To think the people on Wanted Down Under have unrealistic expectations?

[CatherineOfAragonsPrayerBook]

Just watching this morning, as have a late shift. It's a 'revisted' episode so idea when it first aired. Mum has a small budget of £150,000 but wants a 'dream home' in Australia. First apartment too small, as is the second. You only have a budget of £150,000!! Eventually last house hits all the right notes, but is £60,000 overbudget. So she'll just work harder.

Planning to do Social Work, so goes to an experience day. The SW's are dealing with the case of an indigenous Aboriginal family. They work with a lot of indigenous families and their customs. Does she know anything about the Aboriginal people? No. Not done any research So what view of Australia does she have?

Everytime I watch this program the participants seem to have massive unrealistic expectations. AIBU to think they should at least know something about the Aboriginal people if they plan to move there?

[drizzleinbrizzle]

I think they are mostly looking for an easy way to get the perfect lifestyle. They always seem amazed when they can't really afford a massive improvement on their UK life.

[margotsdevil]

I suspect the ones who have done their homework wouldn't make such good TV sadly...

[Biker47]

Always seems to be, if they lived in down there, they'd have more time to spend with their kids, when they'll probably be working the same hours they do in the UK. Seem to think regular trips to the beach or other places are limited to down under and not a possibility over here.

[CatherineOfAragonsPrayerBook]

I suspect the ones who have done their homework wouldn't make such good TV sadly.

Are they intentionally selecting them for ignorance then? It's just a teeny bit unethical that Australia is always presented as a sort of mono-culture. It's the same when they decide tgey want to move to New Zealand. Why do you think it's ok to know nothing about the Maori?

Then as pp said, they seem to think they'll work less. I don't get why they think that?

[echt]

I suspect the ones who have done their homework wouldn't make such good TV sadly

A friend of a friend (FOAF) put in for Grand Designs and was turned as they had no potential fuck-ups, i.e. it was properly planned, and costed, all contingencies covered.

They're looking for conflict which makes good TV.

[x2boys]

I suspect a lot of them have no intention of actually moving to Australia, non of the ones I have watched ever seen to make the decision to move but using the programme to get a trip there ,same with that programme where they go and look.at holiday apartments, somewhere hot, ( the name of the programme escapes me ) with a view to buying one I don't think I have ever seen one , where there is a successful sale.

[SuperPixie247]

It always makes me sad when they reveal they are moving away from their DC's father to start a new life in Australia with their new stepfather and siblings.

[cardamoncoffee]

I love the ones where one of them is hell bent on moving, it has always been their dream even though they've never been there and they have no idea how much property costs. They get really mardy when they find out that their dream home is way over their budget and proclaim that their house in UK is better. But they'll be able to go to the beach everyday so it'll all work out There was a woman once who's husband didn't want to leave his elderly parents (only child) and the woman was going to leave him if he didn't move. She had never been to Aus before!
I blame Neighbours...massive pool houses owned by people working part time in coffee shops has obviously ruined it.

[echt]

Are they intentionally selecting them for ignorance then? It's just a teeny bit unethical that Australia is always presented as a sort of mono-culture

Pretty much. It's as if so many people in Australia look "white" that they are not also something else as well, e.g.. Italian, Greek, Croatian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Russian. Also the idea that Asian/Black/Indian sub-continent/Chinese Australians don't represent as Australian, no matter what their inner sense of them selves is; their owning of both.

And that's before we get to the whole world of the indigenous Australian people, more complex by its history.

[HicDraconis]

To be fair, we moved to NZ knowing nothing about Maori, and I do work far fewer hours here (for a better salary) than I did in the UK.

However I knew I could work here (and that it would be a better work life balance), I knew I would come back at least once a year to see family, and I knew I wanted my boys to grow up here. Worked for us, they’d have hated us on WDU.

[Lifeover]

The family today were blatantly after a free holiday in Australia (they even stayed on for an extra week).

