MrsRead

Thanks so much everyone. It's something I need to chat to Hubby about this evening, but we will need a financial imput from me (although we can survive the first three months), so it seems the Bridging Visa may be the way to go. He's currently applying to transfer to the Sydney branch of his company, so our timescale is a bit vague, to say the least. It could be a couple of months, or six (though if it goes beyond that, I'm going to start tearing my hair out as I've had enough of living in limbo, and I certainly don't want to endure another winter here, lol!).

Thankyou. xx

Hubby and I are moving to Oz this year (no move date yet). Hubby is an Aussie, and I'm English. We have all the forms for my spouse visa application, but haven't got the wheels in motion yet. Is it quicker and easier to apply once we get to Oz, or should we be dealing with this now? How long does it take on average for a spouse visa to come through? The last thing we want is for us to be settling into our new home and getting on with our new life, then I find I have to leave the country!!:unsure:

Would shops such as River Island have online shopping and international shipping? And don't forget Ebay! Though from what I saw when we visited Oz, the shops seemed pretty fab!

Nice idea, but my parents are being quite "difficult" at the moment. Hopefully it's just a short phase, but I think the way things are at the moment, doing something like that would be like poking a stick in a wasps' nest... :-( Toothpixie, we're off to the Blue Mountains, just outside Sydney. Really can't wait to get into the outdoorsy lifestyle!

Hi Tulip, it's perfectly natural to feel that way. I personally cannot wait to the day we land in Oz, but we haven't actually got a moving date yet and I know when that happens, I'll no doubt have a few wobbles too. There isn't much I'm going to miss about the UK, but leaving my parents is going to be a terrible wrench emotionally, and they're really not taking it very well at the moment. I'm feeling quite traumatised right now as yesterday my parents threw a spanner in the works (I suspect deliberately) and it's a horrible situation as I wanted to spend as much quality time with them as possible, but now I don't want to visit them if they are going to be "difficult". I told Hubby yesterday that I just want to get on the plane asap! Hope it all works out for you.

I wouldn't mind if we had seasons. It just seems to be endless months of grey, dropping into single figures for a while then up to insipid mid-teens in so-called summer. With the odd day thrown in to show us just how good it can and should be. Maybe we should move to Stratford for our last few months in the UK; it sounds like you've had a much better deal there!

Thanks Toothpixie, and good luck with your move too. :biggrin: Lucky things; we still haven't got a date yet as it all hinges on my hubby's work transfer, although we're cracking on with the essentials, such as getting our dog vaccinated. We were planning to pack everything ourselves to save on cost. We haven't actually got too much stuff as we have a houseboat! It will be the table and chairs, a couple of mirrors, the tvs (if we get a good price on the boat, they'll be staying), kitchen equipment, my hubby's tools and camping gear, and clothes. Whereabouts are you moving to? All the best with it! xx

Night nurse knocks me out, but I've not tried it on a flight yet. I'm a terrible flier - by the time the terror eases off, my legs are usually way too numb for me to get comfortable. I scrounged some Temazepam tablets from my Dad last time we flew to Oz!

Hi Folks, my hubby and I are moving to Oz this year, and I have a few questions regarding what we can bring with us. We got married last year and my Dad made us an absolutely gorgeous wedding cake. It's so lovely, we haven't had the heart to eat it! Just wondering if this is a no-no to bring with us to Oz? Also, my parents bought me a beautiful mahogany dining table as a housewarming present for my first house. Apart from being very beautiful, it has great sentimental value. Will there be any issues bringing it in? I also have a large urn-type planter which I would like to bring over (it will be scrubbed clean!) We have begun the packing process, and I'm a little concerned as from what I've been reading so far on this forum, people seem to be allocating specific boxes for "kitchenware", "bedding" etc, whereas ours are just filled with bits and pieces from all corners of our home!! Not a major issue as it can easily be repacked, but it will save an awful lot of space if I can jam some summer clothes (that I probably won't be needing here in the cold, grey UK, lol) into a gap in a box half-filled with glasses! Many thanks :cool:

I'm going for 15. We've had 2 "reasonable" days so far, and it's fast approaching mid-May for heaven's sake! It's now returned to normal; cold, windy, wet and miserable with the sky fifty shades of grey. We haven't had a decent summer for years, and now it looks as though spring has been taken off the menu too (oh, the day we get on that plane won't be a day too soon!)