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Frogmanv2 posted:I don't think Google maps takes into account time you should spend having breaks. You should spend 10 minutes every two hours stopped and go for a small walk or do some stretches or something. Particularly because I feel that from like Gilgandra or so to Broken Hill is loving dead straight it's EERIE man. It does things to your brain!
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Jun 16, 2015 22:34
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The best is when you see a giant truck up ahead in the distance and you're like "oh ok that'll pass soon" and then literally ten minutes later the two of you still haven't passed each other yet.
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Jun 16, 2015 23:01
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I remember being on the Nullarbor at night and seeing a dim glow way off ahead of me and wondering what it was. It was a truck's headlights, but beyond the curve of the horizon.
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Jun 16, 2015 23:24
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Or when it's so flat in either direction that you can loving see the curve of the horizon jfc 
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Jun 16, 2015 23:32
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HookShot posted:vroomvroomvroom.com.au is what I always use to get the best price. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind when looking at car rentals. Frogmanv2 posted:I don't think Google maps takes into account time you should spend having breaks. You should spend 10 minutes every two hours stopped and go for a small walk or do some stretches or something. Google maps just gives me an idea of the minimum amount of time that I'll be spending in the car in addition to the time spent eating, taking breaks, taking photos, and hiking. A couple of those days might be a little long, but the others should be a nice balance. caberham posted:I saw a big fuzzy wombat with its head flattened. Even though it's only 2 seconds, I am still horrified. I wanted to hike in the Blue Mountains and to see some of the outback. Going south from Broken Hill to Melbourne seems like a good way to see more the of country then just heading back to Sydney. I will have to pay extra for one way rentals, but it doesn't look like it'll be too bad.
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Jun 17, 2015 02:51
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freebooter posted:I remember being on the Nullarbor at night and seeing a dim glow way off ahead of me and wondering what it was. It was a truck's headlights, but beyond the curve of the horizon. Haha, that stretch over the nullarbor where it's 170 odd km without a turn. Oh, also, get a set of roo whistles for your car. Less than $10 and the amount of roos I have seen since putting them on has dropped dramatically.
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Jun 17, 2015 04:10
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Frogmanv2 posted:Haha, that stretch over the nullarbor where it's 170 odd km without a turn. Can you give us a link?
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Jun 20, 2015 10:09
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Her is some advice from a seasoned local traveler... I do tech stuff for remote locations. Based out of Newcastle NSW. I cover Northern NSW & most of QLD. My longest work related trip was to Bowen in QLD. 1100 miles. Regularly go to places like Moree, Walgett, Cobar. Never been to Broken Hill though. Coming from Sydney with a USA license just do 80 to 100 mph anywhere west of Cobar. Or even west of Dubbo if you like. (that's where road train limits begin). Make sure to get a Falcon or Commodore hire car. It will add to the Aussie experience. These cars are designed for this. They are rear drive 6 cylinders. V8 are optional. The design brief for these cars is Sydney-Melbourne or Sydney-Brisbane (both about 500 miles) in one day and still be fresh enough for the Pub at the end. Has been this way for a long time. Don't try this outback driving in a smaller car. Not enough guts to pass the triple 40 foot trailer road trains you will encounter, some times traveling in teams... If you do then add hours to the travel times. It takes about 20 seconds or more at this speed difference to pass one, a long time on the wrong side of the road. More when you have to do a few of them together. There is no interstates out west here, just two lane blacktop with a lovely narrow surface as well. It can be an arse clenching experience. I've had to take my Falcon to over 120mph passing three of these fuckers a few times. Its not fun on a 30ft wide road. You don't have to, you could sit behind them for another 50 miles. Otherwise they clear the road of Kangaroos. Stay well behind them at dusk and dawn. Those outback Google times can almost be halved in a Falcon/Commordore at top speed. In comfort as well. There is nothing to see so just nail it. In a compact you'll have a sore arse and be poo poo scared from passing said road trains doing 70 in your small shitbox doing 80 or 90. Breeze by 'em in your rear drive full size express and you will be half way through your beer at the next town watching them go past. Thats what I do. Done it many times. I once set the cruise control at 85mph for 2 hours in central Queensland and didn't touch it for 2 hours. There was no other traffic to be seen either. We also have the "Grey Nomads" here, caravan towers or RV drivers doing 50 for fuel economy reasons that are even worse to deal with than the truckers. All said the western highways are better travelling than the coastal highways that are infested with the nomads. There is a war here between nomads & truckers as well. http://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t34060740/grey-power-vs-truckers/?page=2&sort=newestFirst And lots of Left hand drive county drivers in head on collisions as well. Especially in the "holiday areas"
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Jun 22, 2015 02:06
