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Different providers have different amounts, and different deals with companies; ours comes via an international mining company who have fleet deals etc and the buying power to get cheaper rates. Also ours would be based on costs calculated nearly four years ago and we have to renegotiate early next year. I have no idea what we'll be looking at then, I hope it's not double... Regardless though, if the numbers are crunched and end up favourable, even by a couple of hundred, we'll still do it.

On my third lease at the moment. I don't think you particularly save a lot on them; I worked it out at being about $2k per year, but what I do like about them is that you never get stuck with unforseen bills and things like rego that you forgot about. f you pick a car that doesn't depreciate a lot you also get a nice payment at the end of the lease. My Prado costs about $800 per month out of pocket fully services, fully fueled up (based on 30,000km per year), and our balloon payment is $23k, the dealer has offered $38k for it at end of lease and as we are taking on a new one that's basically money on the pocket as far as we are concerned. We also have a Colorado on lease which is FBT free as a commercial vehicle (though I think they've changed that recently). It costs me $7k per year out of pocket

We haven't had a "proper" wet season for a while; all the rain seems to be going south and avoiding the tropics. Don't worry about the cyclones; we have to build to cyclone code which anything south of Bundaberg doesn't; houses in Brisbane lose their roofs in storms way more than we do. In terms of does construction turn down in the Wet? any local company will aim to slow down then; we certainly schedule machinery maintenance for March / April, however, most of the larger jobs are administered by "down south" companies who seem to have little idea of what can potentially happen up here; I did a job a couple of years ago for a recycled water facility, where the construction went along the lines of "assess bearing capacity is OK for blinding concrete. It rains and fills up excavation with water. Excavate out until bearing capacity is OK for blinding. It rains and fills up with water. Excavate out...etc" The tank ended up being 2m deeper than it had to be because idiots from Sydney wouldn't wait a couple of months. Bowen is suffering right now. There are huge hopes hanging on Carmichael Mine and Abbot Point port expansion and with all the uncertainty around it the local economy is going to pot. There's a huge amount of talk about how the boom is over and mining won't come back; it's rubbish. We do the rock testing for the longwall mines - they basically need to know the strength of the rock to design the undergrounds and we know what's going to happen about two years in advance as the level of testing reflects the amount of excavation they are going to do. Three and a bit years ago the rock testing dried up completely, right now we cannot keep up with demand. Go figure. Have you worked in QLD mining? if so apologies for sucking eggs and all that. If you are looking at going back into the mines (and the jobs are available), be aware that you need a HEAP more qualifications in QLD than you do in WA; I know shotfirers who have come over, then returned to WA as QLD simply doesn't recognise their tickets. You will at the very least (for coal, not too sure about metalliferous), require coal board medical, Standard 11 induction, possible BMA induction as well, and for any position where you are actually required to give supervision (which a lot of them define as pretty much talking to anyone), then S1 S2 S3 supervisor training and senior first aid. For coal port work an MSIC card and ports induction. You'll be looking at a couple of thou to get that lot done.

In my experience this rental pack thing is a mythology that people worry way too much about: an agent will tell me what you do, how many of you there are, what income you have and how good your references are. That's it. I don't get to know whether you love world peace, face painting and flowers or whether your dog is well behaved and has its own reference, nothing. Make a good impression with the agent, be smart and talk to them, they will not, however, pass on any personal details so providing things over and above what they ask for as ID and proof on income is a waste of time. They will also not recommend one person to me above another, all they give me is the facts about whether you're on a tenancy database for non payment or trashing a joint then it's up to me to decide. I would be very interested if any of the other landlords here have ever seen sight or sound of one of these packs? I wonder if it's only QLD where the agents are that restricted in what they can pass on as there are people here who say they've been successful because of them. I believe landlords can let the agent decide who the tenant will be if they instruct them to do so, so whether it makes a difference then..?

The 1 year course you are looking at is an honours extension to an existing degree, not a standalone course.

I work with park rangers for Queensland Parks and Wildlife a lot. Most of them have some form of qualification relevant to the post, or experience in carpentry or trades (they spend a lot of time repairing access, building lookouts etc). I know graduates who have been taken on with archaeology and botany degrees, it's a highly competitive job market right now. There's always a need for volunteers; I would say that your chances are slim in getting in with one of the government-run agencies (how fussy private people are for groundsmen and forestry professionals I can't say). Get an accountancy job, do a lot of volunteering and when you've got some experience, try out for a post.

As a landlord of a few properties, I don't get to see a "rental pack" or any other thing you may pass on to the agent; when the agent passes on your details they don't even give me your name, let alone a complete history of your life. I will get a potted summary, for example, a couple of ones I've had are: Family, four kids, dad has own concrete business, on $150k a year, one small outside dog; and Three adults, parents and adult daughter, one child. All adults employed, renting privately for last year, house owners before that. That is quite literally all I get to base a decision on. How would you come across if an agent had to describe you in one line? I want to know, as others have said, that you will pay rent and not trash the joint. It may be that your currently loner status is working against you; if I'm given the option of a couple who are both working, or one person alone then I will choose the couple. Are you telling the agent your partner will be joining you? Landlord insurance (and often, your own insurance if you read the PDS) excludes damage caused by pets to the house, it's not an issue if the pets are kept outside so if you're asked to do that, then please do. The agent often tells me their impressions of you, so take time to say hello and ask a few questions. If you really find yourself being stuck for accommodation you like you may just have to apply for ones you don't and take the first one you're offered. You can always move out after 6 moths, by which time you will have a (hopefully good) rental history.

