What's so great about Australia?

Jimmy Garlic

I never got it. Ridiculously expensive. Devoid of any meaningful culture. Uncomfortably hot. Crawling in biting insects. Humourless and arrogant locals.

I spent a month in there eight years ago and I have absolutely no desire to ever go back.

Other than the possibility of getting a mediocre job what is the attraction with the place?

diomed

He won the Derby.

Canis Lupus

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

I never got it. Ridiculously expensive. Devoid of any meaningful culture. Uncomfortably hot. Crawling in biting insects. Humourless and arrogant locals.

I spent a month in there eight years ago and I have absolutely no desire to ever go back.

Other than the possibility of getting a mediocre job what is the attraction with the place?

It's like anywhere else, it's what you make of it. Been in Brissy for over 2.5 years. Would have to call you out on humourless and arrogant locals. I've met some lovely people down here. Maybe you were spending too much time pissed in the backpackers bar when you last visited :P

johnnyskeleton

Warm. English speaking. Less taxes than ireland. Bloody beautiful mate!

crockholm

The barrier reef, the White shark

c_man

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Less taxes than ireland.

*ears perk* Oh yeah?

Ruu

Summer Bay, ya flamin' galah!

Richard Hillman

Mainly the Irish bars and the constant Facebook updates to inform everybody that you have left the country.

But most importantly the surprise return home where a person can record themselves surprising mammy on video for the ****load of Facebook likes. That's where the serious Facebook likes are.

SpaceTime

Knifey spooney !

con___manx1

Ruu wrote: »

Summer Bay, ya flamin' galah!

I killed a flamin galah once.it flew into my wind shield

oppenheimer1

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

I never got it. Ridiculously expensive. Devoid of any meaningful culture. Uncomfortably hot. Crawling in biting insects. Humourless and arrogant locals.

I spent a month in there eight years ago and I have absolutely no desire to ever go back.

Other than the possibility of getting a mediocre job what is the attraction with the place?

The reason Australia appealed so much was because of their strong economy, which weathered the recession very well (being that it relies heavily on natural resource exploitation). Its also english speaking, developed and has a pleasant climate.

Importantly, it is also far away (so it is exotic but without being so - if you know what I mean) and work visas are easy to come by.

Macavity.

It's a pineapple.

con___manx1

I have traveled quite a bit and lived In oz and Canada. I would put Melbourne on the top of my list for best city I have ever been too

JaseBelleVie

I love Australian people! They just cut through the nonsense and get to the bloody point a lot quicker than most. No chit-chat, no foreplay, straight to business. Some people find that "rude" or "abrasive" or something. Not me, I find it refreshing and a nice change of pace.

The weather is just stunning.

Scenery in some areas is simply breathtaking.

The only downside for me is the animals, particularly those of the snakes and spiders bent. I was there about 3 years ago, and one morning when I was wandering to the bathroom after getting up, this thing about the size of my head with eight big long legs appeared out of the bath. I screamed like a girl and legged it out of the house (in my underwear), hyperventilating and nearly crying. I'm not normally scared of spiders, but this was no spider. T'was a remorseless killing machine. My relatives got a good laugh out of it, but I never felt sheer terror like it in my life. Never ran so fast in my life either.

braddun

no history


uv sun cancer


lack water


all population been in prison or had ancestors in prison



snakes and poisonous spiders also saltwater crocodiles


24 hours to get there-why would you bother


high taxes


auusis are racists

d.pop

See below.

braddun wrote: »

no history
Tell that to the aboriginal people


uv sun cancer
Wear a hat and sunscreen


lack water
Plenty of water all around the edge and " tropical " north


all population been in prison or had ancestors in prison
Lol, about 20-25% of current population immigrated here. To get in they had to be smarter than you chief...



snakes and poisonous spiders also saltwater crocodiles
Not in my house


24 hours to get there-why would you bother
People queue for one direction tickets for longer. Watch a few movies, have a beer and a nap.


high taxes
Higher wages


auusis are racists
Some, but no more than than the pig ignorant type of which plenty in Ireland too.

