Why Australia

jabaspurs · #1 (**permalink**) 21st July 2008, 07:57 PM

Hi all,

As my 1st post was a waste of time as i didn't see the "sticky's" at the top of the page i just wanted some feedback from people who have made the jump to Oz and why i should choose Australia to move too rather than stay in the UK.

Please state where you live and why you wanted to move to Oz and is it as good as it says it is in the magazine etc like the weather, lifestyle, cost of living and laid back way of life?

The more replies the better please

tcscivic12 · #2 (**permalink**) 21st July 2008, 08:10 PM

I don't live in Australia, but the reason I am choosing Australia is the different cultures compared to the USA and I like the Accents they are cool.

But most of all I have been researching and notice the different wildlife and climate is more to what I like. I know it has to be alot different and better than South Carolina, USA.

kaz101 · #3 (**permalink**) 21st July 2008, 10:35 PM

Hi,

I'm sure that this has been asked and answered before but the forum is getting so many posts (which is great

) that I can't find the thread....

We came here on holiday and loved the place, the weather, the friendly people, they spoke English (kind of

). We also already had property here which put us in a good position financially, and coming from the UK gave us a good exchange rate which meant we could leave the rat race. No more sitting in long traffic queues - it used to take my husband 2 hours to get to work and here it takes him 7 minutes walking! I know some people hate the idea of living in a small city but we love it.

Regards,
Karen

TGM · #4 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2008, 01:00 AM

Weather? well, it's winter here right now in SE Queensland and during the day it's as warm as it is in London (you'll need to wrap up a bit though in the early mornings) Other areas of Australia are colder though. It's a big country and you need to be careful where you choose to live if climate is important to you.

Oz gives us a great lifestyle, it's less crowded and a more cheerful place to live in than the UK or NZ. We earn decent money here (more than in the UK or NZ) but not every migrant has that experience - be sure not to undersell yourself.

It's fine, it really is. Once you've got over the culture shock thing and settled down into the daily routine it's fairly normal. Take your time finding a good employer and somewhere nice to live and go from there.

kaz101 · #5 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2008, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TGM

Take your time finding a good employer and somewhere nice to live and go from there.

Or if you're self-employed make sure the area is right for your business. Since we are self employed we weren't tied to moving to a particular area for employment.

Dolly · #6 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2008, 01:16 AM

This is the one that I remember posted by tygwyn 5 Reasons we live/want to live, in Australia :)

Dolly

anj1976 · #7 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2008, 05:40 AM

I guess for us these would cover it all
1. Opportunities.
2. Weather
3. Lifestyle
4. Peace of Mind
5. No traffic issues
6. No corruption, the taxes are used at the right place rather than going in the officials pockets.
7. A better future for our kids (whenever they are born

)

I guess it must be the same with most of the people. I mean, why would anyone move from their comfort zone and go on a crazy shifting spree, discarding things that you love and could not carry etc etc etc.. Afterall moving countries isn't cheap.

Tiffani · #8 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2008, 06:03 AM

For us it was a little different. My partner was offered a job down here and we thought it would be a fun adventure

We didn't do a whole lot of research or make a whole lot of effort on the front end (our immigration attorney took care of most of it) so we basically did it because we thought it'd be something cool and new to try

I've had good days and bad days (there's always going to be an adjustment period) but now the good days are far outnumbering the bad, and there are things about Australia that I much prefer to the US. The quality of life is far better here than it was back home as far as working hours and employer expectations. The down side is that it's a fair bit more expensive here than where I come from, but salaries are significantly higher too. I am missing an NC summer, which I'll never have again in Melbourne, but one day we might move up to Queensland which has a more tropical atmosphere. It's also very far from anywhere so there are no long weekends to Europe -- not that we had a lot of those anyway! -- or quick trips back home. I can't see moving back to the US any time soon, although I may retire there. It'll always be home, but Australia is a much better place to live.

jabaspurs · #9 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2008, 07:18 PM

Hi,

Thank you all for your replies and please keep them coming as your twisting my arm in to making the very long jump down under.

One thing we do have planned before we do commit is a visit first so we just have to decide on a location which is good for my job prospects (bricklayer/plaster) and my wife (admin) and schooling for out 2 daughters.

Dolly · #10 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2008, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabaspurs

Hi all,

As my 1st post was a waste of time as i didn't see the "sticky's" at the top of the page i just wanted some feedback from people who have made the jump to Oz and why i should choose Australia to move too rather than stay in the UK.

Please state where you live and why you wanted to move to Oz and is it as good as it says it is in the magazine etc like the weather, lifestyle, cost of living and laid back way of life?

The more replies the better please

Turning the tables a bit but why are you thinking of Australia?

Dolly