THE DUNSCOMBE FAMILY

Some States do not use AMBO COVER were in QLD nOW SO NO WORRIES ABOUT IT , Check with your State first

PART 2 A useful link from DAFF which outlines stuff you aren't allowed to pack: What can't I take into Australia? - Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Prescriptions Get enough medicine to cover until you can see a doctor in Australia. Be aware that some destinations en route may have restrictions regarding bringing certain medications into the country so check this beforehand. Collect hand-over files from doctor, dentist, optician, schools etc. Arrange some private health cover for Australia if required/desired Pay off any outstanding debts Close any surplus bank accounts and destroy unwanted cards Shred and dispose of any personal records you are not taking Ensure all your relevant paperwork is in a travel file CANCEL: Ask for refunds where applicable Car insurance: Get a letter confirming No Claims Bonus Car road tax Standing Orders/Direct Debits: make sure they are cancelled with the bank as well as the company All utilities (gas/electric/telephone/community charge) cancel in writing Broadband House insurance Car Insurance Sky TV Newspapers TV licence Request references from credit card companies, banks & mortgage lender; request up-to-date statements (financial statements useful when going for a rental) Sort out family allowance Buy currency for the trip Ensure that your possessions are on their way Check in with the shipping company to ensure that everything is going to plan Organise transport to the airport Take final gas/electric meter readings and send details to suppliers Get PHOTOCOPIES of: Birth certificates Marriage certificate Passport bio pages including visa page (handy for employers) Mortgage statements Driving Licence Utility bills for the last 6 months (to show regular payments) – will help in rental search to show good payment Savings accounts Bank statements Then scan onto a stick Arrange for a NATIONWIDE credit card: no fees for international purchases (remember, you won’t be able to get an Australian credit card until you have a job) Get an Australian bank account sorted Get a school report file together Sort out Ambulance cover before you go: (this will depend on which state you go to. Some states have a levy, some states have an annual fee. Here’s the link for the Ambulance Service in Victoria Membership Home - Metropolitan Ambulance Service Make a note of useful UK telephone numbers, i.e. bank customer services etc (the International number) Set up an independent email address (Hotmail or Gmail etc) and transfer your existing address book over before we move) – also save to stick. Remember that if you’re with, say, Pipex or Virgin you won’t be able to use that service in Oz therefore all your contacts and stored email will be lost. Arrange a rental car for when you arrive (but NOT from the airport as the cost is extortionate). A taxi into Melbourne city is around $50 and pick rental up from a regional office. Check out Europcar,.they are normally the cheapest rental from the airport. Info Pack for rental If you have a relative in Australia ask them to write a character reference Copy of bank statements/utility bills/mortgage statements Get a reference from UK estate agent stating how well our house has been maintained and what kind of people you are If you have a rented, ask the estate agent for a character reference stating that you paid rent regularly and on time every month When applying for a rental, write a covering letter explaining why you currently don’t have a job (i.e. just landed). Mention in it you’ve had a mortgage for ‘X’ years and you have PR/or you’ve rented for ‘X’ years etc Take passports with you Front up with cash for 3 months advance rental (we did, but it wasn’t needed). There are usually quite a few people going for the same property so offering to pay in advance may clinch it for you PO Box or other Postal Address for the first 4 months (visit a Post Office to do this) This is a bit of a catch 22 situation! You will need a long-ish term postal address in Australia to be able to setup your Bank Accounts, Medicare, Centrelink, Drivers License, etc. If you have a friend or relative, ask them if you can use their address. PO Boxes can be used for general mail and are available in most post offices but they are like gold dust. NOTE: You can’t apply for Medicare with a PO Box as your address. Now, take a few deep breathes...... !!! This is intended for guideline purposes only (and comes from my own personal experience). GOOD LUCK!

