Internet Info 1994 March/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (March 1994).iso/answers/soc/australian-faq/part1

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Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!nic.hookup.net!swrinde!sgiblab!brunix!aen
From: [e-mail] (Ann Nicholson)
Subject: soc.culture.australian FAQ (Part 1 of 2) (monthly posting)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: soc.culture.australian
Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked
          Questions (and their answers) on soc.culture.australian,
          mainly information about Australia, including studying
          in Australia, immigration, songs, recipes, where to
          find Australian things overseas, and so on. It should be
          read by anyone who wishes to post to the soc.culture.australian
          newsgroup.
Sender: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail] (s.c.a. FAQ maintainer)
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 1994 16:51:32 GMT
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Archive-name: australian-faq/part1
Last-modified: 4 Feb 1993
Version: 1.1

Contents:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PART I (this posting)
1. About soc.culture.australian
2. How to find Australians, Australia Information
  2.1 on the net
  2.2 elsewhere
3. Studying in Australia
  3.1 Postgraduate Study
  3.2 Miscellaneous Questions
  3.3 "Classification" of Australian Universities
  3.4 Addresses of Australian Universities
4. Coming to Australia
  4.1 Immigration Addresses
  4.2 Immigration Criteria
    4.2.1. Getting a Job in Australia
    4.2.2. Academic Addresses
  4.2.3 Immigration Points System
  4.3 Quarantine
  4.4 Standards
  4.5 Prices
  4.6 Cars
  4.7 Shipping Information
  4.8 Spouse/fiance(e) immigration
  4.9 Re children
  4.10 Housing
  4.11 Public Transport
  4.12 Roads
  4.13 Shopping Hours
  4.14 Crime
5. For Australians Overseas
  5.1 Radio Australia
  5.2 Public access sites
  5.3 Newspapers:
  5.4 Australiana in the USA
  5.5 Video Conversion
  5.6 Expatriate organisation

PART II (separate posting)
6. Information about Australia
  6.1 Australian (Dual) Citizenship
  6.2 Political System; Current governments
  6.3 National Holidays
  6.4 Geographic Facts and other statistics
        - including weather reports via ftp and gopher
  6.5 Sport
  6.6 Travel
       - Answers to Questions
       - A view on Travel in Australia
  6.7 Health Care
  6.8 Miscellaneous
        - spelling of Sydney
        - Tasmanian aborigines (who was Truganinni?)
        - What is Mabo?
        - Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian Tigers
        - Australian Flag
        - Why is Australia called Australia?
        - What is the source of ".oz" in internet addresses
        - Viller-Bretonneuve
        - What visas do you need for France?
        - What is vegemite?
        - skin cancer
7. Culture
  7.1 Songs
    - "Waltzing Matilda", by Banjo Paterson
                (3 versions :-)
    - "Advance Australia Fair", National Anthem
  7.2 Recipes and food
  7.3 Language
        - pronounciation of "Aussie"
        - origin of "Pom"
  7.4 National heroes
  7.5 Literature
        7.5.1 Fiction
        7.5.2 Poetry
    - "My Country" by Dorothea McKellar
    - "The Man From Snow River" by A.B. (Banjo) Paterson
        7.5.3 Children's Literature
        7.5.4 Non-Fiction
  7.6 Films
8. Contributors

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1. ABOUT SOC.CULTURE.AUSTRALIAN

The soc.culture.australian newsgroup was established in November
1990, thanks largely to Ann Nicholson's persistent efforts.  It
is devoted to the discussion of all aspects of Australian
culture.  Brad Alexander ([e-mail]) posts a
weekly "oznews" current affairs digest. Iain Sinclair put
together the first FAQ for this group.

There are many other related newsgroups.  If your article is more
appropriate for another newsgroup, please post it there first --
you'll get the audience you're looking for.

news.announce.newusers        general netiquette
rec.travel            what to see, when to go, how much, etc.
soc.net-people            \ where to find Australians on the net
aus.wanted            /
misc.jobs.resumes        \ job-hunting
aus.jobs            /
talk.politics.guns        all traffic about gun-related issues
rec.sport.football.australian   \
rec.sport.cricket*        | sport results, chest-beating, etc.
aus.sport            /
soc.culture.new-zealand        New Zealand life, culture, etc.
aus.politics                    \
aus.music                       |
aus.culture.ultimo        | Australian life, culture, etc.
aus.films                       |
aus.tv                          /

If you're unable to post to or read the aus hierarchy, talk to
your system administrator about getting a feed. Since many people
cannot get a feed for the aus hierarchy, cross-postings to s.c.a.
and aus.* are welcome.

2. HOW TO FIND AUSTRALIANS, AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION

2.1 Addresses on the Net

* Currently about 30 academic institutions in Australia offer
Gopher servers. If you have access to gopher you can use these
servers to examine local email directories. Unfortunately this
facility appears to be restricted to educational institutions,
there's nothing available in the .com.au hierarchy.  [2/93, CP]

* For organizations, it's best to use nslookup (read the manual
pages first).  Example session:
    % nslookup
    > server aarnet.edu.au
    > ls edu.au
    [...]
There's also the information posted in comp.mail.maps
occasionally -- most of it is dated, but some of it might be
helpful.

* For people, mail to [e-mail] with "send
usenet-addresses/[name]" in the body of the message.  If [name]
has posted to Usenet in the last few months, the mail server will
send back a list of matches.  Otherwise, try:
    telnet bruno.cs.colorado.edu, login as netfind.
    telnet NIC.DDN.MIL, login as whois.
(Not very useful -- user has to explicitly register with the server.)

* Another resource which is slowly being developed is the X.500
directory system. Gateways into this system can be found on many
gopher servers both within and outside Australia (e.g. there is
one accessible fromn the gopher at Monash university). The system
currently contains address information for about 80 commercial,
academic and scientific organisations.

* There is now an Australiana Gopher open in Canada, maintained
by Tim Little ([e-mail]).

Name=MegaGopher, Type=1, Port=70, Path=, Host=megasun.bch.umontreal.ca
Stuff of interest on the MegaGopher includes:
- Current and Back issues of Oz News (onya Brad!)
- Links to Other OzGophers
- Oz Sports news (footy, cricket and Motorcycle racing)
- Interesting Oz Stats
- Latest FAQ

Tim writes: "My collection is small but growing and it's
definitely worth a perusal!  If you have any interesting Oz
information you want to see on the gopher, please let me know."

* GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA

The Guide is a hypermedia (= hypertext + multimedia) book that draws
together a comprehensive range of up-to-date information about
Australia. It available on-line via World Wide Web at this URL:

http://life.anu.edu.au:80/education/australia.html

The Guide distills information available on the Web into an organized
collection of pointers to useful information, such as:
- Statistics about Australia and the surrounding region;
- Interactive maps
- Current weather forecasts and satallite images
- The environment, including flora and fauna
- Direct links to all Australian Web and Gopher services
- Postcodes and telephone information
- Travel advice
- General information about Australian society and culture

The editors are: David G. Green ([e-mail]),
                 Jim Croft      ([e-mail]).

* Weather information is available via telnet and gopher; see
section 6.4

* Information on extinct, endangered, and vulnerable species
available from the Environmental Resources Information Network
gopher at ANU.

2.2 Other Addresses

* Most reasonable libraries should stock the "College Collection
on Microfiche", which contains copies of faculty
handbooks/catalogs from Australian Universities and Colleges of
Advanced Education.  Large libraries should also have copies of
recent Australian telephone books.

* There is also an English(?) publication, the "Commonwealth
Universities Yearbook", that has summaries of the programs and
staff of Australian and other Commonwealth universities.  This
appears to be a standard reference and widely available.

* If you need to get in touch with someone pretty dramatically,
try sending a wild fax to 'Tonight Live' (a poor 'Letterman'
clone, [phone]).

* The address of the Australian Computer Society is:
    Australian Computer Society     Tel: [phone]
    National Office                 Fax: [phone]
    PO Box 319
    Darlinghurst
    NSW 2010

The Australian Computer Society national office is now on-line: [JL]

Chief Executive Officer:       [e-mail]
Business Manager:                 [e-mail]
Overseas Membership:             [e-mail]
PA to the CEO:                  [e-mail]
Examination Coordinator:      [e-mail]
Membership Data Maintenance:     [e-mail]
National Conference Manager:     [e-mail]
National Membership Manager:    [e-mail]

(Originally Posted by Tom Worthington, Director of the Community
Affairs Board Australian Computer Society Inc., e-mail:
[e-mail] 7/22/93)

3. STUDY IN AUSTRALIA (updated April '93 by CP)

A few general points: the academic year in Australian
universities usually runs from about March 1 to November 1 with
an examination term in November. Applications for undergraduate
programs are usually made through a centralised organisation in
each state.  International students wishing to study in Australia
should check with the nearest Australian embassy on where and
when to send their applications.  Offers of places are usually
made in late January and early February.  The costs of attending
Australian Universities include the Higher Education Contribution
Scheme (HECS) charge (Graduate tax) and a student services fee.
The student services fees vary from university to university (at
major universities its around $300 +/- $75) but the HECS
contribution (about $2300/year) is set by the federal government
and is the same for all universities. Payment of the HECS
contribution can be deferred until after graduation, however if
its paid up front there is a discount of 15%, otherwise it is
repaid as a surcharge on individual income tax. Nominally it
should cost you the same (for tuition/HECS) to get a B.Sc. in
Brisbane as in Perth.

