Please can I have your HONEST opinions on Australia

[gem1981]

Hi

Hubbie and I are looking quite seriously into moving abroad

DH lived overseas (mainly the middle east) when he was growing up as his dad travelled alot with his job.

He has alsways had ambitions to move away from the UK and we have looked at the options and decided that Australia is probably our best option.

we want to move for the following reasons:

1)Better quality fo life for our DCs
2)more relaxed way of life
f3)ed up of being fleeced for every penny we earn in taxes by the UK

I suppose what I want to know is how realistic are we being in thinking that moving to Australia is going to give us this type of lifestyle or is it just a pipedream?

I would love to hear all experiences good and bad.

If you have emigrated there do you have any regrets?
Thanks

actually, have just spotted the time - MUST go to bed now as have a client in the morning - eep! But hope that some nice kind people will post answers for me while I am sleeping and forgive me for not replying.

ooh, X post - thanks eidsvold - can't afford extra seat - can we take own carrycot, do you know?

Book a bassinet, who are you flying with?

dunno yet, BA/Qantas probably, but maybe JAL or Singapore Airlines, possibly even Cathay Pacific or Virgin. DH has ishoos about the cheaper carriers so it depends on who has the best deals out of those above.

Big recommendation for Singapore airlines - brilliant. WOuld not fly JAL simply because it is a longer flight than singapore.

Singapore - most direct flight.

Others have used emirates or etihad - usually 3 x 7 hour flights.

yes but JAL has advantage of free overnight stay on return - DH has used them and likes them. Wouldn't do the 3-leg journey. He really hates flying, bless him.

Singapore has the bigger seat pitch too. to me - having travelled with dd1 twice to aus and back - I would do singapore the unsettled nature of an overnight stay would not work with her.

Better to get on the plane - do leg to singapore ( about 13 hours from UK,and then a short stop over and then about 8 hours flying time to Brisbane. Usually huge packed plane to Singapore and then the plane splits and you all go off and catch your connections to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane etc.

Singapore also give you a bigger baggage allowance if you are emigrating!

Another vote for Singapore Air from me. The hosties are just lovely with babies. I found the BA/Qantas ones couldn't really give a t*ss about babies. Not flown with JAL although DH has. I know he liked them but he was flying on his own then, not with the ghastlyness of wife/babies etc.

I agree with Eidsvold about just gritting ones teeth and getting on with it all in one go. Then you can get there, relax and hand your ds over to a grateful grandparent whilst you go and sleep for 24 hrs

Thumbwitch, the age of mums depends very much on the area. In the outer, ummmm, less economically successful suburbs, you would find a lot of 22-year-old mums, but in the inner city suburbs, housing is so expensive that they are restricted to two-income couples with excellent jobs so people tend to put off having families until they are well into their thirties or even forties. Do you know exactly where you are going to live yet?

Your DS can go in the flip-down sky cot until he reaches 11.2 or 12kg (depending on the airline). Try to find out the quietest day of the week to arrive (definitely not Monday - it might be Sunday) and if there are vacant seats the airline will try to block the seat beside you so you get a spare.

vote for Singapore and Cathay but under no circumstances would I ever fly Korean again or recommend it.

PMSL @ melbournemum ...

Oh, what, you mean it? You don't want me to come round? Oh, right. Ok.

FWIW - The most racist and sexist git I have ever ever met in my whole life was in New Zealand. He was from Isleworth, Middlesex. Just thought I would share that with you all. He was planning to join the New Zealand National Front Party . He made me feel embarrassed to be British.
But there you go.

I am leaving this thread now ... it has both amused me, and pissed me off.

Forgot to say, most airlines will give young families priority on the bulkhead seats, but the armrests are fixed so DS wouldn't be able to flip it up and lie across two seats to sleep.

I am gobsmacked at the idea of an immigrant joining the National Front, or even the absurdity of a NZ National Front. Shouldn't it be in their charter that they should all return to their ancestral European homes and leave NZ for the Maoris?

Exactly 9dragons ... I try very hard not to judge people on their politics (I don't discuss politics as a rule) but when this -tosser lager lout twat man sat in my living room and told us in his booming mutated Sarf London crossed with New Zealand accent that he disagreed with the fact his son was being made to learn Maori at school and he was thinking of joining the NZNF, I sat there looking like this , and DH asked him to leave. His (kiwi) wife sheepishly apologised in a 'what's he like?' kind of way but we never ever saw them again.

wow ghosty am now a little bit in love with your DH for getting the bloke to leave.

DD was born in Isleworth. I am ashamed for it! what a loser

My MIL gets a little "old fashioned" about learning Maori at school. I taught ds to tell her her food was excellent in Maori and to sing a goodbye song in Maori. Just my little protest.

Omg, I feel like I'm in bizarro world reading this thread! Most of the negative comments about Oz are exactly the complaints I would make about England. I grew up in Sydney, live in Canberra now but did my masters in London. Now I know that London probably isn't representative of UK, just as my experience here isn't representative of everywhere in Australia but...

Racist: I have heard way more racist comments by english people than I ever have here. Now, I have lived in cities only here and work in a university but the english people I heard making racist comments were also students, so exactly the same sort of group.

Sexism: haven't really noticed much difference. Have had english men condescend to me, but the same with australian - I think this happens to me more than other people even because I am very short. I did find that english culture was way more sexualised and that girls were more openly promiscuous (have never been told by a casual australian acquaintance that she 'pulled' last night). I'm not sure what to make of that.

