# All set (I think)



## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

I think I'm all set to land in Mel 1st week of Aug.

Booked SQ tickets from SIN to MEL (costed me 2k SGD) very expensive
Planning to ship very few items from here. I will be heavily relying on Ikea, its economical/worth buying stuffs from them.
Booked a Service apartment for $550 PW(incl of tax/water/gas/electricity)
We only need to pay $35 PW for wireless internet. We plan to stay there for 3 months minimum.
Planning to get my printer in un-accompanied baggage which will help us in printing/scanning Resume's/ bank statements/ref letters for house hunt etc.

I'm not thinking of getting any masalas/food items because everything is available at the online grocery stores. Excellent Means To Buy Indian Groceries Online |Best Solution For Online Groceries|247needs To Find Indian Groceries

Its the most easy n convenient way to get groceries delivered to our door step especially when if we dont have a car carrying bulky bags might be difficult.

For Initial 2-3 days I will get few maggie packets and ready to eat stuffs.

We plan to make a trip to india before migrating  planning to meet all my friends/relatives.

Guys : wish me good luck. I will keep myself active in this forum and try to give & take information as n when it is needed.

Cheers
Div


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## Dhawal (Oct 29, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Hi divya,
> Cool...You seem to have taken quick decisions....All the best for the move.....We will need to follow your footsteps in the near future...


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## rameshrk (Oct 31, 2010)

Congrats Div..
Any particular reason you chose Melbourne over Sydney...is the the latter's job scenario is better than the other...?


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## Guest (May 18, 2011)

Hey Divya,

Best of luck for the move. Do keep us updated on your job hunting experience!!!


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

Dhawal said:


> drag288 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi divya,
> ...


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

ausimmi said:


> Hey Divya,
> 
> Best of luck for the move. Do keep us updated on your job hunting experience!!!


Thanks Ausimmi,
for now we have just registered for a paid membership with linked-in and started making contacts. Lets see how it goes. At-least for 6-8 months we can survive in Mel
We have backup plans as-well just in case things doesn't work out in our favor.

I will keep you guys posted. :ranger:


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

rameshrk said:


> Congrats Div..
> Any particular reason you chose Melbourne over Sydney...is the the latter's job scenario is better than the other...?


We chose Mel mainly because of the life style/ cost of living/ friends & relatives are there (not many but one or two)

I've been there once and I liked the city and of-course job perspective there are more openings for IT support side.:ranger:


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## Dhawal (Oct 29, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Hi,
> So you finally quit from your job......Thats the biggest risk that needs to be taken.....When i get the PR thats the only difficult part i guess(resigining from current job with no job offer in hand).. Everything else falls in place....Are you into SAP? You mentioned abt IT support jobs in melbourne? Where did you check this?


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## toAuzi (May 13, 2011)

Melbourne is a great place to be in. I can vouce for that personally with my 2 years experience. Definitely the opportunity is a bit better in Sydney, but cost of living and more importanly the relaxed lifestyle is something I would prefer anytime. Moreover its the sport capital of australia, so if you or your hubby is cricket or tenis crazy never else in australia you would see the atosphere like in melborne during boxing day match and australian open.

For indian store, you dont need to order online. I remember buying my first few stuffs from one in CBD (maybe on swanston street). Then you can always take a train to Footscray if you want more opotions. 

all the best for your future:


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## AUSmate (May 2, 2011)

drag288 said:


> I think I'm all set to land in Mel 1st week of Aug.
> 
> Booked SQ tickets from SIN to MEL (costed me 2k SGD) very expensive
> Planning to ship very few items from here. I will be heavily relying on Ikea, its economical/worth buying stuffs from them.
> ...


Good Luck. there are also wholesale furniture outlets cheaper than IKEA
CHEERS


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

Dhawal said:


> drag288 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi,
> ...


