# 'Wanted Down Under'



## ELH (Oct 21, 2009)

for all those UK based, have you noticed that there is a new series of Wanted Downe Under starting today on BBC1 at 10am, it is then on daily

often shows a good insight into suburbs, cost of living etc

it will be available on i-player for all those who have read this post too late!


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Oh I used to love watching that programme!

Some feedback would be nice (if anyone watches it).

Dolly


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## Busyte (May 19, 2009)

Hi,

We'll be watching!!!
Looking forward to see how this new series turns out to be, locations, etc...

Busyte


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## ELH (Oct 21, 2009)

Dolly said:


> Oh I used to love watching that programme!
> 
> Some feedback would be nice (if anyone watches it).
> 
> Dolly


I'll be watching it Dolly, what would you like to know?


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Oh, just where they went each episode and what people thought of those areas etc....

Dolly


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## big gus (Jan 2, 2010)

B*gger.... missed this! Very spooky that a new series starts just as we're beginning our journey towards settling in Aus.

It's on tomorrow, and every other morning, so plenty more for those of us who missed this.


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## ELH (Oct 21, 2009)

big gus said:


> B*gger.... missed this! Very spooky that a new series starts just as we're beginning our journey towards settling in Aus.
> 
> It's on tomorrow, and every other morning, so plenty more for those of us who missed this.


this morning was about Brisbane I believe so track it down on BBC i-player if that interests you!

I have sky+ the series and will watch them whenever I need an Australia fix


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## big gus (Jan 2, 2010)

Oh, of course, forgot all about i-player. Thanks very much for that.... I'll have a look now - in between wondering WHERE to start with our application for Oz (


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## 603304529 (Aug 6, 2009)

Any chance that someone could record this, and make it available to those of us living outside the UK??

Ta


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## Busyte (May 19, 2009)

*Link*

Hi everyone,

Here's the link:

BBC iPlayer - Wanted Down Under: Series 4: Hannah

I hope it works.

I enjoyed it although I found it a bit hard to understand the kid's accent...

Busyte


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## Mr Dave (Jan 4, 2010)

ELH said:


> for all those UK based, have you noticed that there is a new series of Wanted Downe Under starting today on BBC1 at 10am, it is then on daily
> 
> often shows a good insight into suburbs, cost of living etc
> 
> it will be available on i-player for all those who have read this post too late!


Thanks for the heads up. Makes the move seem more real after watching it on TV or PC. _Now wheres that Visa form_


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Does BBC I-player work outside of the UK geographic region? I think it will have geo-blocking so it can't be seen here (similar to Hulu in the USA).


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## ELH (Oct 21, 2009)

Just an update on the first show (especially for Dolly!)

Hannah family from Glasgow two sons aged 15 & 16

stayed in Redcliffe

looked at 3 bed houses ranging from $300,000 to $400,000

Brisbane hospital said they were really pleased with skills of Uk midwifes and they progress to senior levels quite quickly, they suggested a starting salary of $59,000 for a relatively senior job. Mrs Hannah was imprseed with quality of maternity care and staffing levels


he looked at two jobs

gardening for Botanic Gardens $40k a year

shipbuilding $60k a year


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

amaslam said:


> Does BBC I-player work outside of the UK geographic region? I think it will have geo-blocking so it can't be seen here (similar to Hulu in the USA).


Yes they do block people outside the country from viewing it. You would have to go through a UK proxy server to view it. I just signed up with ukproxyserver.co.uk to allow me to watch it. This will give me access to all the stations that broadcast online in UK.


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

Busyte said:


> I enjoyed it although I found it a bit hard to understand the kid's accent...


