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If you are making the move to Melbourne you should be aware of the fact that public transport is the most convenient way to get around the city. Melbourne is becoming increasingly popular as a city to migrate to and it is busy! With a population of over 4.5 million, it has been predicted by the Bureau of Statistics that Melbourne’s population could almost double by 2056, meaning that it may overtake Sydney in becoming Australia’s most populated city. So, you need to think smart when it comes to travelling around Melbourne. Pick up a Myki Smartcard: If you want to travel at ease in Melbourne, the best thing that you can do is purchase a Myki smartcard. With the Myki card, you can get around on trains, buses, and trams, completely hassle-free. Another thing you might need to consider is purchasing a Myki Explorer Pack when you arrive. You can purchase this pack from various spots including the SkyBus terminals at Melbourne Airport, Southern Cross Station, and at Melbourne Visitor Centre in Federation Square, as well as at many different hotels. This explorer pack costs $15 and includes a $9 credit amount, the concession card costs half the price and comes with a card which is topped-up with $4.50. This fantastic travel pack provides you with all of the travel necessities including; useful information for the first-time visitor, maps, and a ready to go Myki smartcard. In the information pack it will remind you of important ‘must-do’s’ such as remembering to tap-on and tap-off each time you board a bus, train, or tram. The Myki Explorer kit is also available to purchase as three different options, you have the option of Full Fare; this is for those who are 19 years and over and are not entitled to concession, the Myki concession card; for people including pensioners and students, and the Myki Child Card. Public Transport Victoria (PTV): PTV (Public Transport Victoria) Hubs will provide you with all the information you need for getting around Melbourne and these hubs are situated in various different locations across the city. You can also download the PTV app for both iOS and Android and on the app you can access all public transport information including service times, journey planner, as well as different Myki card top up locations. Trains, Buses and Trams: As regards to the trains, buses and trams in Melbourne, they all run at frequent hours and offer a convenient and reliable service. In particular, the train and tram services in Melbourne city operate all week, including Sunday, running from early in the morning right through until late at night. The bus routes are also reliable and frequent, offering services seven days a week, until 9pm every night. At weekends (Friday and Saturday nights), there are also late night buses, as well as the Night Network operating late night trams and trains. Another great aspect of the trams is the ‘Free Tram Zone’. This is an exclusive service that runs in the CBD and Docklands areas of Melbourne. Since the beginning of 2015, as long as you are making your journey within the assigned zones, it is a free service! This means that you are not required to tap-on with your Myki card, so you end up saving yourself money for more travel time in Melbourne!

I've just been looking at Transport NSW website, ahead of our reccie visit in August. I'm planning to do a lot of travel around the city, using ferries, trains, and perhaps some buses too - so I thought an OPAL card would be a good idea (particularly being used to it's counterpart, Oyster card, in London). Is it right that I can only order a card online and have it sent to an Australian address? It's possible to buy Oyster cards from selected newsagents/small shops, for a "deposit" of 5 GBP. Is there a similar thing with OPAL or it's via the Transport NSW website only? Thanks Vicky EDIT: after looking at the website, I can see there's a big list of retailers who will sell OPAL cards (http://www.retailers.opal.com.au/list.html).

Hi all, Im just messaging to all to say that my wife and I made it to Tasmania, Australia a week ago. We came on a young person's Working Holiday Visa (WHV), so not as lengthy or as stringent as most of the other visas, but still, we're here. Its been a pretty easy process for us, except that one little hitch put down on my wife's visa. She's a teacher and she mentioned she might work with kindergarten kids. As a result she was ordered to go to the nearest VETTED doctors, for a private chest xray - to test for TB (which we are all vaccinated against at school anyway). There aren't many Oz approved doctors in the UK and the nearest to us in Durham, was in Manchester! It was a good 5 hour round trip, and more costly than we would have liked! But we have since found out, that if you 'forget to mention' the working with young kids thing on the visa form, then if you do need to work with young kids then you can have the xray done basically anywhere when you arrive. The other thing we noted, basically that on the WHV you can only be employed by a single employer for 6 months at a time then you have to move on to another palce of work, but it appears that some employers can refer you on to another place of work (sometimes its literally the same job but paid from a different 'employer'). There is a stipulation that you can extend a WHV employment period with prior consent from the visa agency but when we enquired it was only available for a month or two at best, so dont be expecting to just blag it an work a year somewhere as they will say no and you may well be busted. Finally, from previous experience and our recent arrival, Tasmania is an amazing place with landscapes like few other places in Australia. We are in Montrose, nr Hobart (Tasmania) and from there, everything seems pretty close. We used the buses for a whole week being out and about, to beaches, tourist destinations, car yards and supermarkets and bottle shops. A 'day rover' for $5 or 3.20 pounds will take you pretty much anywhere in Hobart for ans many jouneys as you need. They are on-time and pretty reliable. Anyway, I will keep you updated as to how we get on here in Hobart. (If anyone wants to meet up some place in Hobart for a beer then let us know, in need of some British mates)

