gaz n family

Another attendee who would highly recommend you attend before you start your house purchase - so much to listen about from those that no and not those that think they know.

Sorry, meant to add. We asked about sedating out dog before the flight and was told it could be the worse thing to do as she will be looked at and assessed prior to being loaded on to the flight and if she wasnt alert and "normal" she wouldnt be allowed to fly. My only gripe was i could claim the Virgin Airmiles ;-)

we used Pet Air in 2011 and the animal arrival reception centre in Sydney. it was a long 28 day days but when she came back to us she had never looked so good. we were so worried about what we were doing to our poor dog and leaving her to do this journey alone. I can honestl say, it looks like she had the best 28 days than all of us, she was rested, clean had a lovely coat, lost the excess weight she had and was so bright and happy to see us. i couldnt recommend Pet Air enough.

it depends on what you'er after and why. If its a short term to start off then there are plenty of short term lets by fellow migrants who understand and accept you don't have much in the line of local references (but you will pay a little more) but their homes have everything you will need to get established whilst waiting for your items. ​If you are after a 12 month or longer then local references do become a must (not essential, but you stand a better chance of winning the application. short term letting will give you the chance to get that first local reference, get the the chance to demonstrate your commitment to staying and gives you the chance to get established (driving licences, jobs, medi care, schools and all the other essentials that you need an address) If you need any help with the short term i know where we stayed was great and could recommend it (but might be a little pricey for what you may want) ​Good luck.

It really depends on what you are after. Adelaide some will say is a little bit of a sleepy hollow, but that's how we like it. Its a very small city but has everything you could want, plus it being small means you don't have too far to travel. Everyone has differing likes and dislikes, for us we thought we would like to live very close to the beach, we have and find we don't get there too often with everything else going on in our lives, our next step is the find our own home, ideally we want to find a bit of land (no change of finding space near the beach unless you are a multi millionaire) in or near the hills to build our own home. With it being Adelaide/South Aus we can do this and still be close to the city and still be able to get to the beach. Another thing we love, when we do go to the beach, its not like the UK (for the 5 days a year its warm enough to get to the beach) you don't spend 2 hours driving around looking for a parking space, then another hour carrying everything to the sand to find no space to sit. Every beach we go to we just rock up anytime, park close, or even drive on the beach (depending which one we go to) . If you listed your likes and dislikes i am sure you will be able to get an answer about each of the cities in Australia to match them. We have so far seen Brisbane, Melbourne and a small bit of WA and we are glad we chose SA and Adelaide (although Perth/WA is a close second)

sorry, some reason it posted twice

Why spend your days wondering, if only? As i have said before on here, i want to go to my grave at 110 at least, and be able tosay "wow, what a ride that was" life is not a dress rehearsal I understand you having second thoughts with children involved, i am sure we all did/do. We live in SA and our only regret is we didn’t doit sooner. If your kids have any interest in sports, this is the place to be (Australia). Our daughter is loving the opportunities presented to her in her chosen sports. Beach life isn’t that bad, for $200 you can get yourself a decent shade to put up, we never travel to the beach without one so we always have shade. you learn very quickly to live with the extreme sun, only 1 day in 2 years have we really had to think about our day due to the sun, it was 46 degrees and we were planning on going shopping (secretly i had booked a resturant and hotel for our anniversay but i had to tell her we were shopping to get her out of the house) , so instead we had an hour in the pool before taking her "shopping" then had a nice evening in our hotel with the air con turned to its coldest setting. We even have relaxed somewhat about the spiders, when we first arrived we wouldn’tgo into a room without looking in first, never mind in the dark in bear feet. Now we don’t seem to care, but have occasionally had to step back out quickly andgrab the spray and broom!!!! Honestly we have had some bumps on the way, but we didn’t come into thisblindly thinking the road is paved with gold and all our problems would be sorted. But expecting issues helped get over them. I appreciate its expensive, again, you cannot take it with you when you havegone - plus you can always start again if it doesn’t work out. We have our 2ndanniversary coming soon - the time we agreed we would sit down and look at whatwe have done and the decision to move and assess if we made the right decision.I don’t think we are going to bother as its already known what we are all goingto say. it hasn’t been easy but its been the right decision and we certainlyaren’t going back. Good luck with the choice you make.

Does anyone have a way of getting something simliar to work on a smart TV?

