ChadW

Hello, newbie here, so please be gentle.

A trip of a lifetime has come up this year and am off on a pre-arranged tour of Oz in a couple of weeks time, it takes in Melbourne, Alice Springs, Uluru, Cairns and Sydney. Whilst in Sydeney I will be meeting my Mums uncle and his family.

Anyone else on here felt that their own holiday experience was enough to decide to go and live in Austrailia or do you really need to live there for at least a few months before such a decission can be made?

Not sure I would want to leave the UK permanently but sometimes I feel if I had the chance of making a new start, then I would seriously consider it.

Currently work as an IT Professional and could sell my flat to get any required equity into savings but I am not sure if I could make my mind up after spending a few days in the places above.

Finally for a rough idea of how much dosh I need to get changed into Aus $ then could anyone give me an idea on prices for below items pls?

Big Mac and Fries
Lager (can you get European brands down there, like Grolsch, Stella?)
Posh sandwich shop sandwhiches (if they exist)
Also do you have Fish and Chip shops?

Thanks in advance.

Chad

arkon

Answer NO. Don't use a holiday to decide, get a 4 year (renew each 6 months) visa and live here temporary for a while before spending all that dosh on getting a permanent visa. just a quick fact for IT out here. 35 % of IT staff quit their jobs despite thier empoyer offering them more money to stay. And 26 % of the number that do stay on quit after 12 months (source APC). You have far more IT opertunites in the UK than here and will earn substantially more than here.

Not sure about the big mac and fries, I buy a McChicken burger meal (large) and a deli sandwich and it comes to about $14-$15

European drinks are quite expensive if you can find them but pound for dollar about the same as home, Example Benedictine UK= approx $25 here its about $54 BUT wine is stupidly cheap and almost given away by UK standards.

They do have a sort of fish and chip shops, not quite the same as home because they don't use cod very much and the chips don't seem to be the same. BUT the fish is very nice here and where I am its cooked to order so takes a while to arive but is fresh and tasty. Oh and you don't often get offered vinegar, usually a lemon! Hope this helps.

herrchook

where to begin? Most people I know who go to Oz on holiday want to move there as soon as they get home.
I've got friends who's been a few times and then emigrated, and also friends who've never been and want to discover it for themselves for real not on holiday.
Personally, I spent a year there and feel so comforable with the country that I'm happy to move, but my husband hasn't been, and is just taking my word for it, and doing lots and lots of research.

I guess it really depends on the type of person you are - are you up for taking a risk (some would say it's no risk), making a major move, or would you just like a fantastic holiday?

GinaUK

We got our PR visa last week. We've never been to Oz, just done lots and lots of research and are going out for a two-week visa validation trip on December.

If you read through the posts on this forum, you'll find that people do it all differently.

One thing to remember, if you get to Oz and hate it, you are *not* a prisoner (LOL). You *can* leave again.

Gina

ChadW

Thanks for the response, mix of views from both sides of how you perceive the idea of immigrating to another country.

Guess it all boils down to the sort of person you are and how you take risks. Not a very spontanious person myself, so reckon maybe this 2 week hol may not be enough at the end of the day.

Not expecting to make a 'killing' with an IT job arkon, as I know that IT work in Oz is pretty much the same here, as in vacancies exist but you really have to know your stuff to make it easy in the long term. Like the idea of having a job like I have now, not brilliant rates but not excessive hours or stress as an upside. Maybe.

Anyone on here in IT know how popular Oracle Developer is OZ btw?

Anymore ideas on prices, fish and chips in Oz sounds like those you get in the US too. On a plate and not in paper! LOL!

Anyhow anyone in Palm Cove or Cairns in about 3 weekends time, if so might see ya!

Vash the Stampede

I can assure you that it definitely comes in paper; fish & chips for Friday night dinner was a weekly ritual for my family when I was a kid.

Shellfish

[QUOTE=ChadW]Hello, newbie here, so please be gentle.


Big Mac and Fries
Lager (can you get European brands down there, like Grolsch, Stella?)
Posh sandwich shop sandwhiches (if they exist)
Also do you have Fish and Chip shops?

Thanks in advance.

In Melbourne:

Big Mac and Fries - too much whatever the price
Lager (can you get European brands down there, like Grolsch, Stella?) depends where you go, in a pub you are looking at about $6 - 7
Posh sandwich shop sandwhiches (if they exist) - in Melbourne city they are everywhere, depends on what you have on it and the type of bread etc $5-6
Also do you have Fish and Chip shops? yes

DianneH68

I've been travelling in Oz for four months now and, although I don't know exactly what it would be like to live here in practical terms, I think you instantly get a feel for the place.
It immediately felt 'right' for me here, and I think a lot of people on this forum would say the same.
I am dreading returning to the UK, but as I only have a working holiday visa I don't have much choice
I know that whatever practical problems I discover could be overcome because things just feel better here. It's hard to put into words unless you've been.
Some people just never take to the place, and that's fine, but I'm pretty sure that on your holiday you will get a good idea whether or not it's for you.
Good luck and enjoy your trip

Pollyana

I visited about half a dozen times, as a backpacker, and staying in friend's homes, so I did all the usual stuff like supermarkets, post offices, using buses, as if I lived here. It still doesn't compare to actually moving here. One thing I found was that suddenly I couldn't say "I'll deal with it back home", Suddenly you are here to stay and everything has to be done from here.

Also if you are touring around you will not get much of an idea about living in one place, while life in Alice (for instance) is rather different from life in Melbourne or Sydney.

A holiday can give you an idea of the place, but living here is tiotally different.

Big Mac and Fries - about $5 I think
Lager (can you get European brands down there, like Grolsch, Stella?) - yes, but expensive. Try Cascade Premium, its just as good!
Posh sandwich shop sandwhiches (if they exist) - $5-$6 I would guess, Also do you have Fish and Chip shops? yes, and they are excellent; fish is often crumbed instead of battered, and is cooked to order so the fish and the chips are hot and fresh, not soggy and luke warm as in many UK shops. Lots of fish thats as good as cod. My only gripe is that I have to remember to take vinegar with me if eating at the beach or somewhere, as a lot of shops don't have it! And yes, all the shops round here use paper - tastes much better that way than on a plate