Rude: I was left reeling by the rudeness and aggression of Londoners. Couldn't believe the way people bumped and knocked me on the street. I spent two months on crutches and no one ever ever offered me a seat on the bus. I found it hilarious after I got over my shock and got very good at asking people to stand up for me (maybe they thought rude aussie???). I would never live in London again because it is just too stressful.

20 years behind/no culture: Don't get this at all. I used to follow the culture scene quite closely before ds and couldn't see a huge difference. I must say I did find that attitude and education at UCL, where I was studying, seemed very old fashioned and conservative to me. I don't actually think this is necessarily a problem (could probably do with a bit more of it here) but it did surprise me.

Climate: Yes, if it does actually get cold in Sydney then it can feel cold inside because not everyone has heating. I've noticed this myself since living in Canberra where it does actually get cold in winter so most people do have proper heating. But you can always get heating. And it is far less awful than a stinking hot summer in London where there is no where cool to go, the air con that is around stops working and all the fridges in the shops break...

Fruit and veg: ???? huh??? I did actually notice that you had a wider range in shops but that is because it is all imported and out of season!!! This seemed to be a big problem for a lot of people, from the number of articles in the Guardian about it at the time. Maybe our way is not so bad.

Gem, I think you mentioned you were interested in Canberra? Canberra has a bit of bad reputation for being boring in Oz. I really love it - easy to get around, fresh air, friendly people, great for kids. Small town benefits but more of a city culture/feeling (if that makes sense). No beach, which I miss a lot. It has a transient population, so maybe easier for making friends? I find that a bit sad though, because people you make friends with then move away.

I see the conversation has moved on a bit since I wrote my rant a couple of hours ago.

Thumbwitch, most of the first time mums I meet seem to be in their early 30s, although I think there is starting to be a trend for middle-class women in their mid twenties to start having children. I had ds 2 years ago when I was 28 and my school friends are only starting to have babies or think about it now.

I do miss my school friends too, even though they are only three hours drive away... new friendships are never as relaxed.

Hello Everyone. I bit late to the party but as I emigrated to the Sydney area with my Oz DH at the end of last year (when 6 months pregnant) thought I would add my thoughts to the mix:-

1. Reiterate the fact that whatever problems or issues you may have in the UK you will no doubt have them here...I am amazed at the number of people back in the UK who think that just because the sunshines and we live at the beach we must be happy ALL the time.

1. However, those same issues or problems are often put into perspective by a glorious day at the beach in the sunshine.

1. I had a very close group of girlfriends in London (and across the UK from school/university) and am a bit of a girls girl...being away from such a strong network of friends can put pressure on your relationship with your DH as - for a while - he is the only friend you have and in my experience he therefore becomes the source of all fun and whipping post for the opposite of all things fun. I mention this as was fairly realistic about what things would be like moving to new country when pregnant for first time and leaving pretty full on job to be a SAHM but didn't factor in having to count on DH for ALL social interactions etc for a little bit.

1. Am surprised by the comments on the post about the friendliness of lack of therein amongst Australians. I have found that people are generally just as friendly if not slightly more so that back home in the UK. I am gradually beginning to make friends, a couple of which I think/hope will become good friends but you have to be realistic. It takes time and effort to make proper friends and there is no fast tracking it - again although this isn't rocket science I kind of forgot just how slow the process is (I am kind of impatient). If you are a bit socially lazy having been previously surrounded by fabulous "planners" who were always organising dinner parties, drinks etc, it can also be a bit of a pain to ALWAYS have to be the one to initiate things at the beginning but hopefully will pay off in the end.

1. Agree with all posts about lots of free things to do for young children - I also think that Australia is more 'child-friendly' than the UK in terms of making prams/babies etc feel welcome in shops, cafes, restaurants etc

1. Jury's out on the sexist/racist points as need to ponder/experience a little more before throwing my hat in the ring. We are in a pretty affluent area of Northern Beaches (Sydney) and I do worry about brining up DS in a fairly non culturally diverse area. Also attitude to Aboriginals by the 'older' generation is pretty but am hoping this is an education type thing! Sydney itself though is a bit of a melting pot though (can't speak for other areas).

1. When you are having a shit day it is very tempting (I have done this loads so not being holier than though) to say "I hate '*ing Australia/Australians and this would all be so much better in London"....but it is usually just a shit day that would be shit anywhere.

1. Work life balance in Sydney is better than in London (not sure about rest of UK)

1. God I have gone on a bit haven't I...Net net, do your homework, visit, be realistic, throw yourself into things, don't expect to settle in and make friends instantly, and remember you can always go home if you don't like it!

Good luck with you reccie over here and hope you make the best decision for you and your family.

pS. WHOLLY agree the tele is shite - they have re-runs of Benny Hill in the afternoon on one of the main channels...I rest my case. I am a bit of a grandma listener to Radio 4 constantly on my internet radios to satisfy need for current affairs/global news and errr

That the television is beyond crap is the one point on which you are going to get total agreement. You really have to see it to believe it.

I agree ninedragons, although I got used to it and missed all the CSI and advert breaks. The banana boat advert used to crack me up and I love the advocado advert - 'have an avo'. The news is quite insular but I really enjoyed the upbeat 'and finally' pieces it made me feel better. The old man that whacked a burgular with his slipper etc great fun stories!!

do they still have the hour long idents?
That used to crack me up
a lot