jimmyay1

Climate - Adelaide and its surrounds have a genuine Mediterranean type climate. Rainfall is generally seasonal and almost completely absent in the summer season - which is a long one. It is also more “stable” in summer. Melbourne has a more oceanic climate. Although it can get hot in the summer, there are frequent changes in temperature and wind direction and it’s position between the bay, ocean and Alpine areas influences its climate and causes cloud and strong cold fronts to sometimes form. It can also be quite windy. The weather is very mobile and changes fast, though not necessarily to “bad” weather. It rains less in summer than winter, but the pattern is less pronounced than in Adelaide. To compare with Europe, Adelaide’s climate is fairly similar to Crete, Melbourne’s is more like that on the Atlantic coast of Spain (broadly speaking).

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00644/SN00644.pdf Read the above- you have to have lived in the district where you give notice of marriage for at least 7 days before giving notice. There’s then a 28 day minimum notice period after notice is given. This makes it impractical just to turn up and get married there, you do need to show you live there. It was something I hadn’t appreciated or considered before I planned to get married .

How will you get married in the uk if you don’t live there? there are residency requirements to get married there. If you are not ordinarily resident in the uk then you cannot get married there unless you literally go and live there for a period of time. i had this a couple of years ago. ended up having to get legally married here and a celebration in the uk after but the legal marriage took place here. If you’re getting married to an EU national as a Brit you’ll need to meet income financial /support requirements if you both want to move back.

You’ve been here quite a number of years now. Pull of family and having kids can draw folk back to where they have more of a support network. you say your feeling settles with a visit home or family visiting you. That’s because you dearly miss them, it’s quite natural. Its a hard decision with kids, both partners need to be on the same page or agree a way forward completely and commit to it otherwise it will not work out. Plenty of folk do work it out though. I’ve been here 7 years with partner. We don’t have kids. Currently I’m going through a patch where I’m missing people, relatives and friends who live in uk (rather than missing the UK itself). a move back there would be problematic for my partner as their career is v specific and pays a third of what it does here so would probably need to retrain or do something new. Although we’ve had good material success here in Melb, and love the country, the whole thing has been a bit of a disaster in terms of making social connections of any sort. I have no social life other than with my partner, who also works away from home several days each week. We are together at weekends. It’s an odd existence and I long for proper connection with a community or old friends (of which I had many in uk) and regular contact with family now. Watching parents grow older also means there’s more of a pull, as you realise life is short. Other bereavements can also bring this into some focus or change the situation somewhat. Ive often thought a move and finding new challenges in another EU country might suit rather than a direct move to the uk. at least then would be roughly on the same Timezone and only couple hours on an aircraft to see family, rather than 20. Perhaps a compromise. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

I'm going back in November for a couple of big family occasions , wedding and a milestone birthday. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bothering. First trip back since we moved here 3 years ago. Would rather not waste annual leave on UK trips lots of the world still to see. will be good to see family though.

Maybe Melb has more friendly people than Sydney but I really don't know. I've been here the best part of 3 years and haven't yet got any friends or social circle. I've stopped putting pressure on myself about it but kind of accepted this is the way it is. It does make me rather sad though as I had loads of lifelong mates in the UK. But I sometimes wish I had at least some social life here . I've just worked and not made time to build a social network, and I really regret it.

We have not encountered any homophobia, one or two people who have led fairy sheltered lives and been surprised to meet a real live gay person and not met one before... but that's about it. As long as you approach people with a straightforward open friendly attitude you will be fine. Blokes are quite blokey in Oz but that doesn't mean they are prejudiced at all....most people nowadays are pretty supportive and chilled about equal rights and gay people in general. Came from London, supposed to be a beacon of tolerance and diversity but managed to get shouted at one time from a passing car by some homophobe and certain would have thought twice about how I conducted myself in certain areas. You can get idiots anywhere.

melbourne is fab, great fun and the people are not uptight like they can be in sydney . It's a great place to live . And weatherwise....sydney just had more rain in 2 days than Melbourne has had since June last year.

there is no product I can't find here or that I miss from uk. Everything is here, or there are alternative which are as good or better. Possible exception of ready meals which there's not a great range of here but let's face it they are all processes salty crap anyway- make your own food it's nicer. We don't find prices of every day items any more expensive in Melb than in uk certainly if you're sensible and shop around.

mebourne is fine to live in and more probably going on in terms of diversity of social activities if you want them. That said, I have no social life as such, haven't made any friends at all (not one) since we arrived nor socialised with anyone other than my partner, or with colleagues at a company organised social function, since we arrived here over 2 years ago . I guess it's what you make of it.

About 40 percent of Aussies own their homes outright and 30 percent rent. What about interest rates for renters who are saving a deposit or the many who have paid off their homes. To listen to the media you'd think everyone had a huge mortgage. Many have none or would benefit from higher interest rates to be able to save. As usual the indebted benefit!

another milestone in the long slow decline of the UK

I had a quiet Christmas. No family visiting, haven't made any friends here yet so no entertaining. I even spent Christmas day and boxing day alone as my other half was working away. Rather different. pretty much a non event. Did go away post Christmas on a road trip which was fab though.

I had beef pie and peas!