Great post Warrior Steve. Why go to your grave wondering what it would have been like if i has just given things a go. i want to go to my grave at 100 mph say WOW, what a ride. You have to plan for some bumps along the way on your move down under, if you dont, it will bite you. life isnt all sun sand and sea, but its a darn sight better than a chilly, windy day in Scarborough (N Yorks), maybe not for the icecream and fish and chips ;-) If you want work then you need to keep trying, no one is going to call and give you a well paid job without you earning it. As for Aussies, try integrating yourselves into their communities, show them you are willing to do things their way and you will be rewarded with friendships. BUT, dont come here expecting it to be like the UK, it isnt, this is why many of us live here and not the UK.

But, basically what % will we be paying in tax here in Aus as opposed to the UK?

pm sent

A couple of questions if you dont mind. We are about to move into a semi permanent rental and are now considering having FOXTEL installed (already have permission to have it installed). We are in SA and wondering 1 Typically how long it takes and how we should go about getting it installed? 2 Can we state where the antenna must go? No internet, again not sure how long this will take, so if you could please help. 3 How long from contacting them to having it ready to go? 4 Any recommendations?

Having experienced coming to Australia without a job, i would advise going with who will get the greater income and stability in the job. If you are in nursing then you will get a job in most places without a hitch (i believe) but your husband might not (sorry i dont know what he does). Have a look at what the company is offering, removal costs, relocation costs etc etc i am sure this will help sway your decision. But more importantly, nothing i forever, you could take the job, try it for a while, if your heart still yearns for WA then while he is working he can look to find another position in WA.

Suzy, i would give Pet Air UK a ring to get a rough quote, get your dogs measurements to give them so their estimate will be a good one. To measure, 1 From tip of nose to rear end (not including tail) 2 From top of shoulder to floor 3 From top of head to floor 4 Width across shoulders. 5 Weight. Look on their website i am sure it tells and advises how you can measure your loved one. Pet Air will give you 2 quotes (Gold, which they do everything & silver which you have to sort out the blood tests etc) we used their gold service and found this to be ideal as we didnt need to worry about anything, thus we knew all the forms and certificates will be right.

Suzy, i would give Pet Air UK a ring to get a rough quote, get your dogs measurements to give them so their estimate will be a good one. To measure, 1 From tip of nose to rear end (not including tail) 2 From top of shoulder to floor 3 From top of head to floor 4 Width across shoulders. 5 Weight. Look on their website i am sure it tells and advises how you can measure your loved one. Pet Air will give you 2 quotes (Gold, which they do everything & silver which you have to sort out the blood tests etc) we used their gold service and found this to be ideal as we didnt need to worry about anything, thus we knew all the forms and certificates will be right.

Oh my, i wish we had seen this warning a couple of weeks ago. Our son brought a stray dog home while he was on his way to school. He found the dog a few streets away from where we were staying. The wife and i put a lead on the poor thing (about 6 month old Kelppie) and walked up and down the local streets in the hope to find someone looking for a dog. Sadly not though so had to call the dog warden. Anyway, while we walked this one road, we were followed by about 4 magpies, they initially stayed short distant away, but the further we walked the closer they got, eventually one of the birds started swooping at us, but mainly at the dog. This continued for about 20 metres before they flew back. The wife was really concerned and got a little frightened. Might have to walk the streets wearing my crash helmet.

I would like to say, if no one minds. We used Pet Air to transport our dog From Somerset to Adelaide, via Sydney quarantine this July. We were very nervous about her as she was a terrible traveler in the car. We visited their offices in Dorset, they welcomed us and showed us around their facility and how they make the travel cage. They kept us informed all the way, when payments needed to be in by etc. Our dog failed the blood test, but Pet Air guided us through a re test and as they kept advising me not to worry she passed. We dropped her off near Windsor and were emailed when she settled and was ready for the flight. We were happy with their service. 4 weeks later Micha joined us in Adelaide via an internal flight from Sydney (arranged by Pet Air) we were a little sceptical as to how she will look. Her flight was delayed by 2 hours, but we were emailed to advise us (not that i was glued to live flight tracker, waiting for the final link of the family to join us) We watched her flight fly over our house, and 1 hour later she arrived. She looked fantastic, clean, lean, fresh smelling and really happy and bouncy, just as we left her. I would recommend them to anyone who loves their pets. Not sure how competitive their price is, but i think their gold service is worth every penny and would use them tomorrow if i were ever to need to. We met Bob, he is a really nice guy.

