Guest Bobby Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 The thing is that petrol is expensive but if you have an ordinary small fuel efficient car and pay 20-35 pounds road tax you gain a huge amount against the ridiculous registration costs here and as you say save because you aren't driving the same distances.With electricity set to go up AGAIN by 25% this year and food etc rising it's not even as if we would be better off financially here, not that I consider that am major consideration in the scheme of things but it does all add up. Depends where you live but if you can ditch the car it is a great liberating feeling, I know some places you need a acar buy you do not need one in London and I expect many major Cities, I can get anywhere in london much faster on a bike or on the tube, cheap coach trips to anywhere from London with Greyhound coaches e.g London to Newcastle £18 return if you book in advance. would cost you£ 100 in petrol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 A friend of ours from Brisbane lived in London for 12 months and he only ever had a bike, he loved it and especially liked the drivers. He reckons he would have been dead within weeks in Brisbane if he tried the same things with our drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 A friend of ours from Brisbane lived in London for 12 months and he only ever had a bike, he loved it and especially liked the drivers. He reckons he would have been dead within weeks in Brisbane if he tried the same things with our drivers. Funny you say that :: BBC News - Cyclist wears a helmet camera to film abusive drivers (on the news this morning) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I don't think he ever claimed they were perfect but compared to what he was used to in Brisbane they were angels in his eyes. Funny you say that :: BBC News - Cyclist wears a helmet camera to film abusive drivers (on the news this morning) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cricketbackinengland Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 It is without doubt far better for jobs prospects in general in Australia than the uk at present things couldn't be worse here at present, it isn't something to argue about, not that anyone is arguing. The job situation is very dire here in the uk at present with companies down sizing, where as in Australia there is no evidence of this. One or two peoples experiences in either country doesn't lead anyone to believe any different from the simple truth above. Yes you can get work in the uk and nothing should stop anyone from coming back, your experiences about Australia are simply that, your experiences and alot on here think Australia is the best country in the world to live in, when actually it is the 2nd best and the uk is in 25th place as the best country to live in, in the world, which still isn't bad, but it is quite a long way behind Australia on affordability and quality standard of living, so the experts say. Just out of polite interest, have you lived in Australia or is it something you are hoping to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cricketbackinengland Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Well my wife and I have started to make the plan of moving back to the UK, although I'm not waiting 4 years as one of the posters suggested :-). it has been a very difficult decision to make as my wife (who is Australian) doesn't really want to go back, but in her own words ' I wont be as unhappy in England as you are here in Sydney' I realise I am very lucky in that she will return with me. There are a few reasons to go back (apart from me not liking living here at all!) one is financial, it's so bloody expensive here. We both have well paid jobs but we also have a hefty mortgage. We had the house valued at the weekend and luckily they have valued it at $200,000 over what we paid for it a year and a half a go, now obviously thats not the same as selling it for that price, but if we got $150,000 more than what we paid we are still in a very healthy position financially wise to go back home, we would be able to buy a nice family home in a nice area for cash - no mortgage. Family is also another reason for the move, we want to start a family and I would like us to do that with family around us (my wifes sister is here but other than that her family all live in perth!) Also with us hopefully not having a mortgage my wife wouldnt have to work or just have to work part time if we were lucky enough to have children. No I am aware of the dangers i.e finding work etc but I suppose the bottom line is, Australia just isn't and never will be my home. Good luck, it is hard for someone to leave their culture and homeland behind but with the right attitude, I'm sure you'll both succeed. I wish you both well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cricketbackinengland Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 The thing is that petrol is expensive but if you have an ordinary small fuel efficient car and pay 20-35 pounds road tax you gain a huge amount against the ridiculous registration costs here and as you say save because you aren't driving the same distances.With electricity set to go up AGAIN by 25% this year and food etc rising it's not even as if we would be better off financially here, not that I consider that am major consideration in the scheme of things but it does all add up. Have to agree completely. Road tax is much cheaper plus a small car is cheaper again. I have a sporty Peugot 207 diesel and it goes forever before I have to fill