Australia Winter 13

Ozsummer1

I have a few questions regarding traveling Oz for the summer.
The plan is for my Friend and I to leave Ireland around end of may/June till Aug/Sept, if all going well we might consider staying for longer.
Thing is I know very little about Australia

I understand that it's winter over there the time we are looking to travel so We would be looking to spend a good duration of the time (1-2 months)
some where with nice hot weather, good night life, things to do, young crowd, reasonably priced accommodation and somewhere we could get possibly get temporary bar/café work ?

We would then like to travel and see different parts of OZ - which places would anyone recommend going to?

Lastly, is there any travel agencies on line or in Dublin that organize visa's/flights and accom? Or are we best organizing it ourselves?

Any advice and info much appreciated.
Thanks.

Mellor

Getting a working holiday visa for 3 months is a bit of a waste imo. I wouldn't advise it unless you are planning if staying most of a year.

If you want a 3 month holiday then get a holiday visa. But you can't legally work with that one.

Ozsummer1

Thanks.

Will most likely get a working holiday visa with the intension's of staying longer.

Anyone any other info regarding my other questions ?

Xavi6

The weather will be crap in all the major cities at that time of you apart from Darwin (open to correction) and that's not exactly party central.

You'll either get one or the other - sun and no real nightlife or no sun and winter nightlife - but I can't see anywhere really offering both during those months.

Cairns maybe?

Cooperspale

Cairns or less busy Port Douglas. Top End will be the warmer place to be in Ozi winter/Irish summer.
Cairns is a bit of a backpacker party town/ghetto, not everyone's cup of tea but maybe yours.
It will not be hot weather, it may be warm e.g. In Cairns:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_031010.shtml
Every other sun following backpacker and his granny will have a similar idea to head north so job wise there'll be competition in services industry.
Don't waste a WHV on a few months here in the middle of winter.
Organize travel etc yourself

hussey

Mod have a read of the FAQ sticky link on the forum, it will tell you how to organise visa and where to look for flights.
Out of the main cities Brisbane would be the warmest in winter. I was there in July a few years ago and was pleasent without being hot. You can easily search online for avg temp

Ozsummer1

Thanks all.

Could anyone tell me what's the best route to go down regards accommodation?

hussey

Hostelworld to start off anyway, when you get here gumtree

Ozsummer1

Thanks.

We have decided to go with Brisbane

Our plan is to visit Thailand before we make our way to Brisbane. Few days (10-12) in Bangkok, Phuket, then Phi Phi.

I'm only judging these places on what I have read and they seem the top places for attractions.

Any ideas on how much money i will need for food, drink , leisure ?
I Have an idea on how much i will need flight & accommodation wise and will be putting a deposit on a hostel in Brisbane for 7-10 days max , i am hoping to find work in that time.

Xavi6

Ozsummer1 wrote: »

and will be putting a deposit on a hostel in Brisbane for 7-10 days max , i am hoping to find work in that time.

You'll to budget for a good bit longer than that to be on safe side, you'll be doing extremely well to get set up with a job in that time. Also, it might be a couple of weeks after you start that you actually get paid.

Spending money wise, you're looking at about 8 euro a pint if not more in a city so be mindful of that. Even a carton of beer (24 bottles) will cost about $40 which is over 30 euro. Also, you might have good intentions of cooking for yourself and buying in bulk while in the hostel but the reality is that practice wears very thin after a few days and you'll end up eating out more often than not.

You're going to need a few grand minimum, three or four imo, spending money in order to get yourself properly set up.

Ozsummer1

Didn't realize drink was that steep
I'll be looking at bringing 4-5 thousand.

Any idea what the job situation is like in Brisbane? Is it worth sending cvs into job agencies before we go over ?

Traq

Ozsummer1 wrote: »

Didn't realize drink was that steep
I'll be looking at bringing 4-5 thousand.

Any idea what the job situation is like in Brisbane? Is it worth sending cvs into job agencies before we go over ?

From a few reports on here and also from a bit of personal experience, the jobs market is pretty slow in Brisbane at the moment. Of course that could be trade dependent and some industries could be doing well (I haven't lived there in a couple of years but still have friends up there) but be prepared for a bit of a slog to get some work up there, especially if you're just looking for office admin work or general backpacker work to try and see you through a couple of months.
Also, unless you've a skill that's massively in demand I wouldn't think sending in cvs now will really be worth your time as agencies won't really want anything to do with you until your over here and can start work.