Hi,
I am planning to move to Australia in 6 months. Though I am Indian I have lived and worked in the medical profession in the UK for 7 years. I feel the need to leave the UK only because of the climate. Cant take the winters anymore...or the rain every day of the year. I get along very well with people here in the UK and find people good.

I have a choice of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and New Castle. I could also go to Hobart or New Zealand.

I have been reading topics about various cities in the forum here, and they are very informative but people in general support the cities they live in.

I am not after much though. I want to live and work in peace without giving or getting any troubles.

Which of the cities is better suited for person of Indian descent? Where will such a person feel more at ease? What about Indian food stuff?
I am going to Australia, no doubt, but there is no point going somewhere one feels constantly out of place.

Thanks a lot.

Do you have a visa?

And are you aware that New Zealand is a completely different country with totally different visa requirements.

Hospitals in the places I have taken interviews in are ready to support for business visas for 4 years.

Yes of course New Zealand is a different country.

It's not much help, but here in Adelaide, I have met lots of Indian people. My daughter's best friend is the daughter of an Indian Doctor who has been here 5 years. They are very happy in Adelaide. There are also many Indian grocery shops in the suburbs around the CBD and the number of Indian eating houses is increasing daily. I imagine it is a similar situation in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Not so sure about Newcastle and Hobart as they are much smaller cities.

Hope this helps.

warning.

NZ is very WINDY & COLD through the year ....... You shouldn't come here... if you are after a warm climate.

Just tell you one thing, Rain is MUCH MUCH Better than gale force WINDS! If I was you, I wouldn't leave the UK (only with climate reason). But if you prefer warmer climate then it's worth to try.

I feel the need to leave NZ, because of the climate. Cant take the winters anymore...It's seriously nasty and horrible in winter. ...........

I miss quiet rain in UK.... honestly think the climate in UK is Better than Wellington. - I am talking about Wellington!!!!

I get along ok with people here in the NZ if not interesting. They are good people though (but with Icy & cold mind )

You should find a job first in OZ and then decide which one/city to choose from - if you have got a choice. Its not a point - just move and no job.......... yay?

We don't have many Indians in NZ..... dunno why. I live in Welly and don't really get to see many Indians or black ppl here - mostly white people or some Chinese.

What would make a city better suited for [a] person of Indian descent? What would cause such a person to feel more at ease?

All mentioned cities have a reasonable selection of Indian food stuffs; however, don't expect the cardomon to be as fresh as in India (etc).

Sydney is an overpriced dump, Brisbane has climate hysterics, Melbourne is cold in winter and hot in summer. Newcastle might do.

The more populous the city the more multicultural and vibrant it will be - but also the more big city discomforts you have to put up with.

I think you would be fine in all of them....I would choose more on weather, size of city, whether you are an outdoor or indoor person etc

If you are a GP an alternative might be to work in the country - a lot of towns are very appreciate of any GP who moves to their community and would make you feel very welcome...if small town life appeals to you. For moving to the country you will also get relocation grants up to $120,000 and other perks: http://business.smh.com.au/business/...0512-b1z6.html

And in the country you get to do fun stuff like this:

Country GP Uses Household Drill To Save Boy...and Shows Why...
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia says two country doctors' skills last Friday-in saving the life of a boy who had fallen off a pushbike in Maryborough, rural Victoria, and had severe bleeding on the brain-shows why rural doctors and local healthcare teams perform a vital role on-the-ground in country communities and cannot simply be ...

