Australia, anyone?

[Chef Ladybug]

Inspired by AprilB's thread about moving to Hawaii, as well as all the really thoughtful and informative replies she got from you guys, I'd like to throw in a new location -- Australia. Would love to live there someday. What's the job market like? I'm told they're pretty friendly to immigrants

Thanks everybody,
Chef Ladybug.

[Lady DeWinters]

I lived in Australia... it's a great country and a nice place to live. When I was there many years ago the job market was good. I don't know about now as I haven't lived there for many years. I do recommend living there though.

Yes, they are quite friendly to immigrants.

[blueschef]

I was in Melbourne for two weeks to visit a chef friend of mine. Amazing food and cool products! It is there food capital for the country (as well as the wine region). Also went to Tasmania, truly unbelievable. It is gorgeous with some amazing unique foods. Artisan cheese makers, Oyster farms, the best lobster in the world, unique fish, Mushrooms, Produce, Beef, Lamb, etc. I had some of the best meals of my life down there! GO!

[tessa]

Tasmania is incredible
if your going to move to australia Adelaide is incredible , you so have to check out the barossa valley and the central market in the middle of adelaaide is the freshest and cheapest most amazing food market you could ever come across. you can buy every thing there from hundreds of retailiers and super cheap prices.

Originally Posted by blueschef

I was in Melbourne for two weeks to visit a chef friend of mine. Amazing food and cool products! It is there food capital for the country (as well as the wine region). Also went to Tasmania, truly unbelievable. It is gorgeous with some amazing unique foods. Artisan cheese makers, Oyster farms, the best lobster in the world, unique fish, Mushrooms, Produce, Beef, Lamb, etc. I had some of the best meals of my life down there! GO!

[Lady DeWinters]

If you go to Australia then you have to try the seafood! The prawns are the biggest I've ever seen, way bigger than the ones in North America. If you're in Sydney be sure to visit the fisherman's market to pick up fresh fish or enjoy dining at one of the seafood establishments at the market.

Last time I was there we bought some salmon sashimi slabs and went home to cut them up and serve them. The sashimi was excellent!

If you're a big fan of seafood then I strongly recommend Australia.

[DC Sunshine]

I grew up in Adelaide, now live in Tasmania, and spent some time in the Northern Territory. Guess I'm a bit lucky

And yes, we natives are pretty friendly. We're such a hodge podge of nationalities that it just doesn't matter....nobody stands out in the crowd.

The seafood is amazing and, in general, spanking fresh. The central markets in Adelaide are incredible, foods from every nation, guess cuz we come from every nation. And the atmosphere!!! Market holders yelling each other down on their prices and produce - its wicked. Went there every Friday as a child with parents to do the weekly shop - dirt cheap and straight from the producer. The continental delis had all sorts of unrecognisable items for sale...Ahhh memories.

Darwin(NT) is particularly good for seafood and a huge variety of asian produce - and mangoes everywhere! I'm talking a couple of bucks for 2kg. The weather's a bit hard to take - but the storms and the rains made it worth it. It is a young persons climate - not many retirees can take the heat.

Come visit if you can - I'll keep a coldie in the fridge for ya lol

[tessa]

just love Tassy its such an interesting land of so many different climates . just loved visiting there and would love to come back

quote=DC Sunshine;187513]I grew up in Adelaide, now live in Tasmania, and spent some time in the Northern Territory. Guess I'm a bit lucky

And yes, we natives are pretty friendly. We're such a hodge podge of nationalities that it just doesn't matter....nobody stands out in the crowd.

The seafood is amazing and, in general, spanking fresh. The central markets in Adelaide are incredible, foods from every nation, guess cuz we come from every nation. And the atmosphere!!! Market holders yelling each other down on their prices and produce - its wicked. Went there every Friday as a child with parents to do the weekly shop - dirt cheap and straight from the producer. The continental delis had all sorts of unrecognisable items for sale...Ahhh memories.

Darwin(NT) is particularly good for seafood and a huge variety of asian produce - and mangoes everywhere! I'm talking a couple of bucks for 2kg. The weather's a bit hard to take - but the storms and the rains made it worth it. It is a young persons climate - not many retirees can take the heat.

