Moving from Canada to Australia - but where?? Any advice?

Hi All, (sorry, this is a little long - thought I would include as much detail as possible so that it would be easier to reply to

My boyfriend and I (both 29, almost 30) are planning on moving from Vancouver, BC, Canada to Australia by the middle of 2012, for a few years (not exactly sure for how long). We are going to be applying for the Business Long Stay Visa as he is a heavy duty mechanic with his Red Seal certification and we have heard that his trade is quite in demand at the moment. We have been together and co-habitating for almost 5 years so I understand that he can add me to his visa as his de-facto partner, etc. Anyways, all this we have a pretty good understanding of. This is not what I'm enquiring about...

My question is: WHERE in Australia should we be looking at?? I know this is a slightly ridiculous question but neither of us have ever even been to Australia. I'm actually originally from Cape Town, South Africa so after I immigrated to Canada 12 years ago, Australia always seemed that it would be my next stop as the climate, people and lifestyle really hit home with me. (I can add that the North part of Oz is out as it just seems too rural and too humid.)

We were at first looking at Perth as we have heard from many people that it is absolutely beautiful (honestly, when only judging by pictures, every single city in Oz looks gorgeous and potential places we may be happy!) and after speaking to literally dozens of people who have traveled and/or lived in Oz, and researching almost every blog or forum, every person has a different opinion on where we should be concentrating our search. This has confused us even more as I find people either really love a city or really don't like it.

- We know Perth is isolated, we know it's not as busy and metropolitan as Sydney/Melbourne, we know it's a little more quiet and laid-back. We are a pretty laid-back couple who are both over the clubbing scene (so don't need a hundred top-notch clubs in our immediate vicinity). Don't get me wrong, we're not hermits but just don't do the whole all-night, crazy clubbing partying scene anymore. We still love going out with friends but prefer to either go to a fun pub/lounge/restaurant or get together at someone's house with good food, music and drinks and socialize that way.

- We are also hugely outdoorsy and spend most of our time (also with our friends) camping, quadding/ATV'ing, dirtbiking, surfing, road-tripping, snowboarding/skiing or taking our Great Dane to the beach/dog parks So, we definitely would love to find a place where there are a decent amount of people within/near our age range who also love to do the same things as we do and the opportunity to continue these types of activities.

- We also would really like a place close to the beach, don't think we'll be able to afford beachfront property but at least within half an hour drive of a beautiful beach.

- I don't know how people's attitudes are towards dogs in Oz but if there are any 'dog friendly' cities/communities with dog-parks/dog-beaches, that would be great and a huge bonus!

- From what we have heard and researched, my boyfriend will most likely be able to get a good job in Oz so we're not worried about him. My background is more towards the Admin/Human Resources/Recruitment field and I would (ideally) absolutely love to continue on in the Animal Humane field (RSPCA or other animal humane societies) as this is where most of my experience and passion lies. I saw on the Australian RSPCA website that there is only one animal shelter in Perth...is this correct?? If at first, I don't get a job in my desired field, I'll try to find something else as long is it is related to what I'm currently doing, of course. How is the market in Perth for other types of jobs?

- Also...cost of living?? I would imagine that Sydney would be very high but what about Perth and the other cities? Car prices? Public transportation costs and ease of use? Also, rental accommodation? I don't think we'll buy a house straight away as we want to explore a little first - so we need information on rental units, the prices, what is included, furniture, pet policies, etc? I think we'd rather like to rent a house vs an apartment as we aren't crazy about apartment living

I know these are a billion questions but ANY help or advice would be absolutely GREATLY appreciated! We are just so incredibly confused right now but we need to get on it and decide because I know it takes many months of blood-work, vet visits and titer tests to get our dog ready for the big move; and then selling our place, etc.

THANK YOU!!!
(also, if anyone is wondering about life in Vancouver, Canada, feel free to ask questions!)

We are planning on the exact same trip except we are looking into permanent residency. I have been to Australia and loved Melbourne the most of all the places I visited, albeit I did not have the pleasure of exploring Perth.

I'll be watching your post for advice!