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Guni posted:Can you give us a link? Google Roo Whistle? 1000's of hits https://www.google.com.au/search?q=roo+whistle&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=l2CHVYPjJcLi8AWX5YLYAQ
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Jun 22, 2015 02:14
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Seconding the guy recommending you get a car with some guts. I lived in Broken Hill for a spell, and would regularly drive to Mildura and back. Lots of road trains on that stretch, and you will absolutely appreciate some extra horsepower when you need to overtake them. Kangaroos are another problem in the greater area - avoid driving at dawn and dusk. Aside from the obvious visibility issues, kangaroos like to sleep on the warm road at night. Its a genuine cause of accidents. One week in November 2013 the Wilcannia post office was fixed up and restored, and that same week the postie was robbed at knife point, and the place was vandalized. A mate of mine also got the windows of his car smashed in by some kids with slingshots when he was visiting a friend there. So yeah, I wouldn't recommend doing the tourist thing all too much in Wilcannia, just head on to Menindee or straight to Broken Hill - they're more interesting anyway. Broken Hill is great. Its population has a diverse range of personalities, and the town is truly eccentric. Dip in to the pubs and try and find Peter Black. He was mayor for 20 years, also the Labor member for Murray Darling for about 10 years, and now he's on the town council. He's the drinking man's Paul Keating. SMH story on Peter Black posted:March 2004: Turns up drunk in State Parliament, interrupts proceedings and lunges at a female parliamentarian.  A national treasure.
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Jun 28, 2015 06:56
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wildemere posted:I've had to take my Falcon to over 120mph
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Jun 30, 2015 03:50
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lmao if you're not driving bush in an 80's/90's hilux with a swag in the back
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Jul 13, 2015 06:51
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If you just want to do overland and see the country, there's a train you can take between Sydney and Melbourne. I did this when I first moved here from Minnesota a couple years ago. It's not picturesque, but it's efficient, and it took care of my curiosity. You can always do targeted excursions to more interesting places from one or the other end without having to commit to driving the full distance.
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Jul 18, 2015 02:26
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Hey guys. My girlfriend has finished up her 2 year visa (she's from Taiwan) and wants to stay in the country to study / make a business etc on a "Student (Temporary) (class TU) Vocational Education and Training Sector (subclass 572) visa." On the IMMI checklist & details form that stipulates all the information and justifications she has to make for applying for the Visa, there's a lot of questions like this: "The statement should set out: ● your reasons for choosing to undertake the course(s) of study specified in your application ● your reasons for choosing your education provider(s) ● your reasons for choosing to study in Australia rather than in your home country or usual country of residence ● the relevance of your course(s) of study to your academic and/or employment background ● the relevance of the course(s) of study to your future career and/or educational plans." In typical government fashion, they pretty vague. Are there particular things (or a particular way of writing) that the immigration office wants to read in the statement? I don't know what her chances are. She has an MBA in Taiwan but her english is middling. Ideally she'd complete an IT/business course here, and once we've got it all together apply for a partnership visa. Can anyone help?
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Jul 29, 2015 06:24
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Eastdrom posted:Hey guys. Interesting, I've got a 573 (Higher Education) and didn't have to state any of that. My impression is that if you have the cash to pay tuition (and show up to class), your school is more or less the "guarantor" of your legitimacy in the eyes of Immigration. From the general vibe I get from Immigration's policies, my assumption would be that as long as her stated reasons aren't comically unviable/illegal, she ought to be fine, but I'm only guessing. As far as the starting a business, legally she can only work 40 hours/fortnight while school is in session. On the plus side, she can at least declare tax residency, which working holidayers can no longer do as of July 1 of next year (a difference of 0% income tax on your first AU$18.6k of income versus 33%). FWIW I emailed Immigration about self-employment for student visa holders a few months ago because I was curious, they have no means of tracking or reporting hours worked, it's just the honour system. Why does she want to complete a TAFE-level IT/business course here if she already has an MBA? If you were planning to do a partner visa her qualifications wouldn't matter AFAIK; I'd probably only be angling for those if I was trying to qualify for a skilled migration visa. Which isn't necessarily a bad idea depending on where your relationship is (I've also heard the partner visa is a pretty big PITA and takes a long time), and how close she'd be for qualifying on her own. If it's just to tread water in-country for a bit, she might want to look into taking some English courses instead; definitely helps if she's going the Skilled Migration route, and would definitely pay dividends over the rest of her life here anyhow. If you are going the partner visa route, ideally you'll have been cohabitating and be able to show other signs of commitment (joint bank accounts, etc). If you don't want to jump right into marriage (or just aren't a big believer in the institution) see if your state offers some kind of Deed of Significant Relationship, which can help the process along.
