North to South

Hi, I currently live in Adelaide but want to move to Brisbane and while I know everyone’s views on suburbs are subjective, so I would just appreciate some guidance on where the furthest suburbs I should start my search from in all directions if I wanted no more than a 30 min commute into the cbd. Also, any areas to avoid looking at would be appreciated. If anyone has made the switch from Adelaide to Brisbane it would be good to hear your views and whether it’s been a positive move. appreciate all comments.

Hi, We currently live in Adelaide and have been given the opportunity to relocate to Perth with work and wondered if there's anyone here that's made the move from Adelaide to Perth and whether the move has been a positive one. I know all of these things are very subjective, but it would be interesting to see prior Adelaide residents thoughts on Perth, both the positive and negative. We don't have any family here, so don't have any ties, but would just like to know peoples views on the lifestyle, how the city compares to Adelaide, what's the city like for teens compared to Adelaide and generally just an overview. We're heading there soon for a week to get a feel as we've not been there for 15 years and I'm sure it's changed a lot since we last visited. Again, I know peoples views of suburbs is very subjective, but it would be good to know how far up/down the coast you would want to live if you didn't want more than a 20/30 minute commute to the CBD. All comments would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I would like to travel back to the UK in December having just had to abort my trip this week due to testing positive for Covid, but will be about a month short of my 2 years residency in December (existing 190 expires in Sep 22) and am seeking recommendations for migrations agents here in Aus that can provide some guidance on whether it's likely we'd be granted a RRV (we've owned a house for 16 months, have had jobs for 17 months and a 16 y/o at school) and then do the processing for them. I have looked online and I can see they are straightforward to do, but I am looking for the expert help to do this for me in case I miss something that may mean I can't travel in December. Any recommendations of agents would be most welcomed. Thanks

Hi, I'm looking to visit Perth for the first time in 14 years now I'm finally living in Australia and would appreciate some guidance on what areas around Perth are good for restaurants, cafes, beaches etc. I've been looking on Airbnb and Stayz and come see a couple of nice places inn Sorrento and one in Halls Head, but not sure if these are good ares to stay for a week or if there's better areas. It's mainly a week to relax during September and also to spend some time exploring the areas around Perth as I'm sure it's all changed since our last visit. Any guidance on areas to stay and also visit would be most appreciated. Thanks

Hi, I currently live in SA but have an opportunity to relocate to Sydney next year for work, but only know the Sydney CBD and am seeking some guidance on what areas I should focus a house search on to see whether even considering a move makes sense given difference in house prices. I have a budget of $2.5 million and need ideally a 4 bedroom house in a nice area within a 30-40 min commute to the CBD. I think my preference would be to be in the northern suburbs from everything I’ve read, but again open to ideas. I’ve looked on Realestate and can see some lovely houses around Epping/Penant Hills but don’t know if this is a good area or not, so appreciate thoughts on these areas. Any ideas would be great so when I visit for a weekend I can drive around and get a feel for the areas. Thanks :)

This may seem a daft question, but if we went in July this year for a couple of weeks, would that impact our 'living in Australia' for 2 years if we applied for RRV's next year ?

Thanks for the comments it most appreciated. We just need to decide whether to travel in December or wait until Easter where we know we'll get the five year RRV.

Thanks Paul, if you're here longer than two years, with our ties, is it likely we'd get a longer RRV than the one year to avoid going through the process if we want to travel overseas the following year and avoid paying the $410 each as I'd rather delay our trip to get the slightly longer visas and save what would be $1200 in another year ?

Hi, My existing initial 5 year visa expires in September 22 and want to travel back to the UK for Christmas so will need to apply for a RRV. However, when looking at the guidelines you need to have lived in Australia for 2 years or have substantial ties to Australia. I moved here at the beginning of January 2021 after being delayed by Covid so will be just outside the 2 year window, but do have ties to Australia - Own a house, my daughter attends school here and my wife works here, but not sure if these will be seen as acceptable or not when applying. I'm also not sure when you need to apply as looking online there is a 155 which seems to be quite quick turnaround, or a 157 which seems to take a few months. I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this as I don't want to book flights if there is any risk of not being granted RRV if our ties to Australia are not enough and we need to wait for the 2 year eligibility. Thanks :)

Hi, appreciate some guidance on what the current eligibility is in order to apply for citizenship so I know whether I can apply to avoid fee increase ? Thanks.

Hi, I need to get my daughters UK passport renewed and just wondered if anyone has done that recently and what the timeframe from sending the passport back to the UK and receiving the new one is. Also, as she's under 16 she doesn't have any formal ID except a school ID card, so what can she use for interstate travel should she need to do anything whilst the passport is being processed ? Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks

Hi, I'm now five months in to living in Adelaide and it now feels normal and I just wondered how long before the magic and excitement left people after first arriving before it felt like normal life. For me the first few months were wow, wow, wow, look at that, go here, go there, see that etc etc but now it's just normal. Driving my daughter to school I used to marvel at the view across Adelaide on the journey, but now it's just, that looks nice today. I only feel that I'm living in a different place when I visit somewhere I've not been before, or see something new. Don't get me wrong, I love living here, even in this colder weather as we're doing so much more than in England, especially at weekends, but it just feels normal now and not sure if I was expecting that to come so soon. Be good to hear other peoples experiences on their first few months.

Hi, Following on from the popular thread on what you miss about the UK, I thought I'd turn it around and ask what you'd miss about Australia if you went back to the UK. I've only been here 5 months so I don't really have the history, but my initial things would be - And I live in Adelaide. - Variety of fresh fruit and vegetables in supermarkets and produce stores. - Whilst Adelaide has lot's of traffic, I'd miss it as I know what going back to the UK would be like, certainly in the SE where I lived before. - The beautiful scenery and walks in the Adelaide Hills which is right on my doorstep. - Abundance of great cafes and restaurants catering to every whim you might have. - Pies! Just love a good Australian pie. I'm sure there's more, but over to fellow PIOers.

I’ve been here in Adelaide for just coming up to 5 months and here’s the things I’m missing. Jars of pasta sauce - haven’t managed to find a decent one here yet. Buying alcohol in a supermarket - I’m not a big drinker, but used to like buying the odd bottle of beer with my groceries. Smoother road surfaces - unless you’re on a main freeway. British bacon - the bacon just doesn’t seem to taste the same here. NHS - I’ve found the medical system here very good, but I don’t think you’ll ever be able to beat the NHS for what it offers the people of the UK.