What are some positives about?

What are some of the positives of living in Australia?

• I'm only 17, but more and more am I finding myself hating America. I've done research and made up my mind. At least what I've read so far, and trust me I've read a lot, Australia sounds like the best overall place to live. Now I've read up on these American stereotypes about us being loud, ignorant, and boastful, and honestly, I don'tt fit those descriptions. I've also met a lot of really nice people from Australia over the net and I think I would fit in good. Well skipping the intro and to the questions, can someone PLEASE answer some of my questions. 1. My career interests are a chef or a bartender or something in that area. Is there a demand for those in Australia or should I change my career goal? Or in other words, what is a good career for me if I were to move to Australia? 2. What do you guys and gals do for fun over there? I'm very interested. I guess i'm just a curious person but over here I love baseball and being around nature. 3. What are Australian woman like? From what I've heard, there a lot more friendly than American woman. But are they accepting of Americans? What do they look for in a guy? Are they Prude? 4. A very important one here. What is the best locations to move too? I know it depends on the person. But let's just say I would like to be in the city, with a little of everything near by. And a good place to start a family. 5. What kind of music do Australians like? I like metalcore mostly with a little bit of everything else mixed in. I also love some Australian bands like Parkway Drive and Sick Puppies. (Parkway Drive is currently my favorite band.) 6. What kind of cars do they have in Australia? I love cars and I couldn't stand to have just an ordinary sedan. Well, that pretty much wraps up all my questions so far. Thanks everyone for reading this. I know it was long. But I would really appreciate some thourough answers. :)

• Answer:

  Firstly to answer your questions: 1. You need to have your occupation listed on skilled occupations list, updated every several months or so from our immigration department, or you wont get in at all. Australia only takes people with skills they need. This way immigrants don't take jobs away from Australians. However if you get recruited or sponsored by an Australian company (mining industry especially) then you could get fast-tracked into the country. 2. The most popular sports are Australian Rules Football (AFL), Rugby League (NRL) and Soccer. There is a national baseball league but it doesn't have a big a following as the football codes do. 3. Most Australians (no matter what their gender) will give everyone an equal chance. Australia is very egalitarian. We don't have a class system. In fact trying to make yourself look superior to others at social occasions is a serious mistake to make. 4. The two biggest cities (Sydney and Melbourne) are hideously expensive to live in. Sydney is the second most expensive city in the world to live in. You would do better to look at smaller cities instead of the major ones. 5. Australians like a wide variety of music. They are fairly knowledgeable about many US artists and have plenty of their own to listen to as well. Check out the Australian iTunes store to get an idea of what is popular at the moment. 6. The two most popular car makes are GM Holden and Ford. While they are both American owned, all their cars are manufactured within Australia. In fact GM Holden was the only GM company making a profit during the GFC. Some of their car designers were sent to the US to help save the parent company after the US government bailed them out. Australians also love European and Asian cars. Popular international makes are BMW, VW, Toyota, Nissan, Skoda, Seat, Mercedes-Benz and others. Australian cars drive on the left (steering wheel on the right). Positives of living in Australia: * Gun crime is so rare it makes the headlines of newspapers when it does happen. The crime rate is nothing like what it is in the US. In most parts of the country (except the biggest of cities) you can venture out at night without worrying if you will make it past the front door. * You have the most unique landscapes, plants and animals on the planet in your backyard. You can spend a life time trekking around the continent checking out the amazing national parks. People think Australia is a huge desert. That is not totally true. Australia also has rain forests, Alpine ski-ing, temperate forests, white water rivers and lakes are flat as glass. It is a huge diverse country. * Living in Australia you have countries nearby that other parts of the world would consider very exotic. For Australians they are regular holiday destinations. Aussie's are just a short hop away from places such as New Zealand, Bali, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, China and Hong Kong, Japan, Tahiti, Fiji, Vanuatu, India and Tonga. * Australians lead a very laid back lifestyle. Americans I have talked to that have passed through comment that it is just like California. * When you get sick of seeing people, there are plenty of places you can visit where there is not a soul for hundreds of kilometres. * Australia is one of the most multicultural countries on the planet. More than 200 different nationalities call Australia home. Aussie's are so used to hearing foreign accents you might be surprised when they barely blink at yours. They also like to fuse foods from all over the world to make the most interesting dishes. * Christmas is in the middle of summer (the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere). So you can do what many aussie's do at Christmas - head down to the beach. * Winters are mild, you won't have snow ever again unless you live high in the mountains or in Tasmania. * you will never have to work for tips - ever. People may tip if they choose but it is not necessary (most staff will actually turn them down, as tips usually go to the boss). All Australians are paid a realistic wage in line with the cost of living. Things might look expensive in Australia but the wages are also much much higher than in the US to make up for it.