boganbear

I loved in Slough and the planes drove me bonkers. Sometimes they were so loud that I ran out of the house thnkng that a plane was going to crash. I once got stuck in traffic at Harlington corner as Concorde was taking off and that was an experience!

I lived in Brighton and the beach isn't that good. The beach boxes are pretty but so what? Williamstown is much nicer (moved from Brighton to Willy soon after arriving), lovely sea front walks and there's quite a few nice restaurants and cafes there. st Kilda is worth a trip, so is Fitzroy, Brunswick St (I hope Bimbos still do $4 pizzas...the best I've ever had). Geelong is quite pretty too. as others have said you can walk around most places in the CBD. Definitely go to the botanic gardens, Southbank, Roma St park is nice but it's up a VERY steep hill. The city cats and riverwalk are fun. When my parents visited they got a city cat and bus to the koala sanctuary

We moved with Grace removals and they were very good. I can't remember who moved the car but it went on a train and I had to drop it off in Laverton and pick it up at the port of Brisbane. The car cost about $600 to move but a lot less hassle than driving. You will also gave to get new number plates and a road worthiness test (like an MOT) which is a pain in the neck and a way fir the government to extract more money from you.

Burpengary has good local shops with 3 supermarkets and banks etc. I'm in narangba and its nice too. Schools are a bit better in narangba than Burpengary. Both are 10 min drive to north lakes for the big shops and there is a new cinema, ikea opening soon. There is nothing around ningi. Had friends who moved as it's quite remote. North lakes is nice but reminds me of Milton Keynes or Basingstoke. Everything looks the same and its hard to know where you are

I didn't vote as the calibre of politicians is terrible. I received some election bumf with 15 spelling and grammatical errors in it

Contact the ATO to get residential status asap to minimise the amount if tax then claim the I raid tax when you leave. From next year all working holiday visas will pay 32% on everything anyway so the Aussie economy has just shot itself in the foot

I miss the beaches of south Devon and Cornwall. The sea is freezing but waters were generally calm and you are not burning to a crisp and no sharks, bluebottles or box jellyfish to worry about. I've lost count of the number of times we've gone to a beautiful sunny coast beach only to stay half an hour and escape to the surf club for lunch as its too hot and the sea is too rough to swim in.

I think you can go to Oz and apply internally and I think other members have done it. However there are risks. The visa may be refused for a variety of reasons, and you may not get work rights straight away or employers may not employ you. I had a lot of trouble in my frost 2 years getting permanent work as many employers thought it was a temporary visa which it is not. I think it costs more applying from Australia and depending on how you see it, it seems like you are jumping the queue. If you apply asap it should be just a formality but applications are taking a lot longer than in the past. If you apply from the Uk you can leave knowing everything is in order before you go

There is an obvious reason...demographics. The population rose significantly after ww2 so they are just dying off

Hers a nice tapas bar/cafe in bongaree. I Find that if it is slightly windy, the surf and rips at Woorim are quite dangerous so we end up paddling on the other side of the island. One of my work colleagues lives on Bribie island and they love it but the work-life balance does suffer with the commute

Still can't ndrstnd yr quest. It's v imp 2 rite standrd Eng 2 communic8 a$$O

The bureau of Meteology also predicts a bad summer and it is hotter at the moment. I'm not looking forward to summer but the headline is typical of the express. It's going to be cold and there might be snow in winter. No $hit Sherlock

We had Grace moving from Melbourne to Brisbane and they were very good indeed. We ran out of boxes and they supplied more and didn't charge us extra. Price was good and nothing was broken or lost

My 7 year sentence is up tomorrow and I am deciding whether to leave or not. Workplace bullying and harassment have made my mind up to leave my company. I just need to decide whether to try and find a progressive and supportive company here (not many jobs here in my field) or cut my loses, sell the house, possibly at a loss and go back to Bristol.

