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Thank you for your help, it has been very helpful.

Sorry yes, I do mean NI contributions.

Me too, I went to Sydney to start with but hopped to Melbourne as soon as it was possible

You fill in a form before the medical and it asks you about all medical issues, including medical, learning issues etc.

I'm also researching a move to Brisbane so take this all with a pinch of salt as I'm not a local: Brisbane doesn't really have beaches close to CBD, but it does have some a bit further out and some other places with nice waterfront but no beaches: If you dead set on beaches then you could look at Redcliffe Peninsula which includes Redcliffe, Margate, Scarborough. This is quite far north of CBD - I think a train takes an hour. There are beaches galore in the gold coast to the south and to the sunshine coat to the north but the commute times aren't realistic for most people... Some do it but you'll either be on a long slow train or at the mercy of the Highway which regularly gets snarled up with long delays. South East of the CBD there is quite a few waterfront suburbs (but not really beaches) in places like Wynnum and Manly (both of which are popular with families), or further out at Birkdale, Wellington Point and Cleveland etc Hope this helps - I'm also keen to see what others say...

No idea whether a Visitor Visa is appropriate in the circumstances but I imagine you wouldn't be covered for medical or other public services on a visitor visa so you might save on visa costs but incur additional costs elsewhere...

Good point but I think you mean National Insurance (NI) contributions?

The weather has been lovely all of this month but tonight we had to light the log burner. It's decidedly nippy of an evening now.

Me neither. That's why I moved to Melbourne, rather than move to Sydney's outer burbs.

I couldn't live in one of those houses even if they were half the price.

they're 4 bedroom/3 bathroom 300sqm houses on tiny blocks 45km from the Sydney CBD..

A million dollars for a house is very cheap by Sydney standards.

@Geraldineinoz, I'll take this one thing at a time. UK Pension The good news is that your UK pension should increase when you move back, because you'll get all the annual increases you missed out on. I recommend you also look into back-paying any missing NHS contributions, which will increase the pension you get. It's not too late! It's usually well worthwhile, but the UK Pension Service can help you work out whether you would benefit from paying them. I suggest waiting until you're in the UK to contact them, because the answer will be different when you're living there, compared to if you enquired now. Australian pension Are you sure you'll lose it? I can believe you'll lose it temporarily, because once you sell your house, you'll have money in the bank and then you'll fail the assets test. However once you've bought your home in the UK, you might be able to get the Aussie pension again. So I wouldn't consider it a lost cause -- keep in touch with Centrelink and let them know when your circumstances change, and see what happens. Superannuation Talk to your husband's superannation company and see if they'll pay the income stream into a UK bank account, or whether they'll have to continue paying it into his Australian bank account. It's no great problem if they pay it into an Aussie account, because then you just use a company like Wise to transfer it when it suits you. The bad news is that his income stream (and your other pensions and income) will be taxed by the UK taxman, but the good news is that it won't all be at 40%! You'll each be liable for the same income tax as every other British individual, i.e. no tax on your first £12,570, then 20% tax on income up to £37,700. Then it's 40% on anything above that. There's no tax exemption for pensions like there is in Australia unfortunately. House Sale/Investments If you sell your house and put the proceeds in an Australian bank account before you leave Australia, the money is just savings and won't be liable for any British tax. If you have other investments, or if you delay the sale until after you've left, it may be a different story and you should get some professional advice.

There have been 1.4 million views. Surely those dog boxes can't possibly be worth over a million each.

Does anybody know if Q9 on the split year form SA109 only applies to the UK part of the year?

You must be joking!

No, not social housing -- they sell around the $1.4m mark: https://www.domain.com.au/sale/the-ponds-nsw-2769/

That looks very depressing. Hopefully there is a large park nearby to make up for the lack of gardens. Are they social housing? If not I wonder how much each of those dwellings cost.

@Alan Collett is likely your man.

Absolutely - group all like documents, and call them B Jone Bank statement.pdf, Pics of joint travel .pdf and so on. Will speed things up too! Imagine you are the person reviewing all this and make it as easy as you can for them.

Hi Geraldine Your main concern seems to be whether if you sell your house here the proceeds would be taxed in the UK. Generally speaking they would not be, providing you sell while you are resident in Australia. If you were to move first and then sell (because you were in a hurry for some reason) then the rules are different as you will I think not be able to claim it as your primary residence so may end up with a Capital gains tax on the profit - but when that gain is measured from will need to be calculated.

So I'm putting it out there. Saw the discussion around the Ponds in Western Sydney. If this was my only option in Sydney I'd leave Sydney. If this was my only option in Australia I'd leave Australia. Why would people saddle themselves with a 30 year mortgage to live here 45km from the beach? There's less space than what's afforded to livestock. It makes me so sad

Hello - I have tried searching the forum for my exact topic but cannot find exactly what I am after. I have inherited a SIPP in the UK. I left the UK approx. 10 years ago and intend to live in Aus for the rest of my life I am 45 and my mother was 77 when she passed. I believe I can take it as a lump sum and be taxed at my income rate? or I can choose Flex drawdown? I really do not want to touch it for another 20 years until I retire and earn less so My queries are - Can I transfer it to a managed fund with better fees and performance and if so is this tax free? Can I leave it as a SIPP, let it grow and not touch it for 20 years until I retire and earn less? If I do or when I do draw down on it - do I pay income tax in Aus or in the UK? And Does anybody have a great IFA in the UK who can also deal with Australian residents? Many Thanks if anybody can help

Can someone advise me on how my husband and I would stand if we sold up and moved back to the UK please. We are both aged pensioners and receive a part UK pension, a small Australian pension that I understand will cease once we have moved, my husband has a superannuation income stream that we received monthly, we also have savings in our Australian bank account and would need to sell our house to purchase another in the UK. I am confused as I have been told we would be taxed on everything at 40 percent by the UK tax office, is this right? I kept my UK bank account open and have some savings there which I use for Christmas and birthday presents for my Grandchildren. Any advice will be most helpful.

May I suggest that you consult one of the registered migration agents who posts on this forum for a case assessment?