Advice on things to do in oz.....

irvs

Afternoon everyone, well I've totally changed my plans in life and have decided to head off for Australia in April for two years. I'm in the research stage of "things to do and see" and I'm looking advice and tips from people that's been. Like what would you recommend I do or go to see? Anything you wished you had done or wished you hadn't???

Thanks Neil.

Giraffoto

Sod two years. Sell your house and everything else before you go

skellator3

train as a fireman.............

irvs

Yea staying for good does sound like a good idea, well I've no house to sell so that's a head frier I don't need to go through. I've got this years listings of every race throughout oz from XC to DH SO ill deffo be racing, just need to change my licence over to international.

Neil.

cooldad

Find hot Oz chick.
Marry her.
Stay.

irvs

Now marrying a hot oz chic is deffo the best idea I've got lol but knowing my luck ill to all the way from Ireland and fall for an Irish girl lol.

No one been to oz and got good info for me???

Neil.

cooldad

Been there lots of times, excellent place - whole continent, just go and see.
Just remember they like to be reminded that they are a colony of the mighty British Empire, all criminals, their sports teams are all rubbish and their beer tastes like water.
Best time to remind them is in a loud voice, late on a Friday night in the pub.
Then sing God Save the Queen.
All ozzies have a sense of humour - they'll love you.
Good luck.
And God Save the Queen.

irvs

lol I'm sure I'd quickly end up in a ditch if I said all that. Anything you recommend I must do or see??

Neil.

cooldad

I like diving, so Barrier Reef, and boobs, so any beach. Just don't play with the animals - they're all evil. Everythings poisonous.
With a few years, just see as much as possible. The outback great if you like masses of fark all, but good for hippy types, especially if you have a supply of mushrooms.
Gold and Sunshine coasts if you like long beaches and highrise hotels.
Melbourne if you think you are sophisticated - they do, as much as Ozzies can be.
Up north if you like heat, giant insects and movies like Deliverance (that's what it reminded me of anyway).
Anywhere if you like snakes.
I love the place.

Just avoid Canberra. Unless government buildings turn you on.

70\ʹspenguin

Id recommend a trip to Frazer Island. Hire a jeep and camp on the beach in the dunes for a few nights. Its lovely, remote and relaxing. The Dingos are pretty cool too. Sydney is great and well worth exploring. Great food and wine with a great chinese quarter. Im not a big city lover, but i do love Sydney! I spent a few weeks in Brisbame also, but its a pretty dull place. The gold coast is ok and worth driving up i guess.


There are a lot of very very fit women in Aus! I mean a lot! Sunnies not only protect your eyes but also aid perving, which simply can not be avoided.

redvee

Sort out a tanker of Factor 50, you'll need it.

irvs

Thanks LOADS for the great info will help lots with planning. I'll be heading on my own so will be one hell of an adventure

Neil

Giraffoto

I've been there once, albeit for over a year. Don't waste a minute - see the deserts, the mountains, the plains, the forests and the rivers. And if I've missed a sort of terrain, see that too. Don't just see it from the windows of a tour bus, get out and walk or cycle through it. And carry plenty of water when you're cycling.

The Rookie

cooldad wrote:

Find hot Oz chick.
Marry her.
Stay.

You know my cousin then......

Take yer bike, bikes out there are more expensive and parts ruinous....accroding to the above Cousin who has a Trance!

cooldad

70\'sPenguin wrote:

There are a lot of very very fit women in Aus! I mean a lot! Sunnies not only protect your eyes but also aid perving, which simply can not be avoided.

This + a whole lot of pervy potatoes.

irvs

Cheers lads, yea I'm sure ill be spending some time on the beach hehe. I've my padi advanced licence so I'm sure I could get some sort of dive job with the tourists.

Neil.

cooldad

Pop across to NZ while you're there. Very different, slower and more laid back. But good people, decent beer (better than Ozzie pisswater), amazing mountains and stuff on South Island (even fjords), skiing, volcanic stuff on the North, and only a few hours flight from Sydney.
Proud to be a Kiwi mate. (In joke, you need to listen to Radio Hauraki, classic rock that rocks.)

Mark909

If you head up the east cost go straight from Sydney up to Byron Bay as there's nothing much of interest inbetween. I spent a year backpacking around several years ago now. My favourite part was Queensland. It was like the eternal summer I was out there. I'll get back there one day!

