Well first let me introduce myself here. My name is Shawn, I am only 17 years old (about to be 18) and I am into hot rods. I own a 1948 Chevy Coupe that I am building from the frame up and making a pro street out of it. I also plan to try and buy a 53 chevy truck and keep the inline 6 in it, etc John Deere BB paint, cheater slicks, etc. These forums seem pretty darn cool and I have been on forums for years and JUST found these and wish I found them earlier. Anyways my question I have is... I was thinking that once I am out of school here in 2 months and I get some money together, to moving to Australia MAYBE in about a year or so. I have some questions though... If I wanted to start a shop out there in a few years doing powder coating, hot rods and custom bikes then would I make good money there? Also how expensive is it to live there compaired to the average state in USA? Are hot rods hard to find out there that aren't fixed up already that are American cars, etc? I have a couple other smaller questions that I will ask later on but those are the main ones I wanted to know for now. Thanks a lot for any info on this subject!
You can't just move to a country and live there just cuz you want to. You won't even be able to get a work visa unless you do something unique. You better plan on meeting some Shelia and marrying her while your there on a visit if you wanna stay there. Call the American Consulate in Chicago and get all the facts straight of what you can and can't do.
well, despite being a most hospitable bunch and caring and friendly and all the rest of it, us aussies have voted in a political party with the harshest border nazi's you'll find in the western world. denise is quite right, unless someone sponsors you or you marry an aussie, you've got three-fifths of fuck-all chance of getting a visa here. american tin is thin on the ground and expensive. that's the bad bit. the good bit is the weather is fucking fantastic, the food is awesome, the car scene thrives (though trad stuff is hard to find because there ain't enough bodies to go round), the people are great, the nightlife rules, and the chicks are hot... i tell ya, i love this place.
Whats in OZ that tickles yer fancy?The cops there i hear are total NAZIS about car modding and will gig ya and the dumbest shit.'This i heard from an Aussie so any OZ Hambers on here please don't be mad at me'
Hey Autocol, you want Border Nazi's there are none worse then George's boys to even transit L.A. you get finger printed etc !!! don't much sound like you have the right to do F all at the moment !!!
Umm..Guys the WTC was leveled,the pentagon was damaged ,Sudan Sam and his wreckin crew kinda made Georges borders a lil more guarded if ya know what i mean,so don't take the rectal search that hits the back of yer teeth too personally.
Well thanks for the info guy's. That is why I asked because I have no damn clue about it. Marrying an aussie chick wouldn't be bad either. There are some bad aussie girls there.
Yup and all that was by guys walking on to domestic flights unchecked, are you telling me that you have to get fingerprinted to get on a domestic flight these days ?? and these are people travelling (even only transiting never leaving the customs controlled area of the Airport....) on pasports of Georges friends and supporters (pom's aussies etc) wonder how easy they are on Saudi's...... I bet they can't legally do that to US Citizens within the US. Sorry for the rant, but this stuff along with the b/s known shipper regulations can't be good for the US economy, I can find the same product anywhere else in the world and have it here in NZ before you can get an unknown shipper verified in the US.
I'd go check out the Australian Embassy first. They can give you the right info. You gotta have skills though.....unless you can get here on a rickety boat. In that case, our brown-nosing leader "Honest John" will give you FREE accomodation for a few years. There's a few thousand enjoying our hospitality already.
AUSTRALIA!!!!! Dammit man take a vacation there first and see if you even like the place!?!?!?!? Holy nutso ideas?!?!?! Stay here in the good ol' US of A! Nothin like it anywhere! You wanna see the world? Don't just pick up and move to it, try visiting 1st....jeez!
as for gettin into the u.s., i had a harder time gettin into canada and back home to australia, then i did goin to the states. just stamped my passport and that was it... only last june!!! got hastled real bad comin home at aus customs..... bastards..... if you wanna swap identities or sumptin gimmie a yell... prolly be easier thata way!!!!???....... dave.
