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

[Blue Flu]

14 hours ago, Rita Shankar said:

I was born and raised in Bradford. Loved growing up there. It still has a rich cultural heritage. The curries are superior to anything you will find in Perth. Sadly Bradford has fallen on hard times, partly because of mismanagement by the useless Bradford Council and lack of investment by success governments. As for 4th worst city to live in the UK. Load of crap. I think of dozens of worse places in the UK.

You are most likely right. I'm don't hold much sway of such figures, bit like Melbourne being termed World's Most Livable City for a number of years previously. But never been to Bradford , the curry enticement would probbly be main reason for it to be a port of call. Although would likely pick Leicester during Devali (biggest celebration outside the Sub Continent it is said) ahead for a curry and sample of English/Sub Continent culture. 

[s713]

We tried an Aussie beach/seafood Xmas and I didn't mind it. But my wife and her family who are Scouse/Irish thought it the worst day of their lives. We tried a normal Xmas Day the next Xmas Day but it was 42 degrees and that's about as much fun as a brontosaurus stepping on your nethers.

[Bulya]

18 minutes ago, s713 said:

We tried an Aussie beach/seafood Xmas and I didn't mind it. But my wife and her family who are Scouse/Irish thought it the worst day of their lives. We tried a normal Xmas Day the next Xmas Day but it was 42 degrees and that's about as much fun as a brontosaurus stepping on your nethers.

Haven’t done a beach/seafood Xmas in more than half a century, horrible thought, but I still have a better Xmas here than I ever did in Blighty.  Xmas in Germany was good from what I remember  

[MARYROSE02]

10 hours ago, Bulya said:

Haven’t done a beach/seafood Xmas in more than half a century, horrible thought, but I still have a better Xmas here than I ever did in Blighty.  Xmas in Germany was good from what I remember  

I've been to the beach on Xmas Day at various times,  1979 with my bros and Aussie mates at Palm Beach ("Summer Bay!), Cottesloe in Perth 2017 just for a swim and coffee.  I even went to Bondi Beach 4 or 5 years back to experience Xmas Day there.  Not sure where all the backpackers (plenty of Irish and Scousers there) go now? Coogee? Bondi? Booze bans are clipping their wings. 

The best place I've been was Surfers Paradise with almost everything open so on your own is great.

[Bulya]

15 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I've been to the beach on Xmas Day at various times,  1979 with my bros and Aussie mates at Palm Beach ("Summer Bay!), Cottesloe in Perth 2017 just for a swim and coffee.  I even went to Bondi Beach 4 or 5 years back to experience Xmas Day there.  Not sure where all the backpackers (plenty of Irish and Scousers there) go now? Coogee? Bondi? Booze bans are clipping their wings. 

The best place I've been was Surfers Paradise with almost everything open so on your own is great.

We’re waiting for the 6th January, Summernats starts.  Xmas just gets in the way and then the opening of the new $70m Eastern Creek Speedway on the 14/15th January and opening round of the new Top Fuel series on the 21/22 January.  Pre COVID Boxing Day night at Parramatta Speedway was the norm and again on NYE.  Have to wait for next year for that 

[MARYROSE02]

2 hours ago, Bulya said:

We’re waiting for the 6th January, Summernats starts.  Xmas just gets in the way and then the opening of the new $70m Eastern Creek Speedway on the 14/15th January and opening round of the new Top Fuel series on the 21/22 January.  Pre COVID Boxing Day night at Parramatta Speedway was the norm and again on NYE.  Have to wait for next year for that 

I Googled "Summernats." I still don't know what it means but I know it's in Canberra from 6 to 9th Jan?

My niece's husband might be into that stuff. He used to be a Bathurst attendee before he got shackled. I think he took a case of beer for each day of the weekend.

I must Google Eastern Creek. I've not been there.  Do I pass it on the motorway to Penrith? I used to go there everyday for work but I've not been there now for 5 years.  Australia's Wonderland. That's what I was thinking of!

[Quoll]

6 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I Googled "Summernats." I still don't know what it means but I know it's in Canberra from 6 to 9th Jan?

My niece's husband might be into that stuff. He used to be a Bathurst attendee before he got shackled. I think he took a case of beer for each day of the weekend.

I must Google Eastern Creek. I've not been there.  Do I pass it on the motorway to Penrith? I used to go there everyday for work but I've not been there now for 5 years.  Australia's Wonderland. That's what I was thinking of!

