Australia-presentation

Our project with QQOQCP

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In order to describe our project, we have chosen the 5 Ws methodology.

Choose one item to see the detail :

The method QQOQCP -5 Ws in English - (Who's Who, Where, When ,How much, How and Why) allowsthe comprehensive and rigorous collection of accurate data by adoptingan approach of constructive critical analysis based on systematicquestioning.
It also helps to structure a presentation of facts or aproblem by asking (and answering) a minimum of questions.
Source: Wikipedia (QQOQCP translated fromFrench version - Five Ws)

How (Process)

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You can see below the list of means of travelling we have in front of us.

Administrative papers

Helath insurance

We chose ASFE insurance, partner of http://www.australia-australie.com website,the first french website about Australia and Working Hollidays visa.

Working holliday visa

Australia has working holiday visa programs with many countriesincluded France.The visa allow us to work for summer and temproray job andtravel during one year in Australia.
You can get this visa only once in your life and you should be between18 and 30 years old.

International driven licence

In order to drive legaly in Australia you have to take with you aninternational driven licence.

Electronic material

Compact camera:

Small, not too expensive and can support better the dust than reflex.We will register our trip in this small box.

Note book

Small and not too heavy, an essential working and communicationtool

Backpack

Thibaut's backpack

2 Shirt
4 Tshirt
2 Short
1 Swimming suit
1 hat
2 pull over
1 jacket
1 smart trousers + belt
1 jean trousers

1 backback
1 Sun glasses
1 Flipflop
1 technical shoes
7 Underwear
1 Sleeping bag
1 pillow
1 light towel
1 camera

1 computer
1 toilet bag
1 pharmacy box
1 banana bag
1 Swiss knife
1 Opinel knife
1 gourd
2 glasses
2 plates

Charlotte's backpack

Backback
1 Shirt
2 Tshirt
2 technical tshirt
2 Short
2 Swimming suit
1 hat
Sun glasses
1 smart trousers

1technical trouser
Flipflop
1 technical shoes
7 Underwear
1 Sleeping bag
1 pillow
2 technical towel
1 camera
1 computer
1 toothbrush

2 pull over
1 jacket
1 banana bag
Pen / pensile
2 Tourist book
1 Australia map
1 phone
2 spoon

Logistic/Transport

Because of the big distance in Australia we will use differenttransport:

Plane

From France we will arrive by plane, of course and in Australia we willtake internal plane.

Train/bus

You can buy kilometers or trips for train and buses and use it when youwant.
You don't have so many trains (N-S connexion, W-E connexion in theSouth only) and they are expensives but speedy.
Buses are slower but are going in the border of all coasts and you havea connexion N-S. You can get out and take it again when you want.

Van:

We will take a van for some area like Perth or East cost only. We won'tdrive in desert.
For financial point of view, we will have our accomodation andtransport in meantime.

Accommodation

Couch surfing:

CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connectstravelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around theworld.

Couch surfing is a community of people who can offer a couch in theirhome to travellers for free. Each participant has a profile where theycan describe their personality, their home and couch. You can see couchsurfing network and community on following website:http://www.couchsurfing.org/about.html.

Couch surfing is as well the posssibility for people to come togetherfor cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences.

Woofing

WWOOF is a world wide network of organisations that allow volunteers tolive and learn on organic properties.

Travellers or WWOOfers works in a farm and in exchange homesteaders willgive them a job and a bed.
Woofing organisation promotes cultural understanding of the manydiverse peoples and cultures around the world through the interculturalexchange that takes place while sharing in the daily life of others.

http://www.wwoofinternational.org/
http://www.wwoof.com.au/

Camping

In Australia we can camp in National Park. Because of the weather andcheap prices we will maybe buy a tente in Australia.

Hostel

One of the cheapest way to find a bed.

Where

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Introduction

Let's get the opinion of the best guide book about Australia :
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia#

Sure it's got deadly spiders, snakes and sharks, but they don't stop people from coming here, never mind living here. And for good reason. From the prehistoric gorges of Kakadu National Park, to the white sails of the Sydney Opera House, Australia is a country as big your imagination. Kick back on a beach as white as your mother's wedding dress in Western Australia; lose yourself in the labyrinthine laneways of culture-rich Melbourne or be humbled by red desert sunsets over Uluru. Turn south to visit hundred year old giants that loom large in the forests of Tasmania or take on Sydney, a heady mix of surf, sun, money and sex, and you'll soon realise Australia is a place to be discovered, not feared.

