Where to go? Canada, Australia or New Zealand?

[Brunocat]

My husband and I have been thinking of moving abroad for a couple of years and can't decide where to go.
He's a G.P. so we could get into any of these countries fairly easily (Thinking about somewhere within 1 hour of a big city / town)
Can anyone sing the praises of where they live at the moment?

[expatinscotland]

canada

[Brunocat]

Which bit of Canada?

[ivykaty44]

Have only visitied and have been to all three for over one month in each. Would live in Canada - the other two are great but for me not to live.

[expatinscotland]

Alberta

[Romy7]

canadaaaaaaaaaaa
albertaaaaaaa
but don't take my place. i was in the queue first.
calgary is booming and you can't get a doctor for love nor money

[Romy7]

and i've got a nice leetle condo y' could rent 45 minutes west... bang smack on the edge of the rockies... are you feeling it yet?

[chloeb2002]

oh come to australia our village was looking for a gp for 5 years and it is stunning and quaint, alot like the yorkshire dales, green lush lots of water... pool... lovely properties, expat british gp owns the practice.... and that the story all over aus!
I think they have finally recruited a gp sods law but he is iranian so not sure how he wil go down with the old locals!

[christie1]

Canada. Try British Columbia (housing prices high but dropping), alberta is booming. The east coast is beautiful, somewhere near halifax is nice. I live in the capital city ottawa and it is great too, very family friendly, housing costs are good here too. Schools are good in canada and the economy is doing fine despite all the problems south of our border (US). Only 7 hours from the UK on a plane from where I live so easy to get home and visit. BC is the warmest part of the country if the cold worries you but can be wet like the UK.

[chisigirl]

brunocat, what type of lifestyle do you want? big city, rural? do you like very hot summers? very cold, snowy winters?

[nailpolish]

dont go to NZ

[Jeepney]

Australia! The best place ever, especially Sydeny!!

[JudgeNutmeg]

Why not, Nailpolish?

[luvaduck]

why nailpolish? i would say GO to NZ - its amazing
i worked as a doc in christchurch for a year and just love it

its a small city with loads of restaurants etc and is in the middle of the stunning south island so very easy to go away for weekend to amazing places eg wine regions, skiing in the alps (nearest resort an hour away), beaches in the north (abel tasman)

we lived near the beach with views of snow capped mountains.

kiwis are V friendly and although sometimes it feels like its stuck in the 50s (fashion wise etc) there is v little crime and all quite idyllic. v outdoor lifestyle.

i'd live there if had the choice

oh and loads of english docs there

go for it

[nailpolish]

i worked as a nurse in NZ and i really didnt like it at all
middlemore hospital in auckland

[ghosty]

It is common knowlege that Nailpolish doesn't like 'downunder', where everyone is rude and shouts a lot. Apparently.
So don't listen to her.
Melbourne is nice Bruno, fab city.
I love NZ - I have a friend who is a british expat GP in Tauranga - he LOVES it ...

[luvaduck]

sydney also bloody beautiful - lived there too

live by the beach, get ferry to work, loads of culture...

oh you are a lucky thing (wonder if i know your husband???)

[ghosty]

Well, that explains a lot Nailpolish.
If Middlemore hospital is your only experience of New Zealand, Nailpolish, and you are basing your opinion on the country on that then

[cariboo]

What fantastic choices! I've never been to Australia or NZ but would love to go... I've heard they're both beautiful, people & lifestyle sounds relaxed & friendly. I'm from Vancouver & am biased but believe B.C. is the best place to be. Apart from the rotten climate (too much rain).

[ghosty]

BTW, DD was treated twice at Middlemore hospital as a baby - once for dehydration after a tummy bug and once was a meningitis scare and I absolutely could NOT fault the care she got ...

[luvaduck]

south island much more friendly than north IMO - and more beautiful
i think if you're going to go to auckland you might as well go to sydney but south island is out of this world

[nailpolish]

excuse me ghosty, that is not my only experience

i only mentioned the fact that i worked in a hospital cos the op's dh was looking for work in healthcare

please do not write lies about me. thanks

[nailpolish]

i never said there was anything wrong with middlemore...

dont put words in my mouth

[ghosty]

I am sorry Nailpolish, I did jump down your throat then ... I didn't mean to but you have been very damning about New Zealand (and Australians) before on another thread with no real background as to why (not lies) and then here you just said, "Don't go to NZ" and then only elaborated by saying you worked as nurse in a hospital and you didn't like it. I get a bit protective about NZ as I love it so much I suppose.

[hannahsaunt]

You need to think about family ties - if you would want to visit home and/or the ability of relatives to visit you. We loved our year in Oz (and would do it again, probably for a bit longer than a year) but would probably think about it being somewhere a bit closer to home e.g. Canada.

[katiek123]

brunocat - i agree with the people who said think carefully about rural vs urban - so important not to feel too isolated unless, of course, that's your thing! i'm a gp married to an anaesthetist and we spent a year in perth, oz then a year in dunedin, nz recently and feel v lucky to have been able to (relatively) easily work in both and check them all out (note - we came back to the uk!! despite having thought we'd stay out down under for good.) that was to do with missing people and the variety of europe rather than any major probs with oz or nz - both great in their different ways and we are outdoorsy so we loved that aspect especially.
i wouldn't personally live in perth long-term, word of caution - SO far from anywhere else. lots of docs we knew there were desperate to stay tho, and many did! it's a gorgeous place visually and for kids generally though. i love sydney and melbourne but remember, lots of the traffic and congestion probs we face here in the uk in those big places (i still love 'em tho!) and sydney bloody expensive to find a house in/live in generally.
NZ is fab but yes a bit old-fashioned in some respects - in many ways a good thing though!! my problem with it was its isolation on the globe though, i do love city breaks and the variety of europe on our doorstep here. but it is a glorious place and i'd check it out if i were you. we were in the south island and the weather in dunedin wasn't great, though v sunny (if cold) winters and it's a stunning spot.
not been to canada sorry, tho would love to! maybe one for the future, for us...i personally couldn't hack some of the places advertised in the BMJ in canada - lots of very remote rural places thousands of miles from anywhere - definitely not for me - on the other hand, now, vancouver, there's a thought!! don't see many GP posts advertised there though - damn! good luck!