I would like to say, if no one minds. We used Pet Air to transport our dog From Somerset to Adelaide, via Sydney quarantine this July. We were very nervous about her as she was a terrible traveler in the car. We visited their offices in Dorset, they welcomed us and showed us around their facility and how they make the travel cage. They kept us informed all the way, when payments needed to be in by etc. Our dog failed the blood test, but Pet Air guided us through a re test and as they kept advising me not to worry she passed. We dropped her off near Windsor and were emailed when she settled and was ready for the flight. We were happy with their service. 4 weeks later Micha joined us in Adelaide via an internal flight from Sydney (arranged by Pet Air) we were a little sceptical as to how she will look. Her flight was delayed by 2 hours, but we were emailed to advise us (not that i was glued to live flight tracker, waiting for the final link of the family to join us) We watched her flight fly over our house, and 1 hour later she arrived. She looked fantastic, clean, lean, fresh smelling and really happy and bouncy, just as we left her. I would recommend them to anyone who loves their pets. Not sure how competitive their price is, but i think their gold service is worth every penny and would use them tomorrow if i were ever to need to. We met Bob, he is a really nice guy.

The best way to to Network and try to talk to people in your field of experience. One thing we were advised to tried, but i got work before i got chance to try was. Spend time on Linkedin looking for companies you know and would work for, then try to find people who work there. Many people include their contact details on linkedin so give them a ring, sell yourself and make you so suitable that they will wonder how their company has survived without you. For my interview i used linkedin to search the names of those who were to interview me, found out their likes, and dislikes, where i could i turned the interview conversation to something i knew they enjoyed, or liked. Must have worked, i got the job. Best of luck, just keep trying, it will happen. 1 week is not long at all, especially as we have found here in SA, nothing is urgent, there is no rush on anything. I secured work after 8 weeks and i am told that this was very quick.

Thanks guys and girls for taking the time to read and post your comments. To give you another update (if you are interested) Start my new job Monday next week and looking forward to getting my teeth into something. And today we found out our application (first one) for a rental was approved and we signed the contract this afternoon. YIPHEE we now have a home with a pool ready for the summer........

I arrived in Adelaide two months ago and my advise would be to check very careful where you want to work. There is very little work (advertised) for Aircraft Engineers unlicensed here in SA. Thankfully for me i had another skill that has secured me work. Cannot comment on the other states

Well as many of you will now know we have arrived and have started to make our new life here in South Australia and loving every minute of it. We have been advised of the date our items arrived in country but dont know how long it will take to clear. I appreciate every consignment is different and times will vary. but roughly how long has it taken your stuff to get through?

