Why move to Australia? Here’s 24 convincing reasons
Why move to Australia? It’s certainly not the worst place in the world to live. Could it be… the best? Maybe. Is anywhere? I don’t know, but here are a few reasons why Australia is pretty good.
Are you thinking of moving to Australia?
It’s not a terrible idea at all. Consider what you’ll get out of it.
An abundance of sunshine, laidback lifestyle, friendly people, fresh food and nature, nature everywhere… why wouldn’t you want to live in the Land Down Under?
The numbers certainly support this statement. Around 800,000 people move to Australia every year, some on temporary student or working visas – others hoping to set up a life here, permanently.
Don’t get me wrong – Australia isn’t perfect. There’s a lot about Oz that I wish would change.
Yet, as far as world countries go, Australia isn’t really that bad.
We have the highest minimum wage in the world, an excellent healthcare system, plenty of fresh produce and a heck-ton of space.
So let’s explore why it may be a great idea to move to Oz. And here’s a guide to what to pack for Australia.
Why move to Australia?
So, is Australia a good place to live? I believe the answer is a resounding YES.
If you’re thinking of moving to Australia, you should follow through on that thought.
1. It is breathtakingly beautiful with unspoilt nature
This is a very obvious number one. Australia is gorgeous. Like, the kind of views which make your jaw drop and your heart palpitate in your chest so hard that it threatens to burst out of your ribcage.
From ragged coastlines, to lush green rain forests. Hills blanketed in golden grass and desert as far as the eye can see. Australia is home to nearly every type of landscape imaginable.
Better yet, so long as you avoid the gaping coal mines, the land seems wonderfully unspoilt. Modern man has only had 200-odd years to wreak havoc on the land of this country. He’s throwing everything he has at it, but there’s still a long way to go.
2. There are over 10,000 beaches countrywide
So why move to Australia? If you’re doing it for the beaches alone, I can’t really say I blame you.
We have over ten thousand beaches stretching around our extensive coastline (ah, the joys of being an island continent).
Due to our extremely low population density, you’ll often find yourself in situations where you’re completely alone, on a long stretch of sand. This is bliss.
Our beaches are worth visiting all year round. Some parts of the country are far more pleasant to visit during the cooler months.
Even if it’s too cold to go swimming, it’s nice to go for a walk along the beach, or simply sit and stare out at the ocean. It’s so calming and peaceful – large bodies of water are truly good for the soul.
3. You can easily get up close (sometimes more than you’d like) to the local wildlife
You can’t escape nature in Australia (and in most cases, why would you ever want to?).
You exit your house and nature is right there, staring you in the face in the form of birds, snakes, kangaroos, koalas if you’re lucky, various creepy crawlies if you’re less lucky – it’s EVERYWHERE.
[bctt tweet=”Fresh air, good food, friendly people. Here’s what makes #Australia such a great country to live in.”]
Hell, you can’t even escape it in your house. It’s not uncommon for critters in Australia to crawl into your house – I’ve seen everything from geckos, to mice and even some poisonous spiders… gulp.
Then there’s the flora, which grows wild across Australia, given the opportunity. If there’s a way, nature will find it.
4. The pollution level is still quite low
As far as air pollution goes, Australia rates pretty low. This is quite surprising to be honest, when you consider how into coal mining we are as a country (gross). However, we usually rate within the top twenty of cleanest countries in the world.
Look at Australia on this handy map. Lots of nice, calming green squares are littered across it, indicating that our air quality is pretty damn good.
If you want a comparison, scroll up and check out Asia and try not to feel upset or stressed out.
5. Australia has Tasmania
Tasmania is wonderful and I refuse to stop gushing about it. If I were moving to Australia, I would probably consider heading straight there, particularly if I were on a working visa.
It is probably the prettiest place I’ve ever been to and that’s saying a lot.
I can’t quite believe it belongs to us, even though it sometimes makes threats to break off and become a part of New Zealand, if we don’t start treating it better and remembering that it exists.
If you get the chance, you should take a road trip in Tasmania. You’ll see some pretty spectacular (and odd) sights.
Why move to Australia? Because Australia has Tasmania.
![A sign in Western Australia. It reads: 'Western Australia, too lovely to litter. Shoot only with your [camera icon]. Take only your [rubbish icon].Leave only your [footprints icon].](https://photos.smugmug.com/Watermarked-Pics/i-wpBC89P/0/15ae95e9/L/wa-litter-sign-L.jpg)
6. It’s a country that is embracing sustainability (sort of)
As a whole, Australia is starting to embrace sustainability with great enthusiasm.
Plastic bags were banned in our capital territory in 2011 and my own state of Victoria will implement its own ban in late 2019.
