teonanacatl Posted May 27, 2008 Moving to probably either melb, canberra or wa for uni next year and Ive got some Q's on these places. (ANU in canberra, Monash and Uni melb in melb, and UWA in WA) How much is living? at the moment I live off $150-200 a week easy (Includes everything). I share house with 3 people we pay $325 a week all up for an average house, how exxy are houses in these places? I love to fish and hunt. Is there places to fish/ hunt close to the cities? if so catching what? I bicycle everywhere here, is this realistic in the bigger cities? is public transport cheap and on time? Is it possible to live out of the city and still be close to the uni's? Canberra looks small on google earth!! Will you guys be my friends if I move there? Anything else I should know? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gilligan Posted May 27, 2008 Moving to probably either melb, canberra or wa for uni next year and Ive got some Q's on these places. (ANU in canberra, Monash and Uni melb in melb, and UWA in WA)How much is living? at the moment I live off $150-200 a week easy (Includes everything). I share house with 3 people we pay $325 a week all up for an average house, how exxy are houses in these places? I love to fish and hunt. Is there places to fish/ hunt close to the cities? if so catching what? I bicycle everywhere here, is this realistic in the bigger cities? is public transport cheap and on time? Is it possible to live out of the city and still be close to the uni's? Canberra looks small on google earth!! Will you guys be my friends if I move there? Anything else I should know? Hey, Teo... WA has gotten pretty pricey, but with all the mining happening, there are plenty of jobs (dunno what you would look at, but plenty of decent paying casual labour jobs) around the metro-ish area, as everyone has come up north chasing the mining dollars (i'm in the game myself, so have seen the boom). Labour hire mobs are the best to go with here, they've got plenty of stuff... The rental market is pretty tight, and fairly expensive, but you could most likely find a share house with someone at UWA - i'm sure you wouldn't have a problem there... I cant tell you what rents are, we have our own place... Fishing is pretty average from the coast, you really need to go down outside the city limits to get anythign decent, which is sad... You can still get some fish occasionally, but nothing like what you're used to over there. Hunting in the perth surrounds is pretty limited - depends on what you hunt. The wifes cousin bow hunts down around the Harvey (1.5 hours from perth) area, pigs, deer... There might be hunting in the hills region, don't know that much about it... Marron are good over here, you just have to go to the right places, and very limited season. If you dive, then the diving is pretty good - some good spearfishing spots around... Crays too. Public transport isn't too bad here, and cycling is pretty easy. With the new railway, the southern corridor has been opened up - so you could be relatively out of the city, on a bigger place. I'd def catch up with you for beers And fishing, marroning, diving (i'm a water hunter) etc when i was allowed off my leash... lol. Perth is an awesome place, pretty laid back, and very picturesque. The mining boom has made it expensive, but it's liveable. Cacti love it here too... lol... Just depends on what you want to do, really... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MORG Posted May 27, 2008 Moving to probably either melb, canberra or wa for uni next year and Ive got some Q's on these places. (ANU in canberra, Monash and Uni melb in melb, and UWA in WA)How much is living? at the moment I live off $150-200 a week easy (Includes everything). I share house with 3 people we pay $325 a week all up for an average house, how exxy are houses in these places? I love to fish and hunt. Is there places to fish/ hunt close to the cities? if so catching what? I bicycle everywhere here, is this realistic in the bigger cities? is public transport cheap and on time? Is it possible to live out of the city and still be close to the uni's? Canberra looks small on google earth!! Will you guys be my friends if I move there? Anything else I should know? Well, I can speak somewhat about Canberra given I'm a recent immigrant. Been here for 3 months now. It's expensive here. If you're lucky and look hard you might get your average house for $325, but I doubt it. Apparently second highest rental prices here aside from Darwin. I'm in a newish two-bedroom duplex out of the city (share with a couple), that costs $350 (I think). Anyway, my room is $130. It's cheaper if you live out in the boondocks like I do, otherwise you're paying more the closer you get to the city. Cycling is the way many people get around here in Canberra. I've never seen so many. Cycle paths everywhere too. Public transport is pretty cheap here ($3 a ticket full fare no matter where you're going) but buses stop after around 10.30-11pm and if you live far from the city (like I do) you'll have to get two connecting buses outside of peak times which can take too bloody long. There are no trains. Now that I've said that I live far from the city and in the boondocks, the definition of this in Canberra is a bit different than for a big city like Syd or Melb. I live in a bit of a bogany little suburb right on the edge of Canberra, it's quiet and the sky is big and beautiful. I'm only 13 kms from ANU and being 80km/h takes me about 13 minutes to drive it. Budget about 45 minutes to cycle, but if you move to another cheaper area like Dickson or something then you could still be "out of the city" but within 20-30mins ride of uni. I don't know much about fishing and hunting but apparently the rivers in the snowies and other surrounding highlands are excellent for trout-fishing if you know what you're doing. You'll need a car though