Foreign students are not subject to the HECS but instead are
subject to an annual tuition fee (the equivalent of out-of-state
tuition in the US) charged by the university [JB], half of which
has to be paid before a visa is granted (note that students in
exchange programs may be exempt from this fee). The fee varies
with the university and the degree program and is on the order
of A$10-15,000 p.a. depending on degree program (Medical, dental
and veterinary programs are more: A$20-25,000 p.a.)  Foreign
students are also required to purchase private health insurance,
which currently costs ~$350 p.a.  Foreign students are permitted
to take part time employment up to 20 hours per week during the
semester and full time during vacations.

Degree programs in Australian universities show greater
similarity to British degree programs than to American ones.
Thus, even before they start an undergraduate degree, Australian
students have to choose what general field they wish to get their
degree in. In addition to science (B.Sc.), arts and humanities
(B.A.), commerce (B.Comm.) and engineering (B.E.), these fields
include professional training which is usually only available at
the graduate level in the US (e.g. Law, Medicine, Dentistry,
Veterinary Science).  As a general rule there are no "breadth"
requirements, indeed science students may not be able to take
more than 1 or 2 arts courses (liberal arts and humanities) and
vice versa. In general, ordinary degrees in arts (B.A.), science
(B.Sc.), and commerce (B.Comm.)  require 3 years of full time
study.  Honours degrees in these areas usually require an extra
years study and the preparation of a small thesis. An honours
degree is normally required for admission to graduate study.
Students without an honours degree may be required to complete a
"masters preliminary year" before being admitted to graduate
programs (masters programs in administration seem to be an
exception). In the case of degree programs which are normally
four years (e.g.agriculture, forestry, engineering) an honours
degree is obtained by completing extra work and receiving high
grades in core classes.

While Australian universities do participate in local and
intervarsity sporting competitions such competition is pretty low
key and there is nothing like the big-bucks semi-professional
athletic programs one sees in the US. Athletic scholarships are
unheard of.

In general, Australian universities are commuter universities.
The vast majority of undergraduates live at home while doing
their degrees, although many share housing in suburbs close to
their university or live in residence halls or residential
colleges.  Students tend not to go interstate for undergraduate
study, and even at the graduate level their is very little
incentive to relocate to another city or even another university:
most do their graduate work at the same institution they did
their undergraduate work at.

3.1 Postgraduate Study

I don't know how universal my experience was (I did a MSc in
biochemistry) but my experience was that people admitted into MSc
or PhD programs in Australia were admitted to work with a
specific supervisor, i.e. the decision to take on a particular
person as a grad student rested with the specific supervisor that
the student wanted to work with. This is very different from the
situation in the US where students are usually admitted to a
department and spend a year or two taking classes and finding a
supervisor/advisor to work with. In general, Australian PhD
programs don't involve any course work. Partly because of this
their "usual" duration is about 3 years and their maximum
duration is usually 4 years (cf 5 and 8 years in the US!!!!).

Another thing which is different between graduate programs in the
two countries is the way students are supported. In Australia
most of the scholarship support for graduate students comes
directly from the federal government, foreigners are not eligible
for these scholarships. Some postgraduate scholarships are
offered by the universities themselves and by charitable research
foundations (eg National Heart Foundation), these are the only
ones that foreigners are eligible for!!! In the US most graduate
student support is channeled through the universities.  There are
a few federally funded fellowships that are similar to the old
CPRA's, but only a VERY few!  Most of the students in the
sciences get their stipends from their supervisor's research
grants, or from federal training grants administered by the
institutions.  Alternatively they may serve as teaching
assistants (the main source of funds for humanities grad
students).

3.2 Miscellaneous Questions

Q. Can I assume that a degree from a UC, IT or CAE carries just as
much weight as a degree from a University?
A. (1) To be frank, no, but the difference is a lot less than it
is between various universities in the US. The main quality
difference is in the undergraduate degrees; an EE degree from
Monash is very theoretical, whereas one from RMIT is more
practical. This is not to say one is "better"; some employers
prefer one approach, others the other.
(2) A PhD from anywhere in Australia is equally-regarded.  (BTW,
most ITs and CAEs have now been merged with or converted into
universities.)  [JB]
(3) [RA] adds: I wouldn't be so sure.  For people looking for
academic employment, I suspect that in most disciplines, certain
supervisors and/or departments are a lot more highly regarded
than others.  I imagine the same thing applies for Ph.D.s looking
for jobs outside academia, as well.  This is really very similar
to the U.S.--except for a very few institutions there, which are
in the lucky position of being highly prestigious in most fields,
the quality and saleability of a Ph.D. depends more on the
department and/or supervisor than on the institution.  This is
something that anyone contemplating a Ph.D. should think about
carefully, though, as it is a hell of a lot of time to invest if
you aren't going to get a good degree.

Q. Is there an accrediting agency for MBA programmes (in the
U.S., business schools are accredited by a nation-wide body
called AASCB).  Should I even be looking for a parallel?
A. No. Each state accredits the universities and degrees, then
the Federal Govt (which funds them) keeps an eye on things.
Australia really does not suffer from the shonky
mailing_box_university problem that exists in the US.

Q.  Is there higher prestige attached to certain Aussie MBA
programmes?  (If this concept has no place in Aussie culture, I
apologise. I have only experienced the U.S. educational system.
I, therefore, constantly try to find a parallel. Here in the
U.S., degrees from certain schools are very highly regarded ...
like Stanford, Harvard, Univ. Chicago ...)
A. Same here. The two highest-rated in Australia are the
Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of
NSW, and the University of Melbourne Graduate School of
Management. The others are of varying quality, but all quite good
by world standards.

3.3 "Classification" of Australian Universities (Ian Doust)

I thought that it might be more useful for those unfamiliar with
the Australian Higher Education Scene to try and classify the
institutions according to their history and aims in life.  I have
tried to keep my personal biases out of the short descriptions,
but they will no doubt show through.  I have also probably left a
couple of the smaller institutions off the list - with the rate
of amalgamations and institutional divorces, it is hard to keep
track off all of them (for example there may now be a University
of Northern Rivers, which resulted from U.N.E. breaking up).  The
order of the classes is NOT meant to indicate any ranking of the
universities.  A very good source of information about these
institutions is the essay in the Commonwealth Universities
Handbook, which unfortunately I don't have handy to check on all
my details!  Let me then apologize to anyone I have left out or
misrepresented in the list below.

To give you some idea of sizes,    the largest Australian
universities, (Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, New South Wales,
Monash) have 20,000+ students. Government policy makes it
undesirable for institutions to have less than 5,000 students.

Ian ([e-mail])
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Class 1.  The large old institutions in the big cities.  I think
all founded pre WWI, these institutions offer a full range of
courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, including
medical and legal degrees, and large research programs.  Whether
deserved or otherwise, these universities still carry more
prestige than others in their state.

* Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide, Western Australia.

Class 1a.  Old, like class 1, but in a much smaller city,
somewhat limiting its development.

* Tasmania
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Class 2.  Large post WWII universities.  Originally looked down
on a little (although the standards weren't questioned [JB])
these institutions are now very similar to those of class 1.
With those of class 1, these institutions take the lion's share
of government research money and the good students.

* New South Wales, Monash

Class 2a.  The Australian National University was set up after
WWII to offer more postgraduate education in Australia (while
many universities had PhDs, they were nothing like as popular as
they are now [JB]).  Although it now teaches undergraduates as
well, it is still the home of the Institute for Advanced Study,
which is devoted to postgraduate education and research. It's
range of courses is more limited than those of U.N.S.W. and
Monash.

* A.N.U.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Class 3.  1960s-1970s suburban universities.  These were set up
to cater for the rapid expansion in higher education in Australia
that took place at this time.  As befitted the period, they were
often set up with unconventional academic structures (stressing
multidisciplinary courses for example), and with some programs
not offered elsewhere. Designed to be teaching and research
institutions, their full development is perhaps hampered by the
difficulty they have in attracting very good students away from
the universities in classes 1 and 2.

* Macquarie, La Trobe, Flinders, Griffith, Murdoch

Class 3a. Regional universities of about the same age.  Usually
beginning as sponsored colleges of one of the institutions from
classes 1 or 2. Perhaps more conventional than those in class 3,
but otherwise having similar strengths and weaknesses, and
broadly comparable on the prestige scales.

* Newcastle, Wollongong, New England, James Cook, Deakin
(Deakin was a bit different, in that it was a CAE (Gordon IT)
which was converted [JB]).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Class 4.  Institutes of Technology.  Although most of these
institutions have now changed their names to "university", they
began by offering undergraduate education of a more applied
nature than the traditional universities.  They gradually
developed postgraduate courses and research programs to a
sufficient extent that the distinction (in particular with
respect to research funding) between these institutions and the
"lesser" universities was difficult to sustain.  Although these
are now rather large and broad institutions, they are still
somewhat different in their aims to those of classes 1, 2 and 3.

* Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, University of Technology
  Sydney (was N.S.W.I.T.), Curtin University of Technology (W.A.I.T),
  University of South Australia (S.A.I.T.), Queensland University of
  Technolgy (Q.I.T. and BCAE) Victoria University of Technology
  (was Footscray I.T.), Swinburne University of Technology (was
  Swinburne I of T)
  (old 4a class amalgamated with 4 based on info from [JB])
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Class 5.  Former Colleges of Advanced Education.  Originally set
up as undergraduate institutions, offering a limited range of
courses, such as teacher training, nursing, accounting etc.  In
the Dawkins era (mid-late 1980s), these were "encouraged" to band
together to form larger (but often quite geographically
dispersed) institutions, so that they could get a bigger share of
the funding pie.  Despite their change of status, they are
probably destined to remain as essentially undergraduate teaching
institutions for the forseeable future.