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Jul 29, 2015 07:08
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Interesting, I've got a 573 (Higher Education) and didn't have to state any of that. My impression is that if you have the cash to pay tuition (and show up to class), your school is more or less the "guarantor" of your legitimacy in the eyes of Immigration. From the general vibe I get from Immigration's policies, my assumption would be that as long as her stated reasons aren't comically unviable/illegal, she ought to be fine, but I'm only guessing. Most of the questions seem to be in relation to the fact that at the end of course she should have a strong reason to return to Taiwan. Which is the opposite of what we intend to do. I am a little worried that when we apply for partnership in a year that they might bring that up. We're planning to move in together as soon as she gets back in a month or so, then start doing the joint bank accounts, lots of facebook photos and texts, etc. She's mainly doing the IT/Business qualifications to make it easier to get a full time job here in case her business aspirations go to poo poo, and also because she wants to stay with me and as you said, tread water. I also just called the Immigration department (which i should've done first sorry) and they clarified that a lot of the questions don't have right or wrong answers, but just require decent reasoning and detail, but i'm glad i asked as you've given me some great info. Thanks for the help! Edit: Her course & visa she's applying for are for a 6 month period, but i'm not sure how easy it will be to get another one after it runs out. I guess we'll worry about that when it comes. Vilgefartz fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Jul 29, 2015 |
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Jul 29, 2015 08:05
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Not sure how helpful this would be to anyone else, but I was just able to get the student discount on Spotify despite them not offering one in Australia, by using my old US uni email account, and sending my Aussie uni tuition bill in as proof of current enrolment  Eastdrom posted:Most of the questions seem to be in relation to the fact that at the end of course she should have a strong reason to return to Taiwan. Which is the opposite of what we intend to do. I am a little worried that when we apply for partnership in a year that they might bring that up. We're planning to move in together as soon as she gets back in a month or so, then start doing the joint bank accounts, lots of facebook photos and texts, etc. Ah, yeah. I would word the responses in such a way that it's open-ended what she would do afterwards, something like "I'm interested in pursuing this course in Australia because I know it will be internationally recognised, which would transfer well to running a business in Taiwan or other countries", etc. Re: the shorter course -- if she completes a two-year programme she would be eligible for a Graduate visa (I think it'd be a two year visa in this case, which grants unlimited work rights), which is intended to allow recent graduates time to get relevant work experience and help their chances with migration. I have a feeling you'd probably get the partner visa sorted by then, but if not, it would give her a chance to start her own business and buy you guys an extra 24 months to get the partner visa stuff sorted. With migration and I'm pretty sure the Graduate visa, you can meet the Australian study requirement of a two year course by "topping up" a shorter course with another certification in a related field, so she could do a 1.5 year Grad Dip in something, followed by a 1-semester graduate certificate, etc. I think IT/business would probably be close enough to qualify, although you'd want to ask Immigration about specifics if she was going to go that route.
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Aug 1, 2015 06:31
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Can anyone tell me if working on a 457 visa covers me for Medicare or will I need private insurance? Also is anyone here an American that moved to Melbourne? How's the public transport? Nightlife? Food? People?
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Aug 12, 2015 03:33
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BuckarooBanzai posted:Can anyone tell me if working on a 457 visa covers me for Medicare or will I need private insurance? Also is anyone here an American that moved to Melbourne? How's the public transport? Nightlife? Food? People? Can't say for sure as I've never been one one, but I would assume so. Typically Medicare is paid for by a 2% levy on your income, which is on top of income tax. Students have separate OSHC thingie because it's assumed they're not working (a reasonable assumption in my case  ).edit: Actually, maybe not since a 457 isn't a permanent resident visa... not sure which way that would shake out. I did a quick google and it seems ambiguous, I think you can get Medicare but also have the option of purchasing private insurance and avoiding the Medicare Levy, if you choose. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Aug 12, 2015 |
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Aug 12, 2015 04:22
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BuckarooBanzai posted:Can anyone tell me if working on a 457 visa covers me for Medicare or will I need private insurance? Also is anyone here an American that moved to Melbourne? How's the public transport? Nightlife? Food? People? You will need private insurance. I'm an American in Melbourne, it is a nice city. PT/food/people are all alright.