I always love the whole - it was great to spend time together outside, yes that’s because you’re off work - you also have weekends and outdoors in the UK.

[RoseHarper]

I never understand the work/life balance and costs thing when they are leaving family who do 100% of their childcare? Who is going to pay for full time childcare and if you move to the other side of the world - no babysitters etc?

[sar302]

The programme has been going on for years now, and back when it started, you still probably got about 3 dollars to the pound. That meant that you really could go over, triple your money, buy a nice flat / house and (for many people) live a better lifestyle. my sister did it in 2008 and has never looked back. But that's now over a decade ago! The pound is not worth as much, the housing market in Oz has boomed (as it has everywhere) And people are still expecting the same thing. Times have changed 🤷‍♀️

[cardamoncoffee]

Yes Lifeover, when they are doing a very normal activity like kicking a ball around a park or a zoo trip and lamenting that 'they'd neeeever be able to do this in the Uk' because they've forgotten that they are on holiday in Australia and are off work. I remember on a similar thread a Brit who had moved to Oz said her family were shocked that she wore business smart clothing to work. They thought everyone wore beach wear and flip flops so they could head down to the beach after work

[Disfordarkchocolate]

I always find it funny. I'm selling a perfectly normal terraced house in Doncaster and I want a 4 bedroom detached house with a pool in Brisbane.

[BloomsButtons]

It's a facing ting programme for sure. There's a few that stick in my mind:

The one where the couple lived as tree huggers in the highlands. She wanted to be an aromatherapist and he fixed computers but had no qualifications. They were amazed when they realised they'd be unable to make the move.

The one where the wife was Australian and had been clear from the day they met that she wanted to go home eventually. He went along with it but when it came to the crunch refused to go. She went alone while he promised to follow...and then didn't.

The family who went in the show, made the move and after a couple of years moved back. The revisited met them planning to move back to Aus again.

Some families are quite clued up but the majority have one partner who just doesn't want to go for whatever reason.

[MonkeyTrap]

I watched that one this morning. Clearly completely unviable for her. She would never have gotten a visa.

[BloomsButtons]

*fascinating

[x2boys]

An ex colleague of mine moved to Australia about 8 or 9 years ago tbh it does look like they have an amazing life , she's a mental health nurse ,so had no trouble getting a job, her dh sold a small business ,from the UK and they had a large detached house in the UK that they sold so they ,were not without funds .

[kateandme]

i think especially in nz as knowing about the Maori is bloody vital.especailly in healthcare sector.alot of that is always trying to be inclusive and becoming in partnership with the maori and they are trying to do lots(mostly) on bringing everyone together and not acting like some countries coming in and taking all they hold sacred until they took/stole/etc from them.plus in hospital their traditions and culture matters so much.

[edgeofheaven]

Find it hilarious that they all think their Aussie house must have a pool! Even when they’re hairdressers or carpenters or some similar job not extremely high earners. We have friends living in Sydney, they are professionals and their kids swim at the community pool like everyone else does!

Agree it’s due completely to television and hangover from days when the pound was stronger.

[Yogurtcoveredricecake]

I saw a bit of one the other week where they went to the beach for the lifestyle section. The two pre-teen children rightly pointed out they could do this in the UK but the parents never bothered.

[DexyMidnight]

This show sounds so fun, I was aware of it but never watched. I now live in Aus so this has piqued my interest!

Yes, what about visas?! Do they address this on the show at all? Even just to say ‘as a dental nurse, Jackie is likely to obtain a visa’ or is it just not mentioned?

[MonkeyTrap]

I saw a bit of one the other week where they went to the beach for the lifestyle section. The two pre-teen children rightly pointed out they could do this in the UK but the parents never bothered.

Haha

[CathyorClaire]

Love this programme. It's my guilty pleasure to gawp at the pouting when they realise their dream ten acre property with olympic sized swimming pool isn't going for £50K and that the cost of living is going to be several hundred pounds a month beyond their budget. None of them seem to do even basic research.