Dec05

Hi all, Would love some advice. I'm on an Optus plan, but travelling to England for 1 week and Ireland for 1 week. I'm looking for affordable workable options for roaming. Optus are v pricey! Thanks in advance

Hi all, I have some really nice crystal wine glasses, decanter etc. I'd love to get them shipped over - I priced replacing them in oz and it was very $$$ They are in Ireland at the moment & I'd like to get them to Sydney - is that realistic - has anyone done this and if so can you recommend your removalist ? Am not having much success so far with google...

Yes, we are in Sydney. Definitely want to the have the holiday part on the return leg to Oz. This is our first trip back since we moved to Sydney 2 years ago so a few relaxing 'holiday' days en route back to Sydney might help with the inevitable turmoil

Hadn't considered round the world tickets - haven't looked into them yet really. It's first trip back since moving to Oz so every one will be keen to see family friends etc so we will be doing the holiday stop over bit on the return leg. It might help with the trauma of getting back on the plane Kids would love Florida of course.

Fab ! Thanks for the replies. Had a quick look and seems perfect. Singapore airlines have a good rep too - haven't flown with them yet. Will start researching! Thanks again

Thanks for that. Was thinking the legoland water park which I think is nearby. Any tips on accommodation

Hi all, We will be flying back to UK for a few weeks in September and I'd like to grab a few days for a family holiday on the way back to Oz. Does anyone have any recommendations for a family with 3 pre teens ? Seems a shame to fly around the world and not grab the chance! I'm just not sure where to start looking really so would love to hear what others have done. TIA

Thanks Amber. I know - Christmas in July - why bother

Hi all, I need some advice please - my 8 year old misses the Christmas Pantos we used to go to in Ireland - is there an equivalent here in Sydney ? I have googled and found one in July (???) but she would love to go to one at Christmas - we are in Sydney if anyone knows of a nearby musical society doing one. Thanks!

Dunno - I'm not a pommie

Hi, So here is the update.... I got these from Woolies - pommes noisettes https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/4961/birds-eye-pommes-noisettes They were much smaller and crunchy on the outside rather than a crumb, but the kids loved them, so a winner I'll get the Aldi ones the next time I'm shopping there, just to see - and complete my review Thanks for all the ideas everyone, it was very helpful. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.

Hi, Thanks for the suggestions - I saw those ones in Woolies alright but my kids like the crumb outside apparently. I'm not doing a traditional dinner, too hot !!. Going to have ham, salads, melon, pavlova - yum yum. But the kids mentioned last night how much they loooove croquettes and its the only part of the dinner they like. So I thought I'd pick up a few. We don't miss any products or foods from home at all, enjoying the new diversity actually. So typical that the one thing I'm looking for isn't available Thanks again, really looking forward to it now !!

Seasons greetings all Bit of a funny question, but has anyone seen frozen potato croquettes for sale any where ? The only bit of Xmas dinner the kids enjoy each year is the M&S frozen croquettes (!) but I just checked online and Coles & Woolies dont have them. I'd rather not make them if at all possible so wondering if anyone can help ?? Thanks and have a wonderful holiday

Hello all, I have a dental implant and suffer from ongoing problems with my gums so need to attend the hygienist every 3 or 4 months for a cleaning. Can anyone recommend a good dentist / hygienist in the Northern Beaches area? I know the cost is probably going to be astronomical - don't have private health cover yet - which seems pricey anyway (!) But google is bringing up a million options so would appreciate any feed back, particularly from people with implants and/or dicky gums.

I used NAB - opened a migrant bank account before I came over. Then called into the branch to validate it after I arrived. They either posted or gave me a bank statement (can't remember which) and it had my temporary address on it which I could then use to get my drivers licence and also used for the variety of other things where you need proof of address. Was very handy. Most if not all of the big 4 waive bank fees on the migrant bank accounts for the first year.

Hi there, just arrived in Sydney also and have secured a rental fairly quickly. I just wanted to say that two estate agents told us that August is the quietest month for renting - we should make sure we had a rental before things got busier in September - so anyone arriving in the next couple of weeks should focus on getting a rental asap - hope that helps some one.

Hi, Just to update - we flew with our laptops in our hand luggage and out son carried his xbox (wrapped in bubble wrap) in his hand luggage. It was too important to him to risk it being stolen / damaged. The way suitcases are flung about anyway the bigger risk was probably it being damaged rather than nicked. Thanks for all the replies !

Hi there, If you pm me your address I will pop them in the post. We are flying tomorrow so the earlier the better

Hi all, We are about to make the big move and final declutter going on. I found our old IELTS Practice Materials books - they are the red & white ones - from 2010. They are in perfect condition and I am happy to pass them on - am in Ireland.

Thanks for the replies. Hubbie is super paranoid since he had his gilette razor (Mac 3 - still a sore point ) stolen from his baggage once ! We already have to bring a couple of laptops so am dreading lugging a pile of electronics. We are going through Abu Dhabi so I'll check with the airline. Thanks for all the replies - really appreciate it !!

Hi all, we are currently packing our bags for the big move. My son is bringing his xbox & games and we have a variety of laptops and tablets. I'm wondering how secure is our luggage ? My husband thinks we should keep these higher value items in our hand luggage - but I'd prefer put them in our checked luggage - they will be too heavy in my opinion. He is concerned that they will be stolen from our baggage. What does everyone else do ?

Ok thanks for clearing that up for me. We are moving over this summer on PR and I was concerned I had missed something!

I dont understand the four year residency change - I was looking at the conditions for applying for citizenship a few weeks ago coincidentally and it saidyou have to living in oz for years as a condition. When was it ever one year ?

Hi, I have just renewed my daughters passport & we are travelling to oz in 3 weeks. Im filling in the appropriate Form 929 but I dont know where to send it ? Since childrens passports are only valid for 3 years I'm guessing that loads of people have also done this so would love some feedback. Thanks a mil

Thanks for the reply. Yes a budget guideline is a good idea - I was hoping something in the region of $150 - $180 per night. Ideally near a beach. Not asking a lot :-)