Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Australia

Australia Emigration Use-By-Date

memebake — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 06:50:21 -0800

If I apply for and get a Visa to move permanently to Australia (e.g. a Skilled – Independent (Migrant) Visa ), do I have to actually move to Australia soon afterwards, or can I keep the visa in reserve and make use of it some years later (say 2 to 5 years later?). I'm a UK citizen and I'm just pondering my future options.

How can I work as a writing and editing contractor?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:37:10 -0800

How can I get writing and editing contracts in Australia? I have held writing and editing jobs for the past couple years, for the government and large corporations. I'm unemployed at the moment, and was thinking of pitching myself to companies for contract or freelance work.

Does anyone have any experience with this or any tips for me?

I am a 'sole trader' in Australia, I have an ABN as well as personal liability and professional indemnity insurance.

My experience is in business writing and web content.

I would appreciate any suggestions on how to find work or approach companies - thanks!

Added a procedure or product to Australia's Medicare?

krisjohn — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:35:15 -0800

Are there any public advocacy groups in Australia to help people with debilitating illnesses get new medical products and procedures added to Medicare?

Advice on moving to Melbourne

emd3737 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:46:25 -0800

I just got a research fellowship in Melbourne and am moving there in mid February- hooray! Now I need to find an apartment. Complications: I don’t know a soul there and I currently live in the United States. Aside from craigslist, where can I find apartment listings? I’m looking for something cheap (less than $1000/month, ideally $700-800- it that even feasible?) and close to the north part of the city where I’ll be working. I’ve been to Melbourne once and really liked the Fitzroy neighborhood- what other areas of the city should I consider? I would prefer to live alone but would be fine with roommates if I can’t find an affordable studio or 1-bedroom. I’m 32, though, so the days of me sharing a flat with a bunch of uni students are long gone. Would like to move in Feb 15th or March 1st.

I’ll also need to acquire some furniture- I know that there is an IKEA, anywhere else I should look? And lastly, I play soccer- does anyone know of any women’s or co-ed leagues/clubs in the area? I figure that would be a good way to start making some friends (in addition to organizing a metafilter meet-up).

Should I buy a mobile phone in Mexico?

Admira — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:03:03 -0800

Can I buy a mobile phone in Mexico and use it in Australia? Hi All!

I'm headed to Mexico next year and was wondering if I could pick up a phone in Mexico and use it here when I get back to Australia?

I've got no idea if they are cheaper there than here, but if so I'd be tempted. Things that worry me are network compatability, and also getting a charger for it here.

Any advice around this is much appreciated! Thanks!

Identify this iron stove

zamboni — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:29:12 -0800

Identify this iron stove. Australia, probably 1970s. I'd like to know the make and manufacturer of the iron stove that Clifton Pugh is resting his feet on in the above photograph.

Whatever happened to Duty-Free shops in Australia?

AmbroseChapel — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:44:01 -0800

Whatever happened to Duty-Free shops in Sydney? I live in Sydney and I haven't been overseas for quite a while. When it came time to think about duty-free shopping, it seemed that the concept had disappeared from the city centre. Most of the shops, particularly the big Downtown in Pitt Street, were gone, and it seemed like the only place you could buy duty-free stuff was at the airport.

Is this something to do with the GST? Some plot by Macquarie Airports?

Relocating to Brisbane, Aus.

fox_terrier_guy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:03:35 -0800

I have been shortlisted for a job in Brisbane, Aus. Obviously I am thrilled and would like to know a little about Brisbane. (Yes, Google is my friend). I would like to know from any Aussies or someone who has been in the same "boat". I have multiple questions, which branch into.... My son (who will be 18) will be with me, most likely to live.

Question 1: How hard will it be for him to obtain a visa if he is just out of high school and living with me? I don't exactly know what my visa will be, but I suspect it will be a skilled work visa (I am an engineering manager in an SOL - if that helps). He would like to work or attend college (he is a little unclear on that right now, but is also interested possibly in joining the ADF. Could that be a way in for him?

Question 2: Brisbane looks like a fabulous place. Other than touristy things to see and do, what are some of the cool, fun and non-touristy things to see and do?