Summernats - a good time to get out of Canberra!  I know some folk like it but I would rather have root canal than spend my days there and I love cars and love driving and enjoyed Bathurst.   Eastern Creek is up near Australia's Wonderland - heavens, aeons since I thought of that one.  I have no idea if it is still functioning but my kids used to enjoy it when they were little.

[Paul1Perth]

On 18/12/2021 at 08:58, s713 said:

Who wants to 'put up' with Xmas? Wow.

After Christmas and the New Year in the UK was the worse time. No one with any money, crap weather for months, pubs empty, everyone trying to save up for their summer holidays in Spain, Portugal, Greece. Adverts for summer holidays started day after New Years day I reckon.

We just embraced Aussie Christmas, weather doesn't get any better, pubs are still packed, difference is you can sit outside, ride around and show the kids the Christmas lights, some people must spend thousands. Long days, loads of time at the beach, meet friends at the beach Christmas Day, along with hundreds of others, busiest day of the year for the beach, champagne, beer, croissants at the beach, walk back to a friends house 5 min walk from the beach, have a few beers and barbie at his, if we have too much walk home and get the car later. Get Christmas dinner over and done with Christmas eve.

We don't have any relatives here so don't have to rush off visiting aunties, uncles, grandparents. Some of the friends we meet have to do that when they really want to stay at the beach and have a beer and let the kids play, but they have to "do the right thing". 

We know some who still do the big Christmas Day Turkey, Ham etc on the day. We scrapped that after the first year.

[Paul1Perth]

On 20/12/2021 at 06:41, Blue Flu said:

You are most likely right. I'm don't hold much sway of such figures, bit like Melbourne being termed World's Most Livable City for a number of years previously. But never been to Bradford , the curry enticement would probbly be main reason for it to be a port of call. Although would likely pick Leicester during Devali (biggest celebration outside the Sub Continent it is said) ahead for a curry and sample of English/Sub Continent culture. 

Mate the curries were great in Sparkhill where our crappy student digs were when at Uni in Birmingham. Wouldn't be a reason for wanting to live there though.

[bug family]

1 hour ago, Paul1Perth said:

After Christmas and the New Year in the UK was the worse time. No one with any money, crap weather for months, pubs empty, everyone trying to save up for their summer holidays

you could though swap the word 'UK' for 'Australia' as it is exactly the same, blazing heat for months on end and if you are lucky enough to find a pub (suburbs) they are guaranteed to be empty, as for saving for the foreign holiday you have the choice of 'bali' or 'bali' lol

[bug family]

2 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

We just embraced Aussie Christmas, weather doesn't get any better, pubs are still packed, difference is you can sit outside, ride around and show the kids the Christmas lights, some people must spend thousands. Long days, loads of time at the beach, meet friends at the beach Christmas Day, along with hundreds of others, busiest day of the year for the beach,

Paul Its due to be 42 degrees on Christmas day!...are you really going to spend the day sitting outside and at the beach?.... i would melt 

[Paul1Perth]

4 hours ago, bug family said:

Paul Its due to be 42 degrees on Christmas day!...are you really going to spend the day sitting outside and at the beach?.... i would melt 

Yep. Be down early, we have friends who live 5 mins walk onto the beach so we park there and go back to their place after for beers and a barbie. If you're not a beach person you won't realise that it feels quite comfortable as there's usually a bit of a cooling breeze off the ocean. If you get too hot just go in for a swim. Hardest bit is keeping the beer cool and the sand out of your croissant.

Usually head off around lunchtime and spend the arvo at our friends. They've been having a sort of open house for years now so usually get a few round. Some we only see at Christmas.

You realise what a difference the dunes make. You can feel fine and comfortable on the beach, walk through the dune path to the car park and it suddenly feels 10 degrees hotter. Top side of Marmion Ave another 5 hotter, top side of Wanneroo road another 5 hotter. If you live out at say Ellenbrook, that's when it can be uncomfortable.

[Paul1Perth]

4 hours ago, bug family said:

you could though swap the word 'UK' for 'Australia' as it is exactly the same, blazing heat for months on end and if you are lucky enough to find a pub (suburbs) they are guaranteed to be empty, as for saving for the foreign holiday you have the choice of 'bali' or 'bali' lol

I don't find that at all TBH. As far as I see from the people we hang around with is everyone thinks the weathers great, more people off work on holiday, so more people down the beach to train with, pub at the beach is packed all the time, specially during happy hour, same with The Breakwater at Hillary's and the new pub at Iluka. Pubs in the suburbs might be quite, that's why we live near the beach. 

