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The good news is that house prices in Brisbane are substantially lower than Sydney (for an equivalent property), so it may not be as hard as you think. However the bad news is that Brisbane doesn't have beaches near the city like Sydney, so you're either up for a long commute or accept that you've got to drive to the beach on the weekends.

Would Hubby's job be in the CBD ? pinpointing where it will be will make it easier to suggest areas. As an example , you wouldn't want to settle in a far south suburb if the job is on the North side. Also would you be relying on public transport or have cars? Cal x

So does a Movecube get a container to itself? Or get loaded simply as it is with no outer protection? (serious question, would be interested to know!) Personally I had lousy service from Sevenseas and wouldn't touch them but that wasn't Movecube related.

of course its up to the individual! I would never expect anyone to make a decision purely based on my experience. However, its a well-known fact that people who are happy are much less likely to review their experience than those who have a bad experience. Thats why I think its important for people like myself, and CalnGary to post on the thread!

Why not ask them that question. I'm guessing "Movecube transfer" is the transfer from the port city to their depot in your city.

I asked movecube why the costs once in Australia are so high. They didn't give a response but just gave me a breakdown. Is it me or is that "Movecube Transfer" very high. What do we think that consists of as all I can think of is off the ship to the warehouse?

Hi I have also got my technical interview coming up for the metal machinist (mechanical trade technical assessment) it says that Topics discussed during the interview will include the units of competency found in the completed Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). any help would be appreciated thanks

I couldn’t either. That’s a very depressing photo. Those houses won’t win awards for their kerb appeal that’s for sure.

I've gone with Peter UK. Process will take 10 months, its worth it as I adore my wee dog

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!