I just watched the first few minutes of the show. I am definitely going to have to do some translating for my american wife


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## claireanddaz (Dec 10, 2009)

yay!! loved it the last time we were addicted to watching lol, all the family round the sofa!
roll on ten am's.....!!snuggled up with my cuppa and a blanket to keep warm lol


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

claireanddaz said:


> yay!! loved it the last time we were addicted to watching lol, all the family round the sofa!
> roll on ten am's.....!!snuggled up with my cuppa and a blanket to keep warm lol



im disappointed that BBC only show the last 7 days of shows, and not an archive of all past shows.. would love to watch them all.


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## claireanddaz (Dec 10, 2009)

*wanted down under*



matjones said:


> im disappointed that BBC only show the last 7 days of shows, and not an archive of all past shows.. would love to watch them all.


Theres another series showing on sky channel 246 at 11am weekday mornings ......not sure which series though,
its also repeated on 247 at 12 noon i believe, just incase you missed any bits from the 11am showing hee hee, we had them all recorded last winter and we (ok i) watched them over and over....lol


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## lepeyrou (Sep 30, 2008)

Watched today 5th Jan 2010. Young couple went to Darwin, she was quite pregnant and they were both members of a large close family. You knew they were not the "move to the other side of the planet" types. 

I like the new section, the Reality Check. I wish they would cover a little of the Visa requirement stuff, I personally think this is the most daunting part.

We felt odd watching today, the last time we watch the series we had applied for a Visa, this time we sat watching with our Visa Granted - Yippeeeeee!!!!!


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## Mr Dave (Jan 4, 2010)

lepeyrou said:


> Watched today 5th Jan 2010. Young couple went to Darwin, she was quite pregnant and they were both members of a large close family. You knew they were not the "move to the other side of the planet" types.
> 
> I like the new section, the Reality Check. I wish they would cover a little of the Visa requirement stuff, I personally think this is the most daunting part.
> 
> We felt odd watching today, the last time we watch the series we had applied for a Visa, this time we sat watching with our Visa Granted - Yippeeeeee!!!!!


Yeah I thought the same about the couple. I watched it last year thinking about getting a visa started. This year I'm going to start it off before the end of January. Who did you use?. and what is the typical cost of the procss please. Bit cheeky I know.


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## lepeyrou (Sep 30, 2008)

*Wed Jan 6 2010*

Today's eposide.

The Foster Family from Derby are given a taste of Perth, WA.

Couple had three very young children and the wife had a 14 year old daughter.

The 14 year old did not want to go to Australia and was set to move in with one of her friend's family.

Husband - recently redundant from role as security manager
Wife - Nurse Practitioner

I have to say, "Where do they find these families?" I feel sure they are chosen for dramatic effect.

They looked at houses ranging from 240K GBP to 255K GBP (they would need to sell their UK home at a loss, it being valued at 145-150K GBP)
They spent a day in Freemantle (very pretty). They were impressed with fresh produce.
They were introduced to a mixed race family (The Fosters being mixed race) to talk about racism as well as other issues of living in Perth.
The wife spent time at a hospital and discovered her role does not exist in Australia and she would not earn as much as she had hoped in an alternative role. She liked the working environment etc, and she was left undecided.

Wife struggled terribly with the thought of leaving her 14 year old daughter in the UK (Hubby and I were left thinking there was more to the situation than met the eye).

They seemed to be leaning towards staying in the UK, but to our surprise they chose Australia as there finally spin of the Map Card.

Question, am I being too hard when I think the following?

Why do people expect Australia to be like home?
Why do they think the cost of living will be lower than the UK
Why do they compare the cost of an ice-cream at Freemantle Covered Market with that of one at their local park in Derby??? Isn't Brighton beach a better comparison?
Why, if they are crying before they have even stepped on a plane, are they thinking of moving to the other side of the planet?

I thought Perth looked wonderful, especially Freemantle.

Hope this is use. Very hard to put it across because it is based so much on the emotional turmoil the family is experiencing.

Soozi


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## Glenhope (Mar 4, 2009)

I-Player only works if you are in the UK.


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## big gus (Jan 2, 2010)

That's not actually true. If you are abroad you need to go via a UK proxy server which will give you access to i-player.

