Family Told, Skills Assessment submitted... now for some questions! (Sunshine Coast)

[tonks]

Hi everyone, 

We told our family yesterday of our plans and were pleased everyone responded positively and even said they'd visit (still not convinced they will)! Husband's skills assessment goes off today to and he's booking his English test. I know that everything is so uncertain with Covid but it makes me feel better that we're actively doing what we can!

I have a few 'random questions' though if anyone would oblige, posting here as the topics are quite broad

• Beds - we have 2 double and a king size bed, can we ship our mattresses/bedding and is it worth it or are the bed sizes completely different? We are getting a container anyway as have just bought beautiful sofas so not worried about using the space, just practicalities. 
• Air B&B - anyone have success with a 4-6 week let whilst waiting for container to arrive/house hunting?
• Spiders (sorry!) - realistically, so I can prepare myself, are we likely to be encountering large/dangerous spiders on a daily basis/weekly/monthly? Do we need to sleep with one eye open? Are we going to have to inspect each room before we enter it for the rest of our lives? Basically, is it as bad as my UK friends are making out? 
• How you make it safe to leave furniture/play equipment outdoors? Is that not a spider trap? Will we need to bug spray/inspect whenever we want to use our outdoor items?
• Finally, clothing - as a fashion conscious 30 year old, am I better off stocking up on warm weather clothes and taking them across in the container? Or will I have access to enough up-to-date (English standard) shops? 

Is there anything else you wish you'd have thought of that we should be thinking of? 

Sorry, I know it's a few things at once, I'm a worrier! Thank you!!

[mt9754]

With the clothes, it depends where you’re settling - I settled in Queensland and I have found my UK summer clothes are ok but not great.  A lot of the clothes out here are designed differently for the heat and humidity.  For Brisbane, I have not worn a jumper in 9 months and not worn anything other than shorts in 6 months.

And settling, we booked short term let through Hotels.com in the end, not cheapest but we didn’t want an AirBNB cancellation on our hands.  On the negative side, we didn’t have access to a post box so we couldn’t sort out a lot of the paperwork properly until we moved to a 6-month let.  So i’d be inclined to choose a property where you know the unit number and have access to the postbox.

[Rallyman]

8 hours ago, tonks said:

Hi everyone, 

We told our family yesterday of our plans and were pleased everyone responded positively and even said they'd visit (still not convinced they will)! Husband's skills assessment goes off today to and he's booking his English test. I know that everything is so uncertain with Covid but it makes me feel better that we're actively doing what we can!

I have a few 'random questions' though if anyone would oblige, posting here as the topics are quite broad

• Beds - we have 2 double and a king size bed, can we ship our mattresses/bedding and is it worth it or are the bed sizes completely different? We are getting a container anyway as have just bought beautiful sofas so not worried about using the space, just practicalities. 
• Air B&B - anyone have success with a 4-6 week let whilst waiting for container to arrive/house hunting?
• Spiders (sorry!) - realistically, so I can prepare myself, are we likely to be encountering large/dangerous spiders on a daily basis/weekly/monthly? Do we need to sleep with one eye open? Are we going to have to inspect each room before we enter it for the rest of our lives? Basically, is it as bad as my UK friends are making out? 
• How you make it safe to leave furniture/play equipment outdoors? Is that not a spider trap? Will we need to bug spray/inspect whenever we want to use our outdoor items?
• Finally, clothing - as a fashion conscious 30 year old, am I better off stocking up on warm weather clothes and taking them across in the container? Or will I have access to enough up-to-date (English standard) shops? 

Is there anything else you wish you'd have thought of that we should be thinking of? 

Sorry, I know it's a few things at once, I'm a worrier! Thank you!!

On the spiders was on radio yesterday more people are hospitalised by bee stings 

You friends are winding you up. 

you can get sprays for them so don’t worry 

you can buy most clothing on line today next ship out here 

[Quoll]

Bed sizes are different but there's nothing stopping you bringing the beds as long as you realise you'll have to source your bedding from overseas should you need it. 

Spiders - yes  you'll encounter them, the biggest ones won't necessarily be deadly, sometimes it's the smaller ones that will give you a nasty bite. If you leave your shoes outside, be sure to turn them upside down and bang them before putting them on and be careful if you leave gardening gloves outside in the shed (they're the usual place people encounter spiders) - stand on them before you put them on. Be aware but not paranoid. We've had more problems with (non  European) wasps this year for stingers, they're not usually a bother. 

