Guest kellyin canberra Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 most of the people on this site seem to have not yet got to Australia,please correct me if Im wrong. I have been hear for 5 years now and have been through all the wonder and excitment of such a massive move to a beautiful sunny country. It is good here, dont get me wrong but it isnt perfect becasue it's sunny. So I shall (as always) play devils advocate Look at this as a list of things to look out for once you get here, you may be able to find alternatives or avoid certain things. 1)when you get here, do not buy a top loading washing machine, dont be tempted by the low price becasue they are rubbish. Front loaders are becoming cheaper now. The best washing powder, (none are that good!) is BioZet, with the softner added. It smells abit nice, but it's not percil :-( 2)The telly is appalling!! their is no way of getting around it. and foxtel (sky) is also terrible. Repeats from 5 years ago and eastenders is still 18 months behind, when I got here in 2001 Ian Beale was still at school! Adverts in abundance. I know what you're going say, "It's oz, we wont watch tv"...you will! 3) It's like walking back in time when entering an aussie supermarket. If you cant cook, you will have to learn a bit sharp because Waitrose yummy meals that you just heat up are a thing of the past!! that sort of thing is frozen and basically crap! you wouldnt feed it to the dog. All there is, is Woolworths and Coles, no elite stores like M&S,Sainsbury..nothing. When you go home to visit your family they will stare at you while you marvel at the beautiful foods on show. Oh I just thought,we have aldi......! 4)Tradesmen arnt arsed! 5)spiders, a very real concern. Theres the big mothers that wont kill you, just scare the shit out of you! And there the ones that hide, ie the redback..watch out,they like water,taps,metal stuff outside.They will put you in hospital. Huntsman (the big ones) get in the car!!if windows are left open..mozzies and flies another annoyance. 6)Driving out here is very dodgy.Young kids are able to get their hands on 5 litre cars like skylines and supres..People are very inconciderate and drive way too close to each other.watch out for Ute driver, their usually idiots 7)Music..Australia is so far removed from the rest of the world and music is no exception.The pop idol thing is here too and good bands are very few and far between.if any..the uk really does rock! 8)real estate agents...bastards and will continually get things wrong with you payments etc..keep a good record of your accounts with all these types of organisations. Rent is getting ridiculusly expensive. 9)Comedy,no one does comedy like the brits and Australia, bless them,they try but in the end Amazon.com, for DVD's is your best friend because as I said the telly is crap. 10) havent got kids yet but have heard alot about the education system here being about sport rather than academics.. 11)family and friends..they get older..very visibly every time you see them..then you have to say goodbye again! I know you all think I am negitive but I am here and I really do miss england for the above things,once the months begin to go by, you will too. Quality of life as far as weather and space will be great but its not england and never will be home for me. I was never patriotic before I left england..I couldnt wait to get away..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham and trudy Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Hi, just read your post and it has got my brain ticking. Especially as I'm not in Oz yet. Have you ever thought about coming back to England? and, if you had the chance, knowing what you know now, would you do it all again, or stay here. Thanks Trudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scarletfever Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 LOL, I watched that Chelle, I was expecting to see a convertable PINK beetle with you giving the finger out of the window!!!:biglaugh: :biglaugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minlady Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Hi All I think what we must try and remember... Australia is not England...and never will be... it is a different country with different culture and people and if we all go thinking that it is a better England then we will be disapointed. Australia will be new and exciting... we will have to 'fit in' not Australia fit in with us... Your lives will change...they have to... so don't expect to be able to watch up to date TV..., or eat your usual food...it isn't going to happen... As long as we go with an open mind and are felable to new surroundings and people, culture, and stop being materialistic about.. 'this is not what it is like in the UK' then i think everyone will have a very good chance. It will take a good few years.... i am counting on at least 5 to settle in properly... think about it, it takes that long when you move to a new town in the uk... getting to know the best places to visit, eat, schools, true friends etc... I think as long as we think like that and not compare all the time... it will be fine.... Look forwards to a better future:yes: min x:wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuju Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Hi Kelly, your post is spot on well done top of the class for you, Australia is definetly in a coma compared to the uk, and most of the aussies are either alcholics or sports freaks. I know that you arent trying to put peeps off but just stating the truth and yep they will find out for themselves, i have only been in oz 9 months and how do i miss being able to bung more than just grocerys into my supermarket trolley like beer and other items that tescos for example sell that the supermarkets here dont. The flowers are crap and lucky if they