- 24 August 2009
- 4:04pm
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England vs Australia
anniekwLonely Planet author
The Ashes are decided – England has won. This time. But let’s take cricket out of the equation and investigate the pros and cons of each country – which one wins overall? With so many English lining the shores of Australia and identical numbers of Aussies chucking in the beach towel in favour of a rock ‘n’ roll London lifestyle, it’s clear that even the native populations can’t decide which one tops the other.
The Lonely Planet offices in London and in Melbourne are reflective of these migrant and transient populations. I am English but have been in Australia for six years now and perhaps like most people who identify with both hemispheres, when asked which I prefer, I simply can’t answer the question without hours of deliberation, trying hard to get to the guts of what makes each country so great.
In England, the rolling green hills, the hedgerows and the damp, fresh air stand in stark contrast to the fierce heat, bushfires, parched interior and tinder-dry forests of southeastern Australia. And when it comes to culture, the Guardian newspaper feeds the soul. The Australian press is always behind the English eight-ball in international news coverage and cutting-edge editorial in comparison. And TV is lame, lame, lame – home-grown off-beat comedies are ten-a-penny in England, whereas in Australia they come but once a millennium. But is this just reflective of the fact that Aussies are too busy interacting with the outside world, or cultivating their own communities of culture (independent films, music and festivals are teaming under the surface here – far more than in England) to bother with such a time-wasting medium? And the beaches, oh the beaches – the visual feast that the landscape provides in Australia is surely enough food for the soul: who needs cutting-edge editorial?
There’s so much to love about each country, and so much that frustrates too, that we’d love to hear what you think. Does the Green and Pleasant Land take the trophy, or does the Sunburnt Country trump being rained off?
Oh, and you have to have been to both to comment or else it’s just not cricket!
It’s an interesting discussion certainly. I myself can never decide, being an Australian who has lived in London on and off.
As a livable nation, I don’t think many countries come close to Australia. However, at times you can feel a little too detached from the goings on of the world. It is after all “the other side of the world” for most people on this Earth.
England on the other hand is in the thick of it. It almost feels like the centre of the world (New York might argue otherwise). Be that as it may, overcast chilly days for the majority of the year are a major downer.
Climate is probably the key for most people. We tend to be in higher spirits when the sun is shining, and so although I’m still undecided myself, I’m guessing most people would choose Australia.
When it comes to lifestyle and weather, Australia wins hands down. It’s just a shame about the pubs here! I do miss a cosy snug and a pint of fruity ale when the Melbourne winter sets in…
25 years in England/12 in Oz.
As a Scotsman who lives in London but has spent the last 12 months working in Australia, all of the above rings true. The lifestyle, weather, landscape, food, mooed and many other things are all truly fantastic. But there is something missing for me? Maybe that something is ‘where you come from?’ As the film director Danny Boyle said last year during the celebrations for Slumdog Millionaire (and quoting a play by Howard Barker called ‘Victory’):’there is nowhere to go in the end but where you come from”. Not sure I agree with this but it’s an interesting thought.
I was born in England, raised in Australia and than returned to England on and off over the last few years. I still can’t decide, I wept as a 15 year old being told I was on my way to Australia, yet cried when leaving Australia on my big return to the mother country, only to cry again when heading back to Australia. Bottom line, I love both countries but can’t bring myself to barrack for the Australian cricket team. Australia for the outdoors, England for pubs.
I spent my high school years in England, then went to Australia for a couple of years. I got homesick for England, so I returned. I got off the plane, and waited to catch a National Bus back to Bath and I realised I made a big mistake. Okay, bus stations aren’t the most happy places in the world, but I just knew my carefree days were over (for two years in this case). England is pure joy when the weather is good or it’s Christmas. But most of time it is dog eat dog, class struggle, and hangovers. I love visiting the UK but I don’t romanticise living there anymore.
what a decision… I’m from the UK – Wales in fact so have no problem with dramatic coastal landscapes…. I’ve been in Australia for a year now and I still find myself yearning for a decent pint of beer, some good telly and, as you say, good press.
