Some questions for Aussies

*2000 sq ft.*

Oh drox, metric please

 

Wrong - off by a factor of 10.

I am pretty good with a lot of common unit conversions without needing to look up since I had to adjust when I first came to U.S.

EDIT: can't help but correct one more thing now that I see it. An inch is *not* a good approximation of a centimeter (1 in. = 2.54 cm), however, one yard is close enough to a meter (good observation).

 

I'm not Aussie or been to Australia but have dated two Aussies and they said in general it feels very similar to the US, or at least CA, in terms of weather and attitudes.

 

This is a great thread for me, since rite now I am in the middle of planning the Aussie trip that I was supposed to take earlier this past summer

 

I believe you entered *200* in the sq ft box.

 

So when do you plan on going?

 

~ December

 

A few things.


Australia is a great place to live. A good climate, we have pretty much every extreme you can want, a good health and education system.

Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia to live in. It is by far and away the best city though. If you looking to live somehwere that nice and cost effective you should look towards the Gold Coast and South East Queensland in general.

The givernment isnt worth getting worried about. They do their job, they run the country. We are a lot more relaxed about politics in Australia then you seem to be in the UK. There isnt a never ending war between people that vaote either way. For the most part, Aussies just couldnt give a stuff.

Cultural and racial issue are interesting because like the United States, Australia is basically a country that was populated by immigrants. In Australia we are pretty laid back about race relations and you couldnt even compare us to the U.S. I would say its probably a bit similar to the UK over here. Every so often you'll see something small on the news but overall I'd say the culture in Australia in regards to race relation is better then you'll find anhywhere else in the world.

Crime in the big cities I guess is like crime anywhere else in the world. There are bad areas of any city, but for the most part crime isnt bad. If your smart and you dont go looking for it, you'll be fine.

The Weather is good. It can get VERY hot depending on where you live. You need airconditioning.

Natural disaster are not that bad in Australia. We do have Earthquakes but they dont do nearly as much damage as they do in other countries. In my lifetime there had been one bad Earthquake in Newcastle.

You get Cyclones up north. In Sydney we tend to get some pretty bad storms but nothing terrible that you would have to factor into moving here.

If you live in the outskirts of the city you might want to remember that we do get bushfires in Australia that at times can get pretty bad.


Aside from that just remember to be laid back, have fun, wear sunscreen and....make sure you start following the NRL. You must have an NRL team.

 

Good summary by Christopher. Except, you do not need an NRL (Rugby) team, you need to follow Aussie rules which is THE most popular winter sport in Australia.

The cost of reasonable house varies drastically with location. I live in Perth, which is relatively cheap compared to Sydney, but a good house in a good suburb in Perth will set you back USD 500 - 600. Anything close to the river/beach or with views will be $1million ++

Lifestyle is great. My company has dozens of US expats down here all the time and a decent proportion of them end up immigrating. Perth has great weather, manageable traffic, great beaches and river, all in all an excellent outdoor lifestyle. The only thing not nearby is snowskiing.

Violent crime is fairly low here, but theft and break-ins are high.

Tax rates a re fairly high. Once you earn over A$60,000 it is 42% and over 90,000 it is 47%!

Race issues are moderate to low. Australia has a similar indigenous situation with Aborigines as the USA has with Native Americans.

Medical system is as good as anywhere. If you have private insurance it is great, but if you rely on the social system you may have to wait a long time for non-essential surgery (but it would be very cheap)!

I personally have no problem with our Government, who I beleive have done an outstanding job of late. There is a bit of anti Bush/Anti American/Anti incumbent Govt. feeling, which I attribute to Australians inherent Tall Poppy Syndrome. In America, if someone is successful, everyone wants to be like that person and strives to be so. In Australia, we try to find fault and tear them down.

Natura disasters are not really an issue in the main population centres. As Christopher said, they have cyclones (Hurricanes) in the far north but not a concern for Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane etc. Bushfires are a problem, but mostly out of the cities.

For mine the worst things about living in Australia are its isolation - it is costly and takes time to get to Europe and North America.

Hope this helps.

 

Let me start by saying im from Perth on the West Coast of Australia.