Question 3: I will be working in the Acacia Ridge area. Are there any areas in Brisbane to avoid living in? Any I should look for that would be close to work? I am a left hand driver, and will have to take some lessons before attempting the roads (I almost got killed at a roundabout in Scotland - and so am a little nervous driving there without some training).

Thanks all!

I'm in need of a (new) hobby!

cofie — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:10:47 -0800

How do I go about getting back into hobbies, or finding new ones (suggest some)? I'm slowly lost a few of my hobbies - stores close, friends move on, interests wane and change. I've recently finished uni, and I'm just having a break until I start full-time work next year.

What I'm after is something (or more than one something) to get me out of the house and doing things that are quite different from my usual routine. Stuff I can start now and keep going even when I have less time due to work.

Some background: I'm a web developer, both as my job and my past-time. I have a large collection of Magic The Gathering cards, I cycle (although I don't want to cycle competitively), I used to (and want to) play sports - volleyball, touch, indoor soccer. I'm interested in creative pursuits but have never really given any a good go.

I have some ideas, but what I'm really after is brand new ideas or some discussion of how best to get into something, and stay with it.

Are there any storytelling shows in Adelaide or Melbourne?

chinese_fashion — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:51:32 -0800

Are there storytelling/live reading shows in Adelaide or Melbourne, similar to The Moth in NYC/LA? I write and tell short stories in NYC, mostly through The Moth, though I've gotten stuff onto This American Life and done a number of smaller shows here like The Liar Show, Risk!, and Seth Lind's Told.

Are there any opportunities to do something similar in Australia, by any chance? There's a growing storytelling scene here in New York, sort of like standup mixed with essay-writing ... wondering if there might be something similar Down Under.

A few of my stories deal directly with aspects of Aussie culture, too, as I lived there for about a year. Here's a few samples:

'Roo Shooter
Foreign Soil
Now or Never

I'm leaving for Australia tomorrow morning for a 2-week holiday, spending one week in Adelaide and another in Melbourne. And if possible, I'd love to try some of these out down there. Is there any chance for something like that to happen? If so, would you mind putting me in touch with the right folks?

Thanks so much ...

Is cancer treatment better in the US?

Estragon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:09:23 -0800

Looking to help a Canberra, Australia acquaintance recently diagnosed with estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer, and wondering whether they would receive better treatment from the US. No politics, please. Someone I know was just diagnosed with breast cancer. It has spread to a lymph node under her armpit. The biopsy report was on Wednesday, and she's having a CAT scan later this week, so I don't know how far it's spread, but she's never had a mammogram, so there's a good chance it's pretty bad.

She has a lot of money. What I'm wondering is, would seeking treatment at a top US cancer hospital appreciably increase her odds of survival? I'm from Australia myself, but I live in the US, and work in medical genetics (the statistics side) so I have an inkling of just how much bigger the research over here is. I guess it comes down to how quickly new treatments are disseminated to the rest of the world.

I'm imagining shipping a biopsy sample to MD Anderson or somewhere like that, to get someone there to study the histology and maybe do some genotyping, and recommend a chemotherapy which could then be applied back in Canberra. Is that crazy or useless?

Please, no politics. I'm currently totally disinterested in comparing the overall value of the US and Australian healthcare systems, though I acknowledge the general contemporary importance of healthcare politics in the US.

Mobile Me in Melbourne?

chairish — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:15:02 -0800

I'm a Kiwi who travels to Australia (usually Melbourne twice a year for a week or so). I'm currently using a Telecom NZ Nokia e71 phone. If I use data roaming it will cost me $8 NZ per megabyte. I'd like to know from any Aussies out there if you know if there are any alternatives for pre-paid data. The Telecom version of the e71 will work through 900 or 1800 GSM networks as well as 850 or 2100 WCDMA. Obviously the WCDMA is better/faster than GSM.

Do you know if there is a pre-pay type deal that I can sign up for to get a few MB of data - enough for Google Maps, email, etc while I am away from home?