last 2 days. Mobile phones are crap too no roll over minutes no cross net work or free voice mail and no swipe cards which is automatic for the pay as you go type still have to punch it all in to the phone here in oz. There is so much more you could of added to the list but perhaps peeps should wait and find out for themselves. And yep for how oz is behind i think nost peeps will miss the uk for alot of other reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wardy Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 I am glad to say that nothing you have really said has put me off thank goodness. I sound like a may be a bit older than you (please say no) but I grew up only having 4 channels on the TV it wasnt until the 80's that we got 5 so that doesn't bother me. I like CSi, which while I was out there was on TV sad as I am i can watch neighbours and my kids can watch all the sport they like. Where we stayed in Brisbane (where we intend to live) there was a fantastic supermarket which sold similar things to what I can get here including a fantastic deli and bread section, much of it far better than here and cakes to die for. We could pop in a get a cooked chicken and have tea on the table in half an hour. My mum had a twin tub washing machine cant get any worse than that the only things that get really dirty in my house is football kits in the winter hopefully wont get the same kind of conditions to make stuff that dirty. :jiggy: The only thing that slightly worries me is spiders but I never kill them here so i am hoping the spider community here puts in a good word for me with their Australian cousins. :twitcy: Tradesman...... who needs them I have a man who can (air con, plumber, electrician he can do the lot) Music...... my kids listen to music on the internet and download no problem there. Family well not so lucky there they are all scattered so no real close connection. All in all cant wait to get to Australia I know it will be hard I will swap one bill for another and I definately dont have my rose tinted spectacles on Oz will be different and I cant wait to get there :jiggy: Kaye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hays Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 hi kelly Thankyou or taking the time to write your post. It is always good to have the good and bad points. I have to say though that noting you have written will change my mind. I hardly watch TV here, i'm always reading or gardening, playing games with the kids or on the net/phone. I also grew up with only 4 channels so maybe i'm (like Kaye) am showing my age! My white goods are coming over with me, so no worries with the top loader! I down load my music and listen to the radio over the net, i am not in the least bit bothered about live gigs so i certainly wont miss them! And as for family i have only lived within half an hour of my family for 5 yrs now as i have spent my whole adult life 6 hours away.....not 24 i know, but i saw them once a year as it was and i didnt miss them at all. I never buy frozen meals, always cook fresh, bit of a pain when i was working full time (part time for the first time in 13 yrs this month........wow! its great!!) but i really enjoy it and so do the kids. spiders are my only concern.............am worried about that i must admit. but not enough to stop me making a go of it over in Oz. Again Kelly, i want to thank you for taking the time to write and i wish you best wishes! But i still cant wait to go! hays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Chelle, they did a similar thing with preston police too - I was sure I'd see some of my clients on the tele!! Wardy, I remember having 3 channels and being disappointed when CH 4 ended up being so crap. My hubby worked for Telewest in UK and we got a full package, movies etc, we hardly ever watched it in the UK and it isn't much different here, the kids have found programmes they like but it is rubbish. My hubby loves the fact that shops don't stay open late (except for Thursday here in Perth) and I don't disappear for 2 hours to Asda for a loaf of bread and come back with the entire new season of childrens clothes!! The bottle shop is next to the supermarket - I now buy boxes instead of bottles of wine (unless I have guests coming)!! It isn't England - It's Australia I just think that if I went to live in Spain I would have to adapt to different shops and products etc. It is good to know what to expect though before you arrive Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wardy Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 , but hey Radio one isnt as good as it was when Steve Wright was on it (oh the good old days) I remember those good old days but I used to tune in for OOOh gary Davis OOH gary Davis on your radio yeah..... Please say you remember I would hate to think I was an old fogey with a memory problem :redface: Kaye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kelly Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 me too not put off, it is very good to hear peoples opinions though, nothing in the list is very important to me , the only im going to really miss are parents and little sis, kids only watch sports, hubby watches anything as long as he can pretend to be watching while falling asleep and i dont really watch telly, kids have their i pods so down load all their music, hubby is carpenter so wont really need a trades man as he can most things himself, i will miss m&s and shopping but my sis can send me stuff over, food wise i will just fit in with what they have on offer, i dont particually like cooking i must admit so hubby will just have to have bbq every night, but at the end of the day we are going for our kids future life, to give them a better start in life then when they are adults they make their own decisions as to where they want to be, a