Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Telly addicts

Related: Film discussion forum.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

wanted down under - these people drive me nuts.

122 replies

RaspberryCoulis · 07/01/2021 11:23

I do love watching the unrealistic people on Wanted Down Under.

Today's is classic. Mum with 4 Primary school age kids and a same-sex partner. Mum has always had a dream about living in Oz. Partner fairly meh about the whole thing.

The father of the kids appears to be very hands-on, very involved. Kids regularly expressing "missing Dad". Yet mum soldiers on with her selfish dream?

OP posts:

Wearethetwirl · 18/01/2021 20:31

@cherrypie790

I love watching it but my god it's predictable.

I can't fathom anyone wanting to rip kids away from grandparents/family support for better weather, personally. I've got 5 grandkids and it would literally break my heart not to be part of their upbringing.

It's confusing as they go to a country where they have no house, no friends, no family and often no career prospects, all for seemingly more sun and "more family time" (meaning with partner and kids only as the rest of your family are half way round the world of course).

This is why I strongly question the real motives as to why these families are going. There seems to be a whole other story that is not aired.

fairgame84 · 18/01/2021 20:38

They always want a large house with a pool and bbq area close to the beach. They always always overestimate how much their uk house is worth. The estate agent valuations are always a shocker to them.

Cordial11 · 18/01/2021 20:42

I love love love WDU and I am a pom who moved to Perth.

It honestly frustrates me so much that the families think a two up two down in north UK worth 150k will get them a mansion in Aus

Anyway, as I always say on the immigration pages , RENT for a few years, it's not wasted money as you will find a prefered area . Some of the areas they take the families in the Perth episodes are cheap for a reason !

And I know it's 'cliche' but we really do have a different lifestyle not just because of the sun

CeeceeBloomingdale · 18/01/2021 21:00

Ha ha this thread is so funny. I love WDU.

They always seem surprised that the Australia mortgage is so much more when they are comparing a 2 bedroom terrace in Bristol with a 4 bed beach house with pool. Also the fact they all talk about work/life balance and having more family time then say they can do 60 hours overtime a week to get the 4 bed beach house they've fallen in love with. The days out are always something that could be replicated in the UK.

I know someone who went on it and did emigrate. Apparently you can choose to stay on for longer and just pay for your own accommodation after the first week and they pay for the return flight. I think this means some people treat it like a free holiday.

I always laugh at the occasional relative (always female) who rather than saying we will miss you, but go for it gets all aggressive and says don't go. It is nice to see most of them actually making the move in this revisited.

Toddlerteaplease · 18/01/2021 22:29

Did today's family stay or go? I missed the end, but I did laugh when they said where they lived in the UK. It's not far from me, and property there would t buy you a huge house in Oz.

Shorthairlady · 18/01/2021 22:52

This morning's episode did make me laugh - the wife wasn't keen on going and piped up "I wonder what Narnia's like as well but it doesn't mean I want to move there". Oh how I laughed.

Wearethetwirl · 19/01/2021 11:22

@Toddlerteaplease

Did today's family stay or go? I missed the end, but I did laugh when they said where they lived in the UK. It's not far from me, and property there would t buy you a huge house in Oz.

I think if it's the family with the daughter called Adelaide they went and ended up in Australia. The father was the one who said in Oz you can go to a park and go out for a coffee!

bluetongue · 20/01/2021 10:44

I don’t get the obsession it’s the ‘outdoor lifestyle’ in Oz. I live here and spend more than half the year avoiding the sun during most of the daylight hours due to the high UV levels here. I don’t even have super fair skin or red hair. Despair this, I still have age spots on my face in my 40’s from sun damage.

I’ve always been the opposite. Obsessed with the UK and all things British. Plus I’d love to live somewhere cooler and less sunny.

bluetongue · 20/01/2021 10:45

Oh and I couldn’t imagine anything worse than owning a house with a pool. Maintaining a house is bad enough! Plus if you a baby or small children they are a real danger, even with safety fences etc.

foxhat · 20/01/2021 11:04

I'd love to watch a version Wanted Down Under: the real reason I'm leaving. Episodes could include "my hubby slept with my sister and she lives on my street" or "my in laws are loud and over bearing and I want to escape those life suckers" or "I am actually clinically depressed and hope moving to somewhere sunnier will do more than my anti depressants currently are".

I think that would be fascinating Dr Freudyface. My sister moved. She and her OH seemed to have convinced themselves that the stresses of a very senior job did not apply there. They moved and then surprisingly (!) discovered that the politics for a job where you earn 80K plus here are in fact the same there. They have a house the same size as here and none of the family can afford to visit them. They can't leave as their eldest has now left home and will not move back here and they don't want to disrupt the youngest education Besides which if they came back their children would not be able to attend uni as they'd have to be considered overseas students which is prohibitive. As far as I can tell they've gained nothing unless their real motivation was to ensure that they are not part of the UK family's life in any meaningful sense and the cousins don't feel like they know each other (unlike the cousins in this country who have very solid relationships). I think the lies perpetuated about emigration are really sad TBH and many people who fall for them pay the price.

BowlerHatPowerHat · 20/01/2021 11:15

What's with the trend in Aussie houses for the en-suite open to the bedroom? Weird.
Loving this series - all the families seem really nice.