- We know Perth is isolated, we know it's not as busy and metropolitan as Sydney/Melbourne, we know it's a little more quiet and laid-back. We are a pretty laid-back couple who are both over the clubbing scene (so don't need a hundred top-notch clubs in our immediate vicinity). Don't get me wrong, we're not hermits but just don't do the whole all-night, crazy clubbing partying scene anymore. We still love going out with friends but prefer to either go to a fun pub/lounge/restaurant or get together at someone's house with good food, music and drinks and party that way.

THANK YOU!!!
(also, if anyone is wondering about life in Vancouver, Canada, feel free to ask questions!)

Forgive me but I had a good chuckle with that part of your post

Perth with approx 1.7 million peeps versus 2 mllion in Vancouver... I wouldn't say isolated is a good word. For this Torontonian, Vancouver is definitely isolated

Perth & Vancouver are comparable - Perth being much nicer. My 31 year old single niece who lives in Perth & has done all her life says she is having a ball ... clubbing etc.

http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Thin ... _Pubs.aspx

Having lived in OZ & NZ over 25 years ago [I still have family there], I was last in Perth, Melbourne & Sydney 10 years ago, so my info is not current, but I can tell you that Aussie's are wonderful people

To answer your question, there is tons of info available on the web - but to make it short & sweet .... begin here

http://www.bobinoz.com/blog/6348/best-c ... ive-in-is/

Fair dinkum

Hi Escaping Winter - that is very exciting! We were also actually looking at PR to begin with but have decided to start off with the temporary skills visa (sorry, I forget which one exactly it is) as neither one of us have ever been there. I know the chances of us getting there and not loving it is probably slim to none but you never know. This way we'll have 2-4 years to figure out if this is going to be our new home or not. I say yes Also, I have heard many wonderful things about Melbourne and 2 of our friends spent 2 years in Australia and went absolutely everywhere and did everything but still loved Melbourne the most. That is, everywhere except Perth, so they couldn't comment on it. I find a lot of people skip Perth, so it's hard to get a 'complete' review.

Hi Portico - THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for the links and info, I'm going to check them out as soon as I'm done here! It may sound funny, but honestly, every time I talk to someone about Perth the very first thing they say is "You know it's completely isolated with nothing around it, right??" and then look at me like I've lost my remaining marbles. I've even had Ozzies say that to me so I started wondering how bad it really was

I also didn't realize that there were 1.7 mil people in Perth - I guess where in Van everyone is living on top of each other, it would be a lot more spread out in Perth. I like that! Again, THANK YOU so much for the info, I really appreciate it! I'm so very excited about this move, I think it's going to be so much fun!

Your partner is likely to have the best luck with jobs in Perth. There is TONS of work like that in WA right now. Not a lot in Melbourne. Not sure about Sydney or Brisbane.

From what you've said about you guys, I would definitely say Perth. The only drawback of Perth is it's more expensive to explore and visit other parts of Oz. But for living, I don't think you can beat it.

Hi Charr, thanks so much for your comment! I really appreciate every morsel of advice/guidance and the more I talk to people, the more Perth is sounding like the ideal place for us.

Are you currently in Melbourne and from your profile pic, originally from Canada??

Hello
We moved here on a 457 visa. I am his de facto. If you need any info once your guy has a sponsor let me know. The information that we had to provide for proof of our de facto relationship was crazy. We are currently living in Brisbane. My fiance is a red seal millwright and works in oil and gas. He does two weeks on and two weeks off. This works really well and gives us a ton of time together. There are heaps of jobs in Queensland as the oil, gas and mining sectors all are demanding skilled labor. There are other things to consider when you are looking for the right company for him to work for as well. One thing you may want to have included in a contract would be LAFHA (living away from home allowance). Do some research online about it as it will benifit you. Also being Canadian it is very important to do a Canadian deposition when you arrive in Oz so you do not pay taxes on the income you received in Australia when you move home.
As far a living in Brisbane it is wonderful. I have lived in Vancouver and Calgary and do not find it that expensive. It is great to be between the Sunshine Coast as well as the Gold Coast. There are tons of things to do in and around Brisbane.
I wish you the best of luck on moving to Australia it will be something that you will not regret.

Sorry for stealing this thread but what do you mean when you say "do a Canadian deposition when you arrive in Oz"? What does this consist of?