Please find below our report of leaving, flying and the first few weeks on arrival. Its a little lengthy, but i tried to include as much as possible so those yet to venture on this great adventure will know what may happen. Arrival report We had 4 removal companies to quote and one we did some negotiations with and managed to get 40 kgs of airfreight thrown in and 4 weeks storage in Australia should we need it. The company we chose said we were 120 cubic feet over the 20 foot container so we did some serious downsizing, car boots and trips to the recycle centre, oh and the typical free loading friends who knew we had to get rid of things, so “we will take it off your hands for free” gang. The week before the move the company asked if they could come to make a start. We had not had any chance yet to take apart any furniture, or set aside our things we were to carry by hand, but they explained that we will be fine. The guys arrived while I was a work and told the wife, we had plenty of room now we had downsized, he walked to rooms and said she shouldn’t take apart any furniture as we were well under. I returned home to find out they had packed all the dining room chairs and shelf units without them being taken apart. Then I noticed all the candles and glass ornaments had been packed, which normally should be ok, but I had an old bullet I had found cleaning out my old military kit and hadn’t had time to hand it to the police. They had packed it…..OMG, I am sure the Aussies wouldn’t appreciate finding that, so ended up unpacking 4 boxes before we found it. They had left some my sons model paints saying they couldn’t be packed as they were oil based. Erm, you have packed the oil based paints and left the water ones out…… I finished work, giving us the weekend and 2 more to finish. We didn’t seem to have any time to sit, but I guess, we all go through it. I ignored some of the advice of the removal men and did take apart some of the furniture just in case. The morning soon arrived, we were up ready to go when the removal guys arrived (2 of them) who then complained there was so much to do, and that the other teams should have done a lot more. I was adamant I wasn’t going to pack myself due to the companies insistence they we (all of us who emigrate) cannot pack ourself to save money (they claimed it was only £100 to pack a 3 bed house). We were staying at home that night so things were still around for us to use. The same two guys arrived the next morning, we were told that the container was going to be finished by 14:00, so we had arranged with our landlady that we can hand her the keys back at 18:00. The kids were still at school, it was their last day Thursday 7th July with the schools official summer holiday/end of term/Founders day. Our son was 16 and he wanted to be there for his last day at school, we guessed it was going to be emotional. We had granny and granddad coming down for this day also, we had arranged a hotel that night close by. Anyway, the removal guys finished packing the beds etc, and other items left from the day before. They told me that they have 2 hours to pack the container, any longer then they get fined by the container company, so things get put in as quick as possible and they never get time to arrange it so everything should fit. We had walked the house to double check everything, and informed them that should we be at risk of not fitting everything in, then showed them what was to stay (mattresses, old kids books etc) We left them to it when the container arrived as we were cleaning the rooms as they emptied. I noticed everything we said should stay behind had gone in so made the assumption everything was going to fit, I kept checking with them and they told me not to worry. I packed my car with all the suitcases and other stuff we needed to take to grannies (we were staying with her until we flew) so this car was stuffed to the brim. About 13:50 they then said it looked like not everything was going to fit. I asked where were the items I said to leave until last, erm, we packed them first, its too late. So basically tough, they didn’t have the time to take it back out, its not their problem. They had even packed a computer chair, still set up, arms etc. I then asked about some of the boxes still in the house, oh, they are kitchen, might not fit. WHAT??? So it came to the end, we had to leave behind, 2 units, 2 mountain bikes, my fibre optic Christmas tree (gutted) and most annoying, my granddads unit I had since he passed away. Now remember, we were moving out that evening, and my car was full already. We ended up giving the removal men our two bikes (they got a quote from the company, I was going to cost £500 to ship the two bikes!!) then we noticed that the dishwasher was still in place, then frustratingly, we discovered my granddads unit was still full of the familes stationary, stuff gathered over years and years. All had to be left behind, thankfully the land lady was understanding and said she would dispose of if, or leave it for the next tenant if they wanted it. The next day at school was very emotional, even I had some tears, seeing my two kids so upset leaving their mates behind (what had I don’t to them?). The drive up to grannies was very quiet and sombre. The week we had at grannies, involved seeing family, saying goodbye to friends, and clock watching waiting for D Day. The one thing I was adamant was I felt a need to visit the HM Forces national arboretum thankfully I got to go to say goodbye to some friends and a couple of family members who had their names on various monuments. D Day arrived, it was a glorious day, sun shining, nice temperature etc. We finally plucked up the courage to say our goodbyes. Tears flowed from granny, kids and the wife. I just kept quiet, bit my lip and left them alone for ten minutes before we had to leave. I ushered everyone into the car knowing it was getting worse with each minutes, thankfully it went as smooth as it could. We got to Heathrow with no problems, as we were flying first class with Virgin Atlantic we were able to drive right up to their special checkin where I then left the family and returned the hirecar. We checking in through the 1st Class security then relaxed in the lounge. Lovely, really nice, we had a massage, hate lunch and chilled out. The flight to Shanghai was uneventful and comfortable in our Virgin PJs, bed and loads of in flight food, drink and entertainment, landing in China with no problems. We were staying in the Crown Plaza which was very nice, we walked around that evening, going up the Pearl Tower before our body clocks told us enough was enough. We had a lazy day the next day, in the swimming pool, chilled about and grabbed some lunch (we had a late checkout). We got the magnetic train back to the airport, wow, what a train. Very fast and smooth. We were now flying (unfortunately, my saving couldn’t stretch to move comfort, so we were back to where we belong, in the back of the plane) With Eastern China to Singapore. On checking in I was selected for extra screening to all of our suit cases were searched, they confiscated two lighters, and more importantly my birthday gift, a St Georges flag Zippo lighter (which was not fuelled up as it was packed in the main luggage). Also