friend of mines son was threatended with a knife at school yeaterday!!!!! he is only 11 and it was because he was trying to help a girl who was being beaten up by a croud, this was in school and our local secondry school which my son should be going next september, the school is so bad that it has a resident police officer following some hoodies above school age getting through the security doors and running through the school with machettes. this just hightens my desire to get my kids out of here NOW!!!!!. thank you for you comments though kelly they are always helpful to get a bit of knowledge of what we are going to kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wardy Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 OH Ali I have made a mistake..... now I know I am old It was 3 channels and it was channel 4 that started in the 80's the first programme on was countdown. Its not just my BMI I have to worry about its the altz.....(cant spell that) memory loss oh my :wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Steve Wright in the afternoon with the pose - and when we used to go away for the weekend we'd listen to DLT doing his darts quiz with teams from different pubs!! The radio here really makes me chuckle and is really entertaining - they just say what they like, bit embarrasing when adverts for viagra "do you have erection problems" come on mid morning when the kids are in the car 12 year old starts gigling and the 7 year old wants to know why she's laughing and mum is humming loudly Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bshootz Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Hi everyone, just been reading all your posts, the radio shows with Gary Davies, simon bates, and steve writght in the afternoon, how fantastic was that , i used to rush home from school to record him and his pose, especially Billy and Dave, AND i still have those tapes, gonna have to dig um out and listen to them oh yes the good ole days of radio one, cant say i listen to it now, to much jibber jabber, i like Jo Whiley if im in the car for all the new music and live lounge bits, but that is all,. As for the move to Aus, i think we all agree that we are going for a better life for us and our kids and we know there will be bad bits, idiots where ever you go, we all have our eyes wide open. i would rather say that i have followed my dream, than only dreamed about my dream. When we finally get to Aus. i will be the main wage earner and my hubby will be the house hubby,i love my job and he hates his so im looking forward to working more, crazy to some , i know, and the kids love to be outside all the time and both are very sporty, we all love the outside life and get sooo frustrated when we cant get outside. The only thing that i will miss ...family and friends, but the world is such a small place now, with the internet and web cams,etc,telly we dont really watch, we love home made cooking.And i think we all change when we get behind the wheel:wacko: Gonna find those tapes now:rofl: Beckyx:jiggy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kelly Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 must say i dont remember 3 channels, but was born mid 70s so we must have had only 3, never listened to radio 1 it was capital for me, untill kiss fm was born, still listen to it now but have to say i think age is ctching up with me as its all noise somedays and i do put my new kids cd on when in the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wardy Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 i would rather say that i have followed my dream, than only dreamed about my dream. Nice quote Becky that sums it up for us perfectly if the dream turns into a nightmare then I'm hitting the snow in Canada. Never to old to change your life :jiggy: Kaye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kelly Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 too right kaye, life is what you make it, if your not happy why sit there for 30 years moaning about it, just get up and do something about it, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachel&Stu Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Hi all:cute: Kaye - lol we also considered Canada, and may yet reconsider in the future!! Seriously, how lucky we are to have this huge planet to explore! I think the vast majority of people on here are going to give Australia their best shot, but I know I speak for others when I say that if it doesn't work out, then it's not the end of the world!! Statistics already show us that a good proportion of migrants return to their home country. I don't think that's a failure...more like another chapter in their book! Oh dear getting way too deep now. By the way, I really, really, really miss Simon Bates' Our Tune......:cry: Cheers peeps, Rachel :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachel&Stu Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Oh for sure I remember Garry Davies, wasnt they all great!!!...ahemm dont know if any others of you were sad enough to actually record songs on to tape and then play and pause them till you had written out the enitre song so you knew the words??? I DID!!!! LMFAO!!! I did too...... Rachel:redface: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EM&M Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 I agree with Jo, Aus is a little back in time but for me thats great. The UK is where USA was 10 years ago (in my opinion) so if Oz is even 10 years behind then at least my girls will have a chance of a more relaxed carefree childhood and I'm all for that! Em x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nj Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Oh.... I must be REALLY old cos I remember when there was about 2.7 channels, BBC1, half of BBC2 (cos it had that stupid clown and girl playing noughts and crosses all morning) and an ITV was was on strike for ever and didnt broadcast a damn thing. Shuffling off with my zimmer frame now to moan in another thread about how I used to get the bus into town for only 5p when I were lad and it were all fields back then and you could leave your door wide open and no-one would burgle you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachel&Stu Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 but I did have a rolf harris stylofone in WHITE!!!! LMFAO even more!!! Have now got tears in my eyes with laughter:laugh: . I love this site. Rachel:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nj Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Our first phone number was only 4 digits long.... thats how old I am.