Visa for Australia

[obiwan]

hey i remember you for when i visited the canada thread....yes brisbane sucks when its summer (which is now)...fortunately the rest of the year cools down....the weather becomes similar to southern california...

make sure to check the gold coast..

its funny that americans need a visa to go to oz but aussies dont need a visa to the US

[heymikey]

Yeah, I'll be checking out Surfers either this weekend or next weekend for sure.

As for the visa, yeah it sucks. But then again, with only AUD20 and you get a multiple entry visa for 1 year with stays up to 3 months at a time and no wait time, it's not that bad. It would be nice though if there wasn't a visa needed in the first place.

[crocopie]

Totoo ba maraming ligaw na giant spiders at ahas sa mga kuwarto nila?

[monsterboy]

I just arrived in Brisbane on Saturday and will be staying here until the 2nd week of May. So far I'm liking it but I miss home. The humidity is quite annoying and it's somewhat breaking me out. Plus, some stuff seems quite expensive compared to Canada even taking into account the exchange rate. And the Australian accent sometimes is hard to understand although I'm sure I'll get used to it.
Given the opportunity, I probably wouldn't uproot here.

As for the visa, I applied for an ETA online and it took only about 5 seconds to process although it's only for a select group of nationalities.

Supposedly, I should be used to tropical weather. However, if you're coming from Sydney/Melbourne, the humidity in Brisbane is quite noticeable.

I'd love to have my family start in Aus, they have great facilities for kids, but in the long term, most probably not.

[obiwan]

Supposedly, I should be used to tropical weather. However, if you're coming from Sydney/Melbourne, the humidity in Brisbane is quite noticeable.

I'd love to have my family start in Aus, they have great facilities for kids, but in the long term, most probably not.

i see what you mean, yes it is great to live there for maybe 3-5 years just to experience it, let the kids live in a different culture with excellent outdoor life, but i am still thinking twice about making it a lifelong place to live....

[maytibaks]

hello hey mikey have u tried staying at surfers?i read from ur previous post kasi ure checking out surfers..which is better island backpackers resort or surf n sun?im confused between the 2 kasi i read a lot of reviews and both are quite good..il be going to gold coast although may pa naman..

[west]

I've had no problems. I recently applied for my fourth visa with them. IMO, I think mas madali if you have a letter of invite from someone who already is in AU

I love AU! Sydney is one of my fave cities in the world!

[heymikey]

hello hey mikey have u tried staying at surfers?i read from ur previous post kasi ure checking out surfers..which is better island backpackers resort or surf n sun?im confused between the 2 kasi i read a lot of reviews and both are quite good..il be going to gold coast although may pa naman..

I wasn't able to go last weekend but I have already booked reservations to stay at Islander Backpackers. I'll be going on Friday after work and come back to Brissy on Sunday night. I'm excited to take some surfing lessons. Yay!

[lite_blue_f]

I have a long standing invitation from my uncle in NSW. Plan to go there in September or October for 2 weeks. Any tips for a budget travel? Thanks in advance.

[heymikey]

hello hey mikey have u tried staying at surfers?i read from ur previous post kasi ure checking out surfers..which is better island backpackers resort or surf n sun?im confused between the 2 kasi i read a lot of reviews and both are quite good..il be going to gold coast although may pa naman..

I forgot to get back to you. Sorry. Anyway, I can't compare between the two since I have not been to surf n sun, but I would recommend Islander mostly for the location alone. It's right beside the transit centre and bus stop to the train station (Nerang if you are coming from Brisbane). It's a block away from that pedestrian mall where most the restaurants and shops are located. And it's also a block away from the beach. The pool is a little bit small but their hot tub / spa is not too bad.

I have a long standing invitation from my uncle in NSW. Plan to go there in September or October for 2 weeks. Any tips for a budget travel? Thanks in advance.

