rammygirl

Sorry to hear about your dad Quoll. And can you even go to the funeral in these times? Hubbies dad is in UK and just out of a six week hospital/rehab/hospital/rehab situation. Very frail. We are braced for the call. We had planned to go and see him but not possible now

Definitely get your citizenship sorted. We see so many people on here regretting not doing so. You might feel now you won’t be back but you never know...... just do it.

You will also need child visas for your children. The timing will be important. I suggest some professional advice might be wise

Funny one of the first friends we made here were from Tottington, they had been here for decades she actually knew my sister as they are both physiotherapists. Ramsbottom was a great place to live but very damp........... The place we live now is similar, a touristy town in the hills, lots of restaurants, walks and pretty green for Aus With a good community spirit. I think it helped us settle, we liked the city but it never felt like home. If you like where you live in UK consider moving to somewhere with a similar vibe. A lot of suburbs here are pretty dead, no life to them no where to walk to. It is colder in the winter up here but we get 4 definite seasons which I love. And we can (or could) always fly north for a holiday in the warmth of Queensland. Looks like this year it will be the riverlands of SA!

Follower rather than a fan. Husband and kids are all Sheffield Utd fans though.

No one can predict with certainty tbh. At the moment it may have fallen but is still around the average for recent years at 1.8. Having changed money since 2006 we have got 1.4 to 2.5 the latter being 2007, never been that high since! we consider anything over 1.8 good. If you don’t need to exchange everything at once you can spread the risk. Do use a forex company though you get a better deal overall. Compare a couple, sometimes paying a fee gets you more dollars in the end so don’t assume fee free is best.

Oh and once residing here you currently cannot leave without applying for special permission the international borders are closed. Even some interstate borders are still closed closed, requiring you to quarantine if you cross states. Much stricter than in UK

Everyone arriving in Australia including citizens has to quarantine on arrival. Check it out. You will be escorted from the plane to a hotel and tested and monitored. You will not be allowed to leave for 2 weeks or longer if you test positive during your stay. Depending on when and where you may be charged for this. Surely you must have been aware of this?

Born in Burnley but lived in Ramsbottom for many years.

Son got some birthday cards From UK this week. They were posted on the 16th May!

Does your partner have a visa for Australia? As Marissa says you can leave Australia you just have to apply with a genuine reason, a holiday isn’t one but visiting a seriously ill relative is. Although if they are in hospital or care you won’t be allowed in to see them anyway currently, unless they are close to death. My husbands Dad is very frail and we had planned to go and see him this year but have held off. He is in and out of hospital/care and his sister in UK cannot see him so we certainly couldn’t

Not quite. SA has opened borders to those states and territory but they have not opened to us yet! So they can come to SA without quarantine but we can’t go there.

Yesterday we were going to be out all afternoon so I made a curry popped it in the slow cooker and left it to bubble so it was ready when we got home. I find it great to make bolognaise sauce too, always better to cook long and slow and it won’t burn. Keeps veggies from breaking up too as no stirring required. I do chicken in mine but only skinless for casseroles etc. I usually sear meat and make the dish on the stove top then tip it into the slow cooker to continue cooking. I like a big skillet to sear and most slow cookers don’t have a big enough base to use comfortably for this. There is a dish I do if out all day and can’t be bothered to cook at breakfast time. Basically put all the ingredients in the pot Hebert, wine,onions,carrots,tomato,herbs etc. leave it to marinade overnight (in winter laundry is cold enough!) then put it on before we leave.

I note this is based on the wines and not the cellar doors or visiting experience. They are very different criteria and if you are using this as a guide to visiting wineries for a day out be aware that some of the smaller wineries that produce OK wines have great cellar doors with fab views and can be great places to go. As with all wine awards and lists, many pay to be included and they don’t reflect everyone’s taste. Just saying, still a lovely guide if you want to try a new region or winery.

You do however have to apply for evidence of Australian citizenship in order to apply for their Australian passport. This is pretty straightforward though. I would definitely apply for both. The Aussie one is actually more important as an Australian citizen is required to leave and enter Australia on an Australian passport. A UK citizen just needs a valid passport to enter the UK they can enter on an Australian one.