calling all aussies...

ty slothrop · 11-08-2004, 07:46 AM

or anyone who has been to or is familiar with the aussie world...

I am an American in the fortunate position of having an opportunity to relocate to Sydney (Double Bay, to be precise) for business. I have always been extremely intrigued by Australia but don't really know that much beyond the laid-back, easy-going image that most Americans have in their heads about the Aussie people.

My question is, how is your society being transformed by the recent developments in the world (i.e. terrorism, Iraq war, all of this junk)? I am not happy at all with the direction America is heading. In light of Bali, has your government, media, and society maintained its openness and friendliness? Has your society on the whole become reactive and fear-driven like ours, or begun to lean in that direction?

For the record, please no responses from anyone in America like @hole. Your gloating is not welcome in my thread.

Thanks in advance, mates!

rhubarb · 11-08-2004, 07:50 AM

Sorry?

Radical Shot · 11-08-2004, 07:41 PM

Double Bay is a great place to live. Posh suburb - what line of work are you in!?

No doubt about it, the world is changing, but I doubt that Australia will ever become as difficult as America is. If a civil war ever broke out here, the men probably couldn't be bothered turning up - too busy in the backyard shed, or have a BBQ or football match to watch.

A lot of Australians fear that the US culture is starting to transform the Aussie way of life. Unfortunately, whatever happens in America seems to make it's way to Australia sooner or later.
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motor company of australia

K!ck5w3rvE · 11-08-2004, 09:39 PM

Double Bay is posh. lol There aren't many laid back easy goers there, because you have to work really hard for a long time to be able to afford to live there (or have rich parents).

People are kinda worried, but not much. If your living in Sydney, try to get out in time for the Adidas International in Sydney, which is a lead up to the AO.

If your worried about safety and whether or not to come, I'd come, because its a lot safer than USA, and their is no threat of anything happening.

jings · 11-09-2004, 12:12 AM

Great country, wonderful lifestyle. Sydney is fun, great food and about as good a melting pot of international influences and Aussie lifestyle as you'll get.... and I'm a Pommie! The MAJOR upside of course is that you'll be able to really learn about cricket!

Seriously if someone put Sydney in front of me I'd bite their hand off and ask where the aeroplane tickets were.

galain · 11-09-2004, 04:38 AM

Jings - i didn't know you were a Pom! How's the expat life treating you in Singapore, lah?

As the others have said - Double Bay is very nice. You might find your neighbours checking you out to see if you "fit in" with the neighbourhood though. Australia is still a nice easy going place to spend some time, although Sydney is probably the most frenetic of the major cities. It's also the most physically beautiful of the cities (and Double Bay would be great place to live to enjoy this) and there is great "outdoors" culture all across the country (even where I am in Melbourne - which is not known for its fine weather).

It's a safe country, although don't be too taken aback if some of our more ignorant decide to blame you for President Bush and the Iraq War (it happened to one of my patients 2 weeks ago - a girl from Seattle). I do definitely think there is a little more concern generally in recent times - many of the Jewish schools near me now have full time security guards on patrol (which doesn't really do much to help the image of Australian Islamic people unfortunately) - and we've also just come through an election too - and national security was a strong platform for both candidates. So yes - where once we probably would have not spared a thought to how "safe" we are, i think it's a more conscious thing now.

Having said that, most Australians don't get too carried away with such things. It's easy going and a pretty egalitarian place. Most people arent' going to care who or "what" you are. Whether you're a garbage man or a doctor or a politician - if you're a good bloke you'll be okay.

And Melbourne is not that far from Sydney - come down for the Open.

007 · 11-09-2004, 04:41 AM

Canada + Austrailia have way more in common....good common that is....than they do with the USA in terms of politics, socioculture, and lifestyle.

ty slothrop · 11-09-2004, 05:35 AM

thanks everyone for your comments, i really appreciate you weighing in. one topic I left off: what's the tennis scene like? obviously tennis is huge in australia, but is it a club sport? how expensive is it? is there easy access to public courts?

here in the northeast USA, it's 0 degrees this morning, and the prospect of sweating on the tennis court under the hot aussie sun in january has me more than a little excited

Radical Shot · 11-09-2004, 12:28 PM

Expect hot, hot summers, with mid-range humidity in Sydney. Many tennis courts, and if you're living in DBay, you're probably going to be next door to someone who has at least 3 different surfaced courts in their back yard!

Break out the TournaGrips, you're going to need them...oh, and don't forget to bring an esky, a stubbie wetsuit, your thongs, some zinc, and a boomerang, just in case some stray wombat decides to invade the court while you're playing.
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yamaha yz250f specifications

galain · 11-09-2004, 04:17 PM

LOL at stray wombats scurrying across the court!

Tennis is extremely accessible here. There are many public courts that are relatively cheap to hire if not completely free. I played an hour on Show Court 1 at Melbourne Park on Friday and it cost $20 - which is really probably the most expensive you'll ever get. I can't speak for the Sydney scene but Melbourne is much more of a "club" environment than my home town of Brisbane - up there it's a lot more laissez faire.

