doubter

This visa https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/802- Cut off age is 25 must also be full time student and dependant on parents or have disability.

You were supposed to fill overseas form in if you leave UK http://www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=93,6678653&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Based on your dates at Uni you were on plan 1 and should have been making payments over £21000 from Australia if you informed them http://www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=93,6678668&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Dont think anyone is going to investigate that now but I would assume once you starting earning over £17000 in the UK it will automatically kick in as was mentioned through your NI number. I believe interest would also have been added during the time you were away. Don't worry though as long as you pay the minimum payment if I am reading it correctly yours will be written off at 65

Yes she loves me, she loves to hate me and vice versa

Only you know what is best for you. All I will add is I went through all those same feelings and emotions around the 6 month mark. I decided I had enough and Australia wasn't for me and booked flights to return back to the UK for all the family. This didn't go down too well with the wife as I never discussed it with her. Understandably the kids were much happier. 2 months later when we were due to leave all those feelings and emotions had left me. I wanted to stay and was starting to enjoy my life in Australia. I wanted to use the flights as a visit back to the UK rather than go back permanently. I had changed my mind but I had to respect the wishes of my wife and children. Things were in place and my wife wasn't prepared to go back on the decision I made, especially as I had messed them around enough. Looking back everyone goes through those emotions and you have just got to ride it, and things will get better. I wish I had before making a knee jerk reaction having done the hard work and expense to get there. For me the last 6 years have been spent dreaming about going back. I now have a second bite of the cherry with a new RRV and a job lined up. However I need to convince the wife (the same wife ) who doesn't quite feel the same.

Spoiled ourselves with a beautiful modern apartment with outstanding views overlooking the bay. As expected got plenty of photos of that trip in 2009.

Flew up to Mackay from Brisbane and drove up to Cairns from there.Time and distance does restrict you coz OZ is so huge. Only had overnight stays in Airlie beach,Townsville and Cairns. Have to say could have lived in Airlie beach too and loved the Whitsundays.Hope everyone was safe up that way and not too much damage from cyclone.

I thought booze and I am off down the boozer was universal knowledge. It is from my way

I liked aspects of both Townsville and Cairns but I only visited and never lived there. When I did a reccie I could have lived in Townsville. Could have seen myself walking up and down castle hill and the strand like the locals. The wife didn't like it though and when I went in 2009 the CBD was non existent and run down. Wife wasn't keen on Cairns either and I preferred the northern beaches especially the drive up to Port Douglas, Kuranda etc. What I realised was there was far more to do in the Cairns region than Townsville and a bit more rain to make it look greener. Standing on top of castle hill and looking around you are quite isolated and there is not much near by. I was keen to live in Cairns because I also have old school friends who live there. Surprisingly I know a few families from my small town in Wales who have settled there. Unfortunately there wasn't any work oporutunities for me there and I ended up in the GC which was too sprawled out and busy for me.

Researched where to live even more than I did especially after treating interview/reccie like an holiday.

Thanks least I know I wasn't going mad

Sure I posted a reply in one of the forum posts yesterday and it's disappeared today. It submitted and I seen it or maybe I dreamed it,doubting myself now. Sure someone else posted before me and that's gone as well.

Not if you lived in my home town in the UK it was like Cannes to me

I liked it much better further south near Curumbin and inland around there but the commute would be too far for both of you as you seem to be living central to work at moment.

Mt Tambourine definetlly worth a visit but not really Brisbane about 1 hour drive away. South bank as mentioned or climb Brisbane Storey Bridge or kayak Brisbane river both good fun http://riverlife.com.au/adventures/kayaking/ Head north Redcliffe and Bribie Island not bad or catch the ferry to Stradbroke Island.

