wisey26

Whoops! I thought we were talking about the lions rugby game yesterday. This thread is actually about cricket...ignore my previous post!

Er...wasn't it a great BRITISH performance ;-)

I almost forgot, no I didn't ship my TV from the UK. I sold it as I was offered quite a bit of money for it and i didn't have a job when I came over so I sold all non essentials to help get funds to sustain myself while looking for work. Sorry I don't know anything about the compatibility between UK and Aussie TV systems.

Depends on what you like and whether you will have a car or not. I just moved to Werribee after spending 5 months in furnished accomodation in Campbellfield north Melbourne. Point Cook is very beautiful, all the houses are new builds and very modern. I was originally going to move there, but the area is too new and has all the problems associated with that. For example internet access and quality is an issue in some of the houses as the area is not yet fully up to speed, though this is improving over time. The traffic coming out of Point Cook in rush hours can be horrendous. Public transport is also a nightmare as bus routes are not firmly established yet and so there are not enough bus routes, and you may have to walk for up to half an hour just to get to one. And it is not a great place for a single guy like me, there is little to do, nowhere really to go unless you go into the CBD etc. Great for families though. Werribee ticks all the boxes in my opinion. It is older and more established as a suburb so everything works and all the infrastructure is in place. Numerous well serviced bus routes, and I live 10 minutes walk from Werribee Plaza which is massive. It has a cinema, loads of restaurants and tons of shops, medical centre and even a nightclub and much much more. I also live a 5 minute walk from a large gym. There are two gyms in the Werribee area I have seen so far. Not as pretty overall as Point Cook, but there are nice areas in Werribee and you do get brand new houses if you look around, I have just moved into one. Prices for homes (rentals) in Werribee are also cheaper than in Point Cook...I am paying 250 dollars a week for mine which has 2 bedrooms, 2 lounge areas, a kitchen, a nice yard area, very good heating and cooling facilities, modern fixtures and fittings throughout the house, and is new. Werribee train station with express services to the city is 1 mile away, and there are numerous options to get there by bus or even to walk. Transport is generally less congested than Point Cook in rush hour too. Living where I am now I don't need a car which is great because i am saving for an expensive one. Personally if I were you and if you do not have a car I would try to locate close to Weribbee Plaza...within 1-2km of it. There are loads of homes advertised online near it and you can either use google or apple maps to measure the distance from the Plaza. If you have a car and want to live in an area that looks so pretty it would not be out of place on a postcard, go to Point Cook. I don't know much about Wyndham Vale so I can't advise you on that. Decent well located properties in Werribee are fiercely contested so make sure that you get your portfolio sorted out before coming over...bank statements, references from your current landlord, ed to) personal reference contact details (at least 2 that know you well whom you are not related to) payslips or work contract etc etc. There were 5-15 people applying for properties I was interested in Werribee. On the other hand you may have an easier time in Point Cook, I believe there is greater availability of homes there and there were not as many people at the viewings there as i experienced in Werribee. And when you see something you like, apply fast. Same day application. You can submit applications online so it should not be too much of an inconvenience. Furthermore Estate Agents here don't muck about, you normally have one or two days to accept their offer and pay a bond (deposit) once they have made or they move on to the next interested person. And if you see something you really love which is fiercely contested and can afford it, offer them up to 6 months rent in advance. I didn't do this personally but I know people who had 100% success rate in multiple homes they applied for using this method. Expect to wait at least a week before finding something as Estate Agents can only recommend people they like to Landlords, then wait for the landlord to review the applications then agree or disagree. Prepare a list of important questions to ask the agents (e.g. internet, heating, cable television, air conditioning etc ) when you view because here they are not like agents in the UK who actually try and sell you the place by by giving you lots of information about the property...here estate agents just stand around while all the people at the viewing walk around inspecting the home, then you pick an application form up on your way out. Just a few of many things you need to consider but I'll stop rambling as you may already know a lot of this stuff. I was completely useless as my ex girlfriend used to take care of this type of thing, so I was clueless about it all after we broke up. But get in touch if you have any other questions.

Thanks for the speedy response and all the tips, I will check them all out. Much appreciated.

Thanks, thats very helpful. I'm not fussed about how dry they are when they come out, there's lots of sun about I'll just hang them on the clothes line outside until they dry. I guess I will go cheap and cheerful on that front then. Good to hear there isn't much in terms of performance with respect to locating the freezer at the top or bottom, I was a bit concerned over a rumour I heard about vegetables in the bottom shelf of the fridge freezing if the freezer compartment is located at the bottom due to the lower fridge temperature in that location.