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scarletfever Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 but I did have a rolf harris stylofone in WHITE!!!! does that count as an early lover of all things Australian?? Maybe, but it does prove you were posh.:laugh: I never got onto the stylofone......................had to make do with comb and paper. I can still play 'Stairway to Heaven' on it!:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bshootz Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Me to, me to,i did that..................omg,have got a nice warm fuzzy feelin in me tum, have found those tapes and still laugh at steve wright and his pose, with all those sketchs. My friends even made up dance routines in our bedrooms, and then 'performed' them at the local disco!!!:biglaugh: , we thought we were cool. Ah when we were young................................................................:wideeyed: :wub: Beckyx:spinny: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kdal Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 most of the people on this site seem to have not yet got to Australia,please correct me if Im wrong. I have been hear for 5 years now and have been through all the wonder and excitment of such a massive move to a beautiful sunny country. It is good here, dont get me wrong but it isnt perfect becasue it's sunny.So I shall (as always) play devils advocate Look at this as a list of things to look out for once you get here, you may be able to find alternatives or avoid certain things. 1)when you get here, do not buy a top loading washing machine, dont be tempted by the low price becasue they are rubbish. Front loaders are becoming cheaper now. The best washing powder, (none are that good!) is BioZet, with the softner added. It smells abit nice, but it's not percil :-( 2)The telly is appalling!! their is no way of getting around it. and foxtel (sky) is also terrible. Repeats from 5 years ago and eastenders is still 18 months behind, when I got here in 2001 Ian Beale was still at school! Adverts in abundance. I know what you're going say, "It's oz, we wont watch tv"...you will! 3) It's like walking back in time when entering an aussie supermarket. If you cant cook, you will have to learn a bit sharp because Waitrose yummy meals that you just heat up are a thing of the past!! that sort of thing is frozen and basically crap! you wouldnt feed it to the dog. All there is, is Woolworths and Coles, no elite stores like M&S,Sainsbury..nothing. When you go home to visit your family they will stare at you while you marvel at the beautiful foods on show. Oh I just thought,we have aldi......! 4)Tradesmen arnt arsed! 5)spiders, a very real concern. Theres the big mothers that wont kill you, just scare the shit out of you! And there the ones that hide, ie the redback..watch out,they like water,taps,metal stuff outside.They will put you in hospital. Huntsman (the big ones) get in the car!!if windows are left open..mozzies and flies another annoyance. 6)Driving out here is very dodgy.Young kids are able to get their hands on 5 litre cars like skylines and supres..People are very inconciderate and drive way too close to each other.watch out for Ute driver, their usually idiots 7)Music..Australia is so far removed from the rest of the world and music is no exception.The pop idol thing is here too and good bands are very few and far between.if any..the uk really does rock! 8)real estate agents...bastards and will continually get things wrong with you payments etc..keep a good record of your accounts with all these types of organisations. Rent is getting ridiculusly expensive. 9)Comedy,no one does comedy like the brits and Australia, bless them,they try but in the end Amazon.com, for DVD's is your best friend because as I said the telly is crap. 10) havent got kids yet but have heard alot about the education system here being about sport rather than academics.. 11)family and friends..they get older..very visibly every time you see them..then you have to say goodbye again! I know you all think I am negitive but I am here and I really do miss england for the above things,once the months begin to go by, you will too. Quality of life as far as weather and space will be great but its not england and never will be home for me. I was never patriotic before I left england..I couldnt wait to get away..! .......... Hi Kellyin Canberra Think it goes back to the same old thing, lots of the people on here are making the move to give the children a better way of life. God job the telly is rubbish as I don't watch it my eldest son doesn't watch it and my youngest son is a computer wizz kid but need him to get outside and when we visited Oz he loved it and was out all the time swimming etc.. Australia will do him the World of good!! Apart from the sunshine can you tell us what you love about Australia as well, you know a sort of pro's and con's thread would be good? Thanks regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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