Health Coverage in Australia

[Tiffani]

Originally Posted by Ronda

Hi Tiffani,

That it so nice to know about work-life. It is so fast paced here and stressful most of the time. We have been talking about moving there off and on for 3 years. I have been weight the pros and cons and I think it would be a wise decision if we did. It is so nice of all you to have this forum for people who need advice. It also great to talk to a fellow American who is acutally there. Would you say that houses are really expensive there? My husband and I want to move to Pakenham. I dont know if you know where that is. It is between Narre Warren and Tynong. By the way I am from Nevada. It is nice to know the people are nice and helpful there. How long have you lived there if you dont mind me asking? What is the food like there? Is it different from here? My husband tells me that they have little markets that sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Like little farmer stands I guess you would say. What about utilities and water are they cheaper. I know you said the cost of living is less than here. In Nevada we have some of the highest utility rates in the country. Well I hope I havent overwhelmed you with questions. Thanks for being a good listener.

Ronda

Hi Ronda. Yes I know Pakenham. It's a bit further out than where we live, but we are also in the Outer East (Pakenham is at the end of our train line; our suburb is about halfway down the track). Why Pakenham? Do you have a job offer there? if not, you may find it too far from town for your liking. Melbourne is also a bit strange in that most of the suburbs are quite dense compared to the US (obviously the closer you get to the CBD, the more dense they become) but housing isn't much cheaper or more spread out in Pakenham than it is in Oakleigh (where I live). If you're planning to work in the CBD, you may want to consider living closer in. There also aren't great interstate highways to get you quickly from A to B. There are freeways and highways (and tollways ) but they get congested so it's not really a quick trip into the city from Pakenham. The train's not bad though. Also, there's not a real suburban atmosphere in the US sense where you can be shortly out of town but have a lovely house with a huge yard for significantly cheaper. And it basically goes from dense suburbs to rural. Pakenham is at the boundary But if you're working there, it makes sense to live there.

The food is really good here. I feel much healthier out here than I do when I'm back home (I've been here since the end of Jan, btw). Usually I have quite a sensitive stomach in the US and I have to be very careful what I eat, but that's less of a problem here. The lower stress levels probably affect it as well. I think that generally food tastes just as good or better -- but my boyfriend says he has yet to find a really good burger here; I don't eat burgers so it's not a problem for me -- but it must have less fat in it or something. The ethnic cuisine here is fantastic, even better than the US because they don't coat everything in grease just to make it palatable to Americans The only thing I really miss is good Mexican. THAT is hard to come by. Food from Latin America generally is missing here.

When I think of road-side stands I think of the ones on the Highway in eastern NC on the way to my grandmother's house But that's not what they have here LOL They do have a lot of markets though and green-grocers and the quality of produce, particularly in the summer, is spectacular. Much much better than in the US. The downside is that in the winter the quality suffers and the price increases (presumably due to transport costs). But in the summer, it's salads every day!

[sgilli3]

Originally Posted by Ronda

Hi Tiffani,

That it so nice to know about work-life. It is so fast paced here and stressful most of the time. We have been talking about moving there off and on for 3 years. I have been weight the pros and cons and I think it would be a wise decision if we did. It is so nice of all you to have this forum for people who need advice. It also great to talk to a fellow American who is acutally there. Would you say that houses are really expensive there? My husband and I want to move to Pakenham. I dont know if you know where that is. It is between Narre Warren and Tynong. By the way I am from Nevada. It is nice to know the people are nice and helpful there. How long have you lived there if you dont mind me asking? What is the food like there? Is it different from here? My husband tells me that they have little markets that sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Like little farmer stands I guess you would say. What about utilities and water are they cheaper. I know you said the cost of living is less than here. In Nevada we have some of the highest utility rates in the country. Well I hope I havent overwhelmed you with questions. Thanks for being a good listener.

Ronda

Hi Rhonda, I actual grew up in the areas you are talking about.
I spent most of my years in Berwick (about 15 mins from Pakenham).
I also did all of my secondary schooling in Pakenham.
Most of our friends live in Bayles and Nar Nar Goon
Pakenham has a GREAT Farmers market (at the racecourse)

[anj1976]

@ Tiffany
That was an interesting piece of Information. The same goes fo rme as well, I dont eat much because of my banding but then Indian food is completely different then the continental and the rest. I was always worried about getting what I use in cooking here. My husband is a foodie but freaks on Indian food and show him anything else and he makes thousand faces. . He will have to get used it. But street food for me would be the tangy, fried, typically indian stuff. I dunno if you have had Indian food, but have it once and you will be a fan.