If I was you I would try the backpacker thing first! Have a look around. Australia is a big place and the weather & landscape varies alot. Moving here is next to imposible, even if you marry an Aussie the federal gov will make your life hell, I've seen that first hand a few years ago. Best of luck!
i'm sure this would be the least of your worries, but definitely something to consider. if you have a pet, i understand that the state keeps it in quarantine for six months after you move. now, being a pet owner, i wouldn't want that for me or for my little pal. i almost found this out too late, it is what kept me from permanently moving to japan, truthfully, i'm glad i stayed in the usa. do like everybody is saying, just vacation there first, and see how it goes. tred.
I just want to go there so I can drive around in a black blown Holden.. HAHA.. YEAH baby... Holdens RULE! I'm going to look on Ebay for one right now.
Shawn, listen to us old geezers and then make your move, I suggest that you at least visit before diving in. You might like it and be happy or hate it and be miserable. I think you should have enough money for a round trip ticket, good luck ,never give up on your dreams but you "gotta face reality sometimes....
What kind of Holden?Monaro?Torana?Statesman?Gemini?Commodore? mine would be a 71 HQ Monaro GTS and ebay OZ usually has plenty of Holdens buut keep in mind some Aussie's no like us Seppo Yank bastards wanting to export one of thier cars to the states so mak sure the one you finds owners are willing to sell to a bloody yank.
Amen brother. The US makes OZ look like sweethearts when it comes to trying to be the 'be all, end all' police state.
Thanks again for the info guy's. I thought I added in my original post that I would visit first but I guess I left that out. I definetely will visit it. Maybe I will just hold off though, sounds like it will be hard as hell and not worth it. I definetly wan't to visit there sometime. At first I was going to get up and go back to California where I used to live or Arizona but not it's way too expensive and Cali laws are way too strict on motorcycle and hot rod laws and rod shops and Arizona I hear is getting to be just like California. Maybe I should stay here in boring NC and move near the coast more. (I don't like NC, it's too damn red neck and boring as hell, nothing to do and hot rod and motorcycle scene sucks, it's about 10 years behind in style and the latest stuff if you know what I mean ) That is just my two cents worth. I am getting more used to it here (been here for almost 5 years now) but would rather live in nice Arizona near the river or Cali. I miss the desert that is all. The east doesn't have desert, you can't even look 10 feet ahead of you because a damn tree is in the way.
I lived in Charlotte and just south in Rock Hill, SC for years. I loved it. Then again, I make the best out of wherever I live. Come live in the desert of Washington. I do, it's bitchin'.
Yeah I live right on the boarder of SC about 20 min from Rock Hill here in Weddington right near Monroe and Waxhaw, etc. Never been to Washington. This summer I am going to go to the east coast too and look around for a place to live. I just don't wan't to live somewhere that costs a ton like Cali or Arizona does and somewhere I can start a shop later in about 3 years and not have to compete with a million others like in Cali as well. I didn't know there was desert in Washington (unless you were being sarcastic...) Got anymore info on Washington like good places to stay that are cheap and nice? Is there a good beach coast there or what?
I wasn't kidding, as I look out the window right now, we are having a wind storm and the tumbleweeds are hitting at least Mach .5, saw an engineer get waylayed by one, funny. March is the wind month and November is when it rains. I am east of the Cascades, it's like the front range in Denver. There is no income tax here for the state, they get you on the sales tax, but we are close to Oregon, who have no sales tax, get me?
Sweet man. Looks like it would be a cool place to live. I love the desert but also like near the beach too at times just like most other people. Is hot rodding big there and what about shops? Thanks again man!
There are quite a few traditional rodders here and I do mean the real deal, not rockasillies with their orcabetties. Tin is very available.
Oh yeaah i forgot about the Aussie baby tri 5's,them things are trick,i got a stack of OZ car mags with a few with huffed BB Chevs all the way to 308 Holden V8's tho my all time fav OZ car is the 1972-1978 Falcon coupe thats what ole Mad Max drove
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