found this on another forum hope it helps i did a simular thing myself ......................................................... A list of things you need to do before you emigrate PART 1 Before we moved over, I spent months getting the below list together. It's really a work in progress as it changes and can be added to on a daily basis! FLIGHTS Get quotes for flights Make sure you get increased baggage allowance in Writing (usually 40kg Eastbound, 64k Westbound). Singapore Airlines & Emirates give the extra allowance and it's for one-time only. Cheap Worldwide Flights and cars, Discount Hotels, Bargain Holidays to Dubai, America, Australia and Thailand ASDA Travel - find cheap holidays, flights, hotels and travel Travel to Australia & New Zealand with Austravel, the holiday and flight specialist - AUSTRAVEL.COM CheapTickets: Cheap Flights, Event Tickets, Hotels, Rental Cars, Vacations, Cruises, Concert Tickets, Sports Tickets Expedia.co.uk Travel > Book cheap flights, travel, hotels and package holidays ebookers - Cheap Flights, Hotels, Car Hire & Holiday Packages Flight Centre UK | Cheap flights, holiday packages, hotels, car hire, touring and travel insurance www.leestravel.com Choose from over 90,000 hotels ranging from cheap to luxury including top chains Book cheap flights, hotels, car rental, city breaks and package holidays with Opodo Quest Travel long haul tailor made holidays Trailfinders - The Travel Experts TRAVELBAG: Deals on Cheap Flights, Hotels, Holidays and Tours Holidays and flights to Australia, cheap flights to New Zealand, Hotels, Holidays and Tours Worldwide Cheap flights & hotels | car hire | package holidays - TravelSupermarket UK Prepare your belongings to be shipped. Get at least 3 quotes (see bottom of page for a list of questions to ask your shipper) Doree Bonner Doree Bonner | UK and International Home Removals and Secure Storage Crown Relocations Crown Relocations U.K. PSS International Removal Company Robinsons The Business and Home Removal Company - Robinsons International Britannia International Removals | UK Removals | Office Removals | Storage | Britannia Movers International Pickfords http://www.pickfords.co.uk/ EMPLOYERS Give formal notice to employer and make sure you get P45 and work references BANKS/BUILDING SOCIETY Request credit references from bank, building society or any other lending agent Once you’ve arrived in Australia your credit profile will in effect start from scratch. Make sure you source as many credit references as possible before leaving the UK so that you can use them as evidence that we are creditworthy. Your bank, building society and any other lending agency should be able to provide a reference. You may find a reference from your mortgage company will also be helpful. You won’t be able to get a credit card in Australia until you get employment Request up to date statements on any endowments, pensions and investments Ask your doctor, dentist, optician, schools to prepare hand-over files IMMUNISATION RECORDS FOR CHILDREN Obtain a letter from your doctor confirming your child(ren) immunisations are up-to-date and give dates as they may be required for school and can also be requested for family assistance. MOVING YOUR PET: Pet travel services and pet boarding - Airpets Oceanic London UK Airpets, Willowslea Farm Kennels (Heathrow), Spout Lane North, Stanwell Moor, Staines, Middx TW19 6BW (01753) 685571) Golden Arrow, 01588 680240 (they don’t have a website) Ruislip Kennels Tel: 01344 424144 Fax: 01344 861460 e-mail: info@ryslip.com The Ryslip Group Ltd | Welcome Organise temporary accommodation in Australia for a couple of weeks. Organise all birthday cards and presents for the next 3 months UPDATE CV There is not a huge amount of difference between a UK CV and an Australian Résumé. The content is by and large the same but the Australian version often tends to be a bit longer. Most CV's will not need to be changed much to make them suitable for the market. Read through your existing CV and look for anything which is likely to cause confusion, internationalise your CV, and think of any negatives an employer may see in your CV and offer an immediate explanation to counter them. Change the word CV to Résumé (and make sure it’s spelt correctly with the accents on the e) Check for any commonly used UK acronyms, are they used in Australia? Add a one line description of the companies in your employment history Explain any gaps. Give reference to your Permanent Residence Set spell checker to Australian/English and make sure you run a check before sending the final document. REFERENCES It is standard in Australia to attach relevant references to your CV. Before leaving the UK it is a good idea to contact any potential referees and ask them to write a generic reference for this purpose. In the main body list referees with contact details, and attach any references to the back of the CV using a paper clip. As well as showing that you have nothing to hide, time differences may often mean that it is difficult to contact your referees during normal working hours so attaching your references offers a solution. Inform employer and get P45 and references Inland Revenue P85 Take these with you (for each adult), then complete and send them back to the UK within a couple of weeks of being in Oz to ensure that Revenue and Customs are aware we have left the UK and now Tax Resident in Australia. The form is designed to help you claim back any tax when we have left or about to leave the UK. This can be downloaded here: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/p85.pdf Order a phone card from: MelbourneConnect.com.au -- Prepaid Phone Cards to call from Australia Works out at 1 cent per minute. Go Beyond card is the better choice. CHANGE OF ADDRESS Give your change of address to: Banks Passport office Pension company Inland revenue Insurance brokers and accountants Shares DVLA The DVLA require that you have a UK address on your driving license, so it may be advisable to change the address to that of a friend or relative who could forward any necessary communications to you, before you go. RE-DIRECT POST Arrange all post to be redirected Royal Mail offer national and international redirection services for your mail for a variety of time periods. You can either apply in person at a Post Office or online and allow a few days for the service to be activated . You can renew online if you find that you wish to continue the service longer after the initial period ends. We signed up for a year and it cost around £70. The redirection service is for a maximum of 2 years. For more information visit www.royalmail.com and select redirection services. It is cheaper to get mail redirected to another UK address, so if we are confident that we will need very little of our mail we could see if we have a trustworthy friend or relative who is willing to have it redirected to them and will forward on the odd piece of relevant mail. If you get the mail redirected internationally make sure that you have one address that you can access for the entire period of the forward, as you cannot change it. If you expect to be transient during this time it may be better to have the mail forwarded to an Australian friend or relative, or to set up a PO Box. The only difficulty with a PO Box is that you will need to open it once you are in Australia. For more information on a PO Box with Australia Post visit: Welcome To Australia Post Ship your goods Whichever option you have chosen for shipping make sure everything is clean before the shippers arrive, as customs in Australia will not accept foreign dirt. Use a product like Jeyes Fluid. The timing that shipments leave varies with each individual case. Some choose to ship early and stay with relatives/friends/make do with things they will then dispose of, whereas others will choose to ship at the last minute and wait for their possessions to arrive at the other end. Don't forget to look into marine insurance, which is essential. Getting this insurance with your shipper may be more expensive than using an independent company like Letton Percival ( Letton Percival - Welcome To Letton Percival ) so do research on both. Re Christmas decorations: on box write ‘tinsel, tree ornaments or fairy lights’ NOT ‘christmas decorations’ – and mark ‘No Pine Cones’. The customs guys will be on the box like greased lightening otherwise. Make sure all the files on your computer are backed up Make a copy of everything on your computer and keep it withy our important documents, preferably in a separate bag to your computer. If you are leaving your computer behind and using a new one when you arrive it is worth making two back ups of your files and keeping them in separate places just to be sure they are safe. Start packing non essential items.

