I am 31, and considering moving to Australia…

[WhereamIgoing25]

So, as the title says: I am 31 years old, currently living in London, single (actually just been dumped by someone I was dating for a few months!), no dependents and a bit fed up with life here / in the UK… and thinking of moving to Aus for a year or so.

Don’t get me wrong - I have a pretty active social life, and I am close to my family and friends - but apart from that I don’t feel like anything is keeping me here. Especially not my job / career! It wouldn’t be a permanent move (I don’t think) but I am ready for a change.

Thought I would turn to MN for some advice! I’ve never been to Aus / NZ but I’ve always had it in the back of my mind to visit / move there.

Pros? Cons? Did you do it? Would you do it if you could? Best cities to move to? Are there really spiders and snakes everywhere?

I wouldn't live in Oz if you paid me. I am much better suited to countries with wolves or at least foxes than wolf spiders. Still, my brother was treated most excellently by his oncological team in Sydney, and his cancer was fortunately detected early, because he was able to see a doctor. This is not the reality for swathes of people in the UK. Perhaps you live in a place where you have GP access, though.

Our family have had some appalling experiences of the healthcare system in Australia. I'm lucky enough to live in an area of the UK with decent primary care access and proximity to a couple of leading oncology centres but appreciate that's not the case for everyone. There's no denying that the healthcare systems in both countries could be vastly improved though.

Right, that's good, but as you say there is a huge disparity. No GP appointments here. What freaks me out though is the record of the local maternity unit. Very glad I didn't have my kids here.

Not that Australia is much safer for babies, what with the dingoes.

Sorry, meant it's good you find the NHS adequate where you are, not that your family suffered in Oz, obviously

They produced Nick Adams who is pretty diabolical

I think she is talking about Australian men as opposed to foreign men who live in Australia. I was one of that 30% but would not refer to myself as “Australian” even if technically I am.

I lived there for a few years on a work visa. Loved it. Aussies were very friendly and I made lifelong friends. Still go back when I can. A couple of points:
You can have very different experiences depending on where you settle. I lived in Melbourne but visited Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth several times. I can say with certainty that I'm much more of a Melbourne (and maybe Hobart) person than I am a Sydney sort. And I really liked the places within two or three hours of Melbourne - the mountains, forests, etc.
Also, the cost of living and accommodation is extreme. Don't underestimate that.

I live on an island and a few weeks back I was in a small local bar with my cousin and he got talking to an Australian couple who were visiting the island with her parents. She went to Australia on a short term visa in her twenties and decided she wanted to stay. She met her husband in a bar and told him she needed to get married so she could stay in the country. They got married the next month and have been married thirty eight years now 😂 I say go!

What? Clearly there are different experiences in different countries however there is racism and misogyny the world over. I think you need to re-read my post rather than having a go at me.

How would she be telling the difference? Unless she asked every man she met whilst she was in Australia their place of birth and citizenship status?

I hope this is a joke post. On top of the usual racist claim of Australia having no history and culture (when you mean no European culture) you are scoffing at the welcome to (or acknowledge of) country ceremonies.

As opposed to the charmers we read about daily on numerous posts about UK men?

Yawn .....

No-one is asking you to.

I would
Choose Dubai over Australia at your age and stage of
Life

Hong Kong is also a great option

Or Boris Johnson, Prince Andrew, Russell Brand, etc etc etc.

How old are the oldest buildings in your neighbourhood? You probably have some that are a few hundred years old, maybe even 1000-1200 years, compared to a couple of hundred years in mine.

In the grand scheme of human history, fuck all difference really.

As well as being deliberately racist and offensive you're showing yourself up as being very limited in your thinking.

How easy is it to move to Australia? I looked into it a few times and it seems quite difficult to get a working visa

No one has mentioned one of the worst things about living in Australia - the sun damage!

I am a 50 year old Australian and have lived in the UK for 15 years across a couple of stints and have lived in Asia as well.

On a trip back home recently I saw my friends from high school. Woah! They look so old. Face, hands, and decolletage. They have all had multiple skin cancer removals. The sun exposure really does a job, and it is hard to avoid the beating sun in a lot of Aus.

I still think you should go OP to try it out, although I am also always surprised by the "casual racism" against "Lebs, Chinks, and Abos" there when I am back - Australians who live in Aus probably do not notice it as it is just so prevalent but I found a lot of it almost breathtaking. Daily language is also peppered with constant swear words!

The commercial media landscape is dumbed down with sport and blokey narrative - agree with the bro culture comments above. There is also an "Australia Australia Australia rah rah rah!!!" vibe where you are not allowed to say anything negative about Australia, and a constant navel gazing on "what do other countries reckon about us??"

I do love how friendly people are there though to just strangers in shops and on the street etc. People are easy to talk to. That's the thing I miss.

Is it that hard? A 30 second conversation is all it would take for anybody to know I was not from Australia…

(And if it was somebody that moved as a child then they would just be an Australian.)

A working visa is piss easy of you are below the age limit.

We did it many years ago before kids. Enjoyed the experience. Both of us were in desirable professions and had plenty of offers to stay. We liked NZ more but decided to comeback as 2 older widowed mothers.
Sometimes I regret coming back as we couldn't get jobs near our families.

In your shoes I would go an enjoy it. I wouldn't rush into a career job. Just have fun.
My last trip to Oz was 2019. I was shocked how racist it was in general. We had been aware years ago but it still shocked us.

In general I would say it is expensive than SE England. it wasnt like that when we travelled in 1990.

Don't wait until you are older go and have fun. You never know what life can bring.

Definitely go for it. I don’t think it’s objectively “better” than the uk, and I’ve no idea if you’ll like it or not. But it’s fabulous experience to live in a different country for a while. If you don’t go you’ll always regret it.

@coolmum123 I think you are talking about an acknowledgement of country, and quite disrespectfully. It is an acknowledgement of traditional owners and when done sincerely is a tiny step towards healing the trauma and wrongs inflicted on Aboriginal people. I work in government and all our key meetings start with this including job interviews . You will hear it at church services, sporting events , airlines etc.
OP if you come,I hope you will take some time to explore Aboriginal history and culture, as it is the oldest continuous culture on the planet.

I am so sorry to everyone for my comment. I truly did not mean to cause offence. I heard it near the Opera House and couldn’t see an info sign to explain what it meant. That’s why in my head it was quite random and i didn’t understand the context. Apologies again for my ignorance.