Pigface - Member
...I lived in Perth for 2 years back in the 80s an wouldnt go back. Australians aren't the nicest people IMO. Look up what Boong means to them and you will get my drift.
I spent 20 years working closely with the indigenous population. They have much worse words for each other, and what they call us is unmentionable. 
We were initially thinking a short-term change. 18 months in and it's looking more and more permanent. We might move back one day, we might not, but the "might not" gets stronger every time we look at the job situation in the UK!
The amount of commuting depends on where you live - this will be much worse in Sydney or Melbourne than Adelaide or Canberra. We live in Adelaide, and we're both 10 mins by bike from work.
Sharks are very rarely an issue (though granted, they're a pretty major issue if you're lunch!). In reality, there are very few encounters, they're obviously well publicised however. The creepy crawlies really aren't that much of an issue unless you're in the habit of sticking your fingers in holes. The concept of snakes still scares me somewhat, but in 18 months of tramping about in long grass I've not even seen one. On the plus side, there are lots of very cool animals, that still seem weird after having come accustomed to them somewhat.
As regards money, depending upon where you choose, you'd be surprised how far a decent wage goes. I think the national average is about $60k, though you'd probably want considerably more than that for Syd, Mel or Perth! As a dual-income family with no kids we are laughing all the way to the bank most weeks (This is another issue with returning, I'd never earn anywhere near as much as I do now back in the UK). Our one problem is getting anywhere near the bottom rung of the housing ladder, having spent a lot of our savings getting a new home set up here (we are young and were in furnished accom back in the UK). That said, renting is cheaper than a mortgage in a lot of cases, so it doesn't matter too much.
As I said, I'm happy to write at length about any specifics you have
For having an opinion that you disagree with guffaw 
Zokes you are fantastic what a brilliant mind you have. The good people of South Australia are so fortunate to have you living among them, their days must be full of such joy now. Please come home and cheer us all up
If family are unsure, maybe a quick visit to experience as a holiday? I live in Canberra (just a bit of mtb here…) and love it. When I come to the UK I love to visit relatives, but enjoy getting back to Australia - it has a completely different feel and pace. Have a look at rental costs etc as they can be steep - but as some have said - depends on where you choose to live. Commutes can be savage in Melb and Syd - I used to have a drive of 20 mins on a Sun afternoon take between 40 mins and 2 hours depending on the traffic/weather/idiots on freeway. Now live in Canberra and my commute is 15mins by car or 20 by bike - guess which I choose. You really need to find out where you will be working and it's surrounds as this will influence where you live…and you may or may not want to live with the people who live there! Burbs can be very varied in residents. There are quite a range of people here - as in most places - best to inspect the area to see how many wrecked cars in the front yard!! Strange beasties really not that bad - just don't pick up stuff without looking carefully and don't poke fingers down holes! Sharks…I saw them at the aquarium a couple of times…but have enjoyed the beach many times. I love it here - do some homework and see if you do too (but don't tell too many people ) I'll organise a spin if you want to come to Canberra - see the Berm website.
I had a friend who moved out to Australia over 20 years ago, and they've never looked back. They've had a much higher standard of living, but were actually quite homesick at first. Quite a long holiday back in England soon cured them of them, and they could see their lives were much better in Australia.
PS: From the Australians I've met they've all seemed nice, reasonable people. And England has it's fair share of racists - does no-one here read the Daily Mail talkboards?
For having an opinion that you disagree with
You published an incorrect, and highly prejudiced and derogatory opinion, which isn't acceptable on any public forum.
I moved to Perth with my family four years ago. I've seen many immigrants here settle well and go native, and a few who haven't fit in and end up going back. If I could characterise what was the difference between them, those who didn't like it were perhaps a bit arrogant about expecting their new country to adapt to them, rather than the other way around. If you have a flexible, outgoing and positive attitude, I'm sure you'll do just fine - no different to many things in life. And, don't worry about the kids, you'll find they're much more flexible than us adults...
About the racism, all I'll say is that I was born and raised in Australia to Chinese parents and I've lived in Scotland (6 years), England (2 years) and Australia (29 years). I've copped a heap of racism in all 3 countries. From my perspective it's about the same. It's probably a little bit different in each of those 3 places. I won't comment in public any further but if it's important to you and you want to chat then please pm me.
