How Long before you realised that Australia was or was not the place that you wanted to spend the rest of your days ?

[Bulya]

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Not if you choose the right city in the first place.  Same as the UK, really.   Some cities are great lively places and some are miserable dumps.  

So many don’t get that, especially those in Perth. 

[MARYROSE02]

43 years ago today, 8th December, 1978, I arrived in Sydney on the coach from Adelaide, after a week there and a month in Perth. 

I was just looking at my diary after I came home from the Turkish restaurant  - Erciyes - and the Surrey Hotel.  I only had three drinks so I'm not maudlin! I know most of the people in the pub as it's my "local". I could have been in my local in England - same atmosphere, same bunch of people I know but Poms instead of Aussies.

There's no direct family left in my part of England though I have some cousins elsewhere and both my brothers are in OZ too, one on Sydney and the other in Surfers Paradise. My cat is just scratching at the screen to come in. I've fed her then she'll go off again.  I barely see her.

When I was in Adelaide I was "homesick" for Perth - I missed the guys at the hostel in Newcastle St - and I booked a bus back but then I changed my mind.  I met two Swedish guys who were going to Sydney and I thought,  "I'm going "home" but first I've got to see the Bridge, Opera House and Bondi Beach - all of which I did by 9th December but I never went home. Now, I'm living about a kilometre from the old YMCA in Pitt St where I stayed for the first 2 weeks.

It's sad if you never settle especially if you have family in two countries. My nephew's wife is English and her mum is or maybe was coming out for Xmas, Covid permitting. I don't know if she is homesick  I'll ask her on Xmas Day.

 

[Robert Dyson]

On 04/12/2021 at 07:06, Bulya said:

It’s a backwater.  Why do Poms move there in such large numbers?

same reason as the Saffers, closest place to home.

I would live in Perth if i needed a base for Asia, but why you would otherwise choose it over the East Coast is beyond me.

[proud preston]

@Chortlepuss- exactly! ‘The things I like to do aren’t available here’ Even if I lived in Tasmania and went a crisp winter walk it would be lovely but I’d still be hankering after a walk in an English wood, with oak, beech, ash, sycamore etc. and pale blue winter sky. 

I’m in Brisbane too and I agree lots to do and lovely for a warm night out going round a few bars. I feel like a tourist - in a good way - every time I’m in the city. 

There will be some of us, and this forum has confirmed this, that will always long for home no matter what we do here; how integrated we are or how much we appreciate where we are. 

 

[Robert Dyson]

On 04/12/2021 at 14:52, scousers said:

Have lived in Melbourne 33 years now and it does become boring. There is alot to do but i think im sick of being entertained, i would rather live than be entertained all the time. Everywhere in OZ becomes boring after a while its down to the culture and the people in my opinion. I know my personality disappeared about 10-12 years ago

There is something to be said for creativity and personality being stimulated from difficult circumstance, hardship and desperation.  Treat em mean, keep 'em keen.  Australia doesn't have as much of that as the UK does, but it's been cultural and economic policy in the UK for years to try and drive efficiencies through the class system.  From that comes humour, character and personality as a defence mechanism.   It's no secret that Liverpudlians are known for their humour, but it doesn't come from everybody being rich and living in comfort....it's been a mechanism to cope with life.   

The London Olympic's opening ceremony was perhaps the best description of British life I've ever seen, no other country on earth could have produced a demonstration of historical culture like that, but most of it came from ordinary people's creativity, experimentation and invention.

The UK, certainly the music industry, isn't mostly populated by rich kids with the luxury to make a choice, it's dominated by people who had nothing at all and had to fight for everything they've had.  Australia could never produce a Sex Pistols or a Beatles, because there is no cultural base born out of deprivation to enrich it.

Australia is a wealthy country and people are overall, far more comfortable and secure than counterparts in the UK.   It does lead to a sanitised, dull as dishwater atmosphere at times, because there is nothing really pressing that needs worrying about.  Australians are generally well provided for, their societies are not overridden with crime, the provisioning for public spaces and facilities is generally excellent.  They do not have much to complain about at all.  That can actually become very boring and less stimulating than developing your character in much more difficult circumstances in the UK.

