We moved to Australia and are never coming back: Brits who have immigrated Down Under reveal the grass really is greener with 'better pay' 'friendlier people' and 'relaxed lifestyle'
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- Are you a Brit that's moved Down Under? Email [email protected]
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With the allure of its white sand beaches and sunny climate, thousands of Britons have made the move to Australia.
And now there's an additional reason enticing people to uproot their life in the UK for the land down under - the prospect of living longer.
A new study found that life expectancy in Australia is two years longer than in the UK – a discrepancy that experts partly put down to people being happier and healthier there, as well as the reduced smoking and drug abuse rates.
The results, shared journal BMJ Open, were stark when compared against six other nations, with the paper stating Australia was 'clearly the best-performing anglophone country' for 30 years, according to The Times.
Evidence revealing the benefits of living in Australia might be new, but Britons have long been claiming that making the move has improved their mental well-being.
A new study by Pennsylvania State University found that people living in Australia have a higher life expectancy, adding another reason for Britons - such as Georgia Davies (pictured), who moved to Melbourne from the UK - to move to Australia
Speaking to MailOnline, Ben Sly, 30, from Essex, who first came to Australia in October 2015 to play cricket for Maffra for 6 months, said he fell in love with the country and can't see himself ever moving back to the UK.
He said: 'I decided to stay as I met my now-wife and loved the lifestyle Australia could offer. It was so relaxed and friendly, and I loved the people I met in Country Victoria.
'The working holiday visa turned my life on its head completely. I wasn't particularly happy in my job in the UK, so I decided to step out of my comfort zone and travel to Australia to play cricket for six months on a working holiday visa.
'Life in Australia was great, I did some farm work and based myself in country Victoria where I met so many friendly people who made life such a pleasure'.
He gushed: 'My life is amazing now. I met and married my wife, we now have two children and I am officially an Australian Citizen.
'We've built our own four-bedroom home and have life-long friends with all the people I first met playing cricket together back in 2015'.
Ben Sly (pictured with his wife Maddy), 30, from Essex, first came to Australia in October 2015 to play cricket for Maffra for 6 months - however, he fell in love with the country and can't see himself ever moving back to the UK
Ben said: 'My life is amazing now. I met and married my wife, we now have two children and I am officially an Australian Citizen'
After being down under for nine years, Ben can't see himself or his family ever moving back to the UK
The 30-year-old junior accountant says he earns around 20 per cent more in Australia compared to a similar role in the UK.
Ben explained: 'I have worked in the role for a few years and have just started my university studies as I wasn't able to study before I became a citizen.
'The property market is also a lot cheaper in Australia. Comparing where I live now to what I could get where I was from in the UK is miles apart.
'We actually built our house which tells you how much space there is in Australia, especially in Country Victoria where we currently live'.
After being down under for nine years, he can't see himself or his family ever moving back to the UK - however, he would like to come back for a nine month stay and let their children experience a year in school in England.
Ben said the biggest thing keeping him in Australia is the slower paced lifestyle and friendly people, which he loves.
He said: 'The lifestyle is very different, I have found the work life balance to be much better in Australia.
'We sometimes take a trip to the beach of a Sunday morning to walk our dog as it is only a 30 minute drive.
'I also cook a lot of our evening meals on the BBQ, especially in the summer, as the weather is a lot nicer.
Dr Michael Mrozinski (pictured), 37, told MailOnline that his work-life balance has improved since moving to Australia
Dr Mrozinski (pictured) said he feels more respected at work in Australia compared to in the UK
'Also, having warm weather on Christmas Day is something I still can't get used to but would take it over snow any day'.
Meanwhile, experts at 1st Move International revealed reasons why doctors are packing up their lives and moving to Australia.
Jason, a former Senior House Officer for the NHS, made the move to Australia last year.
On the topic, he said: 'The decision to leave the UK as an NHS professional and move to Australia was cemented by a few things. The long hours in the NHS, averaging anywhere from 50-76 hours per week, meant that I had an excessive workload.
'I was responsible for anywhere from 8-20 patients during 'office hours' and up to 200 patients overnight on call as a medical SHO covering wards.
'The NHS was very collegiate but rising burnout and low staffing led to falling morale, particularly after the effects of Covid and funding cuts.'
'In contrast, working in Australia has been a far more supported and structured experience. I now work 40-50 hours per week, with a significant bump to my pay. I feel more valued at work than I did in the UK, both by colleagues and patients.
