Moving to Australia

[toomuchcoffee]

Hello folks, I am a cook working near Vancouver, Canada. I've decided to work in Australia for a year, starting in November. I don't know too much about the food scene there, so I need you to help me out! Besides working in a town with good food, I need to be able to enjoy my time off as well. So, what places have good food, good outdoor activities, and interesting culture..

Where should I move?

Where should I work?

Thanks for your help, I'm counting on you!

[johnsmith45678]

You might want to watch A Cook's Tour - episodes Down Under and Mad Tony -- Bourdain visits Sydney, Melbourne and other places.

[Ylee]

What kind of restaurants are you looking to work in?

And what type of outdoor activities are you in to? ie. are you a beach person - if so, definitely come to Sydney.

[PCL]

Let's see.. what do you do dude?

Like skills? Cuisine? I mean, we're quite versatile in Australia, and it won't be difficult to find work as a cook. Literally in Melbourne at the moment there is a shortage. But please be more specific.

[toomuchcoffee]

Let's see.. what do you do dude?

Like skills? Cuisine? I mean, we're quite versatile in Australia, and it won't be difficult to find work as a cook. Literally in Melbourne at the moment there is a shortage. But please be more specific.

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Thanks for your responses...

Skills: Mostly pastry/desserts, Currently I'm running G/M and desserts for a resort/hotel. Being from the coast, I love working with fish too.. I seem to be more and more drifting in the pastry direction..

[toomuchcoffee]

What kind of restaurants are you looking to work in?

And what type of outdoor activities are you in to? ie. are you a beach person - if so, definitely come to Sydney.

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I'm looking to work in a smaller, higher-end place.. Not really interested in the large hotel scene.. I am a beach person, kayaking and surfing. Also I'm looking for good cycling.. Sydney, however, is too big for me.. I'm a small town guy..

Thanks,

-Ry

[Shinboners]

I'm looking to work in a smaller, higher-end place.. Not really interested in the large hotel scene.. I am a beach person, kayaking and surfing. Also I'm looking for good cycling..  Sydney, however, is too big for me.. I'm a small town guy..

Thanks,

-Ry

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I think you'll like Melbourne. We've got a very healthy food culture with plenty of restaurants that cover many different styles and price ranges, you're a couple of hours drive from Bells Beach for surfing, there are some good beaches away from the city, and there are plenty of cycling tracks around Melbourne - we even have bicycle lanes. I don't know about kayaking though.

If you search for an eGullet member who has the username "The Chefs Office", and get in touch with him, he may be able to link you up with a job. He's based in Sydney, but he'll probably have some good contacts in Melbourne.

[Shalmanese]

I've heard good things about Torquay and the Great Ocean Road area in Victoria. Lots of small, high end places catering to the tourist trade. Work is pretty seasonal but it sounds like a pastry chef with talent would be in high demand. The surfing there is world class. Maybe you could do Great Ocean Road in the summer and then work the snowfields in the winter or something.

edit: Another alternative might be the blue mountains which is far away enough from Sydney to have a small town feel while still having quite a few sophisticated, high end joints catering to city people in the know. Beaches are a bit far away though, about 2 hours by train.

Edited August 11, 2006 by Shalmanese (log)

[Shinboners]

edit: Another alternative might be the blue mountains which is far away enough from Sydney to have a small town feel while still having quite a few sophisticated, high end joints catering to city people in the know. Beaches are a bit far away though, about 2 hours by train.

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Somewhere along the coast might also work.

The areas around Newcastle would be good. He could work in the Hunter Valley and be close enough to the beaches in the Port Stephens area. That entire area is stunning.

[Tae.Lee]

or you could have a look at adelaide, there's a number of small places opening up down south [along the coastal fringes].. city chefs and hospitality people looking for a change.

beaches are 40 minutes away from the city anyway, or an hour/2 hours from the wine regions..

[Shinboners]

Another place to consider is the Magaret River region over in Western Australia (I think it's a couple of hours to the south of Perth). They have a strong wine and food culture and the surfing is supposed to be excellent.

