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

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, jimmyay1 said:

You clearly feel very trapped.  When you feel this way, you blame everything and anything that upsets you. 

I seriously suggest taking action...to start thinking about moving back or take steps to change perspective. 

...I see your posts as a rant to get things off your chest which is totally fine and we can all smile at one or two of the reasons you give and recognise some of them. But when they become dominating, you need to do something about this.  

@hop, I agree 100% with what Jimmy says above. Even if Australia was a paradise, if you feel you don't belong, it will feel like hell.   I don't see Australia like you do, but it would be rude and unfair to criticise you for not liking it.  In your shoes I'd be moving heaven and earth to get home, even if you'll be financially worse off doing so.

[Lavers]

21 hours ago, rammygirl said:

I don’t really recognise that view of Aus. Not like that where I am in the Adelaide Hills. The only thing I do agree with is that I do find Christmas a bit strange still. 

Just like being back at home living in the hills

[Lavers]

16 hours ago, jimmyay1 said:

In the UK, it's all about creating a pre Christmas "atmosphere" by stuffing your face for a month, and cheering yourself up with twinkly lights, whilst cold rain and darkness descends.........and then you are dumped on the frozen shores of 2nd of January feeling bloated, hungover and depressed.

You have just summed that up perfectly, Xmas was my favourite time of the year in the UK and I do miss it, but this is the perfect.

The run up is but come the 2nd Jan it’s time to book your summer holiday to give yourself something to look forward too in 6 months time.

[rammygirl]

3 hours ago, Lavers said:

Just like being back at home living in the hills

But less grey and damp!

[Home and Happy]

On 06/05/2024 at 06:06, hop said:

Immediately. Australia is soulless and isolated. I miss good manners (no one says "please" in Australia), I dislike being called "mate" constantly. I miss the mountains, lakes, forests and all the amazing scenery in the UK. There's no scenery in Australia, just sand and bushes. I miss British accents, British TV (Australian TV is unwatchable), British supermarkets which are light years ahead in quality and choice. I miss the UK's temperate maritime climate. It's too hot to do anything outdoors in Australia.

I miss Christmas in the UK. Christmas has no atmosphere in Australia. Although I'm not terribly religious I miss churches and village greens and British pubs and houses with character. In Australia I've been harrassed by people in the streets, many of them I suspect were on drugs and I was attacked once. The police didn't care. They laughed when I reported an item was stolen from the rental. Never had a problem in the UK in over 50 years with regards to crime.

I miss how friendly and reliable people are in the UK. When selling items on Facebook everyone bar one person turned up on time. Wonderful experience. In Australia I had a terrible experience selling items. 

I miss etiquette. People walk around barefoot in shops which is incredibly rude. Do that in a supermarket in the UK and you would be asked to put on shoes and rightly so. I was horrified to find the bathroom had no ventilation, no extractor fan or even a window and to make matters worse there were sockets. So unless you have the door open (so no privacy) the room will fill with condensation so very dangerous.

I miss professionalism we have in the UK. Train drivers blasting out loud music from their cabs is something I never heard on UK trains. Estate agents showing me around a flat that was a complete mess. He blamed the tenant but it should be the responsibility of the estate agent to ensure rentals are tidy before allowing anyone to look around. 

Sometimes you have to live elsewhere to realise just how great it is.  The day we arrived home was a very happy day.  The second happiest day there was when we bought the tickets to leave. We couldn’t wait to get out of that place.

[Lavers]

6 hours ago, rammygirl said:

But less grey and damp!

That’s true haha but I’m not into these 3deg mornings 

[Home and Happy]

On 14/09/2022 at 18:32, bug family said:

I can only describe that the feeling of being back where I belong has been like a weight lifted of my shoulders…like I have been released from a prison

the food….the food …..honestly the choice and the food…..

the places every town, every village, every city is individual and different….

the pubs ….say no more…there are hundreds of them each one different

the beaches…the mountains…the long country drives …the late nights …..the late sunsets

I have met some really lovely people, I forgot how friendly people are, and how they are willing to help you or check in on you.

[Home and Happy]

Could not have put it better….you summed it up so well about feeling free again. Also a great thing about being back in UK is being located right at the centre of everything with so much travel and weekend break options right on your doorstep or just a hop away on a cheap easyJet or Ryanair flight .   We hated being stuck all the way out there. UK has its problems  indeed but it’s still the best place to be. 

[Bulya]

1 hour ago, Home and Happy said:

Could not have put it better….you summed it up so well about feeling free again. Also a great thing about being back in UK is being located right at the centre of everything with so much travel and weekend break options right on your doorstep or just a hop away on a cheap easyJet or Ryanair flight .   We hated being stuck all the way out there. UK has its problems  indeed but it’s still the best place to be. 

