Diane

Can't offer you any advice, but I just wanted to say I think you feel the same as my daughter! We moved over here with her when she was 9, and like you, she went back for six months after finishing Year 12. She is now back here but still uncertain what she wants to do with her life - she's applied to do Camp America this year and will do some more travelling. I chatted to a guy in one of the wineries here last summer - he was in his thirties but had emigrated at a similar age and he said he too always felt like neither country was really 'home'. On the positive side though, when my daughter was in the Uk she had no trouble finding work - she worked in Hollisters for a bit, and for a function company serving food and drinks at events such as the Music Awards. It was casual stuff, but there was plenty around so even without qualifications she was able to earn money. She stayed with a family friend and paid them housekeeping - is that something you could do? Your parents may still have contacts over there that might have a spare room until you get more settled.

I think you need to sit down together and make an agreement that whatever choice you make, you will stick with it and do whatever is necessary to make it work. If you go back to the UK and a few months down the line are unhappy, then you need to agree to deal with that unhappiness by making changes to your lives there, not moving half way round the world again. If you don't like the place you are living in, move to another house, another town, another part of the UK. If you don't like your jobs, change them, or study more if you need to. Emigrating is just one solution of many to any dissatisfaction you feel, and I think as adults you need to recognise this and agree to try and work through any problems without trying it again. If you have wonderlust, perhaps book a holiday, or go travelling round Europe for six months, or something like that. You've tried emigrating - twice - and it hasn't worked for you. Try something else.

My daughter went to England whilst on her Aussie Ps and was told she could just drive without any Ps over there.

Probably the same kind of self-justification anyone would tell themselves to excuse committing a fraud or crime. Just sayin'.....

Gosh, you'd better hope they don't find out and make you pay back the difference. I think it's more than a couple of grand - when I checked, domestic fees for one course were STG9k a year, international fees about STG25k a year - so you'd have a lot to pay back!

I used to strongly believe in the death sentence, rather than using honest tax payers' money to support such scum for the rest of their life, but as I read through this thread I realised my views have changed. To introduce the death penalty would require someone else to stoop to such a low level as to take another person's life, and I just don't think this is the right solution. The Colchester prison idea sounds the best one to me. In a normal civilian prison they are just going to find more easily influenced youngsters who will support them and be converted to the cause - apparently prisons are notorious fishing grounds for extremists to find disenfranchised youths - I'm fairly sure that wouldn't happen in a military prison. Let them rot in a harsh prison for a long long time - although that probably says something bad about me, that I want this for them. RIP Lee Rigby and any other British or Australian soldier killed in the line of duty

The Australian Taxation Office told me. We moved some money over that was a gift - they asked what it was - we told them it was a gift - they asked for a letter from the giftor confirming this, signed and witnessed. Which we got. They told me not through an agent but directly - that without that we would have been taxed on it as overseas earnings. Sounds like your clients may have been lucky!

If you have been here a while, amounts over a certain level will trigger questions from the Aussie tax office. I think there must be a trigger amount but not sure what it is (possibly over about GBP 10k). You might be asked to show proof that it is nnot overseas earnings, or they will assume it is so and tax you accordingly. We moved some money over that was a gift from my Dad, and had to get a certified letter from him confirming this to assure the ATO it wasn't money we had earnt and should thus be taxed on. Hope that makes sense, it doesn't answer your question, I know, but hopefully will save you being unprepared for ATO questions and requests for proof.

Hmm....not cooler ....geekier possibly! :wink:

Last time we visited as a family OH was the only one travelling on a British passport - he went and joined the British queue and we went and joined the non-Euro queue. When he went through, the inspector chatted to him a bit and OH mentioned that we were in the other queue as travelling on the Aussie documents. He was told that he could have taken us all through the British queue with him, and even if we were not with him, we could have used that queue with our expired British passports - as long as you have a valid unexpired travel document (our aussie passports), the expired British passport still shows you are British citizens. We may have caught the inspector/official on a good day, but I'd have thought he'd know the rules and any variations on them.

Hi Cal, no we didn't go to the volcanic island (Tanna?) as you had to get another flight there and we were on a bit of a tight budget. How was the weather on your trip, was it the rainy season while you were there?

My 18 year old did this no problem last year. Cheaper to renew in England when he gets there anyway.

