jumpingjellybean

Well my first Christmas here I tried to do the meal as "English with all the trimmings". And I learned my lesson and have never done it since. Honestly just imagine trying to roast a turkey and lighting the plum pudding in 40C heat. Christmas Day in the UK normally involved eating lots of rich stodgy food, getting tipsy, arguing with relations, shivering from snow (although usually just rain or slush by then), opening presents and watching repeats like The Wizard of Oz on telly. Boxing Day was spent recovering or visiting yet more relations for yet more turkey sandwiches. Christmas Day here normally involves a BBQ or picnic outside somewhere like a beach or national park. Avoid the turkey and have something more weather suitable like prawns, lobster and salads. And Boxing Day often out and about in the sun. Maybe go to the harbour to see the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Or go for a bush walk and walk off all those prawns and champagne. To be honest, Christmas has lost its appeal to me. Loved it as a child. Now just too commercial for me. Quite a few 25ths I have actually opted to work that day.

That would be the least of my concerns. Even more wrong (and quite bizarre) is paying rent on a house that you are not even living in and won't be until January. What a colossal waste of money I reckon. It is really quite easy and quick to get a rental here. Could you not stay with your friends or in a long-term motel upon arrival, and then just secure a rental then. Offering three months rent at that stage would have you in-like-Flynn too. And in regards to your original question: Sometimes these things take time. Real Estate agents can sometimes be slow moving creatures. And since they already have your money - no need for any hurry they may be thinking. And some locksmiths are busy. Maybe it will take a big longer than four days to sort out new keys.

That is because it is trucked in from elsewhere around the country. It is a bloody long way to food distribution centres based in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney. Since it costs a lot in petrol and other transport costs to haul it up there; this will reflect in the prices. But during the time I lived in Darwin, I found it was mainly processed foods and toiletries that were expensive. Fresh food was cheap Luckily Darwin is renowned for growing areas, so you should be able to pick up fresh food locally quite cheaply. The Darwin region is renowned for growing many different fruits, vegetables and herbs. And lucky you, the region is also renowned for growing many delicious tropical fruits like dragonfruit, black sapote, mango and even durians. Due to the big Asian influence, a lot of farmers are also growing various Asian vegetables. And the best place to buy cheap food is from the local farmers, who are at the numerous markets around town Check out markets like Rapid Creek Market http://www.darwin-australia.com/darwin-markets.html Lucky you living within easy reach of such abundance. I gorged myself on nectar of the gods (mangoes) when I lived there…and I have been positively addicted to them ever since!

I forgot to mention that: Meditation (as opposed to medication) is excellent for people suffering from depression. Guided meditations on tape or CD are particularly useful.

Less and less doctors seem to bulk bill these days. Have you noticed? Or is that just my location? And where you do have to pay - sometimes you can claim back on the spot. I use to have to pay and then trek off to Medicare in the next suburb to claim. And lines in Medicare were always so long. Now I just pay by card and I get an on-the-spot refund straight back onto my card. Yesterday I paid $60 and got $30 straight back

She will be auditioning for The Exorcist very soon. Given all her head spinning; she will be a star. Stacey asked for advice. People have held her hand and guided her the entire trip almost. Not many backpackers get that. I would have loved so many different options offered for free, when I was on my WHV - alas the internet did not exist then and I had to rely on myself. So maybe she should be a little bit more independent and ignore us (well me anyway) :laugh: Got a long list of jobs, recruitment agencies and jobs I know that are happy to take WHV, that I was going to type up. But maybe more fun for Stacey to find them herself. I will bow out.

Yes but you can easily live in any of those places I mentioned (except Avalon), and easily get to the CBD centre by train, ferry, car or bus. From Potts Point you can even walk. You don't need to live slap bang in the centre to benefit from working in it. And there are loads of jobs on the beaches away from the CBD too. Does not help that Wake Up hostel is near Central Station which is a really horrible location. IMHO at least. So Stacey - How is the job hunting going? Have you done any? Have you registered with any agencies. Or are you just intent on being a tourist for a few weeks? If you can, hire a car with a few other backpackers to keep the cost down, and explore the outer suburbs. Driving north to Wisemans Ferry to St Albans and along to Spencer is a lovely drive. Nice pub at St Albans too. Maybe driving along the Convict Route to The Hunter Valley. Ku-ring-gai National Park drive up to West Head lookout and then drive around to Akuna Bay and then Cottage Point extends from that. Some nice waterfalls and swimming holes along the way. You can then drive out via Church Point and up to Palm Beach. Maybe get the ferry over to Great Mackerel Beach. Take a picnic and make a day of it, or get fish & chips along the way. Or drive south to The Royal National Park. So many options for nice day trips only an hour from the CBD. Plus you may even find a job in one of those places. Jonah's Restaurant & Boutique Hotel in Palm Beach are currently looking for wait staff. Working in Palm beach and staying at the Avalon backpackers - well I could think of worse ways to spend my summer. Or what about this: https://www.sidekicker.com.au/become-a-sidekick/

You could share!