because those places are a little far-flung (1-2 hours). The south coast beaches are about 2.5 hours away by car, good fishing to be had there. If you want fishing within a walk/ride of Canberra then you're confined to redfin in Lake Gininderra. As far as hunting goes I'm sure there are loads of feral species in the surrounding parks and lands. Canberra's not a bad place all said and done. To be honest, if I had the choice between this and Melb or Perth I'd go for Melb or Perth (which I know less about) just because of the gigs and night-life and greater diversity of people. It can be a little hard to meet people in Canberra and going out in town is a little less fun than Sydney, less places to go, shittier places to go, more violence, more dickheads. I think you really need a car here too, in case you ever want to escape. Other than the well-frequented reserves close to town, you've got at least 45 min drive to go to a National Park of any significant size. But life is what you make it and I am enjoying my time here. It's a quiet lifestyle, but I suppose you'd be well used to that coming from FNQ. ANU's a nice uni, I like it alot. And you've already got one friend down here... I know a bit of Melbourne. Was born there and have been back a bit since. More of an "arty" city. Great pubs/bars/nightlife. Public transport is good too with the trams. I don't know much about renting/costs of living though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fenris Posted May 27, 2008 Come join the Perth massive, we aren't a bad bunch really. Except that crazy Marsha character (possibly a troll) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teonanacatl Posted May 27, 2008 not looking for job, will be moving to do a phd. Perth has appealed to me but the problem is the guy I was looking at to do a phd with at UWA is no where near as good as the ones at ANU and melb uni. Thanks morg and gilligan, very helpfull :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MORG Posted May 27, 2008 No problem. And for further context, I too am studying a PhD. Am surviving pretty well on the APA with extra teaching work to supplement the income. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted May 27, 2008 Too many interstaters and foreigners in WA already. It is time we secede. The rental market is horrific BTW. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Conan Troutman Posted May 27, 2008 Really? Canberra??...have u been Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teonanacatl Posted May 27, 2008 lol Ive been there once when little, cant remember it though. Ideally Id like to be able to do it here but that isnt gonna happen. As far as chemistry in oz goes, ANU is the shit!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
occidentalis Posted May 27, 2008 How much is living? at the moment I live off $150-200 a week easy (Includes everything). It depends what your standards are. If you lived in a sharehouse in a cheap part of town AND don't drive (difficult combination) you might get away with $200. Personally I would say $250 would be my lower limit, although I pay $125 rent. Which is not unusual. I share house with 3 people we pay $325 a week all up for an average house, how exxy are houses in these places? You will be able to find a place for $325 but it will not be anything special. I love to fish and hunt. Is there places to fish/ hunt close to the cities? if so catching what? There is plenty of fishing. I have never been hunting and can't really imagine where you could do it. I guess there are lots of spots in the hills. Pigs and rabbits I guess. I bicycle everywhere here, is this realistic in the bigger cities? is public transport cheap and on time? Perth is not a great city for cyclists. It depends where you live. I live in Fremantle, and I cycle everywhere. But if you live in the suburbs it wouldn't be so easy. If you are going to UWA you will probably want to live around Nedlands somewhere which is fine for cycling. Public transport is pretty good (cheaper than other Australian cities I've been to) and UWA is well connected. Is it possible to live out of the city and still be close to the uni's? Not without spending 1-2 hours on a bus each way. The unis are all pretty close to town. Will you guys be my friends if I move there? Totally That would be awesome. Anything else I should know? WA is the centre of diversity of the genus Acacia. If that isn't enough to make you want to move here, I don't know what is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
watertrade Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) Teo and MORG - as you both know I work at the ANU - so I'm always around and usually friendly. ;) I can't say much about Canberra but I'm originally from Sydney and have found it to be good - I find the people here are generally friendlier - (I should say I am from the ‘Muslim kids shouldn't learn' part of Sydney the wild wild west of Camden) Also Canberra is built for pushies. I once rode across Canberra and didn't leave a bike track. It’s great. Also the ANU is pretty good. Anyway we should go for that coffee maybe later this week or next, Morg - your plates will be ready soon. <--- ;) thats how friendly I am. I'm pretty sure ACE has been here all his life too. Jim http://www.liveincanberra.com.au/index.html Edited May 27, 2008 by watertrade Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chilli Posted May 27, 2008 My initial thought when I read the first part of your post was to say that if you go to Perth, I will be your friend because I'm moving back there soon. Then you asked exactly the same thing in the same way, so this is obviously a sign of some kind. Probably the sign is saying "WARNING: Steer well clear of Perth, and that guy" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted May 28, 2008 Come on down to the little city of Canberra Teo! Plenty of stuff