It is what it is, some people travel the world in reverse to live in places like.... North Dublin or portlaoise... Go figure!

johnnyskeleton

c_man wrote: »

*ears perk* Oh yeah?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_Australia

Dexter Bip

Had composed an earlier post but lost it. Summary
Pros: (no particular order and I am male and it was 1988 )

Weather
Food
Beer
Wine
Easiness of finding well Paid work. Work ethic about 0.1 ( on the Dexter bip index) of at home.

Beautiful people
Frankness. No doubt where you stood
Coober pedy.
Drive through bottle shop

Cons
No culture. No nice pubs. Anywhere. I was all over.
Low emphasis on Education overall. Surfer dude rules.
Insects
Multicultural difficulties in communication. Actually I was part of that. Failed ever over several months to articulate 'Burger' or 'milk' ( tried to order both together once in Townsville in a chipper and left with something totally different ) without success.
First long away trip like many Irish people. All memories are fond ones.

Egginacup

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

I never got it. Ridiculously expensive. Devoid of any meaningful culture. Uncomfortably hot. Crawling in biting insects. Humourless and arrogant locals.

I spent a month in there eight years ago and I have absolutely no desire to ever go back.

Other than the possibility of getting a mediocre job what is the attraction with the place?

Never been.




BUT


Had a voluptuous Aussie girl grab me one time and say "You're moine layta, sweetie".
And hers I was, "layta".
Tarty black mascara, upper arms like a docker and a tattoo on her arse....rocked my world, did she.

That's my only experience of Australia and a good one :P

The Strawman Argument

For me, the best thing about Australia is how it took away a huge number of the c*nts that used to live around home.

gozunda

On the plus side Australia is on the otherside of the world but not to overtly generalise most Aussies I've met are arrogant arseh*les ime ..,

Mehaffey1

It takes away a good few a**holes who I might have to put up with in NZ if Australia didn't exist!

Galwayguy35

I went up to an open day about Australia in the Citywest hotel during the summer, they really talked it up and made it an attractive place to live all right but it seemed to be the 20 to 35 year age group with professional qualifications that they were seeking.

No room for me over in aussieland.

Banjo String

JaseHeath wrote: »

I love Australian people! They just cut through the nonsense and get to the bloody point a lot quicker than most. No chit-chat, no foreplay, straight to business. Some people find that "rude" or "abrasive" or something. Not me, I find it refreshing and a nice change of pace.

The weather is just stunning.

Scenery in some areas is simply breathtaking.

The only downside for me is the animals, particularly those of the snakes and spiders bent. I was there about 3 years ago, and one morning when I was wandering to the bathroom after getting up, this thing about the size of my head with eight big long legs appeared out of the bath. I screamed like a girl and legged it out of the house (in my underwear), hyperventilating and nearly crying. I'm not normally scared of spiders, but this was no spider. T'was a remorseless killing machine. My relatives got a good laugh out of it, but I never felt sheer terror like it in my life. Never ran so fast in my life either.

Sounds like you stumbled upon a huntsman , and yeah, they're a scary looking Bastard, but relatively harmless.

For me, I would possibly put Australia as the best Country in the world to live, great climate, strong economy, low (ish) taxes, great public transport in the cities, great beaches, great people (aussie women are horny as hell)

Lived in the northern beaches part of Sydney for a few years, spent a year in Perth/Melbourne and travelled the country with work, would go back in a heart beat (wife won't though)

Australia ftw.

whisky_galore

braddun wrote: »

auusis are racists

And Irish people aren't of course. One mention of 'Roma', 'Travellers' (or even 'English') on Boards and stand back and wait for the shower of invective.

darkdubh

I love Aussie women but a lot of the men are @rseholes.Not sure why there is such a difference in the genders but it is definitely there.

jester77

It's the easy option, people are genearlly too lazy to learn a second language so that only leaves US, Canada, UK, Oz and NZ. UK economy is not so hot, US & Canadian visas are hard to get, so that leaves Oz and NZ. NZ doesn't have as many options as Oz, so that is where most go.

RobertKK

Skippy, the bush kangaroo.