[DJOblong]

I could also recommend living on the northern beaches of Sydney - it feels like you are a lot further out of the city than your really are. There are a limited number of fine dining restaurants in that neck of the woods but let's face it where else are you going to find the surf/restaurant combination better than in Sydney?

[PCL]

....Getting homesick here... I'm currently running around SE Asia and Europe... been eating my way thru Italy, Indonesia, and Hong Kong... but like the song goes...

Anyways.. I reckon Melbourne's got the vote here... we're real!!!

[Maliaty]

I second the northern beaches of Sydney - particularly Avalon. It used to be just a surf spot, now it has restaurants, cafes, delis etc.

Alternatively, there are some great places on the Sunshine Coast up in Queensland, around Noosa - Caloundra. Great surf, sun, great produce and smaller town feel.

http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/

No offence, Melbournians, but Melbourne's not exactly a small place either! It's got a great food scene, but I'm not sure what it's "real" about!!

Edited to say that Canberra (our inland capital) is great for bike riding and has a decent amount of high end restaurants, but it's a bit of a schlep to get to the beach - at least a couple of hours in a car.

Cheers

Maliaty

Edited August 16, 2006 by Maliaty (log)

[Cadbury]

I'm looking to work in a smaller, higher-end place.. Not really interested in the large hotel scene.. I am a beach person, kayaking and surfing. Also I'm looking for good cycling..  Sydney, however, is too big for me.. I'm a small town guy..

Thanks,

-Ry

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Perhaps a definition of small might help? Small town to me might not be small town to you.

[annachan]

I just came back fom Australia yesterday. After having been to Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, Melbourne gets my vote. My husband and I are also seriously considering relocating there. To us, Melbourne is the most like San Francisco, in terms of weather, diversity and the food scene. The central business district also reminds us of Hong Kong. Personally, I didn't find Melbourne to have a "big city" feel to it, like New York City.

We have yet to visit Sydney, but have been told it's like a bigger version of Melbourne. The only "problem" we would have with Sydney, based of what we've been told, is that it's quite expensive to live there. We don't really want to move from a place in which we can't afford a home to another that we would face the same problem. Again, this is what we've been told, so if it isn't accurate, please let me know.

We had some amazing food at Urbane in Brisbane. The chef is said to have worked at French Laundry and Per Se. Though this one restaurant was excellent, I didn't feel that the restaurant scene here is as established as the one in Melbourne. This may or may not be good for you. One thing I cannot stand about Brisbane is the weather, way, way too hot for me.

As for Adelaide, the food scene was a bite behind than the other two cities. We visited the Barossa Valley (wine country) and there's really not much there. Because we're visiting during the week, locating a restaurant that's open for dinner was difficult. Loved the B&Bs there, but that was about it.

We did not have much time there so we did only see limited part of each cities. So I love to hear some more inputs from the locals. Love Australia, by the way.

[Pat Churchill]

We shifted to Melbourne from New Zealand a year ago and I love it here. The food scene is terrific. In that year I've had only one bad restaurant meal. We frequently go for a drive at the weekend and we've found some great places within say 90 minutes of the CBD. It's a pleasure for us to take Kiwi visitors out for a run and show them some of the places we've discovered that they wouldn't otherwise see as "tourists".

Another bonus - it's easy to get around on the trams. I wouldn't bother taking my car into the city.

Check out the Out and About section on my website for a look at a few of the places in Victoria we've visited - http://www.cookingdownunder.com/outabout/out&about.htm

We've also found the locals very friendly. You should have seen them in action during the Commonwealth Games helping visitors find their way round, suggesting places to visit. 10 out of 10 to them!

[toomuchcoffee]

Hello folks,

Sorry for the delays in getting back. I've been busy with the last week of summer up here, and I've sold my house to prepare for the voyage..

So far, Melbourne and Adelaide are getting my interest.. Perth was of interest before I really started looking into it all. I hear Perth and Adelaide are affordable to live in, but are there many good restauants/pastry shops/bakeries there?

