Ask Josem about visiting/living in Australia

[Michaelson]

I don't know about the taxation side of things, but $10 will get you a sixpack of cheap beer.

Light beer is not a manly beverage.

[Hawklet]

What is the easiest and cheapest way to get on the internet in Brisbane if I'll be living in a non-wired apartment?

[Josem]

If your apartment is entirely unwired (like, not even a landline phone) then I know that another 2p2'er had success in Sydney with www.unwired.com.au, who unfortunately do not service Brisbane.

However, the leading source of information on Australian broadband internet services is http://www.whirlpool.net.au/


I'm reluctant to recommend a particular provider since I don't have personal experience of them. However, I strongly endorse http://www.whirlpool.net.au/ as a reliable and highly reputable source of information on Australian broadband internet services.

[Hawklet]

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Is is true that Aussie women just love American men?
(I was told because Aussie men treat women rather poorly)

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In my experience this was generally true, but it isn't like Thailand where girls will want to [censored] you just because you're American. You still have to put in the effort to go and talk to them and if you can't pick up girls in the States, you'll probably have trouble in Oz. Any game you do have, though, will be greatly magnified and you'll have a lot more luck than you would normally. There are no three better words to come from a girl's mouth than than "Are you aMEERican?"

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Seconding this from a british point of view, australian girls are easier.

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Josem,

You've been incredibly informative so far. What are your feelings about the above question about Aussie women's thoughts of American guys? Haha I'm interested for obvious reasons. Gotta know how to play it [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

I'll be leaving soon and have begun to pack. What will the weather be like during my stay in Brisbane (Feb-June)? And if I decide to visit Fiji/New Zealand near the end of my stay? I plan on attempting to learn to surf/go snorkling. Is this plausible while living in Brisbane or would I need to travel far to do this. Also, how popular is football(soccer)? I'm a footballer and am interested in playing while there.

Thanks a lot for your help so far!

[Josem]

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Josem,

You've been incredibly informative so far.

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awww... shucks.

Dunno what the Aussie girls will think of you, but if you maintain that level of flattery, there should be at least one Aussie guy who'll like you.

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What are your feelings about the above question about Aussie women's thoughts of American guys? Haha I'm interested for obvious reasons. Gotta know how to play it [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

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I'm not an Aussie girl, so I can't comment on that too much - although I do like girls with cool accents.

I imagine the same is true of women.

I also witnessed WhoIAm's use of an "I am American" badge to great effect.

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I'll be leaving soon and have begun to pack. What will the weather be like during my stay in Brisbane (Feb-June)?

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General information on general Brisbane climate is available online at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averag...w_040214.shtml

Information on this particular summer's forecast
is available online at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/temp.qld.shtml

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And if I decide to visit Fiji/New Zealand near the end of my stay?

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Dunno. Go find an "ask xxxx about Fiji/New Zealand thread"
[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I plan on attempting to learn to surf/go snorkling. Is this plausible while living in Brisbane or would I need to travel far to do this.

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This is easily feasible if you have a car.

This is also probably feasible if you do not.


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Also, how popular is football(soccer)? I'm a footballer and am interested in playing while there.

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Soccer is the third/fourth most popular football code in Australia - distantly behind Aussie Rules football and Rugby League, and probably similar to Rugby Union.

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footbal...9_in_Australia) is probably as good a source of information on this as anywhere else.

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Thanks a lot for your help so far!

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No worries. I've taken the view that especially for a lot of the "factual" questions, it is better to find a more reliable source than just myself.

[Josem]

I just received a marketing email from Yahoo advertising Australia's 10 best beach holidays.

More info is available at http://au.travel.yahoo.com/top-10-au...ays/index.html


Obviously they're trying to sell a product (travel) but it may be of interest to people here...

[Kyle]

I am considering moving to australia. I have never been before so I have a few questions.

What would your top 5 places to live be in australia if you could live anywhere? I am a 22 single pro player. I really want to give surfing a try while I am out there. So, Right now I am manly beach is where I am thinking of getting an apt. Care to comment both good and bad on the area or rate the area's nightlife cost of living easy of getting around. Will I absolutely need to get a car while there or will public transportation suffice?

Also, do you know the difficulty of a foreignor setting up a bank account or will I just have to use ATMs in order to get money?

That is all I can think of now. I am sure I will have more questions though. Any or tips advice etc would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: finding an apartment wise. I just assumed that I would get a hotel for a few days to a week and just use the internet to find a place. What would the best way to find an apartment in a short amount of time?

[Josem]

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I am considering moving to australia. I have never been before so I have a few questions.

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No worries. Many of the questions that you ask are rather subjective, so bear in mind that I'm just one person.

However, I'm a 25 years old, single, male, so I'd be surprised if I was wildly out of touch with you.

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What would your top 5 places to live be in australia if you could live anywhere?

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1. Melbourne.
2. Melbourne.
3. Melbourne.
4. Melbourne.
5. Sydney.

I love the Melbourne night life, with a whole lot more "cool" bars. I also value the people and the culture of the cities much more than the beaches.

My perception of the differences between Melbourne and Sydney is that Sydney is a lot more "ostentatious" (that word is probably a little too strong for my feeling, but it'll do) than Sydney.

