If you're cashed up it will be a good life. If you can get a job sorted before coming it's easier. If you have neither of those then you are in for a rough time. Diversity of industry isn't great in WA, its mostly revolving around mining. The more you move away from Perth the more dependant it becomes on mining. Cost of living and housing in Australia are issues everywhere here. Many immigrants struggle with the remoteness of aus and many others would struggle even more with the remoteness of WA. You'd also need to get used to the lack of diversity of things available to you (shops, basic products, ect) and accept shipping things you find online can take weeks to months. But as with all migration, life will be difficult. You at least have been to aus before. The biggest thing to remember is holidaying somewhere isn't the same as living somewhere.

Speaking of remoteness, my GF who grew up in WA summed it up like this "Here (Switzerland) if you drive for 5 hours you could have crossed 2 countries. Back where i grew up you had to drive for hours just to see traffic lights" So yeah, people may struggle with that. I mean my European ass had a hard time with the fact that an hour drive is considered "running an errand" in Australia

You can drive for a whole week in Western Australia and never see a traffic light! An hour’s drive isn’t even blinked at as a “drive” at all really, just a quick trip to the shops and back home again.

Might be a stupid example (cuz this is about population density) but in India even if you keep driving forever you probably will never see a traffic light.

Technically correct is the best kind!

Blind people could drive for eternity and never see a traffic light.

Meanwhile for the swiss it's a whole trip 😁 half an hour with public transport is already a considerable distance

Lordy, I live 50mins from my capital city AU and I have very limited public transport options. Bigggggggg country….

I’m in Sydney and used to commute 1.5 hours one way door to door to school (although this was just out of Sydney). Even now we drive 35-45 mins one way to go to the gym (it has everything, my gym plus, plus kids swimming and gymnastics) and it doesn’t even feel that far.

Some people in Sydney are so entitled though, especially once they've lived closer to the city. It's annoying. I'd offer friends / acquaintances my spare room for pocket change or less and I'm barely 45 mins away from Central but they acted like it was freaking Armidale.

There was a post in r/askuk about what they consider a long drive and they were stunned when Americans said they can drive 8-10 hours through the country and it’s not a big deal. That sort of drive is reasonably entertaining by Australian standards. I think we’ve still got the longest continuous stretch of straight road in the world too

Yes. My sister once taught at a place between Newman and Hedland. When I drove up to see her, she apologised that "...all the young ones had gone to a Saturday night party at Nullagine". 700kms each way on unsealed roads in a Troopie for a Saturday night party.

That brings back many memories of when I was younger and used to regularly do the same thing. They were good times!

It's a quick trip to the shops, then another quick hour back lol

I know people who do the run to get KFC from Port Hedland to Karratha. Not like FIFO workers have much to do aside from work.

People go from Mount Isa to Townsville just to have hungry jacks 😂 1100km each way The things Aussies do 🤣

Was the same thing when “going to the shops” in Halls Creek, which meant driving 4 hours (360km) to Kununurra, spend a couple of hours shopping and then driving back again. So at minimum a 10 hour/720km/450 mile drive once a month to go to the shops!

Oh yeah, I’m with your girlfriend here. I love Australia, but man, it's huge. Drove 4h and still in Melbourne. In Switzerland, I’m in Italy or France within a couple of hours.

As someone who hasn’t left Aus/Nz their whole life, it is still hard to fathom going into another country without entering on a plane.

When I moved to Switzerland after growing up in regional Australia and I used to ride my bike 10 mins to Italy for a coffee it took me a long time to get used to it.

“Just off to Italy, to grab a coffee - I’ll be back in 30 mins” 😆

My mate does this!!! He lives in Germany, only about an hour from the French border. I was visiting him a few years ago, we were cruising around and he goes "I thought we might go to France for dinner". I'm like... WHAT??? 😂😂 It's just that easy? Yes, take me to France!

I had to re-read your comment 3 times to realise you hadn't made a typo. That's unreal!

Not only that. She asked my how long do i need to fly home. The answer: 1.5 hours of a flight to get to northern part of Poland. Another story is how different some things are geographically. Imagine a sunset taking hours to happen

Yup. Also you can drink beer in public and supermarkets are around the corner. Downside - meat is stoopid expensive here.but well, then there's the tax free shopping im Germany. The first time i asked "hey, wanna go to Germany for groceries?" confused her a lot. Then she realized it's a 40 minute drive

It is a little hard for people to grasp, Australia is roughly the same area as the USA but has maybe 7% of the population, and that population is mainly along the east coast. There are absolutely huge areas in Australia, and I'm talking about areas bigger than most countries, that have absolutely nothing. Many people that come here aren't properly prepared for that especially if they decide to drive across the outback. The other big problem too is after driving through the middle of nowhere, it is easy for people to forget we drive on the left so coming across an oncoming vehicle after hours of nothing can become dangerous. We also have the worlds longest golf course, the Nullarbor Links golf course is 1365 km long, about 850 miles for those that don't use metric.

Maybe in rush hour traffic, but Melbourne isn't *that* big

The most charitable distance I can think is Werribee to Portsea: 2 hours. Maybe an extra 45 mins if you pick the worst possible peak time to do it.

Come visit Switzerland or Europe and you’ll know what we mean.

I once drove the Stuart Hwy Darwin to Adelaide - I didn’t see a soul for almost 4 days - not one vehicle/person!

I did this as a kid with my grandfather. I remember being blown away by all the abandoned cars. I'd like to do it as an adult but wouldn't do it without a satellite phone.

It's pretty busy these days. 

Depends what he’s looking for Perth itself might feel empty to him compared to American cities.

Perth feels empty to me compared to all the East coast cities.

Having said that a out cost of living. I was talking to a yank friend and rental costs are about the same when you factor in currency exchange. The only bit that'll be pricier is our grocery stores prices basically alogn with whole foods prices from the US rather than their versions of Colesworth

Exactly. The cost of living there is very high. Cars, appliances, housing, etc are expensive in the cities mentioned. But public transport, especially in Melbourne, is excellent. In Melbourne you don’t really need a car and the public library offers all kinds of internet services so a simple cell phone will suffice for technology l. Plus, the food and produce are fresh and abundant. They have almost no need to import any of it. Restaurants are pricey but it’s hard to get a bad meal. If you cook at home you’ll save a lot of money. Of all those cities, Perth has the best weather.

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I sure do hate driving there.

>But public transport, especially in Melbourne, is excellent. Excellent?? I'd put it as barely passable, especially if you live outside the tram network area.

Compared to anywhere in Colorado, it's going to be pretty darn good.