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Robert Dyson

[Chortlepuss]

20 hours ago, Parley said:

And I heard a rumour there are pubs and parties and cinemas in Australia too

There sure are (although in Brisbane I can only think of one pub that could match my UK village local for atmosphere). Interestingly the owners modelled it on a ‘proper’ British pub and it’s really busy all the time so I’m surprised more businesses don’t catch on to this idea. Most pubs in my area have blaring multiple big screens, pokies and a restricted beer selection (we are seeing some improvement though with local breweries).  I simply miss having my close friends with me to share social experiences. Fully capable of going to the cinema on my own but it’s not as fun. While there are a lot of opportunities to meet up with Corporate colleagues for ‘coffee catch up’ to discuss business, in the UK I always enjoyed friends calling & popping in for a chat and a cuppa. No one really has time for that here. I get it - people have busy lives. 
I’m yet to find a crisp winter walk in Qld (Tassie is the nearest I’ve got to). I’ll be waiting a long time for that I think. 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Robert Dyson said:

same reason as the Saffers, closest place to home.

Remember that in the days of the Ten Pound Poms, it was the first stop the ship made, and after that long trip, it must have been tempting to get off there rather than face another few days chugging round to Melbourne or Sydney.

 People often choose the Australian city where they already know someone, so that has fed on itself.   These days, I get the impression that British migrants are still inclined to congregate in British-dominated suburbs in Perth.  Whereas one thing that always surprised me in Sydney and Melbourne - I couldn't name a suburb where British migrants congregate.  They just disperse into the wider community - which is bad news for people like scousers, who would probably feel happier if there was a British social club somewhere nearby.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Marisawright

[Blue Flu]

1 hour ago, Robert Dyson said:

There is something to be said for creativity and personality being stimulated from difficult circumstance, hardship and desperation.  Treat em mean, keep 'em keen.  Australia doesn't have as much of that as the UK does, but it's been cultural and economic policy in the UK for years to try and drive efficiencies through the class system.  From that comes humour, character and personality as a defence mechanism.   It's no secret that Liverpudlians are known for their humour, but it doesn't come from everybody being rich and living in comfort....it's been a mechanism to cope with life.   

The London Olympic's opening ceremony was perhaps the best description of British life I've ever seen, no other country on earth could have produced a demonstration of historical culture like that, but most of it came from ordinary people's creativity, experimentation and invention.

The UK, certainly the music industry, isn't mostly populated by rich kids with the luxury to make a choice, it's dominated by people who had nothing at all and had to fight for everything they've had.  Australia could never produce a Sex Pistols or a Beatles, because there is no cultural base born out of deprivation to enrich it.

Australia is a wealthy country and people are overall, far more comfortable and secure than counterparts in the UK.   It does lead to a sanitised, dull as dishwater atmosphere at times, because there is nothing really pressing that needs worrying about.  Australians are generally well provided for, their societies are not overridden with crime, the provisioning for public spaces and facilities is generally excellent.  They do not have much to complain about at all.  That can actually become very boring and less stimulating than developing your character in much more difficult circumstances in the UK.

 

Yes out of deprivation comes experimentation and wiliness to be different.  Hence the creativity you write about. Less emphasis on conformity . More tolerance towards quirkiness and the outrageous. 

Punk was at  home in England. Hard to imagine it ever getting a foothold in suburban Australia. But here are and were other issues. Kids marooned in souless suburbia. Drugs have always been a big issue in Australia. Remain so today and how. Little way youth can express individuality or belonging to a group. England is a tribal culture , at least for many. I recall decades ago when Time Magazine had on their front cover The Youth Tribes of Britain. Not such thing here. 

I do agree that there was a material comfort, waning over recent times, but often a disaffected culture as well. One where alcohol, violence not far from the surface, drugs, sexism, racism, all featured overtly. Not a sign of a society comfortable in what they were.   

[Blue Flu]

43 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Remember that in the days of the Ten Pound Poms, it was the first stop the ship made, and after that long trip, it must have been tempting to get off there rather than face another few days chugging round to Melbourne or Sydney.

 People often choose the Australian city where they already know someone, so that has fed on itself.   These days, I get the impression that British migrants are still inclined to congregate in British-dominated suburbs in Perth.  Whereas one thing that always surprised me in Sydney and Melbourne - I couldn't name a suburb where British migrants congregate.  They just disperse into the wider community - which is bad news for people like scousers, who would probably feel happier if there was a British social club somewhere nearby.

