Obalende wrote:Does anybody have any insights or comments about australian culture?
Are people way too reserved, snobbish and negative towards immigrants.
Constructive comments only.
Thanks.
As ubugger says, it can vary from state to state. There are so many migrants here that there's very little negativity these days, although I've read reports about Muslims having trouble. It was more of an issue in general twenty plus years ago when migration was relatively new and, at least amongst my friends, the cultural 'teasing' between us is more fun than anything derogatory. On the whole everyone mixes and speaking for myself, my closest friends are those with Greek, Italian, (black) South African and Vietnamese heritage - so very mixed. I don't think that's very different/special for other people too.
We're a funny bunch of people but usually very friendly and there's a real mix of nationalities, which for the most part, get on. We're reserved/private insofar as there will never be home-grown versions of shows like Oprah etc because we wouldn't air our lives in public. Having said that, on one to one, we'll talk about almost any part of our life and are very open and accepting, especially in the cities. Australia is one country where the divide between city and country is quite marked.
Just thinking about it, I suppose we emulate a lot of the British personality that formed us, although most people are loath to admit that. Nevertheless I've heard people who've moved here from elsewhere say so.
Sydney is the fastest city with lots happening and very go, go, go. There seems to be lots of jobs up there at the moment and the weather is always good, even in the winter. The down side is the traffic is congested, the public transport always in the news for the wrong reasons and house prices are high. However, it's a great place if you are career-oriented. Socially, I've heard it's relatively easy for newcomers to make friends.
Melbourne, where I live, is, so the stereotype goes, very old school tie. It's a very easy city to live in but the winters are cold (comparitive to other states). It's easy to navigate because it's made up of grids which has its advantages but, then again, it makes the streetscapes less interesting that in Sydney. We have some beautiful parks and beaches but unlike Sydney and other capital cities, the water takes a while to warm up. You can also ski in the winter, at least until Global Warming really sets in. Other states think we're mad because we'll sit outside at cafe's in mid-winter... It can, apparently, be a bit clique-y when trying to make friends.
Brisbane has superb weather and lots of people from the southern states have moved up there because of that. I'm not sure about the job scene as I've not spent much time there. However, it has some very cool inner city areas and lovely suburbs to live. Queensland is a huge and climate varied state.
Adelaide is very sedate but the people are friendly. It's weather is probably most like the mediterranean areas. You wouldn't need to worry about traffic jams etc and I imagine it would be an easy city to live in. In my experience, it's probably the most British of the states. I'm not sure what it's like to make friends etc.
Perth has seen a huge growth in population and their economy is booming thanks to the mining that's going on further north in the state. House prices have risen dramatically in a very short time. The weather is very mild and I think they have water issues but are building de-sal plants. There seems to be lots of English people moving there but I don't know why that is.
Hobart is even colder than Melbourne but very picturesque and, I imagine, would be a perfect place to bring up children if you have them. The down side is, I'm not sure how much work is around for when they get older. Lots of people from the mainland have moved down there to get away from the rat race, which has seen house prices rise - although nothing like the mainland. Tasmania is very beautiful in general with lots of forests and amazing beaches but, like Melbourne, they're a tad icy compared to the waters further north.
Hope that gives you some idea..
