The change of the Expat & an ode to the TNT

Last updated: 29 July 2023

The TNT Magazine has been a bible for Expats and Antipodean new arrivals to UK shores since it began in 1983.  Featuring everything from live-in pub jobs to travel specials to find-a-room, the TNT has been sitting beside the loo’s or on coffee tables for 3 decades in places like Fulham, Hammersmith, She-Bu and Clapham as they were inundated with minimum wage earning backpackers seeking a spot on someone’s floor as a rite of passage into adulthood.  

I remember stumbling across the TNT Magazine in Paris when I was 18 on a lightning fast “extended stay” on the continent.  I never thought it would become my lifeline in London in my late 20s.

Now, an avid and loyal reader of the TNT, I’ve been know to often welcome ‘new landers’ into London with a copy of the latest edition.

Venues like “the Reddie” in Acton would pump out old classics like Khe Sanh until the wee hours of the morning while bleary eyed expats would attempt to regain their integrity after shacking up for the night with some ‘random’ they met on the dancefloor.  Like I said before, a rite of passage.

The TNT released an e-Magazine in 2012 to surely reduce the cost of printing the freebie every week and also as a way to try to increase it’s readership, as the tablet-possessing commuter market grew.

But times have changed.  While there is still is a small percentage of Antipodeans that come to the UK in their late teens to pour beers and have binge sessions at an Aussie themed pub.  It seems the market is now driven by those in their mid to late 20s, wanting to explore Europe from a central base while having one or more international jobs on the CV to launch their careers a step or two further up the ladder.

It’s these same adults that would now rather spend £100 on a weekend to Reykjavík than piss it away on a boozey night in SoHo.  You can see this from the recent activities in the Aussie world of London:

• The “Walkie” in She-Bu (The Walkabout in Shepherds Bush) closed down.
• The Aussie Shop in Covent Garden which brought much loved supplies of Tim Tams, Twisties & Redskins to those who so desperately craved a fix shut it’s doors in April leaving many Aussies skyping home begging for a care-package to be posted promptly.
• The fondly remembered “Reddie” in Acton (The Redback Tavern) was shut down after numerous complaints and licensing issues with it’s rowdy patrons.  Well, we are known for it!  It might make a comeback but the Council seems pretty firm on its decision, for now.

So where will we go now?

Well, never fear. There are still a few places where you can get a fix.  The ‘Walkie’ at Temple is still the go to place to watch AFL, NRL and also can provide you with fabulous views of the Thames from the rooftop and the Elk in Fulham keeps West London crowds happy.

I get asked often by Brit colleagues and friends alike who have developed a taste for Tim Tams, homesick new arrivals and those of us that have long forgotten what they taste like where they can buy their stash.  I give them the ever shortening list above but there has to be others. 

So, do you know any other places to get your Aussie on in London? Where do you buy your V, Tim Tams & Twisties? Know a pub that serves Coopers or Little Creatures?

Share your thoughts and go to places before they’re all gone for good.