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Aug 12, 2015 07:51
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Omgz posted:You will need private insurance. I'm an American in Melbourne, it is a nice city. PT/food/people are all alright. Yeah, 457 holders don't fall under Medicare, unless you're from a country with Medicare reciprocity, which the US isn't. If it's anything like the student visas, you'll have to show proof of private health cover as part of the visa requirements. Should be quite cheap, say $75 or less per month. One thing to watch out for is that some (most?) of the cheapest private health cover for temporary residents only covers you for treatment at a public hospital. Don't get fooled by the private health insurance name and think that means you're covered at private hospitals.
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Aug 14, 2015 08:09
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Omgz posted:You will need private insurance. I'm an American in Melbourne, it is a nice city. PT/food/people are all alright. Matter of opinion, but I don't think it's up for argument that Melbourne has the best public transport of any Australian city. (Not that Melburnians think that; they think they live in Mogadishu.) I also personally think it has the best nightlife, food, drinking opportunities etc in Australia. Sydney is the only other large city and it's doing all this 1am lockout nanny state moral panic bullshit these days.
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Aug 14, 2015 16:26
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freebooter posted:Matter of opinion, but I don't think it's up for argument that Melbourne has the best public transport of any Australian city. (Not that Melburnians think that; they think they live in Mogadishu.) I spoke to some English people recently who reckon the public transport in Sydney is fantastic. I mostly agree with them, but we don't have trams anymore which puts us second to Melbourne.
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Aug 15, 2015 14:54
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Thanks for your answers!
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Aug 16, 2015 07:02
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Followup. Is 100k Aus/year enough for two people to live comfortably in Melbourne? What's the rent for like a one bedroom apartment in a not lovely area? Thanks again for the answers.
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Aug 20, 2015 17:16
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BuckarooBanzai posted:Followup. Is 100k Aus/year enough for two people to live comfortably in Melbourne? What's the rent for like a one bedroom apartment in a not lovely area? Thanks again for the answers. That should be fine, even for Melbourne (assuming you don't want to actually own property  ). The impression I get is that ~AU$18k is the expected minimum to be able to get by on for a year; that's what student visa applicants are sometimes asked to show, and it's also the threshold where you start paying income tax if you're a resident. That 18k probably assumes housemates and maybe not Melbourne CBD for rent, but you still ought to have plenty of cushion.
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Aug 20, 2015 22:19
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BuckarooBanzai posted:Followup. Is 100k Aus/year enough for two people to live comfortably in Melbourne? What's the rent for like a one bedroom apartment in a not lovely area? Thanks again for the answers. Like, 50k each? Yes, more than enough. I'm not sure what the pricing is like for a one bedroom apartment, but I lived in a shared house with a single other housemate in Richmond (a hugely desirable area right next to the CBD) with a garden, detached walls etc and I paid $900 a month for my bedroom. I was earning about 55k a year before tax and could still afford to go out drinking most nights, eat out for breakfast and lunch all the time, own and insure a motorcycle, and I was still saving money without particularly trying. You'll face a bit of a price hike to get your own place entirely, but if you're sharing with a partner that shouldn't be an issue. Go for somewhere in the inner city - like, no more than a few train stops outside the CBD - and don't get a car. rent.com.au and domain.com.au are the websites you'll want to look at for checking rental prices. Also, as a quick geographical guide, the city was traditionally split into South (of the Yarra), North (of the Yarra) and West (of the Maribyrnong), which was upper class, working class and lower class respectively. Nowadays the entire inner city has been gentrified and a two bedroom townhouse will cost over $1 million, but the divisions still hold true for the middle and outer suburbs, and sort of true for the inner city - South Yarra is moneyed and expensive as gently caress, Fitzroy and Carlton still have the occasional bit of grit amongst their hipster cocktails in jam jars, and Footscray still has plenty of drug dealers and street crazies even as developers start building gigantic apartment blocks. (St Kilda, on that note, bucks the south-equals-fancy stereotype). Live wherever you think sounds good, it's hard to go wrong in Melbourne. (Unless maybe you live in the CBD itself, although that's again a matter of opinion.)
