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

[Bulya]

On 11/12/2021 at 17:31, Marisawright said:

No, I came for an adventure. I stayed because I love the lifestyle which includes theatre and ballet (not opera).   I have not been to the beach for about six years.

Came because I didn’t have any choice but what a life since.  Bloody grateful it wasn’t wasted in Blighty… 

[s713]

As much as I found Perth limited, and it is, there's probably (slightly) too much Perth bashing here.

I'll start by saying that after 3 or 4 years I was done with the place.

However, that's only my opinion. Anyone else could move there and think it Utopia, that's up to them.

For me, if you've got young kids, it's great. A tremendous place to bring young ones up. Honest to God, bliss for them, parks and pools galore. No doubt it's great.

Step forward to teens and, unless they're (1) academic or (2) very sporty, I bet you see boredom. And after boredom, for some, problems. I know that happens everywhere but, for some reason, people don't think it will happen if they move to Australia. It will. Drugs in the UK are recreational, drugs in Australia are more lifestyle, 100%. Of course, there's no guarantee your kids will be exposed, like they might not be exposed to drugs wherever they live. Who knows?

But, Perth is a beautiful looking place, no doubt. There are millions of success stories from Perth so, you know, ignore me if you want. It's expensive, don't overstretch yourself the bank will kill you, but go for it. If you love beaches, Perth will be your friend. If you want more, you might find lacking.

A tremendous veneer of a place Perth, what happens underneath depends on what you want from life.

[Bulya]

3 hours ago, s713 said:

As much as I found Perth limited, and it is, there's probably (slightly) too much Perth bashing here.

I'll start by saying that after 3 or 4 years I was done with the place.

However, that's only my opinion. Anyone else could move there and think it Utopia, that's up to them.

For me, if you've got young kids, it's great. A tremendous place to bring young ones up. Honest to God, bliss for them, parks and pools galore. No doubt it's great.

Step forward to teens and, unless they're (1) academic or (2) very sporty, I bet you see boredom. And after boredom, for some, problems. I know that happens everywhere but, for some reason, people don't think it will happen if they move to Australia. It will. Drugs in the UK are recreational, drugs in Australia are more lifestyle, 100%. Of course, there's no guarantee your kids will be exposed, like they might not be exposed to drugs wherever they live. Who knows?

But, Perth is a beautiful looking place, no doubt. There are millions of success stories from Perth so, you know, ignore me if you want. It's expensive, don't overstretch yourself the bank will kill you, but go for it. If you love beaches, Perth will be your friend. If you want more, you might find lacking.

A tremendous veneer of a place Perth, what happens underneath depends on what you want from life.

It was great for short visits with race teams over the years but certainly didn’t appeal as a long-term prospect. 

[bug family]

5 hours ago, Bulya said:

Bloody grateful it wasn’t wasted in Blighty…

I am taking it that you are not keen on Old Blighty then Bulya .........How do you know though Bulya?.....if you left the UK some time ago to come to Australia then your comparison of which country you prefer will be skewed will it not?

for example, I have lived in Australia for the past ten years and the UK most of my life prior to that, I can make a reasonable comparison between the two based on what I have experienced in both countries and for me I prefer the UK hands down, but that is just my own opinion.

I was chatting to a colleague at work recently, and they told me how they had a British passport and could move there if they wanted, when I mentioned that I am intending to move back they where shocked, "really!" was the reply,  they could not believe that I would leave Australia, specifically Western Australia for the 'dump of the UK'.....when I then asked them how long they had lived there, I got the reply "oh, i have never been just heard about it being a bit rough' ,.......they have never been so how can they have an accurate opinion on what it is really like.....

[Bulya]

8 minutes ago, bug family said:

I am taking it that you are not keen on Old Blighty then Bulya .........How do you know though Bulya?.....if you left the UK some time ago to come to Australia then your comparison of which country you prefer will be skewed will it not?

for example, I have lived in Australia for the past ten years and the UK most of my life prior to that, I can make a reasonable comparison between the two based on what I have experienced in both countries and for me I prefer the UK hands down, but that is just my own opinion.

I was chatting to a colleague at work recently, and they told me how they had a British passport and could move there if they wanted, when I mentioned that I am intending to move back they where shocked, "really!" was the reply,  they could not believe that I would leave Australia, specifically Western Australia for the 'dump of the UK'.....when I then asked them how long they had lived there, I got the reply "oh, i have never been just heard about it being a bit rough' ,.......they have never been so how can they have an accurate opinion on what it is really like.....

You’ve only lived in Perth.  I lived in a number of places in Blighty and Scotland.   You don’t have a valid comparison no matter how much you believe it.

[Toots]

1 hour ago, Bulya said:

You’ve only lived in Perth.  I lived in a number of places in Blighty and Scotland.   You don’t have a valid comparison no matter how much you believe it.