* Edith Cowan, Charles Sturt, Western Sydney, Canberra, Southern
  Queensland, Central Queensland, Ballarat University College, Northern
  Territory (perhaps misplaced here...it's geographical position makes it
  a bit of a special case).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Class 6.  Private Universities and Universities with Religious
Affiliations.  During the late 1980's private universities made
their first appearance (all the above institutions are government
funded).  The loudest of these in announcing its arrival was Bond
University, in Queensland.  There still seems to be a degree of
resistance to private institutions in Australia - it is too early
to tell how successful they will be.  Mainly funding
considerations dictate that these universities offer only a
limited range of courses.

* Bond, Notre Dame, Australian Catholic University (although perhaps
  this belongs in class 5)

3.4 Addresses of Australian Universities

At present there are very few university administrators using the
net.  You're unlikely to have much success in trying to contact
university registrars and vice-chancellors by email! You're much
better of sending a letter by regular mail. Remember to pay for
airmail postage if sending the letter from outside Australia!!!!
Also remember that letters sent between mid-December and
mid-February are likely to get fairly slow responses.

If you're trying to find an email address for a student please
realise that net access is still fairly restricted in Australia
and the great majority of students do NOT have net access. This
situation is changing slowly, but at present those who are most
likely to have net access are in the sciences (particularly
maths, physics, and computer science) and engineering.

Here are some regular mail addresses of Australian universities,
together with the institutional internet domain names:

Australian Catholic University                     acu.edu.au
Christ Campus
PO Box 213
Oakleigh Victoria 3166

Australian Institute of Marine Science        [e-mail]
Cape Ferguson, Queensland, Australia
Mailing Address: PMB No.3, Townsville MC, Q 4810
Ph: 077 789211,
Fax:    [phone]
Telex:    AA47165
Cable:    MARINESCI TOWNSVILLE

Australian National University,
GPO Box 4,
Canberra, ACT 2601                    anu.edu.au

Bond University
Private Bag 10,
Gold Coast Mail Centre,
Queensland 4217                         bu.oz.au

Charles Sturt University (Includes former Mitchell CAE and
Riverina-Murray Panorama Avenue         Inst of Higher Ed.)
Bathurst NSW  7795                     csu.edu.au

Curtin University    (Former WAIT)
GPO Box U 1987,
Perth, WA 6001                         curtin.edu.au

Deakin University    (Includes former Victoria College (Rusden, Toorak,
Geelong, Victoria 3217   Burwood) and Warrnambool CAE)  deakin.oz.au

Edith Cowan University  (Formerly WA CAE)
Pearson St,
Churchlands, WA 6018                    cowan.edu.au

Flinders University
Bedford Park, SA 5042                    flinders.edu.au

Griffith University
Nathan, Queensland 4111                    gu.edu.au

James Cook Unniversity
Townsville, Queensland 4811                jcu.edu.au

Latrobe University    (Includes former Lincoln Inst. of Health Sciences
Bundoora, Victoria 3083   and Wodonga Inst of Tert. Educ. latrobe.edu.au

Macquarie University
North Ryde, NSW, 2109                    mq.edu.au

Monash University    (Includes former Frankston, Caulfield and Bendigo
Clayton, Victoria 3168   CAE's)                monash.edu.au

Murdoch University
Murdoch, WA 6150                    murdoch.edu.au

Newcastle University
Newcastle, NSW 2308                    newcastle.edu.au

Northern Territory University
PO Box 40146,
Casuarina,NT 0811                    ntu.edu.au
Queensland University of Technology (Includes former QIT and Brisbane CAE)
GPO Box 2434
Brisbane, Queensland 4001                qut.edu.au

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
124 Latrobe St
Melbourne 3000                        rmit.oz.au
(NB: *Not* a part of Victoria U of Tech, as stated earlier)

Swinburne University of Technology
PO Box 218
Hawthorn Victoria 3122                                  swin.edu.au

Southern Cross University
(was Lismore campus of Uni of New England)

University of Adelaide
GPO Box 498
Adelaide SA, 5001                    adelaide.edu.au

University of Canberra (Combines Aust Inst of Sport and former Canberra CAE)
PO Box 1,
Belconnen, ACT 2616                    canberra.edu.au

University of Central Queensland
Rockhampton Mail Centre
Queensland, 4702                    ucq.edu.au

University of Melbourne  (Includes former VCA, State College of Vic at
Parkville, Victoria 3052   Melbourne, negotiating with Vic College of
               Ag and Horticulture,     unimelb.edu.au

University of New England
Armidale, NSW 2351                    une.edu.au

University of New South Wales
PO Box 1,
Kensington NSW 2033                    unsw.oz.au

University of Queensland
St. Lucia, Queensland 4067
University of South Australia                uq.edu.au

University of South Australia (Includes former SAIT and SA CAE)
North Terrace,
GPO Box 2471
Adelaide, SA 5000                    unisa.edu.au

University of Southern Queensland
Toowoomba, Queensland                    usq.edu.au

University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006                    su.oz.au

University of Tasmania (Amalgamated with Launceston CAE?)
GPO Box 252 C,
Hobart, Tasmania 7001                    utas.oz.au

University of Technology, Sydney
PO Box 123,
Broadway, Sydney 2007                    uts.oz.au

University of Western Australia
Nedlands, WA 6009                    uwa.edu.au


University of Western Sydney (Includes former Hawkesbury Ag. College
Hawkesbury                    Nepean and Milperra CAE's)
Richmond NSW 2753                    uws.edu.au
(also includes former Orange campus of Uni. of New England)

University of Wollongong
PO Box 1144,
Wollongong, NSW 2500                    uow.edu.au

Victoria University of Technology (Includes former Footscray IT and Western
Ballarat Road,                     Institute)
Footscray, Victoria 3011                                vut.edu.au


A *small* number of departments provide email contacts for
enquiries from prospective graduate students. The following
contact addresses come from a compilation posted to
soc.college.gradinfo by Nainish Bapna ([e-mail]):

Adelaide
Computing               Andrew Wendelborn       [e-mail]

Australian National
Computing               Brendan McKay           [e-mail]
Statistics        Dr. Peter Hall        [e-mail]

Canberra
Computing               Mary O'Kane             [e-mail]

Central Queensland
Business        Kevin S. Fagg        [e-mail]
General            Judith Anderson        [e-mail]

Flinders
Computing               Chris Marlin            [e-mail]

James Cook
Computing                                       [e-mail]

Latrobe University College of Northern Victoria
Accounting/Business                [e-mail]
Computer Science                [e-mail]
General                 Vance Ashlin            [e-mail]
Information Systems                [e-mail]
Outdoor Education                [e-mail]

Macquarie
Computing        Rod Bell        [e-mail]
Computing        Glenn Johnson        [e-mail]

Melbourne
PhD enquiries           Michael_Tomlinson       [e-mail]
Scholarship             Jean_McCulloch          [e-mail]

International students must apply through the International Office,
telephone: [phone]
FAX:       [phone]
finanical aid people
telephone: [phone]

Monash
Computing               Lloyd Alison            [e-mail]
                        Other addresses [JB]    [e-mail]
                                                [e-mail]

Newcastle
Computing               Bryan Beresford-Smith   [e-mail]

New South Wales
Biomedical Engineering  Arthur Brandwood        [e-mail]

Queensland Brisbane
Computing               Ian Holmes              [e-mail]
Psychology              Graeme Halford          [e-mail]

Southern Queensland
Computing               M. McFarlane            [e-mail]

Swinburne University of Technology
Computing        Earl Livings        [e-mail]

Sydney
Math and Statistics    Dr. Neville Weber    [e-mail]

Western Australia
postgraduate enquires                           [e-mail]
Computing               J. Rohl                 [e-mail]

Wollongong
Computing               John Fulcher            [e-mail]
Computing        Greg Doherty        [e-mail]

4. COMING TO AUSTRALIA

4.1 Immigration Addresses

Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs
Chan St
Belconnen 2617
Australia

* USA
Chicago Consulate: now closed.
New York Consulate  [phone]
Aust Embassy Wash.  [phone]    1601 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington
                    [phone]     DC, 20036-2273
Aust Tourist Comm.  [phone]  489 5th Avenue, New York NY 10017
                        (note: new number June '93)
Houston Consulate   [phone] Suite # 180, 1990 South Park Oak Blvd
                                    Houston, TX 77056 - 9998
Denver Consulate    [phone] The Honorary Consul is
            Mr Brent Emmet
            C/- Australian/American Chamber of Commerce
            999 18th Street
            Suite 1370
            Denver CO 80202
            Fax: [phone]
San Francisco Consulate General  [phone]
                        1 Bush St, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94104-4413

* Southern England, Southern Wales, Channel Islands
    Migration Branch,
    Australian High Commission
    Australia House
    Strand, London WC2B 4LU
    (UK) 071 379-4334

* Central England, Northern Wales, Isle of Man
    Australian Consulate
    Chatsworth House
    Lever St
    Manchester M1 2DL

* Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England
    Australian Consulate
    Hobart House
    80 Hanover St
    Edinburgh EH2 2DL

* Republic of Ireland:
    Australian Embassy
    Fitzwilton House
    Wilton Terrace
    Dublin 2

4.2 Immigration Criteria

* Family (almost automatic):
  - spouse
  - de-facto spouse
  - immediate family
* Skill:
  - you have a job that was advertised extensively in Australia
    without success
  - you pass the points test, and they feel like letting you in
        (see new section below)
  - "distinguished talent" ie., bloody good at sport
* Special eligibility:
  - former citizen
  - former resident
  - relative of a New Zealander living in Australia

To get the relevant forms, write to an Australian consulate and
they will send you some info asking you to send them some money
(about $5) for the forms.  When you get these forms you send
about half a ream of photocopies back with the "application
processing fee" of $250 (this fee is regardless of which class
you are applying under !!).  If they decide that they like you,
you need to get various medicals done (which in England cost
about #100) with a nominated (probably private) practice - if you
happen to be a medical doctor, mention this when making your
appointment and they don't charge you (as my wife found out :-).
This medical includes an AIDS test (Note: this can stuff up your
life insurance in the UK) as well as X-rays for TB, checks for a
bad heart and anything else that will cost Australia lots of
money.  The whole application process takes a minimum of 3 months
(once you have sent them the forms).  All correspondence must be
by mail.