as we were on a different flight the next day we were told we couldn’t have our luggage transferred to the next flight thus will have to collect it, through immigration then check in again to get to the hotel. Again this flight was uneventful, but I cannot explain what the in flight meal was, erm we didn’t dare eat it except the onion cookie, with the in flight movie being just as bad (but we were expecting it). We had booked the transit hotel in Singapore, but due to building and other bookings we were arriving in T3, staying in T2 then leaving that night from T1. So we collected our luggage and went to T2 to find the hotel. We discovered we had to check in for our flight before we could access the hotel. So back on the shuttle to T1 to then discover we had a 4 hour wait before we could check in. (OMG its now 06:00 and we had to wait until 10:00) we spent a long 4 hours before finally being let through. We found the hotel in T2 and all collapsed on the beds (4 of us so had booked 2 rooms). After 6 hours sleep we showered, and ate. If you have not been to Singapore airport, then do, its fantastic, so clean, so plush and a very nice place to wait for a plane. Even the smoking area was clean and very nicely presented. Why can Heathrow or Gatwick be like this, but I guess, to have nice things, you have to respect it, that’s where things go wrong in the UK, respect for others property went a long time ago. We found our flight and after another overnight we landed in Adelaide 07:00, it took us about 45 minutes to get through immigration and customs, and was met by the owner of the temporary property we had let for 3 months. We were driven south to Christies beach to a nice 3 bed, furnished bungalow, I was shocked by the amount of graffiti, but I had been warned. We had a hire car for two weeks, so we didn’t need to rush on anything. We had opened a NAB account so two days after we arrived, we were due to meet with the bank to check our ID (well silly me had the wrong date so had to ring to apologise for not turning up), they were great and understood we needed our bank so the lady set up another appointment the very next day. The ID check was simple, with our EFPOS cards ready to go. The visa debit cards came a week later. Next was medicare, that was easy, then a driving licence. Initially I was told I couldn’t transfer me bike across, but after a little discussion and me questioning their rules they double checked and realised she was wrong. No luck with my HGV though. Next was a mobile phone, now this was difficult. We had checked before to find out we will need, a passport, visa and a bank statement to prove our address. We went into one shop to be told our bank statement wasn’t acceptable has it must have 10 transactions on it. So over next couple of day we used our card to buy everything. Once we had 10 we printed out a statement off the internet (we were told this would be ok) but on arrival in the shop, nope, it has to be one printed from the bank, with their stamp and signature. We managed to catch the bank still open so did as was requested and returned to the shop. This time it was so bad it was funny. The guy serving us, told me my 176 visa wasn’t suitable as It didn’t have an end date. He said I could leave the country without finishing the term of the contract. I explained what a 176 visa was, he replied it wasn’t suitable; I must have a temporary visa, as these had end dates. I again explaining “Despite what visa type we had we could still leave the country tomorrow, just like I will be leaving this shop and talking my business elsewhere.” We walked over to Crazy Johns, 10 minutes later we walked out with two phones. I had an interview arranged with ASC (a defence company) who I did have a pre interview with them in the UK weeks earlier. I had seen on PIO a number of times that UK defence clearance’s cannot be transferred, I had received emails stating showing this was incorrect, emails from the Australian Vetting Agency Director, so I had to believe her. The interview with ASC didn’t go too well, it turned out they didn’t want an Engineering Project Manager, but more of an accountant or someone geared totally to finance. This was not me. I applied for several more defence positions but had no luck. It appeared that the HR staff in some of these companies didn’t know their own rules and policies on security clearance. So to clear up any queries in this. There is an agreement between Aus, NZ, UK, USA and Canada where each person from these countries with in date clearance can transfer them across once work had been found. After a number of brick walls with HR staff and managers I went to a recruitment agency who double checked with the vetting agency again, agreeing with what I already knew. They bypassed the HR in two companies, I had an interview with both. One I felt very confident and answered all their questions with ease and thought I stood a really good chance, but 4 weeks later they have said that they still have not made up their mind. The other I left a 2.5 hour interview not very confident and really mind blown so didn’t hold much hope. We enrolled on the SA interlink program, to get migrants into work, thinking I would need help, so would take it were I could. On the third day I we were riding the Metro back to Christies from the CBD when the recruitment agency called to tell me the second interview went well, they liked me, liked my answers and have since checked with the security agency and now knowing UK clearance’s can be transferred they wanted to offer me a position. I was really pleased, it was the one I didn’t feel very confident in, but it didn’t end there. They were so impressed and didn’t want to loose me to another company they were upping the original salary agreement by another $20,000 AUD. WHAT????? The recruitment agency asked if I was willing to accept. ARE YOU KIDDING, of course. So seven weeks in, we have a car, have a very well paid job, we are all very happy, the kids are in school (Cardijn College) and our dog has joined us. We walk on the beach every day, either in the morning or evening. We have met some great people. And to those who don’t know, most Australians (well everyone we have met) are friendly, are sincere, and when they wish you good day, they mean it. When they invite you to their homes, they mean it. It’s hard to get used to everyone being nice, I still am not, but we are getting there. The wife is happy, her only regret is we should have done it sooner (but I was in the military and stuck in the pension trap, but having a monthly pension helps with the increase in cost of living) We used PET AIR UK and Sydney quarantine for our dog and were very impressed with it all. She arrived healthy, happy, slim, clean and full of beans, just like when we had left her. I would recommend both to anyone. So the next step is to find a new home. We have planned to rent for 2 years, to fulfil our State Sponsorship commitment and to confirm ourselves this is where we want to be. And so far, the answer is YES, defiantly. We miss family, but not to the point of being unhappy. We don’t miss the UK, especially when we watched the riots (or just the idiots out for an excuse to steal). The whole way of life here is different, just why we moved.