Emma2

Hi Mandy, I got my nursing qualification through the OU and worked for 5 years as a nurse in Queensland. It was a bit of a faff getting registered and took about six months but they definitely recognise it. (Well they did 7 years ago!) Good luck.

Hi there, We just moved back and had our 2 cats and 2 dogs flown back from Brisbane to London. If if I recall the rabies jab only needs to be done about 6 weeks before, maybe less? Ours had theirs in October and flew in January. We used Jetpets and they were absolutely brilliant. I couldn't fault them. They were really friendly and very helpful, I had to change the date of the animals travel but they did not mind at all. The man who collected our babies was lovely and even sent me a photo of them all just before they boarded and let me know that they were checked in with no issues. I had told him that I was concerned that my old dog wouldn't pass the vet check and I didn't want to get on our flight without knowing that my babies were safely onboard there's!all the animals arrived safely at Heathrow, they were all relaxed and happy, even our very nervous cat. The pet carriers they use are really large, they had far more room than we did in our seats ?. good luck with your move. Emma

I could have written this! This is exactly how I feel! We're making the move back in December. It's actually my husband who is the GP in our family and I have to say that the whole returners scheme is driving us mad and seems utterly ridiculous but if you time your return around the exam/simulated surgery then hopefully you wouldn't have to spend too long on a low income. Unfortunately we only worked that one out after we had booked our flights home!! I do worry about missing the weather but to be honest I find it far too hot here in the summer anyway and the fact that incomes are much lower in the uk is also hard but money isn't everything. I can't wait to be back near my family (my 9 year old can't wait to be near his grandparents again) and be around like minded people. I know people will disagree with my thoughts but we're all different and whats right for one person is not necessarily right for another. you have to go with your heart. Emma x

We're booked with Jetpets too, they've been great so far! We're paying $6200 for 2 medium dogs and 2 cats which I thought was pretty good.

Thanks for your input. I think maybe I'll aim more towards the Cheltenham area rather than Gloucester as this is what I've been hearing in general that Cheltenham is gorgeous, Gloucester docks are lovely but the rest of the city is not so hot! There's a really good school in Cheltenham that I'd like to try and get my son into so that would be perfect. I think really it's better to have a smaller house in a nicer area than a big house in a place that you don't really want to be. Its great thinking about our new adventure, never thought I'd be so excited about moving back to the UK! Thanks again Harpodom and H283

We're moving back to the Uk at the end of 2015 and are just trying to decide on areas. We moved out to the Gold Coast four years ago from Devon but would like to move to a different area when we go back. Devon is beautiful but a little bit quiet so we are thinking about moving a bit nearer to Bath and London. We narrowed it down to the Cheltenham/Gloucester area we think but are flexible. We would just like to be within an hour isn of Bristol and two hours (by train) from London. Would really appreciate any feedback from those who know the areas and any recommends. Thanks, Emma

Hi Wilson26, Thanks for that. We brought our two dogs out here four years ago and they were absolutely fine. I was worried sick about them travelleling and then they had to do 30 days in quarantine too but they were absolutely fine. I paid someone to visit them as soon as they arrived and they seemed really happy and relaxed and when we got them home they settled really quickly. I think that in relative terms they are not in transit for that long, bearing in mind that they sleep a lot and once they see you again at Heathrow all will be forgiven!! Emma

We also need to move our dogs back to the uk so would be very interested if anyone has recommendations.

Welcome, we moved to the Gold Coast 4 years ago. Husband is also a GP, we have kids and brought out 2 dogs so if you want to ask anything PM me and I'll try and help! Emma

Will miss: - Earning more money - Kangaroos and Cockatoos at the bottom of the garden - Trying to think of another one! Won't miss: - Australians - Mosquitos - The feeling that I just don't belong here

Not going back just yet, probably in 4 years time but good luck with your move back home. Edinburgh is such a gorgeous place to live. :cute:

Hi Annaliese, I'm an adult Community nurse and have been on the Gold Coast for a year now with my husband and kids. Firstly, nursing is a little frustrating here, definitely not more autonomy! It's not too bad in the community but I have friends who are hospital nurses and say that you're not allowed to use your knowledge & skills in the same way as the UK. I think basically you are restricted as to what you can do. A friend who works in ICU says she's not even allowed to put the blood sample in the blood gas machine and I don't think that you're able to make any decisions about the management of patients without discussing it with a doctor - and I'm talking about decisions that nurses would be expected to make in the UK. I have to say that this information is second hand but in my experience as a Community based nurse I am definitely restricted. In the UK I managed the Flu Vaccination Program for our area but here you have to undertake a course which costs at least $1000 to be able to give vaccinations without a doctor having seen the patient first. Of course you may find that it is quite different in other areas/states? It depends whether you are coming for career satisfaction or a change in lifestyle? Our kids love it here (15yrs, 13yrs & 6yrs) and have settled really well. The school which they go to is lovely but do push the kids a lot. My 6 year old has 2 different reading books every night and at least 1.5 hours of other homework a week! Having said that he absolutely loves it at the school. I have not found any negativity towards us for being English, to be honest there are such a large number of immigrants here that it is probably quite normal to see people from different countries move into the area. I think that it is one of the great things about Australia - meeting people from so many different places. One thing I would say about Australia(or at least the Gold Coast) is that it is not a cheap place to live. Food is expensive, clothes are quite expensive, make-up is ridiculously expensive! Water is expensive, so is the internet, rent and electricity! Don't mean to be negative but just something to consider. If you want to know anything else just ask and I'll try to answer. Emma :biggrin:

