To want to move to Australia ? Need advice

[maxbradbury]

Cannot find suitable forum so posting here because of high traffic.

DH is a qualified gas engineer and we are considering a move to Australia. I dont know anybody who has done this and would like to know if anybody has done this or knows someone who has so i can get a insite of life there such as cost of living, lifestyle, education and how easy it is to get a job. Any helpful comment appreciated.

Oh I am gutted - I thought this thread was 9 pages of discussion about moving to oz and had been looking forward to reading it all but it's 1 page of that and 8 pages of racism debate!!

I am in a similar state of confusion about whether to make the move to australia. Dh's job would be on the nsw in demand list so we'd have to go to sydney which would be good as we would both earn well but of course it's really expensive. I am having a hard time trying to decide. To be honest my gut tells me to do it but my head tells me to stay.

Op - I started a thread about it some time ago which may help? Feel free to add to it, I could do with some more opinions!!!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/living_overseas/1445874-Is-the-grass-really-greener-in-Australia

Squoosh : That is just ridiculous... and a classic example of political correctness gone wrong. So should I get upset every time I hear someone say, ah put another prawn on the barbie... I know people don't mean it to attack me because of my background... To be honest, if people were offended by me calling them a Pom, then well, they aren't going to like what ever else I say, so it is actually for me a good indicator as to whether or not you have a sense of humor, or a boring ass person..

I agree completely with SlightlySquiffy... I had friends who were aboriginal, and it follows exactly the same. One is, lets get on with it, while the others are wondering what the white man is going to do next for them, seeming that they have brought their white man ways with them, (which we like very much thank you)...

Terms used by australian's are generally in a good way, and in a good mate ship way. I think my brother in law would be disappointed if I didn't call him my little wog brother in law... Will ask him... but I know what the answer is going to be..

pestooneverything : Do it... you won't regret it... but if Sydney gives you the shits, move somewhere else...

To be honest, if people were offended by me calling them a Pom, then well, they aren't going to like what ever else I say, so it is actually for me a good indicator as to whether or not you have a sense of humor, or a boring ass person.

so if people don't share your sense of humor they are a boring ass person... well you are just lovely arn't you.

I live in Perth, and am holidaying in the Uk. I'm finding it hard to settle, and do agree about the way indiginous people have been treated. It gets me all upset, as I still don't think they have made their peace at all. They're just sticking a band aid on a huge bleeding wound.
My dh got a transfer with work, and we've been there nearly a year. I'm finding iit hard to settle, and we need to move as the owners are selling up, so we're unsettled again.
The supermarkets are pricey, but you'll have to shop around. I love Coles, as think their food looks nicer, and is better quality than Woolworths. But, most of my fresh stuff is bought from markets.
However, it does have a good family aspect, as in good beaches, things for kids to do, and is very family friendly. The standard of living is higher, and the wagers are more, although not everywhere it is reflected.
Fuel is cheap though :)

auschopper Guess I'm a 'boring ass person' then in my refusal to use racist terms, hey ho. And for your information, I'm not British so call me a pom all you like, you're slightly off the mark

Thanks auschopper the things which I'm hesitating on are the usual suspects:

1. prices of things! We'd each earn around $100k -$120k which I think would be ok in Sydney??
2. Family. I am an only child so taking me, dh and ds away from home makes me feel like I am orphaning my parents. They arer very supportive of 'what we want to do' but it's still hard.

I don't know enough to get started on the racist chat BUT I do love the Aussie piss-taking nature and miss that about the uk where you can't say anything without fear of offending. (disclaimer: I am talking about pisstaking on all subjects - not race. I am not racist)

auschopper can I come to yours for a Barbie?

I could say - all of the UK is racist based on the tone and wide circulation of the Daily Mail. I could say everyone on mumsnet is racist, based on threads I have read here about gypsies. But I wouldn't because it is ignorant and unhelpful to make a generalisation about every single person in a country!
As I said upthread if you arrive in Australia expecting it to be a warmer version of the UK with a better economy, you will hate it and feel let down. If you accept that it has a subtly different culture and different cultural drivers you may really enjoy it.

Who said all Australians are racist?

pestooneverything - it depends on how many children you have, if you want to send them to public or private school, if you'll be buying or renting etc. It is enough to survive in Sydney but not to have an extravagant lifestyle.

there are lots of ways to save on groceries in Australia like shopping at Aldi and buying in season fruit & veg at large market stores rather than supermarkets.

I think because I was born in the UK and have British parents and extended family, and lived in Melbourne and elsewhere I didn't see the worst.

But can see how it's shocking. Some of the very Aus stuff here makes me cringe.

But then what about the self-identifying groups?

Yes, some of the Aussie posting here is a little too 'ocker' and bombastic for my liking.

But truly not all Australians express themselves in that way, nor have such narrow, entrenched views about aboriginals nor immigrant populations.

Although watching Aus tv shows such as 'Border Security' you'd despair, 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' is putting it mildly

Yes it is possible to avoid a lot of it even when there. Find people with same values.

Same as UK I suppose I feel more comfortable here with the culture and lived here longer now. But I remember when I first came back here and after a tirade about foreigners taking jobs I would say I was born here and people would be nicer. And of course there's worse than that too. But it's easy not to see it if you're not in that world.