up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 If you read the original post, no matter what the cost, boom or bust and everything else the posters say they are very happy, and have no regrets. thats what its all about. australia wasnt for them, tried it, not what they wanted, back to uk and lovin it. I understand those who dream of oz yet not lived there yet only had hols and visits, but really, best not to put the uk down til you have actually lived the dream for a while. me?, I would love to be able to live in the uk 6mths and aus 6mths, both countries have been kind to me and people been great in either. but then again i have lived in both countries so have some experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cricketbackinengland Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 If you read the original post, no matter what the cost, boom or bust and everything elsethe posters say they are very happy, and have no regrets. thats what its all about. australia wasnt for them, tried it, not what they wanted, back to uk and lovin it. I understand those who dream of oz yet not lived there yet only had hols and visits, but really, best not to put the uk down til you have actually lived the dream for a while. me?, I would love to be able to live in the uk 6mths and aus 6mths, both countries have been kind to me and people been great in either. but then again i have lived in both countries so have some experience. People tell me all the time I must be mad to have come back to England. I always ask them the same question, 'have they ever left the UK and lived elsewhere'? The answer is always no. I didn't leave the UK because I thought there was something wrong with it. There are pretty much the same problems in modern society anywhere. I left because I was married to an Australian man who wanted to return home. I've never experienced a bad side to living in England but I can understand why some people might think otherwise if they live in one of the big cities and read our newspapers. And I can be honest and say that sometimes the Brits seem to have a negative perspective. But their sense of humour is legendary. I missed this more than anything. In my observation, men particularly love Australia and it's easy to see why. It is much more a man's country with it's lifestyle emphasis on sport, fishing, beer and the outdoors. Women, especially English women, often find it harder to settle there for many reasons, notably it's often harder to make friends or create the same social life they had back home. I found that most of the English women made friends with other English women. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly why this is but I think it mostly all comes down to not being able to relate with others on things that were familiar back home. A move to any country can't be just about jobs and a better life. The emotional turmoil of making the adjustment and mentally adapting to new, unfamiliar surroundings and way of life, really can take a long time and it can be difficult. In this sense, it's never about Australia being better than the UK or vice versa, it's about how everyone deals with the change. It's easy to be negative and spell out the list of what's wrong with the UK but it's not until you've left it that you can often look back and realise what the main advantages were and still are. You've got to always try and keep a balanced and realistic mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 When Mark went back to UK last year he commented how cheap everything was. Food and especially alcohol was rock bottom prices!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 cricketbackinengland-I like your way of thinking and have enjoyed reading your posts,because what you say makes sense to so many of us who have made the journey and realised it was not for us.Personally I couldn't care less how expensive home is or how bad things are at the moment,with forward planning and the right attitude I know it will turn out well,we will certainly not go hungry.There are far more important considerations that make us want to make this next journey,considerations that those who have yet to move will never understand until they have actually felt what migration really involves.The financial side is of great importance of course, but the emotional side is the one that will make or break you,as an individual and as a family.This is the part that no amount of research will ever prepare you for.I admire your level headed planning and wish you all the best in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 FF you are so right! At the end of the day how much something costs is irrelevent. If you are happy, who gives a XXXX about teh rest!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cricketbackinengland Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 cricketbackinengland-I like your way of thinking and have enjoyed reading your posts,because what you say makes sense to so many of us who have made the journey and realised it was not for us.Personally I couldn't care less how expensive home is or how bad things are at the moment,with forward planning and the right attitude I know it will turn out well,we will certainly not go hungry.There are far more important considerations that make us want to make this next journey,considerations that those who have yet to move will never understand until they have actually felt what migration really involves.The financial side is of great importance of course, but the emotional side is the one that will make or break you,as an individual and as a family.This is the part that no amount of research