Advice needed - Mackay and Whitsundays area

[Southern Right]

Hi All

We are travelling up to the Mackay/Whitsundays area next week are are hoping to make contact with anyone living up there. We have a six year old son and need advice on finding jobs, accommodation etc. My hubby is a qualified Horticulturist but is prepared to do anything and I'm an AUSTSWIM qualified swimming teacher.

We need a home to rent (we have a labrador), and we would prefer a farm style place as we are not really city people, but we are not fussy. We would love to make contact with anyone living there as a friendly face would be great right now.

[Jordy]

Nilo lives in the Whitsundays. Pm her.

[Bob]

Nilo has ownership of a boat going out of the Whitsunday Islands from a place called Airlie Beach, about 3 hours drive north of Mackay.

Airlie Beach is based on tourism, with heaps of backpackers coming through, especially this time of the year when it's not humid and you can swim in the sea (no dangerous jellyfish around), but in the summertime, the place is slower.

Mackay is based more on the sugar industry, with a number of mines in the district also.

Both are great places to live and Mackay has quite a South African community from what I understand.

[janetd1]

Hi there we lived in Cannonvale for abouyt 3 yrs before moving to Sydney. I had friends in McKay from South Africa who ran their own lawn moving business so if you have money for that sort of thing it could work out for you as for teaching swimming there is a very good swimming school in McKay I can remember the teachers name but very well known she taught my daughter at times they used to travel to Mckay for training lessons before state trails so maybe contact them hope this helps a little bit I loved it there but we wanted to come to Sydney

[Southern Right]

Thanks everyone, this all helps.

[Kyto (Key-toe)]

hi southern right

we are living in the whit sundays and I work for a real estate company and my wife works for lawyers. we have been here for 10 months, and the kids are in a local school. we would like to meet up with you when you get here.

regards

Kyto and Trix

[Gremlings]

Hi Southern Right:

We arrived in Mackay (from Canberra) during December 2011. It took us 8 weeks to find suitable accommodation (family of 2 adults with 1 car only).

Mackay has been experiencing over the past few years a mining boom, and it can get very tricky to find accommodation. (It is possible that we experienced it ourselves due to the time of the year we arrived); it can also get expensive.

As we couldn't afford a furnished apartment in Jan/Feb for short stay (they were going on $1,200 to $1,500 a week at the time) we found this website very useful and rented a room for short term accommodation while looking for long term accommodation. https://www.airbnb.com/s?location=Mackay&checkin=&checkout=&guests=

Good luck!

[joweni]

Hello Southern Right

Saw earlier posts from you and just wondering why you are leaving Pinnaroo and South Australia ???

[LeeInOz]

I see you posted this a month ago. I know th ecouncil is always looking for workers.

There was a South African working as a horticulturist when we lived there 5 years ago. https://vacancies.mackay.qld.gov.au/eR21v323/VacancyList.aspx

Rent was quite high when we were there and we knew people who bought a house becasue they could not find a rental. There is a big community up there so you might find help once there.

I know a wonderful lady who works in real estate in Mackay, she might be able to help you if you are still looking. In general there are always jobs available. Several people told me they had to start at the bottom, but worked their way up quickly

.

I really miss Mackay, the wonderful beaches, the bad part is the smell of the sugar cane burning every harvest and the black soot. Oh and the horrible heat Dec to Feb, but the rest of the year is wonderful.

Whitsundays is 140 km north, a lot quieter, but I only went through there every 4 months or so to Airlie.