With the points test, if you are <30, have a degree or trade
(plus some experience) and can speak English you pass.  As a
friend of mine found, being employed on a graduate program
doesn't count as experience.  He was also told "even if you had
the experience we don't need any professional buyers at the
moment".  That is, passing the points test only eliminates a
reason for not letting you in.  Some occupations get
prefferential treatment, at the MOMENT these are
physiotherapists, secondary school teachers of either Japanese or
Maths, and therapeutic radiographers (all with appropriate
degrees/diplomas of course).  These change with the times; maths
teachers will probably be removed soon.  If you have a criminal
record there's probably not much point applying.

Should you get past all this, you get a visa stamped in your
passport that is both for migration in the next year and
multiple-entry for the next 4 years.  They also send you lots of
stuff telling you that there is little chance of getting a job at
the moment.  [PW]

[CD] adds: I had to file ALL forms, including medical and
educational forms, etc.  at the same time. I was applying as
spouse and you can still get turned down if your medical or
criminal record offends. If the embassy/consulate has to send
things back to Australia for approval it can take MUCH longer.

4.2.1 Getting a Job in Australia

Current unemployment is high, over 10%, so this is very
difficult.  Please direct all enquires to:

Commonwealth Employment Service
Department of Employment Education & Training
GPO Box 9880
[Capital City of the State You Are Interested In OR
    Canberra, ACT 2601
    Australia]

Professional vacancies should be to the "Professional Employment
Office", rather than CES.

4.2.2 Academic Addresses

* "The Directory" (6 months=$90 airmail, fortnightly) advertises many
academic jobs.
    Barry Thornton and Associates Pty. Ltd.
    PO Box 217
    Black Rock, VIC 3193
    Australia
* "The Australian Directory of Academics" ($130 airmail) is comprehensive.
    Universal Consultancy Services,
    PO Box 1140
    Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450
    Australia
* A useful source of information on higher education in Australia is:
    Campus (Australian campus review weekly)
    Locked bag 19
    Post Office
    Paddington, NSW 2021
    Australia
* "The Independent Monthly Good Universities Guide to Australian
Universities and Other Higher Education Institutions", by Dean
Ashenden and Sandra Milligan, 1991.
    Octopus Australia
    PO Box 460
    Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
    Australia
    [phone]
* Carter and Stone Consulting Services. 275 Alfred St North Sydney
    Phone 62,2,955-5477.
    Contact: Sharon Stone.
    Comment: A very small agency. (Two women + one guy at last count).
        VERY good, Very proffesional. No mess, no fuss.
* Clayton and Partners. Also 275 Alfred St. North Sydney.
    Phone: 62,1,959-3448
    Contact: David Burgess, Brian Clayton.
    Comment: Slightly larger, but not big enough to be impersonal.
        Proffesional.Efficient. Have found me a few jobs over
        the years, some I've taken, some not. Do have a habit
        of finding you a job, settling you in, waiting 6
        months then ringing up to see if you wan't another
        job.  Generally, an impressive agency.

4.2.3 Immigration Points System [CB]

Okay, as I understand it, there are two ways to get entry to Oz; via
an Independant Entry Class and via a Concessional Family Class.  The
former works if you just say, "Hey, I want to go to OZ" and put in an
application.  The latter works if you have a family member in Oz who
is willing to vouch for you.  You can only rack up points in one of
the two categories.  Here's the list of points:

CONCESSIONAL FAMILY VISA CLASS AND INDEPENDENT ENTRANT VISA CLASS

Employability Factor
  80  Trade certificate/degree/diploma, 3 years post-qualification work,
        on Priority Occupation List [changes yearly].
  70  Trade certificate/degree, 3 years post-qualification work
  60  Trade certificate/degree, between 6 months and 3 years post
        qualification work.
  55  Diploma, 3 years post-qualification work.
  50  Diploma, between 6 months and 3 years post-qualification work.
  30  Trade cert/degree/diploma (recognised by overseas authorities
        and assessed by Australian authorities), and 3 years
        post-qualification work.
  25  Trade cert/degree/diploma but qualifications held are unaceptable.
  25  Post secondary school qualification.
  20 12 years of primary and secondary schooling
  10  10 years of primary and secondary schooling
  0   Less than 10 years schooling

Age Sub-Factor
  30  18 to 29
  20  30 to 34
  10  35 to 39
  5   40 to 49
  0   Less than 18; more than 50

INDEPENDENT ENTRY VISA CLASS ONLY

Language Sub-Factor
  20  Proficient in English
  10  Reasonably proficient; some training required
  5   Bilingual in languages other than English, or only limited English
  0   Extensive English training required


CONCESSIONAL FAMILY VISA CLASS ONLY

Relationship factor
  15  You are the parent of your sponsor
  10  You are brother, sister, or non-dependant child of sponsor
  5   Nephew or neice of sponsor

Citizenship factor
  10  Your sponsor has been an Oz citizen for 5 years or more
  5                   "       for less than 5 years

Settlement Factor
  10  Sponsor has been resident in Oz for 2 years and they or their
        spouse have been continuously employed for the last two years.

Location Factor
5  Sponsor has lived in a State or Territory designated area for the last two
years.

Okay, tally up the points, and if you have a high enough total, you're
Oz-bound!  The point total changes each year, but I think it goes
        120  Priority Mark
        110  Pass Mark
        100  Pool Entry

NB: the number of points required for entry to the ppol
is the same no matter what country you come from. [JM]

([SK] For Independent application you have to reach min. 110 pts.  For
concessional family application (with relatives that sponsor you,
other than spouse) you have to reach 100 points.
After that you have to take an English test (for non-english speaking
people) at the moment it's the IELTS test. If you don't have enough
marks at the test, you will have to pay the "English Education
Charge", about 4000 AUS$!!)

In the last category, you are placed within an entry pool, and I
think winners are chosen by lot from the pool.  Note that there
is also a Business Entry Class, for folks who are going Down
Under to start their own business.  There is also an entirely
different system whereby you bypass the points test and the wait
if you somehow manage to get a job, and your employer will vouch
for you.

After you make the points test, you submit your application.  You
also neads loads of other offical papers to make an application
(marriage license if you're married, certifications from your
jobs if you've been working, etc.).  After application, you also
need to pass a medical test and provide a set of chest x-rays and
other things, but they'll tell you when they want you to do it (I
guess it's to save you money if you flunk the points test).  The
whole process takes four months at least.  When and if you pass
and are granted permission to migrate, you have the opportunity
to move within the space of one year, and are given to enter and
leave Oz freely for a period of four years after that.


4.3 Quarantine

Quarantine regulations are extremely strict.  Food, furs, and any
other animal or wood products may have to be quarantined.  Pets
will have to be quarantined for several months in both countries,
an expensive procedure.

* Bringing Pets into Australia from the USA [LS]

As of July, 1993, all pets coming into Australia from the United
States must be quarrantined for a total of 9 months.  Pets will
be held in quarrantine in special facilities for four months in
Hawaii.  They will then be kept in a regular kennel for an
additional month before being allowed to enter Australia.  Once
they have entered Australia, they will be kept in one of four
approved quarrantine stations for 4 additional months.  During
the stay in Australia, you will be allowed to visit the pet once
a month.  However, these rules are currently being revised, and
it is expected that the following rules will be applicable before
the year's end:

Pets may be flown directly from anyplace in the United States to
one of the four approved quarrantined stations.  The pet will be
held in quarrantine for 4 months.  During that time, you will be
allowed to visit the pet once a week.  Please note that the new
rules have *not* been finalized and are subject to change or may
never even come into effect.

Whatever rules are in effect, you will be expected to pay for the
upkeep of your pet during this entire time.

4.4 Standards

* language: The national language of Australia is English.

* TV/VCR: Our TV/video system is PAL-B.  Multisystem videos (view
NTSC on a PAL TV) cost around $700.  Standards converters (output
a recordable signal NTSC from PAL, or vice versa) cost much more.
The difference between PAL-B and PAL-D? [DH] According to the
World Radio TV Handbook, Australia uses PAL-B, not PAL-D.  The
difference?  About a MHz...  The technical differences (B vs. D)
are:

    Channel width:    7 MHz vs. 8 MHz
    Vision b/w:    5 MHz vs. 6 MHz
    IF:        5.5 MHz vs. 6.5 MHz.