For you.  You couldn’t pay me to go back there 

[Home and Happy]

On 13/05/2024 at 08:11, Bulya said:

For you.  You couldn’t pay me to go back there 

Yet you lurk around a forum where people are discussing moving home and you’re knocking people who talk positive about the UK…..Sounds to me like there’s some “seeds of doubt”  there you have that need addressing ? 

[tea4too]

Please don't let this thread disintegrate into bickering. It is full of information and heartfelt stories for anyone, including those happily settled, with an interest in how long it took people to work out that Aus was not for them, and why. That some posters feel the need to add disparaging remarks not really in keeping with the thread title is not unusual - it happens across many parts of the forum and is probably best ignored. T x

 

[Home and Happy]

I am happy for anyone who made it work for them. Once a person knows they want to get back home to the UK, once the seed is already planted, it's just a matter as to when they leave.  After a short while of feeling stuck so far away out there we already decided we wouldn’t stay, only work and then the rapidly rising real estate market and plane loads of new immigrants piling in each week made us work on our exit strategy and stick it out until the conditions were right to move home.

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Home and Happy said:

I am happy for anyone who made it work for them. Once a person knows they want to get back home to the UK, once the seed is already planted, it's just a matter as to when they leave. 

The sad thing is that so many people stay on in Australia for years, focussing on the financial benefits of staying and thinking, "I'll go home when the time is right" or "I'll go home when I retire", only to find they can't afford to make the move in older age -- and then they're trapped in Australia for the rest of their born days. 

For that reason, I encourage anyone who's decided Australia isn't for them, to get on a plane home as soon as they can manage it, even if it does mean losing money. Staying only damages your mental health.   The sooner you get back, the sooner you can start building your life again.

I'm very lucky that I felt at home in Australia from the moment I landed, but then I was never very attached to my home country in the first place.  

 

 

[Ausvisitor]

2 hours ago, Home and Happy said:

I am happy for anyone who made it work for them. Once a person knows they want to get back home to the UK, once the seed is already planted, it's just a matter as to when they leave.  After a short while of feeling stuck so far away out there we already decided we wouldn’t stay, only work and then the rapidly rising real estate market and plane loads of new immigrants piling in each week made us work on our exit strategy and stick it out until the conditions were right to move home.

I do think a UK migrant living in Australia probably shouldn't complain about plane loads of new immigrants - it's a bit pot calling the kettle black.

[Nemesis]

4 hours ago, Home and Happy said:

I am happy for anyone who made it work for them. Once a person knows they want to get back home to the UK, once the seed is already planted, it's just a matter as to when they leave.  After a short while of feeling stuck so far away out there we already decided we wouldn’t stay, only work and then the rapidly rising real estate market and plane loads of new immigrants piling in each week made us work on our exit strategy and stick it out until the conditions were right to move home.

Having been an immigrant myself I can only feel sympathy for the alleged "planeloads" arriving every week. So many of them will find the place doesn't suit them, they are homesick, things don't work out as they planned - just as the same as many people moving to Australia feel.

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

The sad thing is that so many people stay on in Australia for years, focussing on the financial benefits of staying and thinking, "I'll go home when the time is right" or "I'll go home when I retire", only to find they can't afford to make the move in older age -- and then they're trapped in Australia for the rest of their born days. 

For that reason, I encourage anyone who's decided Australia isn't for them, to get on a plane home as soon as they can manage it, even if it does mean losing money. Staying only damages your mental health.   The sooner you get back, the sooner you can start building your life again.

I'm very lucky that I felt at home in Australia from the moment I landed, but then I was never very attached to my home country in the first place.  

 

 

I was one who stayed for the money and the job - but I had a long-term alm, and I also knew that I could never get a job paying that level in the UK. I simply couldn't afford to move back to the area I wanted to live in, or to have a decent lifestyle, if I'd come back sooner. I'm not rolling in it now, but I'm much better off then I would've been if I'd come a few years ago,

[Bulya]

On 15/05/2024 at 18:07, Home and Happy said:

Yet you lurk around a forum where people are discussing moving home and you’re knocking people who talk positive about the UK…..Sounds to me like there’s some “seeds of doubt”  there you have that need addressing ? 

You haven’t been here (PIO) long have you? 

[Ken]

22 hours ago, Nemesis said:

Having been an immigrant myself I can only feel sympathy for the alleged "planeloads" arriving every week. So many of them will find the place doesn't suit them, they are homesick, things don't work out as they planned - just as the same as many people moving to Australia feel.

I was one who stayed for the money and the job - but I had a long-term alm, and I also knew that I could never get a job paying that level in the UK. I simply couldn't afford to move back to the area I wanted to live in, or to have a decent lifestyle, if I'd come back sooner. I'm not rolling in it now, but I'm much better off then I would've been if I'd come a few years ago,

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one to take a pay cut to move to Australia. But I guess that's City of London salaries for you.