There are various sites that will help you do this. Googling it should sort you out.
Gus


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## 603304529 (Aug 6, 2009)

Glenhope said:


> I-Player only works if you are in the UK.


There are ways and means of getting the episodes off the internet...


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## Glenhope (Mar 4, 2009)

lepeyrou said:


> Today's eposide.
> 
> Question, am I being too hard when I think the following?
> 
> ...


Thanks for the synopsis Soozi.

I don't think you are being too hard, but there is another side.
Australia IS very similar to home, BUT there are ALSO differences - you can get a better cuppa in Oz and usually better coffee.
People automatically compare things with what they know. Auatralia used to be cheap for Brits, but no longer.
The fact that Australia was once part of the British Empire, is hard to shake off.
Compare sunny warm Australia and pristine sandy beaches with cold, dreary Britain miles from the sea, and it's hard not to be seduced.

Howard


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## Busyte (May 19, 2009)

Hi,

Just to say that I found it hard to see in 3 days, 3 families that had issues with leaving.
1- teenage sons refusing to go.
2 - They lived 7 houses away from her sister a and street away from her parents.
3- Another teenage daughter refusing to go.

So what do you do?
If you can not live across town from relatives are you moving to the other side of the World?
Don't think so. 

Teenage kids, work on them, at the end of the day it is really not their decision, they can came back as grown ups and live in the UK if they really want to.
No comparable, but my 7 year old, did not like the idea at all, but both hubbie and myself have been working hard to change her mind, and now, yes she is nervous and anxious, but she's also looking forward to our big adventure.

I'll keep following specially because I love to see Oz...
Huge Strawberries today in Freemattle market!!!

Busyte


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

Busyte said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just to say that I found it hard to see in 3 days, 3 families that had issues with leaving.
> 1- teenage sons refusing to go.
> ...


I too am fascinated with the show now. Can't wait to see today's episode. I wonder if they will be sending anyone to Sydney/Melbourne & Canberra?

With the family in Darwin it really seemed at the end like the guy was changing his mind back to Australia. Personally I wouldn't stay in the UK just because my family would miss me. I find the couples family and friends were all pretty selfish, but then the show wouldn't be any good if nobody cried. 

I left the UK at age 20, and headed for the US. My dad encouraged me to go, as he knew the life I could build for myself out side of sunny Rotherham. I haven't missed the UK one bit. If I had kids, I would drag them with me to AU, no negotiating, regardless of age. As you said, they can always return as adults.


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## lepeyrou (Sep 30, 2008)

matjones said:


> I too am fascinated with the show now. Can't wait to see today's episode. I wonder if they will be sending anyone to Sydney/Melbourne & Canberra?
> 
> With the family in Darwin it really seemed at the end like the guy was changing his mind back to Australia. Personally I wouldn't stay in the UK just because my family would miss me. I find the couples family and friends were all pretty selfish, but then the show wouldn't be any good if nobody cried.
> 
> I left the UK at age 20, and headed for the US. My dad encouraged me to go, as he knew the life I could build for myself out side of sunny Rotherham. I haven't missed the UK one bit. If I had kids, I would drag them with me to AU, no negotiating, regardless of age. As you said, they can always return as adults.


I am so with you about the families, it makes me realise how blessed I am that my wings are not clipped by my loved ones.

If memory serves me, Melbourne is not included this time? Typical - that's where we are heading. But I do think one episode is in Byron Bay. The others are Darwin and Perth again.

As far as crying - yeah, when you've got a Visa and are going. BUT, when you are sat on the sofa in the UK before you've even gone for a wee looky-see-see????

Kids - we don't have any, but hubby and I said the same, you warm them up and really they are not given a choice. Like you said, they can always come back when they are adults.


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## lepeyrou (Sep 30, 2008)

Busyte said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just to say that I found it hard to see in 3 days, 3 families that had issues with leaving.
> 1- teenage sons refusing to go.
> ...


