PigLick on 6/3/2011 at 07:22
heh I live in Perth if that helps in your decision making.
nickie on 6/3/2011 at 08:25
There's a manky BBC programme called Wanted Down Under featuring UK families wanting to move and being given the opportunity to go over to Australia and look for property, jobs, compare prices, lifestyles etc. I don't know if you can get it in US but here's the link. (
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006s5v8).
If you can get past the irritating presentation there's useful information. There's also a manky programme called Down Under Revisited where they meet families who've made the move. Although it's a Brit programme, no doubt a lot of the information in the links on that site would be relevant to you.
Scots Taffer on 6/3/2011 at 10:12
hay shakey-lo, want to catch up for a beer :cool:
the_grip: australia is awesome, but as shug has already said more info is needed before I launch in with an essay-like response from someone who did it
Shadow Creepr on 6/3/2011 at 10:17
Two things to also consider. First, be sure to check what the visa requirements are for Australia now. They have changed considerably over the past couple of years and the system is stricter. A lot of people who used to qualify for immigration no longer do.
Another thing to be aware of is no matter WHERE you move to in the world if you hold an American citizenship you STILL have to continue to file your taxes for the rest of your life (unless you renounce). The IRS will give you an additional two months grace to file. Now, you don't actually pay anything if you make less than the equivalent of $91,000 a year but you still have to file the paperwork and report any money you earn in banks, savings, IRAs and such.
the_grip on 6/3/2011 at 14:31
Wow awesome responses, thanks!
Quote Posted by Shug
If you're comfortable sharing what you do for a living, that'd probably help our recommendations
Background is software development (C/C++, C#, SQL, Python, others). I now work for a small software consulting company where I used to manage our developers until we downsized... now I'm back to wearing a ton of hats. I do some business analyst work to some degree as well, but the main role is software development to support clients and project managers. The main ERP solution we work with is popular in Australia, FWIW, so I think I could land a job there, but most of the higher paying ones are in Sydney (according to seek.com).
Duncan on 6/3/2011 at 15:17
It sounds like Sydney is the better choice (and would have been my choice anyway), however, I would recommend looking a little to the north to an area called the Central Coast. Housing prices will not be as stupidly over priced and it is an easy commute to Sydney. Plus that area is starting to see IT businesses setting up house, though I would not count on that. The Central Coast is where all the awesome beaches are too and is a great place to raise kids.
the_grip on 6/3/2011 at 19:33
Thanks Duncan, will take a look.
Can anyone also address price comparisons? For example, say, how much is a typical meal at a fast food place (Taco Bell, McDonalds, or whatnot... even though I don't eat much fast food, I can price compare), a casual dining place (i.e. taking the family to a lower priced restaurant), and a fine dining establishment? How much is electricity per month? Water? Etc... just trying to get a cost of living feel.
Of course, any other thoughts are helpful... everything so far is great.
Sgt_BFG on 6/3/2011 at 20:08
Watch out for drop bears.
Chade on 7/3/2011 at 00:02
Quote Posted by Shakey-Lo
If I had to pick somewhere in Australia to live, it would be Brisbane, because I just did.?
Wait, what?
:cool:
The_grip: I am not really qualified to give you advice ... when I moved from Toowoomba to Brisbane, I felt like I was moving into an urban rat race, only to run into people calling Sydney a laid back country village.
But fwiw, I haven't had any trouble at all landing programming jobs in Brisbane, although being only a few years out of uni, I'm not sure whether that's relevant to your situation. There are certainly many more opportunities down south.