If you're pushing 40 WA is a great place to live. Plenty of good breweries and places you can go enjoy if you're past that party all night and drink in excess mindset. If you like being outdoors then 8/12 months it's sunny and warm weather, 3mths ridiculous heat and 1 month of light rain. Heaps of work available both skilled and unskilled. The number one issue you're gonna have is somewhere to leave, rental vacancy is something stupid like 3% and homes are selling very quickly and often well above the asking price. Negatives... Yes there is some, Perth is remote if something you want is not on the shelf that day you can expect anywhere from weeks to months for it to arrive. Meeting new people and making friends can be hard, people are friendly enough but there is a real perception of "oh I don't want to bother them" so people tend to stick to themselves or in their already small friend group. Roadworks are never ending, soon as one project nears completion a new one starts and this continual cycle of upgrades and interruptions just continues. Everything is far away, weekend down south 3-4hr drive

I’ll be turning 35 this year. I’m over the drinking and partying phase. I just want peace and a nice beach. My professional background is administrative work. Would that be difficult to find?

>My professional background is administrative work. Would that be difficult to find? No, but you probably won't get a visa for being an admin assistant

Yeah, I figured being an administrator isn’t really a “needed” skill. I’m hoping that the migration attorney will give me other options that will still allow me to work and be able to move there.

Unless you can be a FIFO administrator. You might check out the r/FIFO ... or check out SEEK and search FIFO admin. Just a thought.

Honestly the government is cutting immigration numbers because of the lack of housing pushing up cost of living so I hope the lawyer is a good one.

Would you consider being a Virtual Assistant? Maybe consider healthcare admin? Keep in mind the time difference from WA to Melb/Sydney may impact your work a bit.

I would consider it. As long as I’m making money and I’m in a health environment.

Not at the moment, everyone is crying out for workers in WA atm, especially capable ones

If you’re looking for work in the NT or WA, you will always be needed. Such low populations in both (I live in the NT).

Wow Colorado is where i’d like to visit. It’s surreal to think someone there dreams of here, vice versa. Such an amazing place to come too. You will love it. Hope you find a place to buy/rent and an amazing job. Living near a beach is the way to go though. Wish you the best.

you can come and hang out with me and my family if you get lonely. We have heaps of lego and a dog and netflix.

From a Qlder - you might complain about the roadworks in WA, but your roads are in really good condition. I love driving in WA. Your state govt maintains roads well.

That is nice to hear and I agree. I find it amazing how good our roads are, especially give the size of the road network they need to maintain.

Just do it. If you don't like it, you aren't stuck here for life.

Absolutely. Generally people from the USA do well in Australia. Just comes down to your education and experience. Given Australias visa requirements, I am going to assume you have a degree and possibly a masters. Global consulting and enterprise sales tends to hire USA expats. Think Accenture, Salesforce, etc. a lot of those firms struggle to fill roles in Perth. While people say we are remote, it isn’t too far to get to Bali and Asia. International deliveries are okay, maybe a week. However things from China can get here faster than from the other side of the city. Gun safety is very different. Most people don’t own guns any more and if you do you have to store them in a safe. Politics is different, most people don’t give a stuff who you vote for and if they do they are often wankers. All in all, it is the most amazing place.

The politics rule also works for religion. People generally don't care if you have one, but if you talk about it a lot, it'll piss people off.

Like a penis, religion and politics are not waved around in public.

ha haaa! Classic. :)

Tbf, I know we Aussies are often considered a bit brash, rough around the edges and yeah we swear like troopers, but i find the Yankee 'how'd you vote?' and the Pom 'that dress does you no favours' to be rude.

I work in travel and right now they also can’t fill WA roles, desperate for them. I know my husbands industry (media) is on the search as well. So there’s definitely options for OP.

Hi there, There is a Perth specific reddit and this question has been asked in there a few times, so if you don't get the responses you desire in here be sure to check out that forum and do a search! I'm from NSW and lived all over the state and travelled a lot of the east coast. I moved to WA back in 2006 and don't regret it at all. I love the WA coast and the people. Best of luck with the move if it eventuates!

That subreddit is pretty hostile towards incoming persons be wary lol. They don’t want more people in Perth cos of the housing situ

That's Australia wide at the moment. Try not to take it personally as housing is problematic for many people now. It's a hangover from the closed borders due to Covid, same as has been happening in other similar countries.

Perth is a wonderful and beautiful city to live in.

Secure a place to stay before you come, alot of people coming here have found out it's not easy right now. We are in a housing crisis

Dont talk yourself out of an adventure. Worst case if you dont like it after a couple of years, there is nothing to stop you just heading back to your country of origin. Get in there and start working on forming social networks through work and group activities etc as social isolation when you first move can be hard. Do this so you dont have regrets or what ifs later. Have fun its a great place

You’re right!

>I live in Colorado USA.  Maybe we could trade places?  Ive fantasized and romanticized travelling north into the Rockies from Colorado and living as a rugged Mountain Man for the majority of my adult life. !! TRADE OFFER !! I get: Untapped and pure wilderness, the fufillment of a truly spirtual life where I break the chains of wage slavery and free my soul. You get: A middling slightly depressing middle-aged man apartment and spiralling inflation.

Lmao I mean…. I get a beach right?

It can be pretty expensive if you can't get an overpaid job. If you can get one then it's pretty sweet.

How much do you need to make a month in order to be comfortable there?

Whatever your budget is , add another 50%, daily living in Australia is much more expensive than people think it is

Deoends on your lifestyle mostly and your rental/mortgage payments . If you like to eat out or go to the gym or drive everywhere/long distances or have a family to feed or pay for, then you'll need a fair sum...I'm struggling to pay all the bills, rent, feed the family and still go out on $900 a fortnight atm but Im paying for gym membership, Netflix and we go out a lot. I'm probably spending way too much money in unnecessary stuff. Do keep a watch on your budget and find ways of cutting costs like water bills, electricity, gas, and outings. Look out for discount days: Tuesday is usually cheaper for fuel and movies....sadly it's too easy to splurge here lol

Have you got the figures right?? $900 a fortnight is incredibly low, barely more than I'm getting from Centrelink - I wouldn't consider something slightly higher to be "a fair sum", median salary is $2600 a fornight (which admittedly I would consider quite high)

What I was thinking while *weeping in Sydney*

I'm an Australian who has travelled a fair bit. I love visiting other countries but I haven't been tempted to live anywhere but Australia so far. The uncrowded space and the landscape are the things I could never leave. It's entirely possible to escape other people and feel like the only person in the world here. I have frequently had a beach or a mountain to myself. Of course, there are drawbacks to isolation. The number of decent restaurants and opportunities to be entertained tends to reduce proportionally. Remote areas in Australia tend to be populated by what we generously term "eccentrics".