I love watching just because it's a chance to see Oz too )

We loved Victoria Market in Melbourne, which is saying something when we live in France!

I really want to share with you the experience of my little cousins. They moved from Surrey to Queensland about 6 years ago. They are the happiest, healthiest, sporty couple of young Aussie girls you could ever wish to meet. They have such an amazing lifestyle with loads of friends. They love school too! Hope this helps )

Soozi


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## lepeyrou (Sep 30, 2008)

My pleasure, shame I skimmed a bit, but it was more about the tears on this one.

Ohhhh, a nice pot of tea. We experienced that in Apr last year after three years in "decent cup of tea free" France. We tickled the lady in the cafe pink with our enthusiasm for a pot of tea.


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## Mr Dave (Jan 4, 2010)

*Thrusday 7*

Another family voted for the UK. I think that the BBC are trying to stem the flow of trained UK people leaving, one show at a time.


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## lepeyrou (Sep 30, 2008)

Mr Dave said:


> Another family voted for the UK. I think that the BBC are trying to stem the flow of trained UK people leaving, one show at a time.


Does make you wonder doesn't it.

We didn't watch today's as it was about New Zealand.


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## 603304529 (Aug 6, 2009)

Mr Dave said:


> Another family voted for the UK. I think that the BBC are trying to stem the flow of trained UK people leaving, one show at a time.



lane:


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## 603304529 (Aug 6, 2009)

603304529 said:


> lane:


There's an appropriate youtube video for that: search for "We Wish England Were Australia"....


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## Mr Dave (Jan 4, 2010)

603304529 said:


> There's an appropriate youtube video for that: search for "We Wish England Were Australia"....


Do you mean this one 






This one makes we smile everytime I watch it.


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## 603304529 (Aug 6, 2009)

Mr Dave said:


> Do you mean this one "We Wish England Were Australia"




That's them - class! I couldn't link to youtube, cause I didn't have enough posts. But now I do.


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## claireanddaz (Dec 10, 2009)

matjones said:


> I too am fascinated with the show now. Can't wait to see today's episode. I wonder if they will be sending anyone to Sydney/Melbourne & Canberra?
> 
> With the family in Darwin it really seemed at the end like the guy was changing his mind back to Australia. Personally I wouldn't stay in the UK just because my family would miss me. I find the couples family and friends were all pretty selfish, but then the show wouldn't be any good if nobody cried.
> 
> I left the UK at age 20, and headed for the US. My dad encouraged me to go, as he knew the life I could build for myself out side of sunny Rotherham. I haven't missed the UK one bit. If I had kids, I would drag them with me to AU, no negotiating, regardless of age. As you said, they can always return as adults.


Agree with the family being selfish part,why would they want to see their grand kids grow up in this country? there will be nothing left for them they grow up!
as for the family's they are recruiting for the programme, where do they find them? do they just walk down a street inyerviewing couples 
"hi,would you like a free holliday in australia....", why waste money sending them over if one of them is unsure.... send one of us who want to go but cant afford it cos the via needs saving for lol!

like the programme tho! its a breath of "warm" air!


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

lepeyrou said:


> Question, am I being too hard when I think the following?
> Why do they think the cost of living will be lower than the UK


People had always told us how much cheaper it is here than the UK and it is IF you are earning pounds and paying here in Aussie dollars as most tourists do. We were surprised at the costs here when we'd actually moved here (which is why I started the 'Cost of living' thread. Property can be much cheaper than the UK _depending_ on where you buy. 



lepeyrou said:


> Why, if they are crying before they have even stepped on a plane, are they thinking of moving to the other side of the planet?


I cried for about 3 weeks (that's no exaggeration!) when I first told my parents because they took it soooo badly. However I still knew it was the right thing to do and felt that they would come around. I am very close to my parents and they've been out here several times now and love it too. 

Regards,
Karen


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