boganbear

I should have left after a couple of years but I was lazy, got stuck in a rut and didn't look for jobs out of London. Its dirty, transport is terrible, expensive, crime ridden and takes ages to get anywhere.

one of the reasons we moved from Melbourne to Brisbane was because of the weather. Its no different to the Uk, just a bit warmer. We got fed up of the rain and cold in winter. Most houses do not have any heating whatsoever so when the antarctic winds blow, you might as well be in the UK and it can be overcast for weeks on end. Spring and Autumn are nice but summer can be over 40 degrees one day and 20 the next. I would say that the weather is better than the Uk but not as good as Queensland....which can get incredibly hot too!

I would avoid London completely. I lived there for 10 years and the best thing I did was leave

I consider myself lucky then to get a job in 2 weeks of arriving in Melbourne over 5 years ago in a field that i love and which paid more than than my current job does now . However, I've had to put up with a lot of crap, changed job 5 times in 2 years and moving to Brisbane was the best thing we have done. I too found the needs Aussie experience annoying and it really is an excuse most of the time but a lot of employers also wanted me for my UK experience so it works both ways.

It can't be any worse than the Courier Mail, Herald Sun, Today Tonight, A Current Affair or even the Aussie version of the Grauniad

We are building at the moment and I would agree with Eeera, add 30% to what they say it will cost and have a good 20k extra for extras such as plugs, landscaping, outdoor tiling, solar and aircon. We have gone for top quality finishes/tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms and a double garage for resale value, not because we like really want them

It could be spam. if you havent got your confirmation letter/email of your visa then be very careful

Redfern

I wouldn't apply for a marriage visa as it still looks very dodgy, getting married when you have not been together very long. As he is also a UK citizen he is free to come to the UK with no restrictions, live together for 12 months then apply for a visa. It may take a while to sort out but should be relatively easy to get a partner visa. Then you can go to Oz knowing you are legal.

I just wonder what the relative's reactions would be if you told them you were moving to another part of the country and whether it would be the same. In practice, moving to Oz or somewhere a few hours drive away is the same as you can't just pop around when you feel like it but special occasions and emergencies are obviously a lot easier to manage. I've always lived many hours drive away from my family or abroad so they have effectively been strangers to me

Don;t feel guilty as you have done nothing wrong. Your parents are in the wrong for being selfish and spiteful. Follow your dreams and give it a go because if you do not then you will wonder for the rest of your life "what if". When I told my dad he was understandably upset but he said straight away to go for it and if he was 30 years younger he would have done the same (hmmm so why didn't you dad?). We speak on the phone nearly every week and he has got on with his life and got remarried and seems to be on holiday or travelling more often than he is at home. I've mentioned this before in a number of posts but my grandparents almost emigrated to oz in the 1950s with absolutely everything paid for. When the movers came Nan got cold feet and refused to go as she didnt want to leave her sister. Six months later her sister met a Canadian airman, had a whirlwind romance, got married and emmigrated to Canada. I remember Nan saying it was the biggest regret of her life. You cannot live your life through other people and what they want, you have to do what you want and is best for you, your partner and your future together.

I hope he recovers but unless a zoo's primary aim is to breed endangered animals for release in the wild they should be shut down. I'm no politically correct lefty but animals should not be used for entertainment or kept in cages where they cannot behave normally. The last time I visited a zoo was many years ago and was shocked to see how the larger animals in particular were kept at Paignton Zoo. The giraffes looked so depressed, I have refused to go to a zoo ever since. If you want to see these animals watch a documentary or go on a safari.

My credit card is with HSBC as it is fee free but you can get a fee free card with Coles now. To be honest I find the service of HSBC here to be worse than in the UK and only seem to be interested in you if you are Chinese. I went to 2 different branches and was ignored by staff but they were pretty quick to serve Chinese customers ahead of me as soon as they walked in the door. I've found NAB to be pretty good but as with banks in the UK, if you got a group of people to discuss the major banks they will all say they are rubbish

It would be very tight but if you rent, you do not pay for water or rates as the landlord has to pay these. make sure you have a lot of savings to to draw on.

Some banks do offer fee -ree accounts or fee -ree if you pay your wages into the account. If you want an overdraft you have to pay a monthly fee for it even if you do not use it. Overdrafts are not as common in Australia as in the Uk as the banks are better run and more cautious, so I would be amazed if a bank gave you one straight away.

We left simply because we could and the outlook for staying in the UK looked bleak as our temp contracts were both ending with little hope for getting permanent work. MY OH had not seen his family for many years and life in the Uk was getting very expensive with no hope of being able to buy our own home. Life has been hard at times since being in Oz but we both consider ourselves very lucky and the future looks very rosy. Despite my whingeing about Australia at times, it has been a good move and neither of us want to go back to England

It depends where you will be but i was pretty fit before emmigrating and piled on the pounds. I'm now running 5k a day and lost quite a bit but in Qld you have to be up very early as it gets too hot to do anything. If i'm not running by 5am its too late as the sun and the humidity can be horrible, particularly now and for the whole of summer. I tried swimming which I love but had to stop as I was getting sunburn, even with putting sun cream on. i was definitely fitter in England!

I would love to know where all this cheap overseas labour is coming from. everyone I know on a 457 earns far more than I do. Most 457s are not flipping burgers in Maccas but are highly skilled and qualified.

Unless you are 100% cash buyer you will probably not be able to get a mortgage if you are outside the UK. I would certainly not buy a property without seeing it myself and keeping a very beady eye on the estate agent! Just wait until you get to the UK to buy somewhere. Don't forget that renting is different in the Uk to Australia and you cannot offset maintenance expenses against rental income or negatively gear it.

most aussies have a barbie and get pissed

there are some excellent cafes in Scarborough and the Boat Shed does the best calamari and chips ever.

Carinlea and Maribynong are a bit too near Sunshine for me!

You may need to add Epsom salts to the citrus if the leaves are going yellow or falling off as many soils are deficient in magnesium which they need. They are also very sensitive plants, need quite a lot of water initially

I certainly wouldn't travel before getting a visa. You have to be outside of Australia when it is granted as you need to send your passport to them to get the visa and what if you don't get one in time? If it looks like you intend to work as you would have documentation and are on a tourist visa then they can throw you out of Oz straight away. Australia is not like the Uk which lets anyone in. What are you going to do if your girlfriends visa is refused as they could do .

You could just wait until May 2014. It's not that far away and the process is very quick....apart from getting a citizenship ceremony