It’s hoped that after the next federal election, the ban will be implemented nationally.
Australia has traditionally been a clean and beautiful place and there are plenty of community groups across the country, working to keep things this way.
Conservation efforts are being made to protect endangered species of plants and animals, communities are rallying against unpopular government decisions and businesses around the country are embracing greener practices.
It’s an exciting time to be a greenie in Australia, that’s for sure.
7. Australia has a very multicultural society
Why move to Australia? Because thousands of migrants from all different backgrounds have done it before you.
I love how multicultural our society is.
It’s a joy to be able to walk down the streets of our cities and see people of all colours, races and religions. To hear hundreds of languages being spoken at once.
To meet people like myself whose background is made up of places all over the world, who may speak more than one language and recognise multiple cultures, but ultimately call themselves Australian.
And most important of all, it makes for a truly excellent food scene. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you can find it in the cities at least.
If you’re wanting something exotic in a small country town – um Chinese for tea, anyone?
8. It’s a good place to perfect your English
Australia’s native language is of course, English (British English that has developed somewhat into its own strain which we can happily call Australian English, or simply “S’trine”).
Students can come to Australia on a visa which allows you to work 20 hours a week, so that you can get mingling with native English speakers and earn some cash to pay for your abhorrently expensive rent!
Okay, enough on that as we’re supposed to be focusing on the positives in this article.
They may not teach Australian slang in the classroom, but you’ll definitely pick it up on the street.
9. We have the highest minimum wage in the world
Workers in Australia are paid a minimum wage that is the highest in the world.
It may not be as high as it should be, especially considering the cost of living in Australia. Yet, it’s a relief to know that many in Australia don’t have to rely on tips to make a living (although businesses and the Government are doing their best to change this, which is nonsensical).
10. & one of the best healthcare systems
Why move to Australia if not for our healthcare system?
Our healthcare system is currently ranked second in the world (behind Norway and the Netherlands).
It’s not perfect – our publicly funded universal healthcare program Medicare has been the target of cuts from a conservative government and I’ve been on a waiting list for two years to see a particular specialist, which isn’t entirely impressive.
However, attending the doctor is pretty inexpensive, certainly compared to the USA model.
I can’t think of a single incident where anyone I know who has been sick hasn’t been able to receive some sort of treatment.
11. It’s a wonderful place to live if you’re into the sports
Australia is sports mad and the city of Melbourne in particular is considered the sports capital of the country, with events such as the Australian Open and Formula 1 Grand Prix taking place there.
The most popular sport in Australia is known as “Australian Rules” (or Aussie Rules). The official league consists of 18 teams, whose players get lauded like heroes. I’ll admit it’s a fun game to watch, although I more of a soccer fan myself.
Beyond the AFL (and AFLW, the popular women’s league), there’s Rugby League, Rugby, Cricket, Netball, Tennis, Soccer, Sailing… you name it and there’s undoubtedly be somewhere you can go watch it.
12. As well as art
Thank god for the arts. Although not as popular (nor receiving as much funding) as the sports, Australia is a very creative country, where art is permanent feature in many people’s day to day lives.
Cities are adorned in public art and our art galleries are popular, with many receiving world class exhibitions. Out in the countryside, art events and festivals are bringing in tourism, such as the Benalla Street Art Festival in Victoria and the painted silo art popping up across the country.
Indigenous culture was heavily geared around art too – you can find ancient cave art all over Australia and see modern Aboriginal art at many public spaces and galleries.
Although our film industry is largely laughable, there’s plenty of good music coming out of Oz and our literature scene is off the hook. If someone said to me “You’re only allowed to read Australian literature for the rest of your life” I’d happily say “Okay!” and only feel sad when a new book by JK Rowling hit the shelves.
13. There’s a festival for nearly everything
Australian’s love any excuse to celebrate, so much so that they’ll often just make one up.
Our capital cities all have various festivals going on, from comedy to food, to fringe, to fashion.
Head out to the countryside and you’ll find festivals for sport, literature and art. There’s a group that travel around regional NSW for example, holding a show in various towns and small cities, big annual hits amongst teenagers living in the countryside (I should know, as I was one myself!).
Some of the ideas for festivals are so ridiculous that they’re amazing. I’ve seen annual camel races, tributes to Elvis and Abba, even one where town members make go karts out of wheelie bins and race against each other.
You could travel around Australia just for its festivals and feel very content indeed.
14. The people can be incredibly friendly
Why move to Australia if not for the people?
I am incredibly blown away by the friendliness of people that I encounter in this country. Dickheads can be found worldwide, but on the whole, people are quite nice and easy to get along with.
