mxh

As stated, the job is in Milton Currently , I've only got Google Maps to go on, and to me, the areas I listed look like they're right on the edge of the bush. However, if in reality they're 'inner city', and are populated by high rises etc, then maybe they're not for us. But that's the sort of info that I'm after. Not really worried about access to the beaches - the bush is more important. But I'm trying to get that balance of city and non-city living right. We don't want to live in a suburb full of high rises, shopping malls and constant traffic, but we would like a bit of 'life'in the way of restaurants, pubs etc. And the traffic is also a good point. I picked the suburbs that I listed as they seem to have good public transport options into Milton - however, if we went further out then it might be a drive? If so, how is traffic into that area early in the morning - probably a 7 to 7:30 start.

My concern would be that they're very suburban - maybe a bit too far away from any life (resturaunts, pubs etc) - although I could be wrong as I've only really got Google Maps to go on at the moment. Obviously we'll go up at some point to have a drive around and see what these areas are like, but am hoping to narrow it down to some that seem to fit the bill, at least on paper.

After a few living on the north shore of Sydney, my wife has been offered a work promotion which would mean moving to Brisbane. The job will be in Milton, so I'm looking for ideas as to an area to live that would suit us. We like the North Shore of Sydney for it's proximity to the bush for walks, biking etc, and we're only 15 minutes from the beach, although we don't go that often. No kids, so schools aren't an issue. However, we do find the North Shore a bit toooo sleepy sometimes, so would be nice to live somewhere a little livelier. We've visited Brisbane a few times to have a rough idea of what it's like - but not really at 'suburb' level. I was looking at the Toowong / Auchenflower area - not too far from Milton, and with public transport options. And not too far from the outskirts in the other direction. Bit of a trek to the beach - but that's not a major concern. Anyone have any experience of these areas and what they're like to live in? Not really concerned about rental budget at the moment - we're just trying to narrow down somewhere that would suit us. Any other suggestions for areas within, say, 5k of Milton? And anywhere to avoid?

Was that the CF83 form you filled out and sent? And did you hear anything back? Was it all straightforward or are you currently drowning in red tape?

I'm in the same boat (well similar) - I'm showing as having 29 years of full contributions, but the 'gap' years are showing a cost of over £600 to top up. And what's the number of years that we need - I've read both 30 and 35 to get the full pension - which is correct?

Thanks guys - a couple of options there to look into - will have to try and incorporate a ferry ride into it as well (which I'm sure can easily be done if Manly is involved!)

We've got some friends coming over from NZ in a couple of months so am working on a plan for entertaining them for a few days. Last time they were over we did a day trip which they loved, so I'm looking for ideas for something similar (and again pretty local to Northern Sydney) Last time we started at West Head (the lookout to Barrenjoey lighthouse) and walked the coast path down to Great Mackeral Beach, then took the ferry across to Palm Beach, had lunch at one of the restaurants in the area, then up to the lighthouse and back, then the ferry back across to Great Mackeral Beach and walked back to the lookout. All in all we were out for 5 or 6 hours, and had a nice combination of some bushwalking, plus being on the water, somewhere to have a nice lunch, great views etc. Can anyone suggest something similar in another area that we could try? Whilst just being out in the bush is nice, I don't just want to walk along a firetrail for 6 hours. We haven't explored the Bobbin Head area so there could be something there? Or maybe the ferry from Palm Beach to Ettalong - although I'm not sure there's much at the other end? Any tips would be great. And if you haven't tried the walk I've described above, you should!

Yes, that's correct - but as it's only for 2 years the effect of this will be minimal, but will increase over time. Hence why I said in my post "forget compound interest for now as it's only 2 years"

OK, let's look at it over a 2 year period If I bring the £20000 over now at 1.75 then I get $35000. Pay that into the mortgage at 4%, for 2 years thats a saving of (35000*.04*2)=$2800 (forget compound interest for now as it's only 2 years) If I leave it in the UK and can get 2% after tax, thats (20000*.02*2)=800 So after 2 years I have £20,800 and need to convert that into $37800 to 'break even' on the deal - thats a rate of $1.82. If the rate goes up to 2.00 to 1, then I have $41,600 - a 'profit' of $3800 Even if I get zero interest in the UK then a rate of 1.89 would see me break even. So if I'm betting on the pound bouncing back (which I am) it doesn't have to bounce very far to make holding out worthwhile. Again, I accept that I haven't got a crystal ball, and there's no guarantee that it will come back. But it will

Ah, I see. Although I've covered why I don't want to do that just yet.

Yes, that's true - but it's only a 1% tax free return. I'd hope (like) to do better than that. Plus I would like to bring the money over to Aus at some point in the future (when the exchange rate gets better - see previous comment) but once it gets sucked into the UK mortgage I can't get it out again.

Ultimately, paying off the Aus mortgage would be the preferred option - although I feel that the pound is probably at a low(ish) point at the moment - Brexit saw to that. So I'm pretty confident that the pound will improve over time - which means that moving the money over now would get me nowhere. Of course, that's all supposition on my part, but I'm not going to bet against myself. Are there any other options for non-residents to invest and get a reasonable return? Anyone else been in the same situation? What did you do?