totally agree , although the excitement of finally getting that golden ticket is a rush , holy moley then you realise your dream has come true and you begin to panic with everything you have ever known to be left behind and the journey in front terrifies you.I went into melt down when we got our visa 6 years ago , we moved about a bit for work but happy to say were all Australian Citizens now and proud to Australia our home , is it worth all the stress ABSOLUTELY i could never imagine living back in the UK ever again Australia has given my children everything and so much more good luck everyone with your new life journey enjoy the ride

I went back for a holiday last sept 2013.While it was nice to catch up with friends and family it was all doom and gloom , i was astonished as to just how many shops had closed down and the town where im from had become a ghost town.Shame for everyone who lives there , i was just greatful to know i was coming back home to Australia, its been good for my family were happy and there is still so much to see learn and do , England is just not what it used to be , yes it is steeped in history but that DOES NOT PAY THE BILLS life is hard for the folk back in the UK , dont be fooled to think you will pick up a decent job just like that people are loosing there jobs still every single day , my family say to us we defo made the right move when we did comming out here , yes its been hard , yes we do still rent our home , no were not loaded , but i know my husbands job is safe and we can live and enjoy things .Its everyones decision but seriously before you commit yourself DO YOUR REASERCH first .gOOD lUCK

Why not try New Zealand instead, do your time there and after you get Citizenship your entitled to just walk right into Australia , that was ALWAYS going to be our PLAN B, We didnt need to do it that way in the end how ever i know a lot of Poms who have .Good Luck Never say Never

Wow your TRA is taking its time isnt it ????.When i did my Visa 5 yrs ago i put in for my TRA and had it all done and results in within a month !!!!(October 2007) I then did my practical assessment in the DECEMBER 2007 and our medicals were done towards the end of April 2008 ALONG with the police checks , the medicals only last for a period of 12mths during the Visa process well they did back then i am not sure how it works now , but if you had not received your Visa to be granted within the time period of the Medicals then YOU HAD TO HAVE THEM REDONE !!!!!!! it is a costly exercise.We had had ours done in Deansgate by a DR MILLIONS !! and it cost us for 2 Adults and 2 children under 12 back then 966.00 or thereabouts , but prices can vary depending on where your doctor is

when we lived in Melbourne it took 3 months to come back , now we live in Qld you can go to the real estate who then release the forms , can walk straight into the post office show your ID , it gets faxed there and then and within half an hour the MONEY IS IN YOUR HAND Well done Queensland !!!!

