Australia

[Flute56]

About 13 years ago I went to Sydney to stay with some relatives. I was not keen on Sydney as I found it to busy. I am from the UK and live on the outskirts of London. Fast forward to this year and this month. I decided to go back to Australia but to a quieter place so I decided on Perth. I have to say that I absolutely loved it. I wasnt staying with controlling relatives so I could do as i wanted. I only spent two weeks in Perth but that was enough to tell me that I wanted to go back. The weather was gorgeous, the people were friendly and it was very easy to get around on bus and train. Since returning, Perth is all I have thught about and all I want to be in. I realise going on holiday to a place is very different from actually living there. Someone said to me that if my life in the UK was wonderful then I would not be dreaming ot Perth and they said what makes you think that my life would be any better in Perth than the UK. I would have to start all over again and make new friends. At least in the UK I already have friends and I think there are more benefits to living in the uK like the NHS and I live in a council house so although i rent, it is very secure and I have lived in this property for 25 years which is very well maintained, I am also aged 60 and most people move abroad when they are much younger.

I do not know how to get over this feeling of Australia is wonderful and the UK especially living close to London is not. I have never liked winter, hate snow and ice and would not get any of that in perth or. I have not seen a great deal of England never been to Devon or Cornwall and once many years ago i travelled through the Cotswolds and thought it was nice. The other thing i want to ask it has anyone heard of anyone moving to Australia and then thought what on earth have I done and returned home to the UK. When I was in Perth I met a guy from London who said he was bored with his job etc and decided to try his luck in Perth and he said he loves it and has been there for 10 years now and has no regrets

I just wanted to rant. I am currently saving up to go back to Australia next year and maybe doing some more of perth and a few days in Adelaide

I think I will just have to go back to Australia for a holiday again and forget about living there. I have a lovely council flat which has had a new fitted kitchen and bathroom and it nicely decorated and furnished. I do not know any other country that would offer such accommodation and the rent is cheap compared to privately renting. The only downfall is that I cannot buy my flat because these flats are not for buying. I never tried to purchase a home on the open market but those people I know who had council homes, bought them for a song and lived in them until they could sell them for the market value and buy a home on the open market. If you are as old as me you will have Margaret Thatcher to thank for that because she allowed as prime Minister for people in council accommodation to buy their homes when they culd not otherwise afford to just go into a travel agent and get a home with a sizeable downpayment. A friend of mine inherited her parents 4 bed house but some of us like me never had parents who could leave a home so the council property is the next best thing and I was lucky to get on the list to rent a council home because nowadays they say you need to have a child to get a home and even that is not reliable because they put families in bed and breakfasts. If I gave up this lovely home I would never get another opportnity unless of course I met a man with a house and we got married and then his home would be mine

Ok , at least reality has set in for you . The visa was never going to happen . And you are right , you are extremely lucky to have a council property .

If you're referring to me, which I think you are as I was the only one to mention sharks, I'm Australian and have lived here most of my life.

I stand by my opinion that as an East Coaster I would not like to live somewhere as remote as Perth, nor would I swim in the beaches. I balanced that out with positive comments. They're both pretty common sentiments among fellow Australians I speak to, along with some other less flattering generalisations about WA and its people which I chose to keep to myself... but let's see how today's vote pans out.

@Saggypants nope I was stating before it got there with the most common statements - whenever there is an aus thread. People rip it to bits!

Maybe I am defensive of it!

I'd be checking the rental prices. Depending on which part of Perth you'd be looking at, you can pay from $450 - $750 per week - that's £230 - £ 388. And you have to pay a bond up front which equates to 6 weeks rent .

You pay a bond whatever country you rent in

funilly enough when I was in Australia I did not feel like I was on the other side of the world. I felt as if I was just down the road lol

Just back from Australia myself, including Perth and I agree the centre of Perth has a great buzz about it. It's a young city - lots of under 40s and young families. Lots of energy and life

Your currency conversion is a bit off - literally 3 weeks ago we were seeing nearly $2Aus to the pound, so glass of wine was about $12Aus, and yes there were main course at $22Aus. Not the lobster or fillet steak admittedly. We found some things much more expensive (hotel accommodation, house prices) but supermarket prices stacked favourably against our locals in the south of England, fuel was dirt cheap.

I think at 60 plus yours and my chances of a visa are pretty much zero sadly.

