Dr Muriel Mulhaire BDS (Cardiff), Melbourne, VIC

What made you consider coming out to Australia?

After graduating and then going straight into practising, I felt like I had been studying and working and hadn't seen much of the world. So I decided to do 6 months of travelling. I ended up in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, I landed in Melbourne and have never left!

The lifestyle, the weather, the people, the active way of life and the multicultural society really suited me. I also found it pretty easy to adjust as people are friendly, especially when they hear my accent.

Previous job in the UK:

After graduating, I worked in the UK for 1 year and Ireland for 1 1/2 years. I found working for the NHS was pretty dreadful, felt like you were running on a treadmill.

Working in Ireland is not dissimilar to working in Australia in that it is a similar style of dentistry and you see a similar number of patients in a day.

Where are you working now?

In a private practice in Brunswick. Brunswick is a funky, cosmopolitan area in Melbourne. I travel 45 minutes to get to work in the morning from St Kilda.

The practice has 5 dentists and is very well-equipped. We do pretty much everything in general dentistry, but I refer the wisdom teeth to a specialist.

Why did you choose St Kilda?

One imperative was that if I lived in Australia, I had to live by the beach. St Kilda is a great area- also very cosmopolitan and lively and not too backpackery. You can swim in the ocean and sail. I have also taken up kite surfing, which is great exercise and a great hobby.

I get up two mornings a week to do an exercise bootcamp at 6am, unless it is raining. I love the outdoor activities and take full advantage of it. Running, swimming, bike riding... you can do these things the whole year round in Australia.

What has been the process to move to Australia?

I was on a working holiday visa originally and although I was offered sponsorship from the practice in Brunswick, I wanted the flexibility to be able to move around if the need be. If I was sponsored by my dentist I would have been tied down to his practice. DJS offered to sponsor my 457 visa, which was really quick, easy and hassle free to organize.

What are your plans?

I think I am probably going to stay in Australia. Especially now that it is getting warm, with summer in the air... My brother has just moved to Sydney, so now with family in the country, there is even less likelihood that I will leave.