would need my car so would be unable to leave my car and take the train. Working hours can be long.

The sun sets a lot earlier in Oz even in Summer, so no long days like we have here.

A lot of the things we did we could do in Uk its just not promised the weather.

For those considering to apply for Visas I would say we loved Oz and are planning another trip of travelling, we have agreed we could live here as an adventure and if we loved in then so be we would stay but the plan would be to go back to UK at some point.

Returning home you get a sense this is "home" I guess this depends on individual.

We also learnt from everyone we spoke to that the heat can be oppressive in Summer and you have to bear in mind the added risk in Oz of sun as this is a lot higher than UK and my sister explained that there suncream is a lot stronger than what we have in UK.

We felt that we would need to live down South to climatise but it still gets very hot in Summer.

I didn't get the over pull I thought I would but I would move there as an experience for us as a family but feel we would return home, we have discussed this and know this could change but it really is impossible to know unless you make the move.

If you plan to travel to Oz to see if you would like it only do so if you want a holiday we did as we wanted to travel but it won't help you make a decision.

Thanks if you got this far

 

I would say that relatively short journeys inland around the likes of the scenic rim, Mt Tamborine etc takes you to beautiful countryside. Temperatures are always a few degrees down on what you get in Brisbane too.

 

I haven't found my English accent being that much of a talking point presumably because there are so many of us here.

 

I had a holiday here starting In Noosa and ending in Sydney back in December 2008. At the time this was just a holiday and I was not even viewing Australia as a place to live. I had an amazing holiday but saw it as only that. It is difficult to contrast a holiday with a relocation. When we did our recce in August 2014 our 10 day trip was deliberately not a holiday and I looked at everything with different eyes and realised that I really could be happy living here permanently. I do understand it is not right for everyone.

[Bungo]

Some of your info should be pointed out as Qld specific, not Australia. E.g. The sun does not set a lot earlier throughout Australia as a whole, Qld does not have daylight saving, other states do. Therefore some places do enjoy long days just like the UK. The heat changes in type (dry or humid) depending on where in Australia you live, some places and types of heat suit people much better than others. The humidity in QLD and the North can be oppressive on some days, but other states are not considered so unpleasant in that respect. For example, the heat in Perth is very different to Brisbane as it is not affected by tropical humidity.

 

There are places that have longer days than Queensland, but there is definitely nowhere in Australia that has long summer days "just like the UK" because it is governed by position on the globe and nowhere in Australia is in a comparable position. Long summer days was one of the things I did miss about UK.

[Skani]

 

The English accent turns heads in Oz,

 

Certainly not in this part of Australia - English accents are common as muck here!:laugh:

 

The sun sets a lot earlier in Oz even in Summer,

 

Well.....that depends how far north or south you are in Oz (ie how close you are to the equator). It's light til 9.30 pm in mid summer here.

 

We also learnt from everyone we spoke to that the heat can be oppressive in Summer

 

That can be true of Queensland. It's not true of everywhere in Oz.

[Skani]

 

I don't know the sun cream thing is true. I always thought that was a bit of an urban myth.

 

Apparently sun cream is tested differently for EU and Australian standards - the latter requires a longer period of water resistance to reach the same SPF factor.

[NicF]

There are places that have longer days than Queensland, but there is definitely nowhere in Australia that has long summer days "just like the UK" because it is governed by position on the globe and nowhere in Australia is in a comparable position. Long summer days was one of the things I did miss about UK.

 

I really like the length of summer days in Adelaide. Not completely dark until after 9pm so get plenty of light to do things in the evening but not still light while trying to get off to sleep for those of us who are early to bed and early to rise.

[Guest]

I have had one positive accent here about my accent which was typically from an American girl. Where on earth were you? Brits are ten a penny round Brisbane (not as bad as Perth)

 

As it was winter surely it was light late compared to the UK? Good write up though.

[Parley]

Worse than flies.

[ChrisH1]

Sounds to me as if you travelled in grey nomad season. There certainly is such a thing. With the risk of taking some flak, grey nomads can be quite aloof, and as a massive generalisation may be disinclined to tolerate children readily. This is only for a few months of the year. About now (September) we have a much greater preponderance of European backpackers in smaller camper vans. Next will be the families.

 

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

[Beaty]

As a family we have had an amazing adventure travelling from Brisbane up the East Coast and as far South as Byron Bay which stole my heart. WE have had so many first time experiences and just living on the open road in a camper was amazing and such a free feeling. Before we left I could have stayed In Oz, but once back in UK the English countryside seems soo appealing. I never got the immediate pull like I thought I would as we have been considering a move since 2006, my mindset was I am on holiday and I would be working here if we moved. We travelled with my sister who has been on a WHV since last Oct in Oz so she was able to give us some advice.

 

What we learnt..

Oz is not very PC like UK so you will hear words used casually that would be considered offensive in UK words including swear words and words we consider racist.