My wife (who is English) and I lived in Scotland for 6 years and we moved to Sydney in Feb this year with our 4 month old daughter. We thought long and hard about it. I've met a lot of Aussies in the UK that can't get used to life in the UK and vice versa. It's people that miss the little things that seem to struggle. I don't really care that I can't get Tim Tams at Tescos and my wife doesn't give a toss that she can't get good pork pies in Oz ...with beer, well I don't mind your warm mouthwash and she seems to like our frozen cat's piss so all's good there. We've been together for 9 years and have lived in both Oz and the UK in that time and what we do miss is family. I don't think that will ever change. My wife has found Oz very friendly, has made friends quickly and loves how interested and welcoming the neighbours and locals are. I never felt welcome in Aberdeen although London with its mix of everybody and everything was brilliant.
With regards to costs, to give you some idea we rent a 3 bedroom bungalow in an ok suburb(I'd guess below median price - nowhere near the city or the harbour) in Sydney for $430 a week (or about £1200pcm). I bought a top spec 2004 Mazda 6 for $15,000 or about £10,000. You can get them for about £3000 in the UK!!!!!! New price isn't all that different. Cost of living in Sydney is a lot higher than the UK (Aberdeen, Birmingham or London) but nothing like 3x as much. I earn £20,000 more in Oz than in the Uk and that about covers it for a family of 3.
Biking - Scotland is immense! England 2nd, Sydney 3rd. There just isn't anywhere that you can ride and walkers seem to think bikers
have horns and will kill you if you don't stare at them with disdain for riding on their trails. There aren't that many people that ride and bike stuff costs more.
We both prefer the lifestyle in Sydney and most importantly for us we feel that bringing our daughter up in Oz is the best thing. Lifestyle, friendliness, education and healthcare being the biggest factors.... but yes cost of living is a bitch!
Good luck whatever you do adn get in touch if you do come to oz.
Bbbbbbrrrrrrrrmmmmm tish its the way Zokes tells them folks, how can my experience be incorrect??? You are one in a million
I also pointed out that friends of mine have had a very successful move but you seemed to hell bent on making us all laugh out loud.
Cheers for the comments of a positive on topic nature. Giving me a lot to consider.
Bravo now we venture into surrealism is there no end to your talent, more please 
is there no end to your talent
In providing what I hope was useful advice to the OP on making the daunting decision we made 2 years ago, no - within reason (As I said before OP, feel free to holler if you do want some 'on the ground' specifics).
However, in dealing with childish internet trolls-cum-casual-racists, clearly there is...
Knock knock
whose there?
Casual racist
Casual racist who?
The one Zokes has got a bee in his bonnet about boom boom
Internet trolls Zokes are we getting introspective?
Do you have any DVDs or books out which hilight your amazing skill at being funny?
Did you have to leave the Uk on your daunting move because people couldnt be around you as you made them laugh so much? Were they laughing at you or with you, it can be tricky to tell sometimes
Only just seen this. I've been over here for 3 months now with my wife and 4 year old son, living in Perth. I'm getting paid substantially more than in the UK, nearly 3 times as much, this takes into account the higher cost of living and you will come out better off if you find a job that pays well (also be cheeky when in interview/offer situations - they will pay for anything to get the right people, certainly in WA)
Wwe're here to find out what it's like, no long term plans thaat say we're staying or returning to the UK, our visa is 4 years and then our son will be the right age to come back if we decide to do so.
As far as living here is concerned, I've never felt so welcome, be it in teh workplace or out and about. It's a really easy place to live in, yes you still have to work, do the chores etc but there seems to be a lot of stuff to do in the spare time, and the right weather for it as well. This may wear off after a few years and we've seen a lot of stuff, but for the time being it's treally enjoyable.
If you need any specifics on cost of living etc send me an email.
Hope this helps
Rich
Inevitable that I'd show up...
Cost of living is high if you're flashy and want brand name stuff, but if you're the STW Aldi-shopping technical gear dork or don't particularly care for showy stuff, you'll be okay.
Not really possible to make a lot of generalisations about Australia given the diversity of the states and cities. Public education can be very good (if you're in a well-run school and the kid is mainstream) or can be rubbish (if you're in a bad school). It's fairly egalitarian in the sense that you can get a crap head in a rich neighbourhood as easily as in a poor one. Heavy subsidies for preschool, childcare etc. Heavily unionised teaching force - so often inflexible and impossible to fire really crap teachers but also a reasonably high standard of education and support for them.
Australian cities are usually pretty good on parks etc. Rubbish buses. Good city trains and trams, where they exist.
Economy is going well but higher production costs, inflexible attitudes, very slow-moving and complacent.
Australians are (generalisation ahead) very nice to your face but very neophobic/xenophobic in its proper sense - they don't like the unusual.
Overall, higher salaries, higher costs, better quality of life.
living in a mostly empty country
That Australia is mostly empty is one of the founding myths of Australia...
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