I have a stupid question. I am looking for some advice about some weekend getaways in Melbourne and around. The problem is we don't own a car and I was wondering, especially as some of you lovely guys are living there, if you would recommend going to Mornington, Mt Martha or Sorrento by car (rental) or public transport. I have checked Metlink and I can see there are a couple of buses leaving from Frankston which I think is the last train stop. But is it doable in one day to go to Mornington, and maybe take a boat to Phillip and French Island and go back home? (Home is St Kilda.) Sorry if my question sounds stupid. I am really without a clue, and we have not had the time to see a lot in or outside Melbourne let alone Australia so we thought it might be a good idea to start with something nearby. Any advice would be much appreciated.:wubclub:

Probably one of the cheapest ways to get around Australia is by using the Greyhound Bus Service. Although flying isn't that bad but it doesn't allow you the flexibility to see parts of Australia on the way. Below is a map of the destinations that they travel to and from. There are lots of different passes to choose from and you can hop on and off at whichever stop you want en route. It may be worth looking at getting one of the backpacker club cards then you can get the discounts: Receive 10% off our Explorer, Day and Micro Passes and 15% bonus kilometres with your Kilometre Pass when you use the following concession cards with us! ISIC Card Holders VIP Card Holders YHA Card Holders Gap Year Debit Card International Student Privilege Card Nomad Card Holders Roam Free Independent Backpacker Gold Card ISE CARD (International Student Exchange) Peter Pan’s Gold Card Travel Bugs Card Holder AIFS - American Institute for Foreign Study All Australian Uni and institute identity cards Australia & New Zealand Pension, Senior & Health Care Card Holders International Seniors Card Holders For example of prices, the trip from Melbourne to Cairns is $445 or with concession $402. You have 90 days to complete the trip and can stop off at any destination on the way. It is only for one way though. You could go for a round Australia pass which would cover: Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Byron Bay, Brisbane, Noosa, Cairns, Alice Springs, Darwin, Broome, Monkey Mia, Perth the price for this would be $2587. Backpacking bus travel tips Take advantage of their kilometre travel passes and hop on and hop off as much as you want. It is a great way to break up the journey and see even more of Australia! Try to do the longest part of your journey at night. Catch up on your sleep while we drive you to your next destination! Take something to entertain yourself with. They have TVs and we play DVDs, but they can not guarantee that everyone on the bus will like the same movie. Have a book, some magazines or an MP3 player just in case you have already seen Happy Gilmore five times. Your kilometre pass is valid for 12 months, so take your time. Plan your trip and enjoy your stops. You can even exchange kilometres from your pass for tours and activities! The cost per Kilometre on a large pass is cheaper than that on a smaller one, and so you end up paying less for things like skydiving, wine tasting and outback tours. The buses will drop you off close to the centre of the town. Given that most towns are pretty small, this does mean you can probably see the pub from the bus-stop!. The hostel or backpackers wouldn't be too far away either. The buses are relatively new. The Greyhound fleet is being upgraded constantly and the newer ones are used for the longer trips. They will be clean, have air conditioning, TV's, trained drivers and big windows great for seeing the Australian scenery. Some of the best places to jump on and off are along the east coast and between Sydney and Adelaide if you plan to work during the harvest while you travel. Remember part of the fun of backpacking is not just the sights you see but also the different people you meet along the way.