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

toAuzi said:


> Melbourne is a great place to be in. I can vouce for that personally with my 2 years experience. Definitely the opportunity is a bit better in Sydney, but cost of living and more importanly the relaxed lifestyle is something I would prefer anytime. Moreover its the sport capital of australia, so if you or your hubby is cricket or tenis crazy never else in australia you would see the atosphere like in melborne during boxing day match and australian open.
> 
> For indian store, you dont need to order online. I remember buying my first few stuffs from one in CBD (maybe on swanston street). Then you can always take a train to Footscray if you want more opotions.
> 
> all the best for your future:


Obviously being indian, we are cricket fans. Knowing that the next world cup will be in Oz & Nz we are already excited about it.....hehehe

Hey which shop is it in Swanston Street?
We plan to stay near St Kilda. Can you please let me know more about indian grocery shops in Foot Scary...no obligations..if u think I'm not asking for too much you can PM me the details.

Many thanks for your help in advance.

Cheers
Div


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

AUSmate said:


> Good Luck. there are also wholesale furniture outlets cheaper than IKEA
> CHEERS


Need to explore wholesale furniture outlets buddy.
Here in Singapore we have IKEA which is close by and convenient to buy things.
They are really worth it. So I was too excited to know that there is an IKEA in melbourne as-well.

May be when we take-up a proper house for rent I will contact you for more details.

Many thanks for your help 
Cheers
Div:juggle:


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## avinash (Feb 2, 2010)

All the best


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

avinash said:


> All the best


Thanks Avinash.


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## toAuzi (May 13, 2011)

drag288 said:


> Hey which shop is it in Swanston Street?
> grocery shops in Foot Scary
> 
> Cheers
> Div


Forgot the shop name. I used to call that as Uncles shop
And about Footscray.. Just get out of the railway station towards market side.. and you will be overwhelmed by the no of options... there are at least 7-10 indian shops, a good place for biriyani. If you are from eastern side...shops are there for all varieties of fishes available in India.


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## SlimNeo (Jan 18, 2011)

Hi Friend,

I wish you very best..!!! Gud luck!! 

-Neo-


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## voddy (Nov 2, 2010)

Hi Divya,
wish you all the best..please do keep in touch..we'd like to know about ur job serch experiences..and stuff..I'v heard certifications count a lot there...hope u can enlighten us later ..

Good luck!!!!!


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Hi Divya

Awesome, glad you are moving bag baggage . my best wishes are with you. So you will be moving a month and half after us, will keep in touch, hope to share our experience, though I have no idea what my situation will be, with a 7 month old plus work plus a husband to support emotionally


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## Guest (May 19, 2011)

I am JUST ITCHING to pass a comment here. Unfortunately people take it sooooooo personally...


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

anj1976 said:


> Hi Divya
> 
> Awesome, glad you are moving bag baggage . my best wishes are with you. So you will be moving a month and half after us, will keep in touch, hope to share our experience, though I have no idea what my situation will be, with a 7 month old plus work plus a husband to support emotionally


Thanks Anjali,
Lets see how it goes  As of now things are going smooth the real game starts the day when we land in Mel and start job hunting,


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

trust me, it wont be half as bad as we think it will be. I was not taking it too well till about a month back, now that we are almost there (less than a month left), i haev other things to worry about, i have a feeling i am forgetting something, then i feel what if i forget registering with agencies there yada yada..  all i'd say, i cant wait


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

anj1976 said:


> trust me, it wont be half as bad as we think it will be. I was not taking it too well till about a month back, now that we are almost there (less than a month left), i haev other things to worry about, i have a feeling i am forgetting something, then i feel what if i forget registering with agencies there yada yada..  all i'd say, i cant wait


is this ur frist trip to Australia/Overseas?


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

to Australia, yes, Overseas no


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## oz_sg10 (Aug 31, 2010)

Did you check any other airline? I came from SIN - by Emirates.. upgraded to business class.. 40 kg allowance(this is default, no additional allowance) + additional cabin baggage.. ticket prices totalled to 750 SGD per person. Emirates business class experience was one of the best I ever had.

