Tina2

Hi Dell, I was born in Lytham St Annes ( but raised down south) Married now to an Aussie, but if the time comes that he passes on before me and if I am still physically able I will be going back. There is this "pull" as you age to return to your roots. Like you have no idea how I will make this happen but I have to believe it will. That is very intersting about the Tax if you have someone living with you. I find that a bit silly with the shortages in affordable housing surely it would be better for people to share. SO many advantages, sharing living expenses and having someone in the house should you for example fall and need help. Yes Aus is a very long way from anywhere, but for me it is the lack of Culture and history that I miss so much. The ability to jump on a bus just about anywhere in the UK and in minuets be in a different village or shopping centre, with little or no need for a car which in itself is a huge expense. I will continue to follow this and please "when" you make it back to the UK let us all know how things work out.

Following this with great interest. You are one brave lady. Biggest hurdle would be houses here dont give you the money to buy in the UK what we have been use to in Aus, but it is still very tempting . I will continue to follow your story and send all the best vibes that you some how make it back to the UK. A long shot and maybe one you would not consider, but I wonder if there are any other single people in your same situation, who dont have enough money to buy a home in their own right but may be willing to share a home and mortgage. You may have to be willing to compromise in location if the home, not everyone would want to like in the North of the country, but as I said just a thought.

This may also be of help. https://bettereducation.com.au/school/secondary/wa/perth_top_non_government_secondary_schools.aspx

100% agree with Pom Queen the Lutheran schools are fantastic, very much in to "whole child" education so not just academic but social , emotional, care being just as important. You could look at http://www.livingwaters.wa.edu.au/

Toowoomba "isolated" hum dont think the close to 200,000 people who live there think that. An hour to Warwick, 1 . 5 to Ipswich, 2 to Brisbane, and it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Queensland., not to mention the "Many" large towns between Toowoomba and Brisbane, like Gatton, with its Uni, Plainlands that is expanding at an amazing rate, Laidley, to name a few.

Just spent my second week in Toowoomba Base and I can tell you the nursing staff are amazing goodness only knows how they cope, the hospital was never built to cope with the population explosion it is now seeing. wards ( unless you have private health insurance when it is a very different story as Toowoomba has 2 private hospitals) have 6 beds with mixed ages and genders. Staff are run off there feet trying to cope, food words can not describe, 1 shower and 1 toilet per ward is totally inadiquit . Look around Laidley , even Grandchester, both closer to Ipswich which has a good hospital, just check the flood map, some areas flood , and yes be very aware of the heat 40c plus happens a lot during summer.

