Has Australia lived up to your expectations?

zweton

Hey,

In general has it lived up to your expectations (if you had any) before coming over? I like it but not enough to stick around forever, apart from the good weather, better money i think i could be anywhere else in the world. I dont find the place terribly interesting or the people, im currently in sydney after being in a few other places and its all the same really.
I find the food here (in supermarkets and restaurants of poor quality and have been let down on numerous occasions in supposedly good restaurants). I also think their humour sucks compared to back home and there are alot of egos in the workplace. But maybe thats just me:)
I think id enjoy europe much more but i have no languages so may struggle plus the jobs situation is prob not the best!
Anyone experience the same and do ya think you will stick it out here long term?

Cheers

jackbhoy

It has pretty much exceeded my expectations tbh. I heard a lot of mates who came before me saying Aussie guys are all ego etc and there certainly are lots, especially with younger guys, but I work with a large team and all of them are pretty sound. I get on really well with some and would consider them some of my best mates at this stage. I find Aussies bit hardertto get to know initially but once they consider you a proper mate they'll go out of way to do anything for you.

I also really enjoy the lifestyle here. There is always something interesting to do in Melbourne, as I write this I am in the pub having a nice beer after doing a coffee brewing class in the city. I'm also much healthier since coming here, I had a vey seditary lifestyle back home but now I can go for a run or bike ride practically all year without risking hypotermia; and so many parks and nice places to go it really motivates you to get of your arse and do something...

I really didn't think id like aus as much as much I do, when I first came here in early '09 I expected to stay <1 year before moving on to states or back to Europe but as it stands I can't imagine leaving for at least a few years now...

Plug

I love it here. Im only here less than two months and would stay here for good if I could but with booms, what goes up must come down. So I wouldn't stay here if the country went tits up. As for the people, Im in Perth and find most Ozzy's quite good fun. Everyday after we clock off our jobs we can have a few beers in the workshop and Friday with a BBQ. Everyone is a good laugh, no miserable ego heads.
I've meet quite a few Ozzy's and have not one bad thing to say about them. Unless I meet a dickhead. The money is very good here as well with bonus's and stuff.

statina

It has exceeded my expectations. I came to Oz thinking Id stay a year, maybe 2 at the most and then head onto the states. Im now planning to to stay for a lot longer in Oz. The lifestyle is fantastic. I love waking up to sunny mornings for the majority of the year! Similar to Jackbhoy, I'm far more active and healthier out here than I was at home.

I find the Aussies dead on and they would do anything for you when they get to know you. Really lucky as well because I have some good friends from home out here so we're having a ball!

6ix

It has probably met my expectations to be honest.

I don't think it's that much different than what I expected, and my experiences have been largely positive. The one area that exceeded my expectations was my job prospects. I work in a niche area and I thought it might be tough to get a job in it, but it turns out there's plenty of work, and like most of the jobs here the money is better than Ireland/UK even when you factor in the increased cost of living.

Overall, having a great time, glad I came here and happy with my life...but I'll still only stay here a year or two, which is about as long as I thought I'd stay before I arrived.

Cooperspale

It's different strokes for different folks.

I didn't have huge expectations beforehand and am here for the long term.

Regarding food; I think there's a huge choice and quality in Melbourne, I get all meat, fish, veg, cheese at the markets and leave Coles for dry goods. Supermarkets go on about being good value etc but that's only if you watch the weekly specials and theyre only on certain items. I got bananas for 2$ a kilo at market today, they're $3.80 in Coles. Eating out here is mostly pretty good.

Australia is vast in area but it's population is tiny for its size; it's still a young ex British colony that had a bloody beginning.
Europe is 40something countries witH a population of 730 million and very rich in culture/food and in its long history with museums, palaces, galleries etc. There's no comparison between the two.
Ireland's proximity to Europe is fantastic for travel and not needing work permits is such a bonus. I sometimes miss this aspect but my life is now here and as the old saying goes: cattle in faraway lands have long horns

mandrake04

I'm the same only came for a year and been here nearly 8, it has well exceeded my expectations. Took a good 2 years for me to settle into it as you always feel a bit of an outsider and not really belonging but once I got over the hump of PR and I had more opportunities and found my place, enjoy the lifestyle and the travel got my blue book no more visa rubbish for me. A handful of my friends who were on the WHV with me are still here all got their residency/citizenship and couple have their own companies now its like a cycle starting again. Aussies are alright you get the odd snide c**t but in general if you are able to get on with people you will generally be accepted. I am lucky enough have a great paying job and plenty of travel, the immense geography of the place is the best bit I am on a 5 day country run around Tamworth/Gunnedah/Armidale this week back in Sydney next week and then fly to Coffs for 4 days the week after. The boss stick the work in a spreadsheet planner I book my own travel/Accommodation go do the work come back and sort out the paperwork and have no one breathing down my neck no 2 days are the same.