Bug family wouldn't settle anywhere else in Australia or any other country apart from the UK.  He is one of those people who feels that deep attachment to his home country so nothing you say will change that

I've lived in several different countries but I've lived by far the longest in Australia.  I'm one of those people who doesn't have that massive emotional attachment to my home country but that doesn't mean I dislike it.  Far from it.  Anyway, I'm getting on in years and feel very comfortable and at home where I now live.  Thank goodness I don't have that hankering to be anywhere else but here.  Time to put down permanent roots and just enjoy life.  Looking forward to a few overseas trips before I get too over-the-hill for an adventure or two though. 

[Bulya]

1 hour ago, Toots said:

Bug family wouldn't settle anywhere else in Australia or any other country apart from the UK.  He is one of those people who feels that deep attachment to his home country so nothing you say will change that

I've lived in several different countries but I've lived by far the longest in Australia.  I'm one of those people who doesn't have that massive emotional attachment to my home country but that doesn't mean I dislike it.  Far from it.  Anyway, I'm getting on in years and feel very comfortable and at home where I now live.  Thank goodness I don't have that hankering to be anywhere else but here.  Time to put down permanent roots and just enjoy life.  Looking forward to a few overseas trips before I get too over-the-hill for an adventure or two though. 

True but he’s only done Perth and it sure ain’t ‘Australia’ if I was an Aussie and moved to say Bradford in England and told everyone ‘England’s a bit of a dump’ people would laugh. It’s just nonsense…

[bug family]

2 hours ago, Bulya said:

You’ve only lived in Perth.  I lived in a number of places in Blighty and Scotland.   You don’t have a valid comparison no matter how much you believe it.

Sorry how long ago did you live in blighty?

I have actually been to Melbourne, Sydney, far north west Australia and lived and worked on an island off the far north of Australia, as well as Perth so I have  seen enough to make a valid up-to-date comparison between Australia and UK

[Bulya]

15 minutes ago, bug family said:

Sorry how long ago did you live in blighty?

I have actually been to Melbourne, Sydney, far north west Australia and lived and worked on an island off the far north of Australia, as well as Perth so I have  seen enough to make a valid up-to-date comparison between Australia and UK

Been isn’t the same as living.  By the way, I spent two days in Mackay, I guess I’m qualified to comment on Queensland as a place to live…

Edited December 14, 2021 by Bulya
Multiple changes

[Toots]

8 hours ago, s713 said:

As much as I found Perth limited, and it is, there's probably (slightly) too much Perth bashing here.

I'll start by saying that after 3 or 4 years I was done with the place.

However, that's only my opinion. Anyone else could move there and think it Utopia, that's up to them.

For me, if you've got young kids, it's great. A tremendous place to bring young ones up. Honest to God, bliss for them, parks and pools galore. No doubt it's great.

Step forward to teens and, unless they're (1) academic or (2) very sporty, I bet you see boredom. And after boredom, for some, problems. I know that happens everywhere but, for some reason, people don't think it will happen if they move to Australia. It will. Drugs in the UK are recreational, drugs in Australia are more lifestyle, 100%. Of course, there's no guarantee your kids will be exposed, like they might not be exposed to drugs wherever they live. Who knows?

But, Perth is a beautiful looking place, no doubt. There are millions of success stories from Perth so, you know, ignore me if you want. It's expensive, don't overstretch yourself the bank will kill you, but go for it. If you love beaches, Perth will be your friend. If you want more, you might find lacking.

A tremendous veneer of a place Perth, what happens underneath depends on what you want from life.

SLIGHTLY   .................  you are having a laugh aren't you?  I don't think I've ever seen a place being slagged off as much as Perth.  Boy oh boy there are some haters of the place on this forum.  l 'm just happy that most of you managed to escape such an awful place.  I lived there for way back in the early 80s and rather liked it.  

[s713]

To be fair, I've made an effort to state that I didn't hate the place, I just didn't want to live there.

[Toots]

1 hour ago, s713 said:

To be fair, I've made an effort to state that I didn't hate the place, I just didn't want to live there.

................  and to be fair I wasn't getting at you with with regard to your opinion of life in Perth.  It was the word slightly that made me laugh a bit.  C'mon, most folk on the forum know by now that there is a great deal more than just 'slightly' bashing Perth.  It's pretty much full on. I don't really know why but I always feel I should stick up for Perth even though I haven't lived there since the end of 1986.

[ali]

2 hours ago, Toots said:

................  and to be fair I wasn't getting at you with with regard to your opinion of life in Perth.  It was the word slightly that made me laugh a bit.  C'mon, most folk on the forum know by now that there is a great deal more than just 'slightly' bashing Perth.  It's pretty much full on. I don't really know why but I always feel I should stick up for Perth even though I haven't lived there since the end of 1986.

That would make you over-sensitive like me lol.  

[MacGyver]

9 hours ago, bug family said:

I have lived in Australia for the past ten years

7 hours ago, bug family said:

Sorry how long ago did you live in blighty?

