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I'm from Sydney, Australia, and a new member. I'm curious to see how many people on here have visited Australia, would like to, or don't want to! Feel free to comment on your reasons why or why not (including the terrifying stories about snakes, spiders and sharks....)

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ashatan42 5 June 17
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53 comments

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8

Welcome!
I almost moved to Australia. My father petitioned to move our family there when I was a toddler. We were approved. Only reason we didn't go was because my mother was pregnant with my brother and she wasn't able to get some innoculation or something. And then my dad got offered some really good job here in the states.
Anyway, after I was told this story...I would beat up my brother and tell him it was all his fault we weren't living in Australia whenever I was having a bad day. Good times...

oh no! what a missed opportunity! Your poor brother though.... hahaha.

5

My daughter went and I'm dying to.

5

I have never been anywhere else, there are a couple of Aussies on here, good crew without exception.

4

Came to Australia in 2015 for university and fell in love with this place immediately . Finishing up my undergrad soon and planning to apply for residency right after completing my masters

4

I was amazed that there were so many racists in Australia, because they don't make it over to Europe. I crossed the country by bike, camping, and people were always asking if I was scared of snakes, scorpions and spiders. I felt they were quite ignorant of their own country outside the cities. The flies, however, were something else.

Gareth Level 7 June 17, 2018

Do you mean the locals were asking if you were afraid of the local wildlife?

Where in Australia did you travel? Racism varies depending on where you land. If you were camping you may have been out in areas that are not known for their tolerance of diversity...

@ashatan42 Yes to your first question. They seemed to regard a night in the outback as tantamount to suicide - not the locals per se, but urban Australians.
To your second question, I travelled from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide and Melbourne, with a side-trip (not by bike) to Brisbane and the Queensland coast.

I'm not sure that America is a very good benchmark, or that the University of Perth is representative of Australia as a whole.

@Gareth I'm sorry to hear you encountered such strong representative racist views... that's a real shame and not something we should be proud of

@ashatan42 It was naive of me to expect otherwise - racism is everywhere. It was most evident in attitudes to aboriginal people; perfectly normal and nice people might come out with something. It didn't skew my perception of Australia, only removed some delusion. Travelling is all about replacing simplistic images with complex realities.

@ignatz If that was addressed to me, I'm wondering what you based it on?

Sadly, still too many racists in Australia. Some really not coping well with recent migrants or the original inhabitants.

However, things are improving in my experience. I am ever optimistic.

I would suggest Australia was much more intolerant in the past, but racists didn't have to cope with people from different backgrounds living next door - so no reason to whinge. Up until the early 1970s we had the "White Australia" policy in force. A real national disgrace.

Now we are getting a lovely diversity of people and beginning (and I mean only beginning) to respect the aboriginal peoples, though racists are decreasing in number, they have much more to whinge about (I hope we give them even more to whinge about in the future).

4

Does it feel weird walking around upside down?

You get used to it. Anti grav boots help a lot.

3

I would like to, kinda scared though. Everything in Australia will kill you. Lol. Although I think the chances of death are probably higher here in Baltimore. Lol

3

Its on my bucket list!

3

Worked in Sydney & Melbourne.....
Sydney is one of my top two favorite cities.

3

Recently met a man from OZ who described a very unstable fast-changing government and some serious backward thinking I’d not been aware of; it further turned me off. I also recall having looked into emigrating to Australia a decade ago, but the excessive entry requirements and wrong-wing government at the time put me off.

As far as visiting ..not likely. Too far & too much to get there, and back 🙂

Varn Level 8 June 17, 2018

Unfortunately some of what he said is true... but I feel it could the same could also be said of many nations at the moment... the heart of Australia - its people - are mostly harmless and loveable 🙂

3

I saw Wolf Creek. Vile film.

Oh yes, I agree with that!

3

I live here

3

I would love to go sometime. Soon I hope.

2

this is going to tag me with time, however, at the end of WWII when the United Nations was formed, every student in our class at school, was assigned a country to study and make a report. I was assigned Australia, i studied, I gather Life magazine pictures, I wrote my report and received an A+...from that day to this, some 70 years later, i have had the hunger, but not the opportunity...but to my Aussie friends, LOVE YA WITH ALL MY HEART...

That is amazing! Thanks for sharing - what changes you must have seen both your own country and Australia go through in that time!

2

Now if I could just get over the anxiety associated with being crammed into an aircraft for all those hours....

oh yes, it's a punish, for sure! we face that every time we want to go.... pretty much anywhere!!!

2

Absolutely will be visiting in the next two years, I hope...it is the only continent I have not been on...just the natural beauty and the wildlife alone is a good reason to go...

2

I live there, moved 4 years ago, been visiting since 1995. Victoria, Menzies Creek.

2

Australia is on my list. So far I've checked off most of Europe and a little bit of south west Asia. Eventually I hope to make the trip to see down under.

2

Have a coworker who's daughter lives in Australia, so have heard from him about the charms of the country. As my company has operations there - it isn't unreasonable of me to anticipate either a pleasure trip or a business trip to the country.

2

I've never been there but want to move there. The wild life wouldn't bother me as we have trumpanzees here. I hear the majority of folks there are religious but don't try to force it upon others. I can certainly live with that.

lol@trumpanzees... yes you seem to have an infestation!

A recent census in Australia (2016) had just over 30% of us declaring as non-religious.

Of the remaining 70% very few are devoutly religious. I suspect many just tick the box on the census form, I suppose, out of duty or tradition. Church attendance is dwindling rapidly.

So, in conclusion, for anyone wanting to visit a place where they are less likely to be hassled by religious people, Australia is a pretty safe bet.

@UngodlyPete , Thank you for that info!

2

I visited Australia in 2012. Spent some time in Sydney and in Byron Bay. Loved it.

2

As a fan of "Flight Of The Conchords" I have to admit I have developed a slightly irrational fear of Australians.

@ignatz Yep! Probably my favorite episode was when Jermaine hooked up with the Aussie girl named Keitha!!! The horror that she might be mocking his New Zealand accent, etc. Hilarious!

2

I'd love to visit Australia but doubt my body is up to the challenge of days on a plane especially round trip.

2

Spent a month or so a few years back, saw the New Year's fireworks in Sydney, did Uluru, Barossa, Tazmania from end to end, Adelaide, and Kangaroo Island among others. Barossa and Taz were the best.

2

Been there to visit my sister. The most amazing part about Australians I found is that a vast majority has a pet.

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