As previously said, it wholly depends on your corporate identity. Our head office is in Brisbane and demands suits and ties (there's this thing called air conditioning that makes all offices absolutely freezing, so don't worry about the being hot thing). My outpost in a regional area is far more relaxed and I generally wear whatever pants are not overly creased and (usually) a comedy t-shirt. I do have a friend who refuses to wear the corporate stuff and makes do with Hawaiian shirts. You can get away with that sort of thing if you are senior enough.

I lived in Netley Abbey for the better part of my life; it's only about 3 miles from Southampton city centre but a whole different world (next village along from Hamble). I miss the village immensely - though it became way too expensive for me to ever consider buying a house. I'd live there easily again though. My parents were in Soton a few months ago when they visited on holiday and said it was getting pretty run down, but if you're not in the town centre It shouldn't bother you too much. Having been brought up on the brown, ship-strewn water of the Solent, this blue stuff with surf and reefs and stuff freaks me out in a weird way.

As a rule of thumb with work-related tax deductions; if it's for your current job, yes it is. But things to do with getting another job are not. So if you require an updated CV to submit to clients as part of tender process or something then it is deductable. If you just fancy moving on then no.

Specifically, what sort of job are you after? I can point you in the direction of an abattoir with vacancies, which is technically working with animals but I suspect that's not what you're after. Do you have any qualifications in the field like vet nursing? There are always volunteer positions at shelters, and my cousins groom racehorses on their days off but these are unpaid. You might even be able to pick up some cashier work with mobile dog washers, and periodically you'll find adverts for outback work doing mustering and the like, but only if you're really good on horseback. Give us a bit more information and we might be able to suggest something.

If your degree is accredited (normally by the British Council) then it is recognised internationally.

They had some stuff on Better Homes a while back that was literally the thickness of a sheet of fibro and the difference it made was astonishing. Can't recall the brand name sorry

In QLD the total of ALL the deposits (unit, key, pet bond etc) can only be 4 times rent unless rent is more than $700 p/w. The RTA has a fact sheet out which tells you so. Arm yourself with a copy and march around there asking for an explanation. You'll have to check with the relevant state RTA if you're not in QLD

I can't recommend enough that you get one fitted. Backpacks are like shoes; you'll get one on but if it sits in the wrong place it will make you very sore. I've always gone for ones with frames that the straps fit to, they are heavier but fully adjustable, and you need it so your hips support the weight, not your lower back or shoulders.

I found them by lifting up a rock and there they were, scuttling around to get out of the sunlight. Generally, Australians have a lot less of the class distinctions that you get in workplaces; the CEO of a multinational is more than happy to come and have a beer with the grunts (well, mine does anyway. I also asked him if he was a "proper engineer or a bean counter" and didn't get fired). Australians, on the other hand really suffer from tall poppy syndrome and lionise the Aussie battler, as if struggling to pay bills was something to aspire to. Australians can be the most open and down to earth people available, but they can also be arrogant and unfeeling, I particularly notice the "we are the best on the planet" coming out around Anzac day, which seems to me to be a Festival of Xenophobia. You'll get ones who never plan to leave the country as it's God's Own and we-have-everything-here-why-would-you-want-to-leave? and you'll get ones who have been everywhere and done everything. If you believe some of the people here as soon as you go north of the NSW border you'll be held up with a shotgun and be forced to squeal like a piggy, and go south people will be completely inbred. Australians are people and you'll find every variation of attitude under the sun here.

We offer a flat $10k which has to cover you, your family, your stuff and your first few weeks' accommodation, and you pay it back pro-rata if you leave within 4 years

Thai is one of the few to retain the old 34" seat pitch so thumbs up there. Check out their profile on any airline comparison website and they seem to rate highly

I like to keep an eye on whatever flight friends or relos are coming in on. Makes it kind of interesting when the flight just disappears off the screen though - that happened to one my parents were on. Turned up OK so just site fallibility.

There are definitely jobs in town planning going unfilled right now. Whether that will be the same in a few years' time is anyone's guess. In reality there's generally not likely going to be jobs for fresh graduates in any of those fields - the old adage of do what you're interested in holds true.

As previously asked, what do you do for a living because that salary seems low.

Make sure you put a bit of money in it; I did mine a couple of months before I arrived and they suspended it by the time I got there due to non-use

You pay $1700 for a full year? Wow, that's cheap! I pay that for a half year.

I'm in Mackay but we have engineering branches al over Australia and worldwide - we are the largest engineering consultancy that you've never heard of. Personally I like it when I get random CVs sent in, as if I give a personal recommendation and that person gets taken on I get a $2000 finders fee. Unfortunately site rules here prevent me from asking you to send me a cv - which is a shame as senior manager's recommendation holds a lot more sway with HR than a speculative CV. Anyway, right now we are advertising for a number of civ eng (and geotech) people on the East coast and Northern Territory. If you PM me I can give you details of the company and who's in HR to talk to if you want.

As above. We employ civil engineers, and frankly there are so many on the market right now that I can get a senior with CPEng and many years local experience for the same rate we would have paid a junior a couple of years ago. From my point of view, I don't care if you are doing other stuff - I know how hard the market is, what I want to see is that you can jump in and be chargeable instantly so do courses, get drafting jobs, know the Standards inside out, whatever you can do to prove that to me. In all likelihood you'll have to chase the work outside of where you want to be, so be prepared to move interstate or to regional areas