Hi, just wondering if anyone knows our entitlement to Medicare, if we have any ?? We are going on a Bus Visa 163 (Temporary), and do not believe we would be entitled to help, but my OH thought he read on a post on PIO that we might be ?? Any advice would be helpful, as my OH is a diabetic, and here in the Uk we do not pay for any of his medication , so wondering about costs in Oz. Thanks

457 Visa sponsorship on offer Join a growing team $140K base + Super and bonus We are working in partnership with an industry leader who is currently resourcing a retail solutions manager. The role offers a truly unique opportunity to be part of a dynamic team of solution delivery professionals, they specialise in project management, business analysis, development and providing technical support services across the entire group. The Role: Reporting directly to the Manager for IS Applications, you will be working in a pivotal role as a senior, assertive Functional Analyst between the Business Operations and Information Systems teams. The primary objective will be the analysis of value drivers, processes and requirements with senior retailers and marketers and conversely delivering best fit, quality store information system (Point of Sale (POS)) and SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) (including web store) solutions including new projects, small changes and problem resolution, through the effective translation of requirements with the information systems team, business managers and various third parties as required Required skills: 10 - 15 years experience in retail (essential) / CRM (desirable) business process improvement required. Process knowledgein areas including: Retail store operations (Sales, Pricing and promotions & Inventory management), Online store operations,Customer relationship management (including multi-channel sales and marketing to attract, retain and grow value of customers) Excellent internal stakeholder engagement and communication skills Program and project management knowledge and experience(desirable) Experience in managing outsourced resources This is a great role for a senior professional whose aim to deliver risk free solutions and business benefits to all. This is an extremely exciting opportunity to become part of an established Australian metallurgy company. The candidate needs to be based or can relocate to Sydney, Australia. The company is already an approved 457 Visa Sponsor, 457 Visa Sponsorship (Australian work visa) may be available for a super candidate. If 457 visa sponsorship is required you must meet the 457 visa eligibility. Konnecting can advise in this regard. Please Pm for further info

I was sent this today and thought it was quite funny, seems to me a case of the Karma Bus working at its best,lol This took place in Charlotte North Carolina. A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against, among other things, fire. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars, the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost 'in a series of small fires' ... The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued and WON! ( Stay with me. ) Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable 'fire' and was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars that perished in the 'fires'. NOW FOR THE BEST PART... After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine. This true story won First Place in last year's Criminal Lawyers Award contest. ONLY IN AMERICA .... NO WONDER THE REST OF THE WORLD THINKS THEY'RE NUTS. Cal x

Translink says bus services have been suspended in the Caboolture, Redcliffe and Burpengary areas because of flooding in south-east Queensland. Train services through to the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, are still running. There are also delays to public transport services in the Ipswich area, west of Brisbane, because of rising floodwaters.

I guess this thread is aimed at you who are single, couple, and not nessacarily travelling with young ones, but my friend who has recently visited went back to Sydney with this company and he said it was one hell of an experience. UK To OZ Overland - London to Sydney Overland Yes, in the grand scheme of things it is fairly pricey, BUT, the adventures he had were truly awe inspiring. I am not affiliated with this company, so I don't think I'm going to get into trouble. I reckon it would be the trip of a lifetime, if I EVER have enough money this is the way I would make a return to Australia, but there again. I am just about to start my PCV training, so if successful I may be your driver, :biglaugh::biglaugh:, oh deep joy, you may not learn a lot but I can assure you that the 'conversation' would flow.:shocked::policeman::mad::embarrassed::biglaugh:. But seriously folks, this could be the trip of a lifetime, as I said, very pricey, but I reckon the comradeship, laughs, education etc, would well make up for this. Cheers Tony.

Hi, I'm exploring my options ahead of starting work in Darling Harbour in a couple of weeks, and as well as the usual suspects (The Shire, North Shore etc), I like the look f the Hills (Castle Hill, W Pennant Hills etc). I see that there are express busses which look to take about an hour, just wondered if anyone had experience of the commute, i.e. how reliable, can you usually get a seat, cost etc? Many Thanks, Mike

hi, I was just wondering. Does anyone know anything about the bus timetables in the Rockingham area? I'm thinking I may have to get a bus from Kolbe catholic college to Settlers hills? I'm not too sure though. Anyone know anything about the bus timetables in general? thanks xx

I'm confuddled........ :wacko: As a relative newcomer to the city, I am struggling to know how many sections I'm travelling. Initially, the boyf and I have just been buying a Blue Travel Ten and zipping about all over the place - we live in Glebe and we've been to/from the city, over to Balmain, over to Bondi Junction, down to Coogee - all just dipping our ticket once. But - I don't think that's right and have just been reading about "sections" on the Sydney Buses website... I know the MyZone stuff coming into action shortly is supposed to simplify things, but this section malarkey will still be used..... How would we know how many sections we are travelling without checking a bus map each and every time? Given that there aren't bus maps at every station, how do you know if a Blue Travel Ten will be enough?? Is it even possible to dip it a few times to bump up the sections you use? Or should we just be bad citizens and keep using a Blue Travel Ten to wherever, as no one seems to ever check?! Is anyone else confused?

