Is Australia heaven on earth?

last SG · 2007-12-09T08:07:16+00:00

Try Canberra. It's ultra boring . Wherever you go - you still can see some farms near the CBD.

fymk SG

Road trip map

All the national highways.

fymk SG

double posted.

soleachip SG

Thanks dude for the info. There are lots of train travel guides available as well so I reckon some research needs to be done. Alice Springs looks like a nice place though am not sure what the chances are of going around via trains. Perhaps driving might be a better choice.

fymk SG

My suggestion : take a train instead of driving or do a combo. Cheaper.
http://www.gsr.com.au/
If you take a plane to Perth - rent a car for a few days - drive around to Port hedlands, Broome and return your car. Then you go by train to South Australia - you will ride across the longest straightest track in the world in Nullabour Plains ...from perth into South Australia.
At South Australia - have a gander into Barossa valley for wine and the germanish town in Adelaide Hills

Then return to the city , catch a country link train (Cheaper) , the GSR train (think got more views) or coach to Melbourne (free views but butt hurt). For your reference:
http://www.countrylink.info/travel_passes/travelpass_agencies

Melbourne - rent a car again - wander about the city , go to Grampians if it is not burning in summer as usual , Geelong , Ballarat , Bendigo . Return car

Take a coach to Albury Wodonga and then catch the train into Canberra or Sydney straight. Canberra - stay for 2 days enough to see the sights . Then proceed to Sydney. From Sydney , fly to Adelaide , bypassing Queensland and take the Ghan GSR train to Central Australia.

From Central Australia - go to alice springs , check out Ayer's rock and then at Darwin - catch a plane to either Cairns or Brisbane to see queensland.

Flights are cheap sometimes if you book in advance : we got virgin blue , qantas domestic, jetstar and tiger airways now

You need about 1 month to do all these. That is what I planned for my friend who is coming down from America.

GSR Train routes:
http://www.gsr.com.au/our-trains/train-routes.php

the.owl SG

Ha ha ha ha ha

if by heavan n earth u mean aplace inhabited by descendants of convicts then yeah.

australians have no manners,most ofthem areracist against Chinese. their ancestors were criminals and other forms of scum, the culture just got passed down.

soleachip SG

I don't think air trekking is a good idea. In a nutshell, you're saying for those interested in spending a week driving around Alice Springs area, visit Ayers Rock etc. a round trip ticket from Singapore to Queensland should suffice, before boarding a train to central and then renting a car if necessary.

fymk SG

That is a over generalisation and rather insulting.

Singapore had convicts as well. Those convicts also helped built Singapore.

So don't talk so much.

soleachip SG

Somehow I titter on the high wire of both ideas. The nastiest colleague I've had was australian but then again so was the best.

fymk SG

No , you need to board the GSR from Adelaide or Sydney. If I were you, I opt for buying a round trip from Singapore to Sydney, assuming that it is your plan to bypass the other States and Territories.

Sydney is more centralised in terms of the transport hub. Of course , you have to take a train from adelaide to enter into Central Australia

Brisbane is cut off from GSR line. Only countrylink trains go there.

Hello Kitty SG

go tasmania lah.

lagi slow ah.

soleachip SG

That's useful information. Thanks dude.

fymk SG

Check out GSR website anyways (www.gsr.com.au) if you still interested in the train trip. They are pretty good. They got some packages and car rentals stuff.

Just let me know if you want more info.

soleachip SG

Yep definitely, just one last question. When's the best time to visit central area?

Stoat SG

If you are still working and earning a respectable salary, 42% tax will make you sorry you ever migrated there fast. If you are planning to retire there, Australia is an extremely boring place. Think before you migrate, look before jumping. Smile

fymk SG

ORLY

42% tax only applies to those who do not declare their tax file number or are foreign workers.

You work in Australia before? Because I never seen my taxes eating up 42% of my pay since I came into Australia.

Australia can be boring if you stay in the wrong places i.e. outback.

fymk SG

Winter - June July August. It is cooler in those months and dry. Anything before May and after August - wet and very humid season although I cannot say the same for the desert , maybe in Darwin and the coastal areas of Northern Territories.

One way is to check out Alice Springs weather during that time since it is actually within the vicinity of Central Australia.

Stoat SG

Originally posted by fymk:

ORLY

[b]42% tax only applies to those who do not declare their tax file number or are foreign workers.

You work in Australia before? Because I never seen my taxes eating up 42% of my pay since I came into Australia.

Australia can be boring if you stay in the wrong places i.e. outback.

[/b]

Did you add all the "extra" things in? GST/VAT, medicare levies, social security/welfare taxes, etc... Wink

fymk SG

GST - 10% but not on fresh food or education or property.
Medicare levy - 1.5% of your total taxable income.

Income tax covers everything else. Property tax if you only have a 2nd house , principal residence no tax. Additional taxes which others might have is their education if they offset the cost to ATO but that is only taken if they hit a threshold (income >37k per annum) and again it is bracketed at how much they can take.

And usually I get to claim back some money from ATO. About 1-2k per financial year.

I don't mind medicare levy - I have to see the doctor and if he bulk bills - I don't need to pay a cent. If I end up in hospital - I still don't need to pay a cent. If I need blood tests and they bulk bill - I still don't need to pay a cent. And if I do need to fork up money upfront - I go and get it back from Medicare.
It's a fair system .

So anything else you would like to know?

Look Australia may not be for some people and it is definitely not perfect but until you actually work , live and pay the taxes here , then you will know how it is. Migration is not easy - not everyone can float into Australia and suddenly strike it rich.

Catknight SG

Hmm,,,does that mean you can’t migrate to OZland without skills or family there to sponsor you?

Catknight SG

I want a society that place people above $$$..
How many of us can be Bill gates or LI ka shing?

How can a society that caters only to top 10% able to forge a civilised nation?

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