Wanted Down Under

[jollyjester]

I'm stuck on the sofa under a sick child so binge watching Wanted Down Under.

Current couple have a budget of £950k for a house. His salary was going to stay about the same as was hers.

How do they know how much they can spend on a house when they don't have jobs in Australia, still have a house in the UK etc.

Am I just naive as to how much people have in savings etc?

The last couple had a budget of £350k and uk salaries of £30k ish each and their own house was valued at £50k less than they thought.

[Linnet]

I tape this and watch it in the evening so I can skip through the sad face videos.

I’m always amazed by the food shopping. They sit there and say bacon/pork chops/chicken thighs are so expensive. I don’t understand this, don’t they have pigs and chickens in Australia? or are they having to import them from other countries which is why they’re so expensive? I know they aren’t really importing them but I don’t understand, can anyone enlighten me?

Usually at the end of the current series you get a catch up of people from the last series to see where they are now.

[nancy75]

Linnet the wages in Aus are higher, so to them the food isn’t expensive compared to wage. our exchange rate at the moment is rubbish so when you convert prices to pounds & then compare to uk things do cost more

[Linnet]

Oh I see I wasn’t paying attention the fact that they convert it to pounds rather than show them the Australian food in dollars sorry.

[nancy75]

Yeah, you see them saying things like bacon is £3 at home & its £5 in Aus - they expect the higher wages but for all goods to be the price they are at home

[Contraceptionismyfriend]

I love this show! But in a sick way of being really pissed off by the bitchy people on there.

Got really annoyed at the mother the other day.
She's wanted to move to Aus her whole life (but decided to settle down, marry and have two kids white a Brit) and was now getting desperate as her husband was almost 50. Which would mean dream over.

He clearly didn't want to go, the kids really didn't want to go. But she wouldn't STFU about how this would basically ruin her life.

Urgh I really want to see their update.

[MidniteScribbler]

I love watching these shows.

I absolutely pissed myself laughing one night because the woman wanted to move because she didn't like the one hour commute to work. She desperately wanted to be near the beach so she could go 'after work'. The area they were looking in was three hours away from the closest beach (and a crap one at that). Have you looked at a map?

[JediJim]

Midnite, that woman sounds ridiculous. She wants to move to Australia because she doesn’t like her one hour commute?! Can’t she get a new job? Or move somewhere else in the UK, near the coast? Considering we are surrounded by it!
It does seem that the only real way you can move to Oz/ New Zealand is if you have a highly skilled job or work for the public sector, such as NHS, Police service.

[Elfinablender]

It's the ones where they have a crop of young children and grandparents who live down the road, popping round, doing school runs and sick days and I just want to scream at the telly that they're mad, they have no idea what they are giving up and how much that support costs when you have to buy it in.

[Frazzled2207]

What bugs me is that Nicki whatshername (isn't she famous from Pop Idol decades ago? What's the link between that and WDU?) clearly has no involvement whatsoever. You never actually see her with the families, just stood on some beach. Presumably she just went once (a year) to stand on a beach and do the little "links" .

[LostInShoebiz]

What's the link between that and WDU?

The link is Nicki Chapman. She also presents the Chelsea Flower Show. She’s a presenter of not an expert in.

[StarJumpsandaHalf]

Nicki Chapman does, or has done a lot of Escape to the Country programmes too.

[Frazzled2207]

Fair enough but she doesn't exactly "do" wdu does she. She just narrates and stands on a beach.

[WWYDhelpplease]

Same shit, different place really. The heat does the same as winter here. You stay in with aircon on full blast.

Cost of living is really high.

I’d do it all again though. Gold Coast next time.

[LostInShoebiz]

So? Does she have to get involved with the people to justify her existence to you? The BBC have chosen a particular format and it involves her not having much if any interaction which then, probably because they’d have to fly out multiple families at the same time and that would necessitate multiple crews or fly Nicki and a crew out for months on end. They are using your licence fee in the most efficient way. Stop going on about it.

[RitaFairclough]

I also love Wanted Down Under; especially the twirly laminates.

I’m always amazed when one of the parents (normally a dad) turns out to have another child who they’d be leaving behind. Or when they have older kids who won’t be going.

My husband’s best friend lives in Oz (his wife is an Aussie) and when they were moving back they were using a lot of emigration forums to help with his visa. So many people didn’t grasp that it’s the same daily shit over there - work, commuting, homework - just without any family support.

[Sparklingbrook]

I can no longer watch. The 'Poor Brendan' episode finished me off.

NickyPopidol doesn't even go with the family like Nadia Sawalha used to.

Would you not have had your house valued prior to the free holiday trip? Would you not Google how much things cost and look at properties online?

Good for playing Bingo though. 'Quality family time'/'outdoor lifestyle' etc.

[Frazzled2207]

@LostInShoebiz I just find it highly irritating that's all!

[ewenice]

What I don't understand is how they can go over and get a job as a hairdresser or paralegal as an immigrant. I thought Oz had a policy of giving jobs to Australian citizens as a priority and only certain professions are valid for visa offers. Maybe it's changed?

[jay55]

The desired skills list or whatever it is called always has a few jobs on it that make you scratch your head.
I remember one time recruitment consultants were highish points which I found baffling.

[Schmoobarb]

I’m always amazed when one of the parents (normally a dad) turns out to have another child who they’d be leaving behind. Or when they have older kids who won’t be going.

I remember an episode years ago when the mum had a teenage son who didn’t want to go as he had his dad and other half-siblings here. The mum was awful to him telling him he was being cruel and would make everyone miserable. He was about 14 ffs, poor boy! I remember in the catch up bit at the end they hadn’t gone, the boy’s dad had actually got a court order preventing them taking him. So he must have been quite worried they were going to go ahead and do it anyway either without his consent or against the boy’s wishes.

[nancy75]

The skills shortage lists have all sorts, often midwives, builders & bizarrely Ive seen hairdressers!
I think some of them state you can come but you have to live in a particular place - so you could dream of Melbourne & end up in Cairns!

[LucilleBluth]

Having lived abroad for six years with small children it is extended family and support that you do miss...and the poster who said same shit different country is absolutely spot on.

[Degustibusnonestdisputandem1]

Must admit as an Aussie I do have a chuckle at this show! We're moving (British DH plus dual cit DTDs) later this year, and I can't wait! However we have a house already to live in and I know how much everything costs.

[Sparklingbrook]

The show makes out there is no outdoors in the UK. It has no beaches or zoos and you can't do any outdoor activities at all.
No family time in the UK, no BBQs, no nothing really.

But go to Australia and you can live outside!

[TabithaBraithwaite]

I always think they should factor in the airfair to fly the whole family back every 2 or 3 years. That would certainly cost a bit.
You might get sunshine but having no family or friends is really tough, especially if you have children.