The smaller stuff

Hi. I'm just after some advise from some people who have made the big move..

a few questions really as we have just started to look into this and I don't want to jump before I've done all my small research.

bills?? What roughly are they like.. Is there a council tax.. How does gas/electric/ water work??

food?? Is it really a lot more expensive. Looked online and was shocked to see it appears about double..

shipping.. We would start all a fresh so wouldn't take much.. Clothes personal bits.. Worth a shipment container??

pets?? I'm aware pets go into quarantine.. Price??

car?? Silly one but does my English licence suffice?

any more advice info I would be so greatful.. And finally.. Is it worth it?

Your english license ok...you will need to fill in a form to get an au one though at some point..best within first 3 months...no council tax if you are renting...we dnt find food massively overpriced..you will be earning dollars too remember

What about if I buy ?

Council Tax is about $1200 a year. I think its dependent on land size though.

When I left the UK in 2007 it was costing me X pounds per week to live my life.

In 2014 in Aus it's costing me what I used to spend in the UK (X), plus a further 20%.

I still have the same lifestlye etc, so nothing has changed (other than the weather is better!).

I have no idea what things cost these days in the UK, but I figure that with inflation some things will have gone up, so at a guess would think that the cost of living here is Aus is maybe not quite so bad as 20% more than in the UK, dependant on location....

If you are moving from UK big city A to Aus big city B, probably not too big a shock, but if you are moving from UK town X to Aus big city B, there's going to be a big difference in the cost of living, just like if you moved, for example, from Barnsley to London (I'm a Yorkshire lad, so have nowt bad say 'bout Barnsley, just using it as't example)

I moved from UK town X to Cairns, which is classed as a city, but its not a city like Sydney, it's more the size of my town in the UK, hence probably not too much different for living costs here. Had I moved to Sydney, I know it'd be costing me a LOT more to live each week.

With regards to shipping items, if stuff is in decent nick, weigh up what it will cost to replace it all when you get here versus what it would cost to ship it over.

All the best!

You say 'pets' but it's pretty much dogs and cats is it. If you've anything else, chances are you can't bring them with you (well, horses, at great expense). Bunnies, birds etc, no go.

Contact the quarantine station direct for prices.

Your UK licence should be fine. Swap it over once here.

Stop comparing food prices. You are converting into £ and you'd be earning $. Once you are here and have stopped converting, it isn't that expensive in relative Aus earnings terms.

Shipping - if it's personal effects look to boxes or a move cube of some size.

I agree with the food I do find I'm turning it into pounds and being shocked as our income would be higher in aus.

i really wouldn't have much to ship wouldn't feel my furniture would make it haha.

what about electrical is it worth taking them? Apart from that I only have really personal belongings.

and pets I have 2 dogs and a cat which would come with us. Ill have a look into prices through them thank you