Be sure to set your expectations right, after living in singapore, melbourne might disappoint you a bit in terms of public transport and a few things.. public transport is not as efficient. It is not uncommon for trains to be 5-10 mins late, and buses are not punctual to the minute unlike singapore. most of the places tend to get deserted even in city limits after 6 pm, I am not sure if it is because of the whether..you also got to be careful and not roam wherever and whenever you want as you used to probably do in Singapore. Life becomes easier if you buy a car and reduce dependency on public trans, although it might not be as mandatory as in say, countries like US.

Having said that, Melbourne is nice and beautiful and has really good people, although I still miss Singapore a lot. 

I wish you good luck with your Oz entry, and job hunt.





drag288 said:


> I think I'm all set to land in Mel 1st week of Aug.
> 
> Booked SQ tickets from SIN to MEL (costed me 2k SGD) very expensive
> Planning to ship very few items from here. I will be heavily relying on Ikea, its economical/worth buying stuffs from them.
> ...


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

oz_sg10 said:


> Did you check any other airline? I came from SIN - by Emirates.. upgraded to business class.. 40 kg allowance(this is default, no additional allowance) + additional cabin baggage.. ticket prices totalled to 750 SGD per person. Emirates business class experience was one of the best I ever had.
> 
> Be sure to set your expectations right, after living in singapore, melbourne might disappoint you a bit in terms of public transport and a few things.. public transport is not as efficient. It is not uncommon for trains to be 5-10 mins late, and buses are not punctual to the minute unlike singapore. most of the places tend to get deserted even in city limits after 6 pm, I am not sure if it is because of the whether..you also got to be careful and not roam wherever and whenever you want as you used to probably do in Singapore. Life becomes easier if you buy a car and reduce dependency on public trans, although it might not be as mandatory as in say, countries like US.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info buddy!!!
I know that public transport is not very efficient in Mel compared to SGP.
I've already booked SQ flights and there is $150 cancellation charges so no point losing $300 SGD now.


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

We are all set to land in Melbourne this Saturday!!!!! bid adieu to Singapore...
New life!!! new beginning...

Not very tensed about settling down at Melbourne... but we are a bit worried about job hunt....Lets see how it goes...I'll keep you guys posted 

Cheers
Div


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## uroojs (Mar 24, 2011)

best of luck divia


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hi divya, call me when you land and i will give you tips on what to do adn what not to, we have recently gone through so much, i am mroe than willing to share 

wish you luck


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

Thanks Anjali, I have ur number. Will call you on Sunday to discuss more on TFN n Medicare. 
Ru with optus or telstra?

Sent from my Nexus S using Expat Forum


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

my friend's place has optus, they are very happy with it. our mobile is 3, TFN we did online, medicare we applied at the westfield medicare office. call me for sure


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## F1-CUF (Apr 14, 2011)

Best of luck with the landing and the initial job hunt...


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## Dhawal (Oct 29, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Hi divya,
> ALL the best for the move and the new life in australia...


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

Dhawal said:


> drag288 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi divya,
> ...


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2011)

Nice going Divya!!! Wish you much success in future life.

One question I have is how you were able to secure a rental so soon, whereas anj1976 took about a month to get it? Same about Victoria license. Can you please shed some light?

Keep sending us your updates!!!


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

leptokurtic said:


> Nice going Divya!!! Wish you much success in future life.
> 
> One question I have is how you were able to secure a rental so soon, whereas anj1976 took about a month to get it? Same about Victoria license. Can you please shed some light?
> 
> Keep sending us your updates!!!


Hi, my cousin is giving his house for rental. So we dint have to put up any deposit or produce any documents.

I had a singapore driving license so I had to just get it converted by paying $165 for 10 years license.

$64 for 3 years.