WE HAD OUR BON VOYAGE Party 4 weeks before we left , Hubby's birthday and daughters birthday so combined ours with a halloween party (for the Kids) with best dressed boy and girl won a prize.We had an Aussie theme going too. We took over the local working mens club and had over 500 people come to say goodbye.I had been a local taxi driver and my husband worked at a local garage so you could say the town knew who we were.It was an incredable night , very emotional indeed and we had a book that everyone signed there farewell wishes in , its lovely to look back on with a smile on your face.I am glad we had it then so we could get on with all we had left to do and we knew we had said our goodbyes to everyone who came to our party .You enjoy every minute of it .We have now been here 5 years this christmas and it was only the other day i came across our farewell book , i began to read it and smiled to myself as the time i tried to read it before always made me cry ...................I know i am now settled and happy with our lives in Australia .

Hi My Hubby been in the trade 35 years with AUDI .We live in Qld now and he has always got a job with no problems.You are best to EMAIL DIRECT to the dealerships , they are always looking for experienced Uk Mechanics , your MOT certificate wont be worth much here if you work in a dealership, most send them OFF SITE to a specialised ROAD WORTHY mechanic, a little crazy we think as my hubby is also qualified in that area too.Its about making money but hey u can not live in Paradise and have it all .My Hubby's friend and also his old Apprentice works at the AUDI PARRAMATTA GARAGE in Sydney ( Pete Venables) he has been in Sydney for 11yrs now he used to work for the TECHNICAL SUPPORT TEAM with Audi , thats an avenue you may like to try with all your other mechanical skills on other cars .MY MAIN ADVICE to you is try and SECURE your job before you leave the UK .We did just that and so glad we did .Good Luck

Hi were a family of 4 ............... well 5 eldest daughter stayed behind , were from Buxton in Derbyshire , made the move 4 and half yrs ago now , started in Doncaster east in Melbourne , 8 mth later moved to QLD on the Sunny coast in Mooloolaba , 22 months later moved down to Gold Coast , been here nearly 2 yrs and still living the dream and loving our life , no regrets at all .

​AND MINE WAS A Nationwide Credit Card , id had it for years , cleared it all on my Emigration and then Bang U can not have it anymore because your not using it WTF ...

its all very well having a credit card from the UK.................................... I had one and because I DID NOT USE IT , i only wanted it for dire emergency , they wrote to tell me they were cancelling it, when i called them to ask what there problem was there reply was THEY WERE NOT MAKING ANY MONEY OUT ME , And my XYZ amount of credit i had on it could go to some poor unfortunate person who would maybe accumilate Thousands of pounds IN INTEREST FOR THEM !!! Thats how the banks operate Totally unfair if you ask me so Good LUCK , if you get one REMEMBER to SPEND Spend Spend then you will be allowed to keep it .

​NO YOUR NOT MAD..................................we did the exact same thing , we did not even come for a RECCI HOLIDAY .I wont say it is easy , all i will say is Your far better arriving with a JOB IN PLACE depends on which Visa YOU ARRIVE IN .A Independant Skills Visa gives you more flexibility , thus allowing you to move freely around Australia if on Job does not work out and the school fees are minimal compared to 457 visa's .We first Arrived in Melbourne , but soon realized it was not for us 8 months later we moved to QLD and life could not be better , yes its hard adjusting but we have always had a job to go to , the children now age 16 and 10 have adjusted well .Life here for us is just what we have always wanted form a life DOWN UNDER !!. We have been here nearly 5 years now and we have never ever regretted:wink: our decision to move 10,000 miles away from everything we ever knew.I have an Older Daughter now age 26 and 2 GRANDCHILDREN which we dearly miss.I have also recently found my Birth Mother after 46yrs being Adopted when i was just 6 weeks old , I live here in Qld on the Gold Coast they live in Horncastle and Derbyshire ..............................Would i change my life here in Australia ??? Absolutely no way .Australia has been good to my Children and given them more opportunities than ever the Uk could of done ............for that reason and the fact that it is what we wanted to do both for ourselves as a family and for our Kids future we know WE DEFO MADE THE RIGHT MOVE. Life is full of change ............ U only live one so grab it with both hands if you can .....................So glad that we have been blessed to be able to live our dream here in Oz , yeh i wish we had more money at times but we did in the Uk too.Be happy and take that leap of faith We did and were so glad we did .