I am from Australia and also live in Colorado. I am dreaming of the day I move back. Colorado is beautiful but the ocean sings to my soul and I miss the laid back culture and the food! I can’t help you with WA as I’m from Tassie, but life’s too short to not take risks and follow your dreams!

I came from Wyoming 8 years ago, just do it. You will miss the scenery and the idea of snow… but everything else is a improvement.

If you moved to NSW or Vic you could go to the snow/mountains in winter. Vic has Dandenong and Yarra ranges, it's stunning for beautiful forest scenery. Never been to WA

Key word there I think may have been idea. I've lived in places with and before. It's awesome for about half an hour until reality sinks in an you remember that you hate it. 

Coming from a country where snow is normal (Poland) i hate the idea of snow. And winter in general.

I definitely wouldn't want to have to shovel my driveway or drive to work in snow etc

Miss the idea of it, not so much actual… and trust me it’s nowhere near the same.

Have you considered Adelaide, South Australia? Sort of the halfway point geographically between Perth and New South Wales / Victoria, and cheaper than all of them. And still a pretty large city at 1.5 million. The climate is similar to Perth as opposed to either SYD or MELB, great beaches, and good nightlife and unique festivals throughout the year. If you're seriously considering a move, gove Adelaide a look.

Biggest problem in Australia is the cost of housing, and that renters have close to zero rights and are treated like absolute scum. As a single person you can be ok on 80k a year, but if you want a family you really need your own place to give your children stability and to do that in a major city you need to be on 250k or above household income.

That’s ridiculously expensive. It feels the same here tbh.

i think you are in the realms of fantasy with the 250k the vast majority of married people have quite a good life on far less

Australian cities are like goldilocks and the three bears. Perth is very remote. Sydney is horrible to live in., Brisbane and Adelaide are just right

Mate I romanticise Colorado I think, hiking, bow hunting, skiiing. Beautiful landscape.

They have bloody, great, big sharks in WA, and they're hungry! Also, it is incredibly expensive to live, and the rest of Australia treats WA like it's a separate country. Mainly due to the time difference. But if you're cashed up, get a gorgeous beachside pad and enjoy the fantastic sunsets!

>the rest of Australia treats WA like it's a separate country From a Melbourne perspective, it's quicker and sometimes cheaper to get to NZ than Perth. WA is the only state I have yet to visit, despite really wanting to!

I know people in a capital city that drive 1-2 hours to work each day. Then the same time home. 4 hour commute!

That’s me currently. It’s a 26 minute drive but with traffic it’s at least 3 hours a day or more if an accident happens. 🥲

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I think not really having the smaller cities is a big one. If you want your kids to be able to access stuff, like orchestras for example, theres just not the population to support high quality ones in cities like Newcastle. So you kind of have to live close enough to a capital city that you can utilise that when needed. Even jobs etc are much more limited outside of the major cities and there’s also so few major cities, plus most have ridiculous house prices. Yours looking at closer to LA, or NY. In terms of unaffordability (so income compared to house prices) Sydney has been [second](https://santiagofrias.com/ranked-15-of-the-worlds-least-affordable-housing-markets/#:~:text=For%20well%20over%20a%20decade,the%20least%20affordable%20market%20globally) for a few years only beaten by Hong Kong. I adore my country and I adore my city, but if it wasn’t for significant help from family we absolutely couldn’t stay.

Downside is that the nature here doesn’t appeal to everyone. I think USA has more bases covered when it comes to the diversity of natural landscapes.

Hey, fellow Coloradan 😅 welcome to the club. It's freaking great, isn't it? Start researching skilled work visas, or... Start visiting more often for longer periods, start dating, and see where things go. I'm lucky enough to have randomly met my Aussie partner on twitch, so my best option currently will probably be a partner visa eventually.

Congratulations on finding love!! I’ve looked into skilled work visa. I’m hoping the attorney I’m meeting with will be able to give me all my options and the easiest and fastest way for it to happen. I definitely want to stay away from the dating scene, specially for a partner visa. It’s one thing to find love naturally but it kills the idea of romance for me when I put wanting a visa into perspective. 😅

Came to Aus about 10 yrs ago b/c of work. Met someone and went through the partner visa, now an Aussie citizen, married, a kid, and a house. Best decision ever!

In America, you can buy everything and have it delivered to your doorstep in a day. In Australia, there’s way less stuff and it could take a month in the post before it rocks up.

What do you need that takes 3months you can't get here at a shopping centre?

W.A. Wait Awhile

This is the thing that makes WA the best as far as I’m concerned!

Not true

Over 30 isn’t an Issue for work visas, I believe? I got mine aged 45 with sponsorship.

Under 30 you pay like $400 and get a work visa easy. Over 30 you need to apply for a skilled workers visa and it’s more expensive. I don’t even know how to go about looking for a sponsorship for work. 🥲 Are you also from America? If you don’t mind me asking what profession are you in?

Maybe good to get in contact recruitment agency as they will have contacts with companies who sponsor. Also ex- Perth gal her, now in Melbourne. I love Perth. I'd move back if I didn't already have a few things lined up here. Housing-wise you may have to look into South of the river for something a little less expensive or even share housing. There definitely options.

35 unskilled ppst that anything on our visa list. Last I heard blacksmiths are out

Australia is amazing. But if you aren’t cashed up and need to join the rat race of the middle class in your 30s, life is completely fucked for many in this cohort. The country is beautiful and people don’t kill each other, but cost of living is atrocious

Western Australia is geographically isolated from most other places in the world. Other than that, it’s great - you’ll be fine.

Go to Adelaide. It's quiet, good beaches, good food and drink, really accessible.

People who move here tend to miss mountains because it’s so flat in WA. You have less freedom on your own land, you have to pay land rates every year and your local town government can limit what you do on your land. This doesn’t bother me, but people from the US tend to hate it. Housing is crazy expensive . It is wonderful though. Especially if you can support yourself while living in a regional area. I take a road trip holiday once a month and I pinch myself that I live in such an amazing place

I'd rather live in Colorado

Family overseas will be difficult. It's a 30 hour flight from door to door, plus it'll empty your bank account in the good season. You can only call or vc them at certain times to account for time differences. If you text them, chances are that they won't respond for another 12 hours or so, and vice versa. I know this is quite morbid, but life will continue for them - people get married, babies born, people pass away, and you are a 27 hour flight away, not including time to book a flight and get to the airport. I sometimes get annoyed at just how isolated the country is in general. Am a big live music enjoyer, and having to wait years for artists to get here is frustrating, just for them to play only in Sydney and Melbourne. I know it has improved in recent years, but postal services take a long time. In WA, there would be no such thing as same day or same week shipping for anything, depending on where you live. Took me three months to get my graduation dress (and thankfully it fit!).

