A young British woman has revealed what she hates most about each Australian city after moving Down Under in search of a better life, only to be left sorely disappointed with the reality.
The expat went online to voice her displeasure over the problems in some of the country’s major cities and it seemed that thousands of people agreed with her, with many having their own reasons for adding to the list.
She said Melbourne is too much like the UK, Sydney is too expensive, you need a car to get around in Perth and there is fierce competition for jobs and housing on the Gold Coast.
The Londoner added that Melbourne and Brisbane also lack good beaches, which is why many Britons come to Australia in the first place.
The port city with its wide range of surf spots was still a tough place for the beach-loving Briton, who said the cost of living was simply too high.
She said rents in the New South Wales capital are comparable to those in London.
“If you have a job in hospitality in Sydney, I don’t know if you make enough money to live a good life,” she said.
Melbourne is too far from good surfing beaches, has a ‘crazy’ public transport system and ‘psychotic’ weather according to some
The expat said that living on Australia’s west coast, which is “quiet” and home to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches, does have one drawback.
“Everything is quite spread out, so you really need a car to get around. It’s quite annoying,” she said.
Others who agreed that Australian cities aren’t as great as they seem had a few more things to add to the list, saying that they are common to all major cities.
A general downside to Australia is that bars close around 3pm, while in world cities like London bars, cafes and restaurants are open all day.
‘In Australia, all the coffee shops and cafes close at 2pm. It’s like they don’t want to make any money. That’s the perfect time for me to go to a cafe. Why?’ someone asked.
People complained that Sydney is expensive, a leftovers city and that everything closes too early to be a fun place
And many say that beach life, especially in Sydney, is not as accessible as it first appears and that there is only so much to enjoy.
‘The beaches are so popular that they are almost all hard to get to unless you live next door. Cronulla is the only place you can get to by train,’ said one.
‘It sounds controversial, but I actually found the beach quite boring. You can only sit there so many times,’ added another.
Others said Melbourne’s ‘psychotic’ weather had ultimately put them off living there, with many suffering from ‘severe’ allergies in the spring.
“In one day it can be rainy, sunny, windy and humid – you have all four seasons,” someone said.
The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast have perfect beaches and weather, but the current rental and job market makes it too competitive for some to consider
“My hay fever was so bad in Melbourne, I never want to live there again,” added another.
And the young Briton isn’t the first person from the UK to be lured away from London by the promise of paradise and then left wondering why he got on the plane in the first place.
Owen Willis, a British expat who moved Down Under, named the five things he hated about Australia.
After living in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast for a while, he came to the conclusion that the Australian experience was not living up to expectations on social media.
“Australia is not going to solve all your problems. I don’t actually think Australia is what people think it is,” he said in a video.
Mr. Willis expected a “utopian paradise” when he moved to the happy land, but instead he found a cold, boring and expensive place where it is difficult to find a job.
Owen said the weather isn’t great, the cost of living is ridiculously high, it’s hard to find a job, the lifestyle is “really boring” and everyone knows everyone else.
“The traveller warned people that moving to Australia is not the answer to everything because the problems will follow you: you will just be depressed or anxious on the beach,” he said.
“Yes, as an Australian I am also quite disappointed in our country,” agreed another.