Hi I have just read this on another page , read before you finally say goodbye , your tickets can always be re enbust ........................ http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/moving-back-uk/181344-never-thought-id-feeling-like.html

It takes at least 2 yrs to feel anything like settled , it is different here , it takes time to adjust , YES IT ISN'T EASY!!!!! but i always thought to myself , what wanted me to emigrate in the first place , yes i have felt a few times like you ,but i have been here 4 and half years now .........................Would i go back NEVER , more opportunity for my kids here , better way of life here , i am extremely thankful to have this opportunity to live here and love our life here now , just wish the Bank Balance was more healthy at times , but life in the UK is very hard for the people we left behind , and do i really want to live like them after having a life here NO NO NO , Australia is different for everyone , some love it some hate it , its up to you in the end , I have friends who have YO YO back and forth 4 times now and everytime they get back to UK THEY KNOW omg WE have made a big mistake .Now they are back for good .I ALWAYS SAY If in doubt do nowt .It just takes time to re establish your self after everything you have ever known .Good Luck

we use http://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk .............Keeps up date on what is happened in our home town , weddings births and Obituries plus all the other goings on .

​saw this and thought it might answer some of your questionsPayment Finder - Department of Human Services humanservices.gov.au Select the options that describe your circumstances then explore a suggested list of possible payments. Like · · Promote · Share

It can also depend on which Visa you come in on .Ours is a 175 Independent Skills Visa .I pay the School books Uniform , Laptop and Voluntary Contribution, along with the Extra stuff they do .................................SWIMMING , SCHOOL TRIPS MUSIC LESSONS and like Quoll says if they get people in to Speak to the children on specific stuff you pay a fee to allow your child to take part.It can be an expensive exercise if you choose the wrong school .

We emigrated from Derbyshire to Melbourne 4 years ago , we found it too fast too busy busy for us so Opted to go to Qld , On the Sunshine Coast , loved it there but work was short so now happy on the Gold Coast

Good Idea Newjez ..........................It breaks my heart when i do not receive one from my Eldest Daughter in the UK.I just find it hard to accept that she is the Deputy Manager of CARD WAREHOUSE , Yes the one that sells cheap cards to start with , she can not be bothered to buy one and save it till Mother's Day in May here in Oz or even the same thing for fathers day , or come to think of it even BIRTHDAYS for her younger brother and Sister let alone Us .She could buy them at SALE PRICE less her discount which would prob bring them down to just PENNIES , out of order if you ask me , maybe i should take a leaf out of her book , its just hurtful .

Goodness , have they changed the Scoring now , when my hubby took his 5 yrs ago he had to score 8 in each component .He fail by 0.5 of a mark ( equates to a full stop ) AND HE HAD TO RE TAKE THE EXAM which was another 150.00 it cost .So good luck

Make the most of it coz very soon it gets freezing , we left Uk in the November of 2008 arrived in Melbourne to the worst ever recorded BUSH FIRES BLACK SATURDAY by April/May we were putting our electric blankets bloody freezing it was , in Aug we moved to QLD and never needed the Electric blanket again so far , 4 yrs on and still living in Qld but this year we need to grow WEBBED FEET , never stopped pouring down since Australia day

We first lived in Melbourne ............................... Hated it with a passion , tried another state which was QLD best move we ever did , got married there made some awesome mates , now we live on the Gold coast and keep in touch with our friends from the Sunshine coast , have the best OF BOTH WORLDS NOW , we wouldnt change it for anything , yeh its tough at times but it all takes time adujusting to the Aussie way of doing stuff .The thought of ever moving back to the Uk now simply horrifies me , been here 4 yrs now and defo would not head back , so glad we changed States.Australia is for some of us HOME for others it will never be Home .Doing our Citizenships now and can not wait .Hope you sort everything out , you can always come back one day Good Luck

we had similar reactions too .ITS WOW were did that come from , it is a huge shock to them , sometimes its the thought of why didnt we do something like this .My brother was the worse one , me being the younger one always there doing the duty full daughter thing for my parents .Dont let an opportunity of a life time and hurtful words spoil your chance to make a better life for you and your family, I wont pretend it is easy because it is tough at times , but what you have to gain is so worth all the hard work and effort.I left my daughter behind , she was 21 at the time she now is 26 , been 4 hard years not seeing her but she tells me its the best decision we could of made , Citizenship now is not long away and then she too will get the opportunity to decide where she wants to spend her life here in Oz or still in the Uk . We have also done the best thing for our 2 other children so it makes it all worth wile.We are all truly happy here and to me know the thought of ever living back in the Uk simply horrifies me .We love our new lives here in Qld , while Australia is not everyones cup of tea better to find out for yourself than think What If .The visa process can be timely this gets the families used to the idea , know we are here all our family congratulate us on what we have achieved .Good luck and do what your heart tells you is right .