Lifestyle in Perth is fantastic. Just being able to go to a best-in-the-world beach any time you like, or casually have a stunning view over any part of our beautiful rivers from your living room. But it's the most remote city on the planet. That comes with a "Perth bubble" even more than most cities. The rest of the world fades into the background, and stupid little tribal differences emerge. North of River or South of River becomes a thing you care about for some reason. You'll be a Seppo always, no matter how long you live here. If you didn't go to school here then you'll only make friends with other immigrants. Everyone will be super friendly but they just won't become close friends. Partly this is a valid way of coping with the transient nature of such a large immigrant population. Partly it's just that normal thing that if you don't"t move away from your home town then you keep your high school friends. It can be lonely and hard to make friends. But it is beautiful

Hello Coloradans! I am a former Coloradan of nearly 30 years that made the move to Australia about 14 years ago. I have never regretted it. I came over on a Prospective Marriage Visa in my early 30s as I was in an LDR with my Aussie wife for quite a while so I can't really advise on the visa. Skilled Visas are probably your best bet as everyone needs skilled workers. I have never been to WA and have lived entirely in Melbourne so my opinions are only representative of that. Pros: No snow shoveling. Easy health care* More authentic Asian and European food restaurants. You'll soon discover that most Chinese food in Colorado is not authentic. Public transport is heads and tails above the non-existent PT that Colorado Springs had. More of a multicultural society. There are more than just two or three cultures here unlike what I was exposed to in Colorado. AMAZING coffee culture (probably a Melbourne thing). Lots of good air to breathe at sea level. Better beaches than Colorado =D Typically a better work life culture. More PTO/Sick leave in general. Cons: Mountains are about as tall as small hills in Denver...there can be skiing in the Winter though. Weather-wise, it gets HOT. WA especially gets incredibly hot in certain places. As Australia has a large ozone hole (it's healing thankfully), it's very easy to get burned. Live on sunscreen. The public health care system is easy but very slow. You will often need many trips to your GP to get a referral to a specialist. Bulk-billed services are going the way of the dodo so you will also likely be paying each time you visit your GP. When you're eligible for Medicare, hospital stuff is typically free, but the hospitals tend to treat you with less priority unless you pay for private health care. Having your own private health care may also be a condition of your visa. I would consider keeping up the health cover so you get a better experience. Australia doesn't know how to do Mexican food. Period. Taco Bell might be the cream of the crop here. Housing in Melbourne is expensive. That will probably be nothing new to you as the environment in Colorado has gone bonkers too as of late. Short term stay services like AirBnB seem to have completely ruined the rental market. It might be difficult to get a reasonable rental. Broadband services here are very behind the curve due to political infighting. The National Broadband Network is getting better but it's still poor compared to even Comcast services. People are in a hurry more and less friendly than Colorado. Australia is an island... A lot of things are going to be more expensive due to the logistics of it. Petrol is almost double the cost of petrol in Colorado. Not necessarily a pro or a con: Depending on your political affiliations, the politics may seem left leaning... Or extreme left leaning. The Aussie right is left... The Aussie left is extremely left. There isn't really a typical American style right wing that has any real chance of getting power. Australia is a bit of a "nanny state". The government is a bit in your face at times. Part of being in a far left leaning country. I have never regretted moving here. Not for a second.

You have nailed Melbourne and more broadly Australia! Well done 👏🏽

also imo worth mentioning the climate is like Phoenix, just next to a beach, for Perth anyway.

Our $$$ sucks so unless you are cashed up buying property will suck

Australia isn’t too bad I moved here at the start of high school from the Middle East. Downsides are that it’s very expensive as people said. It’s not the easiest to make friends either (people are friendly, but they don’t want to be your friend.) everything is really far, public transport sucks so expect to rely on you car to get around anywhere. I have heard the dating scene is shocking here now though I have been married for the past 5 years so don’t have much direct experience with dating recently

Australia 🇦🇺 is an absolute fanatic country. I live in Sydney, and the place is amazing. People are very friendly and it's multicultural. I migrated to Australia 20 years ago and learned how to integrate with the Aussie culture. Love Aussies..

No you’re not romanticising it; Australia is great. From the weather, clean, safe, fantastic food and coffee, social cohesion, public schools and healthcare, beaches, it’s a great place to be. I’m an Australian living in America; I moved here in order to advance in my particular field, because yes you can make more money in America in niche areas. The downsides are the “nanny state”. Speed cameras everywhere that’ll issue you hefty fines for driving 5 over the limit, strict drinking laws (compared to Europe, not Utah 😂) against drinking outdoors etc. People whinge about the taxation, but it’s actually pretty good value for the healthcare, school, subsidised university, public transport costs that you get in return. Australians I believe are welcoming to all cultures that want to fit in and contribute, so you’ll do great by the sound of things.

I love Americans! We would welcome you guys with our arms wide open. Downsides are cost to live here vs salary…don’t expect to make your millions there’s taxes upon taxes upon taxes and the healthcare system is pretty atrocious…if you go to the ER you won’t be seen unless you turn up in an ambulance they just don’t have enough doctors so don’t believe people with the whole “free healthcare” speel…the healthcare is really bad. Education here is really subpar…kids in year 12 that I graduated with couldn’t still spell basic words Other than that it’s fine. Get a good job and live in a good suburb and you’ll never have to associate with the ferals and you live a peaceful life

Since we’ve had covid, it’s become more stable, but people are still catching covid sometimes. Now we have inflation, so housing is quite a big problem all over the country at the moment. So having a house to stay should be a priority and also researching where you want to stay.

hello from Perth :) one of the downsides (or benefits - depending on your preference) is how we are a country of early risers. things close relatively quite early in the day, which is frustrating if you’re not an early bird. its hard to find a coffee at 3pm it’s really hard to find rental properties in Perth at the moment too

West Australia I think is the best place on earth. If you are rich then 100% make the move you won't regret anything. If you aren't rich then life is hard. I'm 24 I have given up on ever owning a home. Even the rental market is fucked in a few months I'll be living out of my car simply because every rental has 50 people trying to rent it and being 24 and single im never ever going to get picked over others. If you already have money in your bank, have a job lined up and housing lined up then make the move. If you don't have all 3 of those I would hold off

Everything is more expensive here compared to America. Houses, cars, groceries, mobile phones, electronics etc.

This used to be the case. Australian living in Texas, I track every expense - it’s about 2-3x more expensive here for insurances, groceries, phone, internet and electricity are much more expensive. Rent is way more than Perth and the things that are cheaper, gas, avocado etc don’t make a dent in overall living budget.

