Health Coverage in Australia

[sgilli3]

Originally Posted by 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?

Hi Ronda ( I must apologize, I spelt your name wrong on last post),

Yes,I enjoyed living out that way. The area has changed a lot in the past few years. Not that to long ago, there was paddocks as far as the eye could see, now Pakenham have experienced a real boom in population, and there are a lot more hoses, businesses,schools etc.

Tynong isnt too far from Pakenham, and it is lovely area. Also that way are Drouin,Garfield, Nar Nar Goon, Bayles, Koowerup and a few other nice small towns.
I completed my high school years in Pakenham (we lived in Cockatoo at the time).
When I married, we moved to Berwick (about 10-15 mins away), but always travelled to Pakenham, as my hubby worked there, and we had friends in the area.
Pakenham is not the small town it used to be, but still has the country town feel to it.
Are you meaning the new Corpus Christi church in Tynong?

It is a lovely area.
If you look at Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au
Look at Victoria and scroll down to those suburbs to have a look at what rentals/houses for sale are available.

Pakenham falls under the Shire of Cardinia, so even pop onto their web site to look up information on rates, services available etc.
Cardinia Shire Council Home Page

Also look on line at local papers for jobs
Look at papers such as Berwick News, Berwick Gazette, Pakenham News, Pakenham Gazette.

Good Luck, you will love it!

[Ronda]

Hi Tiffany,

Hope your day is well. I was wondering about holidays in Australia. Do employee's get a longer vacation from work than our two weeks in the U.S.? Did you have to do our resume differently? I am hoping to come and visit there in Dec of 2008. I am excited to see Australia and meet my husbands family. Can I ask if you came to Australia on a work visa? I also would like to know about the heath check and the immunizations for immigration. Any advice would be awsome. Once again you have been great in answering my questions for me. Thank you very much.

Originally Posted by 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

[Ronda]

Hello

Thank you for all the helpful info. I am going to research it all. Yes the church is the Corpus Christi Church. Pakenham is exactly the place I think we are looking for. The church has a school my children can go to through grade 12. Does pakenham have shops and grocery stores close by? Anything else you could tell me would be awsome. Thanks so much.

Originally Posted by sgilli3

Hi Ronda ( I must apologize, I spelt your name wrong on last post),

Yes,I enjoyed living out that way. The area has changed a lot in the past few years. Not that to long ago, there was paddocks as far as the eye could see, now Pakenham have experienced a real boom in population, and there are a lot more hoses, businesses,schools etc.

Tynong isnt too far from Pakenham, and it is lovely area. Also that way are Drouin,Garfield, Nar Nar Goon, Bayles, Koowerup and a few other nice small towns.
I completed my high school years in Pakenham (we lived in Cockatoo at the time).
When I married, we moved to Berwick (about 10-15 mins away), but always travelled to Pakenham, as my hubby worked there, and we had friends in the area.
Pakenham is not the small town it used to be, but still has the country town feel to it.
Are you meaning the new Corpus Christi church in Tynong?

It is a lovely area.
If you look at Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au
Look at Victoria and scroll down to those suburbs to have a look at what rentals/houses for sale are available.

Pakenham falls under the Shire of Cardinia, so even pop onto their web site to look up information on rates, services available etc.
Cardinia Shire Council Home Page

Also look on line at local papers for jobs
Look at papers such as Berwick News, Berwick Gazette, Pakenham News, Pakenham Gazette.

Good Luck, you will love it!

[sgilli3]

Originally Posted by Ronda

Hello

Thank you for all the helpful info. I am going to research it all. Yes the church is the Corpus Christi Church. Pakenham is exactly the place I think we are looking for. The church has a school my children can go to through grade 12. Does akenham have shops and grocery stores close by? Anything else you could tell me would be awsome. Thanks so much.

Pakenham is a thriving township.
There are a few large supermarkets, large fruit shop, Target, Post Office, and lots, and lots of individual stores.
There are also numerous cafes, restaurants, fast-food establishments, petrol stations, car yards, churches, schools, and a great sporting complex (football, netball, basketball, swimming, gym etc)
There is also a new fire station, police station, and SES station (State emergency service). There is also an ambulance station (there is a big hospital in Warragul, and a new large one in Berwick)

When I used to go to school there, it was still a smallish town- now Pakenham is very large, and everything you will need will be found in Pakenham (and if what you're after isn't there...it will be in Berwick or Warragul)

Pakenham also has a train line, which goes in the Melbourne's CBD (and a country train, which I believe still goes out to Tynong and beyond). There is also a country bus service.

