Hi,

things are getting somewhat uncertain from a political & racial point of view here in South Africa. While I've been against the idea for some time now, I'm starting to realise that I may have to leave this beautiful country if things carry on the way that they are. There is something of a mass exodus from here by white South Africans at the moment.

The only option which has some appeal to me is to emigrate to Oz -- I hope I'm not offending you Aussies, but you guys know what it is to be patriotic

While I've never been down under, some family and friends have been, and things sound positive.

My biggest pain though is that I don't want to leave without my rifles. I'll concede though that I may have to leave them in storage here in RSA until I am able to get them legally into Oz. Which brings me to my first questions;

1) Must one have permanent residence status before you are permitted to legally own a rifle for hunting purposes. As a South African I am used to jumping through hoops to get firearm licenses, so tests etc are not a problem.

2) I have a Brno .22 long rifle, as BSA 30-06 & a CZ .375 H&H magnum. Is getting a license for a .22 a problem if one is not a farmer or involved in some primary industry?

3) Would it be possible to take my rifles over on a temporary importation permit, and then jump through hoops there to get permits to own within a year?

I have been doing a bit of reading on hunting in Australia, so I am familiar with which species can be hunted and where they can be found. I'd like to know though which state is most hunter- and firearm-friendly (or should I say least unfriendly?) and in which state does the most hunting take place? Are hunting opportunities easy to come by?

Also, is hunting affordable? As a South African, hunting here is fairly affordable, but definitely not cheap. A warthog (which would be the equivalent of your feral pig) will cost you about R500 (67 AUD) on average. A Blue wildebeest (brindled gnu) bull which weighs about the same as your Sambar stag (200 - 250kg?) will cost the local hunter about R2,500 (336 AUD). Hunting a Cape Buffalo is financially out of reach of probably 99.9% of local hunters. Does the same hold true for water buff and local hunters in Australia?

Any advice is most welcome and appreciated.

Cheers.

Requirements will vary from state to state . Queensland and Northern Territory have the best hunting in my opinion . Western Australia has the most employment opportunities but most restrictive gun laws . More inconvenient than anything though .
Go to the website below and you will have contact details for police departments in all states and territories . They will be able to answer your questions .
http://www.police.wa.gov.au/ContactUs/Australianjurisdi...id/1352/Default.aspx

No offence at all - in most states I know you only need to be a resident (an address) to get your licence, once you jump the hoops. West Australia is unfortunately a little retarded though and you will have to check on that state.

In my opinion - NSW and Victoria have the best access to hunting - because both of those states have a LOT of public land with quite good, inexpensive hunting. Some other states like QLD, SA, TAS - you can join hunting clubs to get access to good hunting grounds and in all states you can get access to private property with a little effort, contacts or aid access. In the NT there is a lot of game but most of the good hunting areas are very large properties or tied-up by safari outfitters. Still most local hunters there can find access to at least one property to hunt.

Guided safari hunting is many and varied, right around Australia for the different species and areas. You can pay a little (some with no trophy fees at all) and a lot. Yes some hunting like buffalo is a little out of reach of most hunters but even just the cost of travel to those areas and logistics would be out of reach too.

BSA

What is your profession or occupation? Reason being is you are more likely to pick where you live for work reasons rather than firearm reasons.

Having said that though, Australia has only 4% unemployment, and is basically at a full employment level for those wanting to work or live where the work is.

Mining in particular is a booming industry.

Most South Africans start by living in Western Australia and it probably has the biggest expat population. Also a booming mining state.

Unfortunately for firearms and maybe hunting WA is probably the worst state to live in.

Compared to South Africa you should have no real problems obtaining a firearms licence and later importing your firearms in all the states except WA (I am not sure how centrefires are treared there nowadays?). The .22 Brno should not be a problem at all.

You need to be a resident for most states to get a firearms licence. Some states require you to sit a simple course, exam and practical exam (eg South Aust) to get a firearms licence.

You need a reason to get a firearm eg hunting . If for 'club use' you will need to be a member of a shooting club. Some states demand club membership as a requirement.

You should be able to import your firearms as household effects/goods and should pay no tax on them if this is the case. You may need to use a gun dealer to help you with the import for some states. You will need to get a police permit to acquire and a customs import permit for each firearm and any ammo, accessories etc. To get these you may need to show an export licence from South Africa.

There is good public land hunting in Victoria for sambar deer in the mountains. NSW has recently opened up a lot of public lands to recreational hunting as well. Most other states have some small areas to hunt in but generally it is private landowner access. Some hunting clubs have access to private land under various arrangements. Private hunting access, ie not using an outfitter will be FAR CHEAPER than anything in South Africa, possibly completely free.

Water buffalo can be hunted without an outfitter if one has access but generally outfitters have most areas tied up. The Aussie price for one will be very similar to the international price to one currently. Expect from $3500 to $7000 range. Lucky guys sometimes get well connected locals to take them out.

A sambar appears heavier built than a wildebeest, about 600 to 800 lbs in weight. Not sure which is tougher to put down. Never shot a sambar stag myself.

We also have fallow and red deer here as South Africa does, plus rusa, hog, chital deer. Feral goats, pigs, scrub cattle, foxes, hares, rabbits, buffalo, banteng, camels, horses, plus roos and wallabies.