How do I get US-address-only items delivered to Australia?

katala — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:22:10 -0800

Can anyone please recommend a reputable mail-forwarding service for someone living in Australia who wants to buy from US-only stores? Hi MeFites, I need to buy some items (headbands of all things!) which I can only find on US store websites and they will only ship to a US address (no international shipping provided).

Can anyone please recommend a good mail-forwarding service who I can have my items shipped to, and then they will ship them to me in Australia?

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Katala

Romantic Melbourne things to do?

burhan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:25:16 -0800

Aussie Hive Mind: What are some some incredibly romantic things to do from say 10am to 3pm in Melbourne in late November, early December? I have 3 afternoons in Melbourne, during which I would like to surprise my wife by taking her to places she's probably never seen, or to do things she probably never has.

They don't need to be over the top - this is more about sharing mutual experiences than about 'wow'ing her with extravagance.

My wife is from Melbourne, but never had the opportunity to do little 'fun' things. This is my 3rd trip there ever, and apart from the campy tourist things I've done previously, I can't think of anything!

This would be last week in Nov, first week in Dec.

What's the real story behind this "dragnet" of Tasmania?

Dee Xtrovert — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:51 -0800

Was there some sort of giant 19th century human dragnet across Tasmania? What was the deal with it, exactly? This quote is from a comment posted on the website of the Guardian, in relation to a report that finds sex trafficking to be "exaggerated."

Reminds me of what happened in Tasmania in the 19th century.

Apparently Aboriginal people were causing havoc amongst the invaders - no space to go into the rights and wrongs here. The government in Hobart, thought it so serious, a Highland-style clearance was in order.

They formed a human line, from one side of Tasmania to the other. They dragged the island, from one end to the other. No mean feat, as Tassie is half the size of Wales.

Three arrests were made. A couple of kids, and a very old lady or man.

& after that things continued much as before.

Does anyone know the story behind this supposed incident?

Recommend me a book about the Dreamtime!

Greg Nog — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:39:26 -0800

I'd like to read a book about the Dreamtime of the Australians. I was kind of thinking about reading Chatwin, but these comments have made a little wary; I don't particularly want to read about another outsider's spiritual journey, and I don't want a New Agey attempt-at-universal-religion haphazardly mixed in with basic anthropological records. Can you recommend a solid book about Dreamtime?

Buying a house on a busy road

mooza — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:37:40 -0800

I have been trying to buy a house in the inner-west in Sydney, Australia for several months. Contrary to what's going on in the rest of the world, Oz houses are effing crazy high and have jumped between $20-$100k (esp in my area) in the past year. I have found a good house for a price I can do - but it's on a fairly busy road. Would you want to go to there? The suburb the house is in is great. The house itself is in excellent condition. It is just on an arterial road, which sounds bad, but the section the house is in is just like a big street, plenty of other houses surround it. It gets busy at certain times of the day, but you can park on the street and it seems fine...I think. The noise seems OK, but what about air-quality? I am a little concerned that my love for this house is partly due to my despair over long term house-hunting. If this particular house was one block away, it would easily fetch $100k over what it's likely to go for.

Do you own a house on a busy road? What's it like? Is living on a such road not a big deal, or is it a deal-breaker?

Making the move: Australia --> New Zealand

simplesharps — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:36:55 -0800

What's involved in moving from Australia to New Zealand? I've been flirting with the idea of moving over to NZ for at least two or three years after thoroughly enjoying myself a couple of years ago on holidays.

I've done a little bit of googling and found a few sites, but I'm after more specific information:

- Does Australia have some agreement with New Zealand that allows both citizens to move and work freely in either?
- What process, as an Australian, would I have to follow, ie - 1) get job offer, 2) apply for residency etc...

There are quite a few jobs of interest (web design) on seek.co.nz in the area I'm after so that shouldn't be a problem.