They’ll smile at you on the street in the cities and have whole conversations with you if you’re out in the countryside. I still think a real sense of community exists in Australia, which is precious, certainly something to hold onto.
15. & have a weird, yet endearing sense of humour
Australians have traditionally had a pretty dry and twisted sense of humour. We’re traditionally self deprecating like the Brits and our neighbours in New Zealand.
I’d say sadly people take themselves more seriously than they used to, but you’ll still see evidence of Aussie humour, wherever you go.
One of my favourite example is based on a passed Prime Minister, Harold Holt, who presumably drowned in the ocean whilst in office. His body was never found.
So what do they people of Melbourne do? They name a swimming pool after him.
Yep, the Harold Holt Swim Centre is located in the suburb of Glen Iris, in Victoria. Told you us Aussies are a twisted lot.
16. The country is weirdly quirky
If you’re moving to Australia, you should know it’s an odd place. And you’ll find examples of this wherever you look.
From strange public art, to our funny looking animals and whacky politicians – there’s humour to be found everywhere in Oz.
And sometimes (particularly where politics are concerned) you just have to laugh, particularly when the only other option is crying.
For more insights into our culture, check out these facts about Australia and some spooky urban legends.
17. You can have a very relaxed lifestyle
Here’s what is probably the biggest drawcard.
You can have a very good life in Australia, due to most of the factors discussed in this post.
Imagine a day where you get up, have a healthy breakfast derived of local produce, head off to work, take a walk in the sunshine during your break, head to the beach when you clock off to have a dip in the ocean, have a nice meal out for dinner or catch a flick at the cinema and are in bed by 10pm.
On the weekends you can make quick trips out of the city and find yourself immersed in nature in under an hour. You can go camping, bushwalking, horse riding.
You can drive around vineyards. You can eat all the locally made cheese that you desire. You can spend the day at the beach.
I just described to you exactly what my life in early adulthood was like. Not bad, hey?
18. It feels very safe
Why move to Australia? Well, it’s an incredibly safe place to live.
At the time of writing, the world feels like it’s going a bit mad.
Previously living in London for two years, I felt far more in the thick of it than I do in Australia.
As a result, I feel very, very safe here.
People hurt and kill each other, sometimes by mistake and often on purpose on a daily basis across the world.
Yet, when our politicians start talking about measures to “keep the country safe”, I do tend to roll my eyes a bit (and wonder why they don’t allocate more money to mental health services as a viable solution, but that’s a different topic for a different blog post).
We’re not really big players on the world stage and as a quite isolated country, you get the distinct feeling that people elsewhere simply don’t give a single crap about us.
All things considered, this is something to be grateful for and definitely a reason you should consider moving to Australia.
19. There’s a heckload of space
Australia has one of the lowest population densities in the world, as there is less than 24 million of us knocking about the country and an abundance of space.
Our density sits at 3 people per square kilometre.
Pretty good when you consider that in the USA it’s 35, in the UK it’s 269 and in India it’s 441. Yikes.
It’s quite easy to find yourself alone in Oz. This is a wonderful thing that is to be cherished, particularly considering the rate of growth of the human population worldwide.
20. There are plenty of study options
One popular reason for moving to Australia is for further study at our educational institutions.
International education is an important part of our economy, so it’s an excellent thing that the numbers are rising.
With decent educational institutions (we have 5 in the top fifty worldwide, which is pretty good when you consider how young they are), relatively inexpensive fees and a range of programs available, students worldwide regularly choose Australia as the place to continue on with their tertiary education.
21. The food industry is predominantly local
It comforts me to head to the supermarket and see produce that is grown locally. I was very concerned about the health implications of eating carrots that were shipped in from New Zealand, when I was living in Qatar a few years ago.
There’s a big emphasis on Australian grown and made in the food industry at least. It’s good on two counts – you’re supporting local industries and the food is generally fresh, so that’s a win for your overall health.
If you’re moving to Australia, you’ll find the food will be one thing to be grateful for.
22. The climate is mostly excellent
It’s pretty easy to forget that Australia is actually a continent, with a varied climate.
It is winter at the time of writing and I’m sitting in grey Melbourne, wrapped in a blanket.
In Queensland however, it is currently sunny and 23 degrees. It will hit around 5 degrees Celsius for me tonight, but my brother who is almost 1000 kilometres away will be rugging up in order to combat temperatures dropping below zero.
On the whole however, our weather is generally warm, sunny and decidedly mild (unless you’re in the peak of summer).
I guess I’ll take three to five months of searing heat, if the weather is more than manageable for the rest of year.
23. The diverse landscape makes it a great place to travel
Travelling FROM Australia to pretty much everywhere else in the world takes both time and money. Luckily, travel in Australia is fairly easy and ultimately rewarding.