We've only been here a year and are on a temporary visa so would probably be ok for health care in the uk but I hadn't really thought about getting ill during transit! That is a good point, I don't really want to have to pay for the plane to be re-directed! or healthcare in HongKong and we are going to Paris for a couple of days so I guess I'd better just stop being tight and cough up for travel insurance!! I'll check out some of the recommendations. Thanks for your replies. Emma :biggrin:

I was just wondering what type of travel insurance people use when they return for a visit to the UK? I was looking up some prices and it seems really expensive for comprehensive insurance especially as we don't need medical cover for the uk as we are still uk citizens. I just really want to cover our possessions for when we're travelling. Any Ideas? Emma :unsure:

Yeh, I read that too afterwards. It was my vet that told me that they did not need to be treated for fleas and ticks if they were kept indoors. I think that the lady you are talking about had an outdoor cat as well so maybe he picked it up from her? Still it's better to be safe than sorry I guess?

Hi there Just picked up my doggies from quarantine two days ago. They seem to have forgiven us already and are completely fine. The quarantine staff were great and kept us informed (they were putting on quite a bit of weight!). I know cats are different but I am sure that if the staff are aware of any potential problems they would keep a close eye on your kitty. We also paid for someone to walk and visit the dogs as we lived so far from the quarantine station. They posted photos of their visits online which was very reassuring. As for keeping cats in Australia, if they are going to be indoors you are not going to have to worry about the paralysis tick. We have two kittens who live very happily indoors, the vet told us that it is much safer for them to be brought up as indoor cats. I think that they just need lots to keep them entertained, ours were very pleased with their new , very large, scratching post! Good luck with your move. :biggrin:

Hi Lucy, I'm not in the same situation as you but my two older children moved out to Australia with us leaving their Dad behind in the UK (they are 11 and 13). I think that you just have to be prepared, as a previous poster mentioned, for a step-mum to come into their lives (if there's not one already) and for her to have a much closer bond with your children than you. My kids are much closer to their step-dad and my daughter did say the other day that she thinks he loves her more than her biological dad! This was brought on my the fact that their dad flew out (with his wife) to see them and only stayed 6 days then flew to New Zealand and spent 11 days there. Your kids will always love you but they can be very hard on you too. I would never judge you, I know plenty have done that to me in the past and got it so wrong! I don't know what is happening in you life and why you have to go. I'm sure that this is something that you have thought about for a long time but you're not really going to know how truly painful it will be for you to be so far away from your kids until it's too late. Good luck with your move and I really hope that things work out well for you. Emma

Thanks for that, I'll have a look at the website. I'm definitely going to take them to the spit, I think that they would really enjoy it there. We live in Helensvale so it doesn't take too long to get anywhere as we're close to the motorway. Thanks for your help and if you find anywhere else let me know. Emma

I am very excited, after being apart from my doggies for 6 months they finally touched down in Sydney on Tuesday! I'm now counting the days until I see them (27!!) and thinking about all the lovely walks we can have. So can anyone recommend any good places to take dogs on the Gold Coast? Preferably where they can go off lead? Thanks Emma:biggrin:

Hi Reddebz We considered all options for our two doggies when planning our move to Oz. My sensible head said that the best thing would be to find them a nice new home so they didn't have to go through the experience of flying here and quarantine. My parents offered to look after them in the short term whilst we moved out here and decided if we were going to stay (as we had never been to Oz before). So that is what we did. This gave me a chance to realise that leaving them behind left an enormous hole in my life. I can honestly say that missing them has been the hardest thing about being here. So after being away from them for several months I could take it no more and on Tuesday morning they arrived in Sydney! I am beyond excited about seeing them and counting the days down until I can collect them! I won't see them until I pick them up because I am too far away but I am told that they are absolutely fine. They have been eating well and are very playful apparently! When I thought about what would be best for the dogs I tried to imagine what they would want. To go and live with someone else or to have to go through a bit of an unnerving experience to stay with the family they love and I know that they would far rather be with us. My Eldest dog is 10 years as well. I don't think that this is too old unless they have underlying health problems. If you are worried about the trip from Sydney to where you live there are lots of companies who will fly them from Sydney to most airports in Australia. We are just planning to make a bit of a road trip out of it. Good luck with your decision making. Emma

It's good to hear that they are helpful. And yes I'm finding it really hard without my girls! It's the only thing I miss from home (sorry mum!) Emma

Thanks for your replies, it's nice to here from someone who has actually used the company. But I will also get a quote from Golden Arrow if they are recommended too. It's such a hard decision to make isn't it! I am already in Australia and am missing my lovely girls so much that I just want them out here asap. I do worry about what they have to go through which is why I didn't get them sent out with us, I wanted to be sure that we would want to stay. I'm sure that they soon forget and of course the joy of seeing their Mummy again (me!) will make it all worth while for them. Thanks Emma

Hi all I was just wondering if anyone had heard of or used Pets on the Move to transport their pets? I have just received a very good quote from them to transport my 2 dogs and just wondered if they were any good? Emma

Hi Howard I heard great things about Helensvale High but unfortunately we had to find a school for our kids when we were staying in temporary accommodation in Ashmore, we didn't know what suburb we would end up living in and you can only go to the state school who's catchment area you are in. I think finding a good school for the kids is so important and I would definitely encourage people to do lots of research before they come out and then speak to people when you get out here. Emma

Hi Ange We didn't use an immigration agent as such. My oh is a doctor so it was an agency that finds positions for doctors. Sorry can't be much help with that one! Emma