If you had a choice between Western Australia and North East England, which would you choose and why?

[Glitteryrosette]

NC for this as could be outing.

I have potentially got the opportunity to emigrate to Western Australia with DH and my two primary age DC. I have close family out there who would be relatively nearby (in Australian terms- a sibling less than an hour away and a parent 4 hours away).

I currently live in a lovely house (mortgaged but at least we are on property ladder) in a place I love, with lots of close family on the doorstep (including my other parent and in-laws). My two DC enjoy their school and are settled and happy.

I am finally in a position where I am progressing my career, making good connections with other professionals (crucial for my role), have paid off my student debt (it cost me £50k to qualify!), and all being well I will be promoted in the next year or two. I love my job and the people I work with. My commute is manageable.

About 12 years ago DH and I considered a move down under, but at the time I had only just qualified, had a lot of debt, and I would have had to do it all again to do the same role in Australia, which put me off and we decided to stay put. Then we had our first DC.

Following Brexit, the pandemic, the cost of living and the state of the UK generally, we are now considering whether we should make the move to Australia before it is too late in terms of both our ages (im late 30's, DH is early 40's) and before eldest DC starts high school. Whilst I would probably have to do some form of studying, I no longer would have to re qualify, but I would need to have my qualifications assessed by the equivalent Australian governing body, and would inevitably be in a slightly junior role and have to prove myself before any chance of promotion. So career wise, a move would set me back a good 3 years or so.

However, my family in Australia, who have just spent a month in the UK, cannot believe the state of things over here, and reiterated all the opportunities available in Australia, and how much better life would be for us and our DC.

I have visited Australia, and loved WA. Perth in particular. It is beautiful and a great city. So is the surrounding area. My DH lived in Australia for a year before we met and is desperate to make the move. He LOVED it.

But I love this little pocket of the UK. I am feeling torn. Would life really be better for my DC in Australia both now and in their future? I am happy to make sacrifices for my children but only if I am fairly confident they will pay off.

DH and I have both put feelers out with potential employers in WA, and (to our surprise!) there has been interest in both of us and we are waiting for an emigration consultant to get in touch.

I would be interested in hearing the opinions and thoughts of others, especially those with primary age DC who have made the move (either way)!

100% agree.

Most people live close to where they grew up. Keep that in mind when you're reading the responses.

Rent out your house and give it a year at least, maybe two. If it all works out, sell the house and make the move permanent. If not, you've had an adventure and you won't die wondering "what if".

There's no one best place to live, and no move has to be permanent.

We are currently thinking of moving to Australia, to Brisbane we are here now and about to fly back to the UK.

what’s puts me off is a lot of people I know are very closed minded and racist still. Obviously the younger generations are getting better but it’s more of a thing than I would like it to be.

its a hard decision to make. I have no idea how to make it.

It's also pretty darn expensive now. A post just below mine talks about the housing crisis. It's very real.

There's a common misconception that sunnier = a happier, more relaxed, carefree lifestyle, but this is most definitely not the case. The sun shines here too, and when it doesn't, Spain, France, Italy etc are on your doorstep.

I moved to Western Australia in 2011 from north-east of England with my husband now settled here with a family. I have never once regretted the decision!! of course the weather gets hot in the summer but most of the year you have beautiful outdoors temperature ranging from 25 to 32°C, which is perfect for an outdoor lifestyle. As I write this, I'm sitting on my patio watching my kids play in the pool. It's 26° and perfect.
I earn 2.5 times what I did in the UK and to me the cost of living is not much different than the UK somethings are cheaper somethings a little more expensive . Quality of life wins hands down!!
Perth is the city of 2.2 million and the fastest growing city in Australia there's plenty of opportunities and plenty of things to do and see. It doesn't feel isolated day to day. I do not think you would regret the move

I’d move. I think I would regret passing up the opportunity that isn’t afforded to most people. Perhaps rent your house out to start with as safety net if you felt you needed a U.K. home if you don’t settle but I think I’d be off and not look behind (and I have zero chance of able getting to live in another country, as it is I’d struggle to get a place in Northumberland which I love). Mixed messaging by me here but on balance, I’d be packing for Australia.

Oh, so climate change is going to leave the UK unscathed is it?

North East England.

Western Australia is miles from anywhere, and full of racists and poisonous spiders.

yes it's hideous here... we can't move for all the spiders and snakes! Fun fact, that one in every three people living in Western Australia was born overseas. I experience much more casual racism in England compared to here!!

I’d move to Melbourne (having lived there before) but not WA. Too hot and remote

We were a successful, professional couple with two kids living in a great city with a new house we had just renovated when we decided to move to Perth a few years ago. Family thought we had lost it!!

Our main reasons were: wanted a school with more outdoor space and higher quality PE; healthier air that wouldn't trigger DD's chronic conditions so much; sunny weather and outdoor living; longer childhoods with less pressure to grow up fast.

We have got most of what we wanted.

Also, Perth has a reputation for no culture but I think it's a bit unfair: we enjoy WA Symphony Orchestra, WA Opera, Boola Bardip WA Museum, WA Academy of Performing Arts, Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth Festival...

