The true cost of expat living in Australia

ruggedtoast

Generali wrote: »

That's a bit harsh. There's plenty of culture in Aus although admittedly mostly in the yoghurt aisle of the supermarket.

My wife grew up in Adelaide until her parents eventually decided it wasnt for them and moved back to the UK. Her mum never got over people going to the supermarket in their pyjamas, she thought it was like the collapse of civilisation.

I never thought much about it until we were in a queue in a department store in Bali and there were some Australian women in front of us, one in her pyjamas, the other one with her dress all undone at the back showing off her bra plus some other uncontained bits and bobs.

My wife tapped the undone one on the shoulder and whispered to her that her dress was undone.

"It doesn't do up." Said the woman grumpily and loudly. "I'm just fat." And went back to her pyjama attired buddy.

chewmylegoff

Generali wrote: »

That's a bit harsh. There's plenty of culture in Aus although admittedly mostly in the yoghurt aisle of the supermarket.

I refer you to Stewart Lee's "emigrants" sketch:

What do you mean by quality of life? Is there any culture there?

No Stew. It's like being dead.

Kennyboy66

ruggedtoast wrote: »

My wife grew up in Adelaide until her parents eventually decided it wasnt for them and moved back to the UK. Her mum never got over people going to the supermarket in their pyjamas, she thought it was like the collapse of civilisation.

.

An everyday sight in Liverpool - often complete with hair in rollers (the jumbo blue ones).

Rollers have taken over from the ceramic hair straighteners this year.

vivatifosi

PasturesNew wrote: »

Back in the 70s my dad toyed with the idea of us being £10 Poms. It was a 6 week boat trip back then ... and if you wanted to phone Aus you had to speak to the Operator and book a time/date for the call, then at that time/date you picked up your phone and got through to the Operator, who then connected you.

I was a £10 pom and lived in Melbourne. Well, strictly speaking I was a £0 pom as the kids went free. 6 weeks by ship there due to closure of the Suez Canal. I loved it though and have never forgiven my parents for moving back:o. Beach one way, Dandenongs the other way. Swimming in the creeks if we didn't fancy going the few miles to the beach. Lovely. Plus you haven't lived until you've heard God's orchestra playing bl**dy loudly on a tin roof. But we had to move back for the very reason Pastures stated.

On the subject of pyjamas, every year we'd bundle into the car in our pyjamas (well the kids anyway) and go to the Boulevard in Ivanhoe to see the lights before being taken to a drive in movie. Can't do that here. Bah humbug.

property.advert

I've been an expat a few times and will do so again before I finish and not doing so in Oz will always seem a missed opportunity.

I've spent enough time there to know I can get on with it and I've lived in better and worse climates without nuisance but when you dissect a working life, a working year perhaps, once you've gone through all the bills and drudgery of daily life, you have the holiday times, the pleasure zones.

So where you live 50 weeks of the year dreaming about the 2 weeks of freedom you get or the once in a lifetime longer vacation to Oz or other far flung destination, you have the chance to live a decent part of that dream every day, if you can handle it.

Some folk cannot handle living in warmth or with sun all the time. Many more can't work in it either. Yet friends and family should not hold you back because it could be the making of you and even if not, there cannot be a sane person who would actually choose to have half the year or more spent in a cold, windy, wet climate that is the UK when the beach and sunshine were an option.

ruggedtoast

property.advert wrote: »

I've been an expat a few times and will do so again before I finish and not doing so in Oz will always seem a missed opportunity.

I've spent enough time there to know I can get on with it and I've lived in better and worse climates without nuisance but when you dissect a working life, a working year perhaps, once you've gone through all the bills and drudgery of daily life, you have the holiday times, the pleasure zones.

So where you live 50 weeks of the year dreaming about the 2 weeks of freedom you get or the once in a lifetime longer vacation to Oz or other far flung destination, you have the chance to live a decent part of that dream every day, if you can handle it.

Some folk cannot handle living in warmth or with sun all the time. Many more can't work in it either. Yet friends and family should not hold you back because it could be the making of you and even if not, there cannot be a sane person who would actually choose to have half the year or more spent in a cold, windy, wet climate that is the UK when the beach and sunshine were an option.

I've travelled a lot but and in general I think there is more to choosing a place to live than whether it has a beach or not.

bendix

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I've travelled a lot but and in general I think there is more to choosing a place to live than whether it has a beach or not.

Ditto the weather generally. I have had a wandering career simply because that is what I wanted - a few years here, a few years there. Some of it in sunny beach-side places; some in hot and steamy Asian cities, some in mega financial centres.

My driver has been the desire to retire at 50, excitement and a general penchant for moving on and around Asia.

lostinrates

property.advert wrote: »

there cannot be a sane person who would actually choose to have half the year or more spent in a cold, windy, wet climate that is the UK when the beach and sunshine were an option.

perhaps its because heat and beaches were part of my childhood that they hold little allure for me.....

DH and I both actively chose England, and Europe, on more than one occasion. Now that its time for rview we find one of the main reasons to reconsider is not beaches or heat (they don't feature that much in the places we have options in ATM) but opportunity and frnakly, finance. We're in no rush to leave here at all, but being narrow visioned about elsewhere is rather self defeating.

jungle_jane

property.advert wrote: »

there cannot be a sane person who would actually choose to have half the year or more spent in a cold, windy, wet climate that is the UK when the beach and sunshine were an option.

I do. And I would like to think that I am sane.

I loathe the warm climates - having lived in Australia, Southern Africa and South America for 30 years that view has never changed. I like the English climate. I don't like the beach either - I prefer to spend my spare time in the pub watching football.

I think that I now live in paradise - a nice place in the wet English countryside and a nasty commute in to London to earn the best money I possibly can.

Not everyone enjoys sun, sea and sand believe it or not!