Ditching Melbourne for Cairns!

Sounds like a good idea except for the timing. Check out the rainfall stats for the "wet" season, and maybe put your trip off until April/May?? Cyclone season is a bit scary as well.
Caravan parks vary in price from about $30 - 45 per night and some do deals for a week or more.
We have just come back to our van from Townsville this afternoon. That place is buzzing at the moment. They are picking pineapples near our CP. (Rollingstone Beach).
Wish I'd have done it when I was younger!! Good luck... stick your neck out and go!!!!
Bob

Do it ..... you will never know unless you do, we did it 13 years ago, now have 3 kids and still doing "it" ............. we are in transit at the moment, from Perth to Cape York, for work, and will be working up the cape when we get there, we do have work to go to as you have to plan a bit harder when you have kids but if I could do it all over again I would have started MUCH younger and done exactly the same thing.............
One bit of advice, be very open minded for what you will do for work, you will be competeing against backpackers up there, zillions of them, and they work hard and for little so it may not easy.... but if you start at the bottom and show you are capable of better things you will very quickly get into a good paying job ...... and the fun you will have words cant explain it, take note of first post about seasons as it is extreamly damp and hot in the wet, better to start in may/june/july and the heat will "grow" on you and you will last it out...............
Do it, cumon what are you waiting for :-)

Ok, I'm sorry that someone has to be a wet blanket but just a few things to consider about your selection of towns.
Cairns is very dependent on the tourism industry. I believe it is starting to come around again but they took an absolute thumping with the GFC and then the very strong Australian dollar. The tourist numbers dropped considerably and jobs disappeared as a result. Not long ago, Cairns was the welfare capital of Australia with more welfare dependent people per capita then any other place in Australia.
In saying all that, Cairns is an awsome place and I can imagine the lifestyle living there would be great too. Good on you for having the courage to take the risk. I think someone has it as there signature block here but I'll steal it anyway, "You can't find new oceans without first losing sight of the shore".
Tim

what the hell are youse doing....
GO NOW..
im in mackay, in my shorts.... or even less..... ha ha.. all day or night..
id like to see you do that in Melbourne... this time of year..

there's a bit of a downturn at the minute, im in mackay.. soon to be Gladstone.. sadly.
coal dependant mining towns..

I wouldn't wait, go now and get the best of the better weather, then acclimatise for the summer, humidity and crap..

the economy here isn't too flash..
id be just bitting the bullet, and going..

id imagine cairns couldn't be worse than here..
im a qualified boily, and sending 40resumes out via email hasn't landed me work..
soo off to Gladstone I go..
mackay is awesome..

Townsville isn't going well either, and cairns is further up from memory... ??
basically the whole north qld is quite dead......

don't let that stop you..

in mackay you can get a cabin for 240.. a week, mind you its single mans accommodation....... ha ha..... if a girl can hack this out, she's definitely a keeper..
sink ensuite and bed......... that's pretty much it..
ideally youd be looking at the 270 to 300 cabin.. more room and a double bed !!

id definitely wing it and just go...
as long as some savings youll be right.
the weather at the minute is just unreal....
I don't miss albury at all...... ha ha
I miss the murray and the high country but........

Emma,

Here's an article which should give you some encouragement to make the move,

Better employment in Cairns

The shine has gone off the mining industry in Central Queensland so I would avoid that area.

Hi Emma
If you do happen to pick up some work at Pace Farming on the pineapples for a while, they have on-site donga style accommodation.
You can't miss the place as they are on both side of the highway on your way to Cairns about 50k north of Townsville just before you reach Rollingstone
Good luck and just go for it, weather is perfect here at the moment, just a bit too dry
Cheers Ray (Balgal Beach)