I miss the buzz of London (but live in Hertfordshire in the UK – you have to retreat from the centre you know) you do feel you’re at the centre of the world, you feel as if in London it all happens now – there’s always something to do and always somewhere to go. In Melbourne I’ve found I’ve had to plan a lot better… festivals are plentiful and often, but theatre is sadly lacking depth and frequency. There’s no ‘let’s go catch a show this weekend’ – because there are only three big ones on – and they stay here for 8 months it seems.
The beaches are amazing, the countryside dramatic, what I love most is the fact I’ve never lived somewhere that wants to kill me so much – Australia demands respect, if you don’t, it’ll kill you and spit you out… eventually.
So ultimately UK or Australia…. England or Australia? Wales or Australia? I’ll go for Wales every time :-)
Perhaps the easiest way to settle this is like the recent Ashes series. England should import the best of South Africa, and then it would be superior. Expect to see Table Mountain crash-land on the Isle of Wight, and Kruger National Park to move to Cambridgeshire.
So England wins. But not by much.
First things first, home is home, and if you have London on your doorstep you’ll always feel that other places lack a little pace and edge.
I’ve been lucky to visit Australia six times, and know I’ll go back many more. Melbourne’s usually where I land and it’s a fabulous city. Running along the Yarra in the morning with rowers and cyclists for company is one of the world’s most pleasant urban experiences. But it’s the Outback that does it for me – preferably from the window of a train or on the back of a bike. That’s what makes Australia magic. Well, that and the Aussies themselves, who as Anna points out are generally too busy being active and outdoors to worry about anything other than making sure everyone’s having a good time – a thoroughly admirable outlook.
And ultimately those things are what makes it incomparable to Blighty. But then nowhere in Big Oz matches the Lake District for face-slapping beauty. As an inveterate church-crawler, the lack of medieval masonry to gawp at is another irredeemable flaw. If I live in England until I am old and grey I’ll never exhaust the places I dream of visiting.
So if you twist my arm I’ll take England for the nature, the colour and the Men’s Pond and Lido on Hampstead Heath in London. But I reckon the Aussies would appreciate all this more if they had it for themselves.
I have been living in London only the last 10 months, and so I’m probably not qualified to comment on which place is best (not that it will stop me…).
To be honest, I’m not sure that a comparing Australia and the UK does justice the merits of either. Australia’s biggest cities don’t and can’t compare with London’s sophistication and energy, and the UK can’t compete with Australia’s superlative natural attractions and, dare I say it, friendliness.
I suppose the argument becomes relevant if you’re choosing where to live. And that’s an infinitely difficult but enjoyable question.
Gained a great Aussie son-in-law, so lost a daughter to the delights of Melbourne. Will soon have an aussie granddaughter. My verdict? England because of the history under my feet, the air of cynical amusement at whatever befalls us; the culture at my fingertips; the buzz. Aus is so laid back, it can be too horizontal, but the service is second to none. Love the place. 800 hundred miles from here is South of France. 800 miles from Melbourne is Adelaide!
Gained a great Aussie son-in-law, so lost a daughter to the delights of Melbourne. Will soon have an aussie granddaughter. My verdict? England because of the history under my feet, the air of cynical amusement at whatever befalls us; the culture at my fingertips; the buzz. Aus is so laid back, it can be too horizontal, but the service is second to none. I do love the place. However, 800 hundred miles from here is South of France. 800 miles from Melbourne is Adelaide, do I rest my case!
The food is better, and good food more accessible in Australia. In fact Australians taught the English how to look under their own noses in this regard.
And the bike gangs are better in Adelaide than the South of France.
As a brit living in syd or the past 8 years my top tip is live in oz which has the better lifestyle for sure. The weather, sea, food family lifestyle and if you can get your fix of old stuff and low ceilings in the European summers.
That said I’m speaking from the point of view of someone who’s now got a young family. England in my early twenties was fantastic with all the bars and clubs and stuff going on but it’s no where as good to raise a family in my view.
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