France for Australians

Your guide to holidays, living and working in France

LATEST ARTICLES ON FRANCE FOR AUSTRALIANS

Two Aussie blokes in Paris

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| Contributing Editor

Two Australian mates who would regularly get together to watch the football and became the unlikely authors of the travel memoir ‘Paris Tragics’ talk about their shared passion for France.

Tips for a driving holiday in France

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There’s nothing like your own car to get off the beaten track and explore France at your own pace. But before you reach for the car keys, there are a few things you should know that will help make your driving holiday in France even better.

Leasing – an alternative to car hire

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If you’ve decided to get around France or Europe by car, you may have assumed that hiring a vehicle is the only way to go. But depending on which countries you plan to visit and the length of time you’ll need the car, a more economical option may be leasing.

Renting an apartment in Paris

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Does living amongst the locals, walking to the boulangerie each morning for your croissant or cooking up a storm with the freshest produce bought from the local market appeal to you? Then renting an apartment for your stay in Paris is for you.

Discover Paris under a new light

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When Australia was discovered by Captain Cook and French explorer La Pérouse, France was about to close on a glorious era known as the Age of Enlightenment. It is this exciting period of history that French Moments has chosen as its theme for its Intensive Course in Paris for July 2014.

Learn French in France

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French Moments is running a 12 day intensive course (1 – 12 September 2014) in Sarlat-la-Canéda, combining 30 hours of lessons with activities and excursions, whilst allowing for a healthy amount of down-time.

France attracting buyers from Australia

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“Australian investors are snapping up cheap properties in France”, says Nathan Mawby. “Thanks to the strong Aussie dollar, “rural properties that would not look out of place in a fairytale cost about the same as the median house price in Adelaide”.

An Antipodean property search

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| Contributing Editor

Ange and Bruce intended to move to Finland. After four years in France, one beautiful daughter and a baby on the way, they share the story of the road that led them to Agen – an acronym of Ange… coincidence?

Le Parc Australien

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This family friendly leisure park in Carcassonne (Languedoc-Roussillon) is run by a team passionate about all things Australian! Inside, you’ll meet animals like the kangaroo, the wallaby, the possum, the emu and the ostrich.

“Our first place cost us €50,000”

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Australians Sharon and David Stratford fell in love with France on their first visit to the country in 1995. The Stratfords have since gone on to purchase three properties in France and now help other Australians through the French property purchasing process.

Coffee culture in Paris

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When I lived and worked in Paris, coffee was the one thing that continually frustrated me. How could a country which is famous for its food and wine, serve such bad coffee? Rachel Guernier investigates.

Australian owned apartments in Paris

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Whilst Paris is full of hotels, ranging from exclusive to budget, it is also home to hundreds (if not thousands) of apartments that are available for short-term holiday rentals. Perhaps surprisingly, a reasonable number of these are Australian-owned.

‘Nice stole our hearts!’

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Community Contributor

Rebecca Russell, a property finder on the French Riviera, talks to an Australian couple about why they decided to invest in an apartment in Nice.

Péronne in Picardy

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Péronne in northern France, which was famously liberated by Australian troops near the end of World War I, has an ongoing link with Australia after signing a ‘friendship’ agreement with the city of Albany in 2008.

Why I went to live in Paris

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Melbourne born Rachel Bajada spent 11 years in Sydney before deciding to up sticks and move to Paris where she has been based for the last two years (or near enough). Here she tells FrenchEntrée what brought her to France.

French mortgages for Australians

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Purchasing a property on the other side of the world is, without question, a substantial undertaking. There are many factors which need to be overcome in order to make your purchase a reality. However, most people would not want to…

Finding French food in Sydney

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Sandra Beeston is a French-Australian expat who has been living in Sydney for six years. In that time, she has researched all the best places to find her French home comforts from baguettes to steak frites. Here are her favourite addresses.

Moving to France as a family

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In February 2011 Katie and her husband Greg moved from Melbourne in Australia to Eymet in the Dordogne with their three children and two dogs in tow. Here she tells FrenchEntree what prompted the move and how the family is getting on so far.

An Australian author in France

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My French Life and French Essence are two books that tell the story of how life changed after Vicki – who was living in Sydney – bought a farmhouse in Provence and moved the family to France.

Burgundy

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When sisters Judi and Gail from Australia made their first trip to Europe, tour organiser Carolyn suggested they spend time in Paris (Île-de-France) and Beaune (Burgundy) on their way to Avignon (Provence).

From Sydney to SW France

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Community Contributor

Nadia Jordan, a property finder in the Midi-Pyrénées, talks to a couple from Sydney who bought a home in south west France having never even visited the region!

Rural France for Aussies

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For many Australians, their first (and sometimes only) taste of France is the capital, Paris. Those taking an escorted coach tour inevitably visit the romantic city for a night or two. But the rest of France shouldn’t be forgotten, says Carolyn Schonafinger…

Learn French in Kaysersberg, Alsace

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French Moments runs an intensive French course in Alsace. Compared to more southerly regions, such as Provence or Périgord, it receives fewer visitors from English speaking countries. But Alsace has lots to offer…

Macarons are the new cupcakes

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First came the cupcake craze, then French macarons took Sydney by storm. Rachel Guernier lives in Australia and loves them so much, she learned how to make them, though she admits “They are so time consuming. I’m over the moon that macarons are now easy to find.”

Meet Wendy Hollands

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Wendy Hollands quit her job and moved to the Alps. She says the winter sports are her motivation for living in the Aravis, but the quality and extent of the offerings nearby continue to surprise her…

Meet Topic Hosts Pierre and Rachel

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Pierre and Rachel Guernier (originally from France and England respectively) run a French language school in Sydney where around 90 students have French lessons each term. Their company, French Moments, was set up in 2006 and is all about embracing French language and culture.

A home from home in France

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Wide open spaces, uncrowded beaches, a sunny climate suited to an active outdoor lifestyle, great wines, historical buildings and friendly locals are just some reasons why the Vendée coast offers Australians a home from home in France.

Villers-Bretonneux

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The French town of Villers-Bretonneux in Picardie is twinned with Robinvale (Victoria). It presents itself as ‘a corner of Australia in France’ and is home to the Australian National War Memorial and the Musée Franco-Australien.

Free international money transfers for life

FrenchEntrée has been working in partnership with Moneycorp since 2004 to save our customers money. Given our longstanding relationship with Moneycorp, they have given FrenchEntrée an unbeatable deal on Money Transfers.

An Aussie in Limousin

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French entrée-Limousin receives around 13,000 unique visitors each month. Predominantly from the UK and France, but we also from all over the English speaking world. So we thought it would be interesting to find out what a young Australian currently travelling through Europe thinks of the Limousin. Sean Whelan is a 19 year old civil engineering student….

Employing People in France

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In my experience the French Police and Courts are cracking down on people who illegally employ workers (who, more often than not, are foreigners). This might be done through blissful ignorance – but the Courts do not always accept ignorance as a defence plea.