That is one way of looking at it. But I think the opposite because: The smaller the place, the less jobs available, less wages as more likely casual or part-time work only (i.e.) more people applying for fewer jobs so greater competition. Whilst there is competition here for jobs, at least they are pretty plentiful, usually well paid, often full time, and you have more opportunity of securing one quickly. As I have said several times now and as JHouse101 has just said: Sydney is the place with most opportunities and the best paying jobs. Sydney is only as expensive as you make it. There are hundreds of free activities in Sydney, so you can easily live here quite cheaply if you choose to. Err pretty obvious. So you can accrue more money for your travels......whilst have a bloody good time and lovely lifestyle at the same time. Summer is the time to spend in Sydney; not winter. When winter hits in Sydney, you head north to warmer climates. Which coincides with the end of the wet / beginning of the dry. Plus more jobs up north then like fruit picking. Also hospitality jobs because the wet is ending and the tourists are returning en mass.

You have hardly been anywhere in less than a week to be making that call. Although personally I would absolutely hate to be in a CBD hostel. Shudder could not think of anything worse personally. Too polluted, too crowded, too buzzy and too stressful for me. I rarely go into the CBD. Been only twice this year so far. And I was somewhat surprised when you said you were going there from the beach location. Somewhere like Coogee, Bronte, Tamarama, Manly or Avalon backpackers would be so much nicer to stay in long term. Even Potts Point is better than being slap bang in the middle of Sydney.

SOMETHING NO-ONE HAS YET MENTIONED: You may have to make your plans around the weather Stacey. Remember that from about November to April, it is the Wet Season in most of North Australia. And this includes tourist areas in Western Australia (Broome), Northern Territory (Darwin) and Queensland (Cairns). Sometimes areas are completely cut-off and are impassable for weeks or months on end. There is also the possibility of cyclones during the wet. Plus the heat and humidity can be unbearable if you are not use to it. I personally like the wet; but I suspect you may not. For example, Kakadu National Park is worth seeing in my opinion. But most of it will be closed for road access in the wet. You can fly over it, but this is very expensive. Perth is a bloody long way from anywhere. It is one of the most isolated cities on earth. The nearest city to Perth is Adelaide which is 2,104km away. So it is all very well saying you will go to Perth now, but then where will you go after Perth? The most likely backpacker route is up the west coast from Perth to Darwin. But this may be extremely hard by road (if not impossible), from November onwards because of the wet. The other option is Perth to Melbourne, but it is a lot of ground to cover with limited work opportunities in between. I suppose you could fly, but then you are missing out on some beautiful scenery, locations and experiences; which really defeats the whole purpose of travelling and seeing the country. I think it makes more sense to stay in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth working and saving money whilst the wet season is on. Between now and the end of the wet season around April, you could really build on that $7000 and maybe save another $5000 plus, towards your travels. Then head up north when the wet season ends. Most people travel up from either Sydney or Perth and get jobs when they arrive in Darwin. Alternatively you could travel around now until you exhaust your $7000, and then get a job to replenish. What you really need to do is get a map of Australia, get a guidebook and start forming a loose plan in your mind of what you want to do and see. That way you can minimize wasting money and unnecessary criss-crossing the country and back tracking. Just my opinion - I am sure most will disagree :laugh:

So working on your principle Marisa: Stacey just skip the Whitsundays beaches because they are just beaches; they are not as awe-inspiring like the Maldives! :laugh: P.S. I am joking obviously

That is true. I have already said that! Since people gave me their advice (their experiences), which were different to mine. And mine were different to theirs since; I loved the places they told me to avoid. But Quokka does seem to be relying quite heavily on peoples advice on here. So I was just commenting on the error I made on the past on my own travels.

No, it was only last year.