Shipping a caravan

newpotato — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:45:36 -0800

What difficulties/expenses should I expect in shipping a caravan from the US to Melbourne Australia? We've been looking for a caravan here in Victoria to put on a block of land and the prices for what we are looking for are in the $20k to $30k (used) range.
The same styles, but newer, nicer versions with slide outs, etc, are being had on Ebay in the US for under $3000. I've bought a similar one on Ebay for some Upstate property I have with no problems, so I have no issues with the whole Ebay thing.
The style we're looking for are called camper trailers in the US, they get towed behind the car, and have hookups for water for the sink, toilet, shower, etc., LP, and electric.
I know shipping is expensive as I've had a half container shipped from NY to Melbourne and that alone was $2500 back before gas prices went through the roof, but I'm interested in other issues I might have bringing one of these from the US to Aus. as well.
Anybody out in mefi land ever done this before?

What was that Aussie kidnapping movie?

mikoroshi — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:09:04 -0800

An independent film from Australia about a kidnapping? It's only a few years (maybe 4?) old and I believe the title was a woman's name. I do vividly recall the husband watching his kidnapped wife on TV in real time, and when he opened the back of the remote the batteries had been replaced with bullets.
Ring any bells?

Advice before I fly the coop for a year?

adamk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:02:37 -0800

I (26/male) am leaving Los Angeles in January for at least one year of backpacking solo around Australia, NZ, SE Asia, and possibly some other places! Other than enjoying my remaining time before I leave (going to favorite restaurants, hanging with friends, etc.), what pre-trip activities should I be thinking about, and what preparations should I be making (especially while I have good insurance)? What do you wish someone had told you before you left for a trip of this length and scope? This is me! I have a few months left before I take off and start my working holiday visa in Australia. Obviously I'm heading to a first-world country to begin, and should be able to buy plenty of things that I may want while I'm over there.

I did my research and bought a great backpack, and plan on packing lighter than I ever have before. I've been trading in some of my must-have things (camera, laptop, etc.) for smaller and lighter versions. I'm planning on keeping my website updated with my past/future/current whereabouts, and posting blog entries, pics and video as the opportunity presents itself. I'm considering printing up some Moo MiniCards to pass out to people I meet, to make it easier for them to track me down. And I may get one of those recently announced Amazon Kindles with international downloads, instead of my usual approach of lugging around a small library.

In addition, I have about 10 more weeks of good medical/dental insurance from my current job, which I'll be leaving just before Christmas. I'm planning on getting a physical, and asking about immunizations for some of the less developed countries I may end up visiting. Beyond that, I'm not sure if there's anything I should be taking advantage of while I have the chance. Once my coverage runs out I'll have travel insurance with emergency health coverage, but nothing as nice or comprehensive as I have now.

For the past two months I've been aiming to get rid of 3-5 pieces of personal property each week, either by selling, giving or throwing things away. I'll be selling my car before I leave, and anything remaining will go into a small storage unit. Then I'll be living out of my backpack. Crazy.

I'll probably do occasional freelance programming work (old clients and new) to keep some money rolling in while I'm away, so I'm looking into gadgets/software that'd make my computing life easier... I've seen some external USB WiFi antennas that have received excellent reviews.

Any advice relevant to my specific situation would be appreciated, or any tips that are applicable in general. Thanks so much!

Reuniting with a headmaster for an expensive school in Australia named Ron..

Quarter Pincher — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:54:53 -0800

I'm looking for a forgotten chat-friend from over 10 years ago. All I remember is that his first name is Ron, and he was a headmaster at a school in eastern Australia, got to drive a Aston Martin as a work benefit, and once took a group of students to visit America in the Seattle area. He gave me some advice that I later took up, and would like to tell him how much of a difference (good) it's made. I might remember his last name if I saw it. Is there a way to find a list of headmasters of all schools in eastern Australia, that are wealthy enough to offer their headmasters an Aston Martin as a company car? I recall him having told me the name of the school and I looked up the site just once, back then, so I might vaguely recall that if I saw it, also. Any ideas on where to start looking?

Been there, did that, got the degree, now what?

b33j — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:54:09 -0800

I've nearly finished my degree. Help me work out my future. I am nearly finished my Bachelor of Multimedia Studies. By 30 October I will have graduated with a GPA between 6.5 and 6.95 out of 7 (say, between 3.71 and 3.97 on a 4 point scale) and more likely the upper end of that range than the lower. Unfortunately, despite the name of the degree, I cannot code a decent webpage, nor work within a 3D package or do more than the simplest of animations in Flash. I’m very good with Illustrator and general graphic design, layout and formatting, mediocre with Photoshop, out of practice with Indesign. I have a DSLR, but my understanding of composition far exceeds my technical ability.