I think Patty Rafter is living around Double Bay these days.. Radical is right - in Double Bay you'll find more than a few places with their own private courts.

Radical Shot · 11-09-2004, 04:52 PM

The stray wombat thing is not too far from the truth. I've been swooped by magpies, irritated by insects, buzzed by butterflies, dogged by dogs and the worst of all, laughed at by kookaburras whilst playing tennis here in Australia.
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marijuana vaporizers

jings · 11-09-2004, 05:00 PM

Galain, yes Pom thru and thru I'm afraid, although I'm one of the lucky ones and had orthodontics at a young age and take the odd bath! Expat life good fun, been here 7 years now with wife and kids but Aussie is our great escape when we feel the need for more familiar surrounds, it's a bit nearer than SA where the better half is from. Tell me about Melbourne weather ... was down there for a chum's wedding, sorry mate's, couple of weeks back and then stayed on for the "Cup". Don't know if the race stopped the nation but the weather as good as stopped my circulation!

bertrevert · 11-09-2004, 06:41 PM

Just up from Double Bay, in Rushcutter's Bay, is also famously (semi-famously?) the tennis shop called... Strung Out (well, Kings Cross is up the road from Double Bay), as you can see here.

Good location (can get to city, beach, harbourside) and should be a great-mate time!

White City is close-by and has grass courts and so on. This little map shows just how close.

But that is a bit of a club to get into. But there's many moer courts than that!

Fantoro · 11-09-2004, 09:10 PM

Galain, still waiting for THAT hit!!!scared or shy? Anyway...Pat Rafter lives in Mosman which is a wide serve across the harbour.

For your tennis, get used to synthetic grass in Sydney and doubles competition only...Melbourne is THE hub for tennis comp or otherwise, sorry. If you play competitively, try the Illawarrra Tennis Club in Rockdale, known as one of the largest/ best in NSW.

Radical Shot · 11-09-2004, 09:12 PM

Yep, Rockdale tennis centre is the place to hit.
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health store

galain · 11-09-2004, 11:43 PM

Fantoro

email me privately - absent@datafast.net.au. I'm free tomorrow, Friday and Saturday - would love a hit if the weather holds!

galain · 11-10-2004, 12:08 AM

Sorry mate - should clarify...free tomorrow and Friday during the day, not evenings. Saturday any time, Sunday morning is good too. Or next Wednesday night - let me know. Moved house a few months back and "filed" a lot of stuff I can't find anymore - including your number! Lets catch up.

Dedans Penthouse · 11-10-2004, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ty slothrop

or anyone who has been to or is familiar with the aussie world...
Thanks in advance, mates!

ty slothrop: great place! the plane ride is longer than long......you'll be chopped liver for a day or two.

"Australia" The Kinks

Opportunities are available in all walks of life in Australia
So if you're young and if you're healthy
Why not get a boat and come to Australia

Australia--the chance of a lifetime!
Australia--you get what you work for.
Nobody has to be any better than what they want to be
Australia--no class distinction!
Australia--NO DRUG ADDICTION!
Nobody's got a chip on their shoulder.....
We'll surf like they do in the U.S.A.
We'll fly down to Sydney for a holiday
On sunny Christmas Day
Australia! Australia!
No one hesitates at life or beats around the bush in Australia
So if you're young and if you're healthy
Why not get a boat and come to Australia
Australia, sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la
Australia, sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la
Everyone walks around with a perpetual smile across their face
Australia, sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la
Australia, sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la
Everyone gets around, and nobody can ever get you down

We'll surf like they do in the U.S.A.
We'll fly down to Sydney for a holiday
On sunny Christmas Day!
Australia...Australia

good points: beaches, Aussie women, "Aussie slang," scuba diving off Great Barrier Reef, and Aussie women. Also: Aussie women.

bad points: Vegamite! Vegamite! Vegamite! Also: Funnel web spiders.

silent bob · 11-11-2004, 04:20 AM

Devil's Advocate:

Oz is beautiful . . . shame about the people . . .

Actually, you will probably enjoy it . . . if you're white.

Seriously, Sydney and Melbourne are nice, but very small, and these are the only "blue states" in the country. The rest of Oz is Bush country in more ways than one.

The big difference between the American Red-neck and the average Aussie is that the Aussies are better-travelled. (Nevertheless, they are known as the "white trash of the English speaking world" in most of the paces they frequent. ) This travel results in people that, even though they share the red-neck xenophobia etc, they also adopt the prevailing world-view of America, which is very negative. Americans are generally referred to as "Seppies", which is short for Septic Tanks (which rhymes with Yanks - C0ckney rhyming slang that reminds one of the country's penal colony history.)

Good Points: Beaches. Weather. Outdoor lifestyle. Sports. Food. Visitors.

Bad points: most Aussie women. most Aussie men. all Aussie slang. Racism.

Bottom line: You should still go. It is certainly no worse that America, and it will give you and your family a different perspective.

