# Why Australia



## I_Love_australia

Hi Can you share what is the reason for you to consider moving to Australia? Is it better job or beaches or quality of life or any other? What triggered you to try for Australian immigration? 

For me the reason is better quality of life in terms of more time with family, lot of greenery. I visited Australia twice on work and loved this place and found people are friendly too. Want to experience the same and live here for longer time with my wife. 

Please share your thoughts. 

Thanks


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## pandora

Hi,

We're moving to Australia because we would like to offer a better future for our children. We're now living in Belgium (Yes, we are without a government AGAIN). We absolutely do not want to grow old here. Having lived in three different continents already, we feel that the quality of life in Australia will be much higher.


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## I_Love_australia

I am sure your choice is right.



pandora said:


> Hi,
> 
> We're moving to Australia because we would like to offer a better future for our children. We're now living in Belgium (Yes, we are without a government AGAIN). We absolutely do not want to grow old here. Having lived in three different continents already, we feel that the quality of life in Australia will be much higher.


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## remedy

Hi,

I didn't move yet to australia, but it is my best wish for 2011!
There are so many reasons why I would live in australia.

First of all, Australia is a huge land, it must be interisting...
Then, australians don't think the same way than french (yes I'm from Paris!). Here, people are not very kind, pleasant, friendly, especially parisians... So Australia looks like a brand new country to me 
Finally, I must confess that I love the sunny days and they're really rare here. One year in bermuda shorts and tongs: paradise! I know I'm just dreaming...


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## pandora

Bonne chance pour 2011 remedy...


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## remedy

merci et bonne chance à toi pour un nouveau gouvernement


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## Wanderer

Not that I've had to move here but it is good that people think open spaces, greenery [ in some parts, for we are a sunburnt country ] beaches , sunshine and lifestyle for we certainly have plenty of open spaces beaches and sunshine.

One mistake most Australians it seems and many immigrants too likely make is that they either always live in a city or in the case of immigrants move from a city or more populous country staright into a city/populous city in Australia and so do not give them selves much chance of seeing the huge unpopulated % of Australia until perhaps retirement when many will buy a caravan and take to the road like gypsies [ well not quite ] and get called Grey Nomads SKI [ spending kids inheritance! ].

Nearly half of Australias population live in Sydney and Melbourne and some city peoples idea of a holiday to see something of Australia is to head to the tourist mecca of the Gold Coast with high rises and theme parks whereas Australia is blessed with so many national parks and state forests for camping and hiking etc.

It does mean something of an effort, a challenge, perhaps even a risk to look at settling away from capital cities with the likelihood of less work opportunities as the main concern for most but it is not impossible and if there is a downside to Australia and its cities, real estate in them is so expensive, possibly not too different in respect to most developed countries and just like those transport can be something of a hastle whereas rural living is far better for both and you'll likely find that life costs generally can be far cheaper and you of course not only have time to smell the roses or frangipani but grow them and maybe even fruit and vegetables etc.

Australia is also somewhat renowned for lacking of culture and perhaps it is for that reason people stick closer to cities, maybe afraid of being held-up by a bushranger or a kangaroo! but though Australia is young in European and other countries settled terms, there is still culture, perhaps just different and one site I keep coming across is
Bush songs and music - Australia's Culture Portal and you'll find some great info on that site about many different things Australian.


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## I_Love_australia

This is nice info wanderer...Thanks.



Wanderer said:


> Not that I've had to move here but it is good that people think open spaces, greenery [ in some parts, for we are a sunburnt country ] beaches , sunshine and lifestyle for we certainly have plenty of open spaces beaches and sunshine.
> 
> One mistake most Australians it seems and many immigrants too likely make is that they either always live in a city or in the case of immigrants move from a city or more populous country staright into a city/populous city in Australia and so do not give them selves much chance of seeing the huge unpopulated % of Australia until perhaps retirement when many will buy a caravan and take to the road like gypsies [ well not quite ] and get called Grey Nomads SKI [ spending kids inheritance! ].
> 
> Nearly half of Australias population live in Sydney and Melbourne and some city peoples idea of a holiday to see something of Australia is to head to the tourist mecca of the Gold Coast with high rises and theme parks whereas Australia is blessed with so many national parks and state forests for camping and hiking etc.
> 
> It does mean something of an effort, a challenge, perhaps even a risk to look at settling away from capital cities with the likelihood of less work opportunities as the main concern for most but it is not impossible and if there is a downside to Australia and its cities, real estate in them is so expensive, possibly not too different in respect to most developed countries and just like those transport can be something of a hastle whereas rural living is far better for both and you'll likely find that life costs generally can be far cheaper and you of course not only have time to smell the roses or frangipani but grow them and maybe even fruit and vegetables etc.
> 
> Australia is also somewhat renowned for lacking of culture and perhaps it is for that reason people stick closer to cities, maybe afraid of being held-up by a bushranger or a kangaroo! but though Australia is young in European and other countries settled terms, there is still culture, perhaps just different and one site I keep coming across is
> Bush songs and music - Australia's Culture Portal and you'll find some great info on that site about many different things Australian.