to do and see. I know you love your bike riding, and like Morg and WT have already stated, the place is designed for bikes. I'm about to move to the inner city and there is so many people on bikes, it is really great to see (I'll be one of them too when I move - just up the road from work - WOOT!). The nightlife is alright, but there are a few clowns around the place (I dont think you can avoid the occasional drunken bogan picking fights with randoms while he stumbles between clubs looking like a f-ckwit...). Otherwise, it is quite a decent scene (I cant compare though - never ventured anywhere else for clubbing) and there are plenty of fairly decent clubs to take you pick from. As far as fishing and hunting goes - plenty of carp and a few (very few) native species in the local man-made lakes and surrounding drinking water dams. The carp can be huge (and a reasonabe fight), but lousy eating (doesnt bother me - not much of a fisher as I dont eat them). Plenty of trout and trout farms up in the Snowy Mtns (just down the road - and a great place for skiing/snowboarding). Heaps of foxes, rabits, pigs, etc around the place, but no idea how you would go about getting a hunting permit/license. Rent here is dear, but the average wage is fairly decent to make it reasonably livable. We pay around $200 a wk for a 3 beddie house, but only because we are closely related to the landlords (very fortunate for us). Most places for the same size are about another $100 or so dearer. Shared renting is the way to go - most uni students follow that path and love it. Public transport is fairly good. Only have one large bus system in Canberra (no trains/trams) - it is constantly getting overhauled to make it run better. Most places can get a bus into civic (ANU is just down the road from the heart of town) with no trouble of a morning and afternoon and I dont think you'd have any probs with transport. I think the chemistry side of the ANU is pretty decent too - I didnt go to uni (kicking myself now), but am also interested in chemistry (and wouldnt mind doing an into to organic chem, if I can find a couse that would suit me). Lastly, and possibly most importantly (), there are a few entheo-enthusiasts about the place. Have a look in the recent(ish) thread about the Canberra meet. Plenty of great people turned up and it would be great to have another very clued up enthusiast in town I'll definately bug you for a meet/convo or two if you come down Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_e_ Posted June 2, 2008 from my experience melbourne is the beeskneez. everytime i go to melbourne i realise its my favourite and most liveable city ive ever experienced... not just within australia. studying, transport, share houses, cultural diversity and richness.. definatly melbourne! plus theres a great ethno scene building down there! form my recent research perth/wa is getting a lot more exy living wise, due to mining....and seriously, canberra is nice, butjust in the wrong spot!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teonanacatl Posted June 3, 2008 thanks guys. Canberra looks awesome to me because out of perth, melb and canberra it is the smallest!!! melb and perth are frikkin huge. Who knows where I will go, I guess Ill decide sooner or later. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted June 3, 2008 Yeah come on down to the little town in the middle of nowhere mate - she aint too bad here Plenty of cacti nutters around too (like that 'Ace' guy - he's batshit crazy about 'em!). Cacti through summer and subs through winter - what more could you want in a town? On a side note (Teo, pay no attention), I'd love to head down to Melbourne at some stage, even if its just for a holiday. Gorgeous city and very arty-farty. The missus would love it (bit of an art-freak), and after seeing a few art docos about Melb, I'd be pretty keen to see some of it myself. Plenty of decent folks down that way too by the look of it (and heaps of mushies!). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MORG Posted June 4, 2008 Cacti through summer and subs through winter - what more could you want in a town? Subs Ace? You've made a find?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted June 4, 2008 No, not yet, just trying to sell Canberra so Teo will come and be our neighbour There have been plenty of finds in recent years (so I hear...), and we have just had another couple nights worth of drizzly rain, so I'll go for another walk today and see if I can spot any. Fingers crossed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MORG Posted June 4, 2008 Yeah, I'm thinking about a foray on Sun or Mon actually. I'll make sure I go somewhere nice so I'm not disappointed when all I find is an anonymous shrivelled umbo. I like that phrase: "shrivelled umbo". But back to teo, I was going to optimistically say, "Well remember if you move somewhere and don't like it, you can always move again!", but PhDs tend to be a non-transferable 3.5-year monkey on your back. So choose wisely! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baphomet Posted June 4, 2008 "I love to fish and hunt. Is there places to fish/ hunt close to the cities? if so catching what?" If you chose Melbourne PM me and I will take you to my favourite (and otherwise secret) fishing spots, you are GUARANTEED to catch massive gummy sharks off the beach as well as plenty of other stuff! "is public transport cheap and on time?" Best in Australia last I heard! "Canberra looks small on google earth!!" IMO Canberra is excruciatingly boring! No offence to anyone who lives there, just giving you my honest opinion, it may be different for you though because you already know people from this forum so you should make friends pretty quickly and find plenty of things to do. "Anything else I should know?" I can show you where to photograph plenty of these.