At this point I guess I'm looking for specific names of places, so I can get my resume out there..

Thanks so much for all your help, I can't wait to go!

-Ry

[Pat Churchill]

Check out http://www.melbournerestaurants.com.au/ and also go to http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/epicure/ where you can check out restaurant reviews and also get a feel for the local food scene. Look at the "Show all restaurants" link in the "Find a restaurant" box on the Epicure page.

Cheers

Edited September 3, 2006 by Pat Churchill (log)

[toomuchcoffee]

Thanks for the info again.. There's quite a few stand out restaurants in Melbourne! I'm starting to lean that direction.

One question.. What can a cook expect to make in Melbourne? Right now, I'm making about $19Aus.. Can I hope to make about the same?

Thanks,

Ry

[annachan]

So far, Melbourne and Adelaide are getting my interest.. Perth was of interest before I really started looking into it all. I hear Perth and Adelaide are affordable to live in, but are there many good restauants/pastry shops/bakeries there?

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If you're used to Vancouver's food scene, you'll probably be disappointed with Adelaide.

[PCL]

Thanks for the info again.. There's quite a few stand out restaurants in Melbourne! I'm starting to lean that direction.

One question.. What can a cook expect to make in Melbourne? Right now, I'm making about $19Aus.. Can I hope to make about the same?

Thanks,

Ry

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That's $19/hour right? Should be okay in a restaurant...

[Tae.Lee]

btw, what exactly is a 'food scene'?

i guess it doesn't include producers and people who love and are passionate about fresh local food, cause there seem to be a lot of them around here [in Adelaide that is].

you just won't generally find them unless you know where to look..

haha i'm just being facetious.. you're probably right about Adelaide in relation to other cities [melbourne is a great city [to visit! hah ]..

but seriously, if you dig a bit, there are good people and places here, especially, as i mentioned earlier, things are growing down the coasts, particularly the aldinga, pt willunga area..

as i'm not in the 'industry' i wouldn't know the going rates etc but adelaide is generally cheaper to live in than the eastern states..

plus there is great surfing [1.5 to 3.5 hours from city] which sounds like it could be a major factor for you..

good luck in your search!

[Cedreena]

I second the northern beaches of Sydney - particularly Avalon. It used to be just a surf spot, now it has restaurants, cafes, delis etc.

Alternatively, there are some great places on the Sunshine Coast up in Queensland, around Noosa - Caloundra. Great surf, sun, great produce and smaller town feel.

http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/

No offence, Melbournians, but Melbourne's not exactly a small place either! It's got a great food scene, but I'm not sure what it's "real" about!!

Edited to say that Canberra (our inland capital) is great for bike riding and has a decent amount of high end restaurants, but it's a bit of a schlep to get to the beach - at least a couple of hours in a car.

Cheers

Maliaty

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Have to agree with you about Northern Beaches. I lived there for 27 years, Avalon, Manly, Narabeen, Newport etc. etc. and the area has some great restaurants. One in particular the Surf Rider which is a motel at Dee Why, their Restaurant is superb and the red wines they have there mmmm not the usual run of the mill. Another restaurant, the Boatshed at Narrabeen, divine seafood. One up the Hawksbury, I can't remember it's name you can only get to it by boat, they are good and always booked out at the weekend.

There are many many more in that area.

We always said it was like living in a different world once you'd driven round all the "bends" to get to Avalon.

Tasmania would be a good place for him to try too, beaches to die for and a very good food scene.

[Cedreena]

Hello folks,

Sorry for the delays in getting back. I've been busy with the last week of summer up here, and I've sold my house to prepare for the voyage..

So far, Melbourne and Adelaide are getting my interest.. Perth was of interest before I really started looking into it all. I hear Perth and Adelaide are affordable to live in, but are there many good restauants/pastry shops/bakeries there?

At this point I guess I'm looking for specific names of places, so I can get my resume out there..

Thanks so much for all your help, I can't wait to go!

-Ry

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Do please check out Hobart, Tasmania.