Yes. Push pull factors. When I was young in WA, it was Rockingham, down south that held the tag of Little Britain. Kids of working class immigrants  often brought over to work in the Kwinana industrial/oil complex . First time I saw Skinheads and youth only a little older than me dressed in a style never saw locally before. Such outward difference in appearance and verbal style, seemed outrageous at the time and brought conflict with local youth. 

Today in English suburbs, from an infrequent observation of such territory, it is harder to tell. Besides the football shirts and accents not much seem to vary. Perhaps that's also a reflection of changes to British youth culture at home as well.  

[Blue Flu]

2 hours ago, Robert Dyson said:

same reason as the Saffers, closest place to home.

I would live in Perth if i needed a base for Asia, but why you would otherwise choose it over the East Coast is beyond me.

I suspect the size of Perth suits many from smaller cities and towns as well. Cheaper housing was once an incentive along with the beaches and Perth being the sunniest city probably in the western world. 

These days, no idea why one would decide on Perth. It is hardly cheap. The city in my view is lackluster.  No real vibe. A metro of shopping centres and expensive houses. Rather hard to engage and limited distractions. 

[MARYROSE02]

8 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

I suspect the size of Perth suits many from smaller cities and towns as well. Cheaper housing was once an incentive along with the beaches and Perth being the sunniest city probably in the western world. 

These days, no idea why one would decide on Perth. It is hardly cheap. The city in my view is lackluster.  No real vibe. A metro of shopping centres and expensive houses. Rather hard to engage and limited distractions. 

"Rather hard to engage?" Engage with who or what?! I regard Perth as a smaller version of Sydney, one with less crowds, shorter peak hour and city surf beaches.

During my 12 week, 2 part sojourn I stayed in South Perth, Applecross and Northbridge. In each I followed my usual template of finding a cafe and a pub I liked and went to one every day and the other every night and by the end of a week or so I was practically a local. I sought out the local branch of Oz Spurs so I could watch Tottenham in the company of other Spurs fans. Even if you don't like footy it's another way of meeting people from your hometown. 

I did the same thing in Surfers Paradise and of course in Sydney where I live. 

Next year I'm planning to give Surfers Paradise another go. I was there for eight months and I know what to expect. But I might - McGowan permitting - go over to Perth as a friend invited me to stay with her.

All my family are in Sydney plus a brother in Surfers and i don't have any family in Perth, which is the one disadvantage. 

[Marisawright]

@MARYROSE02, you're lucky that you're happy with a social life consisting of a cafe and a pub and a bit of sport.   You could probably be happy anywhere.   Some of us have much wider interests and that wouldn't be enough for us. 

[Blue Flu]

13 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

"Rather hard to engage?" Engage with who or what?! I regard Perth as a smaller version of Sydney, one with less crowds, shorter peak hour and city surf beaches.

During my 12 week, 2 part sojourn I stayed in South Perth, Applecross and Northbridge. In each I followed my usual template of finding a cafe and a pub I liked and went to one every day and the other every night and by the end of a week or so I was practically a local. I sought out the local branch of Oz Spurs so I could watch Tottenham in the company of other Spurs fans. Even if you don't like footy it's another way of meeting people from your hometown. 

I did the same thing in Surfers Paradise and of course in Sydney where I live. 

Next year I'm planning to give Surfers Paradise another go. I was there for eight months and I know what to expect. But I might - McGowan permitting - go over to Perth as a friend invited me to stay with her.

All my family are in Sydney plus a brother in Surfers and i don't have any family in Perth, which is the one disadvantage. 

Perth people difficult to engage in a meaningful way too often is my experience. Smaller version of Sydney? Nothing like Sydney. It's parochialism and localism makes it very different. 

I lived two and a half years in Applecross. I was right on the river. Very expensive houses and snooty people A world of their own. Northbridge , increasingly people won't go. Safety issues at night with another stabbing murder two weeks back. 

South Perth, is okay. But really is limited. A narrow strip of business's and the pub. Far removed from your Surry Hills. I suppose football may get an initial connection. Does it extend any further? 

