which part of Oz

talaxandra · Feb 27, 2010

There are various levels of ICU in every capital city, so you may find it easier to narrow down your choices to a state first (considering things like climate, proximity to attractions, public transport, housing prices) first. Adelaide, SA, for example, has considerably lower housing prices than Melbourne or Sydney, but doesn't have an international airport and is less densely populated. Sydney has a higher cost of living but a wide range of tourist attractions and festivals. Perth has a great climate and low cost of living but is eight hours by plane from the east coast. Darwin is first post of call in the aftermath of Asian tragedies (the Bali bombings, post-tsunami) and therefore can be very acute, but is hot and remote. Melbourne has a changable climate and strong public transport system but house prices are rapidly rising. So think about how long you plan to stay and what you want to get out of your move.

The bigger the city the more options you'll have for workplaces, but there's at least one tertiary level hospital in each capital city, and most have several. In Melbourne (my home town) the most acute hospitals are the Alfred (31-36 combined ICU/HDU beds, 2000 admissions annually), the Royal Melbourne (20 ICU beds, 4 HDU, 2000+ admissions annually), the Austin (undisclosed bed number, 2000 patients annually), and Monash Medical Centre (no specific information supplied), among others.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2010

Hi I am in Perth in the west of Australia (Western Australia is one state of Australia).

We have several large and public teaching hospitals here. There is Royal Perth Hospital (about 600 beds), and there are 2 campuses to this (one is a rehab hospital called RPH Shenton Park). There is also Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and several private hospitals. There are many, smaller public hospitals.

WA weather is quite mild compared to Adelaide (I haven't lived in any other cities in Oz, just visited some). Adelaide winters are quite fierce, especially icy near/in the hills; I hated the cold there. Perth is a newer city, some say remote as travelling to the east coast (Sydney, Melbourne) is not nearby. However you can get cheap flights to just about anywhere now. But there are many beautiful things to see here, I live in a Perth suburb and it is full of native birds, green and peaceful. I have not seen much violence, even when I lived here many years ago. It is the start of winter now, and though it is cold, it is not icy and not too cold at night (I suffer badly from feeling cold and I have only had a small heater on at night and it's been OK). Some other cities like Sydney might see more big concerts, or more entertainment but there is much to do in Perth - it is much bigger than Adelaide and a LOT of building going on everywhere. The trains and buses are rarely late, are nice and clean (there is some grafitti but you get than everywhere), the house prices are still better than over east, and I find people friendly here. The coastal beaches and towns are stunning but can be expensive to live in. I doubt you would be out of work here - there are plenty of job agencies in the CBD and in the suburbs, and plenty of nursing agencies. You can google them, and try looking at www.careerone.com.au for your hubby. Try Mediserve nursing agency, www.mediserve.com.au, they have advice on what you need to get here, etc and they are Australia wide (many nurs agencies are). Also look at http://www.hospitalsinaustralia.com/Listing.php, go to NT and Misc on the menu, then click on Australian Hospitals, and this will take you to different websites and info for each hospital - it seems fairly comprehensive.

Many of our major cities are on the coast due to the centre of Oz being so dry, but the red centre of Oz has it's own beauty. Be prepared for up to 46o celsius days on end of scorching heat, even in the cities (it was 40o celsius plus in Adelaide about a year ago for TWO WEEKS). And air conditioners usually don't work. But the springs and autumn can be lovely. The higher you go up north, the more tropical and humid - some people can't stay in Darwin cos it is too humid and it drains you. But they have their own attractions - other people have told me they got used to the humidity after a while.

Depends on what you want. There would be a million websites for each city and state, just keep clicking on a few and decide what you want. To get work though you will most probably have to go to a denser populated area, not the outback, BUT check out the mining websites, they may want certain types of engineers.

It's a hard decision! Good luck.

http://www.hospitalsinaustralia.com/Listing.php