Be a long time before anyone heads to Bali I reckon. 

One of the main reasons we came was to live in a place where we weren't hankering to get away from. We love it.

[Bulya]

17 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I Googled "Summernats." I still don't know what it means but I know it's in Canberra from 6 to 9th Jan?

My niece's husband might be into that stuff. He used to be a Bathurst attendee before he got shackled. I think he took a case of beer for each day of the weekend.

I must Google Eastern Creek. I've not been there.  Do I pass it on the motorway to Penrith? I used to go there everyday for work but I've not been there now for 5 years.  Australia's Wonderland. That's what I was thinking of!

New $70m facility built by the govt to replace Valvoline Speedway forced to close for new rail track.  Opening meeting 14/15th January.  

[Blue Flu]

2 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

I don't find that at all TBH. As far as I see from the people we hang around with is everyone thinks the weathers great, more people off work on holiday, so more people down the beach to train with, pub at the beach is packed all the time, specially during happy hour, same with The Breakwater at Hillary's and the new pub at Iluka. Pubs in the suburbs might be quite, that's why we live near the beach. 

Be a long time before anyone heads to Bali I reckon. 

One of the main reasons we came was to live in a place where we weren't hankering to get away from. We love it.

Though I love a cold crisp  morning,  I find lead saucepan  colour skies, months on end, somewhat not depressing exactly, but taxing.  Either cold, with blue skies and snow, with ability to wrap up, or the heat, light dress , whole body feels lighter somehow. One thing heat great for aches and pains. Easier to shead any excess weight that seems to creep up over winter months, 

[Paul1Perth]

It's different with no holidaymakers at this time of year. I like to see and have a chat with them. Also good for the economy here too. 

Seems not to have affected it too badly though as most people had holidays booked that had to be cancelled, got the money back and spent it here.

My youngest works at Dome and says he's talked to a few interstate visitors lately, nowhere near as many as usual yet. 

Come Feb 5th we might have to get used to wearing masks again. 

[ramot]

20 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Though I love a cold crisp  morning,  I find lead saucepan  colour skies, months on end, somewhat not depressing exactly, but taxing.  Either cold, with blue skies and snow, with ability to wrap up, or the heat, light dress , whole body feels lighter somehow. One thing heat great for aches and pains. Easier to shead any excess weight that seems to creep up over winter months, 

You wear a dress?

Edited December 22, 2021 by ramot

[tea4too]

On 20/12/2021 at 23:23, Paul1Perth said:

After Christmas and the New Year in the UK was the worse time. No one with any money, crap weather for months, pubs empty, everyone trying to save up for their summer holidays in Spain, Portugal, Greece. Adverts for summer holidays started day after New Years day I reckon.

We just embraced Aussie Christmas, weather doesn't get any better, pubs are still packed, difference is you can sit outside, ride around and show the kids the Christmas lights, some people must spend thousands. Long days, loads of time at the beach, meet friends at the beach Christmas Day, along with hundreds of others, busiest day of the year for the beach, champagne, beer, croissants at the beach, walk back to a friends house 5 min walk from the beach, have a few beers and barbie at his, if we have too much walk home and get the car later. Get Christmas dinner over and done with Christmas eve.

We don't have any relatives here so don't have to rush off visiting aunties, uncles, grandparents. Some of the friends we meet have to do that when they really want to stay at the beach and have a beer and let the kids play, but they have to "do the right thing". 

We know some who still do the big Christmas Day Turkey, Ham etc on the day. We scrapped that after the first year.

People's love for where they live is great to read and few would pretend they didn't want to experience the same degree of contentment in life themselves. But we are not all cut from the same cloth and what you describe would not necessarily deliver the same degree of happiness for everyone else, myself included tbh. However it would be a shame for buglife's thread to disintegrate into a list of pros and cons about Aus and UK so I'll resist the temptation to counterbalance, but in general terms I don't recognise the grey and limiting UK lifestyle regularly portrayed by a number of posters. It's not my life and I don't see it as an inevitable consequence of living here.