To be fair the UK has changed a lot in the last 10 years too. Comparisons are always challenging as recent experience living in one place inevitably means a lack of recent experience living in another, and change happens so fast.

I know you are looking forward to going home, I do hope it’s everything you remember it to be and you find happiness there.

[bug family]

7 hours ago, Bulya said:

Been isn’t the same as living.  By the way, I spent two days in Mackay, I guess I’m qualified to comment on Queensland as a place to live…

Absolutely comment away if it helps you get through the day

[Paul1Perth]

22 hours ago, Bulya said:

True but he’s only done Perth and it sure ain’t ‘Australia’ if I was an Aussie and moved to say Bradford in England and told everyone ‘England’s a bit of a dump’ people would laugh. It’s just nonsense…

Hope you're not hinting Perth is anything like Bradford.

[Bulya]

2 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

Hope you're not hinting Perth is anything like Bradford.

Nothing could be that bad…

[Bulya]

17 hours ago, bug family said:

Absolutely comment away if it helps you get through the day

I get through the day very well thanks.  Oh, and maybe Exeter would have been a better place to live?  I’d live there…

https://www.thecultureconcept.com/exeter-in-the-southern-highlands-pleasures-of-country-life

Edited December 15, 2021 by Bulya
Addition

[Rallyman]

On 14/12/2021 at 13:46, Bulya said:

It was great for short visits with race teams over the years but certainly didn’t appeal as a long-term prospect. 

Which race teams did you work with? 

[Bulya]

53 minutes ago, Rallyman said:

Which race teams did you work with? 

Bryden (supercharged race boat) and occasionally Rush (sprintcar).  Best mate Ivan Walker engine builder.   

[Parley]

On 09/12/2021 at 23:35, proud preston said:

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

I'm sure you will enjoy Brisbane too in 2032. I'm sure I will.
 

[Blue Flu]

On 14/12/2021 at 07:42, s713 said:

As much as I found Perth limited, and it is, there's probably (slightly) too much Perth bashing here.

I'll start by saying that after 3 or 4 years I was done with the place.

However, that's only my opinion. Anyone else could move there and think it Utopia, that's up to them.

For me, if you've got young kids, it's great. A tremendous place to bring young ones up. Honest to God, bliss for them, parks and pools galore. No doubt it's great.

Step forward to teens and, unless they're (1) academic or (2) very sporty, I bet you see boredom. And after boredom, for some, problems. I know that happens everywhere but, for some reason, people don't think it will happen if they move to Australia. It will. Drugs in the UK are recreational, drugs in Australia are more lifestyle, 100%. Of course, there's no guarantee your kids will be exposed, like they might not be exposed to drugs wherever they live. Who knows?

But, Perth is a beautiful looking place, no doubt. There are millions of success stories from Perth so, you know, ignore me if you want. It's expensive, don't overstretch yourself the bank will kill you, but go for it. If you love beaches, Perth will be your friend. If you want more, you might find lacking.

A tremendous veneer of a place Perth, what happens underneath depends on what you want from life.

Yes ,unless sportive less going for teens. Even then location to get to venues can be difficult pre driving age, if in outer suburbs, or areas where public transport is poor. Quite possibly if academic or artistic  options may well present far more plentiful over East, or indeed overseas. 

Perth very much about having the contacts that will open doors or at least point in right direction. Drugs the big one, are not just lifestyle, although I'm sure they are, but increasingly a way to make money . Beats working in a fast food outlet I suppose to get one self through Uni when other options are available. It is no wonder Perth is among the top world consumers of methamphetamine. I know I write it a lot but I witness it a lot.

Perth has always been a somewhat boom or bust sort of place. High prices in resources have seen it do rather well over recent decades in earnings. Even if business not so well. It's good to see far less empty shop fronts now in Leederville for example. Hopefully this will be repeated in Subiaco and Mt Lawley and Fremantle. 

Perth appears to be getting its act together in the CBD . Their is an increased onus on safety there and Northbridge and as I understand further assistance for the growing homeless population. 

 

[Blue Flu]

18 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

Hope you're not hinting Perth is anything like Bradford.

Well while I suspect one would likely find a far superior curry in Bradford than Perth, perhaps not quite reason enough to pack up and move there. I seem to recall it being named fourth worst city to live in UK. 

[Blue Flu]

On 14/12/2021 at 22:12, MacGyver said:

To be fair the UK has changed a lot in the last 10 years too. Comparisons are always challenging as recent experience living in one place inevitably means a lack of recent experience living in another, and change happens so fast.

I know you are looking forward to going home, I do hope it’s everything you remember it to be and you find happiness there.

I wonder though if the expectation ever fully complements the reality. Everywhere changes , perhaps ourselves in how we view things as well. 

[Toots]

8 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

I wonder though if the expectation ever fully complements the reality. Everywhere changes , perhaps ourselves in how we view things as well. 

Definitely.  I know my view on many things has changed over the years.