Does anyone know Mackay in Queensland? What is the Australian visa process like?

[pomybear]

We are looking to move to Australia or NZ from the UK and have seen a potential job in Mackay. We can't move to large cities in Australia so would need to move somewhere 'rural'.
As far as I can tell from google so far, it looks like medium sized town, with usual facilities, warm, humid climate and prone to cyclones!
Can anyone give me more detailed information or suggest where to look please? We would need schools for the children so need to look into that.

Also, I understand that the Australian visa process is pretty onerous. We both have jobs on the skilled occupation list.
Thanks in advance.

I don’t know Mackay but I’m sure it’s a pleasant enough town. I do know Port Macquaire, Coffs Harbour which I imagine are similar and are very nice.
I would highly recommend going through an immigration agent as the process is quite complex. Have a look at PomsinOz website and they should have some recommendations.

Thanks so much @Ozgirl75
The Aussies are really strict with their criteria, even English test for native English speakers!

Amazing! I had no idea. We emigrated 16 years ago on the points system and although we had to make sure we dotted every i, it wasn’t too bad. It took around 10 months though. Worth it though, Aus is lovely! Are you set on Queensland? There are some lovely rural parts in all the states, depending on what you like doing - eg rural in Tasmania can mean snow, whereas rural WA could be desert and Qld could be rainforest!
There are loads of nice little towns up the east coast though, and I think you can have a great standard of living there. I would avoid Townsville, they are having big problems with crime at the moment. Probably if I could work anywhere I would look at Port Macquarie. It’s pretty, has a lovely foreshore and isn’t desperately far from Sydney, only about 3-4 hours. You can feel quite cut off in Aus and even more so in the smaller towns. Newcastle has a great reputation as there’s a good Uni there.

I also hear Orange is very nice but I haven’t been there.

Hi @Ozgirl75 not set on Queensland, no. It will depend where jobs come up and there may not be many (DH is v specialised and the rules are that it needs to be rural). Our preference is definitely for a warmer climate though and the East coast does look like a good for that.
We are after a better quality of life, hopefully less stress than the UK and the pay is also much better in Australia. Also need good schools, which we understand we need to pay for unless PRs.
Any other tips for moving or pros and cons of Aus/ vs UK?
We have both considered the distance and upheaval and still decided that it is worth it, as far as we can tell from here!

It’s pretty individual but I would say:
Cons - it’s a long way from everywhere and expensive to fly
Depending on your interests, there are minimal things like National Trust places, old historic buildings etc
You may find the rural life a bit quiet and insular
Personally I find the humidity in Qld too much and I also like seasons, so Sydney suits me better but loads of Brits like Qld.
You also do get cyclones in Qld although in general they’re set up for them.

Pros
People are friendly, have a great “can do” attitude and in small towns, do look out for each other in tough times
Lovely weather enabling you to live an outdoorsy life
Beautiful scenery
Lack of traffic outside the main cities
Its just less busy in general, making it easier to do most things
Life is generally cheaper - bills and groceries are cheaper for sure
Loads of interesting things to see and do, it’s a massive, varied country
Great place to be a kid with lots of sporting activities and clubs. Aussies seem to make up for the slight lack of cultural activities with a myriad of other things to do
If you’re friendly and approachable, you’ll have no problems fitting in.
Generally good and accessible healthcare and schools.

Again, I live in Sydney and don’t really have experience of smaller towns apart from on holiday. I wouldn’t love a small town but that’s personal preference. The one thing I would say is just check distances - eg Mackay to the nearest big city, Brisbane, is an 11 hour drive, and that’s 11 Aus hours where you’re driving at 110km the whole way, not stuck in traffic for half of it!

You know you can't get into the water from November to May at a minimum. Being on the coast in a hot climate and unable to enjoy the sea would be a big put off for me, especially since there are no nets in Mackay,
Last year , a kid died near Mackay from a box jellyfish. I would avoid stinger area .
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-27/teenager-dies-box-jellyfish-sting-eimeo-beach-mackay/100865654
Any chance of a job below the stinger line?