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## pandora

Thanks Wanderer for the link. I have been doing a lot of research about Australian history and culture ever since my hubby decided we should move down under. Having lived in California for 12 years, I know about beautiful beaches and all those theme parks. I know the Australian beaches are more beautiful. I also know about the sharks. Australia is HUGE and there is so much to explore. We did take a small trip last summer with the children. Although, we only stayed in the Brisbane area, we also discovered the Gold Coast and had to do the theme parks (to keep the children entertained). We also went to the Australia Zoo, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Strawberry fields as well as Mount Cootha and the botanical gardens. I know I will miss certain things about Europe and being so far way from the rest of the world (especially my parents), but I know that in the long run, the future of our children is more important. Keeping my fingers crossed for my Spouse Visa to be approved soon so I can start planning and organising.


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## Wanderer

pandora said:


> Thanks Wanderer for the link. I have been doing a lot of research about Australian history and culture ever since my hubby decided we should move down under. Having lived in California for 12 years, I know about beautiful beaches and all those theme parks. I know the Australian beaches are more beautiful. I also know about the sharks. Australia is HUGE and there is so much to explore. We did take a small trip last summer with the children. Although, we only stayed in the Brisbane area, we also discovered the Gold Coast and had to do the theme parks (to keep the children entertained). We also went to the Australia Zoo, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Strawberry fields as well as Mount Cootha and the botanical gardens. I know I will miss certain things about Europe and being so far way from the rest of the world (especially my parents), but I know that in the long run, the future of our children is more important. Keeping my fingers crossed for my Spouse Visa to be approved soon so I can start planning and organising.


You always hear about the Sharks, Crocs, Snakes and Spiders etc., but 99.9% of the population rarely come into contact with stuff like that other than in nature parks or Zoos etc. unless you do live in places where you may be more likely to and so you develop some understanding of being sensible about it.
At most beach locations where it's warm enough for swimming, sharks about is something of a rareity for they do not really come in past the breakers and most reported attacks _[ still rather rare ]_ will involve surfers further out waiting to catch a wave, divers or people going for a swim in the murkier canal waters such as at the Gold Coast and the canals and rivers are a good habitat for Bull sharks which can be agressive.
People have been taken when going for a swim at night and you'd never get me doing that other than in a pool.

Further north in tropical areas you can get smaller black tip reef sharks that'll cruise about in close to shores at islands with fringing reefs but they're basically harmless.

Snakes are usually a bush thing and so you wear suitable clothing and walk heavy and snakes _[ and I've been close to plenty ]_ will want to keep away from you given half a chance.


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## pandora

What about the box jellyfish. There was an 10 year old Australian girl who recently survived, although she has scars on her legs, she is doing pretty well. I prefer swimming pools anyway.

And what about the crocs. One even got in a swimming pool right before some women were about to start their Aqua Gym class. Of course, the croc was eventually taken out and the women just jumped in pool ready for their class.


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## Wanderer

pandora said:


> What about the box jellyfish. There was an 10 year old Australian girl who recently survived, although she has scars on her legs, she is doing pretty well. I prefer swimming pools anyway.
> 
> And what about the crocs. One even got in a swimming pool right before some women were about to start their Aqua Gym class. Of course, the croc was eventually taken out and the women just jumped in pool ready for their class.