* Electricity:The electricity supply is 50Hz, 240 volts
everywhere (no longer 253 volts in W.A.).  Step-down transformers
are available (but wasteful),and the 50 Hz may throw off your
clock-radio and other things using the mains as a frequency
reference.  AM broadcast stations use 9 kHz spacing, in common
with mostof the civilised world.  Your fancy USA radio with its
10 kHz spacing won't like this.  FM broadcast stations use 50
micro-second pre-emphasis; USA uses 75 usec, so the recovered
audio may sound funny. [DH]

* Telephone: The telephone system is strictly regulated, but has
recently undergone a change from a monopoly to some real
competition.  There are currently two national land-line
telecommunications carriers: Telecom and Optus; and three
national mobile telephone carriers: Telecom, Optus and Vodaphone.
From 1997 onwards unlimited competition will be permitted.
Austel is the Federal Government's telecommunications regulatory
body.

In the meantime, don't even _think_ about connecting your
answering machine etc to it; it must bear an appropriate "Austel"
compliance sticker.  Besides, the signalling conventions are
different (two short rings instead of one long ring as in USA
etc).  Australia is slowly converting to AXE telephone exchanges,
offering various features via DTMF.  Examples are Call-Waiting,
Third-Party-Conference etc.  Local calls attract a flat fee,
irrespective of duration; there have been proposals floated to
introduce timed local calls, but so far the Federal Government
has not had the courage to introduce it.  "Free" calls exist -
they are 008 numbers (like USA 800 numbers).  The other end of
the spectrum also exists - don't call 0055 numbers unless you
like paying a timed fee to the service provider - in some cases
(time etc) free alternatives exist.  There are various "free"
services, such as Time (1194), News (1199) etc.  There are also
numbers starting with "13" - they offer the same number
country-wide, and are routed to the nearest service provider
(courier companies, airlines etc).  Finally, a mobile telephone
service is accessed via the 015, 018 and 041 prefixes; it is
costed at STD rates, but the actual split of caller/callee paying
varies.  One more thing - the emergency number is 000; don't
abuse it - they know from where the call was placed, however
Caller-ID is not generally available.  Cordless telephones are
prohibited imports; they will be confiscated by Customs.  Not
only are they not Austel-approved, they are not DoTaC (Dept. of
Transport and Communications) approved either, and they may stomp
all over some frequency assigned to another service. [DH]

* Exchange Rates: Exchange rate is roughly AUS$1 = .67 US cents, Y67,
$HK5.01, $S1.03, Ringgit 1.65, $NZ1.17, $Ca0.85, Pound 0.42, FF3.65,
DM1.05, SF0.91, ECU0.55

Source: Asiaweek, September 29th, 1993.
Legend: Y = Japanese Yen, $HK = Hong Kong dollar, $S = Singapore Dollar,
        Ringgit = Malaysian currency, $NZ = New Zealand Dollar,
        $Ca = Canadian Dollar, Pound = British Pound, FF = French Franc,
        DM = Deutschmark, SF = Swiss Franc, ECU = European Currency Unit

(Most newspapers should have more reliable information.)

* The metric system is used.  Conversion to the metric system
officially began in 1971 and was officially completed in 1981.
It has been remarkably successful, with even conversational use
of metric measures more the norm than the exception.

"kilo" - always refers to a weight (ie kilograms)
eg. "I've put on half a kilo", "one kilo of chicken breasts please"

"k" - always refers to distance or speed (ie kilometres or km/hour)
eg. "It's 250 k's to Lithgow from here", "I got busted doing 140
k's on the freeway"

"mil"  - refers to liquid volume (ie millilitres)
eg. "I'll have the 500 mil bottle please"

The terms grams, metres, litres and degrees are used as is.  As
yet there is no conversational abbreviation for centimetres,
which may explain why description of people's heights in feet and
inches still persists somewhat in the street, although not in
newspapers or on TV, where the full word is used.

4.5 Prices
  These are averages, and there are significant variations.
  1 litre of Milk                              $1
  1 loaf of bread                              $1.25
  1 kilo of minced [Ground] Beef               $5
  1 pair of Levis' 501s                       $70
  1 one trip intracity bus ticket              $2
  1 monthly bus pass                          $60
  the daily paper                              $0.60
  the cheapest brand new Toyota Corolla    $17000
  1 five year old smaller Japanese car
    with 80000 KM on it                     $7000
  1 museum pass                                $6
  one month's rent on a 2 bedroom apartment:
    VERY location-dependent, ranging from $300 to $1500, average ~= $800.

Assuming petrol is at 72c/l, and an ecxhange rate of US$ -> AUS$ of $0.66,
this puts a petrol cost of $1.72/gallon. (that is US$ and US gallons). [IS]

[JM] Last week [Sept 93] a newspaper article appeared describing
a survey of the cost of living in a number of countries.  It
appeared to be aimed at companies trying to establish a suitable
living allowance for their employees when posted overseas.  The
survey indicates that Australia is the cheapest of a sample of
ten countries.  I have reproduced the results published below:

                        Mar 92          Mar 93
                        ======          ======
        Japan           234.60          271.70
        Russia          170.10          189.90
        Sweden          199.30          167.10
        China           140.10          150.30
        Germany         138.00          146.40
        Singapore       129.10          138.30
        Hong Kong       127.50          136.00
        USA             107.70          114.70
        UK              122.90          110.10
        Australia       100.00          100.00

(I suspect the figures have been normalised to show Australia at
$100 in each case.  This removes the effects of inflation in
Australia - which is low anyway - and currency fluctuations of
the Australian dollar against the others.)

The survey is based on a basket of goods including food, stamps,
laundry, cinema tickets, hair styling, clothing, electical
goods, restaurant meals and drinks at a bar.  It excludes
mortgages and cars. I don't know if it includes rent, but it is
possible to rent 3 bedroom houses in the Melbourne suburbs for
about $150/week.  (In relatively good, but not expensive or
inner suburban areas.  However, it depends on what you are
looking for, a "quality executive" style home will cost you
considerably more.)

The survey was prepared by Employment Conditions Abroad.  The
local spokesman is a Dr. Peter Rogers of Pacific Personnel.
(Phone 03 - 329 8352, fax 03 - 328 3489) I suspect they are a
consulting company and the full report will cost you a fair bit.

4.6 Cars

Anyone can import a vehicle, but all privately imported vehicles
attract the same rate of Duty and Sales Tax as commercially
imported vehicles.  If not valued before importing, the Customs
value will be normally assessed on the purchase price. There are
additions and deductions available for this method.  If owned and
used overseas then depreciation is allowed on the purchase price.
Alternatively, the likely local value of the vehicle can be used.
There is also a limit of one car per person per year. (Note that
these conditions only apply federally, there are state
variations).

Combined Duty and Sales Tax rates:
  Vehicles under 30 yrs old, new or used
Customs Value           Sales Tax & Duty
$1 - 19583              60%
$19584+                 84%
  As above, but older than 30yrs
$1 - 26437              18%
$26438+                 36%
  Off road 4wd passenger vehicles
$1 - 22989              44%
$22990+                 58%
Motorcycles             24%

The Motor Vehicle Standards Act, 1989 makes it illegal to import a vehicle
unless:
  i) it meets the safety and emissions standards applying to
     vehicles to be used on Australian roads
  ii) arrangements are in place to modify the vehicle to meet
     these requirements after its arrival.

Approval will be given to import a vehicle if :
  i) It has a valid compliance plate fitted; or
  ii) arrangements are in place for it to be modified to have
     a compliance plate fitted; or
  iii) you have a letter of compliance from the manufacturer; or
  iv) you have owned and used the vehicle overseas for a
     continuous period of not less than 3 months, you are of
     driving age and are an Australian citizen or migrant
     holding permanent residency; or
  v) the vehicle was manufactured before 1 Jan, 1974 for cars
     or 1 Jul 1975 for motorbikes.

If it brought in under points iii-v, it will get a personal import
plate, rather than a compliance plate. This is sufficient to allow it
to be sold.  Note that at least some states require left-hand drive
vehicles to be converted to right-hand drive, which is likely to be
expensive (and troublesome to drive in).

[JM] Cars are more expensive here than most countries, but the
days when it was worthwhile importing your own are gone.  In the
lead up to the last election, there was considerable discussion
about how much more expensive Australian cars are, and the worst
figure I heard of was around $4,000 more for an average family
saloon.  In any case, you have to pay customs duty if you import
a car and it usually isn't worthwhile.  Be aware however of two
points regarding cars in Australia:
- European cars are luxury items and are more expensive than you
might expect,
- second hand values are higher than you would expect (rust
isn't a problem so the beasts stay on the road longer.)

4.7 Shipping/Moving Information

* From USA to Australia [LS]

It would appear that the cheapest way to get books to Australia
is by using an M-bag from the US Postal Service (this service is
for books only).  The surface rate for this is $.72 per pound
(this is the rate from Washington, D.C., to Sydney).  Each M-bag
can contain from 15-66 pounds and from the experience of netters,
it takes about 8 weeks to arrive.  One netter said that
Australian postal carriers are not allowed to handle packages
over 20 kg (~44 lbs) so the bags are opened when they reach
Australia, and the packages inside are delivered.  Therefore, put
an address on each separate package inside an M-bag.  An air
M-bag is available for $5.96 (same origination/destination as
previous) per pound.

Whether or not to ship your belongings from the U.S. to Australia
appears to be a highly subjective matter.  However, most people
seem to believe it is well worth the effort and expense if you
have quality furniture.  What to bring with you varies wildly,
too.  It all appears to go back to something that each person
feels is important.  The only consistency: a lot of people were
sorry that they had sold electrical appliances.  With the use of
a step-down transformer, most everything (except tvs) will work
just fine.