Photo ID card will be sent to the home address within 10 days 

cheers
Div

Sent from my Nexus S using Expat Forum


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2011)

drag288 said:


> Hi, my cousin is giving his house for rental. So we dint have to put up any deposit or produce any documents.
> 
> I had a singapore driving license so I had to just get it converted by paying $165 for 10 years license.
> 
> ...


Looks like a trip to Singapore is in order before setting foot in Australia  And of course finding a cousin who owns a house


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

leptokurtic said:


> Looks like a trip to Singapore is in order before setting foot in Australia  And of course finding a cousin who owns a house


hehehehehe try ur luck....


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## Dhawal (Oct 29, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Hi Divya,
> Congrats for the move to AU. Seem to be quite settled there...All the best for the job hunt now.. Also much did you pay for rent to your cousin?


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

Dhawal said:


> drag288 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Divya,
> ...


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## voddy (Nov 2, 2010)

leptokurtic said:


> looks like a trip to singapore is in order before setting foot in australia :d and of course finding a cousin who owns a house :d :d


lol :d


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## Dhawal (Oct 29, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Hi,
> Am fine thank you...Thanks a lot for the wishes....Great meet you once we land in AU if possible..


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## voddy (Nov 2, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Dhawal said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Dhawal,
> ...


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

voddy said:


> drag288 said:
> 
> 
> > congratulations Divya.. Things happen so fast out there isn't it! Or do I just feel it that way?
> ...


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## uroojs (Mar 24, 2011)

best of luck divia


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

uroojs said:


> best of luck divia


Congrats on ur visa grant Urjoos
When ru coming to Oz? Syd or Mel?


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## uroojs (Mar 24, 2011)

drag288 said:


> Congrats on ur visa grant Urjoos
> When ru coming to Oz? Syd or Mel?


Thanks....

I'll be coming in first week of October probably..... I am heading towards Melbourne


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

Hello All,

Its been almost 2 weeks since we came to Melbourne.
Home front - We are yet to receive our shipment from Singapore, but kinda settled down at Point Cook.

Its is a nice area..suitable for Indians. We have cafes, Indian restaurants, grocery shops/Coles/ Indian sweet & Chaats stalls (which is very rare thingy)
Its very calm n quite.... I really liked the area 


We Purchased a used Honda civic car from an authorized dealer.... 8K all inclusive 
Also took a car Insurance with AAMI which was the cheapest comprehensive policy.
Signed-up for extended warranty for 2 yrs @ $700.

Jobhunt is still going on, received a couple of call and I attended 2 interviews last week.

Awaiting response from the recruiters. Mostly we apply on Friday or Sunday night.. and we do get calls from consultants only until Wednesday that's what I've observed in the last 2 weeks.

one thing I noticed about recruiters here is they look for exact match, even if there is 1-2 skill sets not matching they wont bother to call us n waste time.

They look for specific technologies/work experience.

Will keep you guys updated.

Cheers
Div :ranger:


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2011)

drag288 said:


> Awaiting response from the recruiters. Mostly we apply on Friday or Sunday night.. and we do get calls from consultants only until Wednesday that's what I've observed in the last 2 weeks.


anj1976 says you should call them YOURSELF and ask for an update. She lives by this methodology and I am willing to back her up on this one.



drag288 said:


> one thing I noticed about recruiters here is they look for exact match, even if there is 1-2 skill sets not matching they wont bother to call us n waste time.
> 
> They look for specific technologies/work experience.


Check private message


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## voddy (Nov 2, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Hello All,
> 
> Its been almost 2 weeks since we came to Melbourne.
> Home front - We are yet to receive our shipment from Singapore, but kinda settled down at Point Cook.
> ...



well job hunting hints are so valuable.. well i am gonna be bit worried if they are that canny in specific work experience.. I do not have work ex. in allt eh new technologies they look foe..but I do have hand on ex. & certifications..but this seems not enough ..


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

Hello All

I've got a great news...my husband managed to get a perm job with an decent salary package and with some great benefits included.