[...] more : click here

Australia, main figures

Capital	Camberra,323 000 inhabitants
National language	English
Currency	Australian dollar (AUD), 1$A =0,61€, Oct 09
Calling code	+61
Member	Commonwealth and OCDE member
Government	Federal parliamentary democracy andconstitutional monarchy,
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Quentin Bryce
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Area	7,686,850 km2(14 times of France)
N-S	3220 km
E-W	4025 km
Coast	36735 km
Population (2009 estimate)	22,010,766
working people (2007)	10,5 millions (66%)
unemployment rate (2007)	4,30%
Density	2.833/km2
Administrativeorganisation	6states

Australia: 14th time the size of France :

Australia: Big distance, opposite seasons, jet lag and weather

In Australia distance are really huge and the population is concentrated in big cities on East cost mainly. Desert and West cost is almost empty where aborigenes population lives.
When it is winter in Europe, it is summer in Australia, when it is midday in Europe it is evening in Australia.

Distance between 2 cities in Australia:

Cairns
140	Mission Beach
370	230	Townsville
655	515	285	Airlie Beach
1150	1010	780	495	Rockhampton
1600	1465	1230	945	455	Hervey Bay
1785	1645	1415	1130	640	185	Noosa Head
1925	1785	1555	1270	775	325	160	Brisbane
2515	1865	1635	1350	855	405	240	80	Surfers Paradise
2345	2210	1975	1690	1200	745	580	425	350	Coffs Harbour
2005	2380	2145	1860	1370	915	750	595	515	170	Port Macquaire
2945	2810	2575	2290	1800	1310	1150	1025	945	595	430	Sydney
3210	3070	2840	2555	2095	1610	1445	1320	1240	895	725	300	Canberra
3835	3695	3465	3180	2755	2235	2105	1910	1865	1520	1350	925	625	Melbourne
4625	4485	4255	3970	3545	3025	2895	2735	2655	2310	2140	1545	1415	790	Adelaide
6630	6490	6260	6545	6010	5530	5345	5185	5265	5045	4875	4450	4235	3770	2980	Perth
4260	4120	3890	4175	4670	5120	5055	4895	4975	5325	5490	5965	5670	5203	4415	2370	Broome
2930	2790	2560	2845	3340	3890	3725	3565	3645	3990	4160	4800	4500	3875	3085	4340	1970	Darwin
3110	2970	2740	3025	3520	4070	3885	3745	3825	4107	4340	2595	2300	1675	885	3865	3545	2205	Coober Pedy

When

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2008 >>>>>>>>>>> 2009 September >>>> 2010 February >>>>>>>>>> to be defined

Schneider electric Hungary Travel Job researches

In 2008 and 2009, both of us got a job for Schneider Electric in Hungary. Contract was over at the end of September 2009.

The next step for us is Australia in October 2009. Our project begins with travels and discoveries of new ways of life at the other side of the world for 3 months (more details in What page).

Then, from February 2010, we will look for a new job linked with our skills. If we like Australia, we will start our researches there.

How (much)

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Financial estimation: Budget

Soon

What

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Travelling project

At the end of September 2009, both of our contracts are over. We have decided to travel around Australia for 3 months.

We will arrive in Perth and flight back from Sidney (return date is flexible).

What	Travelling
Country	Australia
Arrival	Perth, 24th of October
Departure	Sydney
Duration	At least 3 months

3 months is the maximum period, of course, we stay flexible and if we have any financial constraints or job opportunities we will reduce this period.

The next step will be to find a job fitting with our backgroung and skills in Australia by the way.

Project communication

In order to share with you our project and give you visibility about Australian country and life, we will publish once a week one picture shows a memorable fact, a typical situation or a beautiful view with coments.

We will show what is the most important situation or thing we understood, we saw or touched ourself every week.