Dedans Penthouse · 11-12-2004, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silent bob

Bad points: most Aussie women. all Aussie slang.

Bottom line: You should still go. It is certainly no worse that America, and it will give you and your family a different perspective.

silent bob: I guess I must stand corrected regarding a number of things Aussie, and granted there are those "provincial" types of wannabes (read: wannabes), but as far as the Aussie women goes (well, the ones I met), I still 'stand' by my contention that for the most part, Aussie woman were good (when in the saddle), and if they weren't....well.....either I didn't remember "those other ones" or I fortunately must've been hammered enough to have enjoyed the alternative reality: "a 2 is a 10 at 2 a.m."

"No worse than America?" yo bob, I don't know if that's the result of some post-Election Day James Carvelle-esque hangover (I didn't vote for Bush either), but.....did you say "worse?" What's up with that? Without some sappy, sentimental-sounding violins playing "My Ol' Kentucky Home" in the background, I could however, easily name you a zillion....well, half a zillion good/great things about this "worst" dump of a nation---from Big Sur/Montery eastward to oatmeal soap skinny bathing at 6:00 a.m. in a New Hampshire lake with some happy, buxom "local flower"........that is, from sea-to-shining-sea. Amen!......Now say Halleluia!!

11-08-2004, 07:46 AM	#1
ty slothrop Semi-Pro Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 551	calling all aussies... or anyone who has been to or is familiar with the aussie world... I am an American in the fortunate position of having an opportunity to relocate to Sydney (Double Bay, to be precise) for business. I have always been extremely intrigued by Australia but don't really know that much beyond the laid-back, easy-going image that most Americans have in their heads about the Aussie people. My question is, how is your society being transformed by the recent developments in the world (i.e. terrorism, Iraq war, all of this junk)? I am not happy at all with the direction America is heading. In light of Bali, has your government, media, and society maintained its openness and friendliness? Has your society on the whole become reactive and fear-driven like ours, or begun to lean in that direction? For the record, please no responses from anyone in America like @hole. Your gloating is not welcome in my thread. Thanks in advance, mates!

11-08-2004, 07:41 PM	#3
Radical Shot Semi-Pro Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 696	Double Bay is a great place to live. Posh suburb - what line of work are you in!? No doubt about it, the world is changing, but I doubt that Australia will ever become as difficult as America is. If a civil war ever broke out here, the men probably couldn't be bothered turning up - too busy in the backyard shed, or have a BBQ or football match to watch. A lot of Australians fear that the US culture is starting to transform the Aussie way of life. Unfortunately, whatever happens in America seems to make it's way to Australia sooner or later. ________ motor company of australia Last edited by Radical Shot : 02-10-2011 at 01:57 AM.

11-09-2004, 04:38 AM	#6
galain Hall Of Fame Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 1,823	Jings - i didn't know you were a Pom! How's the expat life treating you in Singapore, lah? As the others have said - Double Bay is very nice. You might find your neighbours checking you out to see if you "fit in" with the neighbourhood though. Australia is still a nice easy going place to spend some time, although Sydney is probably the most frenetic of the major cities. It's also the most physically beautiful of the cities (and Double Bay would be great place to live to enjoy this) and there is great "outdoors" culture all across the country (even where I am in Melbourne - which is not known for its fine weather). It's a safe country, although don't be too taken aback if some of our more ignorant decide to blame you for President Bush and the Iraq War (it happened to one of my patients 2 weeks ago - a girl from Seattle). I do definitely think there is a little more concern generally in recent times - many of the Jewish schools near me now have full time security guards on patrol (which doesn't really do much to help the image of Australian Islamic people unfortunately) - and we've also just come through an election too - and national security was a strong platform for both candidates. So yes - where once we probably would have not spared a thought to how "safe" we are, i think it's a more conscious thing now. Having said that, most Australians don't get too carried away with such things. It's easy going and a pretty egalitarian place. Most people arent' going to care who or "what" you are. Whether you're a garbage man or a doctor or a politician - if you're a good bloke you'll be okay. And Melbourne is not that far from Sydney - come down for the Open. __________________ "A closed mouth gathers no feet"

11-09-2004, 04:41 AM	#7
007 Professional Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Take Off Eh! Posts: 917	Canada + Austrailia have way more in common....good common that is....than they do with the USA in terms of politics, socioculture, and lifestyle. __________________ "My lifestyle determines my deathstyle"

11-09-2004, 12:28 PM	#9
Radical Shot Semi-Pro Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 696	Expect hot, hot summers, with mid-range humidity in Sydney. Many tennis courts, and if you're living in DBay, you're probably going to be next door to someone who has at least 3 different surfaced courts in their back yard! Break out the TournaGrips, you're going to need them...oh, and don't forget to bring an esky, a stubbie wetsuit, your thongs, some zinc, and a boomerang, just in case some stray wombat decides to invade the court while you're playing. ________ yamaha yz250f specifications Last edited by Radical Shot : 02-10-2011 at 01:58 AM.