[Tiffani]

Are you kidding me? I Love Indian food

[Ronda]

Hi Tiffani,

We chose Pakenham because it closer to Tynong where the church is that we would go to. I have seen pictures of the area and it looks very nice. I have not tried Indian food yet. My husband loves it and says that I should try it there because it is the best. It is so odd to me that our seasons are completly opposite of eachothers. My mom is wondering how living below the equator affects you. Could you tell a difference in the way that you felt when you first moved there? Kind of like when people go to higher elevations? I told her that it is probably like living by the ocean in Southern California. She likes lower elevation and more humidity in the air. Where we are it is high elevation and very dry. I am an Office Manager/Admin. Asst. so I think work should be easy to find there. I have been looking at The Age and comparing salaries to hear. There is quite a difference. My husband said that it is a healthier way of living there and judging from what you have said and what others have written it sounds very nice.

Originally Posted by Tiffani

Hi Ronda. Yes I know Pakenham. It's a bit further out than where we live, but we are also in the Outer East (Pakenham is at the end of our train line; our suburb is about halfway down the track). Why Pakenham? Do you have a job offer there? if not, you may find it too far from town for your liking. Melbourne is also a bit strange in that most of the suburbs are quite dense compared to the US (obviously the closer you get to the CBD, the more dense they become) but housing isn't much cheaper or more spread out in Pakenham than it is in Oakleigh (where I live). If you're planning to work in the CBD, you may want to consider living closer in. There also aren't great interstate highways to get you quickly from A to B. There are freeways and highways (and tollways ) but they get congested so it's not really a quick trip into the city from Pakenham. The train's not bad though. Also, there's not a real suburban atmosphere in the US sense where you can be shortly out of town but have a lovely house with a huge yard for significantly cheaper. And it basically goes from dense suburbs to rural. Pakenham is at the boundary But if you're working there, it makes sense to live there.

The food is really good here. I feel much healthier out here than I do when I'm back home (I've been here since the end of Jan, btw). Usually I have quite a sensitive stomach in the US and I have to be very careful what I eat, but that's less of a problem here. The lower stress levels probably affect it as well. I think that generally food tastes just as good or better -- but my boyfriend says he has yet to find a really good burger here; I don't eat burgers so it's not a problem for me -- but it must have less fat in it or something. The ethnic cuisine here is fantastic, even better than the US because they don't coat everything in grease just to make it palatable to Americans The only thing I really miss is good Mexican. THAT is hard to come by. Food from Latin America generally is missing here.

When I think of road-side stands I think of the ones on the Highway in eastern NC on the way to my grandmother's house But that's not what they have here LOL They do have a lot of markets though and green-grocers and the quality of produce, particularly in the summer, is spectacular. Much much better than in the US. The downside is that in the winter the quality suffers and the price increases (presumably due to transport costs). But in the summer, it's salads every day!

[Ronda]

That is so neat that you grew up there. Did you like it? We love Farmers Markets and I like the area it seems like it is still open country. We want to move in that area because of the church that is in Tynong. Could you please tell me a little more about life in Pakenham? What you liked and disliked. Are there jobs in that area?

Originally Posted by sgilli3

Hi Rhonda, I actual grew up in the areas you are talking about.
I spent most of my years in Berwick (about 15 mins from Pakenham).
I also did all of my secondary schooling in Pakenham.
Most of our friends live in Bayles and Nar Nar Goon
Pakenham has a GREAT Farmers market (at the racecourse)

[Tiffani]

Hi Ronda,

That makes sense, the church thing I mean.

I don't think you'll have trouble finding work. There are admin jobs needed everywhere!

We have a weekly local free paper that ends up in our mailbox sometimes which has lots of ads for jobs in the area (and by "area" I mean about a 5-10 km radius so really quite close by). I bet there's something similar in Pakenham. You may get lucky looking in The Age, but most of those jobs, at least the admin ones, are more in town. At the moment there's plenty of employment availability so you shouldn't have trouble finding something. The only thing I made sure was to change my resume to put the email addresses of my references on there as well as the telephone numbers and addresses! Email is much easier.