While you will want to get your own estimates, be prepared to
spend in the thousands of US dollars (the average price seemed to
be around $6,000).  The experiences people had ran the
gamut--some had no damages and some found crates with items just
thrown into the boxes.  If you are using door-to-door movers and
a container, insist that the container be packed at *your* house
to avoid breakage.  Which brings up the issue of insurance.  Be
very certain that you understand what method of determining value
is used.  One person had bought more than enough insurance to
cover the value of her goods.  However, the policy paid on the
percentage of the shipment weight lost, not on a cost-to-replace
basis.

There are three basic parts of a move from the States to
Australia.  The first is the packing at your house and delivery
to a port, the second is overseas shipping, and the third is
customs clearance and shipping to the final destination in
Australia.  It has been suggested by many people that you insist
on having a quote broken down into those stages.  Almost everyone
felt that you would be best served (and save *lots* of cash) by
working through a shipping agent to cover these stages rather
than using a moving company for door-to-door service.  The
possibility to do either exists, and there were a couple of
people who felt door-to-door service was the best way.

There are two basic types of containers for overseas shipping:
ship's containers and waterproofed crates.  Ship's containers
come in two sizes 40' and 20' and everyone agreed that you can
fit an amazing amount of stuff in a 20' container.  The
waterproofed crates are for smaller shipments where using a
container is not cost effective.

It is very important to get an inventory of what goes into every
box.  Do not pack any boxes yourself.  The moving company will
mark all such boxes as "packed by owner", and this may delay you
in customs.

Moving from your house to the port is based on total weight; the
costs from the States to Australia are based on volume.  So, if
you were planning on taking heavy, small stuff or big, light
stuff to save money, forget it.  However, most people felt that
the approximate weight of an average container was used in
figuring weight, and unless, you went *way* over the average, you
weren't charged more.

It will take your belongings at least three months to arrive and
clear customs.  Remember to use other means (you might want to
talk to a mover about a small air shipment) to ship the stuff you
are going to have to have in the interim like sheets.

* From Australia to the UK

I have just moved to the UK and if you are sending a lot of
books, there is a *very* reasonable way using Aus. Post. They
have this thing called "Print Post" where you can send printed
material (books, notes, photos etc.)  for $2/kg. Parcels of books
have to be divided into groups with the weight of each group
being between 6 and 16 kg (I think, check with AP for the correct
bracket) and you then get a post bag (which weighs 1kg) to put
the parcels in. The whole bag with contents is then weighed to
determin the price. This is a fifth of the cost of the cheapest
freight I could find and is post-office to address rather than
dock to dock. The delivery time to the UK is about 8 weeks, I
imagine it would be similar for the US.  Even if you are only
sending 10kg of books, this is a considerable saving on sending
it via normal freight channels. [DF]

* From Edinburgh to Oz [LC]

Here's a summary of a couple of replies I received to my query
regarding shipping household goods back to Oz from the UK;
specifically from Edinburgh.

The main recommendation was to go with a large reputably company
rather than a smaller, perhaps cheaper, one. Using the latter
may involve lengthy delays, with boxes sitting in warehouses for
anything up to months at a time. Having a local office at either
end is also very useful. In Edinburgh, this narrows the choice
to Pickfords or Scotpac. (There's lots of shipping companies
based in London advertised in the London TNT mag. for Aus/NZers,
but I have no idea on how recommendable they are.) I was warned
off the former, with tales of delay and damage, while Scotpac
were reported to have involved no delays (about 3 months transit
time) and no damage (apart from a buckled bike wheel: lesson is
to obtain a bike carton from a bike shop; actually, shipping
bikes is quite expensive, and we hope to use ours as the second
piece of checked-in luggage if flying via the US).

As far as the choice between door-to-port and door-to-door goes,
one person strongly recommended the latter as saving lots of
hassle, although he did have his moving expenses paid for!! The
others reported no hassles with pickups from Sydney depots, with
no extra charges involved; one had her stuff shipped from Sydney
to Armidale (arranged in Oz) for a *lot* less than the extra it
would have cost for door-to-door.

* Airlines

It has been said that some airlines will allow persons with
permanent residence visa to enter the Australia with additional
baggage at no extra charge.  United Airlines does not allow this.
United allows two checked bags and charges $100 for each
additional bag (bags may not weigh more than 70 pounds).  It has
been said that Quantas will honor the additional baggage deal,
but this has not been confirmed.  Continental used to honor this
deal; it is not known whether or not they still do.  Northwest
will . . . well, it doesn't really matter now. [LS]

If you are a U.S. government employee, the government will give you
additional baggage credits; make sure you check into this.

* Appliances and Transformers [LS]

Although many people have warned about the differences in
electricity between the two countries (Aus and USA), people who
have purchased step-down transformers have reported no problems
with small appliances such as mixers and coffee pots.  Also,
appliances that will convert from 120 to 240 will need adapators
for Australian outlets.  It has been advised that you should buy
these items while you are still in the States.

4.8 Spouse/Fiance(e) Immigration [LS]

[To make things simpler, 'you' will refer to the person in the
United States, and 'spouse' will refer to the person in
Australia.]

* Once you have applied for permanent residence in Australia, you
may not reenter Australia until your new visa has been issued.
The process is handled in stages.  The total time for obtaining
your new status will usually take three to six months.

* The spouse must go the Australian emigration officials and get
a copy of Form M40.  He/she should complete that and send it and
a certified copy of his/her birth certificate (assuming
Australian birth) to you.

* Locate your nearest Australian embassy to get the forms you
will need for the first stage of the process.  The application
processing fee is $285 (US) which must be in the form of a
certified check or money order. You need to file the following
documents: your spouse's completed sponsorship form and certified
birth certificate, a certified criminal record clearance for
yourself (from your local police), a certified copy of your birth
certificate, a notarized outline of the chronology of your
relationship, 3 passport photos, a certified copy of your divorce
decree (only if you have been married before, obviously), a form
they call 'personal particulars', your passport, and either a
letter from a marriage celebrant of your intention to marry or a
certified copy of your marriage certificate.  Return all of this
paperwork to the Australian embassy.

* After this initial paperwork has been approved by the
immigration officer, you will receive the forms for your
physical.  When you have your physical, ask the doctor for a
detailed report of *anything* that isn't absolutely "normal",
including things you may consider unimportant like allergies.
Basically if there is anything at all on your forms that could be
considered any sort of medical "condition" ask for a separate
letter describing what medical treatment or followup is necessary
(if none, make sure the doctor states this).  This forms should
then be returned to the immigration office at your local
Australian embassy.

* While it appears to make no difference to immigration officials
whether you are married or engaged to be married, if you are
engaged, you will have to be married within 2 or 3 months (the
answers given on this varied) of your arrival in Australia.

Sit back and wait for your new visa.

4.9 Re Children

* Schooling information

The school year goes from the end of January or first part of
Feb.  until the middle of December.  There are school holidays
between each term.  The school year has 4 terms (3 in Tasmania)
with a week off at Easter, 2 weeks in July (winter), 2 weeks at
the end of Sept. or first of October.

Most schools have uniforms - public and private.

Schools are Prep,1-6 (primary) and 7-12 (secondary or high school).

If your children are in Scouts get international transfer papers
from the local council.  Otherwise, they might not be able to get
into a troop.  Cub Scouts did not start until boys were 8 -- a
bit different than here in the US.

4.10 Housing

* Housing in Melbourne [miscellaneous contributors]

There are several kinds of things that you can rent: a unit, an
apartment, a townhouse and a house.

An apartment usually refers to a dwelling in a multi-story
structure. There is no garden to maintain. There are more of
apartments closer to the city.  A unit is a dwelling in a
single-story structure that is usually connected to its
neighbouring units. There will usually be 3--6 units in a block.
2 bedroom versions of units are the most common starting at about
$120 pw. 3 bedroom varieties are available but I do not know the
price (I'd guess about $150 pw).  You can find units all over the
city. You might have a small area of garden to look after.  A
townhouse is like a unit, but free-standing (ie not connected to
neighbouring town houses) and may be a two-story building. I
think that the rent is similar to the unit. You might have a
small area of garden to look after.  I think that you know what a
house is. Houses in Melbourne are commonly either weatherboard or
brick veneer. No basement. No attic. 3 bedroom and 4 bedroom
versions are commonly available for rent.

Most areas in the north-western, eastern or sout-eastern areas,
within about 10km of the CBD would be suitable.  Rent would
probably be about A$200 a week depending on the location.  You
could expect a 3 bedroom house on a reasonable block (quarter
acre or bit smaller), with a decent sized backyard.  3 bedroom
apartments are uncommon in Melbourne.

I would avoid most of the northern and western suburbs.  In
general, these are perfectly safe, but are traditionally poorer
areas and the quality of housing is not good.  Some of them (esp.
Carlton) have been gentrified and are now very beautiful, but be
careful.

I think I should point out that there has been a large scale
movement back into the city centres in Australia over the last 20
years, so that the poorer and less safe areas are now generally
in the outer suburbs.  I believe this is different from the US
situation, but it does mean you can have both a nice place to
live and a reasonable commute.

Melbourne has been assessed as the worlds most livable city. You
will not find the crime that you would be used to in Jersey or
the crime that is present in Sydney.

One of the nicer things about Melbourne is that there's almost
nowhere which is genuinely unsavoury to live.  Parts of the city
are unsightly and much is visually uninteresting.  The prettier
areas are northeast and east.  Southeast gets you the beaches and
west and north is cheaper and more industrial.

