Bermudashorts

I think even for the initial period, you are going to have to seriously up your budget, $300 in Australia isn't going to go very far. Still though, it indicates where you are coming from on budget and I think that you can probably rule out many locations, including Perth which you mention on the topic subject.

Working outside is going to be tough in most parts of Australia, but probably more so in the north, so I would be tempted to rule that out as well.

So that leaves the areas of Queensland that you mention. Further south in that state does seem to make a bit more sense, but finding work can be an issue. I don't know that you need to move hours from one of the cities in order to live in a quiet neighbourhood. We live 25km from Sydney but it is definitely a relaxed, beach suburb, it isn't remotely like living in a city.

We went to Hervey Bay for a weekend recently. I was convinced it would be idyllic, but I soon realised that it would be a hell of a culture shock to move there permanently. It is very difficult to explain why, small town in Australia is just soo different to small town in UK.

jad n rich

Feeling like it was 1972 was one part of it for me

I myself got that what the hell would I do here after a weekend or so feeling.

Its one of those many thousands of places all around OZ that will do its 'pelican on the pier " advert or the bikini girl on the jetski billboard to welcome you. You immediately know there is little else going on there.

RSL, maccas, large centerlink office, Big W and supermarket and off you go.. again.

Amazulu

yep

moneypenny20

If your husband is a roofer, I'd be looking at places down the lower half of NSW - Coffs down simply because of climate. No way would I want to be on a roof in summer in QLD, but definitely not Cairns. It's still going to be hot in summer but Coffs, Port Macquarie, Newcastle may suit better? It's hard to tell. What's good weather for you may be bad for me and visa versa.

It's a massive country and as has been said, the majority of the population live on the coast and are families with kids who go to school. Just because a city may be large, doesn't mean that you can't get a suburb in that city with a small town feel. No one is trying to be difficult or give snotty replies, it's just a really difficult question to answer.

ozzieeagle

Plenty (if not most) of born and bred Aussies couldnt cope with living full time above the tropic of cancer.

It would also be interesting to hear from any families with youngsters that have migrated to a town more than 300ks (3 hours drive) from one of the state capitals. A distance that is nothing in Australian terms.

ozzieeagle

I reckon it's time to explain to the OP whats going on here, with her relatively difficult to answer post in a light hearted way, with this old chestnut.


A Diary of a Pom In Karratha
August 31st
Just got transferred with work into our new home in Karratha, Western Australia, now this is a town that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings.
What a place! I watched the sunset from a deck chair on the veranda. It was beautiful. I've finally found my my home. I love it here.

September 13th
Really heating up. Got to 35 today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.

September 30th
ad the backyard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but i love it here.

October 10th
This temperature hasn't been below 35 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat.
At least today it's kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.

October 15th
Fell asleep by the pool. Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body. Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

October 20th
I missed Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time i got to the hot car for lunch, Kitty had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the $3,000 leather upholstery. I told the kids that she ran way. The car now smells like Wiskettes and cat sh1t. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat.

October 25th
The wind sucks. It feels like a giant fxxking blow dryer!! And its hot as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the blink and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needed to order parts.

October 30th
Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bloody $600,000 house and we can't even go inside.
Why did I ever come here

November 4th
Its 38 degrees. Finally got the ol' air-conditioner fixe today. It cost $1,500 and gets the temp down to 25, but the bloody humidity makes the house feel like its about 30. Stupid repairman.

I hate this stupid fxxkin place.

November 8th
If another wise arse cracks, "hot enough for you today" I'm going to fxxkin throttle him. Fxxkin heat!
By the time I get to work, the car's radiator was boiling over, my clothes are soaking fukin wet, and I smell like baked cat!!

November 9th
Tried to run some messages agyer work. Worse shorts, and sat on the black leather seats in the ol' car.
I though my fxxkin arse was on fire. I lost to layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and my fxxkin arse. Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ass and baked cat.