[Tiffani]

Originally Posted by Ronda

Hi Tiffany,

Hope your day is well. I was wondering about holidays in Australia. Do employee's get a longer vacation from work than our two weeks in the U.S.? Did you have to do our resume differently? I am hoping to come and visit there in Dec of 2008. I am excited to see Australia and meet my husbands family. Can I ask if you came to Australia on a work visa? I also would like to know about the heath check and the immunizations for immigration. Any advice would be awsome. Once again you have been great in answering my questions for me. Thank you very much.

Hi Ronda.. as for your questions:

I work 30 hours/week on a fixed-term contract and I get 16 days vacation/year (pro rata from the usual 20 days given to a 38 hour/week employee), so yes, the vacation time is great. I was pretty lucky in the US; I was working at Duke which happened to have fantastic benefits, including about 5 weeks vacation! so I'm actually worse off LOL But in general, the vacation time in Oz is far better than in the US.

I didn't change anything on my resume except to make it more clear for an Aussie audience. I was working as an international student advisor at Duke and so a lot of acronyms were used in our field that wouldn't make sense to an Aussie, so I had to say things like "various student visa types" instead of "F1 or J1". I also added email addresses to my references instead of just mailing addresses and tel nos.

Visiting Australia isn't a bad idea but I have to say that many of us didn't and we ended up alright But if you've got the time and the extra cash, go for it!

We did come over on a work visa (a 457). We had medical checks, mostly for HIV and TB, and we front-loaded our medicals for our PR application so there was a bit more involved but it was all done at once. It was pricey, about $400 each. And you have to go to a specific doctor in your state. I think the DIAC website has a list of approved doctors in each state in the US. The entire process, from signing the employment contract to getting the visa, took about two months. The immigration attorney we worked with has been great, too.

feel free to ask away That's what we're here for!

[Ronda]

Hello Tiffany,

I do have some more questions. As I think of them I try to write them down so I wont forget. First of all how are you doing? How is winter in Melbourne treating you? I wanted to know about T.V over there. Do you get any American shows? Also when you first moved there did you drink the water from the tap. Did it take time to adjust to the water. I know sometimes when people go different place sometime the different water can upset their tummies. Did you have to get immunized to go there. I know I will probably have to as I am in my 30's and havent had any since I was a little girl. Have a great evening.

Originally Posted by Tiffani

Hi Ronda.. as for your questions:

I work 30 hours/week on a fixed-term contract and I get 16 days vacation/year (pro rata from the usual 20 days given to a 38 hour/week employee), so yes, the vacation time is great. I was pretty lucky in the US; I was working at Duke which happened to have fantastic benefits, including about 5 weeks vacation! so I'm actually worse off LOL But in general, the vacation time in Oz is far better than in the US.

I didn't change anything on my resume except to make it more clear for an Aussie audience. I was working as an international student advisor at Duke and so a lot of acronyms were used in our field that wouldn't make sense to an Aussie, so I had to say things like "various student visa types" instead of "F1 or J1". I also added email addresses to my references instead of just mailing addresses and tel nos.

Visiting Australia isn't a bad idea but I have to say that many of us didn't and we ended up alright But if you've got the time and the extra cash, go for it!

We did come over on a work visa (a 457). We had medical checks, mostly for HIV and TB, and we front-loaded our medicals for our PR application so there was a bit more involved but it was all done at once. It was pricey, about $400 each. And you have to go to a specific doctor in your state. I think the DIAC website has a list of approved doctors in each state in the US. The entire process, from signing the employment contract to getting the visa, took about two months. The immigration attorney we worked with has been great, too.

feel free to ask away That's what we're here for!