We are a Volvo, Mack and Hino truck dealership based in Canberra. We are looking for or to sponsor skilled mechanics. You can go to our web site at southerntruckcentre.com.au for further information.

Hi guy's, im off to Brisbane with my wife and 2 daughters in january, im a bus builder here in the uk,does anyone know of any bus/coach building jobs that are available in the Brisbane area,any and all advise welcome. Thanks. Graham

Hi. We are in the process of obtaining an agent to help us in our application process. We are applying using OH skills for 475 visa regional family sponsored ( know it will take a long time!) Anyway, I have held a PCV (class 1 ,manual and auto) for 20 years and have been employed in the profession for the last 3 years.Went back to driving after kids grew up! Jobs advertised in Queensland state that you need to have held a Queensland driver's license for 3 years. Does the fact that I have had a uk car license for 23 years and PCV for 20 years make any difference? Is there a seperate test I have to sit to prove I am competent to drive? (p.s anyone been to Edinburgh recently will know that if you can manouvre a bus around our tram roadwork infested streets you can drive anywhere!!)

Should there be anyone wanting a full time position replacing glass on Buses,Coaches,Trucks and plant machinery in the South Brisbane area (working from Underwood) please give me a email marklee_63@msn.com. Must have a full drivers licence experience prefered but not essential as traing will be given. This will be working for O'Brien glass Australia's largest glass repair replacement company.:smile:

Hi ( me again ! ) Have a question re; public trasport in brisbane.... I know that its not like the Uk where people widely use public transport and its available (?!) but i am intrested to find out how you would get about without transport. We will have a car when we arrive but i was wondering if 1 of us needed the car for work and we could only afford 1 car on arrival how easy would it be for the other to get about ?! In the suburbs is there a bus service or public transport service that would run into town ? In brisbane i have heard that there is a rail network but where does this cover ? Sorry to ask so many questions, i am trying to research this myself but would be grateful to any people who live in suburbs/surrounding areas of brisbane to tell me if its viable to get about without a car ? Also...... What areas should i be looking at in brisbane for a couple who are 28 with 2 small children with good schools ? We obviously want a nice area near good shops , schools and restaurants ... but were not millionaires and have a budget !! Thanks for all your help so far pomsinoz you have all proved really helpful !:v_SPIN:

Yes it does.

It's a small World, we went to the RiverFire night tonight in Brisbane and had a good time, great firework display. Loads of people around so we had to wait quite a long time for our bus back to our area, but all good fun. But how nice to meet my first fellow PIO person. :yes: When I got on the bus I recognised Mr Johats (Mark) who was driving our bus. I was made up, Couldn't believe it as I have caught the bus a few times here in Brisbane and sort of kept an eye out, low and behold who should be driving our bus tonight, nice to be able to say Hello to someone from this site. The bus was packed with people all returning from a great day and evening in Brisbane. Thanks Mark for driving us home safely, bus stops right outside our place, really great service. Don't know how they manage to drive those big busses around, I'd struggle with a mini bus. Goes to show again, it's a small World. REDDERS

I have my FULL UK driving licence which will allow me to drive up to 7.5Tonne. What would I be able to drive in Oz on a 'normal' licence? I'm loking at getting a converted bus or similar so I can go exploring a bit when I get there. Info and advice would be gratefully received.

If all goes to plan my family & I should be in Perth by August 08. I currently work for Trandev B&P in the North of uk as a Bus driver. Are there any jobs for bus drivers in the Perth area? Any imfo would be greaty recieved. Regards M & T. :notworthy:

hi i have been a bus driver for 6 years now and want to go and live in AUS, my mum step father and sisters have lived ther now for 8 years, my father lives in the UK but i havent seen him for 25 years. so i dont no what visa to go for as i dont think bus drivers come under the skiled visa, and i dont have famly in UK apart from him so can i apply for remaining relativ,, thanks ..