Like this in few minutes you will discover the Australian culture, differences and history through our experience.
If you feel like to see more pictures, you have them on Picasa album.

We prefer to associate Australian country with our experience on one picture and coments instead to describe everything about Australia like a Wikipedia website or describe only our personal life day after day.

Who

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Thibaut and Charlotte is a young French couple. They met each others in Hungary during their VIE contract and mission. After 6 months of friendly relationship, they have been together more than 1 year ago.

Charlotte FOUCHER

Age: 25

Background:
Master’s degree Audit and Financial control, IAE Grenoble
Junior financial controller

Language: French (mother tongue), English (Fluent)

Previous visited countries: Holland, England, Ireland, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary (26 months), Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Greece and Turkey.

Few words about the project: This project is a human and travelling one. We would like to travel 3 months without job, or if any, different ones we used to (pick up fruit, working in a farm…). It means we took the decision to forget our stable, comfortable and security life for a temporary period in order to discover new way of life. It will be as well the possibility to test our adaptation capacity and our couple; we will spend all time together.

Of course if we pass successfully the first step, the new challenge will be to stay longer in the country with a job fitting with our knowledges and background.

Expectations: First I would like to discover a new country, a new culture and habits. Then I would like to test my flexibility and my management skills especially for taking more decisions. It will be the opportunity for me to meet one part of my family, my grand parents's cousins leaving in Australia.

Fears:
- The distance: of course we will be far from France and from our parents so we can’t come back easily. Especially for my mum who has a sensitive health and my sister who has 2 children who will grow up.
- Jetlagged: when it will be morning in Australia, it will be evening in France so even the time and the season will be different
- Dangerous animals like snake, shark and spider: I don’t like and I am really scared about them
- Destroy the couple because of difficult situation

View CV on line

Thibaut REYMOND

Age : 25

Background: Engineer (INSA Lyon 2007) in industrial management,
Project Manager in logistic

Language: French (mother tongue), English (Fluent), Italian (Basic)

Previous visited countries: England (3 months), Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia (5 months), Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary (21 months), Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Roumania, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Swizerland, Greece and Turkey.

Few word about the project:
This is a new step for us : New places, new -Australian- accent (considering that we are speaking English), new friends.
We will travel across the country with flexibility and following the opportunities we can get. And we have two constraints: budget (defined based on our savings) and time (3-4 months).

Expectations:
Australia is far, even further than South Pole from Europe. I am impatient to be there in order to meet people. Due to several factors (distance from Europe, size of the “island”, climatic conditions, …), the way of life should be different.
I like to meet people. We will be free but also responsible of our choices (planning, budget…).

Fears:
Two fears.
First one : we will be far from everything which is familiar (Friends, family, food, news…). The time will be different and the season will be at the opposite (winter in Europe means summer in Australia).
Second one : Shall we be open to travel for several weeks without fix place to stay ?

View CV on line

Why

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The project has started in a restaurant in Budapest : “Why not going to Australia after our job in Hungary ?”

This was the starting point. Then we have benchark this idea :

Why Travelling ?

Both contracts are over end of September 2009
The economical situation is difficult in 2009. All international companies freeze their recruitment for months. Therefore, It would have been difficult to find a good position in fall 2009. We hope we find more opportunities in 2010.
Our experience in Hungary is over and we did not want to come back in France now. So we have chosen an other foreign country as next destination.
We are completely free without any financial and family constraint like credit, house or children So, we don’t have to consider any material issue.
We are 25 years old and it is time for us to enjoy and travel before to build a stable family life
We are young, we will be able to travel only with backpack, jumping from one young hostel to another

Why Australia ?

As we are fluent in English, the integration within local life should be easy.
Charlotte has some relatives close to Melbourne and she has never met them so it will be the opportunity to know them
Thibaut wanted to do Backpack in Europe, but he has already seen several main spots. So other place has to be found
Australian and American young people travel around Europe for months. But as French, why not doing the same than them in Australia ?
We know it is less common to do it for European people as when you get your degree, the first objective is to find a "good" job. Considering we will travel only few months, we think that we have to do it now and then find something more stable.
We have the chance to be French and to have the possibility to get easily a “Working Holidays Visa” for one year in Australia