[Ronda]

Hello there,

How are you. I hope all is well with you. Thank you for the info on Pakenham. We are also considering Nar Nar Goon. I have been looking online for houses to rent and it seems they are all so lovely. Nice well built brick homes mostly. I would like to work in Pakenham or around there. Do you see many admin. jobs posted for that area. I could not find the newpapers that you told me about online. Have a great evening.

Originally Posted by sgilli3

Pakenham is a thriving township.
There are a few large supermarkets, large fruit shop, Target, Post Office, and lots, and lots of individual stores.
There are also numerous cafes, restaurants, fast-food establishments, petrol stations, car yards, churches, schools, and a great sporting complex (football, netball, basketball, swimming, gym etc)
There is also a new fire station, police station, and SES station (State emergency service). There is also an ambulance station (there is a big hospital in Warragul, and a new large one in Berwick)

When I used to go to school there, it was still a smallish town- now Pakenham is very large, and everything you will need will be found in Pakenham (and if what you're after isn't there...it will be in Berwick or Warragul)

Pakenham also has a train line, which goes in the Melbourne's CBD (and a country train, which I believe still goes out to Tynong and beyond). There is also a country bus service.

[Tiffani]

Originally Posted by Ronda

Hello Tiffany,

I do have some more questions. As I think of them I try to write them down so I wont forget. First of all how are you doing? How is winter in Melbourne treating you? I wanted to know about T.V over there. Do you get any American shows? Also when you first moved there did you drink the water from the tap. Did it take time to adjust to the water. I know sometimes when people go different place sometime the different water can upset their tummies. Did you have to get immunized to go there. I know I will probably have to as I am in my 30's and havent had any since I was a little girl. Have a great evening.

Hi Ronda,

I'm fine, thanks

The winter is colder than I expected it to be. Even though it's not as cold as it gets in NC (it rarely goes below freezing), the past two nights have gotten down to about 3 degrees celsius which is really cold! And Australia is not quite as well-equipped to deal with the cold, so the buildings and homes tend to be cooler. Especially rental homes tend not to have centralised heating, so half of the house will be nice and warm from the gas fire, and the other half will be really cold! We have space heaters all over the house -- not exactly efficient

We don't have cable and didn't in the US, but generally I would say that Aussie TV is nominally better than US TV. There are a lot of US shows here, too, but what's brand new here will be last season there, unless you get cable.

The water in Melbourne is some of the cleanest and safest in the world (according to the TV commercials I saw over the summer, presumably to discourage use of bottled water which is an environmental problem). Australia is not one of those places where you have to adjust to water so you shouldn't have any trouble. It tastes like the water I grew up with!

I didn't have to have any immunisation boosters but you may want to check with your doctor about getting Hep B and Tetanus. I think I had an MMR a few years ago too. I guess you should be vaccinated against whatever you would ordinarily be in the US, but nothing special.

Hope that helps!

[Ronda]

Thank you Tiffani for always answering my questions. You have been very nice. As I think of new questions I will ask. My husband and I are at the point where we are going to consult with an immigration lawyer in Melbourne. So after that we will know more on what are next steps will be.

Originally Posted by Tiffani

Hi Ronda,

I'm fine, thanks

The winter is colder than I expected it to be. Even though it's not as cold as it gets in NC (it rarely goes below freezing), the past two nights have gotten down to about 3 degrees celsius which is really cold! And Australia is not quite as well-equipped to deal with the cold, so the buildings and homes tend to be cooler. Especially rental homes tend not to have centralised heating, so half of the house will be nice and warm from the gas fire, and the other half will be really cold! We have space heaters all over the house -- not exactly efficient

We don't have cable and didn't in the US, but generally I would say that Aussie TV is nominally better than US TV. There are a lot of US shows here, too, but what's brand new here will be last season there, unless you get cable.

The water in Melbourne is some of the cleanest and safest in the world (according to the TV commercials I saw over the summer, presumably to discourage use of bottled water which is an environmental problem). Australia is not one of those places where you have to adjust to water so you shouldn't have any trouble. It tastes like the water I grew up with!

I didn't have to have any immunisation boosters but you may want to check with your doctor about getting Hep B and Tetanus. I think I had an MMR a few years ago too. I guess you should be vaccinated against whatever you would ordinarily be in the US, but nothing special.

Hope that helps!

[Tiffani]

no problem. keep us posted