Hello everyone. I have recently moved into a new unfurnished property in Melbourne, and I was wondering if I could get some help on a few things. I am looking for a TV as I did not ship mine in from the UK. I would like to upgrade to one with a 70 inch screen...does anyone know anywhere online or in OZ based shops where I can buy one for 2500 aussie dollars or less? I don't mind if it is refurbished/second hand. I am excluding gumtree as a source because buying expensive electronics on there is well dodgy. I saw a real cracker 70 inch telly for 1500 american dollars on Amazon USA, I thought all my Christmas's had come at once, but as I went through the process of buying it I was blocked from completing the purchase once Amazon realised I wanted it posted to an Aussie address. Question 2 = I am also looking for a washing machine, but i have no idea what to look for in one. I am a single man with no dependants who only does the wash once a week at most, usually once a fortnight. Does the spin speed matter? I have noticed that higher spin speed ones are more expensive...does that mean the clothes come out cleaner if the spin speed is higher? Is there any difference between a top loader and a front loader? Question 3 = I also happen to be looking for a fridge/freezer. How important is the star rating fridges get? Does a higher energy star award mean I will save more money on my electric bills? Is there any difference between having the freezer bit at the top or the bottom? Any help with any of these questions would be much appreciated. Cheers

St Kilda wins, hands down...much more reasonably priced than other areas in Melbourne, right by the beach, amazing laid back vibe, tons of places to eat and to go out, loads of young and interesting people and an amazing beach. I have not seen any place that beats it...check it out, you won't be disappointed.

I have just signed up with Telestra yesterday on a 500gb plan for 2 years. When I asked about the early termination fee during the first year, their sales rep told me it was 360 dollars, which seemed a little pricey but not outrageous so I signed up. I hope their sales rep wasn't telling me porkies. In light of this thread i'll need to scrutinise the paperwork when it comes through....

Well based on your occupation and experience you could potentially apply for a skilled independent visa - your profession is on the "shortage occupation list schedule 1". Which is fantastic news, as this is the best quality type of visa. I suspect your IELTS writing score would be an issue though unless you have a British passport and you are not interested in getting the extra points for your English skills. There are some true jedi masters on visa related issues in this forum who I am sure will be along to comment shortly, and as I have not yet attained this level of mastery I am going to stop here and let them inform you.

Jeepers! Well done! Was that in Brisbane or one of the smaller towns in Queensland? I previously believed your experience to be impossible, especially in Queensland as that is the state that tends to get the worst reputation for availablility of teaching jobs, but I guess it does happen. Amazing. contract

It may be cooler here, but wouldn't it be fun living in a city which is still open longer so you can go out after 5pm? :-)

Bill Gates is a great man and fantastic role model, much much more so than Steve Jobs or other billionaires who spend their money on football clubs or gold yachts etc. And he speaks a lot of sense. I'm originally from Zimbabwe which is where I did my schooling before moving to the UK. As a kid when I used to go to Zambia and Botswana on holidays I used to see evidence of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation all over the place, improving the lives of people....research centres, hospitals, cheap drugs, etc. And the money is channeled through and used much more efficiently than the likes of red nose day funds back in the UK etc etc where huge amounts get swallowed up in administration. Back in England I was speaking to a teacher from a school some time ago which had the massive fortune of Bill Gates visiting them. He was talking to the awestruck kids in the assembly. One of them said in a smartarse way something to the effect of how does he feel not being the richest man in the world anymore, as Carlos Sim is much richer than him. Bill simply smiled at the cheeky question and said that this did not matter at all to him. He went on to say that the reason he is not the richest in the world anymore is because for many many years he has donated huge sums of money to charities, his foundation and other philanthropy...considerably more than half his wealth has gone in this way. He went on to say that if he had not done these things, kept most of his money and had been purely focused on wealth acquisition, he would have considerably more wealth than Carlos Sim. I think you would have to be a pretty selfish and heartless person if you did not believe in government aid to countries which are experiencing great suffering. I am of course referring to Aid which is correctly used and monitored...not the "Aid" given to the likes of Robert Mugabe or other corrupt leaders which never ends up in the hands of people who need it the most. So I say...Good on ya Gillard !!

Pretty vague question, more specifics would be needed I think...how many of you are going? (Is it just you and your dog?) Do you want to include visa costs, and if so, which visa are you considering? Have you got work lined up when you arrive or will you be job hunting? If job hunting, what career are you in (certain jobs you'll need a lot more money as you are likely to find it very hard to get work.) Will you be staying with family or friends for free or will you be renting? For me, just on my own, I've spent around 8 000 pounds from the moment I began my application to actually arriving in OZ at my first rental bungalow with the first week paid up.

No it does not. No benefits for the first two years of permanent residency. But you do get free access to healthcare and schooling, which I guess is better than the 457 visa people who don't even get that.