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MORG Posted June 4, 2008 IMO Canberra is excruciatingly boring! No offence to anyone who lives there, Hey, don't rub it in, I already have to live here! In my experience there are three kinds of people in Canberra: 1) Those that have moved here and "look on the bright side". They can be heard uttering things like "It's not too bad," and "life is what you make of it," and "Winter days can be cold but at least the sun shines." 2) Those that have moved here and hate it. They mope and whine about how shit Canberra is. The weather's not like Brissie, the nightlife's not like Melbourne, it's not as exciting as Sydney. 3) The true locals who are usually too drunk to talk to anyway. If you haven't guessed, I'm in the first camp. I was driving back to Canberra the other day, through western Sydney (P'matta to Liverpool area) and thought, "You know what? I'd much prefer living in Canberra to living out here." To make a very broad generalisation, I find the unhappy ones here are those that derive most enjoyment from the inside of pubs, cafes or shopping centres whilst those that play sport (not me!) or enjoy the outdoors are more comfortable here. But ultimately if I could have done in Melbourne what I'm doing here in Canberra, I probably wouldn't have come here... But I have no regrets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baphomet Posted June 4, 2008 Unfortunately I have many, I will be leaving Melbourne soon but its not because its a bad place, just too many bad memories and need to make a fresh start. It is a real shame because IMO it is the best place to live, not to fast, not too slow, safe as houses, plenty to do, etc, I'm just pissed off that I fucked up in such a great city, one might have to move to another country like Canada to find quality of living to match Melbourne and even then would be hard pressed to find an equal. Not being biased or anything I think if you look into it, I mean really look into it, you will definitely end up in Melbourne, hope to see you soon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted June 4, 2008 (edited) Dont listen to them Teo! Come to Canberra!! In my experience there are three kinds of people in Canberra: 1) Those that have moved here and "look on the bright side". They can be heard uttering things like "It's not too bad," and "life is what you make of it," and "Winter days can be cold but at least the sun shines." 2) Those that have moved here and hate it. They mope and whine about how shit Canberra is. The weather's not like Brissie, the nightlife's not like Melbourne, it's not as exciting as Sydney. 3) The true locals who are usually too drunk to talk to anyway. I dont quite fall under any of the categories - more of a true local crossed with number 1 above (the make do with what you have kind) and I really dont mind it here. There are a few things to do around here, but I guess it all depends on your interests, age and what tickles your pickle. For a 20-odd year old dad of one living in the inner north, I find I rarely have a weekend where I do nothing at all. Plenty of nice parks, riding tracks, forests, mountains, lakes, dams, shopping centres, cafes, bars, cinemas, restaurants, museums, art galleries, etc, etc. Really, if you cant find something to do, then you must lack a sense of adventure Edited June 4, 2008 by Ace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coschi Posted June 4, 2008 Canberra.. phht! Pity it's got no people, except you ace bud bud bud Nah.. Melbourne teo! We've got plenty of everything you'd want Look for a share house around Brunswick or North Carlton or Fitzroy and you'll be an ongoing happy fella, not to mention the ladies yup ladies, and good SAB dudes down here too. Plenty of ethno happenings. Plenty of night life if you like your beer goods also. If you lived in those areas I mentioned you'll be just fine on a bike, close to everything and a great place to live. MELBOURNE! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teonanacatl Posted June 4, 2008 Basically south there is no weather like up here so it aint gonna matter where I move Ill always think shit the weather in tropical north QLD is great compared to this. So yeah the weather aint gonna bother me cos it will be shit in both places I think. I dont drink and havent been into a club in about 2 years now I think, bit odd for a 22 year old Got nothing against it though. I like to spend my time in nature, parks, rivers, lakes, mountains etc. Canberra has a whopping lake in the middle and from looking into it plenty of redfin to catch. There are also the surrounding rivers with trout in and my god they are all like less then 10km away!!! Melb life does sound great to me, the arty city and all but melb is fucking huge, Id be flat out riding the 40km out of the city to enjoy a good piece of nature. Sure its got parks and stuff and Im sure plenty of rivers with fish in but in my experience rivers in populated areas are either completely overfished or completely underfished cos people assume nothing is in there. Anyone help with that? I like fishing, nice big lake in the middle of canberra, close to everything. I can go hunting in the hills around canberra which are oh so close to the city, likewise NSW parks which allow hunting are close by (close enough for a camping trip everynow n then to stock up on meat). I also liked the idea of getting a place on the outskirts of canberra and still being able to ride into uni. Couldnt do that in melb. Housing in both places looks similar. The same additude you mention can be said about townsville, all my housemates hate it, but I reckon they just never find stuff to do. I can do everything I want here, its the aditude I got two potential supervisors in canberra and two in melb so we shall see where i end up. Im not to fussed either way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