Come visit if you can - I'll keep a coldie in the fridge for ya lol[/quote]

[DC Sunshine]

Tessa - I'm in the north, just outside of Launceston, in the midlands. It's sheep, cattle, potato and wine country here ( makes for nice combination!). Climate's not bad, can get a tad cold in winter, but nice temperate climate the rest of the year. We live about 2 minutes walk from the local farmers market which happens every Sunday - I get a stack of fresh produce every week, locally grown, and there's lots of local craft makers - timber work, paintings, photography, painters etc. During summer its better, but I've got a regular grower I visit and he always throws something extra in for nothing

I'm rambling lol but I love it here.

Cheers - DC

[tessa]

Originally Posted by DC Sunshine

Tessa - I'm in the north, just outside of Launceston, in the midlands. It's sheep, cattle, potato and wine country here ( makes for nice combination!). Climate's not bad, can get a tad cold in winter, but nice temperate climate the rest of the year. We live about 2 minutes walk from the local farmers market which happens every Sunday - I get a stack of fresh produce every week, locally grown, and there's lots of local craft makers - timber work, paintings, photography, painters etc. During summer its better, but I've got a regular grower I visit and he always throws something extra in for nothing

I'm rambling lol but I love it here.

Cheers - DC

Launceston is lovely , i didnt stay there long enough , just refresh my memory is that where the salamanca market is ??

my uncle lived in roseberry but has now moved to burnie

and if /when i come back i would love to go to king island and get me some 45 degrees blue cheese (the very best blue i have ever tried)

ps if anybody is going to go to tasmania, you just so have to rent a vw to drive around tasmania, it was so very cool , i drove a turquoise 1973 vw ..... **** i so want one of those for keeps lol

[DC Sunshine]

Salamanca markets is down the other end, in the capital, Hobart. They're great fun, much bigger than anything we get in the north.

King Island products - omg, they make the BEST stuff!!!! The cream is soooo rich and their cheeses are out of this world. I dunno how they do it, but I would recommend them to anybody anywhere anytime. Expensive but hey, worth every cent.

I'll keep my eye out for a vee dub for ya

[deltadoc]

Hoy Hoy,
Just watch out for the lizards and falling coconuts!

So says my friend in Bozeman, where they just shot a major film!

doc

[Jenyfari]

I am from Australia - Canberra to be exact, but have lived in Sydney for 17 years and Brisbane for 18 years.

I wouldn't want to live back in Sydney again. Too much like a big city - noisy, crowded and hard to get anywhere. Its a fantastic place to visit though and I love going there....just wouldn't want to live there.

I also wouldn't want to live back in Brisbane again but only for the heat factor. In summer it gets very hot and humid and you just sweat constantly. The winters are beautiful though.

I prefer Canberra weather only because it has distinct seasons - winter, summer, autumn, spring. The winters can get quite cold though and it has been known to snow on occasion. Even so the winter days are beautiful with blue skies - so it isn't miserable winter weather.

The job scene is particularly good at the moment. I notice 'staff wanted' signs in a lot of retail shops which I haven't seen in years. I know that in the government job I came out of recently they were fighting for good staff which again wasn't something I have seen in years. Usually it is the other way around.

[PureCream]

*throws the comment then runs*

May I just object blueschef and say Melbourne is NOT the wine centre of Australia. Personally, you can never get a bad wine from Margaret River, West Australia. It is one of the best wine regions, as is Adelaide and the Hunter Valley in NSW.
Melbourne does have good food, better fashion sense than Sydney and great markets. But then, I think every state in Australia has its strengths and weaknesses.
If you want work - Perth is doing really well atm, as is Queensland. There seems to be a shortage of good quality chefs available but having said that, there are also a lot of top quality chefs working. The good ones get jobs easily. Plenty of work available. Boat charters are paying well in West Oz.
It's there for the taking. Try 6-12 mths here and there and work your way around!
(Oh and Tassie IS gorgeous - just darn cold!!)
JMHO

[DC Sunshine]

Oh c'mon PC its not that c-c-c-colddddd here :P It's great if you like trees. Trees. More trees. It's only winter that's tough - the rest of the year is great and never gets above 30 C.

And yes the Margaret River region in WA has a great name for wines and restaurants nationally and internationally. Its also a beautiful region, plus all the caves and beaches and surfing and a great climate - wish I could get back there for a visit.