 

[MARYROSE02]

9 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

@MARYROSE02, you're lucky that you're happy with a social life consisting of a cafe and a pub and a bit of sport.   You could probably be happy anywhere.   Some of us have much wider interests and that wouldn't be enough for us. 

I know that but I also know there are people who live in Perth who are enthusiastic about "The Arts" and who are happy with what's on offer there. I'm sure Perth has its theatre companies, opera and ballet. If I was into it in a big way and living there then I probably schedule  a holiday in Sydney or Melbourne and do a week of shows. I had a week in London and did one musical and one play.

If you are more sports inclined Perth has two AFL teams and an A League team and a Sheffield Shield team. No NRL team or RU but then,  like SA, TAS, and NT, Aussie Rules is the main footy code. 

You can watch all the sport you want on TV. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me not being able to go to the SCG if I was living in Perth. I lost out on watching Tottenham live when I came to OZ.

 

 

 

 

[Marisawright]

20 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

 I'm sure Perth has its theatre companies, opera and ballet. If I was into it in a big way and living there then I probably schedule  a holiday in Sydney or Melbourne and do a week of shows. 

Perth does have theatre, opera and ballet but it's on a smaller scale.  The question is, why should I settle for a smaller scale?   I have a choice, I choose bigger. 

[Bulya]

10 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Remember that in the days of the Ten Pound Poms, it was the first stop the ship made, and after that long trip, it must have been tempting to get off there rather than face another few days chugging round to Melbourne or Sydney.

 People often choose the Australian city where they already know someone, so that has fed on itself.   These days, I get the impression that British migrants are still inclined to congregate in British-dominated suburbs in Perth.  Whereas one thing that always surprised me in Sydney and Melbourne - I couldn't name a suburb where British migrants congregate.  They just disperse into the wider community - which is bad news for people like scousers, who would probably feel happier if there was a British social club somewhere nearby.

Same in Canberra, they’re dispersed through the suburbs.  

[MARYROSE02]

1 hour ago, Blue Flu said:

Perth people difficult to engage in a meaningful way too often is my experience. Smaller version of Sydney? Nothing like Sydney. It's parochialism and localism makes it very different. 

I lived two and a half years in Applecross. I was right on the river. Very expensive houses and snooty people A world of their own. Northbridge , increasingly people won't go. Safety issues at night with another stabbing murder two weeks back. 

South Perth, is okay. But really is limited. A narrow strip of business's and the pub. Far removed from your Surry Hills. I suppose football may get an initial connection. Does it extend any further? 

 

I'm guessing that had I said, "Freo, Scarborough and Victoria Park" or "Cottesloe, Subiaco and Ardross" you would have had nothing good to say about them either?!

"Perth people?" How do they differ from Sydney people or Surfers people? They're just "Aussies" to me.  They don't even have a different accent so I can tell which part of Australia they come from.  I can always ask if they are into AFL or NRL which narrows it down a bit. 

Very expensive homes in Applecross? Does that make the inhabitants snobby? How do you tell a snobby Aussie when they all have the same accent. You could be in Double Bay or Vaucluse. I suppose the private schools are educating them not to say "youse" and "filum" but that's me being patronising now. 

South Perth has a nice pub,  the Windsor, which I went to almost every night and a strip of shops and restaurants in Mends St. There's a ferry to the CBD which I never went on and amazing views across the river to the city. There's easy access to the freely and more shops etc on Angelo Street, everything that I want. There's some more shops and units which were being built when I was there but now finished. 

Northbridge could be Surry Hills though not quite the same. Very close to the city. Surry Hills, Redfern, Waterloo all have drug problems and huge public  housing estates. Surfers Paradise of course has a bad rep in some parts but again I accept both good and bad. 

[MARYROSE02]

52 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Perth does have theatre, opera and ballet but it's on a smaller scale.  The question is, why should I settle for a smaller scale?   I have a choice, I choose bigger. 

I know but when Pommies planning to migrate to Australia use that phrase "Living the Dream" what are they thinking about? Being able to watch cricket and Aussie Rules at the SCG or the MCG? A wide choice of live theatre and music? Or a house on a beach with warm and sunny weather for most of the year?

I've just sold my 3 bedroom detached house with garage on the edge of the New Forest for just under 350 000 pounds less tax and expenses. I couldn't buy a one bedroom flat like mine in Sydney for that. Even if I sold my flat in Sydney I still could not afford a 3 bedroom detached house on a Sydney beach. I doubt I could get much on the Central Coast, Newcastle or Wollongong and it would mean a horror  commute to Sydney. 