'I routinely look after anywhere from eight-20 patients amongst a full team, with up to 60 patients out of hours. There are many more systems in place here to protect doctors and patients, particularly out-of-hours.'
The former NHS worker concluded: 'I feel less stress, I'm encouraged to engage in training and teaching, and get to enjoy my time out of work much more, particularly in the beautiful weather.
Dr Mrozinski (pictured) claimed that he gets paid double the amount of what he would have earned in the UK
Similarly, Dr Michael Mrozinski, 37, told MailOnline gets paid double what he would in the UK, and says he is treated 'like a professional' in Australia and 'feels much more respected.'
He continued: 'I felt burnt out after working in the NHS for seven years... in Australia, management listen to my concerns and ideas for better patient care, whereas in the UK they couldn't care less about any ideas I had.'
The doctor, who now lives in Melbourne, said he is 'encouraged to have a good work life balance and encouraged to leave on time', while in the UK 'it's expected that you stay late, with no thanks or appreciation.'
He added: 'The main difference is I enjoy my job is because the work environment is fantastic, the hospitals are well staffed and there are relieving doctors if wards are short.
'This makes for more people to share the workloads, instead of less people and more work, like in the UK. With more staff, means there is more teaching and helps doctors develop even further.
'In the UK, teaching sessions were often cancelled due to not enough staff to cover the work when teaching was supposed to happen!'
He said he would encourage anyone to make the move as it would 'really open your eyes as to how healthcare workers are appreciated and valued.'
He added: 'Australian healthcare plays the long game and realises that keeping workers happy and fresh, means they enjoy their job, do their best work and rarely need any sick leave.
'In the UK, most are on the verge of burnout, seeing too many patients in unsafe environments and needing time off due to stress - it's a shortsighted plan with no end game.'
Travel agent Jake from London (pictured) moved to the east coast of Australia and hasn't looked back
Elsewhere, young people from the UK have taken to TikTok to explain how moving to Australia has benefitted their lives.
Victoria Whitehouse packed up her life in England to relocate to Sydney on a working holiday visa - and has documented her journey on TikTok, where she's racked up more than 86,000 followers under her handle @vic_whitehouse.
In a video filmed eight months after she moved, the travel influencer revealed what she loves about Australia that the UK is lacking.
Victoria told viewers that the first thing that's better in Australia is the public transport.
She gushed: 'Public transport in Australia is absolutely sensational; it doesn't even come close to what we have back home.
'It is so much more efficient, it's cheaper and when there's a rail strike and the trains aren't running, they will put on buses to get you to those destinations and it doesn't cost anything'.
The next thing on Victoria's list, which she dubbed 'absolutely genius', is the way Aussie's restock their supermarket shelves.
She explained: 'I don't think it's in all supermarkets, but definitely most of the ones that I've seen.
Victoria Whitehouse (pictured) packed up her life in England to relocate to Sydney on a working holiday visa- and has documented a lot of her journey on TikTok
In a video filmed eight months after she moved, the travel influencer revealed what she loves about Australia that the UK is lacking
'When you're in the fridge section and you open the fridge to get, say some milk out, the fridges are open and there's people behind, so people can restock from the back.
'I don't know if that makes any sense, but it blows my mind because it means you're not having to take all of the stuff out to restock so the oldest stuffs at the front.
'You can restock from the back of the fridges - how cool is that'.
Another thing the Brit 'absolutely loves' about Sydney, is how early people start their days compared to the UK.
She said: 'You can be up at 5am and there's coffee shops opening, there's people going for runs, there's people out on the beach and I just love that.
'I love that people are up so early in the morning for a sunrise or people that are up early but not just for going to work, which I love'.
Elsewhere, a travel agent called Jake from the UK, didn't need to use words to explain why he moved to the east coast of Australia.
Taking to TikTok, he shared a montage of clips from his new home, including white sand beaches and boat rides.
He added alongside the clip: 'POV: You moved to Australia from London and now your weekend look like this'.
Meanwhile, Georgia Davies took to the platform to explain why moving to from the UK to Melbourne was the 'best' decision she's ever made.
In the video, she said: 'Australia in itself is just so beautiful and in general, I feel like people have a way more active and outdoorsy lifestyle.'
Georgia added: 'The pay and opportunities here are insane. I never thought that at 26 I'd be working for myself two days a week in a job that I am truly in love with.'
The content creator, who has lived in Melbourne for four years after moving there solo, added that the similarities between the UK and Australia also made the move easier.
