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sammyk
Feb 11, 2008, 7:35 AM
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Hi There... So basically I am moving to either Australia or New Zealand to attend teachers college and i need some advice as to what area would be the best to live in/ closest to the best crags. I'm also undecided between Australia and New Zealand so if you want to throw in your own personal thoughts of which one I should choose I will gladly accept all advice!!!!!! - I am predominately a sport climber if that helps at all Thanks a bunch, any input would be amazing!!!!!!
(This post was edited by sammyk on Feb 11, 2008, 3:18 PM)
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sbaclimber
Feb 11, 2008, 8:44 AM
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Can't really help you much with Australia, but after living across the road from the teacher's college in Christchurch, NZ for 4 yrs, I can tell you that it is a pretty good location for what you are looking for. Surfing, mountain biking, hiking, 40-50 crags (trad + sport) + Castle Hill, all within an hour's drive (half the crags are <1/2hr away). Plus tons more, including really great sport climbing and alpine within a weekend trip (4-6hrs drive) away! You can't really go wrong PS, and if you're into hunting and fishing, tons of that too!
(This post was edited by sbaclimber on Feb 11, 2008, 8:45 AM)
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sammyk
Feb 11, 2008, 2:20 PM
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Thanks a lot, appreciate the reply :)
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gymbo
Feb 12, 2008, 4:51 PM
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My point of view is strictly as a tourist who visited Australia for 2 1/2 weeks and New Zealand for 6 days in 2005. I visited Cairns, Sydney and Adelaide in Australia and Queenstown, Christchurch, Dunedin, Aukland and Rotarua in New Zealand. I far prefered New Zealand to Australia and wished we'd reversed our times. I prefer the greener country side, the people seemed a little more laid back and nicer than they did in Australia and things seemed to be less expensive in NZ. I also like that NZ is smaller and more compact than Australia. It seemed easier to get around NZ.
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turtle54
Feb 16, 2008, 5:11 PM
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hey sammyk!! I've lived in NZ for a year, and spend 3 months in OZ in 2005/2006. What are you looking for?? AKL has not much to offer, but a 3hrs drive takes you to very nice places such as Wharepapa South or Whanganui Bay. Wellington has bouldering 1h away and ChCh has something like 500+ climbs 20 minutes from the city centre. And its 1h from Castle Hill, center of the Universe according to the Dalai Lama... Then there are the smaller cities, Nelson (Takaka - Paynes Ford is THE BEST place in NZ, probably in the world too) and Queenstown or Dunedin, with crags close to the city. In Australia, way too much rock. Sydney has lots of bouldering inside the city, blue mountains are 1h train ride, best sport crag in OZ (as people say). Melbourne..ah, Melbourne..what a city, man.. The place to live if you like parties, food, cafes, nice people, everything!! Like San Francisco, if you know what I mean...But, theres not much climbing in the city. Nice gyms, awesome people, but the good climbing is 4h drive. But Arapiles and Grampians are THE PLACES to climb, I dont have any idea about number of routes, something like 2000, I imagine...Mainly trad, good bouldering too, but not much sport, only high end grades bolted routes. (people, correct me if I'm wrong!!). I don't have much info about other places, but it seems like Perth and Brisbane have nice climbing too.. Anything else I can help?? What cities are in your mind?? cheers, mate!! m. brazil |
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aerili
Feb 17, 2008, 6:11 AM
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I am also interested in possibly moving to either Australia or NZ within the next year in order to attend graduate school. I've done a little bit of research on some schools in Oz, but can anyone tell me the best cities to live in in both countries? (To me, that means anything better than the mega-urban sprawl/pollution central city of 3 million I currently live in; moderate cost of living would be nice, too.) Which schools are generally considered on the better end of education? (I know this varies by field of study, often, but I figure there's some schools that are probably just better than others in general and/or offer a nicer atmosphere and surrounding area for quality of life.) As for surrounding climbing access, I prefer trad climbing most and non-thuggish sport climbing next. Bouldering is not my body's cup of tea, unfortunately. Any opinions and experiences are most appreciated.
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patto
Feb 17, 2008, 12:09 PM
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aerili wrote: I am also interested in possibly moving to either Australia or NZ within the next year in order to attend graduate school. I've done a little bit of research on some schools in Oz, but can anyone tell me the best cities to live in in both countries? (To me, that means anything better than the mega-urban sprawl/pollution central city of 3 million I currently live in; moderate cost of living would be nice, too.) Which schools are generally considered on the better end of education? (I know this varies by field of study, often, but I figure there's some schools that are probably just better than others in general and/or offer a nicer atmosphere and surrounding area for quality of life.) As for surrounding climbing access, I prefer trad climbing most and non-thuggish sport climbing next. Bouldering is not my body's cup of tea, unfortunately. Any opinions and experiences are most appreciated. Disclaimer: Highly Biased! Melbourne University kicks ass. It is in the ranked 27th top University in the world in the THES - QS World University Rankings. And it is right in the heart of vibrant Melbourne. To be sure Melbourne is a 3million population urban sprawl but you'll experience little of that living working and studying in the city. Riding a bike to university is great, you don't need to deal with all that car business except on weekends when you drive off the Australia's best crag. :-)
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ant_zacchino
Feb 17, 2008, 1:42 PM
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Hey, I can't make any living suggestions but I can suggest for you to start stocking up on gear now! Everything in Australia is way more expensive than it is in the states (due to the fact everything is imported). Stock up on shoes and biners and draws and anything else you could possibly need! good luck ant
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turtle54
Feb 18, 2008, 12:08 AM
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Registered: Jun 11, 2004
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Yes, Melbourne quicks ass!! And not just the Uni. I'm not a big fan of metropolis, but in Melb you definitely don't get that feeling. Everything in the city is close, bike-lane everywhere, you don't even have to worry about traffic. People are much nicer than in co-sister Sydney (pardon me if anyone got offended, but it's true), lots of cafes, restaurants, pubs, nice art galleries, live music everyday. The only bad thing is that climbing is 4 hours away, in Grampians and Araps, but if you like trad, you're in the right place. You just have to go to a gym (I recommend Lactic Factory, say hello to Chris for me) and arrange a ride to the place...And it's THE place. I can't say much about costs of living, but as an foreigner living there for 3 months, I didn't find it expensive, in fact much cheaper than NZ (Auckland). Sydney has wonderful places, bouldering, Blue Mountains, awesome beaches inside the city..But anyway I would go back to Melb if I had to choose.. tchau!! m. brasil
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