We have (plenty of) clothes shops here but  if you've already got stuff, bring it, don't bother to stock up (unless you've got a particular brand of underwear that you must have to be comfortable). 

[AliQ]

8 hours ago, tonks said:

Hi everyone, 

We told our family yesterday of our plans and were pleased everyone responded positively and even said they'd visit (still not convinced they will)! Husband's skills assessment goes off today to and he's booking his English test. I know that everything is so uncertain with Covid but it makes me feel better that we're actively doing what we can!

I have a few 'random questions' though if anyone would oblige, posting here as the topics are quite broad

• Beds - we have 2 double and a king size bed, can we ship our mattresses/bedding and is it worth it or are the bed sizes completely different? We are getting a container anyway as have just bought beautiful sofas so not worried about using the space, just practicalities. 
• Air B&B - anyone have success with a 4-6 week let whilst waiting for container to arrive/house hunting?
• Spiders (sorry!) - realistically, so I can prepare myself, are we likely to be encountering large/dangerous spiders on a daily basis/weekly/monthly? Do we need to sleep with one eye open? Are we going to have to inspect each room before we enter it for the rest of our lives? Basically, is it as bad as my UK friends are making out? 
• How you make it safe to leave furniture/play equipment outdoors? Is that not a spider trap? Will we need to bug spray/inspect whenever we want to use our outdoor items?
• Finally, clothing - as a fashion conscious 30 year old, am I better off stocking up on warm weather clothes and taking them across in the container? Or will I have access to enough up-to-date (English standard) shops? 

Is there anything else you wish you'd have thought of that we should be thinking of? 

Sorry, I know it's a few things at once, I'm a worrier! Thank you!!

Hi Tonks,

BEDS. Google bed sizes and compare, there is a difference in sizes, but it depends if that difference would irritate you long term, such as buying a new mattress to go onto a base that may not fit quite right. As for bed linen, for me, I think the quality of some bed linen from the UK is better than the most popular brand found over here.

AIRBNB. Realistically, your goods will take longer. More like 8 weeks plus. Clearing customs can also add on another week.

SPIDERS. Totally depends where you live and type of accomodation. You may see none, you may see lots.

CLOTHING. I'm on the Sunshine Coast, personally, I think clothes shopping here is poor. You will more than likely have to shop online or travel into Brisbane.

Good luck and enjoy your move

 

 

 

[Marisawright]

BEDS - they are a different size here, but the size difference is not that big so you will find sheets that more-or-less fit.  However, if you decide to bring them, I'd buy a couple of spare sets of sheets to send with them. 

Whether to bring them or not - I would base that decision on whether you have space.  It's a terrible waste of money to send a container half-empty, so you might as well fill it.

AIR BNB - Yes, pretty much everyone books either an AirBnB or a holiday let for 3 or 4 weeks.   Unless you've got family to stay with, there's really no alternative.  

SPIDERS - Don't worry about spiders.  Cockroaches are worse.  Seriously, I'm a real coward with bugs, but even so, I've never been too troubled by spiders.  The big Huntsman spiders had me standing on a chair screaming at first - but you soon discover that they never come anywhere near you.  Though they can bite, I've never met anyone who's been bitten and it's not life-threatening.  Quoll's advice is good.  With outdoor furniture, they're not going to be crawling with multiple spiders if you leave them outside.  Just check underneath them and there might be one or two spiders under there, which you can flick off or squash.

CLOTHING - This is a difficult one.  Clothes shopping is definitely not as good in Australia - there's a lot less variety. However, you're coming to a new country and you'll be living a different kind of life.  What you imagine is not necessarily what it will be like, so you could find you've stocked up on stuff you'lll never wear.  I would say, DO bring your cold weather clothing.   After you've been through a steaming hot summer, you'll be reaching for a warm coat when the cool weather starts (even though you'd have been in shorts in that "cool weather" in the UK).

Edited March 3, 2021 by Marisawright

[rammygirl]

Much will depend where you are heading to be honest.  And when you will be arriving. For example we arrived in Adelaide at the end of January and struggled (even months before) to book a 5 week holiday let as it is festival time and most weekends were booked already!

You are also a long way from moving yet so not worth stressing.

