Australia has always been nicknamed the ‘lucky country’.
But a recent discussion saw many locals admit there were several major downfalls to living in Australia.
The topic ignited on a popular ‘Australian living’ thread when a woman encouraged fellow locals to dish on ‘the worst part about living Down Under’.
‘I see a lot of posts about the best things in Australia, but what is your least favourite thing about living [here]?’ she asked.
‘Personally, I hate that barely any (non-Australian) musicians come here,’ she offered as a springboard for the conversation.
By far the most common response was the issue of Australia’s geographic isolation and the fact that it was ‘so far from everywhere’.
‘It honestly is a long way to go to see the world,’ read the most popular response.
‘I can’t just up and drive to another country,’ lamented another.
That sentiment was especially felt by Aussies who regularly travelled internationally for work or to visit loved ones.
Australia’s isolation from the rest of the world was highlighted as both a positive and negative in the discussion
Some Aussies even admitted that the burden of ‘long haul flights’ was ultimately a breaking point for them to move abroad.
‘I travel a lot and couldn’t justify any more long haul flights just to get home,’ one person replied.
‘[It] was just too much to handle.’
‘Australia is in the worst location for people that just wanna go somewhere new and different for the weekend,’ another person replied, adding that they had since ‘moved to Europe’.
Some comments also noted that the inverse was also an issue. Namely, that not only was it difficult for Aussies to get anywhere overseas, but that international visitors were reluctant to make the huge pilgrimage down under.
‘[I]t’s a long way to go for the world to see us,’ added one sad reply.
‘We miss out on so many bands, and when they do come, they only visit three cities,’ the person added, echoing the original poster’s complaint.
However, some noted this very issue about Australia being so far away simultaneously contributed to what made it great.
Some commented that Australia was guilty of being ‘boring’ and lacking nightlife compared to other cosmopolitan cities around the world
The unaffordability of housing, property and other general cost of living pressures was also named among the pitfalls of living in Australia
‘The worst thing is also the best thing – we are so far away from so many places,’ they replied.
They elaborated that the distance ensured Australia remained a quiet, peaceful and uncrowded place.
But this also raised another related issue among many, who claimed Australia is ‘boring’.
Several commenters felt Australia’s major cities lagged behind other cosmopolitan places around the world.
‘In comparison to a lot of other countries, nightlife here is pretty boring and museums are kind of meh,’ claimed one.
‘People go to work, drive home, and watch tv. There’s no community or “Joie de Vivre”,’ another echoed.
On a totally different note, the other major repeated complaint concerned how unaffordable housing and property was in Australia, and the inflated cost of living.
‘Housing cost s*cks,’ one wrote.
‘[T]he housing market is broken here, but I do like the weather,’ added another.
‘Cost of living is also obscene. Cars, houses, food, utilities, fuel, insurance, coffee, restaurants, and damn near everything else,’ reflected one more.
Perhaps surprisingly, the ‘copious amounts of bugs’ that thrive in Australia were also called out as an annoying by-product of being Down Under.
‘Flies, mozzies, spiders, beetles, wasps, and the greatest number of ants I’ve ever seen,’ one wrote.
‘Sydney’s cockroach problem (partly caused by the high humidity which is another worst thing about living here) is absolutely awful,’ another said.