Standrewsschool · 20/01/2021 11:39

Jordon is absolutely lovely. It’s a real shame he can’t get a job with wildlife - he has a real passion for it.

Cruddles · 20/01/2021 15:52

As an Aussie who's lived half my adult life in Australia and half in the UK, where i am now, give me UK for work life balance: much less hours, much more holiday leave, much better commute. I know that's not the same for everyone but Australia is not a utopia because it's hotter. As someone mentioned above, forget going out in the middle of the day on the hotter months, unbearable.

SusannaSpider · 21/01/2021 09:50

I can understand the outdoor lifestyle comments. Some of us just don't cope well with the cold and damp. I live in the northern British Isles and barely go outside for about 5/6mths of the year. I can't stand the cold and wet, no matter how I wrap up. My car heating is 24⁰C as is the house. I can can cope quite happily with temps up to 35⁰C. I love hill walking and being outside and the last heatwave was fabulous, just knowing that you can go out everyday. I just feel I'm missing out on so much for so many months of the year, I dread winter.

That said I wouldn't move to Australia. I've had my eye on San Diego for a long time, but that's just a pipe dream and I married a redhead who can't cope with the heat and sun!

Toddlerteaplease · 21/01/2021 11:28

Today's family just need to
Reduce their hours at work!

Daydreamsinglorioustechnicolor · 22/01/2021 08:08

I get annoyed at this programme too. Same reasons as everyone else. Most annoying is that no one ever tries to make a lifestyle change here first. Change of job, change of location within the UK.... oh no, off we go to the other side of the world.
And it is totally unfair to take grandkids off to the other side of the world. Especially when they have been heavily involved in the upbringing, or when there are elderly parents who might need care or help as they get older. So selfish.

lovelemoncurd · 22/01/2021 08:13

I once new a family that went on that programme. Young couple 4 boys. He was a bricklayer and had been out of work in about 2005. Anyway their grandma used to do all the school runs etc. She loved the boys. They went on the programme then moved to Australia. I still see the grandma shopping and it makes me sad every time.

The dad did find lots of work though and my eldest still facebooks one of the boys. She's 21 now. He is an amazing surfer.

Cordial11 · 22/01/2021 10:38

Comments re cleaning a pool, it is honestly hardly any work just keep the cover on. Top chemicals up once a month and quick scoop at the weekend , done

Cruddles · 22/01/2021 11:22

@lovelemoncurd in my opinion if you're a trades person you're better off work wise in Australia, if you're a white collar professional then the UK is better. I can imagine the bricklayer would have done alright there

MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously · 22/01/2021 11:37

Excellent summary sprout.
People forget that when you move abroad it's the same shit, different location - you still have to go to work and do the school run, only you are doing it without your support network and friends!
My brother married an American woman and lives in California - they don't spend every day at the beach. They spend every day getting the kids to childcare so they can go to work. I haven't seen my one year old nephew due to Covid and not being able to travel - not seeing family is the reality and that's hard.
Australia is even further away - most people aren't going to spend thousands of pounds traveling to see people who chose to move away.
The two families I know who moved to NZ both moved back because life isn't perfect abroad any more than it is here and people underestimate how much they miss their families.

Toddlerteaplease · 22/01/2021 16:49

My BIL's sister and her family live in Oz, also close to the beach. But they rarely go to it. The mum also had a horrendous commute into the city centre.

okstretch · 22/01/2021 20:45

I'm sure there was one family years ago who decided after their visit down under that they could make changes at home to improve their quality of life.

I can't remember exactly what they did, but I think the obvious things like changed jobs, moved to a smaller, cheaper house and made an effort to go out with the children at weekends etc.

Very sensible of them. I don't remember hearing about others who stay in the UK making changes like that but I haven't watched for a long time.

SusannaSpider · 22/01/2021 21:07

when there are elderly parents who might need care or help as they get older. So selfish

We moved to a different more isolated part of the British Isles, so won't be there for our parents. Ok, not 24hrs away, but still, you don't give birth in order to have care in your old age.

We also live 5mins from the beach, but rarely go for most of the year, but that is more to do with the gales and horizontal rain.

bluetongue · 23/01/2021 07:27

@Daydreamsinglorioustechnicolor

I get annoyed at this programme too. Same reasons as everyone else. Most annoying is that no one ever tries to make a lifestyle change here first. Change of job, change of location within the UK.... oh no, off we go to the other side of the world. And it is totally unfair to take grandkids off to the other side of the world. Especially when they have been heavily involved in the upbringing, or when there are elderly parents who might need care or help as they get older. So selfish.

Personally I think it’s selfish of parents to expect their children to live close to them forever just so they can take care of them when they’re older. Shouldn’t you want your children to spread their wings and live their own lives?

I’m not going to have children so will have to survive in my old age without help from any children.

bluetongue · 23/01/2021 07:36

One Aussie thing I’ll never get is ‘cooling off at the beach’ on super hot days. What is wrong with people? The only thing I’ll be doing during a heatwave is staying inside and watching TV. In my opinion Australian beaches are much better in winter

I am Australian so I think it’s okay for me criticise. Sometimes I really feel like I don’t belong here. Give me the UK any day (not during the pandemic obviously.)

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Swipe left for the next trending thread