I don't believe that any areas compare to the slum/ghetto areas
of large US cities. However, of course some areas are "better"
than others.  Very generally, the south east, and eastern suburbs
are more middle class.  The further out you are, the cheaper
housing gets. The really posh areas are Toorak, Brighton. The
northern and western suburbs are more low-middle and working
class. Plus there are some inner city areas that used to be
working class but are now pretty yuppified (Carlton, Fitzroy).
Find somewhere close to a train or tram line if you are going to
commute to the city centre.

* Housing in Sydney [BJ]

Sydney is a big place.  It's population is about 3.7 million,
depending on where you stop counting.  It spreads in every
direction from the CBD (Central Business District) until the sea
or mountains stop it.  Sydney has about 950 suburbs and 40 local
government areas ("Councils"), 15 of which are cities in their
own right.  Sydney also has the highest population density in
Australia.  Most dwellings within a 10 km radius of the city
centre are apartments, terrace houses, or townhouses, with a
smattering of semis (semi-detached houses) and detached houses
(on blocks of land that would be considered tiny in other
Australian cities) depending upon the suburb.  However, Sydney is
generally clean and green, with lots of trees and parks to
compensate.

Outer suburbs and newer suburbs usually consist exclusively of
detached housing, but it is now State Government policy to
enforce higher density housing to contain the urban sprawl, which
now sees Sydney's outer suburbs a 60 kilometre drive from the
city centre.

Sydney has by far the most expensive housing in Australia.
Luxury homes with city and/or harbour views easily command
multi-million dollar price tags to purchase, or cost thousands of
dollars a *week* to rent.  Sydneysiders are obsessed with views
and will pay to get them.  The average price of a 3 bedroom house
in Sydney is about A$230,000, the average price of a 2 bedroom
apartment is about A$160,000, but the variation is enormous
depending upon style and location.  The typical rent is
*approximately* 1/1000th of the value of the dwelling per week.

Sydney's suburbs are generally classified by "area", going
clockwise from the city centre, in the following way:

- Inner City (CBD, Kings Cross, Pyrmont, Ultimo, Surry Hills)
- Eastern (Paddington to Vaucluse and Waverley)
- South Eastern (Kensington to Malabar)
- Southern (Rockdale to Sutherland and Cronulla)
- South Western (Canterbury, Bankstown, Liverpool, Campbelltown)
- Inner West (Glebe and Marrickville to Ashfield)
- West (Croydon to Parramatta)
- Far West (Blacktown to Penrith)
- Blue Mountains (Emu Plains to Katoomba)
- North West (Blacktown to Windsor)
- The Hills (Pennant Hills, Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill)
- Far North (Asquith to Brooklyn)
- Upper North Shore (Lindfield to Hornsby)
- Mid North Shore (St Leonards to Chatswood)
- Lower North Shore (Longueville to Mosman)
- Northern Beaches (Manly to Narrabeen)
- Peninsula (Mona Vale to Palm Beach)

Unlike many American cities, the suburbs closer to the City are
*generally* considered to be more desirable, and those further
away, less desirable, but this is by no means true in all cases.
There is no widespread inner-city decay in Sydney, in fact it
tends to be the reverse, with many people lovingly restoring old
inner city terrace houses, or moving into expensive new apartment
complexes complete with swimming pools, squash courts and
gymnasiums.

Sydney has a large number of Manhattan style residential towers
(some up to 50 floors) in its city centre, unlike Melbourne,
which has virtually none.  It is common for companies
repatriating staff to Australia for extended stays to arrange
long term rent of these apartments, or rent one for two weeks to
enable that person to find their own place to rent after
arriving.

The Eastern Suburbs are considered the most prestigious, with
City and Harbour views, closely followed by the rival Northern
Suburbs (the "new money" Lower North Shore, and "old money" Upper
North Shore).  Expect to pay big dollars in these areas to buy or
rent.  To make life complicated, there are prestigious areas
within otherwise unremarkable suburbs.  For example, a small part
of Strathfield is very prestigious and houses there command twice
the price of other houses less than a kilometre away.

This geographical snobbery in Sydney is far stronger than in any
other Australian city.  It may not be overt, but it is an
undercurrent in many people's thoughts.  Some in the Eastern
Suburbs never dare cross the harbour to visit the rival Northern
Suburbs or vice versa.  Some think all the cultural unwashed live
west of Ashfield.  People who live in the West hate being
stereotyped by the snobs in the East and North.

Surfies live on the northern beaches, trendies live in the Inner
City, the evangelists live in The Hills, and many suburbs noted
for their high concentration of one particular ethnic culture,
whether true or imagined (South Africans in St Ives, Chinese in
Haymarket and Chatswood, Vietnamese in Cabramatta, Arabs in
Lakemba, Italians in Leichhardt, etc etc).  Sydney is a real
patch-work quilt.

* Canberra [TN]

Housing is getting expensive in Canberra.  A median house price
(probably 3-4 bedrooms, ensuite, 2 car garage, 0.2 acres) is about
$160,000, and rents for say $180-200 per week.  That is second only to
Sydney.  However, the medan house price is somewhat misleading as the
standard of the houses is not directly comparablable city to city.
You probably get much more for your money in Canberra than most other
cities, and the housing is newer.

Canberra is organised as a group of towns, where each town has a town
centre, with shopping malls, offices, service districts (specialist
shops, car yards, mechanics etc).  The city is very attractive, well
layed-out, nice parklands, lots of space.  The surrounding mountains
and bush are peaceful and beautiful, and it is only a 10-15 minute
drive from the city to be in genuine bushland.  Lots of virgin forest
and mountains for outdoor enthusiasts, rivers and lakes for canoeing
and fishing.

It's about 1-1.5 hours drive to the coast, and there is some nice
coastline.  Bateman's Bay is the closest and is therefore a bit
overcrowded with Canberrans.  A bit further north or south (say 50km)
gets you to some quiet beaches.  Good camping there too.  A lot of
Canberrans own beach houses.  Sydney is 300 km away on mostly freeway,
close enough for an easy weekend trip.

Jobs tend to be with the government or universities/CSIRO, or
companies that supply these directly or indirectly.  There is a
growing private sector, which has little to do with government.

Culture: some good restaurants if you ask around (as anywhere).  At
least one twin art cinema, plus three or four other cinemas.  More of
the touring cultural events visit Canberra than you would expect
because the population (approx 350,000?) is relatively well off and
educated.  There is a lot of additional culture because it is the
national capital, such as the Australian National Gallery, National
Library, etc.  However, Canberra is not like Sydney or Melbourne in
terms of choice or frequency of cultural events, or venues.

Canberra has two universities, Aust National Uni and Canberra Uni.

* [Contributions about other cities?]

4.11 Public Transport

* Melbourne

Public transport isn't great.  If you work in the city and live
near a train, tram or bus line, it is OK for commuting.  You will
probably want a car for shopping etc.  The central suburbs of
Melbourne (including most of the above) are serviced by trams.
These are a cheap and effective way of getting to work.  Trains
also service the entire metropolitan area, _but_ the lines
radiate into the central city.

* Sydney [BJ]

By Australian standards the public transport in Sydney is
excellent.  By international standards, it's probably pretty
average.

By far the largest people mover is the electric train system.  A
quite extensive network of lines criss-crosses the City and
outlying areas, with approximately 290 railway stations (10
underground) and 1700 kilometres of tracks.  The system only goes
underground in the CBD and Eastern Suburbs.  Nearly one million
passenger trips are made each day.  The only areas not served by
trains are the Northern Beaches/Peninsula (although plans are
being considered to remedy this) and the Northwest.

The trains are generally frequent (2-10 min at peak times), on
time, clean and fast.  If you live near a train station it is
certainly the easiest way to go to the city.  Driving into the
city is actively discouraged with extremely high parking fees, up
to A$40 per day.  Trains are moderately effective for going from
suburb to suburb.  A variety of single/return trip, periodical
and regional tickets are available.

The train system used to run 24 hours a day until 1988, when 1-4
am services were replaced by buses (ostensibly as a safety
measure, but really a cost- cutting one).  The State Government
runs a fast and frequent bus service in areas without trains, or
as connecting services to train stations.  Timetables are usually
coordinated.  Some services run 24 hours a day.  Again, many
types of tickets are available.  For infrequent travellers, the
"TravelTen" ticket (a no-expiry-date ten trip card) is the best
value.  In the outer suburbs, the only bus services are privately
run and fairly expensive.  Most people will drive their car to a
railway station and park in the commuter car parks instead.

Probably the most pleasant way imaginable to travel to work is by
ferry.  Harbourside suburbs are well served with regular State
Government run ferries and connecting bus routes.  The Manly
ferry trip is internationally known.  New services have been
recently introduced to serve suburbs further up the harbour with
high speed catamaran type ferries ('JetCats').  JetCats also run
to Manly.

Finally, Sydney has a 4 kilometre, 7 station Monorail loop
running between Darling Harbour and the City.  The majority of
users are tourists, with the rest commuters, mostly using it as a
shuttle between their company sponsored parking spaces at Darling
Harbour and the City.

* [Other contributions? AN]

4.12 Roads

* Sydney

Roads in Sydney are a mixed bag.  Some are atrociously potholed
or rough, simply buckling under the sheer pounding of thousands
of cars and trucks each day.  Others (such as the new privately
run Tollways) are extremely smooth, fast, and beautifully
landscaped (some call them 'yuppieways').

There are seven main arterial links in Sydney called
"Metroroads".  These roads follow a freeway or tollway if there
is one, or the largest main route (usually 6 lanes) if there
isn't.  They are excellently signposted and the route number is
indicated by a single digit in a white hexagon.