I am sorry I got involved in this, but whenever anyone suggests moving to oz on mn, they get a whole raft of replies saying, oh, but it's racist. People would never say that about Spain, or France, or other countries that have probably have racist elements. It is clearly a stereotype about Australia in the uk, whic is as racist as making any other generalization. And I just don't get it when I look around at a diverse community, where people of different backgrounds are represented in all areas, and no one really cares.

But, to reiterate, you can't expect everything to be the same. I was casually chatting with someone from England, who was complaining that you can't get decent Indian food. Well, there wasn't much where he lived (there was further afield), but the equivalent take away here would be Thai.

Pestoon, is it a job that could be done outside of Sydney? There are other decent sized cities in nsw. Wollongong to the south of Sydney and Newcastle to the north are both pleasant, on the coast. Housing would be cheaper and it would be a different atmosphere to Sydney. It depends whether you are looking for a more small town feeling or if you want a big city though.

Housing in Sydney is sooo expensive - that's the killer really.

pestooneverything : Yeah, you should be alright on that sort of beer token... BUT, sydney is pretty expensive anyhow... Depends what you want and expect really... I don't particular like Sydney, but there are other people who love it... all I can say, is if you find that you don't like it, check somewhere else out as well. Would hate for you to turn up to Sydney and think well, this is Australia.. and hate it..

Yeah, agree... you can't say a lot on MN, without affending someone..... pretty much use to it really... Yeah, have quiet a few people I know, who are "wet" and pretty boring... and well, I know that I don't generally get along with them..
The thing is, would I use a term if it offended someone, no, and that is the difference, between being a racist, and saying something that we all have a laugh at between friends, or nicknames that we use..

The thing is, do I think political correctness is way over done these days, you bet ya...

squoosh : I would never use a "racist" term if it offended someone... most of my mates have had their nicknames and what some would consider racist terms long before I meet them... so what are you spose to say... "Sorry mate, can't call you my little wog brother in law any more, because someone on MN said I can't..."...

So auschopper you wouldn't use a "racist" term if it offended someone, but you've already defended some terms which others DO find offensive, e.g. pom and wog are OK.

Ohh, I forgot. They're, like boring.

tryingtoleave you make an excellent point which I've been mulling over myself. It's true, I've yet to see the same attention paid to racism/shit history to any other country that is paid to Australia.

maxbradbury book 3 weeks in Oz and live there as if you were living there so book a rental place a car and shop and cook for yourselves visit the local schools and job shops etc and speak to people

then and only then will you know if its right for you

Good Luck

theboutiquemummy is right. We were able to do a version of this before coming here, and it proved invaluable in making the right decisions about what to do, where to live, schools, etc.

I never had much of an opinion about whether Australia was racist or not before this thread. The main criticism I?d heard was ?suburban?. But it?s certainly been an eye opener.

I don?t know if or why Australia is overly portrayed on Mumsnet as being a racist place. Maybe because it?s the place that most UK nationals emigrate to and therefore have most knowledge of? Maybe because the differences between two English speaking nations strike more of a chord compared to differences between countries with different languages.

It would seem that in some sections of Australian society racist terms are seen as playful and affectionate and in no way offensive. I would liken this to the way the UK was in the 70?s when you had black minstrels on the telly, as Australia does now, and racial terms being bandied around without anyone batting an eyelid.

Maybe Australia?s isolation means it hangs on to some of these traditions longer than other countries.

I liked Woolongong, had family there at one point. As suggested, housing in Sydney looks to be very expensive so a satellite town might be a better bet.

Those Aussies thinking Pom is fine to use, perhaps it depends on context. It's definitely been used as an insult to me. I could tell because it was preceeded by fackin ;) Totally agree that if it's friendly banter there's no issue. But would you seriously walk up to a stranger in the street and call them a wog?

I don't know anyone who would walk up to someone in the street and call them a wog. I have heard people use it to refer to themselves in a positive context.

OP I think you need to think a bit more about what part of Australia you are aiming at. There are significant differences. Don't arrive in Melbourne in winter and start doing cats bum faces because it is cold!

pinkshoos we have 1ds and are ttc #dc 2. Our children would probably be educated in public school.

trying it's a good point about looking at some other cities. I don't know it it would be possible for dh and I to work outside Sydney but it's worth a look.

It would be such an upheaval but if we don't try it we will never know - and life is for living - right?!

I'm moving to Australia in 3 months. Can't wait. The lack of pc uptightness amongst people there is part of the attraction if I'm honest. And no, i am not racist.

Love that a refusal to use racist terms is considered 'PC uptightness'!

When my dh meets anyone from England he says "My wife is Pommy too!" should I be offended that he is being racist then? I also go to a play group called Pommy Parents In Brisbane - should I stop? A friend has an email address that has the word Wog in it as she is Italian - should I have a concerned word in her ear?
Unless you live here and know the light hearted way these words are used, you simply can't judge.
Also, the blackface thing on tv was an entry in a regular comp as part of a light entertainment show and most people were mortified. It made national headlines and is hardly representative of Aussie tv as a whole.