For example, all the coolest bars (eg, St Jeromes; Eve; 3 Degrees) in Melbourne are hidden in various little alcoves and down dark alley ways. By comparison, all the coolest bars in Sydney are very big, loud and visible (eg, Cargo).


However, if surfing is your number 1 selection factor, I'd consider skipping Melbourne/Sydney altogether and looking at somewhere like Townsville - a much smaller town, but one with a few other benefits to consider:
a) cost of living will be a lot less
b) Townsville has a large (relative to its size) university with lots of young people moving for study
c) Townsville has a VERY large (relative to its size) defence base with lots of young people moving for work
d) climate is much warmer; I suspect you could surf close to 365 days a year

The combination of lots of people who are relatively isolated from their families and friends will, I think, mean that people will be a lot more open to meeting new people (such as yourself). A very high percentage of people will be in a situation similar to you - knowing very few people in the town. On top of that, the climate is much warmer, yet it is just south of the path of hurricanes etc.

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I am a 22 single pro player. I really want to give surfing a try while I am out there. So, Right now I am manly beach is where I am thinking of getting an apt. Care to comment both good and bad on the area or rate the area's nightlife cost of living easy of getting around. Will I absolutely need to get a car while there or will public transportation suffice?

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The area is relatively close to the centre of the city, although on the northern side of the harbour.

Keep in mind that the southern winter starts in June - you'd be unlikely to get excellent surfing weather much after April as far south as Sydney.

Somewhere like Bondi (where TeddyFBI lived) or Coogee, on the inner-south side of Sydney would probably be better, with lesser needs for a car. More nightlife down there than up in Manly.

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Also, do you know the difficulty of a foreignor setting up a bank account or will I just have to use ATMs in order to get money?

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It is not difficult.

The bank I use, Westpac, has information online at http://www.westpac.com.au/internet/p...e+your+banking about setting up an Australian bank accuont as a foreigner.

That said, it depends how long you're coming for. If you're just getting the electronic travel permission thing (www.eta.immi.gov.au) you're limited to only 3 months visit and it is probably not worth your time to get an Australian bank account for this alone.

If you're coming for 6 or 12 months, it might be more worthwhile.

In addition, setting up an Australian bank account may (ie, might) allow you to access Neteller too.

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That is all I can think of now. I am sure I will have more questions though. Any or tips advice etc would be greatly appreciated.

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Ask anything - No answer is too stupid.

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EDIT: finding an apartment wise. I just assumed that I would get a hotel for a few days to a week and just use the internet to find a place. What would the best way to find an apartment in a short amount of time?

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If you're going to use the internet to find a place, you may as well do a bit of that before you leave home. Some key websites are:

www.realestate.com.au
www.domain.com.au

However, if you're just looking for an apartment, I'd suggest visiting a few real estate agent offices in the area you're interested in, as they'll have a sheet of current vacancies.

I do know that the rental market vacancy rate at Australia is at a long-term low, so it may be difficult. I know that in my situation, when I moved to Newcastle (a significantly smaller, and, one would think, less demanding rental market) I had trouble finding a place despite having a great job and being absolutely no risk to the vendor.

[Kyle]

Thanks for the excellent response and links. They have been very helpful thus far.

Surfing is just something I wanted to try and definitely not a qualification. Really my only qualification for living somewhere is that there is a brazillian ju-jitsu gym somewhere in the area which it looks like most decent sized cities in AU do. I currently live in a city that has 9 million people in the surrounding metro area so I really like living in larger areas. As per your suggestion i will definitely have to look at melbourne more closely now

Concerning cost of living. I currently live with a roomate and we pay 1K a month in rent for a three bedroom apt that is in the city. I assume that big cities in AU sydney melbourne wtc will be comparable? Also since the exchange rate is favorable my USD that I earn playing poker will have more purchasing power in AU right?

Transportaion is one thing I am concerned about though. I would like to live in place that has where at least for the first month or so I can get around to do necessities without a car. Groceries , gym ,bank, restuarunts nightlife etc

If my visa expires in 3 months could I just fly over to new zealand or somewhere else close by stay for a few days and then come back with another 3 months to go?

any other tips suggestions etc are greatly appreciated.

thanks again

[Stagger_Lee]

A bit of a contrary opinion here - Melbourne is good (fantastic) for events but is boring as all hell for anything else UNLESS hanging out at a bar deemed "cool" is all you want to do.

Sydney is exciting day in, day out. The natural beauty is stunning, even if you have lived here all your life. The harbour, the beaches, the mountains to the west.

Sydney city seems to fit your needs well & Bondi would be a great choice. A car would be a hindrance rather than a help if you lived at Bondi and enjoy the city for the restaurants/bars/gyms/cafes etc.

Your dollar will have more purchasing power - but not as much as you think. Fresh food is fantastic and cheap - cafe/restaurant food is very good, but well overpriced.

The $$ rent you are talking will land you a nice place - but be warned that Sydney is one of the most expensive cities (worldwide) to house yourself in - whether renting or buying.

Also, in the main we call apartments "Units" or "Flats". The US term apartment has crept in mainly via marketing, but is no way used as a generic term. In the inner city / near city suburbs you will be looking to rent a Unit, Townhouse (modern) or what we call a semi (as in semi-detached house). Quite often the semis or newer townhouses are much better value than units - more space, privacy and freedom.