Personally I hate the things and they hate me but I do not touch them. Nundle is very country and they do funny things in the country. Must be the remoteness or the heat. As long as your cat can avoid the hoons it will be safe.

Personally I would like all none native animals kept out of Oz because of the damage to native wildlife.

Respect your comments, but if deciding to make a move have now adopted them to my family so cannot leave them stranded. Though have to say my cats are not the feral kind, but of course is their nature to hunt, but cannot see would harm wildlife that was not rodent (have a fox den in garden they never go near).

By the way, what is hoons?

I reckon the cats would go after the lizards in the gardens. Not sure how they would get on going up against a possum though.

will send you a PM

A hoon is a very dangerous Aussie creature that generally lives in an urban habitat although they are not unknown in the country.

Re: job hunting
 

hi there krissy soz about the late reply i am a painter by trade and am currently working with a top fella from melly (also a painter) any questions send me a pm and i`m sure he`ll be more than happy to answer them :D

Hoons = 'yobbos'. (Possible contraction of 'hooligan'?)

My NZ/Oz friends think it very funny - & appropriate - that the UK defense minister is called 'Geoff Hoon'. :)

Re. cats - Karen, I'm concerned as you are. However, there are plenty of people in the UK who hate cats (1 got shot 2 streets away from us), & I'm sure plenty of Oz people who like 'em.

We were worried about the idea of caging cats at first, but now have no problem with the idea of building a super-duper spacious cat run for them (in fact, Mr Anya4oz, huddled over his architect's drawings, seems to be planning a fine post-modernist structure that will rival Lubetkin's 'Penguin Pool' at the London Zoo.... :) )

Anyone know if you need planning permissions for building cat runs?

Anya (fighting moggies of the keyb'd - they must know I'm talking about them).

About three years ago there was a huge shortage of IT people in Oz. The government started a fast-track immigration scheme for IT professionals, which resulted in huge numbers of programmers, etc. coming in, mainly from India I hear. The scheme has now been stopped because the shortage is no longer there.

So although the IT industry may be doing well in Melbourne, I doubt that you would just walk into a job.

Hope that helps. I've been away from Melbourne for four years now, but still keep in touch with mates who are in IT there.

In particular one that drives very fast and irresponsibly preferably in a mistimed turbo so as to let every one know they are "fully sik". A bit fat "sik" exhaust pipe is essential so the whole neighbourhood can hear the hoon start the engine.

There are 2 different breeds of hoon.

The import hoon which drives modified Japanese cars like in 2 fast 2 furious. The wogs and city hoons tend to be in this category.

Then there are the V8 hoons which take Aussie cars with 5 litre engines and pretend the Parramatta road is the Mount Panorama.

Both are dangerous creature.

Re: A New Life Down Under
 

Well said Russell!

We are absolutely hooked on that programme and really seriously want to emigrate over there ... to Perth. Have found a great school, lovely house ... just need a job now and to be accepted (even though we haven't applied). LOL!

I think those Welsh people sponsored them and sorted out their house and cars so they felt as if they had to keep being friends etcs.

I get wot you mean though ... I would want to mix with aussies and get into their culture as soon as possible.

CU

DiKaKi

Just don't head to small-town, outback Australia, and you should be fine!

It always used to astound me that, on the sheep station where I lived, they didn't keep cats. There were so many mice and rats in the sheds that it seemed like a good idea to me. That is until I met my first feral cat - they're not the nicest of creatures.

Cats - whether feral or domestic - usually cop the blame for eating a variety of native birds and various small and furries.

(And, btw, they kept ferrets to tackle the mouse/rat situation on our sheep station)

Karen, the main problem with cats in Oz is with the feral variety, which cause great problems with the indigenous fauna. Some idiots who can't stand to drown kittens at birth just take them out into the bush and turn them loose. After a few generations these things turn into wildcats. You wouldn't believe how vicious they are. And with no predators to worry about they become king of their environment, killing anything in sight.

The bush contains many small marsupials unique to Australia and we don't want to see them getting wiped out by feral cats.

Sorry Geoff but I am still laughing about the air con being standard comment!!!! If you are LUCKY, the doors windows & roof come as standard with most builders in Australia. :rolleyes:

A word of warning, if you build & even BREATH on the plans, let alone change anything or add anything, they will charge you for it. Also even alot of basic things like floor coverings arent included in the price.

Somehow I dont think the air con will be thrown in :) .

LOL

Building standards are an unnecesary cost in Australia.

Exactly - and I can vouch for their ferocity. They'll attack anything that gets in their way - and if that's you, the results can be nasty. Plus the breed like crazy and you really don't want a feral cat attempting to mate with your beloved moggy.

Ordinarily, I'm a cat (and dog) lover, but I'd never have one out where we intend to live.