mallory

Hi where abouts are u

I would suggest you take a look at the Port Douglas/ Cairns area - it is touristy but not a concrete jungle. The downside with Cairns is that it doesn't have a proper beach - more of a mud flat with a man made lagoon, but in terms of work and finding a house share with like-minded people it would be ideal. It's the major backpacker stop-off for tropical north and the main 'proper' town. Port Douglas is lovely and has a fantastic beach, easy access to the Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation etc, but is more of a 'grown-up' tourist destination. I visited for about a fortnight last year and many of the hotel staff where we stayed were on working holidays. Cairns and Port Douglas are around an hour apart. Both are ideal for the Great Barrier Reef - amazing snorkeling/ diving if thats your thing! Also the tablelands inland. Maybe look into Airlie Beach also - it is touristy (but not built up/commercialised) as its the port for the Whitsundays, which I absolutely love - loads of sailing tours / snorkeling/ scuba diving trips leave here on a daily basis, and they have standby rates for last minute availability on trips. Lots of restaurants/bars/hostels but it is still a fairly small town and as far as I know there's not a great deal else nearby. Could be wrong though! I would also consider Hervey Bay, further south, the transfer point for Fraser Island, I have not been there yet but heard good reviews so worth a mention.

I would definitely agree with Starlight... whilst the Gold Coast is a major backpacker destination, it is pretty commercialised and I'm not sure about how many small community areas there really are there. Its a bit of a concrete jungle, lots of highrises... I've heard its good for partying but pretty rowdy. I am moving permanently to Brisbane in a couple of months to be with my family, and am a similar age to you. I have spent several months in Qld and would probably suggest the Tropical North to you, there are plenty of backpackers there so you shouldn't have trouble finding a house-share, and there are so many amazing things to do in that area, more of a country town feel but still bars/hostels etc to socialise. I loved it there and it would be a great place to spend 6 months. Starlight is right though it will be humid in summer!!! Sunshine coast is also worth considering!

I would agree - Whitsundays are a must do - they are a domestic flight away from Brisbane though. I sailed on the Solway Lass and can recommend that, but there are bigger 'party' boats if that's more your thing. Closer to Brisbane is North Stradbroke island, it's pretty quiet but stunning and worth a visit for the day, I am 23 years old loved it there. There are water-taxis from Brisbane Bayside area (about an hour from CBD) which are reasonably priced and take around 30mins. Fraser Island is also not too far away (connections from Hervey Bay) - not been myself but have heard that its great for backpackers, plan to go myself at some point soon! There are great beaches, sand dunes for 4WD etc. Also check out the Gold Coast themeparks, about an hour and a half from Brissy, it will be a good time of year for the waterparks too. Surfer's Paradise is also worth a visit if your looking for nights out and backpacker environment.

Ok that's great, thanks for your help - maybe things are simpler than I first thought!

Thank you for your advice - we have just had a little look at the partner visa but as we have only been living together for 3 months, due to us being at different university cities it looks as though we won't be classed as in a 'de facto' relationship, despite having spent half of every week together! As we were not registered at the same address. It looks as though marriage in the 6 months of allowed employment of the working holiday visa may be the best option. It is reassuring that you can apply for a bridging visa, presumably you can work whilst this is in place? Could you recommend an agent? Do you have any idea about cost? Thanks again :cute:

Hello all, I am looking for some advice as to which visa my partner should apply for to obtain permanent residency in Australia. I am a permanent resident, however am currently living in the UK until I complete uni in early November (2 months time!). I will then be moving to Cleveland, Qld to join the rest of my family who have been there since April. My partner and I have been together for 4 years and are unsure as to easiest and most cost-efficient way of him being granted a permanent visa. He is a chemistry graduate and is looking for work in the mining/environmental field. He has so far applied for a working holiday visa, which should be in place in time for the big move. But I am concerned that as this only allows him to work for 6 months it may put off potential employers. Obviously in the ideal world we would go, he would find a job, and get an employer sponsored visa, but I don't really want to take the risk as if this doesn't happen we would have to come back and start again. We are currently looking at applying for a Prospective Marriage Visa, this would cost in the region of $2000 plus costs of medicals, CRBs etc. Our idea was the apply for this once the working holiday visa is in place, then hopefully as it takes 4-5months to be granted, this could replace the working holiday visa before it expires. This would then give us 9 months to marry in Australia, and I believe a permanent visa would be granted upon being married for 2 years?? However this is my first time at dealing with the Australian immigration system (I was lucky enough to have my family sort out my visa!) and I'm feeling quite clueless - really confused if this is best path for us to go down, especially due to the cost of the visa. I am looking for any advice anyone can offer! We are keen to get married, and my parents have said to me it might be worth just getting married during those 6 months of the working holiday visa, which we are also looking at. But would that mean that my partner will be unable to work if the 6 months expire before a further marriage visa is processed? I also liked that the prospective marriage visa would give us 9 months to plan, but if that is at the premium of cost and complications, then we would reconsider. Thanks in advance!!