What you planning on doing? Staying on one place or backpacking around?

Mark909

Irvs wrote:

Cheers lads, yea I'm sure ill be spending some time on the beach hehe. I've my padi advanced licence so I'm sure I could get some sort of dive job with the tourists.

Neil.

In that case get yourself to airlie beach/whitsunday islands

irvs

Another spot added to the list, what all there???

irvs

cheers again lads you all have no idea how much this is helping thanks loads everyone.
well a little update... i got a nice email saying my visa appiclation has been passed, so now its time to sort out my ticket.

What about transport? What's the best way to go about getting a car/jeep and traviling a lot in that, also has anyone done any of the seasonal work? I'm planning on doing the 3 months so I can get my second year visa.
What's the best way to go about getting jobs doing the sessional work???

keep the info and ideas coming please...
Thanks again Neil.

cooldad

I would buy a cheap car - big distances and some of the best places are very remote. Cars are stupidly expensive though.
Plenty of work fruit picking and the like, but also lots in the tourist industry, and if you have a PADI qualification you could try that, but you really need Divemaster upwards. Saying that I used to 'sweep' beginner dives and mother nervous ones with a NAUI advanced. As long as the DM is OK with it.
IMO easiest to get there have a few drinks with the locals and ask around, but you can use agencies.
Just don't break your visa conditions - they are hot on that, and get caught out and you're barred for a few years.

irvs

Yea I've my padi advanced licence so I guess that will help a bit. Same as Ireland here buy a drink and you've got a mate lol.

Neil.

irvs

Wondering what's the best way to go about setting up an Australian bank account and getting my tax code to work.
Also what's the best bank to use???

As mentioned about buying a car what's the deal with insurance when I'll not be in the same place for long???

Thanks Neil.

raldat

cooldad wrote:

I like diving, so Barrier Reef, and boobs, so any beach. Just don't play with the animals - they're all evil. Everythings poisonous.
With a few years, just see as much as possible. The outback great if you like masses of fark all, but good for hippy types, especially if you have a supply of mushrooms.
Gold and Sunshine coasts if you like long beaches and highrise hotels.
Melbourne if you think you are sophisticated - they do, as much as Ozzies can be.
Up north if you like heat, giant insects and movies like Deliverance (that's what it reminded me of anyway).
Anywhere if you like snakes.
I love the place.

Just avoid Canberra. Unless government buildings turn you on.

Actually Cooldad that is very accurate. I am from Melbourne and I am sophisticated!

And for Canberra, avoid but if you must go there at least there is the Wig and Pen that serves a good real ale brewed on the premises.

70\ʹspenguin

Oh and a small bit of advice:

When an Aussie tells you some wildlife is dangerous - BELIEVE them!

I was walking along Manly Beach one day after a hurricane had hit way out at sea. There were lots of dead fish and these little blue bags of air all strewn across the beach. I decided to have great fun running along and squishing the blue bags with my flip-flops (thongs), much to the distress of my friend who was screaming how poisonous they were. I exclaimed that if they were poisonous the over zealous lifeguards would have closed the beach - she started to cry and called her mother............... :shock:

Her mother called me an idiot (in typical blunt Aussie fashion) and said "when an Aussies tells you its dangerous, believe them". I rolled my eyes and we had a nice day together. Later that night i googled this so called dangerous "Blue Bottle" my friend was in tears over. It was a Portuguese Man of War. I shat myself.

irvs

Haha little blue bags, I'm pretty clued up on my nature and that almost everything in oz will hurt like hell or kill me if I'm bitten.
Im all sorted now just need to book my flight for the start of April, I'm going to start in Perth and get straight into the regional work, working my way across to the west coast.

You guys have been a huge help and I thank you all loads.
Neil.

cooldad

I should have lied as I am really jealous and hate you a lot.

pesky_jones

Don't give the aborigines alcohol! lol

irvs

Haha I love jealous people, I've got the roster for all this years races throughout oz so once I'm settled I'm hoping to get a few races done will be good for my cycling club here in Ireland.
Only bad thin I'm hearing a lot of is that the ozzys are racist as hell, hmm I hope they like the Irish lol.

Neil.

Tim.s

Hire a V8 and see as many of the 'Big' things as you can. Big Koala, big banana, big pineapple, etc.

Pointless but fun, the big rocking horse was cool. They sell little bags of 'rocking horse poo'