I've just inherited some money in the UK (about £20k) but am living in Australia, and will be for the foreseeable future, even if not for ever. I have a mortgage in the UK. However the interest rate is only 1% (and it doesn't look like going up any time soon), so I'm looking at ways of getting a better return on the money rather than just paying off a chunk of the mortgage. As the Exchange rate is so poor, it's not worth bringing it over to Australia at the moment (which is a shame, as my mortgage interest rate here is 4%) As I'm not a UK resident, I can't open any UK based ISAs or other accounts that may have reasonable introductory offers (and the 'standard' rates that they offer are pretty much 0%) I've not invested in stocks and shares before, but maybe that's an option? Will not being a UK resident cause any issues for this type of investment? Or any other ideas about how to get a better return than the mortgage option?

Two options spring to mind - neither of which I know much about but someone else may be able to throw more light on them. 1. 'Go Get' type car share scheme - probably depends whether you live near one of their parking spots as to whether it would be practical / feasible 2. Electric assisted bike - if you've considered a moped but are nervous of the Sydney drivers then this might be a solution. Faster and easier than a normal bike, but still able to access the bike paths etc

I seem to be in the minority here, but I've found Bunnings to be not a patch on the UK DIY stores. Between Homebase / B&Q (DIY based) and Wickes (more trade based) you could get pretty much anything you want. But I've lost count of the times I've asked for something in Bunnings but they've never heard of it (or, as has happened a few times, you're speaking to another Pom who knows exactly what you're after, but hasn't seem them in Aus). I'm sure some things are due to slightly different ways of doing things here (for example, you can't get metal back boxes for electical sockets) but just for lack of range, for example, try and get a dimmer light switch in a metal finish (anything but plain white!!)

What I found really noticeable when I first arrived in Sydney (Inner West) was the lack of youths hanging around street corners, parks etc. In the UK, even in the 'nicer' areas, you'd often get groups of youngsters hanging around smoking, drinking and often getting up to no good. Where I used to live they were generally pretty tame, but in some areas you often heard of people being intimidated, things getting set on fire etc. I've no idea what the kids get up to in Sydney instead! So whilst it might be that the crime statistics of the two countries are pretty similar, it definitely feels a lot safer walking around in Sydney than back in the UK.

I'd also add Abbotsford to the list to look at. It's a bit further out, but it has a ferry terminal and the 438 bus takes about 50 minutes to get to the CBD. It's also very quiet as there's no through traffic, has a few little restaurants (including an excellent Doughboy Pizza place just down the road in Wareemba) and also has the Sydney Rowing Club which has a decent restaurant as well as good casual eating setup, with lovely river views.

Definitely - and if/when I come to sell said house I'd get professional advice. But it would be interesting to know whether this is an avenue to be explored, or whether there's reasons why this shouldn't / couldn't be done.

The webpage says there is a "CGT Annual Exemption (£11,100 for 2015/16) available for each individual with an interest in the sold property" I have a house in my name, so if I sold it I could make use of this 11k exemption - but if my wife also had an 'interest', it sounds like she could also use her 11k exemption - ie giving us 22k in total. Is this correct? And if so, is there an easy / cost effective way of giving my wife an 'interest'?

We came over with about $1000. However, one of us had a job to go to, and we had accommodation and a car paid for for a month. Would have been a lot different if we didn't have any of this though.

You must be looking in the wrong place - there's quite a few when there's a good North-Westerly. Most people launch from Middle Creek Reserve on the western side of the lake, but you also see people on the Eastern side in different winds. Hoping to be back out there myself soon - but it's a little too cold at the moment !

Looking at NSW, it didn't surprise me to see that the majority of the suburbs were inland northern NSW. However, I was surprised to see Windale on the list. I've never been there, but wouldn't have expected anywhere on the Central Coast to be regarded as a problem area. Does anyone here live around that way - is it really that bad?

I decided not to bother with travel insurance, and for this trip it wasn't an issue. But it's important not to forget that I was talking specifically about a trip 'home' and not a holiday to a 'foreign' country. However, after looking at the pros and cons, I think for my next trip back to the UK I'll get a credit card (haven't got one at the moment) and book flights etc with that - as pointed out above, most of them now offer a basic level of insurance for the important stuff (medical etc) free of charge.

I get that insurance is a good idea if going to a foreign country - if I was going to Cyprus then I'd get some too. But from what you're saying, you went to the UK, had to have treatment and it was all paid for because you were 'on the system'. Which sort of goes along with my thinking - ie what do I really need it for? And I'm certainly trying to consider all the risks - just need to know what the biggies are which I may be forgetting about.

OK - maybe I didn't get the tone right in my original post. I'm wondering if I'm missing anything that I really should have travel insurance for. My rationale being that when I lived in the UK, I didn't have any insurance for day to day issues, as I didn't need it because I had a support network around me. I've still got that support network, so I'm thinking that I don't need the insurance. Yes, I could still get caught out by unforseen circumstances - but having insurance doesn't stop things happening, just covers the cost of 'making good'. I'm not worried about small costs - lost luggage, hotel cost if flight delayed etc etc, I'm thinking more of the big costs. The medical one is a good point - will the reciprocal agreement cover me for injuries / illness in the same way as it did when I lived in the UK? And anything else along these lines that I've not thought of?