hope73

Thank you so much for the information. I didn't realise sorting pets took that long.

I am having trouble finding out how many pet friendly rentals there are. This will be key to my argument for getting her out there.

That's a really nice idea.

Thank you so much everyone.

Great advice and ideas.

Fantastic ideas, thank you. We took the children to Liberty's recently - definitely has the wow factor!

I love the Savoy idea.

Thank you for taking the time to reply with such detail, you've made some really good points and gven me lots to think about.

Buckingham Palace, the London museums (again), The Globe and Madam Tussaud's keep featuring on our list. You make a good point about not wearing ourselves out too much though!

We are on track to leave the UK in July.

Our children are Primary Aged and so I wondered if there was anything we should put on our list of things to do before we leave the UK?

We live in the South East of England, about an hour from London.

Thanks

We are FINALLY on target to get to Aus for July 2017.

I am Kiwi and my husband has his Visa. We have tow primary aged children.

We know exactly where we want to move to: Medowie in Port Stephens, NSW. (I went on a reccie in Dec).

At present he plans to resign in April and as he needs a 12 week notice period we can't leave until July.

We are planning to rent our house out.

Our pet cat is still a bone of contention as I am desperate to take her (selfish I know) but OH is not!

So that's where we're at.

Can anyone copy and paste a To Do List that we can follow please? As much detail as possible would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

What's your time frame?

We are hoping to be there by Feb/March.

In the current economic climate, what does everyone think is best?

Another thing for you guys to consider, is the IT job market in Newcastle. It it pretty tough outside of Sydney and Melbourne, and even then still tough in those cities.

Have you done any research to see the jobs available and what he could potentially apply for?

He's open to a new challenge as am I. I'm a primary teacher and i don't hold high hopes for getting a job in that sector.

Appreciate your direct response re our cat. I now definitely think she'd be happier if we rehomed her. She catches loads of creatures on this side of the globe so best to leave her here! Everyone she meets falls in love with her so rehoming her shouldn't be too difficult.

I think you know, deep down, that rehoming her is the least selfish option. Cats are far more independent than dogs and are able to bond to a new family much more easily. You're the one who will grieve when you part, not her. Whereas coming to Australia, you'll have to put her through a lot of stress and then once she's in Australia, you'll have to restrict her movements more than in the UK (unless she's already an indoor cat). So it's your decision just don't pretend you're doing it for her!

She's not an indoor cat at all and to be honest it would be easier all round if we didn't take her but she is the most adorable cat I've ever had and she has so much personality so leaving her is very, very difficult. Rehoming seems very selfish but so does putting her through all that stress. I wouldn't even consider taking her if she wasn't a young cat (only just turned 3). Husband says rehome her.

Anyway, we're still waiting for his Visa to come through (via me being a Kiwi) so I guess we've got a lng road ahead yet.

Thank you for your reply. Juggling the move with a cat in tow is really worrying me!

I think the quarantine is about 3 hours drive away from where we'll be as well. How often did you visit your cat?

Did you find your cat settled in ok?

I can't even imagine how cats cope with the flight! But leaving her behind and rehoming her also breaks my heart as well. Difficult to know which is the least selfish option for her. I would be gutted to have to leave her behind as she is completely adorable.

I am attempting to register as a teacher from the UK but my application keeps demanding a Working With Children Clearance Check number which it seems can only be obtained once I am actually in Aus.

Help please?

We're on track to move in Nov/Dec!

There's still so much to do but at least hubby is properly on board now!

I am concerned about finding a rental property with a cat in tow - plus they are SO expensive!

Our cat will be in quarantine for ten days so we'll need to find a rental as soon as possible as we'll be staying with my brother initially and I don't think it's a good idea to try to settle her into his house and then a rental.

What's very annoying is I have seen the perfect house online (at a good price) that I would buy tomorrow if I could!

How do people manage the move with pets?

Weirdly as well our kids will probably go straight into the Aus 6 week summer hols, which will actually be a nice way to settle them in after the stress of the move. At least they can spend days on the beach rather than going straight into a classroom and I won't have to rush to put them into schools.

Online information about Nelsn Bays is quite sparse. I'm glad I have been there before and have family there (although they're not THAT helpful!).

Re the spiders, they're really not that bad, I have had much bigger spider issues here in the UK than I ever did in Oz. I'm sure there are more spiders here than in Oz. You'll probably find the cockroaches worse, especially on the coast, make sure you get some cockroach baits in that first shop

Winters are not as cold but the biggest difference in they are much much much shorter - really just a couple of months of blurgh weather. July (winter) on the Central Coast can be Tshirt weather. It rains though. You get more rainfall in Sydney than London, because when it rains, it really rains, but it may rain solidly for two weeks but could be followed by months of blue sky sunshine. None of this day after day after day of grey sky drissly awfulness! You're not likely to have central heating so I'm sure you'll want to buy a heater.