Yes, there're lots of other bitey things about and I hadn't mentioned the Crocs and Jellies for they are even something more of a rareity for most people but sometimes, there are the odd and stupid events.
. A guy in Cairns was once out for a walk near a mangroves/creek environment _[ croc habitat ]_ and a croc grabbed hold of his Mastiff breed _[ extra large if you do not know of them ]_ dog and so the guy got into kicking the croc _[ he had some sturdy boots on ]_ not once that the dog got free but a second time as well to free him.
His dog ended up with 80 odd stitches but survived.
. A grandmother and her family were out camping, not real close to a waterway and in a recognised if not frequently used camping area not signposted re crocs and she was attacked while in her swag and a son had a gun there to fortunately interrupt.

And then you downright stupid tragic events like a group on a guided tour, perhaps a few having had too many drinks around a campfire and a girl decides to go into a signposted muddy waterway for a midnight dip - guten nacht forever fraulein!

What is not too commonly known is that whilst Crocs are territorial, that in itself will lead to them being big travellers as the younger ones seek their territory and before settlement, they were down to within a few hundred kilometres of Brisbane before being shot out but they have started heading further south again seeing as they're protected.
They've been found well out to sea and also well inland, a guy I bumped into once at Kunnunurra in WA NW claiming waterholes inland where he had been working on a cattle station had heaps.

Box Jellies are a seasonal problem, at least for further south and the girl was lucky for their stings are usually fatal.
Think I recall that report and she may have been an aboriginal girl and perhaps having a dip in nice crystal clear waters is commonplace for them as they probably decide when it is safe depending on tides/wind/weather etc. and that is something which can determine whether you'll have a problem further south [ still north of Brisbane ], even in the stinger season as it is referred to.

You'll often get other types of jellyfish about, the smaller blue bottles also causing a bit of a sting but not fatal and more of a burning sensation and then there're the Irukandji which are quite tiny and so hard to detect, small enough not to be kept out by netting and life savers at some beaches will in particular weather do checks with scoop nets.

And yep crocs in pools, even netted beach zones has occurred [ if only ever reported once! ] and my niece found a snake was in her swimming pool once.


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## murphylav

I have just returnec from my first visit to Australia,,, I fell in love with a wonderful man there and in love with the country. I am from Canada and in many ways our countries are similar...but yet so different. I felt an immediate sense of peace and just knew this is where I want to be. My fiance lives in one of the suburbs out side of Brisbane and the people there are so friendly and wonderful ... I can hardly wait for my daughter and I to be there and I am looking forward to the day we both become Australian citiznes. What is there NOT to love about Australia!!!!!


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## warrior808

Some might have already read my post. I'm American, but grew up in Hawai'i which is also part of the United States, but has a sightly different culture. We're a lot more laid back. I've found that Australians are even more laid back than Hawaiians. I'm make a very good living in Hawaii, but the price of housing is way too high to ever think of purchasing my own home. Not sure if you all know American dollars, but a half a million is the average cost of a home in Hawaii. Australia is also like Hawaii in other ways; beaches, diversity, environment, etc. 

Well, those are some reasons, but the biggest reason is the people. They are a lot friendlier than people from Hawaii and we are some very friendly people! I also meet the most incredible girl ever and she's from Australia. The thing is, it's not just her that is great, most of it is from her upbringing which she shares with practically everyone in the country. Her entire outlook on life. 

Well. I'm not there yet. I plan on visiting a few times first and see how things go.


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## retrolina

Hi all,

I've got extended family is Sydney and has visited there many times during my childhood. I've always loved the weather, environment and the beaches!

Since meeting my Australian boyfriend 2+ years ago, I've wanted to make the move down under permanent. So fingers crossed that our Defacto visa comes through! In that case I'll be moving to Perth in June 2011.

I'm Danish, and while we have a high living standard here, I find the taxes and weather ridiculous! Australia has always seemed much more 'accessible' in terms of having a nice life and enjoying basic things like nature and good food!

See you all in 1 year 

Eva


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## Wanderer

Though Australians [ and others ] have often regarded Australia as the lucky country, blessed with the beaches, blues skies and open space etc., there are downsides that seemingly get worse with passing years, so just a couple of major ones for people to be aware of so as they do not get too large a shock.
. Real estate prices are pretty high in most capital cities and home ownership is diminishing, Australia having in past having a high % comparative to other countries.
Adelaide, Hobart and to some extent Brisbane remain the most affordable capital cities and regional cities would be good to consider.

