Moving to Australia is now looking unlikely. Help me look on the bright side?

[Heatherbell1978]

It’s now looking highly unlikely that DH will get invited to apply for a visa (Skilled 189) before he turns 40, at which point he doesn’t have enough points and we’re out of the game. There aren’t any other visas we could apply for. In hindsight we left it too late to apply but we stupidly wanted to wait until DD was born incase we got an invite too soon and before we were ready to leave. DD is now 7 months and DS is 3. We assumed we’d migrate next year. Our plan was Perth where we have friends and we’ve visited a few times.
In one way we’re slightly relieved as there are numerous reasons to stay here (we have quite a comfortable life) but we’ve been daydreaming about this for 5 years and always said we’d go after we got married and kids were born in the UK. Now we have to prepare not to go and especially coming into winter in Scotland it’s going to play on my mind when the days are cold and dark.

I guess I’m just looking for some light hearted banter on why this is a good thing that we probably can’t go?!

I should add that we’ve been in the queue for a year now with 65 points and they’re only really processing people with 70+ points in DHs profession...and we’re on a ticking clock until his 40th...

There is a lot of false info on this thread, but the one I really have to debunk is healthcare. Having lived for long periods in the Uk, Ireland and now Oz, I would say the Australian system is miles ahead. We local surgery is open 7 days a week from 7am until 10PM and I can walk in any time, no appointment necessary. And its free on Medicare. As for the hospital system, the local children's hospital has transformed the entire top floor into an entertainment complex for kids, a video arcade, basket ball court, music studio etc, all free. The medical care itself was fantastic, my son was didn't want to leave the hospital, he was being looked after so well. Compared with memories of appalling treatment in hospital in Ireland and the UK, there really is no comparison.

But as this thread is meant to cheer the OP, the tv and newspapers are shit here, I do miss a good Sunday paper. And you will never risk branding yourself with your seat belt! I also miss being able to go to Europe for the weekend. Apart from that, I can't really help.

If it helps, it's 35 degrees here in Sydney today, and we are still a month off from Summer. You get 8 months of the year where temps can be up to mid-high 30s and little relief at night - too hot to do much, too hot at the beach (burning sun and burning sand)....

Flossy - Australia doesn't appear to make you happy, spewing so much bile.

It's a long way from anywhere so travelling to other countries is more awkward whereas we have all of Europe on our doorstep.
You get free university and have lovely scenery right on your doorstep.

You get free university and have lovely scenery right on your doorstep.

Where's this? Uni isn't free in Australia or the UK...

Also, being isolated is a benefit in the current sociopolitical and economic climate.

Our national security is much more robust than it is in the UK/Europe. I am not anti-refugee, but I think what has been allowed to happen in Europe is atrocious and the short-term implications are nothing compared to what the long-term implications will be. I am quite content with the hardline stance the governments here have followed since we had our own mini refugee crisis a few years ago.

Perth doesn't have daylight savings so all that lovely sunlight is wasted on waking you early. Cyclists want the morning light. Some people think their curtains will fade others are worried the cows will stop producing milk.

I love my country, but I am under no illusion it is a perfect happy place. I was simply explaining how there are shitty aspects to it. Just as there are shitty aspects to the UK.

Even with the shitty aspects.... choosing between the overcrowded over politically correct, difficult to even get into basic school UK versas Australia.... Australia is the no brainer everytime.

Sad the original poster won't be able to experience life here, with all its good and bad points.

Many people go where they think the grass is greener. But there is no such place anywhere on the planet for the everyday average Joe.

Many people don't cope with the homesickness moving causes. Many people are unable to open themselves up to new adventures etc. Such is how some fail at moving to the other side of the world. Lucky for most people we can move home if it was a failure.

And the public transport system is CRAP. You'd have to learn to drive if you can't.

Err I live in Perth and can't drive, and I think the public transport is great. Its certainly cheaper, cleaner and more punctual than in the UK and Ireland. Of course it doesn't go absolutely everywhere, compared with say, London Transport, but its a hell of a lot better than most places I've lived. Now if only we had a central rail ring around Perth, it would be even better! Of course if you are rural the public transport is crap, but that applies in most countries in my experience.

sincey I think we can all agree the racism that has become apparent here since Brexit is also jaw dropping hmm

^This

Thermowoman I agree. I live in Brisbane which is one of the largest council/land covering for least amount of people capital cities in the world and while I have a license, I don't own a car. No problems getting almost everywhere. Public transport is efficient. Never had a late train. Transport is only stopped when the city centre is flooded. Which is rare. The City even offers taxis when train works stop the trains and there are no buses to replace them 😂.

Maybe you're a more tolerant woman than me Thermowoman. Or it's more accessible where you are?

Flossy1978 How do you feel about Aborigines? I wonder how they felt when white Brits invaded their homeland. Your posts are hypocritical to say the least but also a reflection of the casual racism I have observed on my travels in Australia. But if you are so against people other races coming to Australia you really should leave NOW because your own race (that is assuming you are white based on your posts above) and your own culture has brought death and destruction to the original inhabitants of Australia. Everything and more that you accuse war refugees of.

Flossy I am Australian and feel massively uncomfortable about what you have written as it does not represent how I or any of my friends see Australia.
Agree about the price of bread but not much else.

Scotland has the most beautiful scenery. I'm biased though.

Isolation is a myth. The whole world is interconnected and has massive disparity in income, security and opportunity which is why we see such huge waves of migration everywhere. Australia needs to be part of the solution, not just shutting the door.

One of my friends moved out and I said I'd visit, but as it is a huge holiday suck (3 weeks with kids I reckon), we haven't been. They're coming back for a trip next year - some 3 years after they went out - and are already counting the days.

They love certain aspects like the sun and the outdoor life. They think the competition for kids to excel in sports is too much and there is less focus on kids who like playing music, reading and art.

Another Scandi friend out there is making plans to return as they find it misogynistic and don't want that for their daughters. They love the outdoor living though and who can blame them.

Australia is a great place but the location puts me off.

I know a couple who moved there in their very early 20s and love it. They assumed that his parents could move out there too and they sold up them found out later that it wasn't as easy as all that.

My sister emigrated when she was a student (early 1980s) and has really wanted to come home for a long time but her ties are too strong there now (kids, grandkids). She misses a hell of a lot here that she just didn't think about as a young woman.

Flossy1978 I was coming on to defend Australia, then I read your post, you reminded me of all I don't like about the country!

One point though, all the people saying that the education system in the UK is better, what do you base that on? Australia beats the UK on PISA assessment for example...

On education - can't comment with authority or stats, but my friends moved their kids to private schools after a spell in state schools. They were devastated as education was a main reason for them emigrating.

Actually I think the issue with the UK education system is how polarised it is: amazing at its best, utterly awful at its worst. This clearly impacts standing in any formal rankings. You only have to read the GCSE results for a single council to see the gulf that can exist, particularly in cities.

One of the (many) things that threads like these do not take into account is that Australia has a wide and diverse range of social attitudes, climate, housing, and education standards across it. Are you referencing rural Queensland or inner Melbourne? Pauline Hanson or Bob Brown? it is quite hard to generalise across such a broad canvas.

Places with cheap housing tend to have fewer services, poorer educational outcomes and higher levels of unemployment. People in this setting are often more likely to vote for candidates who demonise migration and refugees. The poverty trap functions the same way in most Western countries.