Some of you people are in dreamland tbh ...
Have been living abroad for the past 22 years and wouldn't come back anytime soon.
Every man and his dog asks me the same thing when they find out I'm an Australian living in Europe.
"Why the fuck would you live anywhere else but Australia?"
Australia growing up was incredible for me. Absolutely loved it in Sydney but as I got older and travelled the world more that love gradually eroded.
Don't get me wrong. Australia is my home and that'll never change, but it's not what it used to be.
Immigration? Politics? Globalisation? Yeah, that and more I'm sure are the reasons for the decline but you can say that pretty much about anywhere in the world these days.
What it comes down to me is safety not just for me but my wife and kids.
My home now I, my wife, my kids can walk home at any time of day / night anywhere within the country and not be worried at all when they hear someone behind them.
I never had that feeling anywhere else in the world, and especially not in Australia.
Another side is lifestyle. Without doubt I'd be living a 'better life' financially in Australia, so if money were my motivator I'd be on the plane yesterday with my family ready to move.
But what do you do with that money? Work from dawn to dusk? Tied down to the system? Paying off loans and debt?
My home now I can be skiing within 30 mins. On the beach within 60. Kids finish school at midday and enjoy the outside. Parents can finish early to ski or go for a hike or paddle in the river.
That's not to say it's perfect here and Australia doesn't have its advantages as it does.
Australia isn't shit, but it's definitely not the promised land like it used to be.
I blame that largely down to the fact Souths are still in the comp. Should've kicked those ***** out years ago and society would be a much better place to be
The one part I disagree with is the safety thing. There's many places in Australia where you wouldn't feel safe to walk home at night. But that's not an Australian thing. That's all countries. There's not one single country I can think of where you could feel safe in every single part of the country. I currently live in the NSW Central Coast and there's some really rough areas here. But where I live I consider one of the safest places in the world.
I think every country has its advantages and disadvantages. Cost of living is the major disadvantage in Australia. But I also have good health care for my entire family. I live in a good house in a good area. It's 10 minutes to some of the most beautiful beaches. I have good job security and the government protecting me from unfair dismissal. I have solid retirement.
I have friends who live in Spain and they say the same thing. Australia was shit to live, Spain is so much better. But in Australia they lived in small apartments in the heart of Sydney and worked stupid hours while living off fast food. If you judge an entire country based on living in some of the worst parts of the country, then you'll never give a fair judgement.
Personally I think Australia is one of the best places to live. But I also think there's other equally good places to live. There's so many great places to live in the world that no one should say that any country is the best country. People should travel around and find their place in the world, no matter where it is.
As an extra added note, Souths are a disease. There's no country in the world that hasn't been infected by the Rabbitoh disease thanks to Rusty.