Reasons behind this are several and not just expanding population but perhaps also:
. inclination of people to want to live in major cities .
. taxation/investment laws which can drive demand/prices up
. governments have emphsised over years importance of higher level education and that to some extent the detriment of trades training and that can increase demand and labour rates, hence costs.

. Water supplies and Australia is hopefully emerging from what has been a lengthy drought period for many regions, the populous east coast of normally regular rainfall not excluded and hence quite a few desalination plants constructed/in construction.
They are heavy users of power and with coal fired power stations not being high in popularity unless you're in China, both water and electricity costs have risen dramatically in recent years for many consumers and that trend is likely to continue.

. On fresh food, potential is there when you have water and without it, well the prices of that goes up too - good for dieting!
And we have a government with a policy of buying back farmers irrigation water rights which ageing farmers see as a good way of funding retirement!

Just who produces or where/what we produce in the future is something that governments really need to be planning more for in addition to more diversified harvesting of water.

It is interesting to note a latest Greens policy of a high speed rail system between Melbourne to Sydney and perhap on to Brisbane and the scar on the landscape that will cause, when any talk of new dams meets stiff opposition.

So politics aside or not, Australia gets less lucky in many respects but I suppose still somewhat better than a lot of countries and far far better than many.


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## joan1

*ausralia,my dreaming place*

Ausralia,my dreaming place. Not only like the environment there,but aslo like australians. 
I own a online store ( wholesaler6ruby ) on DHgate ,and have some australia customers and friends. They are very kind and easy-going.Hope to make friends with more australians.


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## willywilly

Sexy Cute men!


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## brian_84

*Hope for a better lifestyle!*

Well, there's many reason why we want to move to Aus.
Me and my wife are seeing Aus as the best country to rise our children.
We're finding that social enviroment tends to integration in Australia, rather than in Argentina, where our society is getting intolerant day-by-day (not only with inmigrants, but with argentinians itself).
We'd like to raise our children in a society where people from different cultures respects each other, and, in addition, there's a more egalitarian redistrbution of incomes.
On my side, as I'm a professional social worker, I'd like to know how welfare politics work in Australia, as (as well as in other countries like Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, etc.) many of australian public services are better than private.
Not to tell that's a beautifull country with many places to know.
Well, we'll keep on pursuing our dream....
We want to move to Australia in the next 2/3 years.
Right now it's time to prepare....
Cheers!


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## Eric Oz

I want my children to discover another country, open minded and multi cultural.

For that, Australia is perfect and I hope to be granted my visa to go to Adelaide (yes I am French, so wines are important !).

cheers


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## Andrews

Definitely, Australia is rated extremely high in the list for standards of living. Few countries rate higher..Also compared to other first world countries has a very healthy environment, although this has diminished in Sydney and Melbourne... 

And ofcourse,Well paid jobs. Jobs are one of the hihgest earnings in the world, people are generally paid very evenly, high paid jobs are usually related to the mining sector. Compared to the US, management are paid lower salaries and a focus on worker satisfaction has been prominent in Aussie history. Australian employers often make little distinction between foreigners and locals in employment except on the issue of stability.!


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## sudohnim

*Good Question.*

The immigration process can be daunting and we have only just lodged our EOI today after really thinking about things since the summer. But parts of the process really make you question yourself and 'do I really want to do this...?' if after all of this the answer is yes, then you're on the right road I think. So for us, it came down to a few things: we both currently work upwards of 10-12 hour days on often 4-5 days a week. The weather is predominantly wet and cold and we like being outdoors. Then you have the attitude of people recently - society is changing and not all in a good way.

Australia appeals because the weather is warmer, albeit not as many hours of daylight. The culture and way of life is relatively laid back. We're both planning to work and work hard for the next 20 years.... so we have lots to offer. But also we want to make it worthwhile for us too. Here it seems like a hamster wheel most days. The Aus economy is doing better - & here, whilst we're both in a higher tax bracket, it would be nice to see that tax being spent wisely... and finally, the beaches, the wide open spaces, the politer people and societal values. I'm sure Oz has it's down sides... but we've had 42 years of the UK downsides so far and enough is enough now


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## JoeKe

A lot of land, means endless adventures driving in the countryside


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## JoeKe

Not as wild as people assume out there I suppose..


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## PSheludkov

I guess the quality of life in general and friendly climate. 
Currently I live in Siberia, which is very cold)


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