misskat0

PetAir were great with our four, two of whom were 11 at the time. We paid just over £1k each for collection from our house in London and flights to Melbourne, plus the vet costs, 10 days' quarantine fees, and another £525 for internal flights to Sydney for all four. So roughly £2k per cat all told. They kept us updated all the way, inclduing during their stopover in Singapore. One of our cats is also very anxious / nervous, but apart from weeing all over his crate he came through fine. Apparently they just settle down and go to sleep in the hold.

Bumping this thread aboue AESF, as am shortly to try to claim the 25% lump sum from the UK and transfer the remainder to this scheme (on the presumption it's still the sole contender). Any experiences to share about the process?

And then not in most regional areas. This site shows the coverage and you can input your postcode to check: http://www.digitalradioplus.com.au/can-i-get-digital-radio Worth bringing it out anyway because the aim is to extend coverage. Our Roberts has internet streaming so we're on BBC all the time anyway.

Thanks for organising this response - it's really helpful. So even if a petfood importer wanted to bring in a shipment for resale of cat treats we shall not name but rhymes with beanies, they wouldn't be able to because they won't pass the tests. Perhaps they could be encouraged to manufacture locally - the parent company offers their other pet brands here.

I had my last lot of incoming Dreamies destroyed by Biosecurity! Disappointed cats. The closest match here we've found are Smittens. Everything else rejected.

Yes, about £2000 each (for four...) but that was with gold service with Pet Air, all vet fees, and an additional flight Melbourne to Sydney after quarantine. Couldn't leave them behind. We made sure to book a pet-friendly AirBnB for arrival until we found our own place, as renting doesn't appear to be easy with animals here. They have adapted pretty well to indoor life - we put up a big outdoor pen o the lawn for them to hang out in.

We arrived in Nowra about 18 months ago (from London...). It's an administrative and commercial hub town, with however limited employment opportunities - I was competing with applicants from Wollongong and beyond, and it took a few months. Many people choose to live in the coastal villages and commute in (about half an hour away or more) because of the rep the town has - but the trouble spots are well known (e.g. East Nowra) and are easily avoided. People rate North Nowra - I found it too suburban - newer subdivisions on tiny blocks in West Nowra - but we ended up in an obscure, quiet street on the Nowra side of the river. Easy walk to supermarkets (yes, we have an Aldi too), best fishmonger/butcher and veg market in the area, and the riverbank. Not much in terms of nightlife or culture, not terribly diverse (though we do have a couple of all right bars and curry places!), but some of the schools are well regarded. State and local government are main admin employers here; also Albatross (naval base) might have IT opportunities. I wouldn't be put off. Cheaper housing here too, but all the far south coast is going up in price as retirees cash out of Sydney and Canberra. Expect to pay A$500k for something tolerable, more in the "nice" areas and coastal villages. Nowra (at least, Bomaderry across the river) is also the last stop south on the train from Sydney, which is a plus. Ulladulla and Batemans Bay are the next big towns going south, but employment is even more difficult to come by and the distance from the city starts to bite. Good luck!

Brought four. All survived. Worth the outlay.

We shipped four. Pet Air built two sturdy twin crates for them - two separate compartments per crate, wire mesh between. You could specify separate ones but it costs more.

It seems to take a long time and then it suddenly happens. We applied end of last March and 100 granted mid September (literally the day after OH arrived, so we had to do the extra trip overseas to activate - god knows how they time it). Huskie and Vincentia have come up a lot recently so not the bargain they were a year ago, but you might do all right. New shopping centre and housing estates going up around the bay/Basin pushing the prices up. Let us know when you're coming though and we can meet up!!

Good luck! Are you def moving back to Nowra? Not a lot of jobs here... or pubs... or much else - but close to some fab beaches and a train to Sydney.

Hi Carol, We arrived about three months ago and plan to stay, though not necessarily in the long term in Nowra (bless it). I am Australian but lived in London over 25 years; OH is a Scot, and has just been granted his 309 We brought our four Pommy cats with us, all settling in. We're planning an expedition to the Berry Hotel one Friday night soon, if you fancy a pint! Cheers, Kat

Hi, just found this old thread. We've just settled in Nowra, but we come to Berry a lot - are you still up there?

We've just bought in regional NSW. As northshorepom says, 6 weeks is the usual time from exchange of contracts to settlement (completion), but because our property was vacant (and we were about to be homeless) we requested early settlement, so got the keys two weeks early. Building and pest inspection only cost us $500, the conveyancer about $1200. Stamp duty was the killer though: on a $386k house the tax came to $13.5k. Good luck!

We (OP and I) fell into a funny hole dating back to about 2002 when those of us taking on other nationalities inadvertently relinquished Australian citizenship. Nice of them to tell us - not. we only found out by chance or when embarking on some other process, like the OP. Now no longer the case. An irrational administrative blip that some of us had to endure. On the upside, only about $80 to buy it back. :nah: