Hi sachkrimbo,
This has been asked before and you can find out previous responses by using the search facilty
You are right about whether you are moving from one rat race to another so things to think about (and you've probably done this already):
* family support - how close are you to your family (how much will you miss them)
* money - have you worked out your budgets for Oz (you don't want to be worse off financially than where you are now)
* weather - although jobs are important make sure you choose the kind of weather you like since the temperatures vary a lot here
* work out the lifestyle you want here
We don't have children but we did think about all the above. We moved to an area with real community spirit, and because we're not in a state capital, property is not that expensive here (in comparison to where we were in the UK).
We're semi-retired in our mid-40's and we're loving it here. However it will be what you make it, and the recession is hitting here too (although technically we're not in a recession as was pointed out by the government last week).
There are loads of posts on here about how people feel about Australia (the good, the bad and the.....) so have a look through and post any questions that you have and someone will be along to answer.
We moved here from the UK in July 2007 and have had no regrets.....
Regards,
Karen