Angela Mollard: Canada better than Oz? Tell ‘em they’re dreaming

Canada, which beat Australia as the most-desired relocation destination, is lovely for a holiday and full of perky people but is too snowbound to score on Angela Mollard’s barefoot index.

Next month marks 25 years since I moved to Australia. We landed on one of those stunning autumn mornings when the sky is highlighter-pen blue and the trees and water, emerging from summer’s humidity, are sharply etched.

I was five months pregnant and didn’t know I was about to give our firstborn the most extraordinary gift: an Australian passport.

Raising kids in Britain, where I’d lived the previous decade, was a rain-soaked, joyless prospect. I was looking for the barefoot freedom I’d enjoyed growing up in New Zealand but returning to my homeland felt like going backwards. It was there as a back-up.

Days after arriving we had dinner with a British editor here. “Australia would be perfect,” she said, “if you could anchor it off the Thames.”

She wanted the weather, the landscape, the happy-go-lucky sensibility and the excellent coffee – but on Europe’s doorstep.

Australia scores highly on Angela’s barefoot index.

Last week, when a press release in my inbox claimed Australia was the second most-desired relocation destination, I was startled. Only second? What nation could possibly outrank this dreamland?

Turns out it’s Canada which, granted, is lovely for a holiday and full of perky people but is snowbound for so much of the year it doesn’t score on my barefoot index. Yet according to My Baggage, which analysed global search volume data, Canada draws more than double the relocation searches of Australia (NZ, Switzerland, Ireland and Spain are the next most popular).

As someone who’s resided in New Zealand, the UK and Australia, and has spent considerable time in Canada, I’ve got skin in the game so here’s my assessment on which is the best country to live in.

Firstly, unless you are Canada and quaking in your boots at President Trump’s threat to make the nation the 51st state of America, politics has only a loose hold on your wellbeing. There are leaders who inspire and policies that make you proud because they respond to the times. But, ultimately, quality of life will depend on how you deploy your own resources and engage with economic or social events.

It also depends significantly on the weather. By the time I left the UK in April 2000, I’d done nine winters in that grey, sodden island and had dubbed it Gloomy rather than Great Britain.

After nine winters there, Angela had dubbed it Gloomy rather than Great Britain. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Canada, likewise, is chilly but at least turns its snow and ice into an adventure playground. As for NZ, there’s a reason Aotearoa is the “Land of the Long White Cloud” and not the “land of the peerless blue day”. That moniker belongs to Australia where you can be waterfall chasing in the Atherton Tablelands or hiking on the Mornington Peninsula or reclining in a Fremantle brewery with a good chance of a clear day.

As for landscapes, I’m writing this from NZ’s South Island and it’s hard to beat. Canada has scale and the UK is pastorally superior for amblers, particularly when you stick a pub within a stone’s throw of every stile but, for swimmers like me, Australia reigns supreme. Sure you can fly to Italy or Greece from the UK but so can the rest of your countryfolk. Conversely, you can often have NSW’s spectacular pandanus-fringed Angourie back beach to yourself. You’ve got to love a country where thongs are the national uniform (though I prefer “jandals” or “flip-flops”).

Culturally, the Brits will claim superiority with their dead poets and ancient churches and Beatles chart-toppers. But when you want real culture, as Irish actor Saoirse Ronan admitted last week, you’ll opt for the Aussie version of Married At First Sight every time. Compared to New Zealand, who can’t get Oasis to make the hop over the ditch when they tour later this year, Australia is enough of a drawcard to ensure events like WOMADelaide are a must-see.

Canada, like Britain, is chilly but at least turns its snow and ice into an adventure playground. Picture: iStock

As for recognition of First Nations culture, New Zealand and Canada are notably better but we’re improving. Tourism ventures such as Tassie’s Palawa Kipli Aboriginal food tour are finally getting cut-through.

Cost of living is a critical metric and while British supermarkets seem more affordable if you’re buying crisps, pork pies and mayonnaise when it comes to fresh food, Australia’s climate makes for better prices and variety. NZ butter has hit $9 for a 500g block and petrol is $2.80 a litre. Rents and house prices are high in all four nations.

If I could change anything about this nation, the radio commentary is negative and coarse. Media doesn’t just steer the mood, it reflects it and, if we want to continue being the Lucky Country, we need to believe that it is.

As a proud Kiwi, you can imagine how much it pains me to say it, but Australia ticks all the boxes for a happy life.

Thank you for having me.

ANGE’S A-LIST

Strong lead

There’s a strong roster of actors playing great US Presidents including Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford but Robert De Niro steps admirably into the role in Zero Day (Netflix), a taut political thriller that pits old-fashioned values against new-age conspirators.

Dark Art

If you’re visiting regions known for low light pollution, use a night sky app such as Sky Map or Sky Guide to show you which stars and planets you’re looking at. Simply point your phone at the sky and the app will label what you can see.

Originally published as Angela Mollard: Canada better than Oz? Tell ‘em they’re dreaming