Where do I go?

I am planning on moving to Australia sometime in the near future, probably before Christmas, but I am unsure as of where to go. I need a large city where the economy is good meaning cost of living isn't ridiculous and finding a serving job (restaurant, bar, hotel, pub etc) won't be too much of a problem. Any suggestions from fellow Canadians who have been to / are in Australia?

Thanx so much
Erin

Well Sydney is very expensive, so I'd say that option is out. I think Melbourne is pretty expensive but I don't really know first hand.

Brisbane is definitely cheaper than Sydney, and maybe Melbourne as well. Any tourist areas would be great for the sort of jobs you're looking for. If you want something more tropical you could check out Cairns, not sure how big a city it is though.

Beyond that I'd look at this website for an idea on how much rentals would cost:
http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rs ... &t=ren&cu=
There's a tab at the top for shared accomadation as well.

Also for jobs have a look at:
http://www.seek.com.au/

Good luck.

what'd the deal with the rsa accredidation? is it mandatory or just an asset? is it something that's all over australia or only in certian states?

No idea what you're talking about, sorry. I'm a teacher and my husbands an engineer so if it's related to what your field of work then you'll have to check it out.

But I can say there seems to be licenses and diplomas for just about everything. Most times it varies from state to state. So you're best to check it out before you get here. It could be that one state would be very easy to get set up in while another might be more difficult.

I would suggest Perth. The city is not huge, but the state is going through an economic boom at the moment. The newspaper has about three pages of serving jobs going at the moment.

Rent will cost you anywhere from $150-$300/pw depending on the area and how big the place is. Average salary is anywhere from $17-$24/hour working in a pub (I worked in a country pub and made about $23/hr).

As of right now you don't need your RSA, but I believe they are bringing it in. I was told that if you have Smart Serve you should be fine as long as you have your card. If not, it doesn't take much to get your RSA.

Western Australia isn't always the first choice of people because it is a bit remote, but Perth is a lovely city and the countryside can't be beat. Beautiful beaches and forests to the south, desert and outback to the north and east. The Ningaloo Reef is a definite must for a vacation spot, as is Kalbarri and various other national parks throughout the state. As much as I miss the hustle and bustle of Toronto and London, I really do like living here a lot. I lived in Melbourne and Sydney and much prefer it out here.but that is just me.

Good luck!

Hi Erin,

Melbourne and Sydney are great cities. I've visited Brisbane but it kinda lacked buzz. It was all too family oriented, if you know what I mean.

Sydney is gorgeous but will be the most expensive place to live in. On the plus side - great subtropical weather which lends itself to an outdoor lifestyle, great beaches, interesting neighbourhoods, beautiful harbour and harbour walks. On the negative side - lots of traffic, expensive, can be quite hectic, it's a bit "look at me".

Melbourne - on the plus side: cheaper rent, cultural, good bookshops and food, lots of art, it's an arty/creative city, very sporty, good small bars. On the negative side - can be cold but I am speaking from an Australian perspective! It does get grey, the good beaches are about 90mins drive from the city.

I've also lived in Adelaide. Do not go there. It is a beautiful city but it is boring. It's a good place for young families and old people. Perth is lovely but you could end up feeling quite isolated because it is so far from everything.

I've been to all of those cities and here is my opinion of them, starting in the north:
Cairns is a beautiful place with a population of about 80,000 people. Any work there is mainly seasonal as the "wet" season is uncomfortable (Nov to March) and the place does get hit by the tail end of cyclones occasionally.
Brisbane (1,500,000 people) has probably the most reliable climate of all with temperatures around the mid twenties all year round. Not sure about work there. Rents are reasonable.
Sydney (4.500,00 people) has got to be one of the most difficult and frustrating places to get around I've ever been. Rents there are horrificly expensive as well.
Melbourne (4,250,000) would be my pick as it has pretty well everything going for it with the exception of the winter weather which I would best describe as similar to Vancouver except not quite as cold. Rents are not as bad as Sydney but still a little high all the same. For work it shouldn't be too difficult to find something, especially if you're looking for casual work as there always seems to be a shortage!
Adelaide (1,500,000) is known as the "City of Churches" and is quite pretty, rents are relatively cheap but work's a little harder to find. There is also a saying in Australia that they switch Adelaide off at 7pm - it's pretty quiet in the evenings.
Perth's a great city (2,000,000), there's a lot of work there and rents aren't too bad. The biggest problem with Perth is that it's the most remote capital city in the world and if you're going to Aus to do tourist things it's the wrong place to base yourself as travel to and from there is expensive - similar to travelling across Canada.
Hope this helps, good luck!