Small city to start in Australia. Which?

[calNgary]

5 minutes ago, The Pom Queen said:

Hey @calNgary someone was cycling up the range today, it's surprising how far some do pedal 

I think i'd die pedalling to the garden shed now a days,lol, 

Cal x

[Guest The Pom Queen]

4 hours ago, calNgary said:

I think i'd die pedalling to the garden shed now a days,lol, 

Cal x

I wouldn't even be able to get on a bike, I'd collapse just looking at one lol

[Collie]

Hey mate,

I think job wise you would be best off in Sydney or Melbourne, while your rent will be more expensive so will your earnings and the availability of work, particularly in construction.

Regarding, transport, I think anywhere outside of inner Sydney,  Melbourne and maybe Brisbane you will need a vehicle.  Even in Perth, public transport is not that great and a car/M bike is needed.

If you are determined to go to a smaller centre, of your list, I would go for Newcastle.  You will want to be near the coast, espeically in summer -  it gets hot here.  I don't know Toowoomba persoanlly but anywhere that is a few hours drive from the coast is too far for me.

Your written English seems ok, where are you from?  Maybe brush up on spoken English before arriving.  As a civil engineer, look at the big Australian builders and developers in advance (Lendlease, Mirvac etc) 

[calNgary]

Construction is booming in and around Brisbane with quite a few satelite cities being built, so i would certainly not rule it out, especially when other States are more expensive.

Cal x

[starlight7]

Certainly warmer up there than round here at this time of year!

[Surbello]

On 8/9/2017 at 08:23, Collie said:

Hey mate,

I think job wise you would be best off in Sydney or Melbourne, while your rent will be more expensive so will your earnings and the availability of work, particularly in construction.

Regarding, transport, I think anywhere outside of inner Sydney,  Melbourne and maybe Brisbane you will need a vehicle.  Even in Perth, public transport is not that great and a car/M bike is needed.

If you are determined to go to a smaller centre, of your list, I would go for Newcastle.  You will want to be near the coast, espeically in summer -  it gets hot here.  I don't know Toowoomba persoanlly but anywhere that is a few hours drive from the coast is too far for me.

Your written English seems ok, where are you from?  Maybe brush up on spoken English before arriving.  As a civil engineer, look at the big Australian builders and developers in advance (Lendlease, Mirvac etc) 

 

Hello Collie,

During all these days I have been thinking about the place to go. Now I only have a flight to Singapore (to your question: I am from Spain), so I have to know where to go in Australia to buy the other flight.

Other thing I remembered is the second year visa. To be able to apply for the second year Work and Holiday Visa you have to work 88 days (specified work: Plant and animal cultivation, Felling trees, Fishing and Pearling, Mining and Construction) in the regional Australia and most of the cities written in the original post are in regional Australia. Toowoomba is within the regional area.

This is the Great Brisbane border, out of that line is considered as Regional Australia:

• https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=10XYyFXlxAtA1hPS83eMLvcXyGlw&hl=en&ll=-27.496252698337635%2C152.71671318554684&z=10

So, my thought today is something like:

1. Land in Gold Coast from Singapore. 
2. Spend 2-3 days in the city and open a Bank Account, buy a phone number, ask for the Tax File Number.
3. Take the bus/train and move to Toowoomba.
4. Look for a job that counts as a specified work and have a first contact with Australian people, life style,  Australian tradition, etc.
5. With a better spoken english (I hope :D) move to a big city and enjoy all I have read about them.

I have been walking for Toowoomba with Google Street View and from end to end there is 5km aprox, if I could live and work within that city it would be perfect. That is my only fear.

Thank you for your time

[Surbello]

I would like to correct and error, here is the correct paragraph:

Other thing I remembered is the second year visa. To be able to apply for the second year Work and Holiday Visa you have to work 88 days (specified work: Plant and animal cultivation, Felling trees, Fishing and Pearling, Mining and Construction) in the regional Australia and most of the cities written in the original post are not in regional Australia. Toowoomba is within the regional area.

[Surbello]

On 8/9/2017 at 12:19, calNgary said:

Construction is booming in and around Brisbane with quite a few satelite cities being built, so i would certainly not rule it out, especially when other States are more expensive.

Cal x

Your message endorses my idea haha thank you calNgary!

[Sandgroper]

On 03/09/2017 at 23:38, bristolman said:

I grew up in Geelong, my feeling is it's a fairly depressing place to be quite honest. It's stinking hot in the summer and miserable in the winter. On that list my choice would be the Sunshine Coast. 

It's all subjective though, how you feel about Geelong is how I grew to feel about the UK in general that's why we left, however you could be right about Geelong I seem to remember someone who lived in Geelong used to post all the time on this forum and he always seemed depressed.

[Rallyman]

4 hours ago, Surbello said:

I would like to correct and error, here is the correct paragraph:

Other thing I remembered is the second year visa. To be able to apply for the second year Work and Holiday Visa you have to work 88 days (specified work: Plant and animal cultivation, Felling trees, Fishing and Pearling, Mining and Construction) in the regional Australia and most of the cities written in the original post are not in regional Australia. Toowoomba is within the regional area.

Newcastle mate , 45 min away from hunter vally to do your regional work on the vineyards 

[Jack91]

Sunshine coast

[Collie]

On 9/16/2017 at 03:41, Surbello said:

 

Hello Collie,

During all these days I have been thinking about the place to go. Now I only have a flight to Singapore (to your question: I am from Spain), so I have to know where to go in Australia to buy the other flight.

Other thing I remembered is the second year visa. To be able to apply for the second year Work and Holiday Visa you have to work 88 days (specified work: Plant and animal cultivation, Felling trees, Fishing and Pearling, Mining and Construction) in the regional Australia and most of the cities written in the original post are in regional Australia. Toowoomba is within the regional area.

