Sydney and Melbourne are the bases where most newbies end up in aus, Auckland for NZ hires.
Sydney more so at the moment. Usually 3-6 months wait if you’re unlucky enough to get the wrong one. if you want one of the other bases, ADL, CNS etc can take a year or more. People do commute but it’s pretty tough on a JQ roster and with a 6month staff travel wait, also expensive.