Some weather facts might help you choose your preferred climate:

Annual Dry days Per Year:

288 Brisbane - Annual Rainfall 1149
270 Adelaide - Annual Rainfall 622.1
265 Perth - Annual Rainfall 867.6
260 Sydney - Annual Rainfall 1084.4
255 Melbourne - Annual Rainfall 648.5

Summer Dry Days Per Month (Min/Max Temps Celsius)

30 Perth (17.9 - 29.7) <---- Very dry summer
28 Adelaide (16.7 - 28.6) <---- Very dry summer
26 Melbourne (14.3 - 25.9) <---- Medium dry summer
23 Brisbane (20.7-29.4) <---- Humid with afternoon storms
23 Sydney (18.7-25.9) <---- Humid with afternoon storms

Winter Dry Days Per Month (Min/Max Temps Celsius)

27 Brisbane (9.5-20.4) <---- Very dry, very warm winter
25 Sydney (8.0-16.3) <---- Very dry, warmish winter
21 Melbourne (6.0-13.4) <---- Wet, very cold winter
19 Adelaide (7.7 - 14.8) <---- Wet, cold winter
16 Perth (9.0-17.4) <---- Very wet, warmish winter

Note: Based on 100 yr averages at city centre reading stations (where available)
Note: Comments on right of temps mine so just best guesses

Climate maps:
http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/temp_maps.cgi
http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/rain_maps.cgi

They're great. Good for current weather - though wish they did "dry days" as well as that is a pain to work out and rainfall is not as meaningful to many people who want to know how many days are dry rather than how much rain comes down on the days it does rain. eg Brisbane has most dry days per year at 288 but highest annual rainfall at 1149 as it all buckets down at once in afternoon storms in summer.

Well me not being on Indian descent I think there are NUMEROUS things that could make a person feel at ease. For starters a place in which she is not the only person of Indian descent living there. A Place that isn't known for being racist. A place where there may be markets and eateries that catter to the style of food back home. And the list goes on....

Curious why so many negatives to every city? What place would make you ideally happy? There is a million things to do in Syndey besides the fact that it is overpriced. Not sure why people complain sooo much about every city being negative negative negative?

Are all Australians this prompt with helpful advice? Wouldn't mind where I end up in Australia then!
I am not a GP. So it means I will have to give the 'intracranial hemorrhage...household drill adventure' a miss! Doubt if I would have tried it even when I was into ENT surgery years ago!!
I finished my Psychiatry training in the UK and plan to go and do advanced training in Australia. Hope to go up the ladder eventually and settle down to a permanent job in a hospital.
Ya I do like have my curry (and also to cook) but thrive on food from all cultures. Nothing like sinking ones teeth into warm dimsum or the delights of thai or chinese sea food!
Cant live without my daily or at least weekly 'escapes' into nature. So would very much like to have some greenery near to home where I could take a stroll.
Most important is to feel safe enough to go out and about ones work and also have fun. Dont want to feel out of place, some how under scrutiny or under threat.
I have many British friends with whom I go out often for a game of squash and have a pint. Would this be possible with Australians? Which city is mostly friendly and accepting towards people from a different background? Dont want to feel like a bonobo between chimps (or the other way round)! I mean 'yes you are welcome but dont expect company' approach I have come across sometimes in the UK.

Want a cooler place...Brisbane seems too warm.

Thanks again for the advice...but keep them coming!

well, For me, it IS almost impossible with Australians and Kiwis from my experiences. whereas I do too have many British friends with whom I go out all the time. I guess this is one of the BIG reasons I want to move back to the UK. feel quite isolated, though. Kiwis & Aussies they aren't interested in you_imigrants_. They tend to stick with locals most of the time. Mind you, I finished my schooling here, then still nothing better than my parents............ in terms of socilizing.....

If great friendships or socilizing etc are important for you then, I would just stay in the UK, seriously.

What's the problem with being one-of-a-kind? Doesn't sound like the OP has much problem there (Re-reading, that is wrong: "a bonobo between chimps"). Places aren't racist, people are. There's been little racism in Aus for the last hundred years (unlike in Europe); ethnicism is more concerning. Witness Sydney which is fragmenting into ghettos such as Cherrybrook, otherwise known to the locals as Currybrook for the relative concentration of people of Indian descent. The OP seems to like Indian cuisine, of which there is an adequate sufficiency, but is able to forage more widely so is unlikely to starve or pine.

In any case, there is little chance of being the only "person of Indian descent" in any district of more than a few hundred; such are widely dispersed. And if that is insufficient then there are numerous religeous and ethnic Indian associations throughout Aus.

The single thing worth doing in Sydney is plotting one's escape.