[Bulya]

14 hours ago, tonks said:

Hi everyone, 

We told our family yesterday of our plans and were pleased everyone responded positively and even said they'd visit (still not convinced they will)! Husband's skills assessment goes off today to and he's booking his English test. I know that everything is so uncertain with Covid but it makes me feel better that we're actively doing what we can!

I have a few 'random questions' though if anyone would oblige, posting here as the topics are quite broad

• Beds - we have 2 double and a king size bed, can we ship our mattresses/bedding and is it worth it or are the bed sizes completely different? We are getting a container anyway as have just bought beautiful sofas so not worried about using the space, just practicalities. 
• Air B&B - anyone have success with a 4-6 week let whilst waiting for container to arrive/house hunting?
• Spiders (sorry!) - realistically, so I can prepare myself, are we likely to be encountering large/dangerous spiders on a daily basis/weekly/monthly? Do we need to sleep with one eye open? Are we going to have to inspect each room before we enter it for the rest of our lives? Basically, is it as bad as my UK friends are making out? 
• How you make it safe to leave furniture/play equipment outdoors? Is that not a spider trap? Will we need to bug spray/inspect whenever we want to use our outdoor items?
• Finally, clothing - as a fashion conscious 30 year old, am I better off stocking up on warm weather clothes and taking them across in the container? Or will I have access to enough up-to-date (English standard) shops? 

Is there anything else you wish you'd have thought of that we should be thinking of? 

Sorry, I know it's a few things at once, I'm a worrier! Thank you!!

Moving where?  Australia has different climates depending on location.  

[calNgary]

22 hours ago, Bulya said:

Moving where?  Australia has different climates depending on location.  

Title of thread says Sunshine Coast.

 Cal x

[MacGyver]

On 03/03/2021 at 19:39, tonks said:

Hi everyone, 

We told our family yesterday of our plans and were pleased everyone responded positively and even said they'd visit (still not convinced they will)! Husband's skills assessment goes off today to and he's booking his English test. I know that everything is so uncertain with Covid but it makes me feel better that we're actively doing what we can!

I have a few 'random questions' though if anyone would oblige, posting here as the topics are quite broad

• Beds - we have 2 double and a king size bed, can we ship our mattresses/bedding and is it worth it or are the bed sizes completely different? We are getting a container anyway as have just bought beautiful sofas so not worried about using the space, just practicalities. 
• Air B&B - anyone have success with a 4-6 week let whilst waiting for container to arrive/house hunting?
• Spiders (sorry!) - realistically, so I can prepare myself, are we likely to be encountering large/dangerous spiders on a daily basis/weekly/monthly? Do we need to sleep with one eye open? Are we going to have to inspect each room before we enter it for the rest of our lives? Basically, is it as bad as my UK friends are making out? 
• How you make it safe to leave furniture/play equipment outdoors? Is that not a spider trap? Will we need to bug spray/inspect whenever we want to use our outdoor items?
• Finally, clothing - as a fashion conscious 30 year old, am I better off stocking up on warm weather clothes and taking them across in the container? Or will I have access to enough up-to-date (English standard) shops? 

Is there anything else you wish you'd have thought of that we should be thinking of? 

Sorry, I know it's a few things at once, I'm a worrier! Thank you!!

Spiders - I see them as often here as I did in Scotland. Bug spray the house every 6 months and the only ones you’ll see are dead ones. We also give a quick spray around the outdoor furniture every 6 months but probably don’t need to. Wear gloves when gardening and you’ll be fine. You might come to like spiders though, given they feast on other bugs like mosquitoes. Don’t stick your hand in any dark holes and they probably won’t bother you at all. I stupidly used to check the bed every night when I first arrived, now if I see what might be a spider I ignore it or squish it with my foot. 

Clothes - I can’t imagine you’ll ever wear your Uk winter clothes on the Sunshine Coast, but if you visit more southerly cities in winter (eg Melbourne) they’ll come in handy so take them. You’ll probably want some shopping trips to Melbourne and Sydney through the year for your clothing.

[tonks]

Thank you everyone! Really appreciate your replies! 

[ramot]

38 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

Spiders - I see them as often here as I did in Scotland. Bug spray the house every 6 months and the only ones you’ll see are dead ones. We also give a quick spray around the outdoor furniture every 6 months but probably don’t need to. Wear gloves when gardening and you’ll be fine. You might come to like spiders though, given they feast on other bugs like mosquitoes. Don’t stick your hand in any dark holes and they probably won’t bother you at all. I stupidly used to check the bed every night when I first arrived, now if I see what might be a spider I ignore it or squish it with my foot. 

