Comments by "Teagirl009" (@Teagirl009) on "IWrocker"
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Both are great. It depends on what you're looking for. In terms of beautiful scenery and wonderful laid back people with a similar sense of humour and quality of life, population density etc they're both equal imo.
In terms of landscape diversity, Australia wins for me. We have thousands of beaches, tropical islands, ancient rainforests, snow capped mountains in winter, Red deserts & the outback. And deep ever revealing or evolving history of the world's oldest continuing living culture.
Some things get overlooked when saying "Australia is expensive" as a blanket statement.
Australia has the highest minimum wage in the world at $21.38 an hour. (Currently $15 USD).
Most wait staff/hospitality workers earn around 26-33 an hour for example. More on weekend or public holidays.
Canada is 12th on the min. wage list and the USA is way down on the list.
I've seen expat teachers coming over from the UK that say they are earning 40-50% more here. So even with some things costing a bit more they say they are still better off here.🤷♀️
If you're coming from the US and looking
At prices, remember you're not paying tax on top of the prices in stores, it's already been added. You're not paying 20% in tips everytime you eat out, catch a taxi or Uber or get a hair cut, or basically do... anything.
Your medications will be significantly cheaper here. For both prescription and OTC meds. And access to universal healthcare if you're a permanent resident.
Rent and housing can be quite expensive in and around major cities here for sure. You can fair better by exploring other options away from these areas though.
If I had to live somewhere else, I'd probably choose New Zealand. I personally kind of like being in the southern hemisphere and away from a lot of the choas. But if I had to pick somewhere in the Northern hemisphere, I'd pick Canada. 🙂
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Cob loaves are an old party/entertaining staple in Aus. There's endless filling options. If you ever feel like making. Heres just two ideas.
Mexican inspired cob
Toppings (optional)
Sour cream
Guacamole
Tasty cheese
Lime
Coriander
Corn chips
Cucumber and capsicum sticks
Salsa
2 large tomatoes
Bunch coriander
1 red onion
1 red capsicum
Filling
250g beef mince
1 brown onion finely diced
1tsp smoked paprika
1stp garlic powder
1 tin black beans
Step 1
To prepare your cob, start by slicing the lid off carefully. Once removed, pull out the filling of the cob so that there is plenty of room inside to add all of the meat and bean mixture. Set aside
Step 2
To make the salsa, dice the fresh ingredients and combine in a bowl with salt and lime juice to taste
Step 3
Heat 1tbs oil in a pan and add diced onion. Stir until translucent and then add the ground beef
Step 4
Once the beef has browned add the garlic powder, smoked paprika and the tin of drained and rinsed beans. Stir gently for 5-10 minutes or until all the meat is cooked through and the beans are warm
Step 5
Spoon the mince mixture into the cob and add grated cheese while the mince is still hot. Add the salsa and toppings to taste
Step 6
Optional: Lightly brush the discarded cob filling with butter and toast under grill until crisp!
Cheesy bacon cob.
1 cob loaf
4 bacon rashers, finely chopped
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
250g cream cheese, softened
300ml thickened cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups (180g) coarsely grated tasty cheddar
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Step 2
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and paprika and cook, stirring, for 5 mins until bacon is crisp and brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
Step 3
Heat oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 mins or until onion softens. Stir in two-thirds of the bacon. Remove from heat.
Step 4
Place the cream cheese, cream and mustard in a large bowl and stir until almost smooth (there will be some lumps). Add the onion mixture, half the spring onion and 11/4 cups (150g) of the cheddar and fold until combined.
Step 5
Use a serrated knife to cut 4cm from the top of the loaf. Remove the bread from the centre of the loaf, leaving a 2cm-thick shell. Tear the bread centre and lid into 3cm pieces. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the bread shell. Top with remaining cheddar. Place on the prepared tray and arrange the bread pieces around the loaf. Bake for 20 mins or until golden.
Step 6
Sprinkle with the reserved bacon, remaining spring onion and parsley to serve.
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So glad you did this one Ian🙂. I love their channel. I've watched quite a few of their videos, always so informative and so well done.
Re national parks entry, it varies from state to territory. Some states require permits for some parks (yes there's annual passes available), others don't require permits but may charge a small fee for camping for example. Others may charge vehicle entry but free for cyclists or on foot. But I'd say more are free than not free.
In Queensland - you do not need a permit for any of the national parks.
(Aside from vehicle permit for driving on K'gari/Fraser and Moreton ).
Camping fees do apply to some parks. And these are usually pretty affordable eg $28 for a family or $7 single person.
Qld also has the most relaxed drone rules. You can fly a drone in any Qld national park without a permit. Other states can be strict about drones in national parks.
Western Australia you will need a permit for entry into their national parks, so an annual pass there would be a definite saver if you're planning to explore WA.
In NSW - Park entry fees for vehicles apply at only 45 out of 870 national parks and reserves. And camping fees for some too.
Anyways you get the idea, I won't got through every state and territory 😆.
Bribie island is indeed lovely. And that ocean beach I have visited before and had all to myself. Same with the beach I used to live near in Sydney. I'd often be one of the only people there. There's always going to be crowded tourists beaches like Bondi, Coogee, surfer paradise on the gold coast etc. But there's also plenty of none crowded virtually empty beaches, especially on week days.
Aside from Bribie, some other Qld NAT parks I've visited - Moreton, Rainbow Beach, The GC hinterland - Lamington and O'riellys and Springbrook.
On the sunshine coast - glasshouse mountains nat park, noosa nat park, cooloola. Unfortunately I haven't been to any outback Qld parks or even to outback Qld at all. And definitely have a lot more up far north to see. Spent 14 years in Sydney and saw some amazing parks around there And greater NSW too.
Mate the state/territory tourism offices need to bring you guys here for a year on a working holiday visa, promoting Australia.😃
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