Are there any labs in your country that specialise in the type of work you are trying to do? It's not uncommon to collaborate with labs at other universities to get the hands on knowledge you need to run experiments or even to gain access to specific equipment if that is your main issue. If possible, networking and fostering collaboration with other institutes would be much more worth your time than a second PhD.

Hi Chicas,

I'm currently doing a PhD in Australia at a decent, but definitely not top, university. You may be able to get a place however you will definitely need to lower the bar on the universities you are applying to. As a local student, I had a H1 honours with a score of 87 and I didn't even bother applying to Monash or Melbourne Uni because my score was not good enough. Places in Australia are very competitive, with limited research funding. I know that my institution has rejected people with scores under 80, regardless of whether you are looking for a scholarship or willing to self-fund your PhD. This does seem to vary by department though. You need to start contacting potential supervisors at lower ranked universities and hopefully you will have more success with your application.