Thread: Moving to Australia

Originally Posted by adrianclarke

. am I kidding myself it'll be easier to make a living in Aus? Cheers Adrian

Hi Adrian and welcome to the forum.
I can't help with the machinery questions (others here will know)
I can't even help with the last question, (never having tried to make a living in France)
however I do know a quite a few full time woodworkers over here and some are doing very well and others not so well ( probably similar in France)
also worth remembering is that Australia is about the size of Europe and has a population about twice that of Paris.

Adrian hi and welcome

depending on where in Australia Hare & Forbes can supply you with parts for some Scheppac machines depending on what of course but they are a top company to deal with here in Sydney anyway.

Ray

G'day Graig and welcome to the forums!!!

Schepach machinery is handled by a company here called Hare and Forbes. I also know there are agencies for Robland but the names do not spring to mind.

In Aus. the growth areas are Western Australia and Queensland, so that knowledge may help decide where you could settle.

Welcome to the forum and hopefully to Australia shortly.

Welcome to the forum.

Some question already answered and the others would need someone to compare France to Australia. I do not fall in that catogory. I would like to think that hand tool quality is ok with a wide variety to choose from.

Hand tool quality here is much like that in Europe - you can go to the large hardware stores (think of Mr Bricolage when you see Bunnings) and get things that range from junk to good (but not brilliant). There are specialist vendors for high quality tools (Carbatec, Wood Works, etc) ans also some high quality makers of tools and pieces (HNT Gordon, Chris Vesper, Academy saws, Colen Clenton, etc). And there is a good second hand market.

As for red tape. Australia has its fair share - especially in relation to immigration. But the red tape burden is probably a little less than France ( after all bureaucracy is a French word!) but like all systems, is more daunting when you don't know it. Once you get familiar with the system, the red tape can be lived with!

Adrian, I cant comment about the red tape side of things but WA seems to be the powerhouse at the moment with the mining boom, all trades including cabinetmaking and carpentry are required. Robland used to be carried by Carbatec but they dropped the range some time ago and a company here in Perth called Beyond Tools now carry and support the Robland range of panel saws.
SSGT

Bonjour Adrian

Welcome to the forum, and potentially to Oz.

When you talk to the embassy in Paris they should give you some brochures on bringing your gear with you. Plan carefully as one large shipment is much cheaper than two smaller ones.

You can scan better tool suppliers to cross check prices, availability, etc. Have a look at :
www.carbatec.com.au
Timbecon Tools - Everything you need to get wood working.
MachineryHouse.com.au
SYDNEY TOOLS
www.vespertools.com.au

If you have good gear its probably worth bringing it. Australian electrics are 230 volt, 50 hertz single phase (same as France, I think) and 415volt, 50 Hz three-phase, but the plugs and sockets are different from France.

All equipment imported must be spotlessly clean. Australian quarantine is rigidly enforced, and with the slightest risk of bringing in a bug they (AQIS) will insist on additional professional cleaning at your expense.

Good/excellent hand tools are always a pleasure, and are not always easy to replace.

Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by adrianclarke

G'day all! Im in the process of applying to immigrate to Australia from France and .................am I kidding myself it'll be easier to make a living in Aus? Cheers Adrian

G'day Adrian
I guess we are all assuming you want to make a living with woodworking in Aus. As mentioned earlier, it's not impossible, but unless you have some contacts and /or a world wide reputation (written some books or the like) it's not easy (refer above regarding the small size of the population in Australia). On the other hand, I know people who have immigrated from Europe and just got into something ( eg airconditioning, building, renovating,or general contracting) to make a living and then you could still do your woodworking and explore galleries of art studios to see if you could sell your work that way. IMHO, I think generally speaking, if you are keen, it is easier to get a job here in Aus (certainly in WA ro Qld) than in France at the moment..
Cheers and good luck.

Hi Adrian,

I am french and migrated 11 years ago. I can confirmed without a doubt that it is much easier to make a living here than in France (being back a few times and all family is over there).
From tax legislation perspective (less taxes that's for sure even if I complain ) and opportunities.
At least Australia is not a country of assisted hence the levels of taxes
I can not talk for woodworking but generally speaking if you are willing to work, you'll find something, not necessary what you'd like but better than nothing.
Also as someone stated it, it is cheaper to ship your gears in a container than individual small crates.
11 years ago I paid something like $500(2000FF at the time) for up to 100 kilos.
I could have paid just above $2500 for a big container in which I could fit a car, fridges, freezers, etc... did not have that many gears to ship
It 's worth inquiring.

I have found the quality of the tools similar to France. It depends on where you buy them from and they are usually cheaper (my table saw was $1300 here where the equivalent model in France was 1000Euros - $2000).
Recently a friend of mine in France was looking at buying those portable Ryobi table saw - because he could not afford a real table saw - and the cheapest he could find was around 500euros where here, I think they are in the 400-$500 mark.

anyway good luck. I might see you in Melbourne

Hi Adrian.
Not from France but near enough, I have done the same 30 years ago.
My two cents' worth:

WA and Queensland are steaming ahead, but it is just because of the mining boom - it might not necessarily reflect opportunities in woodworking.

Life is easier here than in Europe, but provides fewer opportunities for excellence. Governments here are constantly worried about the "brain drain". Woodworking is not rocket science, but if you are an excellent designer, for example, just go to Milan. 100 years ago, you should have remained in Paris!

Power here is actually 240V (not 230! ) but your 220V machines will work OK - just do not push them too hard. Same for 3 phase 380 / 415.

Transport for the biggest items might not be worth it. If they are not exceptional items, consider carefully whether it would not be better to sell them and buy new stuff with warranty here. Costs are generally lower here for most items, they are all manufactured in China anyway... If you set up business, purchasing here would also facilitate your tax deductions.

Best luck.

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

Power here is actually 240V (not 230! ) but your 220V machines will work OK - just do not push them too hard. Same for 3 phase 380 / 415.

Costs are generally lower here for most items, they are all manufactured in China anyway... If you set up business, purchasing here would also facilitate your tax deductions.

Power used to be 240 volts, but SA60038 changed the standard from 23 February 2000. Nominal voltage is now 230 volts +10% -6%, so as Frank&Earnest says equipment designed for the 220-240 volt range should work OK.

For tax purposes, there is no difference from importing items or buying them locally. Just depreciate imports at their valuation for customs clearance purposes.

Cheers

Graeme

My apologies for the outdated, but still correct for practical purposes, info re voltage.

As regards tax teatment of assets, it is true that it does not change depending on their origin. I said "facilitate", that is, among other things, avoid the need to optimise the valuation in consideration of future depreciation without knowing what the business circumstances will be.

methinks Adrian has left the building ....and we are chatting amongst ourselves