Clothes - I can’t imagine you’ll ever wear your Uk winter clothes on the Sunshine Coast, but if you visit more southerly cities in winter (eg Melbourne) they’ll come in handy so take them. You’ll probably want some shopping trips to Melbourne and Sydney through the year for your clothing.

Reference needing winter clothes on the Sunshine Coast, the longer you are here the colder you feel in winter, plus some of  the houses aren’t very well insulated, so you often need heating. We have reverse cycle air con. As a local I wear trousers plus a jumper and often a sleeveless gilet, or fleece,but holiday makers from a colder clime are in shorts and tea shirts. I have never worn a long overcoat, but it’s sensible to bring a waterproof jacket.. 

[calNgary]

Hoodie type jumpers are great for the cooler evenings in QLD, when camping if its a touch nippy a Beanie is good too. Hubby wears nothing but shorts but i do wear jeans, tracksuit pants etc in winter as i feel the cold more than him,lol.

With spiders, they are about but not behind every door waiting to pounce. You can buy a pest spray and treat (spray) the inside and outside walls yourself and this will keep 99.9% of crawlies out. 

I would look for a holiday let or if you are watching the pennies a cabin on a site for your first 3 or 4 weeks. Unfortunately the rental market in QLD is booming at the moment and securing a property can be tricky so make sure you have all your ID and evidence along with a cover story as to why you have no Aus rental or income history ready to submitt when you see a house you like.

Lots of luck the Sunny Coast is a lovely area.

  Cal x.

 

[Wanderer Returns]

There should be a separate thread dedicated to spider questions!   You'll be glad of the odd one as they keep down the mozzies. You tend to get more in older properties and those which don't have fly-screens

I live on the Sunshine Coast and there's a serious shortage of rental properties at the moment, so bear that in mind if you decide to move here. If you want to buy, you should be budgeting $750k for a house or $450k for an apartment, as property prices are sky-rocketing (up by 12% in the last year). If you're moving here from London/SE England and you own your own home then you should be okay, but if you've not got much equity in your UK property you'll need a big mortgage, and obviously an income to support that. Jobs on the Sunshine Coast don't pay a great deal, so expect to commute to Brisbane unless you're a doctor, run a business, or can work from home.

[ramot]

2 minutes ago, Wanderer Returns said:

There should be a separate thread dedicated to spider questions!   You'll be glad of the odd one as they keep down the mozzies. You tend to get more in older properties and those which don't have fly-screens

I live on the Sunshine Coast and there's a serious shortage of rental properties at the moment, so bear that in mind if you decide to move here. If you want to buy, you should be budgeting $750k for a house or $450k for an apartment, as property prices are sky-rocketing (up by 12% in the last year). If you're moving here from London/SE England and you own your own home then you should be okay, but if you've not got much equity in your UK property you'll need a big mortgage, and obviously an income to support that. Jobs on the Sunshine Coast don't pay a great deal, so expect to commute to Brisbane unless you're a doctor, run a business, or can work from home.

I agree the price of property here is rising fast. There can be 40 people queuing to view apparently on an open day according to an real estate friend of mine, and they cut of the viewing at 20, and turned people away. rental properties are very very scarce. There are properties for sale in the $600,000 plus range in Sippy Downs for instance. My son has just bought an immaculate 4 bed 2 bathrooms house there in the low $600,000’s. Had to have everything in place to have a chance of buying it, and it sold on the first open day to him against plenty of opposition. He has rented it out again on the first open day, with at least 6 other serious renters desperate to rent it. He had a telephone call this week from someone who had heard he had bought a house to rent, offering ridiculous money as they were desperate having sold their house, their only option is now to rent an expensive holiday apartment.  I know this makes depressing reading, but it is the reality on the Sunshine Coast at the moment.

[Bulya]

1 hour ago, calNgary said:

Hoodie type jumpers are great for the cooler evenings in QLD, when camping if its a touch nippy a Beanie is good too. Hubby wears nothing but shorts but i do wear jeans, tracksuit pants etc in winter as i feel the cold more than him,lol.

With spiders, they are about but not behind every door waiting to pounce. You can buy a pest spray and treat (spray) the inside and outside walls yourself and this will keep 99.9% of crawlies out. 