The weather is brilliant especially around this time of the year. During winter you are looking at the temp being around 18 degrees every day and in summer it sits in the mid to high 30's. Perth has some of the best beaches in Australia as well as the best women

Some of the major advantages of living in Perth is the cost of living compared to the rest of Australia. Melbourne and Sydney are the major locations most tourists head to and that would have more of an "American" feel to them. Perth is more laid back with more predictable weather.

In regards to racial issues in Australia, Like anywhere you will find that it can pop it's head up but with Australia being such a multicultural country it's not as bad as you would find in other places.

Real estate in Perth is much cheaper than the Sydney or Melbourne and you will find a lot of people from these states often move to Perth or Brisbane just because of the cost of living. Dare say living in Brisbane or Perth would be much cheaper than living in the US. If you want to check out rough figures for houses and what would be on offer check out www.realestate.com.au

Worst thing about Australia is the lack of NBA coverage

Honestly I wouldn't live anywhere else and this will be the place I bring up my kids.

 

I live in Melbourne, where land is cheap at the moment. But the 'experts' are predicting it'll all change very soon.

To me, (and I'm biased) but Melbourne is the best place to live. People complain about our weather, it can change four times in a matter of hours. But aesthetically, it's the nicest place to live (out of the big cities).
I find Sydney far too big and crowded, the streets are very narrow and there doesn't seem to be much greenery. Great place to holiday though, but I personally couldn't live their.
Crime in Melbourne differs from where you go. I have no problem walking through the CBD at 3am with a group of friends, but there are some places I wouldn't go at 3PM. You just have to know where and where not to go.

Racial issues pop up from time to time, mostly concerning Aboriginals. But more recently Muslims. But in general people get along here. In Melbourne we've embraced multicultralism, we've got the largest Greek population outside Greece.

As Christopher said, we don't really take our Government too seriously. They do their job, and we let them go. It seems the two major parties (Labor and Liberal) are actually getting closer together, rather than moving apart from their views.

Disasters. Besides the Newcastle earthquake, which was about 12 years ago or so, nothing much has happened. Sydney get alot of bad storms, and Melbourne and Brisbane have had their fair share, but nothing compared to Katrina. The tropics (Darwin, Cairns, etc..) get cyclones over Summer, that's about the worst of it.

We've got some pretty good research labs and facilities for medicine. Unfourtunately because of the low pay the scientists get, most work overseas (mostly to Europe). I know for a fact Melbourne has problems with hospital overcrowding and long waiting lists.

Crappy things. TV and films. There have been two really good Aussie films in the last few years- Chopper and The Proposition. The problem is we just don't get any funding for it, and the writers really really suck (I'm a screenwriter, so I see it first hand). Basically our government gave away all our art and culture in the Free Trade Agreement.
Also Australia is very isolated from the rest of the world, it takes a long time to go anywhere overseas. Except New Zealand and parts of South Asia.

Best place to live in Australia is Melbourne. A big city without the cramped feeling of Sydney. I have to say I do like Sydney, but I don't think I could live there. Plus Melbourne is much cleaner, but it doesn't have to icons that Sydney does.

Best thing about Australia is that everyone (well, nearly everyone) is so nice. I have no problem talking to a stranger on the street. There's a real nice laid back attitude wherever you go. Oh, and Yahoo Serious!


Hope it helped.

 

I hear the Cane Toads are like mosquitoes down there...





Also, gravity is reversed in Australia - water flows up etc. - so that's something to keep in mind.

 

yeah, remember to pack some lead weighted shoes

 

Any reason why you're doing it in december??? I heard springtime which is their september is the best time of year.

 

Well the timing is just out of convenience for my own schedule now.....but I intend to visit all over the country, so at least it will be nice and warm in Melbourne/Adelaide by December....

 

I have some other questions for Aussies:

1) Where are the hottest chicks in Aussie land?
2) Where are the hottest beaches in Aussie land?
3) WHere is the easiest place to get laid in Aussie land?
4) Why do you have funny accents?
5) Are Aussies prone to violence, due to your ancestory?
6) How can I meet an Aborogine?
7) If I get on a plane from Australia to Los Angeles, will it crash on a remote island?
8) Can silencers be used in Aussie land? How strict are your weapons laws?
Brass knuckles?

I am bound to have more questions, but I cannot remember now.