He's joining from Monday. 

Finally we r all set within 4 weeks in Melbourne


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hey, congratulations, i told you, it is a matter of weeks..


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2011)

drag288 said:


> Hello All
> 
> I've got a great news...my husband managed to get a perm job with an decent salary package and with some great benefits included.
> 
> ...


WOWZ!!! Many congrats drag288 :clap2: Can I ask what is the occupation and the salary + benefits range? Did it help that you guys have a Singapore experience?


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

leptokurtic said:


> WOWZ!!! Many congrats drag288 :clap2: Can I ask what is the occupation and the salary + benefits range? Did it help that you guys have a Singapore experience?


Occupation is IT - CRM Consultant.
I'm not very comfortable sharing the salary details. Sorry

I would say overall experience/certifications was considered rather than country based experience.


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## voddy (Nov 2, 2010)

wow!!! great to hear that Divya... wonderful :clap2: 

does CRM stand for Computer Resources Management? something related to Business Analyst??

would you like to share some interview tips? what to do and what not to...
would really lov to know..

cheers!!


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## drag288 (Apr 23, 2010)

voddy said:


> wow!!! great to hear that Divya... wonderful :clap2:
> 
> does CRM stand for Computer Resources Management? something related to Business Analyst??
> 
> ...


Hey CRM is Customer Relationship management.
Its on Microsoft Dynamics CRM technology.

A lot a technical questions were asked in the 1st round of interview related to dynamics CRM and .net.
Project management related questions were also asked.

Later 2nd round of interview was conducted, more of scenario based questions were asked

Problem
Impact
Analysis
Conclusion
ETA
Solution provided.

Scenario's were explained in the above mentioned sequence, the interviewer was very much impressed by this.

Since it was a very urgent requirement they finished all the rounds in 2 days and on the 2nd day itself they did reference checks and sent the offer letter.

Overall, its not very difficult to get a job in Melbourne doesnt mean that its a cakewalk also. Good communication/technical skills matters a lot.

Let me know if u need any other info from my side.

Cheers
Div


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## voddy (Nov 2, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Hey CRM is Customer Relationship management.
> Its on Microsoft Dynamics CRM technology.
> 
> A lot a technical questions were asked in the 1st round of interview related to dynamics CRM and .net.
> ...


oooohh That! MS Dynamics.. wow this is some Hot stuff right now isn't it.. I am not at all familiar but know this is in demand. Well he is one of the lucky guys to have exp in that area. 

ya he must have impressed the interviewer cos it had been quick!

So now as everything has fallen in to places..you can think of a new addition to the family... haha (I dream of such a day for me  ) 

I'm all elated...

cheers!


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## Dhawal (Oct 29, 2010)

drag288 said:


> Congrats to your husband...Happy to hear that he has got the job so fast...


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## sharemyhead (Mar 21, 2011)

Hey!!!

I read this thread from start to finish and could visualize the entire journey from Singapore to Melbourne... I know that sounds corny, but whatever..

Anyways.. congratulations on settling down in Mel.. I'm a 175 P3 applicant waiting for a CO to be assigned and its journeys like this that make me wanna be over there...

So all I can say is, have a great life and all the very best for the future...

Cheers!!!


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## haleycan (Aug 27, 2011)

I am also wanting to move to australia and im starting from scratch, does anyone have any pointers on finding a job or aartment, or where in the country i should go?


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

haleycan

for jobs seek and careerone are the best, for rentals domain and realestate, for what state, check respective state site to figure what state has what to offer weather wise, culture wise etc and fgure what suits you best. you should start with what state has jobs in your skill, then sirt preferences, what state you like the most, each state is different, wet/sunny/slow/fast etc etc.. check the sticky threads, thinking of emigratig and useful links has all links someone like you would want to check.

search the forum for relevant info, start a new thread as and when you have a query, or give us a shout, someone will be there to assist

wish you luck

cheers
anj


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