I would look for a holiday let or if you are watching the pennies a cabin on a site for your first 3 or 4 weeks. Unfortunately the rental market in QLD is booming at the moment and securing a property can be tricky so make sure you have all your ID and evidence along with a cover story as to why you have no Aus rental or income history ready to submitt when you see a house you like.

Lots of luck the Sunny Coast is a lovely area.

  Cal x.

 

At least they’re not moving to Canberra, which has the tightest and most expensive rental market in the country!

[calNgary]

5 hours ago, Bulya said:

At least they’re not moving to Canberra, which has the tightest and most expensive rental market in the country!

I haven't looked into the Canberra area but have read on here its quite fierce. My son is looking for a new rental at the moment and each property is getting around 60 applicants, its gone crazy since the Covid Lockdowns.

  Cal x

[MacGyver]

2 hours ago, calNgary said:

I haven't looked into the Canberra area but have read on here its quite fierce. My son is looking for a new rental at the moment and each property is getting around 60 applicants, its gone crazy since the Covid Lockdowns.

  Cal x

A new thread on the reasons behind the rental market explosion, and property price boom, would make for interesting reading. I understand it to a point, but it’s gone absolutely crazy.

[Wanderer Returns]

43 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

A new thread on the reasons behind the rental market explosion, and property price boom, would make for interesting reading. I understand it to a point, but it’s gone absolutely crazy.

You can borrow 7 times your salary for next to nothing, and that's what people are doing. It seems the younger generation of Australians are quite comfortable with enormous levels of debt.

[tonks]

Thank you everyone, we have fair amount of equity in out property and my husband is going across with his UK job which pays reasonably well. I'll have to just take work wherever I can for a while I expect. Assuming our house sells before we leave or very soon after, we should have the financial ability to buy a house if we can get hold of one! Will we be able to get a mortgage though (190 visa) or do we have to live there for some time? We're hoping that because my husband has been employed for 10 years by the same employer and will continue to be, getting a mortgage might go in our favour?

[DukeNinja]

1 hour ago, tonks said:

employed for 10 years

I'm assuming this will make things easier. With lending being relatively tighter, some lenders are asking for more proof of financial stability. And the bigger the equity you have, the greater chance of securing a good rate.

We haven't had any issues securing a mortgage (or home loan as it's referred to here) on a 189, so it should be a similar situation for you.

Lenders are fairly au fait about the PR visas.

Edited March 8, 2021 by DukeNinja

[Graham Fletcher]

On 05/03/2021 at 22:00, MacGyver said:

Spiders - I see them as often here as I did in Scotland. Bug spray the house every 6 months and the only ones you’ll see are dead ones. We also give a quick spray around the outdoor furniture every 6 months but probably don’t need to. Wear gloves when gardening and you’ll be fine. You might come to like spiders though, given they feast on other bugs like mosquitoes. Don’t stick your hand in any dark holes and they probably won’t bother you at all. I stupidly used to check the bed every night when I first arrived, now if I see what might be a spider I ignore it or squish it with my foot. 

Clothes - I can’t imagine you’ll ever wear your Uk winter clothes on the Sunshine Coast, but if you visit more southerly cities in winter (eg Melbourne) they’ll come in handy so take them. You’ll probably want some shopping trips to Melbourne and Sydney through the year for your clothing.

I live in rural Queensland, virtually in NSW. I have one jacket that I haven't worn since September maybe. On the Sunshine Coast it never really gets that cold so don't waste money on thermals!

[mt9754]

2 hours ago, tonks said:

Thank you everyone, we have fair amount of equity in out property and my husband is going across with his UK job which pays reasonably well. I'll have to just take work wherever I can for a while I expect. Assuming our house sells before we leave or very soon after, we should have the financial ability to buy a house if we can get hold of one! Will we be able to get a mortgage though (190 visa) or do we have to live there for some time? We're hoping that because my husband has been employed for 10 years by the same employer and will continue to be, getting a mortgage might go in our favour?

They don’t seem to use credit checks much out here, they prefer to know your story.

Most creditors require 3 years worth of Australian addresses but if you call them up they’re often happy to accept UK addresses.

Typical docs needed are 3 months of payslips (ideally with an Australian address on there), Australian driving license and medicare card, they’ll also use your UK passport to confirm visa status.

