Either its down or I have somehow deleted my favourites link to the site.

Post deleted by Timbo

He's referring to the Australian site catsailor.net. And yes it does seem to be down.

ok now

i've been trying to sign up for some time but they never seem to accept my registration

was wondering if they had a policy of not accepting people with non-aus. isp?

I tried to sign up ages ago but haven't been able to. Waited a few months for some kind of response but nothing. Who knows what the deal is.

I can read it quite happily.

Reading is fine, posting is another matter. There are some ppl that registered after me who are posting, but still I can't login. I haven't even looked at the site for months.

Hey guys,
I didn't want to start another thread just for this... but I was wondering if one of you Aussies might be able to point me in the right direction as to where to get started.
I am about to graduate from college in May and I am hoping to go to Australlia for 3-6 months. My main questions are: Where is the most sailing? When would be the best time of year to go for sailing? Where do you think I would enjoy the most (things to see/do, sailing conditions, nightlife, etc)? I'm thinking of staying on the east coast to be able to explore the various big cities and travel to NZ while i'm down there. Cost of living is also a concern, I don't want to live in extremely expensive area.

I've found a few possible instructing/coaching positions that would be good to give me the freedom to enjoy my time down there but would consider a more serious job if I could still have time to myself. I certainly can't afford to go down there and not work some of the time.
Any of you guys know of any jobs?

Thanks! If you could PM me these answers it's be highly appreciated.

All the capital cities have regular sailing, even during winter. However, summer has the most sailing activity. Sydney and Melbourne are probably the most sailing active.

All the capital cities are relatively expensive to live in at the moment, we have a bit of a "housing crisis" as the newspapers put it.

If you're looking for instructing positions, email the bigger clubs along the east coast and I'm sure something will pop up.

if you can up to the^ whitsundays you may be^ able^ to ge^t a job skippe^ring a yacht taking backpacke^rs out of airlie^ be^ach for 3^-4^ day cruises

at le^ast whe^n i was backpacking up the^re^ our skippe^r was a 22yo ame^rican just out of colle^ge^

i ne^e^d a laptop for xmas

June to August is our winter. In Queensland we sail the year round but in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania you will need a wetsuit, or wet weather gear to keep you reasonably dry/warm until about September when it warms up. If you are into snow skiing go to NSW, VIc or NZ. Tourists are well catered for everywhere.
Oz has the lowest unemployment rate for decades and with a booming economy there are thousands of jobs. You should look online through Careerone.com.au or seek.com.au for temporary jobs or go thru a recruitment agency. make sure you get the correct permits. contact your local Australian embassy. At a basic level there is fruitpicking which is a favourite of backpackers.hostels are everywhere, network their local attractions and are cheap. A lot of short term accommodation can be had,check online. You should visit Brisbane (especially in winter), Sydney and Melbourne (spring & summer), each has their own distinctive scenery/nightlife,environment and a wealth of attractions. You MUST see/snorkel/dive the Great Barrier Reef off a reef cat.Base yourself in Cairns,Townsville or anywhere as far south as Bundaberg. Further south in spring/summer there is whale watching. There are compehensive tourist concessions for extended bus/rail travel, Cheap airfares are available online, check out Qantas, jetstar, tiger and Virgin Blue.com.au. Some of these have $10 tickets to destinations. Car hire is from about $32/day plus mileage. Australia is vast and a car is king if you want to get around at your own pace and not rely on public transport. Winnebagos or other holiday/travel vans are available. Petrol is $AU1.15 to 1.30 a litre but can be up to 1.50/litre in inland areas.

Look up Queensland tourism, or a city name for tourism attractions. there is a huge amount of info online. pick where you weant to base yourself and then do a search for local sailing clubs and go from there.

Catsailor.net is a very exclusive site. They just don't let anyone post!

Regarding visiting and or working in Australia, one option worth considering is the various resorts in the Whitsunday Islands. These are a group of tropical islands about 1000 km north of Brisbane inside the Great Barrier Reef. Great all year sailing, and most resorts have beach cats for guests.

The $AUS to $US exchange rate is currently about $0.86, which does increase the buying power of the $US in Oz.