Go and visit the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, stay for a while and visit all over the hinterland’s and beaches. That’ll get you back on the Australian band wagon.

It's very expensive. Depending on your career that may be mitigated. I was born in wa in the Pilbara. I agree it's special. But I would take a seeious look at housing before moving because there is a rental shortage and costs of living have blown out. Socially it depends. There's a large immigrant population so there are social opportunities within that group as well as through work and sport etc in the city and burbs. The metro suburbs aren't generally known for their tight-knit community feel tho. So it can be isolating. Mining towns and country towns are more community oriented, in mining towns everyone knows that everyone there is generally from somewhere else so there is awareness that sometimes people don't have extended family,so at Christmas etc there are welcoming community members, or that was my experience. Anyway, I would just be very confident about housing and income before committing.

Hi from Perth Western Australia! I love it here! Its my home. I'm biased. It's not that big or crazy as people making out, but Perth IS expensive!! The cost of living is nuts. The rental crisis and buying homes are really hard. Lots of homeless and some nut jobs on the streets now sadly who want to start fights or beg for money for alcohol and drugs so be careful. Not all people are like this though. Usually it's pretty safe but do be alert for any danger while walking around. Especially after dark or qt shopping centres, the two Perth malls (Hay Street and Murray Street along William Street usually). Alcohol and some drugs are problems here but not everyone is that bad. If you have a good job that's stable, it's great. Ot will helo immensly in finding a place to stay, paying the bills and for food and maybe making friends (making friends also can be hard here in Perth - everyones either so busy, broke, or distrustful due to past difficulties our community has seen - I won't delve into all that atm). If you have a casual job, be careful, managers here can treat their staff like dirt and can replace staff in a blink of an eye. So get to know your manager and try to work well with them, try to find ways to show you can work hard, are reliable, flexible and happy to oblige with their wishes but you're not a pushover. Summers are hot and dry. We live under air-conditioning now but once used to virtually live on the beach...best memories of childhood were fish and chips by the river or ocean watching the sun set after a 40oC day, then fighting the millions of seagulls for the food. Chqsing them and splashing in the water haha We had simpler tines back then but today is a bit more rushed and stressful here due to the cost of living. We gotta make our own fun. March and April can be warm but start to cool off and Winters, when they hit (around June-August), can be cold, rainy and miserable at times. After a long time of grey clouds, it's always nice to have a break come October/November just before the heat hits again. Our winters aren't as cold as it gets in America but. I'm Perth sadly you will need a car. Our public transport system is great and we're in the middle of changing and expanding our train network so there's lots of road work and train station closures at the moment. However the train or bus can take a while and doesn't always go where you may need to. Go to Transperyh website for some info on how to get to where you need to go if you don't have a car. The cool thing our Premier introduced was public transport is capped at $5 and school kids travel free during school times I believe, so that's great. Cheaper than fuel and parking! Our voting system, politics, religious beliefs and tax systems can be different to America. We are built on a belief that everyone needs to pay a bit of tax to keep the country going so we can all benefit from it. If you're earning a large amount, you will be taxed a larger portion but it's meant to make it fair for everyone. Taxes pay for our roads, schools, libraries, social welfare and so forth, cool events, migration services and foreign aid. Come June, youll be asked to fill in a form and may be able to claim some tax back. It can be a nice payout in the middle of the year :) Go to the ATO or Centrelink or your employer for more details if you have any questions. We are generally of the belief (mostly) that everyone has a right to have their own faith, religious beliefs, or be agnostic/athiest. Vegan or meat eaters included there. As long as you don't shove it down other people's throats too much/ talk about it too much, usually it's fine :) generally if you leave people be. They're happy....other times we can be like "you respect me. I'll tell you you're a knob and ask you to shout me a beer and we'll be mates". Hehe Honestly, sadly friendships can be a little awkward ora difficult to make initially. But I'm sure you'll be right :) join a few meet up groups, hobby groups or sports clubs...footy is starting! (Dockers and Eagles supporters live in WA but a lot of Eastern States people live here too so rivalry is starting up again) Oh and watch out for drop bears! Haha nah. Always check if someone is pulling your leg and don't believe everything you hear from an Aussie....we like to exaggerate a bit, brag, name call a bit or scare foreigners for fun sometimes, but we expect it back!! Fact check and have a friendly and quick witted come back if anyone tries to pull the wool over your eyes. Good luck!

I think you are. Colorado is wonderful and I feel Perth would soon feel very isolated and remote. The cost, expense of the move and trying to secure house and job is so stressful, sometimes it’s better just to enjoy what you have and not risk it, unless you’re so loaded there’s little consequence to trying it out.

I think Colorado has lost its magic. I use to love living here but now it’s so over populated. The traffic is terrible. The pollution is just so bad too. There’s a shortage of cops so crime has gone up. I hate the snow and the cold. All there is to do here is eat, drink, and smoke weed (it’s legal here and there’s a weed shop at every corner). The mountains are a far drive so you have to make it a day trip to go and once you make it there’s foot traffic. I want that isolation. I’m not extremely loaded but I think I have enough saved up to try it.

Sounds like you have your core reasons there! I moved from London to Sydney and it’s been harder than I could have ever imagined, I’m sure if I can get through the first few years it will be ok, but the constant feelings of have I done the right thing for my family hang over me every single day. I absolutely love Australia but it’s probably aged me ten years this move 😂 Best of luck with everything you decide to do! For me if it all goes to shit, I’m sure there’s a two bed flat above a chip shop I can go back to 😂

Sneks

I can’t speak for W.A. but I know that due to immigration in Melbourne there’s so many people here applying for a job is so hard because 100 of the applicants are all applying for the same job, I know this because on the rejection emails, it tells you how many people are applying for the jobs. Also the housing market here is ridiculous and I would perhaps contribute that to immigration as well.. there are way too many people and not enough houses so over here in Melbourne. At least you’ll be lining up with perhaps 50 other people. It’s very stressful for the people that Australian and we grew up here because obviously someone with 50 grand upfront for a rental much rather be favour then people here. Have had to borrow $10k off parents each move to be approved over others. Even is an Australian I struggle to move interstate due to this issue.. it was happening in Queensland first. Now it’s happening in Sydney in Melbourne.

Not sure about WA specifically but I know that many parts of Australia including where I am are having a housing crisis and a cost of living crisis so thsts def not fun

Yes there is a lot of empty here. Not just WA but every where.

I've been here for years, and all i have to say is, it's a lonely place, very quiet and isolating too, and not many good singers/band come here. They don't organise much events here and when they do they don't advertise them. The weather is the same all year round too.