I agree with others - get out & about in the UK. We have some beautiful countryside & coast. And as long as you're suitably dressed the weather isn't too much of a problem!

Hopefully I will go back to Australia next year. I will go back to Perth because I like it and it is familiar and I know how to get around. However, I want to also do another city and Adelaide springs to mind but just looking at a video of Adelaide, it looks very similar to Perth and so not much of a contrast so you could assume you are still in Perth. It would be nice to go somewhere with a bit of contrast but not somewhere as big as Sydney because I went there and did not like it. Too built up for me. I need somewhere more remote but not too remote that you cannot get around by public transport . I could ask for recommendations but its a very individual thing and not everyone likes the same areas. For instance before I went to Perth people on here were saying oh yu should not spend two weeks in Perth because there is not enough to do,but I did spend two weeks in Perth and found plenty to do and was sorry to leave. The only place i did not get to was Margaret River not because there wasnt enough time, but because the Margaret River tour included going to a winery and I do not drink alcohol so to pay the high cost of the trip to go and sample glasses of wine and then be persuaded to buy a bottle of wine would be a waste of time and money and as beautiful as the area is I do not think non drinkers would get anything out of it and I also decided that a river is a river wherever you go and because I was in the Swan river area and Elizabeth Quay, why would I want to travel to another area to see more of a river which virtually looks the same as any other

Glad you loved Perth. I lived there over a decade. Got married there.
It is a beautiful place. I do love the CBD, although when I was there, everything closed early. And the beaches are gorgeous. I worked one place where I would go in my lunch break.

Where did you stay in Perth?

Adelaide is lovely too and yes smaller.

A visa won't be likely at your age unless you're majorly cashed up.
I came on a work visa as I have multiple degrees, experience, then marriage visa, then citizenship.

Continue to save up for your holidays and visit as much as you can, because you are too old to qualify for a working visa to emigrate (I thought this was a pretty well known fact but clearly from the number of people on this thread who don’t know this, obviously not).

Autism?

Margaret River is well worth a visit, even if you don't drink wine. There is a lot to see and do, around there, the beaches are incredible for a start. We love going there for the weekend, I highly recommend going to see the stingrays at Hamelin Bay, visiting Mammoth Cave and eating out at Rustico or Morrie's (although everywhere is good!). It really isn't just a river.

why mention this

On the subject of visas for older people, I know a bloke who is older than me and he got a job in America last year for a year.

I also knwo a doctor who was aged 58 who went to work in america and so I think if yu have a skill they take you

I have to be honest and have looked at a few videos of Adelaide and it does not grab me. I think Perth is nicer. Elizabeth Quay as absolutely stunning so not sure i really want to go to Adelaide next time

The monologues and not answering questions

@Flute56 that's not true unfortunately for aus. Even for the most skilled jobs there is an age cut off.

I know this because I have had to sponsor my parents as an only child and my dad is skilled.

They would not be able to come if they did not have equal or more children living in aus.

America is not Australia and a year is not exactly moving over.

Adelaide has a very different vibe to Perth - looks different, feels different and certainly different weather. Sort of like old money and new money. In Perth I can see why Asia and the Pacific countries are becoming so strong financially - very much can do / don't stand in my way type vibe. Adelaide is known as the boring capital - it's not, it just quieter - and colder. Was there last week and it was rainy & cold - 14 C during the day. I liked both.

Margaret River area - absolutely beautiful and definitely worth the trip. Don't worry about visiting the wineries and being pressured into buying. That's not how they work. We went to 3 wine areas - McLaren Vale & Barossa outside Adelaide and Margaret River. usually you pay for a tasting (although some do offer free samples) - about $10Aus for 4-5 different wines. And absolutely no pressure to buy.

Yea, this , exactly. Or just selective answering .

Perth bus is free which is not what London buses are
That's not true. All over 60s who live in a London borough get free travel, not means tested

what i meant was in Perth you can hop on the bus whatever age you are for free and in London you have to wait until you are 60 to get the free 60 plus oyster card. In Perth I was told the bus is free. I did not have to prove my age and and besides as a tourist i would not qualify for any free bus pass for a certain age so yes I will say again, in Perth you can travel free whatever age you are on the bus but in london you only qualify for a free bus ride when you are 60

So what is your skill? (and I thought you were asking about Australia, not the USA)