[Marisawright]

26 minutes ago, Ken said:

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one to take a pay cut to move to Australia. But I guess that's City of London salaries for you.

Ausvisitor just said that she could be earning thousands more if she went back to the UK.  

AFAIK, corporate jobs are frequently lower-paid in Oz.

[jimmyay1]

I took a pay cut to move to Aus.

…and even now I still get only paid about the same as I did when  I left the uk 12 years ago 

but yes corporate roles don’t pay as well generally here nor as plentiful.

but….at least i work my 37 hours and that’s it, I don’t work well into the evenings, I don’t work weekends, I don’t need to be constantly available whilst on holiday, don’t have toxic bosses  etc etc - all of which was the case at various times when I worked in london.

luckily my financial situation is such that I don’t need to chase max dollars  to maintain a good lifestyle ; no kids, homes owned outright, no mortgages or other debts, good savings and super and have always lived well below my means.  
 

I don’t engage in keep up with the Jones -  I have nothing to prove. 

horses for courses innit! 

[Nemesis]

2 hours ago, jimmyay1 said:

I took a pay cut to move to Aus.

…and even now I still get only paid about the same as I did when  I left the uk 12 years ago 

but yes corporate roles don’t pay as well generally here nor as plentiful.

but….at least i work my 37 hours and that’s it, I don’t work well into the evenings, I don’t work weekends, I don’t need to be constantly available whilst on holiday, don’t have toxic bosses  etc etc - all of which was the case at various times when I worked in london.

luckily my financial situation is such that I don’t need to chase max dollars  to maintain a good lifestyle ; no kids, homes owned outright, no mortgages or other debts, good savings and super and have always lived well below my means.  
 

I don’t engage in keep up with the Jones -  I have nothing to prove. 

horses for courses innit! 

Mine was a very niche government role, but it involved 24/7 12hour shifts, 365 days a year, and those shifts were non-stop, rarely got the chance to take breaks, and in busy times we could work 60-70 hours a week, so we sure worked for the money. Those who had families never lasted long, as it destroyed any work/life balance, but for sad gits like me with no family and few friends it worked perfectly!

[Ausvisitor]

10 hours ago, jimmyay1 said:

I took a pay cut to move to Aus.

…and even now I still get only paid about the same as I did when  I left the uk 12 years ago 

but yes corporate roles don’t pay as well generally here nor as plentiful.

but….at least i work my 37 hours and that’s it, I don’t work well into the evenings, I don’t work weekends, I don’t need to be constantly available whilst on holiday, don’t have toxic bosses  etc etc - all of which was the case at various times when I worked in london.

luckily my financial situation is such that I don’t need to chase max dollars  to maintain a good lifestyle ; no kids, homes owned outright, no mortgages or other debts, good savings and super and have always lived well below my means.  
 

I don’t engage in keep up with the Jones -  I have nothing to prove. 

horses for courses innit! 

Yes I'll almost certainly never catch my peers in the UK in terms of salary (unless I go back).

Still working long hours though, usually at desk by 7:15 am and leave about 6;30pm every weekend, thankfully though no weekend work in AUS (unlike Europe).

Can't comment on the toxic bosses, but maybe the people working for me might have a view

[Blue Manna]

Engineers and tradesmen seem to be much better paid in Australia. My nephew is an engineer. He was looking at doing a working holiday in the UK, and couldn't understand why the salaries were so low.

[OzGraham]

Moved to Oz 20 years ago and, at the behest of my daughter, returned for 6 months about 10 years ago. Can honestly say I didn't feel like a returning Brit, I felt like a visiting Aussie. Was more than happy to leave after the six months and return to Oz. Perhaps I have changed my views on life but I can't imagine ever going back to England again

[tea4too]

1 hour ago, OzGraham said:

Moved to Oz 20 years ago and, at the behest of my daughter, returned for 6 months about 10 years ago. Can honestly say I didn't feel like a returning Brit, I felt like a visiting Aussie. Was more than happy to leave after the six months and return to Oz. Perhaps I have changed my views on life but I can't imagine ever going back to England again

It's that elusive sense of belonging. We can't buy it, force it, or even assume what everyone else needs to achieve it. Tx

[jimmyay1]

I always love to visit the uk, am fortunate that my relatives live in a beautiful area, national park etc  so it’s always gorgeous to enjoy the countryside etc.

i feel like the uk has changed a bit over the last few years but I guess Aus has too.  On my last visit which was very brief (4 days - on our way to Europe to see other relatives lol) it was great to catch up with folk but something felt a bit off compared with previous years. Londoners looked particularly joyless and stressed compared to every day people in Melbourne. 

But I can feel at home in both places. 

Edited May 22 by jimmyay1