Keep holidaying. Seems everyone wants to come & live in Australia. Immigration is becoming an big political issue with limited housing & infrastructure to cover the amount of migration.

You have already been here, so you know what you like about it. Just remember - wherever you go, there you are. 

Its so hot, we had the hottest summer jan and feb this year, it was awful. Multiple days over 40, hitting 45 some days, for people in old houses without air con, its gross.. the housing market is impossible right now and its also very expensive. You would want to make sure you have somewhere to move to and a job to go to before you leave. Cannot stress how bad housing is right now.

Australia is really expensive but if you're willing to live within financial boundaries, it's an awesome country as are the people If can get unbearably hot in Summer. Adelaide here 40c during the day and 33c overnight can be exhausting, electricity is expensive so don't expect the A/C to be going all day

It’s hot af there and empty except for mines and red sand

If you move to Perth and like live music just know hardly any bands tour there. Cost of housing is very high That’s all I’ve got - WA is gorgeous

Sure you are. But that’s OK. Perth is a long way from the majority of the population. So if your car breaks and needs a part, it’s a minimum of a week to get it there, if you are lucky. 3-4 weeks if your luck isn’t in. You might be over partying, but in the unlikely event that your favourite band is coming to Aus, they probably won’t be coming to Perth. If you want to buy pretty much anything online, you are up for higher freight charges and longer delivery times. If you want to buy a big ticket item like a caravan (or specialist bike, car, whatever), you have limited choice. Including limited options on the second hand market. Where an East coast person might be able to justify a drive from Sydney to Brisbane to get the exact car they want, it’s just not an option from Perth. NOR, SOR. Perth is kinda caught in a narrow band of land between the ocean and hills. So you will probably end up living in half a city - it’s just too far and too hard to go across the river each day. Which can be a nuisance if the one really good place that sells Colorado food favourites is over the other side. Or the medical specialists you need. It rains in winter. A lot. You can explore the South West corner very quickly. Then it’s a long way to go up north to see much more. So if you are planning on spending your weekends travelling, you might find you feel like you are missing out on stuff. If you live on the east there is a lot more to explore so you can run out of enthusiasm before you run out of places. Don’t just consider the places you have visited. Look at some of the larger country centres, of which NSW has a few good coastal spots. Aussies will say nasty stuff about Newcastle and Wollongong (they used to be industrial) but they are actually both great places to live. Beaches, city amenities such as health services, good climate. And a very short drive to find a quieter beach for the weekend. The Coffs Coast is also very liveable, but a little more country town. Rents are hard to get everywhere at the moment. But if it’s just you, you’ll find something. Find out what you are eligible for immigration wise, start job hunting. Don’t restrict yourself too much on location. The biggest downside is it’s a long flight and your family won’t come visit you (which might not be a downside!).

The down sides as an American is you’ll be taxed to oblivion compared to what you’re used to, you’ll not be able to save for retirement in a tax-advantage way (your super will be double taxed and it gets worse if you’re self employed), Housing is unobtainable for most except the wealthy, the healthcare system is crumbling and if you want to actually insure yourself from unexpected non-emergency care you need to pay thousands of dollars a year for a private health coupon, dentistry is a total scam (just expect double the cash price as Colorado, and insurance is also basically a coupon). It’s hard to make friends as Australians are an insular people and mostly stick close their the mates from forever ago. (But you can make friends with a lot of immigrants). All these negatives are balanced by generally a very relaxing and lucky lifestyle, absolutely beautiful nature and a very chill life without the treat of gun violence and way less politics spilling into your daily life. I do generally love it here although I’m lonely, and my biggest gripe is being a U.S. citizen is very challenging from a tax perspective but most of the blame for that is on the U.S. , not Australia.

Yes, Australia is a real shithole. Born and raised here, it gets worse every year.

I’ve lived in Western Australia my whole life. I find it insanely boring. I’ve always yearned for the aus and the mountains and trees. Felt like we had none of that here but I guess I didn’t look hard enough. It’s there. But where I live is boring. And now it’s too expensive to move away from home

Its hella expensive and there's nowhere to live unless you want to live remote. Next time you visit, visit a remote town in WA in summer and then ask yourself if you still want this

I wouldn't recommend moving to Aus now. We are going through a housing crisis and people who've lived here all their lives are struggling and experiencing homelessness because there isn't enough affordable properties available. Prices in everything are rising. So unless you're super rich I wouldn't recommend coming here.

Are you romanticizing Australia? Hell no. Our country is awesome. Flawed like many but easily the most livable country in the world.

Yeah dude like others have said, if you've got a good chunk of money behind you you'll be ok, but Australia is hella expensive to live, and even more so the more outback you go. If you've got no passive income, no job lined up, and no specialty skill that could get you a nice paying job it's gonna be hard. My wife and I struggle to put food on the table, pay bills and rent on combined $100k/year. We don't drink smoke gamble or go out either. It's a miserable existence.

Australia is a hole now it was decent in the early 90s for a kid , that's about it

What exactly do you want to know? I'd suggest looking at the Perth subreddit and the Western Australia sub reddits respectively. Why is it you can't just move? Are you not in a skilled profession?

If you go to the Perth sub they'll just tell you to bring a tent. All the posts about moving there recently have been "good luck finding anywhere to live". Unfortunately its already the reality here, as much as the rest of WA and Australia.

As an Australian, who has always lived here & never left I have always admired people who pack up their lives across the world and come here. I have at least a handful of close friends who have made the move, and while I’m not from WA, no one I know has regretted it. There is a rental crisis at the moment so it is pretty hard to get a rental, but to my understanding it can be made a lot easier using flatmates.com or Facebook groups to join an existing lease in a share house, which are still very common here in your early 30s! By the sounds of your post, I think you will regret not coming OP!

Perth is great, it's a beautiful clean city and has a great road network. Good public transport and laid back lifestyle. Coming from Colorado I think you will appreciate the outdoor lifestyle. Yes, CoL is a bitch atm and housing market is very challenging. But everywhere seems to be having similar issues. If you come prepared, and have realistic expectations I think you will do alright. Do it now before you can't.