If you will be in Sydney for at least 3 days or more, grab a TravelPass for zone 2 which will be valid on trains, buses, and ferries (including to Manly). If you want to tour the opera house, book it online so you get a discount. If you're on a tight budget, don't bother climbing the harbour bridge (which costs $200). Instead, you can walk across it for free, and climb up the Pylon Lookout for less than $10. The views are pretty much the same but different elevation. One of the best views of the opera house and the bridge is at Mrs Macquarie's Chair in the botanical gardens. Walk around Darling Harbour, The Rocks, and Macquarie street, then party it up at King's Cross and Darlinghurst.

[heymikey]

Oh, and I forgot. One of the best things to do in Manly and Bondi Beach that does not cost a cent is doing the scenic walks. From Manly wharf, there is a pathway overlooking the harbour (grab a map from the visitor centre). Same thing with Bondi. From Bondi Beach, you can hike down to Tamarama beach, then down to Bronte beach, and if you have the time, down to Coogee Beach. The walk is very scenic since you will be passing through rocky cliffs overlooking the pacific ocean.

[gonefishing]

depende case to case basis yan, depende nanaman sa circumstances niyo, if you can prove that you have a strong ties dito then makakakuha kayo but kung hinde eh di denied...

mahirap sabiihn kung madali or hinde, ako sasabihin ko sobrang bilis lang..ewan ko sa iba..so subjective

personally I already have five Visas from them and went there a couple of times..yun isang visa ko hinde ko pa nga nagamit eh..

[prEttyNdisTress]

will having a US Visa increase one's chances of getting an Aussie visa?

If you have a US Visa, anywhere is almost possible to go...as long as you have the moolah! hahaha....

[knn]

Supposedly, I should be used to tropical weather. However, if you're coming from Sydney/Melbourne, the humidity in Brisbane is quite noticeable.

I'd love to have my family start in Aus, they have great facilities for kids, but in the long term, most probably not.

I lived in Australia a quarter of my life. Great place really, multicultural city. Beautiful city. FREE education with government allowance. Cheap food...best experience of my life.

[knn]

how did you guys like australia?

given the opportunity, would you uproot yourself and family to live there?

YES definitely. I miss Australia so much..that country gave me lots of happy memories.

[joannatorres]

what's the best theme park sa gold coast ?

[heymikey]

what's the best theme park sa gold coast ?

I've only been to DreamWorld and it's not bad. Just don't expect the same quality in terms of rides and detailed themes at Universal Studios. I was planning on going to WB MovieWorld but decided to go to DreamWorld instead because they have more rides. A co-worker of mine went to SeaWorld and she was disappointed saying that it wasn't worth $66. I will be visiting Wet N Wild in 2 weeks so I will let you know what I think of it.
Visit the MyFun website for more info on WB MovieWorld, SeaWorld, and Wet N Wild.

[obiwan]

what's the best theme park sa gold coast ?

those with kids always like sea world...

check their websites so you can see which has the attractions that you prefer...

kids, teens, oldies always have different preferencess...

[obiwan]

I lived in Australia a quarter of my life. Great place really, multicultural city. Beautiful city. FREE education with government allowance. Cheap food...best experience of my life.

agree with all of the above...BUT

food isnt cheap anymore, unless you are comparing to countries like switzerland....

[maytibaks]

obiwan: how much kaya budget for food in one day so at least i can have a rough estimate of my expenses there.no problem with transportation kasi im fairly used to walking long distances ;-) and im talking on a budget talaga na pagkain;-)

hey mikey: thanks for updating me ;-)..is surf n sun really a seconds walk away from the beach?tha's what im after kasi of the place, although i think based on what i browsed sa net islander is more decent and family place talaga.kasama ko pa parents ko which is in their early 50's, baka d nila masakyan ingay ng mga hostels doon ;-)

and lastly is it true that australians are very discriminating people?nabasa ko lang din..and it will be my first sa non asian country so medyo may kaba when it comes to racism..or maybe im just being paranoid;-) any incident like that happened to you?