Australia is a firm favourite for Britons with itchy feet looking to live in sunnier climates. Here we take a look at some of the top reasons that Australia remains the preferred destination for expats –
Weather
With Australia being so big, it has several different climate zones with it being more tropical in the North and cooler and windier in the South. One this is guaranteed though, it is better weather than in the UK! You can still expect seriously hot summers throughout, and if that’s not enough a lightning storm over the ocean really is spectacular!
Beaches
There are over 10,000 beaches in Australia. Whether surfing is your thing or you’re more of a snorkeler there is a perfect beach for you! A lot of them have free barbecue facilities there as well so you can even do a spot of fishing and cook your catch on the Barbie!
Better earning potential
The numbers speak for themselves here. The National Minimum wage in Australia is $19.49, which equates to roughly £10.16 per hour. In the UK the National Minimum wage is rising to £8.72 per hour from April 2020.
Clean Air
Although recent bushfires have meant the air is not as pure as it once was, Australia is one of countries with the cleanest freshest air. One entrepreneur set up a business selling outback air!! Generally speaking pollution is pretty low in Australia and on a clear night I can honestly say I’ve never seen stars so clearly!
Laidback Lifestyle
Aussie’s are renowned for being pretty chilled and laid back, you’ll often spot people walking around the supermarkets barefoot, chilling at a BBQ with a few beers, spending time at the beach with friends, and generally just enjoying and making the most of life!
Quality of life
With the so much time spent outdoors, higher earnings and more chilled back lifestyle this one really doesn’t need much explaining.
Travel
Australia has so many iconic sites to visit if you’d rather not catch a flight. But if a trip overseas is long overdue Bali is a firm favourite.
Education
With PE lessons based at the beach, sailing on the ocean or learning lifeguard skills from a young age, schools tend to focus as many activities around being outdoors as possible. And, whilst Australians have over 200 spoken languages, English is the prominent one so there are no language barriers.
Wildlife
Whilst spiders and snakes invoke fear in a lot of us, there is something indescribable about sitting in the back garden with a glass of wine at dusk and seeing a kangaroo jump past. With over 800 species of native birds and over 140 species of marsupials, you never know whether you are going to see an emu, parrot or wallaby!
No Language Barrier
You might have to get used to some Aussie slang; thongs instead of flip flops, bathers instead of bikini and they tend to add the word “but” to the end of a sentence but with English being the prominent language in Australia there are no language barriers.
About the Author: 16 years ago my parents and siblings immigrated to Australia. I have visited 12 times over the years and contemplated making the move myself many a time, including taking a 12 month working holiday visa. Now married and with a son of my own my roots are firmly planted in the UK but we take it in turns as a family to hop across the pond to visit each other.
