Basically I have been offered a job working in Newcastle, NSW.
It's a permanent contract working in the aircraft industry, with the same company I work for in the UK.
It's always something I've wanted to do and I have no ties other than family in this country.
Under the agreement I can take the other half, I'd get a full relocation package ( flights, visa, container, hotels & car for a time when I arrive, and a large cash sum), $87k starting salary plus shift rates, overtime and bonuses.
Being only in my early 20's and having never even visited Australia - I thought I'd ask the RLfans community as I know there are a quite a few Aussies/ex pats and general travel officianados on here.

Is the cost of living really that high there?Is Newcastle a nice area? Etc. Etc.
The 4 day working week, outdoor lifestyle, and rugby league are obviously plus points but I know there's also plenty of negatives!

Any opinions or advice would be appreciated!

RL is the Number 1 sport in NSW and Qld, but AFL rules the roost elsewhere.

Pros to moving out are lifestyle and the general strength of the economy, and Aussies are generally easy to get on with. If you have kids, then Australia is likely to be a much better bet for their future lives than the UK.

On the Con side, I read somewhere that a significant number of Brits who 'emigrate' to Oz end up returning to the UK. I'd put that down to it simply being a massive move, entailing genuine separation from friends and family in the UK. There's also a bit of a culture shock in terms of TV, news etc but you get over that. I certainly wouldn't underestimate the potwential homesickness. I've felt it a bit myself at times - if I didn't have kids there are probably a few times when I would have seriously considered moving back to England.

The other 'con' is that the cost of living here has gone up massively compared to the UK in the time I've been here - and that's including the fact that the Aussie dollar buys 50% more than it did compared to Sterling back then. House prices have gone up to ridiculous levels in most cities. Last year when I returned to the UkKfor a visit, I was really surprised at how relatively cheap things were - my memory is of being stunned at how cheap everything was in Oz when I arrived.

Bottom line is, make your own decision, and view it as a fantastic potential experience that will hopefully work out and become permanent.

...oh, and if you do stay, don't become a citizen unless you want to be forced to vote.

Is being forced to vote such a bad thing???

Being forced to vote or get a fine is just stupidity, although the politics in Australia is quite frankly hilarious, even worse than ours!

But that aside, we in this country have the right to choose to vote or not I would hate to be forced to by any government. It also doesn't automatically make people think about who they vote, quite a few of people I met just ticked one of the boxes without giving it any thought or spoiled the ballot paper just so they had actually 'voted' and didn't get fined.

Don't go. The Chinese will invade within the next 10 years to get their hands on the minerals.