You can head to the outback to marvel at the natural wonder that is Uluru, or go hiking on one of Queenland’s many gorgeous islands.
Journey to Melbourne for a city break, or jump in a car to road trip to a typical Aussie town.
Travel up the time-honoured backpackers trail from Sydney to Cairns, or head to the splendour of our remote West Coast instead.
Party it up in Darwin, or have a chilled out holiday in Adelaide Hills.
There’s so much to do, so much to see. It would take a lifetime to experience it all, but if you’re moving to Australia for one or two years, you can have a crack at it!
24. It’s an excellent landing platform to Southeast Asia
But hey, if you ever tire of the Australian landscape or don’t want to have to sell a kidney to fund more travel, it’s comforting to know that the entire region of Southeast Asia is only a short, seven hour flight away.
So, why move to Australia? I hope this post has answered this question and then some.
All in all, it’s an okay to pretty good country – I know I feel very lucky to call it home.
Are you planning on moving to Australia? If there’s anything else you’d like to know which isn’t addressed in the list post, let me know in the comments.
You might like these other posts about Australia:
- When’s the best time to visit Australia?
- Top road trips to take in Australia
- Small towns in Australia worth visiting
- Best places to visit in Australia
- 20 tips for visiting Australia for the first time
I have always been super interested in traveling to Tasmania and this post makes me want to do that even more 🙂 I actually love seasons and wouldn’t want it super warm year round, so I think Tasmania seems like an ideal fit for someone like me 🙂 And yes to multiculturism! I love diversity 🙂
Haha yeah it’s nice to actually have seasons! We don’t really get the in-between ones where I’m from, so it was grand to go to Tassie and see it in all its autumnal glory.
Definitely! We don’t get real seasons where I am from either (just hot most of the year) and I hated it. I have vowed to never live anywhere like that again 🙂
I understand! I know so many people who are like “ugh I can’t wait for summer…” or want it to be warm 24/7, but that would be horrible. Plus you appreciate each season a lot more when you get to experience it fleetingly.
I totally agree with all of these reasons! I take it for granted sometimes too, but Australia certainly has heaps going for it. Sometimes it bugs me that we are crazy far from anywhere (especially here in Perth) but that is surely one of the reasons we still have a small population and all those empty beaches, so I really can’t complain.
Haha yes, it’s bad enough on the East Coast, but out west it would be ten times worse! The space really is something we should never take for granted (even if the isolation gets a bit much sometimes).
Aww.. I would LOVE to live in Australia. What a beautiful country!
It’s pretty special – I feel very lucky to live here!
I would love to travel to Australia but I’m not sure I could a) afford it or b) handle the heat!
It is expensive, but the weather is pretty good from around March – Oct, depending on where you visit in the country.
Loved this list! I never realised how magnificent Australian nature was until I came here last September! I also love how there’s always somewhere with a good climate (even in Jan/ Feb Hobart is bearable!) – we can’t always run away to our ideal weather in England! Also YAY that Tasmania made it onto the list. Such a magical place!
We are pretty lucky with our climate, I agree (although I’d hate to be up north in the summer months!). It surely is – so much love for that little island.
Eek I love Australia <3 <3
Can I move there now?
What appeals to me most about Australia is that it’s so big but there’s so much diversity in it (so I’ve heard, can’t speak from experience) both culturally and landscape-wise. Makes little old Blighty seem like a speck of fish-and-chips filled dirt in comparison.
There is, there is everything, but it’s hard to take advantage of because it’s so damn big and expensive to travel around. I mean, I didn’t go outback until I was 25… but the flight was over 300 and 3 hours away and the drive 13 hours, so there was more than a lack of dedication standing in the way! I think Britain is beautiful, to be honest. I could spend hours sitting on trains, staring out the window. Everything is so GREEN there. And it spins me out that such a tiny island is home to the green pastures of England, your country’s rugged coastlines, the Scottish highlands and the Yorkshire Moors.
Hi my name is Judine I am from South-Africa I am 16 years old my mom told me yesterday that were going to move to Australia I am verry scared because i have never been to this country before ….I’m scared to leave my friends behind ….because im scared i wont make new ones is South-Africa verry alike to Australia?
Hello Judine, I’m not sure if I can help draw a comparison, as I’ve not actually ever been to South Africa. Yet, I think both countries would have a lot in common and there are certainly a lot of South Africans bouncing around Oz. Moving anywhere new is difficult, whether it be a city, or an entirely different country (I’ve done both multiple times, so you have my empathy), but I’m sure you will make new friends (Australians are generally warm and welcoming people in this regard). Good luck with the move.