spottydog

It's really annoying that they are stopping selling some tickets before completing the rollout. I use the ferry (on Opal) to get into work and the bus (not on Opal yet) to get home, they are stopping my ferry tens in a couple of weeks so I'll have to pay full single fare every morning and won't get any of the supposed benefits. Opal also also isn't very good for those using multiple transport methods on their commute and you have to pay for each of the journeys but only one of them will count towards your 8 journeys and it's free for the rest of the week allowance. To to the OP given the current position of the rollout I'd stick to buying my multis as it will be cheaper than opal and can be used on all public transport.

I'd go for the Shire to, nearer Liverpool isn't as nicer area. Unfortunately I haven't got kids so can't help with schools but I've spent time living in Oyster Bay and Bonnet Bay both of which were beautiful

The OPs request is is exactly what I wanted, having had a non-stainless BBQs Galore one for only 4 years which died to the extent the OH thought it rude to even freecycle I could get a stainless one that wouldn't last for $1k++++ (or a quality one for $3k+) or a weber that wasn't as pretty for $800 I went for the weber. Whilst I still think it's bl00dy ugly I'd recommend a weber every time

Mums Argos TV with integrated digital tuner works fine here. I just had to reset from scratch and select Aus as the region

Lots of dog friendly pubs in Balmain, the London allows them inside and on the balcony, the Bald Rock has a huge beer garden including a covered area they are allowed in, the Dry Dock lets them in the TAB bar, the William Wallace is also dog friendly although a rougher pub. Dicks also allows dogs in the smoking areas and the Monkey bar on their outside seats

I'd go weber. I really wanted a stainless steel one but for anything even half decent they were really pricey. We have the q305 at around $750 -$800 with stand and it cooks everything very we'll coping with dinner for just the two of us and parties with 10+ people

I have an LG one that's been going about 7 years now (my previous Zanussi in the UK was very unreliable). I generally just use the wash cycle except for undies that I can't be bothered to hang out. A half load I can set to wash and dry with a timer so I come back home to warm items which is great (especially a warm fluffy towel on a cold day). When this washer dryer breaks I'll get another one as I like having the option of an occasional dryer without the space a separate dryer takes up (I have shelving in my laundry where the dry would have to go)

So did you kill off all the corals on your attempt at marine keeping or did someone kill them for you before you put them in your tank :cute: I used to keep marines in the UK and found here in Sydney, corals in particular are much cheaper than London. We have all our kit here but haven't set one up yet as we need to finish working on the house and marines are very sensitive to fumes. Marine tanks are beautiful but take time on a daily basis, you need a fair amount of kit which isn't cheap then need to understand what eats what otherwise it's very easy for your prize specimen to become lunch :wink:

This is quite usual, if you only have one bidder they would be stupid to bid against themselves when they have the option of negotiating privately. A house near me got passed in at auction recently then sold the same day for $200k more than it was passed in at, I presume this was someone at the auction. Generally what I have found in my area is the house prices aren't reduced by much (maybe 5% except for those that were obviously trying their luck when they reduce in a few weeks by 20+%). If the house doesn't sell it gets taken off the market then comes back on a bit later and sells for close to original ask. THis is different to what I found in the UK where asking prices were steadily reduced over the months.

THat's what I do, I start by having a look in the greengrocers to see what is on special then plan my shopping around that. As a basic rule of thumb it's the same as the UK so satsuma's and brussell sprouts are coming into season and soft fruits heading out.

The fly past was impressive. I didn't know it was happening but suddenly heard a very loud aircraft noise (I'm not usually on the flight path) and looking out of the skylight saw the two of them. I was then able to watch them fly over the harbour bridge. I gather they had been practising for ages to be able to fly so close together.

Cudo is another one

Qantas don't charge for a small dog as you can take it instead of your hold luggage (my pup came back from Perth to Sydney this way) however you do get a small charge from Australian Air Express as they do the handling at Sydney and Perth. My pup cost me about $120 but that included buying a crate which I then sold on for nearly as much as I bought it for given AAE were about half the price of petshops. I would think it's definitely worth looking at the cost of flying over yourself and bringing him home.

I love Balmain and its cafe, restaurant, pub lifestyle but I also don't touch jobs unless they are in the CBD or North Sydney due to the transport links. If you fancy the Inner West then Newtown, Camperdown, Marrickville areas may be worth considering for their train links. Also agree with what others have said about Chatswood, always only seems like shopping centre to me.

I have dog health and accident insurance with Pet Insurance Australia who have paid out 2 of 2 claims so far.

Both my shar pei's have ended up having facelifts due to entropian, unfortunately if affects over 80% of the breed and to date they haven't been able to identify what causes it to screen for it in breeding dogs. Without their facelifts my dogs would eventually have ended up blind. Many of the shar peis problems are probably due to the limited breeding stock that they all must have come from since just over 30 years ago they were classed as the worlds rarest dog Unfortunately due to their health problems and the fact that they start as a really cute puppy but are a dominant breed far to many shar pei end up being dumped

I'm in Balmain East (2041), the insular peninsular, one road in and out of my bit, and have no interest in football

Unfortunately there is probably little you can do, check your contract but they are generally worded in favour of the vendor

From what I've seen inner sydney likes to protect the front facade of their houses for "historic" reasons and they can often look old, tired and not very inspiring (especially with google), however the inside can be very different. Here in Balmain what looks an old single storey semi from the front can be 3 storeys at the back (one up and one down) with great decks and inspiring courtyard gardens not to mention modern kitchens. I've recently noticed how much more floor area there is in Sydney homes compared to London homes, a small one bed flat here is generally 50m plus whereas in London this would easily be a two bed flat.

Oyster Bay, Como and Bonnet Bay are all nice and fairly close to the train as well as the Princes Highway for driving. Personally I'd avoid the area's you originally suggested and take a look at Sutherland Shire

I agree with the annoying reduction for processing costs (I got hit with that) but I went through the refund processing bit at Heathrow last year and my refund was in my bank before I landed by in Aus

I'm pretty sure it's 6 months, then after that you get taxed on the gain in the exchange rate only so fairly minimal

Unfortunately everything is expensive in Sydney for New Year, also don't forget the cost of seeing the fireworks unless you plan on hanging around all day at one of the free sites (the best free sites are full by lunchtime)

I paid Mum's with Aussie debit cards so I would imagine you will be fine with a british debit card, just make sure you have no limit as there may be a limit you aren't aware of if you've never paid that amount of money on them before

The problem with the 804 is that being non-contributory it has the long waiting list of 10 to 15+ years. If you don't want to wait that long for the visa then as a parent the mega bucks visa's are the only options.