We live in Cheltenham, although we don't have kids, i think it's family friendly. Bought a place here a year ago, nice environment, decent neighbours, 5 mins drive to the bay. space. and only 30-45 mins up to the CBD (if you'll work there). i work suburban and have a 15-20 min commute. I sometimes have to remind myself how lucky i am although i drive a fair bit with work, its good not to have a long commute. I lived in Elsternwick previously, and know the st kilda/elwood area well. Elwood is family friendly, lots of apartments though. St Kilda's fun but more urban and lively. If you want a house and some space you could do a lot worse than look at the bayside suburbs as mentioned above. Also depends on budget of course!

The $150k a year figure is nonsense. There is no clear answer . It totally depends on where you live, and how much your outgoings are. Will you have a mortgage or are you you planning to be mortgage free? Will you need to rent in an expensive area for work, or can you live further out ? If you plan to buy a large family property with a minimal deposit in an expensive inner capital city suburb and a large mortgage, yes you will "need" a high income to service your large outgoings. Of course. If not, you won't. We find the weekly shop for fresh food is no more dear than the UK , actually often cheaper than where we lived in London, for better quality .You just need to know where to go, avoid Coles gouging etc. Ditto fuel costs for cars, petrol's about half the price it is in the UK . Some stuff is dearer, but if your overheads are low then you can make do with far, far less. It's impossible to say what income you will need. You will need to do your own research.

I've been here 2 years and not made any friends yet, and no social life here other than with partner. I get on with folk at work but we don't socialise outside. I find Aussies friendly on the whole. I guess I just haven't really made the effort properly. Other things have taken priority over the last couple of years, buying house, moving , getting established and secure in job. Perhaps a New Years resolution for 2015, get a proper work life balance and some friends. i have/ had a close and long established friendship group built over a lifetime in the uk. it's lonely sometimes without that support here, though I've learnt to manage. But I also need to make an effort .

Just that really! Chatting with a couple of poms recently, they've both been back to uk within a year of emigrating, for a holiday, all good. I guess whatever suits. I have no particular desire to visit. I may do at end of next year which will be 3 years since I left. It's for a family milestone birthday otherwise frankly I wouldn't bother at all. How often do you visit The uk, or do some people never bother at all? My holidays this year I went to Europe but we didn't bother to go to the uk. Why waste the holiday when there's so many other places to see in the world. Or is this selfish?

Going to New York in November. Will be a short, tiring but exciting break i hope. Had a great trip to Switzerland in June. Last year had a hold in the top end and saw Kakadu, also did a bit of FNQ. And mini break to Hobart. And a few days in Lakes Entrance. And a drive up to Northern NSW and back at Xmas. And a few days in Bay of Islands NZ on prior to my visa validation trip. Have managed to travel around a bit in the past 18 months! :arghh:

Pretty happy with the way Abbott has dealt with the boat people. The dangerous voyages have to be stopped and discouraged, people trafficking is disgusting. People want to enter the country, they can do it the right way.

I fully support the hard line the government takes and so do most Aussies. People were drowning by the score. Discouraging them and disrupting the dispicable trade in human misery these boat rackets are tied up with seems absolutely fair. There are refugee camps all over the world with a real registration and queueing system. Aus is not the nearest safe country for Iranians, Egyptians, etc. Most are simply economic migrants chancing their luck.

We kept our place and rented it out. We now have it on the market and it's a pain to sell it after being here for 18 months and having bought a place in Melbourne. Hope it will sell soon as it has gone from feeling like some security when we first moved here, to an annoying inconvenience which we just want rid of.

Melbourne is fantastic and i wouldnt listen to people doing it down - it's what you make it really. Personally i wouldn't live anywhere else. Forget weather critics. We have seasons. It's not a big deal. We have schizophrenic springs, some very hot days in summer, really long, lovely autumns - and short, mild winters on the coast. I know that i can go skiing in the mountains every winter, and swim in the warm bay every summer- both activities a relatively short drive away from home. I love that. But more importantly if you move you will be an IMMIGRANT and will need to adapt and be FLEXIBLE. You are giving up your whole life, family, friends, job for a new country and culture, and new opportunities - most of which you may not know exist or will have to create yourself. It should enliven and challenge you and might take you places you'd never thought you'd go. But if you are quite happy where you are , why move. Having said that, i was happy in London, had nice life and still moved, here and things have worked out fine. However you are not suited if you can't cope with a big change to your routine and life, and having to start life from scratch. Immigration is not as simple as getting off the plane. It is a process which takes months and even years to bed through. You will have challenges and if you are not mentally quite determined and robust it just will not work with the way the world is today. Not many things come easy in this life wherever you are in the world now - just the way it is i am afraid. I would certainly put out strong feelers on the job situation before i moved though - any former employers you can look up who have Aussie offices? It's all about contacts and will help you get a feel . Sydney has more finance jobs - but is very expensive housing wise and travel around the city is a real pain, like London. As a new migrant without good income you will have to compromise on your quality of life. Melbourne is a much better laid out city and cheaper in terms of housing. There may be" fewer opportunities" ( i still believe you largely create your own oppportunities in life ultimately) but you would be able to live a better lifestyle on less money. I would also say Melbourne has a more friendly feel (not that i've lived in Sydney) and is quite a stylish city.

yes there are snakes everywhere and dangerous ones but as posters above say they are shy and unless you set out looking for them or do a fair bit of walking you are unlikely to see them. there are a lot on the Yarra valley trail in melbourne at certain times of the year. But no need to be frightened, just aware.

This is a complicated area . CGT may not be payable as it was your primary residence in the uk so you do have several years grace. However it is a changing area of tax law and new CGT rules for non doms are coming in soon. They arent retrospective but still need to b aware of them.