We met some amazing friendly people who were so eager to help. Whilst travelling North on camps there were a lot of the older generation we feel travelling North for the weather in Winter and who did not seem amused there were children around and did not like to speak, not all but some and I guess this happens everywhere.

The English accent turns heads in Oz, I found this amusing, ppl would stop us to say how "cute" our accent was.

Food shopping was not as expensive as we though, Coles and Aldi were reasonable.

You can find Paradise in Oz some of the beaches are beautiful, especially Fraser Island and Whithaven but the countryside does not compare to UK.

We loved how it was Winter and the weather was so great, we understand this applies to Brisbane and further North, down South gets cold.

The outdoor living was amazing and all campsites had free bbqs and the parks and we loved this.

A fish and chip shop in Oz is not what you get at home you get fresh fish you can select to be fried we loved this.

Our children were off the internet for 3 wks and had limited tv access due to poor ariel reception on camper and did not miss these and were outdoor all day.

Commutes are long and as a social worker I would need my car so would be unable to leave my car and take the train. Working hours can be long.

The sun sets a lot earlier in Oz even in Summer, so no long days like we have here.

A lot of the things we did we could do in Uk its just not promised the weather.

For those considering to apply for Visas I would say we loved Oz and are planning another trip of travelling, we have agreed we could live here as an adventure and if we loved in then so be we would stay but the plan would be to go back to UK at some point.

Returning home you get a sense this is "home" I guess this depends on individual.

We also learnt from everyone we spoke to that the heat can be oppressive in Summer and you have to bear in mind the added risk in Oz of sun as this is a lot higher than UK and my sister explained that there suncream is a lot stronger than what we have in UK.

We felt that we would need to live down South to climatise but it still gets very hot in Summer.

I didn't get the over pull I thought I would but I would move there as an experience for us as a family but feel we would return home, we have discussed this and know this could change but it really is impossible to know unless you make the move.

If you plan to travel to Oz to see if you would like it only do so if you want a holiday we did as we wanted to travel but it won't help you make a decision.

Thanks if you got this far

 

Love that about the internet / kids...

 

B

[The Smith Clan]

I have had one positive accent here about my accent which was typically from an American girl. Where on earth were you? Brits are ten a penny round Brisbane (not as bad as Perth)

 

As it was winter surely it was light late compared to the UK? Good write up though.

 

We were in Byron Bay and also went more up North in a supermarket near airlie beach. I just found it amusing as we felt the same about the aussie accent.

[Ken]

Well.....that depends how far north or south you are in Oz (ie how close you are to the equator). It's light til 9.30 pm in mid summer here.

 

 

 

Compared to London (51.5 degrees North) Hobart (42.8 degrees South) is practically sitting on the equator (or at least it's closer to the equator than it is to the pole).

[starlight7]

I guess it is pretty hard to grasp just how big Australia is- Queensland is just a part of it and some other parts, like Tasmania for example, are vastly different in climate and in the values and what is considered ok to say and not to say. In a way Australia is like Europe with its different areas even though we nominally speak the same language.

[Marisawright]

It's funny how people feel obliged to "defend" Australia against criticisms even when they're just facts, not criticisms!

 

Of course Australia doesn't get long nights like the UK. Hobart gets the closest because it's furthest south, but even then it's a good half an hour earlier than Southampton, for instance. Which means it gets dark a good hour earlier than parts of the North of England - and then there's Scotland!

 

Swap Australia over to the Northern Hemisphere and Hobart is about level with Santander in Spain - just take a look at how far that is from the bottom of England and it's a no-brainer for anyone with a basic understanding of how the sun works. So the OP is absolutely right.

 

Of course on the debit side, it doesn't get dark as early in winter.

 

But really, that's just an aside. The bottom line is that the Smith Clan visited, loved it as a holiday destination, but have realised that it's not better or worse than the UK, it's just different - which is what most of us try to tell people! So that's a great thing to discover.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Marisawright

[Guest]

It's funny how people feel obliged to "defend" Australia against criticisms even when they're just facts, not criticisms!

Of course Australia doesn't get long nights like the UK.

 

 

Yeah but they visited in winter and are commenting about it getting dark earlier than the UK? Just pointing out that it gets dark later when comparing winters.

 

It's understandable though as Brisbane winter is probably better than a British summer weather wise so probably forgot it was winter

[tea4too]

As a family we have had an amazing adventure travelling from Brisbane up the East Coast and as far South as Byron Bay which stole my heart. WE have had so many first time experiences and just living on the open road in a camper was amazing and such a free feeling. Before we left I could have stayed In Oz, but once back in UK the English countryside seems soo appealing. I never got the immediate pull like I thought I would as we have been considering a move since 2006, my mindset was I am on holiday and I would be working here if we moved. We travelled with my sister who has been on a WHV since last Oct in Oz so she was able to give us some advice................