Cant understand the fascination with Europe was supposed to be going to Germany for training in September but its been moved to Feb next year as going to Shanghai next month to do something else, probably get a few weekends back in Ireland then should be enough to do me for another year. Apart from family I dont miss the place at all, every time I return it reconfirms that I done the right thing and cant wait to get back. It only take 3 days to get over a years worth of homesickness, I'm then good for another 2 years.

Europe is crook at the moment its like 30's and another potential war brewing, might not be a bad thing clear out some of the rot. Could be 3rd time lucky for Germans they are a well oiled economic machine who are lobbed in with a sick bunch.

The Sweeper

I love it here but I did it hard to begin with. I came over on a temporary spouse visa so didn't have the worry of WHV workers trying to move from job to job etc. On the flip side I spent a lot of time with OH's family in a rural town and frankly they're madder than a box of frogs so it was pretty miserable.

Made two good friends in the small town notwithstanding the mad family, and made two more good friends in Melbourne plus a bunch of other friends (you know the sort - you'll see them on nights out and have a blast but you wouldn't be round each others for coffee on a Sunday morning).

Then I moved up to Townsville, following OH's work and it's like a whole other side of Australia. ...wait, it IS the whole other side of Australia. I frickin love it up here. The weather has a massive amount to do with that. I love the heat and I love the sunshine and that's really all there is to it!

markymark21

Yeh this place has more then met our expectations. We originally planned to stay for one year, two tops and now we are hoping to get sponsored so we can stay longer. Two companies have already tried to sponsor us so 3rd time lucky I guess! The opportunities for making money and gaining experience are like nothing you can get any where else I reckon.

catbear

I'd had travelled the east coast as a tourist years ago and while I enjoyed the trip I wasn't greatly taken by it all, I just didn't like the high car dependency and endless sprawl so I guess my expectation weren't high to begin with.
However having moved here because of work I have tailored my lifestyle to avoid car dependency and I'm enjoying it. Long term I'm uncommitted and I'm happy to take it one day at a time here. There are aspects of australian society/culture that I find very off putting but the lifestyle benefits outweigh those quibbles for the moment.

JM Skipton

I have spent about 1/4 of the year in Australia for the past 12 years or so due to my work situation so I have seen both Ireland and Australia evolve simultaneously.I agree with a lot of what has been said above however I think Australia described by a young 20 something on their working visa is very different to an Australia described by a normal day 9 to 5er.
Very seldom do you hear of the vast soulless suburbs that are in every city in Australia, I also find that a lot of Australians assume that all their history is British and they don't seem to be interested in the other countries that were involved in their coming into being.Irish jokes especially in rural Australia are still in operation believe it or not.Although it is known as a nation of travellors I could not believe how many Aussies did not have a passport with a common attitude being "we have everything we need in Australia, why go anywhere else?"
I was shocked at how expensive it was this year and Melbourne did feel a bit like Dublin circa 2005.
Australia also has its problems with crime,gambling, debt & depression just like most modern countries but it remains my second favourite country in the world. I think it is important to give a few downsides in the interest of balance however everyone has their own individual experiences and I can only comment on mine.

jackbhoy

JM Skipton wrote: »

I have spent about 1/4 of the year in Australia for the past 12 years or so due to my work situation so I have seen both Ireland and Australia evolve simultaneously.I agree with a lot of what has been said above however I think Australia described by a young 20 something on their working visa is very different to an Australia described by a normal day 9 to 5er.
Very seldom do you hear of the vast soulless suburbs that are in every city in Australia, I also find that a lot of Australians assume that all their history is British and they don't seem to be interested in the other countries that were involved in their coming into being.Irish jokes especially in rural Australia are still in operation believe it or not.Although it is known as a nation of travellors I could not believe how many Aussies did not have a passport with a common attitude being "we have everything we need in Australia, why go anywhere else?"
I was shocked at how expensive it was this year and Melbourne did feel a bit like Dublin circa 2005.
Australia also has its problems with crime,gambling, debt & depression just like most modern countries but it remains my second favourite country in the world. I think it is important to give a few downsides in the interest of balance however everyone has their own individual experiences and I can only comment on mine.

This is all true, lots of things about Oz drive me mad (media for one) but pros have far outweighed the cons so far.

One thing I will say, all of my post above is based on living in Melbourne. I am in Brisbane at moment for weekend and given my experience so far I might have a different view on Aussies if i lived here!

zweton

Just came from Brisbane, very boring...each to their own though!

Noo

It hasn't lived up to my expectations... I expected to be homesick within a week, 6 months on and haven't once wanted to go home

No6

We are only here two weeks and still adjusting to life here, its similar in a lot of ways but quite different too, we came over one a sponsered visa for my job and within a week of me starting work my misses has landed a good job too, happy days!!

The Aussie

No6 wrote: »

We are only here two weeks.

Have you started looking into getting your Firearms License yet???

No6

But of course!! First shop I went to was the firearms dealer!! I will wait a few weeks until I find our own house to rent, we are in a house supplied by work for the first few weeks and I will be joining one of the three shooting clubs in town in the next few weeks!!