Both Aus and UK are first world economies and over the decades life has changed in both countries. People are more mobile, generally better educated and thanks to the internet have a wider view of their expectations and opportunities. Life has not stood still wherever you live, both countries provide a (different) lifestyle that will either support a sense of home and belonging, or it won't. In terms of the thread title however, how long it takes to work that out is not always as cut and dried. T x

 

[s713]

On 21/12/2021 at 01:26, bug family said:

Paul Its due to be 42 degrees on Christmas day!...are you really going to spend the day sitting outside and at the beach?.... i would melt 

Yeah, it'd be a big 'no thanks' to that.

[Cup Final 1973]

6 hours ago, tea4too said:

People's love for where they live is great to read and few would pretend they didn't want to experience the same degree of contentment in life themselves. But we are not all cut from the same cloth and what you describe would not necessarily deliver the same degree of happiness for everyone else, myself included tbh. However it would be a shame for buglife's thread to disintegrate into a list of pros and cons about Aus and UK so I'll resist the temptation to counterbalance, but in general terms I don't recognise the grey and limiting UK lifestyle regularly portrayed by a number of posters. It's not my life and I don't see it as an inevitable consequence of living here.

Both Aus and UK are first world economies and over the decades life has changed in both countries. People are more mobile, generally better educated and thanks to the internet have a wider view of their expectations and opportunities. Life has not stood still wherever you live, both countries provide a (different) lifestyle that will either support a sense of home and belonging, or it won't. In terms of the thread title however, how long it takes to work that out is not always as cut and dried. T x

 

Well said!  I do find some posters have obviously never returned to the UK in years, or even decades and their descriptions of lifestyle here is unrecognisable.

[Blue Flu]

18 hours ago, ramot said:

You wear a dress?

Here's me thinking most every boy has a frock tucked away for those special  ocassions. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Blue Flu

[bug family]

8 hours ago, Cup Final 1973 said:

Well said!  I do find some posters have obviously never returned to the UK in years, or even decades and their descriptions of lifestyle here is unrecognisable.

I loved the fact that when I went back home in 2019 for a holiday, that not much had changed and any changes that I did come across where an improvement, take my home town for example when I left in 2011 there was a run down area of the town and a patch of old car park etc, when I went back this has been redeveloped into a nice shopping area, with new cafes and a pub and a new car parking area, as you rightly point out some only have a view of the UK, possibly from negative memories from years ago

[Marisawright]

 

9 hours ago, Cup Final 1973 said:

Well said!  I do find some posters have obviously never returned to the UK in years, or even decades and their descriptions of lifestyle here is unrecognisable.

Funnily enough, I haven't seen that at all.   The people who really yearn for home aren't usually hankering for an old lifestyle, they're hankering for scenery and history and a sense of belonging and those don't change.

[bug family]

14 hours ago, tea4too said:

how long it takes to work that out is not always as cut and dried

Thanks @tea4too, and that really is the question, if you look at some there is an instant belonging and that question is very easy to answer, they are never in doubt,  Australia is their forever home, and can work that out very quickly........as for others as @Marisawright points out that belonging is not felt here and never ever will be, which unfortunately tends to take a bit longer to work out, there is always that push to give it a bit longer to see if you can learn to love your life here, however if to much time and circumstance has gone by when realising this, then that can be very difficult and damaging to live with, I have sadly met some who are now in their late retirement years and they would give anything to go home, but realise that this will never happen...they realised to late that this was not home.

I do find it interesting that there is possibly a third 'type of person'  if you look at @Amber snowball for example from her posts, she seemed to love it in Australia for the first few years, was by all accounts not fussed either way for the following few years and for her final few years in Australia could not wait to leave, this shows that it is not such a clear love or hate response about this decision....maybe some can grow to love it just like some grow to hate it ....

[MARYROSE02]

On 22/12/2021 at 14:11, Paul1Perth said:

It's different with no holidaymakers at this time of year. I like to see and have a chat with them. Also good for the economy here too. 

Seems not to have affected it too badly though as most people had holidays booked that had to be cancelled, got the money back and spent it here.

My youngest works at Dome and says he's talked to a few interstate visitors lately, nowhere near as many as usual yet. 

Come Feb 5th we might have to get used to wearing masks again. 

February 5th, 2023? If the cases keep rocketing up in January,  I can't see Mr McGowan opening up?

Dome? That's a WA cafe chain isn't it? I don't think I've seen any in Sydney.