South to Sydney!


Definitely a cool city. It reminded me a bit of being in London, but had a cosmopolitan/european feel to it too.

The Opera House and Harbour Bridge - you get that funny feeling when sights that you have seen your whole life on tv, in print media, on postcards, are suddenly right in front of you. The buzz of people and tourists and cameras also adds to the feeling that you are somewhere special. The Opera House is quite spectacular - and not white! It is made up of cream and beige tiles from Sweden which are self cleaning...a nice and very useful touch I think! Inside is quite earthy - with everything made up and left as raw materials - concrete and wood. It took over 15 years to build, was designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon, and due to political rifts, he left while it was still in construction in 1966 and has never returned. Seeing an opera in this building is definitely on my things-to-do-list.

Also just a note on Bondi Beach, smaller than I expected, good for surfing, it's the nearest beach to the city, so popular in good weather. It's nice, but definitely not the most impressive beach I have seen so far...probably worth travelling a bit further out if you want to spend a few days relaxing at the beach.

Australia Immigration - New Processing Centre

The Australian government have now opened a new processing centre to handle applications for residence visas through the General Skilled Migration programme.

The new centre has been opened in Brisbane. The Brisbane Skilled Processing Centre (BSPC) will not be fully operational for a few more months but it is hoped that it will help reduce the current backlog of applications at the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre (ASPC).

Australia has announced an increase in the number of migrants it wishes to accept under their General Skilled Migration programme. The opening of this new centre will go some way to assisting this target to be reached.

Furthermore, new visa fees for all visa categories have now been announced by the Australian government.

View more on this info at:
http://www.commonwealthimmigration.com/australia.htm

More info on IAAust proposed changes

More info - the post below does not demonstrate the consultation and consideration that the Institute will be taking in implementing this change. There are numerous practical implementation issues that need to be addressed, including whether a new or amended Professionalism Course will need to be taken by those wishing to use the proposed “actuary” designation changes. Issues of how current and previous Associate-level actuaries are involved in the transition is also being investigated. Lookout for announcements from the Institute.

The term: "Actuary"

The use of the term "Actuary" is set to broaden.

The Institute of Actuaries Australia will allow actuaries with associate level qualification to use the title of ‘actuary.’

This represents and reflects the widening scope of the work of an Actuary in Australia.

This change will take effect within 3 years.

Indiana July


Koalas and kangaroos! The joy of seeing stereotypical aussie icons is awesome! I went to Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin) which has open areas for kangaroos to hop about and they are literally there in front of you to feed/pat etc. You can get a picture taken with you holding a koala - they incredibly soft! The Zoo is big on crocs too - they have daily shows which are very informative and myth-dispelling.

In true Indiana Jones style - I feel like I have personally discovered another world. Snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef. One of the 7 wonders of the world and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is the biggest in the world. Truly amazing. You can snorkel and/or dive. Colours, plants, fish, coral and a shark! "The Little Mermaid" song "Under the Sea" has a whole new meaning. The experience was spectacular!

If you are going out to the Reef, I would recommend going up to the Daintree rainforest as well. It is believed to be one of the oldest rainforests - with a history stretching back to 135 million years - mindblowing. I definitely gained an appreciation for the ecosystem and found out that trees are really smart! (Most trips for both the reef and the rainforest leave from Cairns or Port Douglas.)









We now have a new recruit and training is going well - nobody who knows me would ever say that I have a problem talking, but it can be quite exhausting!
So I went to New Zealand for a client meeting - and realised that it isn't 'the half an hour flight away' that I thought...it is definitely taking time to absorb the fact that Australasia is pretty huge! I was only there for a short while, but I saw some stunning views of mountains and it seems to hold a key to a world of outdoor activity!

In Aus, I have been to Surfers Paradise - it's cool, but commercialised, as most well known places are. Drove up north to Noosa - which, even in the rain, looked beautiful, and then went down to Byron Bay which was postcard perfect! It was fairly cloudy that day too and it was amusing to watch about a dozen surfers waiting about 10 minutes for a decent wave!

Having my first brissie barbie tomorrow - it's amazing that they have these built-in barbies in parks and outdoor areas - so people can bring their hampers and roast away!