will ever prepare you for.I admire your level headed planning and wish you all the best in the future. You are right. The emotional and mental impact of moving countries is something that no one can prepare for because until you've made the move, you've no idea how you're going to feel until you start living that life. I remember feeling totally bereft and a huge sense of loss when I left England but then to be fair, I wasn't doing it for me. My instincts were screaming at me that I wasn't going to be happy but I was married and doing the loyal wife routine. Of course, I had no idea at the time that my Aussie husband had his own secret agenda and would soon leave once we got there. Long story. I am happily remarried now. But, that aside, I think it's fair to say that going on holiday and giving everything up to live there are two very different experiences. A holiday is a temporary time out period, living there is real life. You can't possibly know how you will like or enjoy, or indeed hate any of it until you're living it. One thing I will say is that it does test your relationships so if things are already unstable and you think Australia looks like a cure, try it by all means but leave everything in place to return just in case. I didn't do this, not realising what my now ex husbands intentions were and coming from a generation where we stood by our men, I gave up everything and went with him. That's why it took me 4 years to get back. I'd closed a lot of doors but kept my UK bank account fortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arlene Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I too could live 6 months in the uk and 6 months in Oz, but with 4 school age children it would never happen. I feel such a sense of relief being back in the uk mostly because we are near family again but at the same time miss Australia like mad! There are definitely pros and cons to both places and constantly putting one place down or going on about the amount of sunshine in oz compared to the dodgy climate in the uk is just a waste of time, there is so much more emotional involvement whether you are going to be happy in either country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bobby Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I too could live 6 months in the uk and 6 months in Oz, but with 4 school age children it would never happen. I feel such a sense of relief being back in the uk mostly because we are near family again but at the same time miss Australia like mad! There are definitely pros and cons to both places and constantly putting one place down or going on about the amount of sunshine in oz compared to the dodgy climate in the uk is just a waste of time, there is so much more emotional involvement whether you are going to be happy in either country. Spot on and I agree all these lists and comparing everything from crime to food to the cost of lemons can be variable for different families, if you can earn a good wage over in Oz you will be OK.:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIDNINN Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Glad to hear that..we are returning to the Uk after 6 yrs here on sunshine coast...can you tell us what electrical goods eg TV.Dvd.video...will any of these work over in the uk... as we are hearing different stories about what electrical goods will work in UK.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Glad to hear that..we are returning to the Uk after 6 yrs here on sunshine coast...can you tell us what electrical goods eg TV.Dvd.video...will any of these work over in the uk... as we are hearing different stories about what electrical goods will work in UK.... prices of these are cheap to buy new in the uk, probably not worth the cost of shipping these over from oz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bobby Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Glad to hear that..we are returning to the Uk after 6 yrs here on sunshine coast...can you tell us what electrical goods eg TV.Dvd.video...will any of these work over in the uk... as we are hearing different stories about what electrical goods will work in UK.... If you have an old TV dvd etc and they are costing you a lot to ship back it would be better to sell them and buy new back here, the internet is fantastic for bargains and you can compare prices and go for the best deal, I got a 42" brand new panosonic for £299 which was £599 :cute: this is a great site to look for batrgains. HotUKDeals - Deals, Discounts & Voucher Codes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cricketbackinengland Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Glad to hear that..we are returning to the Uk after 6 yrs here on sunshine coast...can you tell us what electrical goods eg TV.Dvd.video...will any of these work over in the uk... as we are hearing different stories about what electrical goods will work in UK.... Good luck with the move, I'm sure you must be a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Not sure about appliances and devices. My husband is an electrician and knows more but in any case, we did not bring back much, we gave it all away. We did bring back a DVD player but it only plays our Oz DVD's. Personally, if you can afford it, I'd probably start off with new stuff here. Means you get the warranty if something goes wrong. Sorry if this sounds a bit vague but I can't tell you much more because I don't really know. Hope all goes well for the move back to the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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