I've woken up to some really thought provoking replies, thank you. And some pointless ones (@marvellousmaple). I didn't realise there were lots of other threads on this topic, and it was never intended to be about bashing Australia!! I gave quite a lot of detail about my own life and circumstances so people could comment on what they would do or think about in my specific situation.

As for the spider thing- I deliberately never even mentioned them. I saw white tips in WA but didn't see a single spider (or snake) in QLD despite being in a much more rural place. Yet my mum was bitten by a white tip in QLD and was fairly poorly. The creepy crawlies and snakes will not be a factor in my decision!!

There have been some really good points made about my DC and their future. I wish I had a crystal ball.

As for global warming, I think the point other posters have been making is that it's already very hot and dry in WA. That's only going to get worse. It's temperate in the UK. If it gets hotter, we will cope (ish).

The posters saying to stay put for no other reason than they think im bashing oz kinda proves other posters points

I did find the way the Australians I met talked about the indigenous people truly appalling.

Overall, I'm definitely leaning towards staying put. A previous poster said "just because you can doesn't mean you should" and that has struck a chord.

When you say most of what you wanted, may I ask what you didn't get?

Hmm, well, we got those things I listed... although the last one will need more time to prove definitively.

But emigration definitely has its downsides: we spend a lot on travel to maintain family ties. And a lot on childcare because no extended family. Tbh we spend A LOT full stop. WA is fecking expensive!!

If I were you, I'd say yes but position it as a family gap year so your kids get to spend time with their Aus based family and you all get to experience the lifestyle.

I’m very much of the ‘JFDI, life’s short and you’re a long time dead’ school of thought so I’d jump at it, personally.

I live in Perth. We are going through the worst housing crisis we have ever had. It’s even worse that the mining boom we had in about 2009-2010 where it was difficult to get a rental.

You can’t get housing here. Working people are living in their cars and the State govt is encouraging people from overseas to move here.

Good point. I assume you're not going to buy a house sight-unseen from the UK, so where will you and the family live while you're searching for a house to buy? Because there is an abominable rental crisis in many major cities in Australia currently, and apparently in Perth also. In Sydney, hundreds of people are lining up to inspect a tiny overpriced flat in a dull suburb. Prices are sky high.

In any case, I think you might be better off resting the plan until your winter is over. It is possibly a weather-induced pipe dream.

Is this another Australia's bashing thread?

Clearly someone who came all the way to Aus a d never left Sydney

No, @FeckingHungryMozzies , we travelled extensively, as most young people who spend time in Australia do. We were there 3 years so saw most of it, including Western Australia. (We were on UK work contracts so had UK levels of annual leave and were able to travel more extensively than people on Australian contracts).

Honestly OP stay where you are.

You really aren't cut out for a move to Aus. You're happy where you are, there's no logical reason for this thread other than to knock Australia so you feel better staying in the UK.

You're happy where you are, there's no logical reason for this thread other than to knock Australia

But it's the whole point of the thread. Let's bash Australia because it's so popular on MN.

Also, Perth has a reputation for no culture but I think it's a bit unfair: we enjoy WA Symphony Orchestra, WA Opera, Boola Bardip WA Museum, WA Academy of Performing Arts, Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth Festival

Australian cities do have culture, of course they do, ijust as Newcastle and Edinburgh have culture. The difference is that you have to rely on the culture coming to you because you can't easily travel to other cultural centres for something different. If you live in NE England you might have an occasional weekend in London or Paris or another European city, or a trip to a historically interesting city in the UK such as York or Liverpool. From Perth it's a very long way to other Australian cities and the variation in culture from one to the other isn't so great.

Honestly, I would hardly call the UK the bastion of tolerance and acceptance based on the near weekly Australian bashing that goes on here. I have also changed my mind, the more you lot bash us the less likely it is you will come here, which can only be a good thing for us! So by all means stay in your miserable country. We are better off without you coming here.

WHy did you mention me?
This is just the latest in a string of Australia bashing threads. Sorry for getting a bit annoyed.
In answer to your question - stay where you are

I’d stay - there is just more “stuff” here than in WA. More places to visit, more stuff to do, easier access to Europe, more cosmopolitan in general. And it sounds like you live somewhere you like.

If course Australia has seasons ffs. We definitely get summer, autumn, winter and spring here in Melbourne

Native Australian trees don't turn beautiful colours in the Autumn, drop their leaves in winter, then re-grow green shoots in Spring. Some cities do have a few imported European trees, but most of the countryside is the same colour all year round. We returned from our 3 years in Oz in the springtime, and I've appreciated our UK seasons much more since we cane home, because I did miss them.

Just another idiotic post from someone who thinks culture has to be European.

Australians have much bigger access to diversity culture than most in the UK can dream about. We have aboriginal culture dated thousands of years, we have countries like Indonesia, Thailand, NZ and Cook Islands (Maori culture and Easter Polynesian culture), New Guinea and Fiji (Melanesian culture), all countries in Australia's backyard and easily accessible because our wages (4 times those in the UK) allow us to explore.

But hey.....lets keep bashing Australia and it's luck of culture. F**g hell, how many of you have actually being a resident in Australia?