We could discuss this until the cows come home! MY SUMMARY IS: Living on the North Shore of Sydney comfortably IS possible on $75,000 or less. We did it on considerably less – half of that in fact. But I suppose it depends on what your own definition of “comfortable” is. Unless you live way out in Woop Woop, then two cars in the city, is a luxury lifestyle choice in my opinion. And if you want to run two latest model cars, big cars that are fuel guzzlers, live in a massive house with extra rooms for storing kids toys, send the kids to a private school, have a giant television, have a holiday house, have several investment properties, wear designer clothes, get a new iphone upgrade each year, eat caviar every day and other lifestyle choices…....then yes you will need considerably more than $75,000. ClaireChris has already said that they don’t want to lose such a good job opportunity. So my suggestion is: Family in Brisbane will always be there to fall back upon, but this job offer may be fleeting. So strike whilst the iron is hot is my opinion. Take the job for 6 – 12 months and then transfer to Brisbane if you want to later. You get the best of both worlds then. And working in Sydney always looks good on the resume. I suggested Lane Cove for several reasons. 1. It is about ten minute drive from the job location in Chullora 2. It is on the North Shore like ClaireChris wanted 3. You can still get a nice rental unit without spending a fortune. 4. The children are both toddlers and don’t need a massive house and garden to toddle around in. Especially as there are ample parks, reserves, playgrounds and a national park catering for children already in the area. There are also good childcare centres in the area if required (And if you need a big house with extra storage rooms for all their toys – then frankly they have too many toys!) 5. You do not need a second car. Lane Cove is easy to walk around and everything is close by. There is a good quick bus service to Chatswood shopping and it is only ten minutes into the city by bus. There is also the Lane Cove RiverCat Ferry Service to the city. And there is also an excellent safe enclosed bike track; from Lane Cove running up to almost North Sydney which lots of parents with children capsules use. Really there is no need for a second car. 6. Good facilities in Lane Cove. National Park for walking, riding and boating. Leisure centre for swimming and gym that caters for adults and toddlers. Good cafes, bank, post office, shops and library. There is even a childrens toy library. Compact village community feel. Pretty close to a safe swimming beach for children. Near large shopping areas if need be. You could walk into several areas like Crows Nest. 7. It will be a good experience to live in Sydney and then later Brisbane. Spread your wings a bit and all that. To finish, I can only speak from my own experience and that of my family living a happy simple life on the North Shore (been there done that – that is why I commented). Just because my views are in the minority here; does not make them wrong.

So am I. Throw a dog into the mix too. Been there done that - that is why I commented. Yes I read the salary properly. Very easy to live a good life on $75,000. Been there done that - that is why I commented. But again, as I said before, our family lives a unmaterialistic life quite happily. So I cannot relate to people who want it all. I can only answer this post from my own experiences of years of living on the North Shore on less than $75,000 a year. It can be done; if you want to do it. I don't even have a credit card. You spend money you don't have. To buy things you don't need. To impress people you don't like. That is my general view of them. Since most people have several maxed out cards I know I am a rarity here.

No need to be narky!

Really! That is a bit harsh. Loads of things to do in Sydney and NSW. Well surely you can't really stop going to places because somewhere overseas is better?! At that rate you would miss out on loads of stuff. I have been to The Scottish Highlands and the Swiss Alps. And they are different from The Blue Mountains, so you cannot really even talk about them in the same sentence really. Like comparing London to Luton. The Blue Mountains may not be "awe-inspiring" like the Swiss Alps; but they have charms in their own right. Stacey - I would be very careful about following advice too closely. I made this mistake. I missed out on a couple of places on my WHV because someone said negative things about them. When I holidayed here a few years after my WHV, I happened to go to the places I had avoided previously. And I LOVED them. Kicked myself that I missed them the first time round on the say so of someone else.

A starter and a dessert only are my favourites. Skip the main. Dessert is my favourite part.

Speak for yourself. I absolutely love venturing into the endless searing heat and hot days.

Just because I am in the minority - does not mean I am wrong. If you want to have the McMansion, a four wheel drive upgrade each year, send your kids to private schools, have violin lessons after school for them or get a new iphone every upgrade - then yes living on the North Shore would be impossible. But otherwise quite easy on that salary. Especially short term for a year or two.

Nah. I think Mr Jack Daniels led me astray! :laugh:

Nor this!!!!

Err I don't remember posting this!

Not that much different. I wore head-to-toe thermals every day throughout the 2015 Sydney winter. And got snowed in an hour south of Sydney. My gawd the cold weather has dragged and dragged this year. Desperate for summer to hit with a vengeance.