This is the Great Brisbane border, out of that line is considered as Regional Australia:

• https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=10XYyFXlxAtA1hPS83eMLvcXyGlw&hl=en&ll=-27.496252698337635%2C152.71671318554684&z=10

So, my thought today is something like:

1. Land in Gold Coast from Singapore. 
2. Spend 2-3 days in the city and open a Bank Account, buy a phone number, ask for the Tax File Number.
3. Take the bus/train and move to Toowoomba.
4. Look for a job that counts as a specified work and have a first contact with Australian people, life style,  Australian tradition, etc.
5. With a better spoken english (I hope :D) move to a big city and enjoy all I have read about them.

I have been walking for Toowoomba with Google Street View and from end to end there is 5km aprox, if I could live and work within that city it would be perfect. That is my only fear.

Thank you for your time

Why would you go to the Gold Coast from Singapore (Short Holiday?)

If you are going to Toowoomba - I would think that Brisbane would be better to fly into.

Look each to their own, Toowoomba wouln't be my choice.

What I do remeber from my WHV days (and every backpacker I have ever met says the same), is don't plan too far ahead, plans will change all the time.  We used to have a different travel plan every week.  Embrace and enjoy the whole experience.

 

 

 

 

[calNgary]

I agree with Collie, i would fly into Brisbane rather than Gold Coast and do the necessary jobs there.

I would also buy a car before heading to Toowoomba, you will struggle without one and they may be slighlty cheaper in Brissy and you will have more choice. I personally wouldnt like to be in Toowoomba relying on public transport, especially on weekends for getting out and about.

Cal x

[Surbello]

@calNgary @The Pom Queen @Collie And what about Bendigo in Vitoria?

[calNgary]

I have no idea as never been sorry, hopefully 1 or 2 of the others have.

Cal x

[Collie]

Me either.

My advice in my earlier post stands.  I would go to a major city first (except Perth which is struggling at the moment) for work and to mix with other backpackers to get the lay of the land.

If you are determined to go to regional centre firss, then I would pick somewhere on the coast (particularly as summer approaches).  Newcastle would be my pick as it has it's own vibe and is only 21/2 hours to Sydney + Port Stephens is close by too. 

[bristolman]

12 hours ago, Surbello said:

@calNgary @The Pom Queen @Collie And what about Bendigo in Vitoria?

I visited Bendigo quite a few times when we lived in Victoria, you would really have to love the bush life to settle somewhere like that, to me it's isolated and insular BUT some like that. 

[starlight7]

I wouldn't want to live in Bendigo either but it is a nice town.  I was brought up in London and it would be too big a contrast for me but if you were a country kid it might be ideal.  Better than Ballarat to my mind. Better than Geelong,too.

[bristolman]

26 minutes ago, starlight7 said:

I wouldn't want to live in Bendigo either but it is a nice town.  I was brought up in London and it would be too big a contrast for me but if you were a country kid it might be ideal.  Better than Ballarat to my mind. Better than Geelong,too.

Certainly can't argue with that. 

[Surbello]

1 hour ago, starlight7 said:

I wouldn't want to live in Bendigo either but it is a nice town.  I was brought up in London and it would be too big a contrast for me but if you were a country kid it might be ideal.  Better than Ballarat to my mind. Better than Geelong,too.

 

1 hour ago, bristolman said:

I visited Bendigo quite a few times when we lived in Victoria, you would really have to love the bush life to settle somewhere like that, to me it's isolated and insular BUT some like that. 

 

First of all thank you for your answers.

My idea is not to live there for an unlimited time, only for 3-4 months trying to work in the regional Australia (Bendigo belongs to that zone) to apply for the second year visa. If I can achieve my idea then I would move to other popular places like Sydney, Melbourne...

By the way, if you have to choose between Bendigo and Toowoomba, which would you choose? (Thinking it is only for a 3-4 months time)

 

Thanks 

[Surbello]

At the same time I also think it will be easier for a me to find a room, demand and supply will be better than Sydney, Melbourne... for a newcomer like me that point is very important.

[bristolman]

3 minutes ago, Surbello said:

 

 

First of all thank you for your answers.

My idea is not to live there for an unlimited time, only for 3-4 months trying to work in the regional Australia (Bendigo belongs to that zone) to apply for the second year visa. If I can achieve my idea then I would move to other popular places like Sydney, Melbourne...

By the way, if you have to choose between Bendigo and Toowoomba, which would you choose? (Thinking it is only for a 3-4 months time)

 

Thanks 

If it's just for 3 or 4 months it wouldn't really matter where you go to be honest. 

[Surbello]

1 minute ago, bristolman said:

If it's just for 3 or 4 months it wouldn't really matter where you go to be honest. 

But I want to enjoy during those 4 months haha

For example my lifestyle while I am not working is: Commute with bicycle through the city, riding the outdoors to discover new places, walk the streets of the city, have a coffee, go shopping... I do not need more for 4 months and I think (looking at Google's images) that Bendigo seems like a small town with a lot of events. Well, I am going to work, I will read you in 10h

[bristolman]

6 minutes ago, Surbello said:

But I want to enjoy during those 4 months haha

For example my lifestyle while I am not working is: Commute with bicycle through the city, riding the outdoors to discover new places, walk the streets of the city, have a coffee, go shopping... I do not need more for 4 months and I think (looking at Google's images) that Bendigo seems like a small town with a lot of events. Well, I am going to work, I will read you in 10h

Well they are probably similar in size so getting around would be similar, in the summer in Bendigo it gets very hot but so can Toowoomba. My personal choice would be Toowoomba.