November 10th
The weather report might aswell be a fxxkin recording. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. Hot and fukin sunny.
It's been too hot to do anything for 2 damn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this damn fukin place? Water rationing will be next, so my $5,000 worth of palms just might dry up and bow into the fukin pool. Even the palms can't live in this fxxkin heat.

November 14th
Welcome to HELL!!!! Temperature got to 41 today. Now the air-conditioner's gone in my car.
The repairman came to fix i and said "hot enough for you today?"
My wife had to spend the $2,500 mortgage payment to bail my ass out of fail for assaulting the stupid fxxker. Fxxk Karratha! What kind of sick demented fukin idiot would want to live here?

December 1st
WHAT????? This is the first day of Summer??? You are fxxkin kiddin!!!

msmyrtle

Oh yes... as someone that spent the last 2 years in Karratha (but managed to be back in Perth Dec-Feb) 1000% agree

quoll

Sadly, no, your OP was very much akin to "how long is a piece of string?"

First you're going to need to check whether you can get a visa and then whether that restricts you to any particular state. If you can narrow that down then people can be more specific. If you don't know what the state "looks like" then may I suggest a holiday visit. We could all say "SA is the best" (or whichever) but then you may get there and be horrified!

"Quiet suburb" hmmm, that probably isn't going to mean what you think it means when attached to the nether regions of one of the big cities - you're probably better looking at some of the larger country towns but then you want the beach which doesn't necessarily gel with quiet or suburbs. Realistically, areas around Newcastle or Wollongong (or up and down the coast from them) might suit your residence requirements but whether the jobs go with that is anyone's guess. Gippsland might also be an option but weather is more seasonal so colder winters and work may be more problematic.

Working around school hours - yeah, good luck with that! I'm sure lots of women aspire to do that but very few do and it'd be hard to pick a career that would allow you that leeway (lots of women think teacher aide is the way to go but those vacancies are hard fought, poorly paid and often go to "who you know").

$300pw isn't going to get you much - it's one of those catch 22 things, rents are low in places that people don't want to live for a range of reasons - usually work related. Bump your budget up to around $500 pw if you fancy beach proximity.

So you get back to "land a job" then work from there! If the area suits then you win, if it doesn't then you tweak and move on.

Pollyana

Hervey Bay is an interesting one. We had a very long and busy thread running, about 6-7 years ago, with a lot of people, including young families, moving there and chatting about it. Then it went quiet, and although I'm sure some are still there, the feel was certainly that people were leaving - lack of work, run out of things for teens to do, the place really was quiet, and mor a Retirement-type place ( from the British point of view). I know Aussies who live there and won't move cos its their family base, but from a migrants point of view it seems the glitter soon wears off.

Alfresco

Yeah, that thread went on for ageeees.

What Australia really needs is heaps of more immigrants to fill the place up, so all places are vibey and brimming with life.

Bernieboy

The locals ate them

jad n rich

Be wary of small coastal towns for work.

Stopped in one NSW town, just after dark, to use the coin op laundry. Pub, chip shop, the clothing store you get in those towns, selling ladies garments, gents hats and jeans, all circa 1970, a butcher with the local meat sign, and one office....

Sign in window, housing, legal aid, unwanted pregnancy, JP, AA, domestic violence, some others I cant remember and weight watchers but all from the same shopfront.

Indibaby

"What Australia really needs is heaps of more immigrants to fill the place up, so all places are vibey and brimming with life."

If you don't want more immigrants or to advise people on emigrating then why comment?
I don't use forums much & some of the replies on here remind me why.

Many thanks to those who have provided useful & informative answers.

Pollyana

with that disgusring chicken salt added for local flavour no doubt

Pollyana

We comment because we live here and because we want to give people a true flavour of what life is like - especially after a few years in the place. I've been here 11 years, Jad n Rich longer than that, we've done the ups and downs and seen good and bad sides to the country.