I’ve been freelancing (part-time) during much of the last 3 years, working for academics (in a different field) doing things like: creating databases (and doing the data entry for it - blargh), formatting and editing a new international journal, contacting the authors and reviewers; designing documents for print; creating presentations for international conferences; producing diagrams – that sort of thing.

I enjoy the flexibility and variety of freelancing. I haven’t had any issues with payment disputes, or difficult attitudes with this client base. This is clearly awesome and incredibly unusual. So one of my career plans is to keep doing what I’m doing, only to find more people to do it for. So here are the questions about keeping on doing it:
Q1. How do I increase my client base without outlaying a lot of money?
Q2. What percentage increase in hourly rate can I charge, given that I now have a degree that says I can do what I was already doing without pricing myself out of the market?

On the other hand, what about a real job? I’ve kept track of advertised vacancies for graphic designers (etc) within a 300 kilometre radius. Last week I saw a job advertised, “experienced web designer and coder, graphic designer and data entry operator, $20 per hour”. (I charge nearly twice that now!) Many of the advertised jobs I would qualify for offer a wage less than what I was earning as an administrative assistant. So if I didn’t keep doing what I’m currently doing…
Q3. How can I take advantage of my GPA to land a good paying job, and/or a job with prospects of a good rate of pay?
Q4. If I don’t go to work for someone else now, will the advantage of achieving good results fade, and if so, how quickly?

Australian, female, 42, located near Brisbane (state capital). Any other job / career tips gratefully received.

Australia Post Alternatives?

LongDrive — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:27:19 -0800

Small business looking for Alternative to Australia Post for international shipping. Does one exist? What started as a simple side-project for two geeks has spun into a bit of a runaway phenomenon which leaves us in a peculiar financial situation relating to fulfilling our product.

We always knew Australia Post's fees for international postage were high, but were happy to eat the cost. But now we are dealing with a very large quantity, and the cost of postage pretty much eats all our profit, in some cases, costing more than the manufacturing itself!

We understand Australia Post offer discounts on contract, but you have to sign off on a large annual spend, and they don't even consider it until you have shown consistent spend for a few months.

We have considered:

-Drop-shipping (simply too many countries to do it effectively.)
-Printing and fulfilling overseas (a possibility in the near future)
-Borrowing a friends Australia post account (most likely solution)
-Finding some sort of mail house (discounts are pretty slim if any, and they have semi-dodgy ways of getting the post there to begin with)

Has anyone else in Australia been in this boat before? Are we missing something? Does anyone have specific referrals? Does Australia Post simply hate Small Business? Are we simply too far away?

Australia travel tips…

emd3737 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:56:44 -0800

I’m travelling to Australia in October. My first stop is Sydney and from there I’m going on a trip to Adelaide, Alice Springs, and Uluru with friends. After that, we head back to Sydney and I’ve got an 11 day gap with absolutely no plans. I’ve heard great things about Melbourne/Great Ocean Road and also Cairns, and I’m not sure that I have time to fit both in, as they are in opposite directions from Sydney. Another wrinkle is that I’ll be travelling alone for the first time, so I’d like to stay in places or join activities that would facilitate meeting other people. I’m a 31 year old American female who enjoys outdoorsy activities like hiking, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling (but not scuba or surfing...I'm not a very strong swimmer) as well as gluttonous fun- brewery tours, wine tasting, and restaurants, live music, hanging out at pubs, etc. I’ve got some spending money but am on a grad student budget.

So, where should I go? And how should I get there (bus, plane, train)? If anyone could recommend specific hotels/hostels, parks, etc, that would be great. Also, I’ve come across some 3 or 4 day tours that look interesting, but it’s hard to tell if they’d be up my alley or more suitable for senior citizens. So if you have experience with tours in Australia, that would be helpful as well.

Thanks!