I live in a more-connected place, but the only real communities I've participated in are online. Granted, there's not the time zone difference, but being physic

I live in a more-connected place, but the only real communities I've participated in are online. Granted, there's not the time zone difference, but being physically in the same place as other programmers hasn't ever felt like a priority to me. Actually, that's not quite true. Conventions and meet-ups are great for networking, and the SCALE conference is how I found my first job back in 2008. But as a weekly thing? Meh. In my current job, I'm much more on the "Ops" side of things, when I'd rather be in Dev, so I'm not getting my fix at work. I've had a series of hobby projects. I talk about them to friends, and that's always been enough for me. Everyone's different, though. Maybe Australia's different, but if you got a job offer at a decent employer in the US, you could probably get some money for relocation costs, and even sometimes a hiring bonus that would tide you over in a new environment until you really got your footing. It sounds like where you are has limited opportunities for growth, anyhow. You're likely to need to leave at some point, if you'd like to remain a developer. It's something to think about, anyhow (although you know your situation better, and I'm sure you've thought through all the paths countless times).