MicheleW

Should be a fun night. I've only been to 2 English football matches previously and they were both Watford vs Sheffield United, and had a great time with friends at those games. Given that you won't be here for the game I'll give them a shout for you.

The OH and I are going to the match at Suncorp. Our tickets are in the Liverpool supporters section so that should be fun. :jiggy:

There is a precedent to a leadership change in the Liberal party, let's not forget the Gorton / McMahon years where there was a change due to a challenge.

Congratulations, she is adorable.

Port Macquarie is a lovely location. Admittedly closer to Sydney than Brisbane, but it has quite a few medical facilities and lovely beaches.

I have a lot of respect for Scott Ludlam and I just hope that people that don't just dismiss him because he is from the Green Party.

Maybe Toowong could be an option, though I don't know what the schooling is like around there.

Coles Bay was another one of our annual camping spots. We used to go with 2 other families, so there were the 6 adults and 8 kids running around having a great time. Time was spent fishing, swimming and bush walks - particularly out to Wineglass Bay. I don't know what it is about kids, I am sure the water was never really warm enough for us to swim in, but we did!

They are fantastic pictures LKC, and they make me realise how much I need to get back for another holiday. I grew up in Tasmania and we used to go camping at Mount Field National Park at least once a year and I don't know how we did it but we would often jump in the river, which was by no means warm. :eek:

If monthly maintenance is included then generally they will manage all the chemicals and all you have to do is jump in and enjoy it. If you are topping the pool up from the rain tanks, try to do it just before the pool person comes to check your chemical levels as the fresh water will throw the balance out slightly.

Very true. There is a really nice pub in South Brisbane that does $6 and $7 pints of craft beer and they are always busy. Places that charge over the odds, they seem to be a bit more light on in patronage.

I have recently done a major review of my superannuation and I was very pleasantly surprised in how well it is doing. The fees aren't really that big given the return on investment and I can see a very clear path as to what I need to contribute to allow me to retire comfortably. Given that I spent nearly 13 years out of Australia where I was not contributing into super at all, I am actually really happy with it all.

We used to be part of a share car scheme when we were living in London and it was a great alternative for owning a car. I did own a car when I lived in Surrey and that was simply down to the fact that there were zero public transport options to get to and from work. Here in Brisbane we own a car but we could very likely get away without it as we tend to catch the bus or walk most places, just need the share car schemes to take off here.

We tend to do a lot of short breaks and one longer holiday a year. Last Christmas we went to California for 3 weeks, and since then we have had a few 4 day camping trips, long weekends in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, a week long cruise to the Pacific islands and then we are off on another cruise to New Zealand this coming Christmas. As we have no children we aren't restricted to school holidays so have managed to get some really good deals.

Mine would have to be: Brisbane Adelaide Hobart Perth Darwin Canberra Sydney Melbourne

That is a totally different thing! :wink: And actually the quote was: “There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead, but let me be clear: I will be putting a price on carbon and I will move to an emissions trading scheme.” For some convenient reason people forget the second part of the quote.

@hoffer Just to let you know that there is a P&O sale starting at 9am Monday morning, and it has the Brisbane - Noumea - Lifou - Port Vila - Brisbane cruise departing the 27th Sept included. I don't know how much it will be for triple share, but the quad share is coming in at $519 pp and the twin share $869 pp for ocean view cabins so I am guessing the price will be somewhere in the middle of those.

It will be slightly more with 3 of you, but some specials may come through in the next few weeks for the period that you are looking at, unless it is the middle of school holidays, and then you may not get the great deals. Keep an eye out though, you never know.

And to add to that, Yamba is another really nice place to stay.

We managed to get a last minute cruise for 2 to the South Pacific, leaving from Brisbane - 7 days for under $1200. The benefit of the cruise for us was all food is included, we get to see Noumea, Lifou and Port Vila, and we get to relax for a week. The website we used was http://www.cruisesalefinder.com.au/, though there are quite a few others out there.

I flew with Garuda a number of times over the previous few years and would happily fly them again. Their ground staff at Jakarta are brilliant, even managing to get me on an earlier flight than I had booked and personally escorting me through security and to the gate.

If the flight suited my schedule and my budget then I would still fly with Malaysian, it could just as well have been the Singapore Airlines flight, or maybe the Emirates one that flew over Ukraine around the same time.

It has to be Australia for me, I found that I suffered from depression, largely due to the weather in England, and that was when I was young and mobile, I really don't think I could deal with it when I am older. As for other factors, it is much of a muchness, though for me personally, I feel that Australia has a lot more to offer me. Maybe that is because I was born here and therefore have an affinity for the place, but I see how my parents are getting on here as they get older and they really do have a fantastic life.

My sister lived in Port Macquarie for nearly 10 years, and they have only just moved from there due to her husband being offered a job in Brisbane. If it wasn't for the job, I doubt they would have moved. Comments from her: Very easy to make friends, especially if you have younger children Great sporting facilities for the size of the town Shopping is good, not great, but on par with the size of the town Great location - only 4 hours from Sydney, 2 hours from Coffs Harbour If you are into camping, so many choices not far from there Beautiful, safe beaches Really good fishing, river and beach If you are into 4 wheel driving, there is a great 4wd club Schools are good and a large number to choose from, both state and independent The airport is small, but expanding so now there are regular direct flights to Brisbane and Sydney The Koala hospital is fantastic and free to visit You will most likely get koalas in your backyard If you would like to live on acreage there is always the option of the Wauchope area, which is only a 20 minute commute I hope this helps. :smile:

That's actually my old high school, and back in the day it was pretty good. I also know people I went to school with who have now sent their children there and they have no complaints.