A Reddit user has sparked debate after sharing a long list of reasons why he doesn’t like living in Australia.
Taking to the social media site, the user said he’s lived in several countries for years but “always struggled to enjoy life in Australia”.
They said it was difficult to meet up with friends and also criticized house prices and the cost of eating or drinking.
In comparison, they praised Asia, saying it was affordable while the food in restaurants was both high quality and cheap.
Taking to the social media site, the user said he’s lived in several countries for years but “always struggled to enjoy life in Australia,” citing the high cost of eating out in restaurants
They said it was difficult to meet up with friends and also criticized house prices and the cost of eating or drinking
The comments prompted an avalanche of responses, with many agreeing that Australia is not what it seems.
Others, however, were more supportive of the country.
The user wrote in his post: “I’ve lived in several other countries over the years (mainly in Asia) and have always struggled to enjoy life in Australia. I am curious to hear other experiences and whether or not you have lived abroad.
“Living in Asia, food is generally affordable and of high quality, getting drinks at a local bar is easy, walking distance to where you want to go, quality apartments, access to events and well-groomed parks, friends in the Proximity and you always felt safe.
“Compared to Australia, we either live in the suburban area close to nothing where every simple activity becomes a multi-hour planned event OR we live in a poorly designed and built apartment that costs almost as much as a 3 bedroom house .
“Basic activities like eating out or going out for drinks with a friend are luxuries that we’re fortunately able to do once a week or a few times a month and are a logistical nightmare. And the quality rarely matches the price.
“In Australia we have access to good jobs and high incomes, but it feels like we’ve traded everything else that makes life comfortable for it.
“Living in golden handcuffs in the suburbs, we spend most of our time indoors and look forward to the next time we can afford to do something outside.”
One person agreed with the post, saying: “The biggest downside to living in the city in Australia is the lack of nightlife. In Australia everything closes early and even on a Sunday afternoon the malls are deserted.”
The user added, “Basic activities like going out to eat or going out for a drink with a friend, rather than being a regular occurrence, are luxuries that we happily do once a week or a few times a month, and are a logistical nightmare.”
Another said: “Things I hate about living in Australia: Lack of urban areas. Sometimes I dream of packing up my things and starting a new life in another corner of the country, but in Australia there are basically only 4 places where that’s possible.
“It feels isolating and lonely. What about all the big capitals is ~1000km apart (which takes a whole day to travel there by car) but we’re just not close to countries either. The most “local” overseas destinations that Australians can travel to cheaply are New Zealand, Bali and Melanesia.
“I’m jealous that in Europe you can only drive 2 hours each way and you’re in a completely different country speaking a different language. I’d love to see Europe/USA, but they’re on the other side of the planet.’
A third added: “I live in a quality apartment surrounded by places to eat and drink and beautiful parks. But I agree that most of Australia isn’t like that, I can’t stand the suburban sprawl.
“I only use my car a couple of times a week and I could probably stop if I wanted to. Burbs? Nothing works without a car. Work? Automobile. Food? Automobile. Coffee? Automobile. Bring away? Automobile. Suburban life in Australia is evolving into an Americanized, car-based suburban life.’
While another person said: “I’m from Europe and I’ve also found that my Australian friendships are missing. Just don’t seem able to connect any deeper than I could with the other Europeans.’
However, others were quick to defend Australia.
One said: “I am from India. I live on the Gold Coast and have lived in Melbourne. There are things I miss about India, but mostly it’s certain people and certain places.
“The quality of life is better here by orders of magnitude. Everywhere is so clean. Indeed, our taxes result in good roads, clean water and forests, and health care for all.
“My location is 5 minutes to the water, 20 minutes to the mountains and across the road to a nature reserve. I see extraordinary animals all the time, literally in my backyard.”
Another said: “I’ve only been living in AUS for 7 months but I think you’re massively simplifying. There are many other places to live apart from the sprawling suburbs and apartment complexes of Sydney or Melbourne.
“Eating out and things like that are expensive, but it’s also part of living in a country that has decent labor rights, minimum wages and quality standards.”
While a third added: “I’ll be at the beach in 10 minutes with the dog and it’s free. We have free BBQs at parks, trails, surfing, you name it. It’s a great place to do free stuff outside.”
