RockDr

When I went to the mole doctor here for a baseline check (will go back every two years, so they can compare to what I was when I first arrived), the first thing she said to me was "you didn't grow up here did you?" apparently I have the skin of locals half my age. That said I just got back from coffee, sat in the sun, and realised I didn't have my SPF moisturiser in my handbag. must remember to dig it out from my camera bag when I get home (or buy a duplicate so I can have one in each).

woohoo!!! congratulations Aaron

Dermatologist also recommended halmilton to me. the optimal stuff for land based activities, and the quadblock for water (apparently will last 4hrs+ in surf, and is actually more like factor 50, just nothing can be advertised as more than 30 in Australia to deter people from getting complacent in the sun). I've found the optimal ok, though I find it stickier than the garnier ambre solaire I've used for years, so might be trialing other brands once this one runs out. Day to day I use one of the face moisturisers with SPF30, there's quite a few brands out there, though obviously not so good in the water and more expensive than normal sunscreen.

Which DSLR were you looking at? Personally for that sort of trip I'd be taking a compact superzoom instead (I had the panasonic FZ18 for a while which was great). Much lighter, and some of them have pretty decent lenses (the FZ18 had a leica lens). The quality won't be quite as good as a decent DSLR (though the best ones are arguably as good as the cheaper DSLRs), and they tend to be slightly slower, but the versatility more than makes up for it. I have a DSLR now, with a couple of lenses, and still can't do everything with it that I could do with the compact. It does take good photos though

no, it's available with diesel OR automatic. The diesel version only comes in manual according to the suzuki website.

If you do move, don't do it for the kids. They will have just as good educational opportunities in the UK as in Australia, and once qualified can make their own decision as to where in the world is the best place to find work. Given it'll be several years down the track, it's hard to predict what the job opportunities will be. It's only a few years ago that the mining sector in Australia had a huge hiring freeze and many geos lost jobs. So if job prospects for the kids are the only reason you're wanting to move, I wouldn't do it. If you really feel that you'll have a better quality of life over here, then great, but it doesn't really sound like your heart's in it. I would suggest validating (make a nice holiday out of it) and then see how you feel.

Agreed. Personally though I like my landscape photos better quality than what you can get from a phone, so I'll be travelling with a proper camera (and some form of hard-drive for back-ups on long trips) for a while yet.

OH ruled the grand vitara out because he wants an automatic diesel, but I'm beginning to think he's going to have to put up with getting a manual...

Yeah would be great... apart from the fact we're after a mid sized car, not a monster... Have used Hiluxes before for field-work, I agree they're awesome

after my husband's sedan car nearly vibrated the engine off its supports (technical term obviously, but basically the bit the held the engine on was nearlly sheared through) while driving on dirt roads in the Grampians, he went out and bought a small 4WD to replace it (well, I should say the smallEST 4WD - suzuki jimny). It does what we need it to, gets us to the supermarket, and gets us and our gear (and a third person if we ditch the esky) to the grampians (slowly, but it gets there eventually) from Adelaide for weekend climbing trips, and can also fit our dive gear in the back with the seats down. But, it's getting older, and the fuel economy isn't great at 10L/100km, which with a 40L tank doesn't get you very far, so we'd like a slightly bigger car that can do all these things, but with friends (or future kids) in the backseat as well as the luggage. So we've been looking, and it seems there's no proper medium sized 4WDs out there. We don't want something as big as a landcruiser/discovery/patrol, and all the medium SUVs seem to be school run cars that aren't expected to see any dirt in their lifetimes, many of which don't even have 4WD. Now we're not looking for a car to take hard-core 4WD-ing, but we do need a car with 4WD and a decent amount of ground clearance that will cope no problem with farm tracks and corrugated dirt roads. Any ideas? does anyone have a Nissan X-trail/Hyundai Santa Fe/etc and how well do they cope with dirt roads?

In south australia we just registered direct with the ambulance service, as private health doesn't cover all ambulance trips anyway (lots of grey areas). I know in Queensland, anyone living there is covered automatically, so it does vary state to state. Not sure a bout NSW, I'll have a quick google, see if I can find anything edit to add: so it seems in NSW, the only option is private health.

The only risk from a golden orb spider is a heart-attack if you walk into it's web unexpectedly. It's not going to leap off it's web and attack you, so will only bite if you poke it one too many times, and as mentioned, it's just like a bit of a sting, nothing dangerous.

Being in the Barossa, you'll also be pretty close to St Kilda's playground, which is so great, you don't even need to be a kid to enjoy it...

I will point out though, that not everyone with clinical depression gets medically diagnosed...

Do think about what you'll be using it for. If you want storage space for photos etc, and to be able to charge devices from a USB, then you'll want a laptop rather than a tablet, if you just want to be able to access internet, would a smart phone be enough? The small laptops are great for travel as they don't weight much. We've got an Asus EEE for travel, which has been pretty good, though there are lots of other brands that do equivalent ones.

so far 100% is/has been depressed. That's even worse than the stats for PhD students...:eek:

no I agree, and the end result is you're going to end up leaving or looking for a different job with a company that is willing to sponsor, seems like a very short sighted policy on the part of the employer. Is the employer not aware of the limitations of a 457 visa in terms of healthcare, finance etc?

Talk to your employer and see if they would sponsor you provided they put a minimum term in your contract (e.g. work for them for three years or repay costs of PR)

I can't really compare, I was a PhD student before I moved, and now working, so any change is more to do with the change in situation rather than the change in country...

Hi and welcome! Yes it's very overwhelming when you first start looking at visas. However, the partner visas aren't that complicated if you have a straightfoward case (sounds like you do), and there are plenty of people on this site who've gone through it. First thing to do is print off the forms and checklists, as well as booklet1 http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1127.pdf and have a good read through. Make a list of what you need to do. Once it's all written in one place it's less bewildering and you can just work through it and tick things off as you go. With an agent, you'll still have to look up and provide the information, so unles syou've got an unusual situation (health/criminal record etc) you're probably ok to DIY, though some people prefer to go with an agent for peace of mind.

air freight. google excess baggage companies.

what state will you be in? the ambulance cover differs in the different states...

I'm deleting some of the posts in this thread. This is an english language forum, so please post in english. Feel free to use the PM system if you wish to communicate in other languages.

Can I ask what your career is? and where you're living? Personally, a career isn't worth losing the love of your life. Go be with her, then figure out a skilled route to get into Australia (even if it involves retraining), rather than postponing the next ten years of your life waiting for a visa.

If you've been together (DeFacto or married) three years (or two years if there's kids involved) and can prove it, then you'll get PR straight off, otherwise you'll get put on the temp visa for two years.