Annasopra

Ruu wrote: »

Summer Bay, ya flamin' galah!

And women like you?

downonthefarm

When the are falls out of it like it did here for the poles etc all said asreholes
will be back

BeerWolf

Must be all them sexy big bicep'd kangaroos.

marketty

Its amaaaaaaaaaazing!!!!

Or so I'm told

Billy86

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

I never got it. Ridiculously expensive. Devoid of any meaningful culture. Uncomfortably hot. Crawling in biting insects. Humourless and arrogant locals.

I spent a month in there eight years ago and I have absolutely no desire to ever go back.

Other than the possibility of getting a mediocre job what is the attraction with the place?

The expensive part isn't true in all of Australia - in Sydney you can get a good steak with chips or mash and a side salad for $10, you can get a kilo or most fruit and veg for $2-3, you can buy a kilo of fillet steak for $20-25, a schooner (about 450ml) of beer or a house wine or vodka/whiskey/bourbon and coke for $3 in a lot of places. You can get a weekly unlimited pass for all trains, buses and ferries for $43 I think it was and all are frequent, quick and reliable (this is all as of two years ago), and I had a very nice, spacious 3 bedroom apartment in Kingsford shared with a couple and one other guy which was about 15-20 minutes on a bus you wouldn't be waiting any more than 5-10 minutes for from either the beach or the CBD, for $215 a week. Considering that minimum wage is/was then about $17.50 on a sponsorship or $22ish on a working holiday visa (you can only get casual work so no sick/holiday pay, but they pay you 25% extra so it's more than a good enough pay off), those are some incredibly reasonable prices. There's also a lot of more free stuff to do there in no small part thanks to the weather, which helps more again.

It can get uncomfortably hot but not often once you've acclimatised, you were only there for a month so you wouldn't have had the chance. Once you get used to it it's incredible waking up a 6-6.30am to 25 degree weather and beaming sunshine, so a lot of people go for a jog, to the gym or for a surf/swim before work which puts them in a much better and more easygoing mood.

I actually didn't find many Aussies that arrogant at all, the odd one but you get that everywhere. I made plenty of Aussie friends who I still keep in touch with and try to meet up with if they're in Europe in the summer, whereas the Irish in particular I found were terrible at mingling with the locals - spending their whole lives in the Randwick/Bondi Junction area, rarely going out anywhere that wasn't The Tea Gardens, Cock and Bull or Scruffy Murphys (or maybe Cheers sports bar or the Star casino to watch football matches), often working with and for Irish people and insulating themselves as much as possible from everything around them. I was staying in a hostel right by central train station at first, met a few Irish people who I was out with the odd time, but stopped doing so after I would get dirty looks and sarcastic comments off them for talking to Aussies out and about. Then we're the first ones to turn around and complain about the locals "not liking us because we're Irish", being arrogant, etc! :pac:

better call saul

To me, from what I've seen, it's the biggest gob****es from small towns that have fcuked off to drive tractors all day or work in the mines with their parents showing off that they're making 20 bucks an hour without mentioning how expensive it is. Good riddance to the cunce

Billy86

better call saul wrote: »

To me, from what I've seen, it's the biggest gob****es from small towns that have fcuked off to drive tractors all day or work in the mines with their parents showing off that they're making 20 bucks an hour without mentioning how expensive it is. Good riddance to the cunce

If you're working in the mines, you're earning a f***load more than $20 an hour.

Where did you find was so expensive over there though? Perth is stupidly pricey, but Brisbane and Melbourne are more reasonable and Sydney is incredibly well priced unless you're really looking to spend money.

castletownman

Laura from Masterchef Australia and Hannah and Denny from Home and Away.

Laura actually replied to a tweet I sent her after the finale aired over here, and it genuinely made my year

cities are nice but all the towns are sh1tholes.
definite element of stupid arrogance prevalent in large parts of the population there.
some interesting stuff naturewise but 1000's of miles apart.
maybe ok to to to out of economic need but as a holiday destination there are many many superior places offer great natural beauty, history and a culture that is actually interesting.

cloud493

- It looks too hot
- I don't like the beach
- I couldn't stand the seasons there
- ****ing killer animals everywhere.