As far as being south of the equator is concerned, the only real difference is that the water drains the opposite way LOL The rest is pretty much the same. You won't have much humidity at all in Melbourne; the summers are warm (70-75 degrees much of the time) to hot (sometimes it goes over 80 and very occasionally soars into the 100s) and dry. The winters are mild and sort of wet. The strangest thing climate-wise, apart from being the opposite to the northern hemisphere, is that the change in seasons is not drastic at all. In NC we have four defined seasons and while there may be a little overlap, it's generally pretty obvious when it's Spring, Fall, Winter, or Summer. Here you sort of ease into Autumn and then gradually into Winter. I imagine it works the same the second half of the year as well.

Also, you should note for the weather that the direction of the wind is HIGHLY important in Melbourne, more than anywhere else I've ever been. A northerly or northwesterly wind means that it'll be warm because it's coming from the tropics or the hot hot middle of the country. A southerly wind means it's blowing from Antarctica so carry your jacket with you! Even in the Summer! Pay very close attention to wind direction when you are here

[anj1976]

Originally Posted by Tiffani

Also, you should note for the weather that the direction of the wind is HIGHLY important in Melbourne, more than anywhere else I've ever been. A northerly or northwesterly wind means that it'll be warm because it's coming from the tropics or the hot hot middle of the country. A southerly wind means it's blowing from Antarctica so carry your jacket with you! Even in the Summer! Pay very close attention to wind direction when you are here

wow, the wind thing is interesting.. no wonder every site said people carry their clothes or plan their day only after going through the weather forecast. .

Another thing, since we were talking jobs, I wanted to know, what is the scene there for advertising people? I run an advertising agency here. I design, I copy write, handle print production, and ofcourse estimation and office management, do you think I have a good scope for work and what would be the salary scale for someone like me with a good 10 years experience?

And, I am glad you love Indian food, lemme come there and I will surely invite you over for a feast..

[Tiffani]

ooh I'll definitely take you up on the feast! There is some really good Indian food to be had here, too, so if you ever decide to get it out (although why would you? LOL) you can find it.

I have no idea about the advertising sector though. It sounds like you're pretty experienced though; would you want to start a business here or work for an ad agency? I am assuming you have a pretty large portfolio to demonstrate your work. Are you planning to live in Melbourne? If so, you can check out The Age - Business News, World News & Breaking News in Australia | theage.com.au and look under the want ads for advertising specialists or execs. I would think the salaries would be quite high for that kind of skill...

[anj1976]

Originally Posted by Tiffani

ooh I'll definitely take you up on the feast! There is some really good Indian food to be had here, too, so if you ever decide to get it out (although why would you? LOL) you can find it.

I have no idea about the advertising sector though. It sounds like you're pretty experienced though; would you want to start a business here or work for an ad agency? I am assuming you have a pretty large portfolio to demonstrate your work. Are you planning to live in Melbourne? If so, you can check out The Age - Business News, World News & Breaking News in Australia | theage.com.au and look under the want ads for advertising specialists or execs. I would think the salaries would be quite high for that kind of skill...

When we go out for dinner her, we prefer chinese or italian or maybe mexican, since we eat indian at home all the time. and we both love chinese, and since my bro imports italian, we like italian too and ofcourse mexican has a bit of indian touch to it, so mexican is welcome as well.

i will go through the site for sure, i started as an interior designer some 10 years back, i worked as a designer for good 2 years and then joined a company whose backbone was advertising, i joined them as the head of interior and exhibition department, that was how i got into advertising, and i have been running my own firm since 6 years now, i have all the papers to prove my existing company, I would want to take up a job initially and understand the market there, I dont mind doing a freelance work as a designer at times, I paint as well, so I am looking forward to taking that as well as a freelancer. I really dont know what would i be working as but i think i would fit even in an admin job since i dont want to stress my life too much by working in a higher position, I love exploring new places, so would love to explore the city and work along with it.

I really dont know where we will be moving, since we are a year away from getting the visa. This depresses me so much, there are so many thing that are out of our hands, but waiting is the best thing to do at times. I have done a good R&D on melbourne and i like what i have read so far, You know, every place that you read about looks so beautiful, if today i start reading about sydney or brisbane, i am sure i would want to change my mind and move to sydney or brisbane, so for now my focus is on melbourne. just a little scared about the initial hiccups if any. Main reason for deciding for melbourne is the weather, i am not a summer person, i have seen too much of it in India, i would love to move to canberra but i dont see many IT openings there, so melbourne it is.