But  if I looked for a 3 bedroom house on the beach in Perth, say in the northern or southern  suburbs what could I hope for there,  using my UK house money? Bit of a commute to Perth but hardly as onerous as the far west and south west suburbs of Sydney which are 1 to 2 hours from the CBD and further to the beach. 

I don't want to live in a beach but I like Surfers Paradise and I know I could buy a nice unit on the seafront with my UK house money.  

 

[MARYROSE02]

4 hours ago, Bulya said:

Same in Canberra, they’re dispersed through the suburbs.  

I'm 99 percent sure that if you are blue or red, but probably not Tranmere, There's a bar in every major city where scousers gather to watch Everton or Liverpool.  Tell a lie, if they're like Tottenham fans in Oz then half of them will be Aussies who love their English football club but  otherwise love Australia. 

[Marisawright]

11 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I know but when Pommies planning to migrate to Australia use that phrase "Living the Dream" what are they thinking about? Being able to watch cricket and Aussie Rules at the SCG or the MCG? A wide choice of live theatre and music? Or a house on a beach with warm and sunny weather for most of the year?

Different people have different aspirations.  I didn't come to Australia for a house on a beach with sun.   

[Bulya]

8 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I'm 99 percent sure that if you are blue or red, but probably not Tranmere, There's a bar in every major city where scousers gather to watch Everton or Liverpool.  Tell a lie, if they're like Tottenham fans in Oz then half of them will be Aussies who love their English football club but  otherwise love Australia. 

I haven’t come across one.  

[Blue Flu]

13 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I'm guessing that had I said, "Freo, Scarborough and Victoria Park" or "Cottesloe, Subiaco and Ardross" you would have had nothing good to say about them either?!

"Perth people?" How do they differ from Sydney people or Surfers people? They're just "Aussies" to me.  They don't even have a different accent so I can tell which part of Australia they come from.  I can always ask if they are into AFL or NRL which narrows it down a bit. 

Very expensive homes in Applecross? Does that make the inhabitants snobby? How do you tell a snobby Aussie when they all have the same accent. You could be in Double Bay or Vaucluse. I suppose the private schools are educating them not to say "youse" and "filum" but that's me being patronising now. 

South Perth has a nice pub,  the Windsor, which I went to almost every night and a strip of shops and restaurants in Mends St. There's a ferry to the CBD which I never went on and amazing views across the river to the city. There's easy access to the freely and more shops etc on Angelo Street, everything that I want. There's some more shops and units which were being built when I was there but now finished. 

Northbridge could be Surry Hills though not quite the same. Very close to the city. Surry Hills, Redfern, Waterloo all have drug problems and huge public  housing estates. Surfers Paradise of course has a bad rep in some parts but again I accept both good and bad. 

It's Perth where I live so I'll leave the commentary on other cities alone,. While they may be all Aussies to you, different make up's makes Perth differ substantially from Perth. It's isolationist position has seen a parochialism develop here , I would argue to a far greater extent than Sydney, for example, the centre for international tourism and immigration. 

Obviously if one lived for the arts, there are cities far better than Sydney. One just needs to look at Time Out in Sydney at the thinness   of it compared to London. Or Paris where the arts feature in conversation and activity in so many peoples minds.

Applecross is very expensive. Aussies are very conscious of class I find. Not necessary in the way of talking but judgement on material possessions and postcodes rather much more than too often credited for. Applecross and like suburbs are rather convinced of their position in the pecking order . Next you'll be saying Australia is classless and egalitarian. I', afraid 1950's Australia has long disappeared from the rear vision mirror. This society is increasingly about money above all else. 

South Perth is a small, although pleasant enough strip . I was in the Windsor about six weeks ago. The Windsor is fine as it goes , but wouldn't be taking the ferry across too regularly. It would soon be old hat. 

You write Scarborough. We were there last night for drinks and meal at a local beachside pub. The evening was close to 40 degrees. Thankfully the wind was not an issue. The pub was full of miner types , nearly all men , but the beach environs was good with a fine example of how cosmopolitan Perth is becoming. 