I can empathise with having lived just up the road from you in Pacific Pines and ended up returning to the UK. I know what you mean with the driving, often cut up in my daily commute to work in Logan of all places. Friends wasn't really a problem with me as my wife talks to anyone and everyone and puts herself out there wherever we are. I am the kind of guy who can take it or leave it when it comes to people I suppose if heat and humidity is not your thing don't live in a sub-tropical climate. Nobody can advise you of what to do and everyone has their own opinions so I will give you mine. I thought I was homesick and it was great when I first got back in the middle of a UK winter after all that sun on the Gold Coast. However that feeling quickly wears off and I started missing things about Australia. That's just the feeling of a ping pong Pom I hear you say but I have a hell of a lot of regrets. I regret not staying to get my citizenship and not trying somewhere else in Australia. As much as I loved aspects of the GC I also believed it was more of a tourist area rather than somewhere to put down roots. I considered moving elsewhere and transferring with work and even looked at other places.My wife was dead against it because we had children in school and she didn't want to resettle them again. I live in a small town in Wales which is sort of semi rural but close to amenities and my commute to work is not on a motorway. To me living in the GC seemed busy and a little smothering but to someone who had just arrived from one of the big cities in England it was quiet. You can easily move inland somewhere not too far away and still enjoy the benefits of what the GC has to offer. Somewhere like Maudsland, Jimboomba for example, the list is endless. I would have also jumped at Adelaide or Hobart if I had the chance with work. I did like the winter climate though in QLD but you do miss the seasons. I am a firm believer that there is a tiny piece of Australia for everyone and you have just got to look and find it. I realise that can be difficult because of the expense and that OZ is so big. My advice would be don't throw the towel in explore other options first because you did all the hard work to get there. I would certainly swap places with you but each to there own. If it's not meant to be its not meant to be at least you tried. Hope it works out for you.

Seems to be one of the things not up and running at the moment but sure it will be in time. All my searches seem to be throwing up blanks as well.

Been back 6 still not feelin that ?

I was only in Australia for 8 months in 2010 and my visa expired in 2014 and not been to Australia since.I managed to get 2 RRVs, each for a year in 2015 and recently 2017. I applied online from the UK all done by myself and relatively easy and granted quickly. The first one was granted without a job offer and the recent one with.

Out of curiosity did you find out?

Try SA Health and any other job site that advertises nursejobs.It might take time but keep plugging away it's not impossible. CVs (resume) is generally the same but Australia likes a cover letter hitting the selection criteria giving examples using STAR (Situation,Task,Action & Result). I am not a nurse but just managed to get a job offer with SA Health doing just that. They also offered a Skype interview which was a first for me. Had to jump through a few other hoops but all done from the UK. Good luck and keep on trying as it is still possible to secure a job from the UK even though I realise it is much harder than it was. If I can help just ask.

I agree with Pom Queen.My son had these bad experiences in state high and in the end stopped going.I know there are some great state schools but if you can afford it go private. Then again my daughter thrived in state primary school and had a great time. Unfortunately social media didnt help my son wanting to return to the UK as he was always talking to friends in the UK and said he was going back when he could.

Sorry to hear this I had a similar experience with my 16 year old.Maybe you need to find a better school which you are thinking about.Hopefully someone with better exoerience of this will come along with better advice than I can give.

Yes back in 2010.Will never know if I would have still been there 6 years later but wish I never went in the first place because I constantly compare everything to Australia nowThe last 6 years have been a bit of a personal obsession about going back and I only felt settled back in UK for about 1 year. I do realise both have positive and negative to offer and maybe I only remember the positive.Thats the problem I want the best of both countries but cant afford to like someone I know who flys a few times a year back to the UK.

I felt a little bit like that on my reccie but still went back.My wife often reminds me when I mention about going back how I wasnt that keen and preferred NZ.I returned to the UK because I thought I was homesick for the place and what I was used to rather than people. Someone said to me recently who has a daughter in OZ you can do everything in the UK you can do in Australia but with more clothes on. For me the main reason for going was the weather and more opporutnity to do more outdoors and a better lifestyle albeit with less clothes on and persinally that would be why I wish I had stayed and would go back.