Australian immigration rules are not as stupid as the British ones. You do not need a job or house or a certain level of income or savings. I can't remember what we wrote but something along the lines of you will get a place together, maybe renting to start off with or stay with family until you can find somewhere, with a view to buying when the time is right. For jobs, you will both look for jobs, maybe you have contacts you can apply to, joint savings to live on until you find work or use them to support your partner if you find work first and vice versa. If you have savings state how much. They are not trying to catch you out but be honest and don't make things up. We discussed things we wanted to do and mentioned how we would make savings last as long as possible. Dont forget emotional support as it is a big move and it was a bit of a culture shock to both of us. You will introduce your partner to family and friends, do activities together, try new hobbies or sports. If you do not know what you want at this stage, say so but mention a couple of things that you want to try and what excites you about moving to Australia.

There is a decent curry house in Williamstown and the nearest thing to a British curry. We ordered a lot from them when we lived there and the owner would deliver them personally to us. He said his best customers were British and knew their curries. They would even cook stuff for us not on the menu but found curry and chips a wierd request. I told him to try it out and he did say he enjoyed it. I haven't really had a decent curry in Australia. I have Indian colleagues from birmingham and India and they agree they are crap here. There is a takeaway in Richmond with the racist name of Curry Munchers but they could also have a warped sense of humour

Ii am sure Dayboro is a bit of a culture shock. its like moving to a tiny village in Cornwall. It can be hard starting out again. Can your partner and family help with her contacts at work by having a few people around for a barbie or seeing if anyone local also like some of your hobbies. I've made some good mates via friends of friends etc. I know there are a lot of people who go for a bike ride around yoru way to Mount Mee as i often see them. I know the Petrie markets have good events on a Friday night. My OH's aunty runs the lolly shop and her husband does bike rides etc and people bring their bikes and classic cars to show off. Why not both of your go for a night out and see who you end up chatting to. Your idea of using meet up.com is a good one as there are loads of interest and hobby groups. Just have a go and see how it goes. You have nothing to lose. I joined the gay rugby club in Brisbane and whilst i don't actually play, ive made some more mates through it. I still consider my best mates to be those back in England but things are changing for the better. keep your chin up . Its early days yet and remind yourself that how many people would love to be on a country property in a spectacular setting

My cousin had a brown snake a few years ago. Fortunately the lawnmower man was there and mowed it to smithereens. You do have to think about snakes but unless you are near bushland. A creek or a park you will rarely see one. I've only seen 2 dead ones in 7 years.

Living in Brisbane is a nightmare if you have to wear a suit. Most guys don't wear ties or jackets, so I haven't worn them either. However, my boss has now ordered me to do so when visiting customers and even has 2 people in the office spying on me and reporting back to him if I don't wear them. I have to walk to their offices, normally at the other end of town and even without wearing jacket and tie I turn up lookng like I've run a marathon in my suit. No customers have complained and I've even had meetings with them and they are in shorts and t shirts...and a couple in cycling Lycra which is offputting! I've explained that I don't cope well with the heat but he won't listen saying the heat is the same in Brisbane as in Perth (bullshit). It's verging on bullying

I love Christmas in Australia by the pool or on the beach with a barbie. No massive feasts to prepare and I cant think of anything worse than being cooped up indoors in the cold watching boring Christmas TV specials

I haven't got much sympathy for him. Armed robbery is pretty serious and it's not in the same league as a speeding fine. The terms of his visa essentially are that he can live permanently, providing he behaves himself. He didn't behave himself so he loses his right to be here. If the UK had the balls to get rid of the Human Rights Act, it could deport thousands of foreign criminals, save millions looking after them in prisons or on benefits. Instead, the UK has to put up with these bad apples who take the piss because of this silly law and the connivance of the judicial system. The HRA has been good in some ways to protect the ordinary person from a bullying or abusive state but if you commit a crime you lose your right to be in the country. It could learn a lot from Australia.

if you are in a state that allows you to register your de facto relationship you do not have to love together for 12 months and you can simply apply for the visa in Australia and no need to go to NZ. not all states have them

$64k is more than any people earn in a year. You need to get a bit of perspective and become more financially literate or think about things more carefully. Cut your cloth to your means and pay the loan off asap.

Just be honest. When we came over we had a 4 month break staying with relies and having a holiday travelling around oz. I never had a problem getting a job and no one ever asked me about it

I just gave my dads address and he posted the new card to me