LIVING ABROAD IN AUSTRALIA ULRIKE LEMMIN-WOOLFREY Contents INDEX At Home in Australia WELCOME TO AUSTRALIA 3 Introduction 3 History, Government, and Economy 3 People and Culture 3 Planning Your Trip DAILY LIFE 3 Making the Move 3 Housing Considerations 3 Language and Education 3 Health 3 Employment 3 Finance 3 Communications 3 Travel and Transportation PRIME LIVING LOCATIONS 3 Overview 3 Sydney 3 Melbourne 3 Brisbane and the Queensland Coast 3 Canberra 3 Hobart 3 Southwestern Australia RESOURCES At Home in Australia Australia. A country full of animals strange enough for a fairy tale. A land so vast that it encompasses deserts, snowy mountain tops, virgin rainforests, and two oceans lapping at its shores. A country whose people live everywhere from artificial caves to shining skyscrapers, whose musical culture stretches from someone playing the didgeridoo in the Outback to a symphony orchestra performing in one of the most iconic buildings on earth. Although my knowledge about anything Australian was pretty much limited, after moving here I found many of my preconceived notions about the continent to be true. The entire nation is obsessed with the great outdoors. A house is not a house unless it has a barbecue area and entertainment deck out back. The parks and beaches are teeming with people as soon as there is one ray of sunshine. The cities are bursting with culture and modern shops and coffee houses. And life is good. Here, people really do work to live, rather than live to work. Work and life balance is important and the weekend is king. This low-stress lifestyle and healthier attitude towards work is exactly why migrating to Australia has been popular for generations. The challenge of adjusting to a different lifestyle in a new country can be an adventure. What I love most about being an expat is the chance to truly get to know this amazing country, its people, its history and culture, and its off-the- beaten-path treasures. Australia is still very much a land of wonder, full of remote and undiscovered places.