A TECHNOLOGICAL fortress designed to withstand fire, flood and catastrophic power loss is taking shape on Toowoomba's outskirts. The Pulse Data Centre is a "highly resilient" facility, says project manager Peter Blunt, capable of storing government and corporate data while protecting it from theft, sabotage and natural disasters. Windowless and built with 15cm-thick concrete walls, the centre will be able to keep running even if a fire breaks out and meets security specifications set by Australia's spy agency, ASIO. RELATED ITEMS LATEST PHOTO: Mammoth data centre emerges west of city TAKE A LOOK: Walls go up on $40m Pulse Data Centre SHOW MORE These include digital surveillance, multi-factor authentication, traps and biometric measures. TECH PARK: FKG's Dallas Hunter and Gary Gardner and Pulse DC general manager Peter Blunt at the first day of construction on the new Pulse Data Centre in Wellcamp, Toowoomba.Tom Gillespie Mr Blunt detailed some of the $40-million project's features at a business breakfast hosted by the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce yesterday. He said the goal was to ensure the building was always operational, no matter the emergency. "We will maintain the facility and make sure it never stops," he said of the FKG Group's building at Wellcamp. "Each (section is) a concrete bunker and they're all two-hour fire rated, which means you can have a fire burning there for two hours and it won't move outside. "The intention is you can have something go wrong anywhere in the facility and we can isolate that part of it. "We might have to turn that particular part off, but the rest of the facility continues to operate." FKG's Pulse Data Centre project manager Daniel Milne (left) and site manager Adam Hanrahan oversee progress of the build, Tuesday, August 22, 2017.Kevin Farmer Mr Blunt said the anti-fire measures in Pulse required FKG to apply to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service to implement new protocols. "We have special bottled gas which discharges and it actually extinguishes the fire," he said. Pulse DC, which is essentially three different data centres connected by one central security hub, could house hundreds of millions of dollars in servers and digital technology from companies in Toowoomba and across the nation. Along with the existing security measures guaranteed to all clients, Mr Blunt said the building could be upgraded to meet special criteria, up to ASIO-T4 levels. Pulse Data Centre concept art.Contributed "If a government department would need to store data, we can customise our data centre's security measures," he said. "It's something we would do over and above what is usually required. "The government has specific requirements about the types of locks, the thickness of the door, the construction of the concrete. It's a very prescriptive standard." FORTRESS: An aerial view of the upcoming Pulse Data Centre, which is being built by FKG Group as a technological fortress in Toowoomba's western suburbs.Contributed Mr Blunt said the 4380sq m floor space was already filling up, with clients from Toowoomba and across Australia signing onto the first facility of its kind in regional Australia. "Our demand comes from a whole variety of areas. Locally, it's been fantastic - local businesses have engaged with us," he said. "There's been commitments from all the major players in town - all of them have committed to this facility, for various reasons. "We're already getting some good responses out of Queensland-based businesses in Brisbane (and) we've had strong national and international interest for the facility." The data centre is expected to be finished by mid-February, but it won't be opened for another month while independent experts run tests and experiment to check the facility's security, consistency and reliability. Construction started in June. 0 TOPICS: FKG GROUP GARY GARDNER PULSE DATA CENTRE TOOWOOMBA

Just been looking at the list of areas for a 489 and it includes the Logan area. Not far from Brisbane should be plenty of retail work around there for them. Applicable Regions Excludes Greater Brisbane Area and the Gold Coast. Includes the following postcodes: 4124 to 4125, 4133, 4211, 4270 to 4272, 4275, 4280, 4285, 4287, 4307 to 4499, 4515, 4517 to 4519, 4522 to 4899. Here is a link to Aus Post that they can use to see where each post code is https://postcodes-australia.com/postcodes/4133 and use where is to see where the town is in relation to Brisbane. https://www.whereis.com/

Yes just realized that, dont think Ipswich is either, going to make it a bit hard for them .

i would look at Brisbane first, Sunshine coast can be expensive being a coastal area, and you should find more work in retail in the Brisbane area.

Toowoomba has more employment in Construction and the trades like electrical and plumbing, also the proffesional trades like doctors and teachers with less work available in retail. and sales .

Hi Ozzie, oh fair enough still you can visit on weekends

Just interested Paul1Perth, what sort of things do you think we need in Toowoomba for kids ? Slot machine arcades ? Theme Parks ? We have bowling allies, Rock climbing centres where kids can learn to climb rock walls, inflatable world, golf courses, parks, aquatic center, ballets schools, every type of sport you can imagine including the new Highfields sports Complex that offers multiple sports fields and tennis courts http://www.tr.qld.gov.au/our-region/major-projects/environment-community/10397-highfields-sports-park. Lakes where kids can go fishing or enjoy water sports with their parents. Scouts offering kids 8 to 18 the opportunity to go camping, hiking, bush walking all sorts of activities, and that is just a few things on offer. Oh and lets not forget cadets.

Ozzie, a "toowoomba" south bank is coming. I have seen the plans for the railway park lands and it is amazing. Funding approved and work about to start on the old railway shed as part of stage one. Eventually they will excavate a large area for a swimming area.

That was my thought as well. Go where ever there is work to start with, then take your time to look around and find a place you want to settle long term. There are far worse places than Toowoomba I can tell you, and it is easy to access Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine coast all with in a 2 hour drive.