'I'm a British expat living Down Under - we're used to freezing winters, but in Australia it's an absolute shambles'

OPINION -- Whenever I drop even the briefest of complaints about Aussie winter weather, I get the same daft response: "You're from England, you should be used to it!"

I've been living in Sydney for six years, and I can honestly say – no, I am not used to it.

That's because winter in Australia is an absolute shambles, and I'll tell you why.

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In the UK the temperature can be pretty damn cold – averaging between 2°C to 7°C with a bone-chilling wind that'll knock you for six – but once you enter any building, the burst of warm air hits you like a cosy hug.

But in Australia... it's the opposite.

Every house is freezing and terribly insulated. Radiators and heaters don't seem to exist.

Just last week I went for dinner at a friend's house, and we all sat in puffer jackets and woolly hats at the table like it was the most normal thing in the world.

I've now taken to blow drying myself with my Dyson hairdryer first thing in the morning in my apartment, just to feel alive.

I can see my own breath as I watch TV on the couch – even my beloved cat meows at me until I turn on the heated throw so her paws can enjoy a gentle bit of warmth.

Everyone wears multiple layers to bed. We're wrapped up in thermals, jumpers, even a scarf.

Combined with an electric blanket, you manage to make a cocoon of warmth to sleep in peacefully. But as soon as you exit that bed, it's a world of chill you can't prepare yourself for.

It's worse than any morning in London.

Many of Brits moved over here with the promise of sunshine, but once winter hits the entire nation is so underprepared it's another level.

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At least in England you have the festive joy to keep you going – the promise of a warm fire in a pub or a glass of mulled wine.

You might even get a white Christmas, and nothing looks more beautiful than London in a blanket of snow.

But there's no festive whimsy here.

Instead, everyone seems to be "waiting it out" until spring arrives, acting in denial at how hideously chilly it actually is.

I've seen dozens of expats on TikTok all sharing the same thing.

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We cannot believe just how bad it gets.

"Australian homes tend to be uninsulated, draughty and fitted with inefficient heaters," Dr Nicola Willand, of the RMIT University School of Property, Construction and Project Management, previously told 9News about the state of Aussie housing in winter.

"This means that warmth dissipates quickly once heating is switched off, air movement between heated areas and the colder walls and windows make people feel uncomfortable, and it makes heating very ineffective and expensive.

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"Watch Gogglebox and you'll see participants rugged up with blankets, hoodies and mugs of hot drinks and wearing sheepskin boots, protecting them from the cold air and naturally insulating against cold floors."

You can say that again.

Australia is still the best place to live in the world, in my opinion.

But if you're planning on moving over, please remember to pack your UGG boots and puffer jacket for this bizarre period that every Aussie tries to pretend "isn't that cold".

It is.

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