Float Flying in Manitoba
Manitoba is geographically in the center of the country.
We have many [over 100,000] lakes and many small float operations.
Most of it is "bush flying", flying in/out of isolated communities, many of which do not have year-round road access, or flying to fishing/hunting lodges.
The more isolated and further north you go, the more expensive the living conditions. Food can be outrageously expensive due to shipping costs and housing can vary from affordable to non-existent to outrageously expensive.
Try internet searching the price of houses in Winnipeg, Brandon, Norway House, The Pas, Thompson and Churchill. That should give you the range of extremes. Winnipeg is our largest city, though one of the smallest in the country, Churchill does not have road access but does have a train service.
Manitoba is "big sky" country and is relatively flat. [as opposed to the west coast which has very many clouds filled with granite]
Float flying is seasonal. May to October, generally.
Because we are flat and relatively land-locked, Manitoba has a very high percentage of good flying days, weather speaking.
I lived up north for 14 years. Thompson, Lynn Lake, and Churchill in Manitoba and Resolute Bay, Nunavut.
I would estimate that the cost-of-living here is about as "average" as you'll find, not the least expensive but certainly not the most.
Generally speaking, controlled airspace and radar coverage ends about 100 miles north of the 49th parallel. We have a LOT of uncontrolled airspace.
Outside of the city of Winnipeg, we are a rural, some would say unsophisticated, nature loving, friendly people. I have spent most of my life living and working outdoors. We know how to put on a great BBQ! [wink]
Oh, ... it gets cold in the winter. Very, very, very cold. But, it's a "dry" cold! [ROFL] Seriously, low humidity is a problem, specially in the north, specially in the winter. -25 is normal, -40 is not unusual. And it is windy. Outside of aviation we are a metric country so that's degrees Celsius. And we drive on the right-hand side of the road. I can't remember if Australia is the same as the UK in that regard.
I have no knowledge of the licensing and visa requirements. Though I've had the pleasure of working with more than one Aussie pilot, so it must be do-able somehow.
Hope I've answered some of your life-style questions.