 

................I didn't get the over pull I thought I would but I would move there as an experience for us as a family but feel we would return home, we have discussed this and know this could change but it really is impossible to know unless you make the move. If you plan to travel to Oz to see if you would like it only do so if you want a holiday we did as we wanted to travel but it won't help you make a decision.

Thanks if you got this far

 

 

I completely get this as it's so similar to my own family’s experience. Timing was probably a crucial factor for us though, as we moved to Wales prior to our first trip and immediately felt at home in this beautiful part of the UK. Despite a brilliant holiday in W.A, we were happy to return home when the time came.

 

I didn’t expect to feel that way tbh, mainly due to the successful migration of close family, but we all walk our own path in life and value different things for a whole lot of reasons. We have been back to Aus several times and appreciate why many people make the move and love their new life. But the old adage ‘home is where the heart is’ sums things up pretty neatly for most people I think. T x

[The Smith Clan]

Yeah but they visited in winter and are commenting about it getting dark earlier than the UK? Just pointing out that it gets dark later when comparing winters.

 

It's understandable though as Brisbane winter is probably better than a British summer weather wise so probably forgot it was winter

 

We knew it was Winter and yes it does get dark earlier in our Winter here but I was referring to our Summer nights when it gets dark a lot later. We plan another visit next year (South), as we had the best adventure ever, my husband feels we should visit in the Summer to get a feel for if I would cope. But it was hard to imagine it was Winter as the weather was lovely.

[Skani]

It's funny how people feel obliged to "defend" Australia against criticisms even when they're just facts, not criticisms!

 

 

I haven't seen anyone "defending" anything - just several posters commenting that experiences in one part of the country may not be true for other parts of "Oz".

[The Smith Clan]

I completely get this as it's so similar to my own family’s experience. Timing was probably a crucial factor for us though, as we moved to Wales prior to our first trip and immediately felt at home in this beautiful part of the UK. Despite a brilliant holiday in W.A, we were happy to return home when the time came.

 

I didn’t expect to feel that way tbh, mainly due to the successful migration of close family, but we all walk our own path in life and value different things for a whole lot of reasons. We have been back to Aus several times and appreciate why many people make the move and love their new life. But the old adage ‘home is where the heart is’ sums things up pretty neatly for most people I think. T x

 

Yes same here, as in we moved from the City from when we first looked to move to semi rural, and we have a lovely home that we've built some of and its so close to so many lovely places, had we still been in the city, I feel we would be starting Visa process now. However, my husband has now changed from the visit to still coming for the adventure and making a decision whilst being out there. We would keep our home and everything here, I like that idea. We are the kind of people that feel life is for living and you should have no regrets so maybe who knows.

 

But home and a sense of belonging is very true and seeing the country side on he way home did remind me what a beautiful country the uk is too.

[The Smith Clan]

It's funny how people feel obliged to "defend" Australia against criticisms even when they're just facts, not criticisms!

 

Of course Australia doesn't get long nights like the UK. Hobart gets the closest because it's furthest south, but even then it's a good half an hour earlier than Southampton, for instance. Which means it gets dark a good hour earlier than parts of the North of England - and then there's Scotland!

 

Swap Australia over to the Northern Hemisphere and Hobart is about level with Santander in Spain - just take a look at how far that is from the bottom of England and it's a no-brainer for anyone with a basic understanding of how the sun works. So the OP is absolutely right.

 

Of course on the debit side, it doesn't get dark as early in winter.

 

But really, that's just an aside. The bottom line is that the Smith Clan visited, loved it as a holiday destination, but have realised that it's not better or worse than the UK, it's just different - which is what most of us try to tell people! So that's a great thing to discover.

 

 

 

Thanks yes we did, we loved it and are soo glad we visited. Hopefully back next year down South. Thanks for all your advice on here. at least we know we could live here, even if for a while. I knew from visiting New York straight away I could never live there, so visiting has helped but even for those moving out until you actually live there and are living life day to day you can't really know.

[Lambethlad]

You have probably seen more of Oz than most young Australians - they are more likely to go off to Bali or Thailand for their holidays. They can't boast about going to the Gold Coast for two weeks - it just doesn't cut it. Back in the day I saw most of Oz in a series of road trips. Now it seems, judging from my daughter and her friends, they don't drive any further than Melbourne Airport. You chose a good area to travel this time of year - it's bloody cold in Melbourne - I've kept the log fire burning for the last four months!

[Gbye grey sky]

Don't take this the wrong way but when you say that you were all happy to get back to the English countryside etc after your trip I would really question your rationale for emigrating (unless perhaps you are looking at Tasmania or New Zealand).

 

As Marissa says, rightly, it is different living here to anywhere in the UK and I feel that to fully benefit from a move you have to be able to embrace the differences and not look back or keep comparing.

 

It is great that you all enjoyed your holiday here but try to imagine not seeing that English countryside for years. I sense that you might regret emigrating.