In my experience, some things are cheaper, some more expensive, and it really just depends on what you value and how you like to spend your time and money. You definitely won't find castles, art galleries and museums or M&S ready meals but you should be able to find a really nice quality of life that isn't so easily found over here. But, it all depends on what you personally value, which is different for everyone. I would say there are more opportunities here but your quality of life is better there.

You are right to say that you will have to work, I think many people think you can just sell up your average home in the UK, buy a mansion at Bondi Beach and never work again, but you should just find everything just a bit easier

Cars are more expensive, petrol is a lot cheaper. Food probably compares but there's more free stuff to do because the weather is better. Property is expensive but I think you get more for your money. BB and telephone will be cheaper and better here in the UK along with TV, but with any luck you won't need 500 Sky TV channels as you'll be outside BBQing with your new friends instead

Have you thought about renting your property here rather than selling? Easier to come back if it's not your thing.

Will your kids get bored of the beach? - again, depends on what they like to do but I grew up in Sydney and had a fabulous childhood with only fond memories and was never bored. Can't comment on the schools as it was some time back that I went to school and any experience wouldn't be relevant now.

Good luck

Thank you for your helpful reply. Much appreciated.

Winters just as cold? How about just as miserable, wet, dreary and long? Surely not? I'm a Kiwi originally and I found the NZ winters really harsh and REALLY cold but they were bright and sunny. I don't find winter in the UK that cold, just super dreary and grey.

I've been on here before as we've been toying with the idea of moving for a while but we now have a deadline and are definitely doing it as having been there last March we are craving the sunshine and those beautiful beaches in Port Stephens are calling our names.

But I have so many questions so any help would be appreciated.

When and how to tell the kids (8 and nearly 5)

When and how to tell the inlaws???!!!! (Have to remember it's OUR life, not theirs).

We want to sell up and rent then apply for jobs in person once over there - is this a good idea? (I have a brother there).

Is there anything we should consider buying up to take with us that's cheaper or better in the UK?

Should we rent or get a holiday home long term before buying?

Any recommendations re which parts of Port Stephens are best?

How difficult is it for children to get into schools there?

Are primary teaching jobs difficult to get?

My husband works in IT in the building industry so we are hoping he could commute to Newcastle.

I am under the impression that winters really aren't cold in NSW - that's correct isn't it?

The beaches in Port Stephens are utterly stunning (and we honeymooned in the Maldives). Please tell me your kids do NOT get tired of a day at the beach.

Most importantly, WILL I COPE WITH THE SPIDERS??????????????????????

We are not imaging a utopia - same sh!t, shinier shovel. We know we'll have to work and that life is still expensive out there but we are hoping to be more active as a family and to simply spend more time outdoors because when it's cold we're just not great at getting outside.

The UK education system worries me hugely as so many schools are being taken over by academies which in my opinion are too formalised. Could anyone tell me how the Aus education system compares?

Are we naiive to think we'll lead a simpler, healthier lifestyle whilst still having to work hard?

Any advice appreciated. Thank you in advance.

I completely adore our cat but I am concerned that the stress of a move across the world might be cruel. She's only 3 and in excellent health. My husband doesn't want to fork out the £2k (is that correct) to relocate her and would rather rehome her. I'd rather take her but feel a bit selfish in doing so.

Advice appreciated.

That makes sense. Thank you for clarifying it for me.

My brother runs a very social personal training group in the area called Top Coach. The people who go to his sessions find they make friends with each other and end up socialising outside the sessions.

BB so based on what you're saying one option is to simply sell the house and enter Aus on my being a Kiwi, rent somewhere or live in a holiday home whilst DH finds a job and we then find a house. That's very tempting as we'd love to be there before winter sets in over here, so by Oct/Nov.

But would not having some kind of work permit or the skills based visa restrict his ability to get a job?

He's a business analyst by the way.

Thank you so much for your detailed response. We have decided to go for a skills based visa as he'll have enough points.

Do those visas usually take up to 12 months?

Thanks for your advice.

DH is snowed under at work so he wants me to get the ball rolling.

Can anyone tell me the first three steps to take?

I'm thinking:

1. apply for a points-based Visa for him

2. put the house on the market

3. ensure all of our paperwork is up to date (whatever THAT means!)

He'd like to sell the house here then move to Aus and rent a place whilst he looks for employment out there. Too risky?

We're just at the beginning of this process.

Can someone tell me if I am right in thinking a Visa will cost nothing for me (being a Kiwi) and very little for my husband? That's the way it appears on this link.

http://www.immi.gov.au/Help/Pages/fees-charges/visa.aspx

Also, do we have to pay for Visas for children?