We are planning on transplanting To Australia from Canada in the next year or so. ( I am a welder first class ) This has been a dream we have been working towards for a number of years but one issue we have not dealt with yet is where?
We want to be away from the city and we both really want to experiance the Australia of yesteryear .
My wife and I are both experianced hunters and outdoors people and we want to be somewhere that would be reflective of this (lots of game & wild oppertunities).
Heat is not a problem for us and adapting & improvising is the way we live normally .
I would really like to hear about the different areas and and the pros and cons of them .
Thanks
Kyle

Tassies pretty backward.

Hmmm....welding, heat, flies, away from the city, hunting, outdoors....
Sounds like either Alice Springs or Broken Hill for you, you did say you liked heat right?

Honestly, there are so many places that would fit those parameters there isn't enough room or time to list them all here.

I spent a few months in Melbourn in the ninties and i spent a couple of weeks in Sydney but it was the times i spent out of the city that i really enjoyed .

The places that interest us are mainly NT and Western Australia. I know alot of Australia is wild still but if you were up for an adventure and a new way of life where would you go. Can you homestead there?

You'll have no trouble finding a job in Darwin. Good hunting and fishing right on your door step. Buying a house or renting is expensive for what you get however.

Life style here is very laid back (sometime to much)and we pay more for food (blame freight)but where else in a capital city can you hit the water and come home with a feed of big fish and mud crabs

Do a google search on Darwin and have a look.

Tasmania....

We also pay more for housing here than you do in Canada and also be warned, the general public frowns upon hunting and hunters!

But don't let that put you off - its a great country.

average house price here in the lower mainaland of BC (where we own) is over $500,000 cdn dollars the average canadian national average is only $270,000 . so as far as i can tell the house & land prices for what you get in Australia considering your Take home wages for actual time worked and what you get as a standard of living it seems very resonable .
As for anti- hunters ,Canada is full of them especially on the west coast (Bob Hunter the first president and co-founder of green peace was based here ) We are used to working around them .
the northern territories are looking good to us what are the rules on hound hunting? we have Walker Hounds we use for Cougar and Bears , what are you allowed to use hounds on there? .

Pigs!.....thats about it really. Train them not to chase stock (horses,cattle) and your fine. You don't want them chasing wallabys either, pain in the arse that!

Kyle

Have you arranged the official paperwork, residency permits or visa etc yet?

If not before making too many plans it would be worth making sure you will pass their requirements.

For a working visa basically you will need an employer to sponsor you, and they will need to demonstrate to the gov't that they could not reasonably hire someone available with the desired skills in Australia. Your visa MAY be tied to that particular employer too.

Not sure of the supply and demand situation in the workforce for first class welders(?).

For migration they have a number of tests, and a "point" system. You get points for things as such as how money you bring in, speak English, education, age, skills, experience, maybe have close relatives here etc etc

There is also a family re-union system so persons already living here can bring over later so close relatives and its criteria is easier. Also a business migration program if you can bring about $500,000 plus in funds over (this was back around 1990 - may still be similar (?)).

It would be worth looking at Queensland as well. Northern Queensland is also a great place similar in a lot of ways to the NT if you like the thought of the NT, but more jobs, better developed, a tourist industry and a lovely coast. Pigs and scrub bull hunting in the North.

Housing in capital cities can be expensive. The median (or average?) price in Adelaide is about A$330,000, Sydney would be more than twice or three times that, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth in between those. Housing in country areas can be a lot cheaper.

quote:

Originally posted by MLG:
We also pay more for housing here than you do in Canada and also be warned, the general public frowns upon hunting and hunters!

But don't let that put you off - its a great country.

Depends where you live I reckon. I dont feel that way at all living in country NSW or the NT....

We pass the points test and we have allready started the paperwork process . Welder first class happens to be a high points qualification .

we are thinking that it might be an idea to travel some key areas in Australia to get a feel for things (we have to figure out the areas of interest).

Barracuda

I am from Alberta and my wife is a teacher and we are here in Au. on a one year teacher exchange. We are in Griffith NSW and have traveled up to Bundeberg in Queensland and to Alice springs and Uluru in the NT "Red Center". We drove the great ocean road and spent some time on Kangaroo Island. I can't wait to get back home to Alberta.

Your question is one that is really only answerable by you. Can you imagine if someone asked you where they should settle in Canada if they went there? There are so many + and - to living on Van. Island as in Newfoundland.

I would deffinately recommend you come here to Aus. and experience living here. Travel around as much as you can and try living in more than one region. You will find what you like or you will go back to Canada.