There are five radial links into the city centre, namely
Metroroads 1,2,4 and 5.  M1 runs from north to south and goes
right through the CBD (actually through the Harbour Tunnel), and
so forms a link in each direction.  There are also two ring links
(Metroroads 3 and 7), with M3 at a radius of about 10 km from the
CBD, and M7 about 20 km.  M6 doesn't exist yet.

Away from the Metroroads are State Roads.  These are main roads
that form feeders to the Metroroads, are usually at least 4
lanes, and are also generally well signposted.  Route numbers are
indicated by a 2 or 3 digit number in a blue shield.

Away from State Roads, you're in suburban territory.  Signposting
is optional.  Take your street directory.

* Canberra [TN]

Canberra has very good schools, roads, services etc.  Your day to
day life is without many of the hassles of bigger cities.  The
traffic is light (except for peak 10-minutes, rather than
peak-hour), and most main roads are devoted to being roads, and
don't have houses, shops etc on them (this makes it safer for
bicyclists and motorcycles).  This can make Canberra look empty
to the uninitiated.

4.13 Shopping Hours

* Sydney [BJ]

City and Suburban shopping centres:
    Mon-Wed        0900-1700
    Thu        0900-2100
    Fri        0900-1800
    Sat        0800-1700
    Sun        1000-1600
    Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Darling Harbour:
    Mon-Sat        1000-2100
    Sun        1000-1800
    Closed Christmas Day.

Kings Cross:
    Mon-Sun        24 hours

In addition, many supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths, Food Plus) and
fast food chains such as McDonalds have 24 hour outlets in
various locations.

4.14  Crime

* Sydney [BJ]

The crime in Sydney is often overstated.  Yes, there are parts in
which it is unwise to walk alone at night.  On the other hand,
allegedly dangerous areas like Kings Cross are often quite safe
because it is always crowded 24 hours a day and heavily patrolled
by Police on foot.  Just don't start a fist fight there :-)

Overall, Sydney is really a very safe city for its size if you
use your common sense and avoid obvious dangers.  At night,
travel with someone else if you are unsure, or at least look like
you're *not* unsure if alone.

On trains, sit in populated carriages near the Guards Carriage
(indicated by a blue light on the side) if you're worried.
Transit Police patrol trains and this has greatly increased
safety at night.  Sydney also has a chapter of the NYC "Guardian
Angels" riding nighttime trains.  At train stations at night,
wait in the well lit striped areas of the platform.  Major
stations have 24 hour video surveillance and large red "Emergency
Help" buttons on the platforms that immediately summons the
Police should you be in trouble.

Sydney's nighttime trains are 4 carriages long, but now they lock
the first 2, so you have to sit near the guard.  They've painted
"Night Safe Area" on the platforms where the unlocked carriages
stop. [RA]

Buses are generally safe at any hour, and incidents on Ferries
and the Monorail are rare.

Always lock you car when leaving it, even at a petrol station,
and never leave *anything* on view in the car that isn't bolted
down or welded to it.  Especially do not leave anything valuable,
a wallet, handbag, or spare change on view.  Cars are broken into
for $2 or an umbrella (really - it happened to my wife!).  Also,
don't leave a Street Directory on the seat.  It looks like you're
visiting an unfamiliar area, and hence will be away from your car
for some time.

5. For Australians Overseas

5.1 Radio Australia

Up-to-date information on frequencies can be found on rec.radio.shortwave,
or ftp from nic.funet.fi:/pub/dx/text/schedules/Oceania/australia.prog.txt,
australia.prog.txt.  These frequencies are for August 1992:
  21740 - 0100 to 0400 GMT
  17795 - 0100 to 0400  "
  15240 - 0300 to 0500  "
  13605 - 1600 to 1800  "
   9580 - 0830 to 1500  "

On the east coast of the USA, I can get Radio Australia from
5-9am on 9580 Hz. [AN]

            For a copy of the Radio Australia guide, write to:
      Radio Australia, PO Box 755, Glen Waverly VIC. 3150, Australia
                          Telephone [phone]
                             Fax [phone]

Radio Australia comes in better in spring and summer in North
America, then in autumn and winter - apparently due to
differences in the ionospher.  [AN]

5.2 Public Access sites

These are all dialup sites; most should offer news and mail for some
fee (UNIX, unless stated otherwise).  APANA (the Australian Public Access
Network Association) covers some of these.  For more info on other sites
in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane, potential users can mail
[e-mail].

Melb:  Cloud         [e-mail] [msdos]
Melb:  Werple          [e-mail]         03 888 1726
Syd:   Krazilec     [e-mail]         02 837 1183
-      Pegasus        [e-mail]         066 85 6789

[JS] Dialix is a commercial net access provider, similar to APANA
(mentioned in the FAQ). Dialix's operation is a little more commercial
oriented, and we cater for corporate users as well as individuals.
Fees are about the same as APANA, sometimes cheaper for individuals
and especially for students.

                Sydney (N.S.W.)                    Perth (W.A.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
   Phone        [phone]                        09 244 2433
   Email        [e-mail]         [e-mail]
   Fax          [phone]                        -
   Modem        02 948 6918                        09 244 3233
   Mobile       [phone]                        -
   Snail Mail   Dialix Services, Box 153, Doubleview WA 6018, Australia

5.3 Newspapers:
  NYC: on 42nd St between 7th and 8th Avs., south side
  UCSD: Melbourne Age (4-6 weeks late)- International Relations & Pacific
    Studies Library
  Palo Alto: Mac's Newsagent, Printers Inc., Kepler's Books, Tower
    Records Bookstore
  Boston: The Newsagent's in the middle of Harvard Square has
    copies of the Australian (and maybe the Sydney Morning Herald) [AN]

"The Australian" is a national (Murdoch owned) daily which
advertises computing jobs in its Tuesday edition, and other jobs
in the Wed. and Saturday editions.  Available from most
Australian consulates.
    The Australian
    2 Holt Street
    Surry Hills, 2010
    [phone]

5.4 Australiana in the USA

* The Australian Catalogue Company: 7412 Wingfoot Dr., Raleigh,
NC 27615. Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone].  They have a fair
selection of food [biscuits, sweets, etc], Australiana (pins,
calendars, posters), a range of Women'sWeekly Cookbooks, tapes of
Australian music, boomerangs, didgeridoo, books on Australia,
etc. The prices aren't particularly cheap because they get things
sent over by air themselves, but is probably cheaper than getting
them sent to you. They will send you a free catalogue if you ring
them up. [AN]

They also have the "upside down map", with North at the top, with the
caption "Australia, No Longer Down Under": McArthur's Universal
Corrective Map of the World - Gives a true perspective of how the
world looks to an Aussie. A talking piece.  Item Number: rmmc00 Price
US$8.95 + Tax & Shipping

* Koala Baskets, San Jose, CA. They will send a catalog if you
ask. Catalog is not that extensive and prices fairly high [SW].

* Kangaroo Connection, Chicago, IL. Australian sweets, chocolate
bars, biscuits, etc. They do mail order. Their number is: (312)
248-5499. They will send you a catalogue. They also sell a
Vegemite Cookbook ($8.95).

* Vegemite: [AJ] More info on Vegemite in the U.S. I buy the
medium jars (235g.) for $4.95 from a chain store in the area
--Foods of All Nations.The address to try is:

Kraft Foods Limited
162 Salmon Street
Port Melbourne Vic. Aust.

A friend told me she wrote there looking for another product and
got a response about where she could find it wholesale--she paid
the price of the product and shipping only, no grocer markup.

In Seattle, the cheapest place I've found Vegemite is at Cost
Plus Imports for $2.19 for a small jar (115g).  As a side note, a
co-worker of mine refers to Vegemite tasting like 'liquified
Guiness' ;-) ;-) [GV]

Lee's Nutritions, Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachussetts ($3/jar)

Vegemite Cookbook available from Kangaroo Connection (see above)

Vegemite availability for D.C. summary:

- Koala Blue, Tyson's II Galleria
- Dean Deluca's, Georgetown
- Kangaroo Katies, Greenbelt
- Beautiful Day and other health stores (maybe)
- Gourmet Giant, McLean, Cabin John Plaza Bethesda..etc
- Magruders, Rockville


5.5 Video Conversion:

* There is a service in Raleigh, NC where video conversion from
any country format to any format can be made for several types of
cassettes(BETA, VHS, VHS-C and 8 mm). This will allow playback of
videotapes made overseas, here on U.S. TV's and VCR's(NTSC
System). The service will also convert the other way around, from
U.S.  system to any of the systems used anywhere else in the
world (PAL, SECAM, etc..)

Mailing Address: INTERNATIONAL VIDEO CONVERSION
                 520 Harvest Lane
                 Raleigh, NC 27606-2217
Phone:    [phone]
Fees:     $24.90 + $5.00 S&H
(Price of a High Grade Cassette Included, 2hrs or less)
Delivery:  Mailed back the next day, express shipping at request.
Payment:   Cheque, Cash or Money Order mailed with tape.

* We've also had a recommendation for SOMI International.
"I have used their services and found them to be professional, and
of course their price is good ($12.99/tape plus $3 for UPS)."
Address: SOMI International
         1115 Inman Ave, Suite 130
         Edison, NJ 08820.
         Phone [phone].

5.6 Expatriate Organisations

* Info on Australian contacts, organisations, news, arts, sport, etc.-
    The Australian Expatriate
    3809 Plaza Dr, Ste 107-307
    Oceanside, CA 92056
    USA

* A sort of a professional society for expats in NY and the surrounding area-
    The Australia Society Inc.
    P.O. Box 5441
    New York NY 10185
    USA