Subi has declined over recent years. Most will agree on that. Northbridge, being a major centre for entertainment in Perth, attracts a lot of less desirable types, with a reputation for violence , a lot of drug activity. We are one of the biggest methamphetamine users in the world. 

No I would say Leederville, would be a closer match to Surry Hills than Northbridge. Though I obviously see how you may connect the two. Then again I've no idea how Surry Hills is late at night. It may be closer than I'm aware. 

Surfers does have a bad rap. Never been but heard some bad stories around corruption and crime. 

[Blue Flu]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

Different people have different aspirations.  I didn't come to Australia for a house on a beach with sun.   

I didn't return for the culture and arts. Probably subtracting beach and sun the sum total of reasons to return would have been housing affordability. What a joke that became.  

[Bulya]

6 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

It's Perth where I live so I'll leave the commentary on other cities alone,. While they may be all Aussies to you, different make up's makes Perth differ substantially from Perth. It's isolationist position has seen a parochialism develop here , I would argue to a far greater extent than Sydney, for example, the centre for international tourism and immigration. 

Obviously if one lived for the arts, there are cities far better than Sydney. One just needs to look at Time Out in Sydney at the thinness   of it compared to London. Or Paris where the arts feature in conversation and activity in so many peoples minds.

Applecross is very expensive. Aussies are very conscious of class I find. Not necessary in the way of talking but judgement on material possessions and postcodes rather much more than too often credited for. Applecross and like suburbs are rather convinced of their position in the pecking order . Next you'll be saying Australia is classless and egalitarian. I', afraid 1950's Australia has long disappeared from the rear vision mirror. This society is increasingly about money above all else. 

South Perth is a small, although pleasant enough strip . I was in the Windsor about six weeks ago. The Windsor is fine as it goes , but wouldn't be taking the ferry across too regularly. It would soon be old hat. 

You write Scarborough. We were there last night for drinks and meal at a local beachside pub. The evening was close to 40 degrees. Thankfully the wind was not an issue. The pub was full of miner types , nearly all men , but the beach environs was good with a fine example of how cosmopolitan Perth is becoming. 

Subi has declined over recent years. Most will agree on that. Northbridge, being a major centre for entertainment in Perth, attracts a lot of less desirable types, with a reputation for violence , a lot of drug activity. We are one of the biggest methamphetamine users in the world. 

No I would say Leederville, would be a closer match to Surry Hills than Northbridge. Though I obviously see how you may connect the two. Then again I've no idea how Surry Hills is late at night. It may be closer than I'm aware. 

Surfers does have a bad rap. Never been but heard some bad stories around corruption and crime. 

The parochialism was very apparent when I joined the military in ‘70.  WA recruits were just so ‘different’ than those from the other states/territories.  

[proud preston]

On 08/12/2021 at 06:36, Robert Dyson said:

There is something to be said for creativity and personality being stimulated from difficult circumstance, hardship and desperation.  Treat em mean, keep 'em keen.  Australia doesn't have as much of that as the UK does, but it's been cultural and economic policy in the UK for years to try and drive efficiencies through the class system.  From that comes humour, character and personality as a defence mechanism.   It's no secret that Liverpudlians are known for their humour, but it doesn't come from everybody being rich and living in comfort....it's been a mechanism to cope with life.   

The London Olympic's opening ceremony was perhaps the best description of British life I've ever seen, no other country on earth could have produced a demonstration of historical culture like that, but most of it came from ordinary people's creativity, experimentation and invention.

The UK, certainly the music industry, isn't mostly populated by rich kids with the luxury to make a choice, it's dominated by people who had nothing at all and had to fight for everything they've had.  Australia could never produce a Sex Pistols or a Beatles, because there is no cultural base born out of deprivation to enrich it.

Australia is a wealthy country and people are overall, far more comfortable and secure than counterparts in the UK.   It does lead to a sanitised, dull as dishwater atmosphere at times, because there is nothing really pressing that needs worrying about.  Australians are generally well provided for, their societies are not overridden with crime, the provisioning for public spaces and facilities is generally excellent.  They do not have much to complain about at all.  That can actually become very boring and less stimulating than developing your character in much more difficult circumstances in the UK.

 

This is such a good observation yet makes me pine for the UK even more! Opening to the London Olympics was fantastic.