In some ways Aus. and its people are very much like Canada. And in some ways very different.
In Canada you have to jump through a few hoops to get a gun permit and hunting opportunity. In Aus. you have to juggle, and hop on one foot while you jump through the hoops. I only went so for then gave it up.

We will be flying home to Alberta, end of Dec 06. Hope I don't get frostbite on my sunburn.
My wife will have to teach in Alberta for min. 2 years before she can go on another exchange. As much as I have been home sick (esp. during hunting season) we are talking about where we would try to exchange to if we exchange here again. N.E. New South Wales or farther north into Queensland is one area I liked. Surf beaches and ocean fishing would lessen the lack of hunting for me.

Robin down under

quote:

Originally posted by duffy4:
lberta and my wife is a teacher and we are here in Au. on a one year teacher exchange. We are in Griffith NSW ....

.... In Canada you have to jump through a few hoops to get a gun permit and hunting opportunity. In Aus. you have to juggle, and hop on one foot while you jump through the hoops. I only went so for then gave it up.

NSW and WA probably have the most restrictive firearms laws out of the Australian states.

quote:

Your question is one that is really only answerable by you. Can you imagine if someone asked you where they should settle in Canada if they went there? There are so many + and - to living on Van. Island as in Newfoundland.

If someone was to ask me about the different areas in Canada (or anywhere else i have lived) i would give the information i have about the provinces and places that we have lived). The more people that share their information (pros and cons)the better informed the person asking the questions will be .

Give me heat over Snow or BC coastal constant rain any day of the week .

Sounds to me like you miss Alberta (not to be confused with the rest of Canada )

is a 45-70 used much in Australia . (guide gun-Baikel double etc)
I notice that the 375 H&H is mentioned a fair bit (I have a Mod 70 SS classic ) I will probably try to figure out what is pricey and what isnt. reload supply etc.

What are the most common cartridges . ?

Barracuda,

I recently moved to South Australia from the US. In reading your post you mentioned importing your dog(s). This is a lengthy and detailed process with a minimum of 30 days and as much as 180 days quarantine in Australia. You will need to start immunizations and test 6 months prior to the animal’s departure to take advantage of the minimum quarantine time. This process is very doable just lots of VERY SPECIFIC requirements. I would also recommend using a shipping agent that specializes in this. They were a great help in getting my dog to AU.

Australian AQUIS site http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis Under the Traveling or Moving to Australia (mid page on right) select “Importing Cats/Dogsâ€

Best wishes
Carl

quote:

Originally posted by Barracuda:
is a 45-70 used much in Australia . (guide gun-Baikel double etc)

What are the most common cartridges . ?

I use a 45/70 GG all the time on feral goats. It works real good on them.
Have also shot rabbits and foxes with it using reduced loads under a cast 300 grainer. It just drills them neatly, no expansion at all.
I'm pretty sure you could handle most things in Aus with the right load and as long as the range you are shooting over is reasonable.
I think they are reasonably popular here with pig hunters etc. I've never have any trouble getting reloading components or factory ammo.

The most common calibres here are probably the 22lr, 22 mag, .222, .223, 22-250, 243, 25/06, 6.5x55, 7mm/08, 270, 308, 30/06, 303 maybe, 30-30, 300 win & WSM, 338W, 44 mag. 12 & 20 gauge.
There are others of course but these probably cover >80% of it.

One thing you may find when working in Aus as a welder Barracuda is that your away from home a fair bit, for the money the best spots are in the mines, which is worked something like three or four weeks on and one or two off. The money is good though, and their screaming for welder's, in fact they are bringing in welding crews from Asia at times. For a change when your there you could nick over the ditch to New Zealand and work a few weeks/months here as well as we're screaming to!Have you done much pipe welding?

On where to live, I really enjoyed knocking around up top, top of WA and NT, if I was going back (again) that's where I'd be headed, but it really is a personnal thing, one thing though, your dog's may struggle with the climate up that way, there's a reason so much grog is drunk up there.......


Cheers
Stephen

Barracuda ,
From an employment perspective you should have a look at Karratha in W.A. . High cost of living but big money too . Quite a nice town .

I will be bringing a Miller 301 engine driven Mobile welder (complete welding rig & trailer). Stick ,TIG, MIG (30a Aluminium spoolgun also)gouger etc as well as all the other oxy fuel cutting, plus i have number of other welding machines and all the other related equipment . . The machine i have will power your standard AU tools off the genset .
With Any new tool purchase made I had compatability of Australian needs in mind.
so all this stuff will be comeing with us

The consideration of contract work is also an option

Nah come to the NT mate......I need my trailer welded up