Think I'l stay in Dublin thanks

Streetwalker

Has anyone ever meet one person who's been to Australia who has one mildly interesting story to tell. Every single one of them has the same "mad" story to tell.

NZ_2014

Its nice to be able to have a BBQ outside for most of the year.

Sure, there are pros and cons to both countries, but don't bash people who go there, whether looking for something different or just looking for a better job (or just a job!).

Billy86

NZ_2014 wrote: »

but don't bash people who go there, whether looking for something different or just looking for a better job (or just a job!).

You don't know Irish people very well, do you?

twinytwo

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The reason Australia appealed so much was because of their strong economy, which weathered the recession very well (being that it relies heavily on natural resource exploitation). Its also english speaking, developed and has a pleasant climate.

Importantly, it is also far away (so it is exotic but without being so - if you know what I mean) and work visas are easy to come by.

It is also home to many a creature that will try to bite/eat you in one way or another:pac:

Saipanne

I've never met an Aussie I liked. Must be the accent or something.

NZ_2014

twinytwo wrote: »

It is also home to many a creature that will try to bite/eat you in one way or another:pac:

The chances of that happening are very low unless you go swimming in crocodile hotspots or unmonitored beaches!

NZ_2014

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

I spent a month in there eight years ago and I have absolutely no desire to ever go back.

A month? Well, you must have really gotten to know the place if you spent whole month there, fair play.

Faith+1

Saipanne wrote: »

I've never met an Aussie I liked. Must be the accent or something.

+1 The accent....shudder.

Cathy.C

Scott Robinson.

What a spunk.

Day Lewin

Have visited several times for periods - family, travel etc

Pros:
True about the climate mostly, apart from stink-hot North and misty Melbourne/Tasmania
Yes, barbecue outdoors anytime and lots of parks have facilities etc.
Amazing wildlife #marsupials
Cultural history is awe-inspiring
Fresh fruit and veg and local wine
Very direct and efficient in business

BUT

Cons:
Racism - we really have found this to be true - I know it is everywhere in the world, but there's a sort of knee-jerk ignorance in Australia that really puts our teeth on edge. Their immigration policies tell a story...
Sustainability issues - the push to use up scarce water for saleable exports
a Laddish culture - beer and sexism :-(
Dangerous insects snakes and animals :-(
Can be boring...not a lot of cultural activity in many places
That ACCENT :-(

And the place -- Miles and miles, even thousands of miles, from anywhere to anywhere!

Worth a visit - oh yes

Would I live there? (if my family didn't) -well --
Tempted by the sunshine, but...probably no.

KungPao

I was there, thought it was nice. Vienna was a particular highlight.

irishmover

NZ_2014 wrote: »

A month? Well, you must have really gotten to know the place if you spent whole month there, fair play.

These threads pop up every so often. I usually stray away from replying. Everyone has their own opinion of anywhere but spending a month in a country and brandishing it the way the OP did is just plain silly.

Living in Australia 3 years. Never on the WHV. Currently have PR and less than a year of citizenship. I'm a professional and enjoy my work as the system here for what I do is run better than Ireland. My experience is good because I've never stayed in a backpackers more than 2 days (when I initially arrived in the country I spent two days in one before getting the hell out) and have not lived that piss up drunk life.

If I did I personally would have hated it and went home long ago.

Doing what I do is enjoyable here but its not for everyone. Same as Ireland. I plan to return to Ireland for good some time in the next few years but I'll return with great memories a strong background in my profession and the ability to come back here whenever I like.

I've met some racist Aussies and I've met some fantastic Aussies full of respect. Same can be said about the Irish.

Elessar

I've never been, never got why so many Irish people (some of my family included) went over. It just seems like they heard it was popular and then joined the band wagon. The only people I know who went over and stayed are of the type that have poor education, little to no skills or ambitions and were unwilling to upskill. The type that blame the 'guberment' for being out of work. Personally I'm delighted they left!!

I've no interest in heading over myself, but I've always thought if I did, I'd go to New Zealand. By all accounts it seems to be the nicer australia.