I want to move to Australia?

I’ve always wanted to move to Australia, for as long as I can remember. There’s a variety of reasons, but I’m not going to bother putting them up here.

Anyway! I was hoping to go to university in Australia to study medicine to get a feel of the country, and then if I like it stay and work (if I can, of course).
The starting year of university would be 2012, and I was just wondering… how difficult is it to get into an Australian university from the UK? I’d be expecting A/A* grades. Do Australian universities like extracurriculars?
Would I have to fly over for an interview? It’s not really convenient to spend 24 hours on a flight during term time, it’d mean missing at least 3 days of school. Plus travelling on my own..
Also, is the medicine programme similar to the UK one or the American one? As in, do you study for about 5 or so years straight from leaving school, then you can work in a hospital, practice, etc., or is it like a postgraduate programme like the US? (I think it’s that in the US… :\)
Is it a hard field to find a job in in Aus?

How difficult would it be to get a visa to study (possibly work part time too) in Australia, and then a visa where I can work full time as a doctor (possibly following on straight from university)? What kind of visas would I need? A student visa and a permanent residency one I think? How long before leaving would I have to apply?

Finally… what’s the best area in Australia? I was thinking somewhere with really nice, hot weather all year round (cold, rainy weather – one of the reasons I hate the UK so much haha).. and somewhere quite outdoorsy and laid back… beaches, athletic.. that sort of thing.
Money isn’t really *that* much of an issue concerning anything.. but cheaper is better, flights are really expensive.

Oh, and my mum has a friend in Australia who may be willing to sponsor me, if that helps? He is English though..

Thank you, and sorry for the long question (: Any info is appreciated ^.^

Places in Australian medical schools are restricted though it’s reasonably easy for a full fee paying student (as you would be) to get in if they have excellent grades – you will need high A levels. Australian universities don’t care about extracurriculars – academic results are everything and you wouldn’t have to come for an interview prior to acceptance. Having a sponsor won’t help.

Most Australian medical courses are graduate degrees these days though there are still a few undergraduate courses around. Following is a link to the University of Queensland’s School of Medicine’s international students page which provides information about the course and admission requirements. Queensland has the warm weather and lifestyle you’re looking for and UQ offers one of Australia’s 4 best medical courses:

http://www2.som.uq.edu.au/som/FutureStudents/MBBS/Admissions/InternationalStudents/Pages/InternationalStudents.aspx

As an international student in Australia, you are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week while your course is in session and unlimited hours during official course breaks.
http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/573-1/ Student visa

As I mentioned earlier, Queensland has the weather and lifestyle I think you’re after. It’s our most northern (and therefore warmest) state on the east coast and the weather, beaches, countryside and islands are amazing. I live in Brisbane near the main UQ campus and we enjoy 4 or 5 months of hot subtropical weather between November and March and beautiful dry, sunny, warm weather the rest of the time. Spend a winter in Queensland and you’ll never want to live anywhere else. You can swim outdoors for 8 or 9 months of the year though until you acclimatise, you’ll probably wonder why we’re not in the water in June and July and you can say goodbye to rugging up in winter – I don’t even own a coat.

http://www.destinationqueensland.com/