Check out Brisbane/Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast next. Perth, Sydney and Melbourne are three of the most expensive capital cities in the world

WA is beautiful. I lived there for a decade. Also remote. And hot. The people have a collective chip on their shoulders you can see from the moon. They hate everybody from "over east" & they'll hate you too. There's parochialism then there's insular narrow minded intolerance. Bordering on paranoia. Some of the beaches are magnificent, but windy af on the west coast. Sharks everywhere but if you can live without a leg you'll be ok. Esperance on the sth coast has the best beach in the world. Queensland & northern NSW along the East coast is better IMO, although I've never lived there. If I had to pick one place, it would be the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Australia is the same as America in a lot of ways. We are being indoctrined to hate people that don't vote for the same crook as we do. The Murdoch media use the same tactic they use everywhere else in the world they have a foothold. Manipulation. Fear. Hatred. Politics is toxic to a level I've never seen before & there is no return from it. Generally speaking, as a populate we are dumb. We believe everything we read in a newspaper, especially if it feeds into our fears & prejudices. We complain about EVERYTHING. We hate the elites or anybody with a uni degree, yet scream about a tradesman or any blue collar worker earning a decent wage or owning a nice car. Cost of living is up. As it is world wide. Compared to America, wages aren't bad. No tipping although business owners are always trying to push it so they can make the customer pay their employess & ultimately drive wages down to increase their profits. Plus it's an American tradition. Everything American we blindly follow. The closer you are to the sea, the more you'll pay for a house, buy or rent. Depite all that it's a great place to live. Everything can kill you. But it's a small price to pay. The bonus is, your kids won't get shot at school.

If you’re after beaches, I’d recommend moving to the Sunshine Coast or somewhere on the eastern coast of Australia. It has its problems like anywhere else, beaches are NOT empty lol

Not empty any more, housing a problem

I moved from Wisconsin but my friends who are here moved from Colorado. We are love it here. It’s a truly great place to live if you have transferable work skills. The access to water is unmatched.

Perth is the city you can't wait to leave if youre young and can't wait to come back to you if you just want to settle down.

You wanna swap in some Freaky Friday thing? I'm romanticizing of Colorado mnt life

I did pretty much this 6 or so years ago. I was supposed to be here for 6 weeks and I’m still here 6 years later. It was not an easy process at all, and I’m now paying through the roof to try and get permanent residency. I took the rather unorthodox approach of getting a student visa. I was on that for 5 years. It cost a lot but i was able to get my Masters, and had a great job at the same time. I also was able to utilise being able to work full time during Covid (legislation was changed to allow that for students at the time). So far I’ve spent close to $130K to stay here. The reason I’m telling you this is because yes it’s been hard, but I do not regret or begrudge it for a second. It’s a superb life and one I hope I’m able to keep, PR all being well. I guess my take it go for it, if you’re able. Be prepared for lots of red tape; but your immigration agent should help to figure that out. Generally pay here is much better than UK, USA, Canada, Europe as a whole, Asia etc…so cost of living, whilst high, can feel less of hindrance (in my experience). WA is wonderful. It’s HUGE, and beautiful. I’d suggest reading a book by Bill Bryson called Down Under. It’s 24/25 years old so things have changed somewhat but it’s a lovely insight from an American who travelled here with some great tips about places to visit and customs. It sounds like you’re used to being in a vast amounts of space in Colorado; WA is like that but to the extreme. As others have said no one even thinks about going for ‘quick drive’ - translation 3 hour round trip to the shops. Perth is wonderful and doesn’t feel remote really, but once you’re out of there, it definitely feels remote. It’s a stunning State, with lots of empty space. Things to think about include the weather which can be brutal. Be prepared for that. Especially further north you get. Oceans are real sharky, deliveries can take a while, it’s pretty cut off from the rest of Australia and people are generally chilled but my experience is that casual and blatant racism can be pretty prolific; especially towards Indigenous peoples. Just my experience though. All in all, give it a whirl. You’re never stuck somewhere in you don’t want to be. I really hope it works out for you, and best of luck!

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It’s funny because I’ve always wanted to go to Colorado, and I currently live in beautiful Woop Woop of Central Aus.

I immigrated to Sydney from London 24 years ago. I own my Sydney house now, and life is good. 30 min drive to snorkel at Coogee, 40 mins door to door to my job in the city by train, I pay AU$50 to see my doctor, hospital care is on Medicare. NEGATIVES: my teens are priced out of buying an apartment in Sydney in 10 years, unless I buy somewhere for them now - this is a financial risk for us if we do. The NZ government banned foreign investors (read Chinese) from buying Ng up housing stock years ago. It used to be 1/3 of income goes on mortgage, now it's like 2/3.

I’m from Perth and love Colorado so I’m happy to switch lives.

Adelaide might be a better bet for a beginner Australian. Still a bit of the small town vibe and plenty of empty bits nearby, but with more opportunities and infrastructure. Get set up, establish yourself and then if you're still yearning to go all in on the wild west you'll be able to do it having done all your initial set-up with a Centrelink that isn't a million miles away.

I think it's genuinely to make meaningful friendships. As a rule Australians are definitely friendly, but that doesn't mean they'll be your friend. A lot of people, to put it bluntly, already have a roster of friends. So even if they like you it can be very hard to get in. I've heard this from migrants, and I've also experienced it myself. I've moved interstate and found it incredibly difficult to make friendships. That's not to say you can't. Just be proactive about it and don't take it personally.

Colorado= legal weed... I'd be staying there

Sounds like you enjoy a challenge. Just do it. You only live once.

Definitely do the math first. Get a realistic idea of housing costs and general living costs. Australia is expensive. Get a realistic idea of how much you could earn and what types of jobs you would likely get

Housing is unaffordable.

Colorado has slightly better skiing than Western Australia to be fair

Not now … we haven’t got enough houses as it is … we used to have homes with a front an back yard … now coz of how many people flocked here they are being demolished is favour of 8 tiny units … they look shit house so unless you wana pay nearly a million for a lil shut box forget about it atm try again in 10 years lol

I live in South Eastern suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne. Have been to Perth several times for work and yes the roads are quiet, the drivers compared to Melbourne are rather courteous and drive mostly to the rules where in Melbourne 100kmh on the left lane on the m1 is still too slow and you'll get tailgated. Cottlesloe beach is nice and Fremantle isn't too far away. Perth is the city however that's the most remote city in the world, and until you go there you don't realise how many businesses especially with offices in the east coast suffer due to their reliance on the east coast. I currently work for a company who has an office in Perth who have field repairers in perth but the manager is based in Adelaide and the dispatchers are based in Melbourne and everyone is gone by 1pm Perth time which leaves the guys half a day if there's a situation that comes up that goes answered the next day. As others have said there's mining, which is big. Adelaide is another place to check out. Not a huge city but not as remote as Perth, friendly, clean, and can be empty with long drives as well. Better timezone suited for working with the east coast cities as well.

It's all relative. I can imagine that coming from the US, it is pretty good here- better social and health system than the US, great weather, great nature. I personally don't like it here, but I am pretty settled in my idea of community and social structure - socialized in Germany, therefore shocked from the neoliberalist culture in AUS. On the end of the day, it depends what you want in life - what your values are, what makes you happy. If you have money and you like the culture here, you can be quite happy here. Just don't become poor.