Brings back some memories! We went to Vanuatu in 2012. Stayed at Hideaway Island which I think is where one of your photos was taken. Both kids got their PADI dive licenses while we were there. The Waterfalls were walking distance and we went up there one day, and swam down the river all the way back down, lovely on a hot sticky day. Did you go to the Tanna Coffee place near there too? The only negative thing I'd say is that because the people do live in such primitive conditions, the sanitation from the villages isn't ideal. Where we were staying was a marine reserve, but it seemed that the waste from the nearby village was just pumped - or washed - straight out to sea. Walking along the beach and crossing the river that flows down from the village was a little unpleasant, dodging the loo roll that was floating around, and we did all end up with quite bad stomach bugs - it's pretty inevitable when you are in the sea water all day I guess if there are bugs. There is a strong french influence on the island, as it used to be a french colony I think, and many of the locals speak both english and french. We had a laugh with a guy we hired for a day to drive us around about how the men in Vanuatu are built for soccer, as opposed to the Fijians who are built for rugby! Many of the locals have invested heavily in their future by planting sandalwood trees, the oil from which is highly priced and sought after, although the trees take many years before the oil can be harvested. Overall we found it a bit more expensive than Fiji, but that's not a bad thing as you feel more like you are paying for what things are worth, rather than lording it over the locals. Also if you go there, and stay in Port Vila, make sure if you are in the shops you somehow subtly indicate that you are staying on the island and are not a day tripper off one of the many cruise ships. Prices tend to rise for Cruise Ship passengers, who are often to be found around the duty free shop in Port Vila when a ship is in town - they wear their cruise IDs with pride, not knowing it's adding a premium to most of the stuff they buy! Oh, and just remembered - yes, the Cava - made my whole mouth go numb and was like drinking mud!

Thanks - I'm usually a total control freak when it comes to holidays - like to plan, plan, plan and plan some more - but as the kids are pretty much adults now, I'm going to try to let go a little more this trip and treat it as more of a 'take it as it comes' trip! I've never been backpacking even, although back in the day had some pretty casual holidays in the Greek Islands... I've booked flights into and out of Kota Kinabalu a fortnight apart, and a few nights at a cheapish central place there to start with and I'm hoping that we can chat to the locals and other tourists to find the best places to go, best things to do etc. Never been anywhere in Malaysia before, so no idea what to expect. Are things generally cheap? Do you haggle for stuff? Is it the sort of place where you can persuade a local boat owner to take you places for the day, or is that leaving yourself open to being ripped off/kidnapped/murdered?! Are there lots of local tour companies that you can go into and book stuff on the spur of the moment? I'd far rather catch a local bus somewhere than be on a big airconditioned coach... I'm excited and terrified all at the same time!

So for what is probably going to be our last holiday as a family, we've decided to go to Borneo to see Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys and hopefully dive/snorkel with a few turtles. I've had some fantastic info and recommendations from someone on Poms in Adelaide, but thought I'd pick a few brains over here too... anyone been? We're going for two weeks in April. Share your knowledge and experiences please :biggrin: I adore holidays - am so excited already!!

Saw him on an episode of Mock the Week when he was in the audience - came across as a really good sport, with a good sense of humour (and seemed to enjoy all the jokes at his expense...although not quite as much as his girlfriend).

Just want to say, I know exactly what you mean. I remember being in my kitchen one day, and Everybody Hurts by REM came on the radio - it was like the floodgates had opened and I crouched down and absolutely howled my eyes out. Been here nearly ten years now though so it does get better, I promise. It does take a while - probably about 18 months, before you stop feeling like a total foreigner here. I also know just what you mean about not wanting to talk to people, but rather than sit at home, force yourself to go out for a walk - in the park, on the beach whatever. We got a dog which meant I had to go out each day. I am not necessarily recommending that, but you don't need a dog to go for a walk. You don't have to talk to anyone, and can always find a quiet spot to sit and have a bit of a cry while you're out, but I think if you stay at home it's very easy to sink into depression and maybe a kind of agrophobia. PS Still can't listen to that song without crying now though!

I wonder if automotive engineer is still on the skills shortage list?

Gosh, but that would be like ordering the Table d'Hote menu and turning down dessert....!

Didn't have a choice! Was born here to English parents so stuck with dual citizenship whether I wanted it or not!

If you google "direct flights from Melbourne" one of the first links that comes up is a list of all the places you can fly direct to without having to change planes, with the flight times and airlines that fly the route. We've been to both New Zealand and Fiji and loved them both... for different reasons: scenery in NZ is amazing, beaches in Fiji and people there are lovely. So it just depends what you are looking for. Camping in NZ would probably work out cheapest there, and in Fiji you could look at somewhere that does all inclusive packages to keep a lid on the costs. Lots of places also do the "kids stay free" in Fiji.

Fiji? They adore kids there.... or New Zealand for a bit longer? You can gete some good fly/drive packages with motorhomes there and Jan/Feb will be lovely weather. travelonline.com.au I find is pretty good for offers, or some of the daily deals sites such as Scoopon and Deals.com.au

We thought we'd done a good job of teaching our kids a bit of good old cockney rhyming slang from the auld country..... until my daughter came out of the loo and shouted at her brother for leaving a "Henry the Second" in the toilet bowl! She remembered it was a king, but forgot it was supposed to be Richard the Third! She's 19 by the way, so it's been a while since she came out with one of those "things kids say"!

England's group isn't much better. How comes they don't do the draw so there is an African side, and Asian side, a European side and an American (N or S) side in each group?

Even with a fortune and a mass of makeup, I wouldn't look as good as her I'm afraid! I've seen shots of her unmade up and she still has the bone structure... <sigh>....