[expatdownunder]

On 03/03/2021 at 19:39, tonks said:

Hi everyone, 

We told our family yesterday of our plans and were pleased everyone responded positively and even said they'd visit (still not convinced they will)! Husband's skills assessment goes off today to and he's booking his English test. I know that everything is so uncertain with Covid but it makes me feel better that we're actively doing what we can!

I have a few 'random questions' though if anyone would oblige, posting here as the topics are quite broad

• Beds - we have 2 double and a king size bed, can we ship our mattresses/bedding and is it worth it or are the bed sizes completely different? We are getting a container anyway as have just bought beautiful sofas so not worried about using the space, just practicalities. 
• Air B&B - anyone have success with a 4-6 week let whilst waiting for container to arrive/house hunting?
• Spiders (sorry!) - realistically, so I can prepare myself, are we likely to be encountering large/dangerous spiders on a daily basis/weekly/monthly? Do we need to sleep with one eye open? Are we going to have to inspect each room before we enter it for the rest of our lives? Basically, is it as bad as my UK friends are making out? 
• How you make it safe to leave furniture/play equipment outdoors? Is that not a spider trap? Will we need to bug spray/inspect whenever we want to use our outdoor items?
• Finally, clothing - as a fashion conscious 30 year old, am I better off stocking up on warm weather clothes and taking them across in the container? Or will I have access to enough up-to-date (English standard) shops? 

Is there anything else you wish you'd have thought of that we should be thinking of? 

Sorry, I know it's a few things at once, I'm a worrier! Thank you!!

Hi there, doesn't matter one iota about a reference for a rental, people talk about references. Think about it, if you owned your own property outright in the UK and never rented, how would you ever have a reference!? You wouldn't. So you just tell them exactly that. We got our first rental no problem at all, and since then got friends that get exactly the same. As most people in the UK have a mortgage, I had personally never rented in my life until arriving in Oz.

Spiders.... Just like the UK really, you virtually see nothing at all, and the spiders you generally get in your house are just like home, bloody awful but harmless. You must see the occasional red back, especially on metal, but again few and far between unless you go looking for them. 

Other deadly animals.... Or Aussie animals. After 6 years in Perth, I have seen a few emus, loads of kangaroos, 1 Bob tail lizard in our garden which are harmless and that's it. If you live in suburbia chances are you'll see nothing. I've never seen a wild snake once.

Clothing, your fashion conscious, then stock the hell up as cloths shops are are complete shit. They have no brands you well be familiar with, all the shops you probably buy from won't be here. The closest you'll get is Myer which have big brands. But if your use to Dorothy Perkins, Top Shop, River island, Next, Selfridges etc.... Say goodbye. You'll be feeling like your buying clothes from Tesco as the quality is also rubbish. Basically anything made in Australia is shocking. Nothing against the place, actually love it. But they can't make anything of quality. You'll find that out when you build your first house and see the quality of windows, doors, wall treatments, insulation ( or lack of it). Don't get me wrong the houses look amazing but the important stuff is non existent.

Your beds, of you have a container take everything, as you can get bedding for everything. Just think they can it Queen instead of King or vice versa.

Creepy crawlys and toys left outside. Just check them. Chances are there's nothing in them but just have a look.

Finally. Please come on our podcast.

We have a chat about anything and everything with you. Your story would be good especially to anyone considering the move to Oz that haven't made any decisions yet. Check us out on iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Google Podcast etc...

Expats n cork hats.

Want a chat? Get in touch through Instagram or Facebook @expatsncorkhats

Hopefully speak soon,

Mark | one half of Expats 'n' Cork Hats

 

 

[Marisawright]

48 minutes ago, expatdownunder said:

Hi there, doesn't matter one iota about a reference for a rental, people talk about references. Think about it, if you owned your own property outright in the UK and never rented, how would you ever have a reference!? You wouldn't. So you just tell them exactly that. We got our first rental no problem at all, and since then got friends that get exactly the same.

In a quieter rental market where there aren't a lot of good applicants for every property, then of course references aren't going to matter. But you have to consider what the market will be like.  As a landlord in Sydney, I expected my agent to ask for references.  There were always lots of applicants for my property and I needed some way to whittle them down. People who had a good job AND references would get picked before someone who had a good job but no references.   

It's an important point actually, and one I hope you mention often in your podcasts.  Australia is not all the same.  I live in Melbourne now and it's totally different to Sydney, not just the weather but the whole lifestyle.  I wouldn't live in Perth if you paid me, but I know friends who love it there and would hate living in Sydney.