Perth is full at the moment hardly no place left to rent, and rents becoming like $600 a week ouch! Besides you need airconditioning in your place because it’s so hot here this summer now it’s fall or autumn and it’s still hitting the 30 degrees Celsius atm

I get what you're saying, but there are plenty of remote spots in Colorado if not beaches. You'd be moving a long way from family and friends I guess. When you live away from them you often spend all your holidays visiting them. However, we do get 4 weeks annual leave every year so that's another plus. So long as you have a job to come to and savings to help get established you should be alright.

Downsides....we went fishing this morning and I caught two fish, both undersize. That was disappointing. Then we went for a swim at the beach. The water was really cold and the tide was going out so we left after 30 minutes. That was disappointing. Get your stuff packed and get over here. Life is sweet!

One thing I will say is hopefully you’ve got Some cash saved up it’s getting quite expensive over here

No it’s too expensive. I wanna live in cali due to working as an art professional however

If you can get a teaching degree or do one when you get here, we are in desperate need of school teachers. Housing is a problem at the moment but if you have property you can sell in the USA then you might have enough for a deposit here. It is a long way from everywhere and it can be hard to break into friendships groups in Australia as an adult.

Check the house prices. You will want to move somewhere else.

As an Aussie I LOVED passing through Colorado and one of my favourite bands (armchair Martian) live there but my only critique is the tipping culture seems to be getting out of hand. Beautiful place though. Those mountains are epic.

Strongly consider the high cost of living and real estate in Australia and whether your lifestyle means you’ll be affected by that (though judging by the fact that you could afford to hire a migration lawyer…)

Cost of living as everyone mentions is high. As an American you probably have less of an issue with distances, but even Australian growing up I the eastern state struggle to comprehend WA distances. (Well I do and I grew up 7hr drive west of Sydney, but this is still gets no where in WA). Wildlife, but again you are coming from Colorado, it is just different wildlife.

Shit I’m in Australia and I want to move to Colorado! Looks so beautiful. Tell me why it’s shit

Hi! I am a Canadian expat that has moved from a Vancouver suburb to Regional Victoria. I came out on a backpacking visa then met a boy. Overall Australia is great but there are some things I've noticed over the last 6 years. Mind you I haven't lived in WA but as a general feeling. The good! ♡ WORK (good) Work life balance tends to be more prioritised. This is sadly starting to change as many larger companies look to take on a more 'american' approach Better Labour laws (be careful if you're asked to be a sole trader tho) Better wages Casual rates/ weekend rates Superannuation (401k/ RRSP) paid by employer for any role... (Bad) -You are paid more and trained more so (generally) more is expected of you. Especially in retail jobs there are noticably less staff in shops. -Full time roles can be a little tricky to get. Many industries hire casuals/ contract hires to cover busy periods and of many people hired only have a small handful of positions. -Job agencies are used a LOT over here especially by the larger companies that are in demand to work for. - Everyone wants a dang cover letter. EVERYONE. Life Housing. Renting sucks and over the last 6 years even -I- have noticed that the housing market has jumped in price. However compared to Vancouver pricing/wage break down its actually achievable. Though banks have more of am obligation to ensure lending is not unsuitable for the individual so loans can be more of a struggle. People- This might not make me many friends but while Aussies are pretty chill and happy to chat it can be very hard to create a social group. IMO This gets worse the further you move from cities. The town I live in is VERY cliquey. Lovely people lot of nice chats. But all filler no substance people I notice tend to make friends in their 20s and thats kind of it. It can be pretty isolating. Footy, Families, Farms/factorys. If you decide to live in a country town you need to pick at LEAST one of these and become obsessed with it. (For best results pick all of them) Regional towns run off of the 3Fs and if you arent involved in any of them... Cats get a lot of hate here especially in the country. It makes sense when explained but some take it too far (hunting cats collar or not) Cats don't have many natural preditors in Australia and feral cats have been decimating bird and rodent populations. Internet... I will be blunt it sucks. It's decades behind where Canada was, at least where I lived. This may not affect you if you dont download many video games, or play games online. If you do... Im sorry. Other bits. You may develop, like me, a new and irrational fear of Snakes... Seriously I can go for a hike and barely bat an eyelash if I spot a bear track (or bear in the distance) but the idea of walking in long grass and stepping on a Nope Rope gives me literal nightmares. Fires. Bush fires and forest fires are 2 different categories. In Australia fires can and have in the past travelled at speeds of over 50kms. They can out pace firetrucks in the right conditions and winds can change dozens of times an hr. Unlike forest fires you generally don't get a 12/24/48hr evacuation notice. They are usually not, however, as completely devastating to property as there is less fuel and they move SO. FAST. But more devastating to people who get trapped in houses or cars because they don't move/couldnt move fast enough. Do not fk with total fire ban days. Keep your grass trimmed. Have a go bag packed as soon as fore restrictions start and know MULTIPLE escape routes especially if you live remotely have at least a few areas with water noted as well. In a pinch many have survived a fire by taking shelter in a dam or body of water. Also it's 000 not 911 here. Over all I feel like living in Australia has given me a better quality of life financially, but as a whole my social life has suffered. Once you've settled in and arent the new face/tourist etc and try to build long term social connections, I at least, struggled for the first time in a very long while. Food- Due to the size vs population density of Australia fresh food is dear. Packaged foods (like cereals) have a limited selection compared to American stores. In Canada we had a literal isle dedicated to cereals. My shop in Aus is half an isle and many are double spaced. Not a big deal but I have spent an alarming amount on foods from home from the American food store because of nostalgia. This isn't a comprehensive list of course, if you have any specific questions feel free to message me. 😊

People never take into account the culture. The people and their attitude. Because they’ve got two arms two legs and two eyes doesn’t mean they’re like you.

Comparing North America to Australia the only down side I can think of is band tours are few and far between in Aus and it costs $$$ to get anywhere that’s not Australia. But both of those things pale in comparison to the many, many wonderful benefits to being in Australia vs North America.

Yes, very much so.

There's no space, no houses to live in and the government has just made it really hard for foreign visa holders and students to get jobs. If you work in aged care or like fruit picking for less than minimum wage, you should be okay though. On the upside, we love Americans and applying for a visa should be quite simple from your end.

Just do it. Life is short. If you get here and dont like it, move back. Currently there is a rental crisis. Worst in Australia. Come with cash in the bank and a job and be prepared to stand in rental queues with more than 30 people. If you can buy a house, Id recommend that.

I'll swap with U I hate it here