As expats you wouldn’t want to live in Mackay long term but it would probably be fine for a couple of years while you wait for your visa limitations to finish. Like a previous poster pointed out, don’t expect the beachy Australian lifestyle because it’s not safe to swim half the year. Houses are much cheaper there than in SEQ but make sure you research the property market carefully to avoid buying during ‘boom times’. Small rural places with fluctuating industries can be risky to buy in. We have had a few friends buy in places like Gladstone only to end up in negative equity with their property only worth 60% of what they paid a couple of years later because the latest project didn’t go ahead or things slowed down.

I disagree with a previous poster upthread who recommended you avoid Townsville due to the crime. Townsville (if you are allowed to settle there) would definitely be preferable. There are better schools, shops and amenities and it is better connected with flights. My other half travels to Mackay every couple of months for work and during his last visit while we were talking on the phone he witnessed a break and enter on the street he was on in broad daylight. There is a lot of meth and associated problems in Mackay. At least in Townsville there are solid pockets of housing where you can mostly avoid these issues.

Yeah, I would definitely go Townsville instead, without a doubt.

If you can go to a town, I wouldn’t choose Townsville though - I’d probably go for Cairns over Townsville (although personally I wouldn’t want to live in either of them). I guess it depends how rural you want to be.
Rural in Australia is quite different to rural in the U.K. Country U.K. is (generalising) quite well to do, genteel, often quite wealthy and often not that far from a town. Country in Australia can be (although not always) quite basic, rough, poor, insular and backwards in terms of how women/minorities are treated. Not always, but I would do careful research before you go fully rural, especially in North Queensland or the NT.
Areas around Noosa, Sunshine Coast etc can be lovely.

Another thing to consider is the horror stories about healthcare in rural Australia. Now Townsville is not rural, but lack of GPs, even lack of doctors in rural hospital at nights and the cook or the cleaner looking after the patients, have made headlines a bit too frequently in these last years.
I understand some visas have rural or remote as a condition. I would recommend you post on https://forums.whirlpool.net.au they have a big section and it is not expat-based, so you get a more authentic view.
Some rural towns are 2 hour drive from a supermarket, so you will really need insider info.
Do they specify the towns or area, you can apply for?

Thank you very much for all the replies. They are super helpful and just the kind of information I need, despite not giving the most glowing reports of Mackay! We will continue to look for opportunities.

If I had to be rural to start with, I’d actually consider somewhere like Tasmania which is that bit smaller than Qld.
My aunt and uncle used to live inland from Townsville on a farm and although they loved it and they had a fantastic community, they did get cut off when it flooded (sometimes for weeks) and were self sufficient in fruit and veg. They used to do a trip to town, about 1 1/2 hours away once a month to stock up on essentials. It was a very different life and they were both forced to be very handy - there’s no calling an electrician, plumber etc and most of the people who live out that way can do their own things.
Equally, there are plenty of pleasant coastal towns where you don’t have to live like that at all. Anywhere around south Qld is lovely, also loads of the NSW coast like Coffs, Newcastle etc (although I don’t know if that would be rural)

True rural Australia is a very different life though, totally different to rural Britain - you have to be very tough, pretty self sufficient, willing to pitch in etc.

This is really helpful @Ozgirl75. Thank you!
It will depend on potential jobs but good to know which places are preferable.

I moved from Exeter, Devon to Townsville in October. It was odd. I was happy enough. Humidity was a shock and I hated it. Crime was same as anywhere. worse in some suburbs than others. Just pay attention to where to would move to.
It is tropical in Townsville with almost monsoon weather. October-Feb was solid heavy rain and then we had a category 5 cyclone. We actually escaped south to Mackay which was nice enough.
Stated in TSV for a few more years then moved to country Vic, now in Adelaide and moving back to Vic. I prefer it in these states as change in seasons is great and much dryer heat.

Good luck for your move.

October 2010 not this year lol.