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Aug 20, 2015 22:33
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BuckarooBanzai posted:Followup. Is 100k Aus/year enough for two people to live comfortably in Melbourne? What's the rent for like a one bedroom apartment in a not lovely area? Thanks again for the answers. You might find this enlightening: http://www.smh.com.au/business/fede...508-ggwyfw.html
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Aug 21, 2015 12:22
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Vacationing in Sydney over the New Years holiday this year, any recommendations on what parts of town to stay in or avoid? Things I like: beaches, nightlife, meeting other people who like to drink beer, be they tourists or locals.
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Aug 25, 2015 18:37
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UZR IS BULLSHIT posted:Vacationing in Sydney over the New Years holiday this year, any recommendations on what parts of town to stay in or avoid? Things I like: beaches, nightlife, meeting other people who like to drink beer, be they tourists or locals. Sydney is the size of some small countries and is larger than a couple of US states, but the beaches areas against the coast are easy enough to cover in broad strokes. The Beaches areas roughly cover three regions and personal prejudices aside (ITT beaches people are scum, as well as anyone else from a region that isn't my own  ), these areas certainly aren't in the avoid category*. There are two main hubs that should fit your bill, Manly on the Northern Beaches and Bondi in the Eastern Suburbs - both have easy access to the city and plenty of local nightlife, probably more these days given the lockout laws. Bondi is the more touristy destination and will likely be packed over New Years, but Manly is worth checking out as there should be some accommodation left. * We did have a race riot about a decade ago at Cronulla but there is gently caress all there anyway. Rougey fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Aug 31, 2015 |
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Aug 31, 2015 00:45
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Welp so I'm apparently moving to Australia in about 4 months from California. Anyone in this thread an expat who can offer any tips on the move? Thanks in advance and can't wait to learn all that great Aussie slang for everything.
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Aug 31, 2015 06:38
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Rougey posted:Remember that over new years eve you'll be very lucky to find accommodation within the CBD that wasn't booked some time last year, or even within about 10km. I doubt you can find accommodation in these areas and they're not very accessible from the city, but it's well worth checking out the beaches south of Bondi, e.g. Bronte, Clovelly, Gordon's Bay, etc. Clovelly is my favourite because even at the height of the tourist season in summer there's plenty of good spots to settle down. I'd consider moving to Clovelly if I could afford it. (Don't tell my Inner West comrades I said that.)
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Sep 2, 2015 11:12
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Beachside living people are not scum unless you are a wog. Or a Leb. There it is, Sydney racism. But I left it years ago. For people like you. No Idea.
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Sep 3, 2015 05:21
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Important question for a soon-to-be American expat. Do Australians drink IPAs?
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Sep 7, 2015 03:58
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BuckarooBanzai posted:Important question for a soon-to-be American expat. Do Australians drink IPAs? Absolutely. Craft brewers love high alcohol, hoppy IPAs. Would recommend Pirate Life double IPA, 8.8% in a half litre can.
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Sep 7, 2015 04:48
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Thanks! Looking forward to living in your beautiful country!
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Sep 7, 2015 05:10
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If you're headed to a major city (especially Sydney or Melbourne) you'll be able to find pretty much any of the big craft American beers at good bottle shops. Most pubs have your standard beer fare (generally 90% Australian) and there's always some good pubs that stock a lot of different types of craft beers including IPAs. I could rattle off a bunch in Sydney.
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Sep 7, 2015 13:36
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Just drink VB
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Sep 16, 2015 06:47
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Do not drink VB
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Sep 16, 2015 07:23
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I was stuck in the mindset I needed a full kettle setup and everything for homebrewing (true if doing BIAB or all grain), but realised if I just wanted to start out with extract kits a basic fermentor and a few other odds and ends would do. For $50 on Gumtree I picked up a more or less complete setup secondhand, first batch of stout is chillin' in the bathtub and about halfway to being ready to bottle according to yesterday's hydrometer reading. Should have done this months ago considering how expensive booze is here, is gonna work out to ~$30/19L. I hardly drink anymore these days, but will be nice to have around for company. Lizard Combatant posted:Do not drink VB Also this.
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Sep 16, 2015 08:22
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