richselina

Hi, We will be soon trying to decide on a school for our 7 year old daughter in Victoria and I wondered what the key things were that you asked of a school when you visited, and what you initially looked at to make a short list of a school that you would like your child to go too. Thanks so much for any comments. Rich

Hi, we are due to move to Aus in September and at that time my UK passport will have about 18 months left on it. I was just wondering whether it is better to renew it before we leave as I'm not sure the process when you move to Aus. Any thoughts would be most welcome. thanks, Rich

Hi, I always use Lloyds Pharmacy Sleep Easy as I find you get a good sleep without feeling tired when you wake. First time I used them I slept from London nearly all the way to Singapore. I've used Nytol and they are good, but I get a feeling of a thick head when I wake. For me it's Earplugs, Eye mask Sleep Easy and I'm done.

I've been quite fortunate and through business and holidays have traveled throughout the world and eaten in some lovely restaurants and sampled some lovely and some average meals. Just last week I was at China Tang at The Dorchester in London which was gorgeous, but one place I can't wait to go back too i s a Greek diner on Main Street Mornington where from the first to the last mouthful of my meal was just stunning. To this day I can still taste the food and if I can only eat out once more in my life I would choose there.

Hi, two hours should be fine, but don't worry if its not as you can use any train, not just the one one you booked on to get back. It took us about two hours, but we did have to go back the following week as our daughter couldn't give a sample......

Hi, I don't think anytime is a good time to move, but if you want to, then you know you have too. We first got our visas granted when our daughter had just turned 5, now she's 7 and we're still here as we've had to delay. For us now it's harder with a 7 year old as she's more established at school and I'm constantly getting "daddy I don't want to move as I want to stay and go to juniors with my friends". It's very hard to hear that and very hard to see her with all her school friends knowing that soon she'll be on the other side of the world and having to make new ones. If I could have the time again I would move earlier with a child so that they build their life in a new place, not here and then have to lose that when they move. As for the grandparents it's hard. Our daughter is the only grandchild on my wifes' side and on my side my father dotes on her, so it's going to be very hard on both sets of parents to take someone so special away from them. However, while they may not like it and they want us to stay, they are both supportive of our move. Life is never easy, but you have to make your own life what you want it to be, not what others might want it to be for you. Skype is never the same, but for the people I know, it's a great help that they can still see you every day and share some time with you in your new life. Good luck with whatever choice you make. Rich

Hi, When I've been looking for short-term accommodation I've considered some self-containted B&B's and then emailed the owners and it's surprising the difference in price when you go direct to the owner versus via an agency - effectively, they earn more and are therefore more willing to be flexible on prices. It might be worth a try. Hope this helps. Rich

Hi, We've been 5 to Australia five times in the past ten years and twice since we got out PR two years ago and we are still nervous about making such a big move. Personally, I would never move to another area, let alone Country, when I've never been there. Australia is not small and each state, let alone City are so diverse. Think about it, if you lived in say Devon, would you move to Norfolk without visiting it first? Probably not. If it was me, I would book some tickets and take a trip to see how you like it and what areas you like. It may seem an unnecessary expense, but I'd rather spend £5,000 on a trip than risk losing so much more if you don't like it. My wife is still nervous about the move and giving up our life here, so I will be going out once more to check out houses, jobs etc so that we know what to expect when we move, or it may help us re-focus and delay our move a bit longer. We are both very experienced finance professionals and hold senior positions and we've been told that we shouldn't expect to walk into jobs (regardless of what the skills list say) when we arrive and it may take some 3-4 months to secure some positions - 3-4 months will equate to about $10,000+ of living expenses without an income. If you do decide to go without a visit, then I wish you every success for the future. Rich

Hi, I'm trying to find the cost of insuring a Porsche Boxster in Victoria and I wonder if anyone could let me know of some good car insurance comparison websites/specialist websites that I could check out to gain some prices. All help would be most appreciated. Thanks, Rich

There is a thread that's getting a lot of activity 'Australia the expensive country' so I thought I'd start one to try to get a totally unbiased view from people that have made the move. So lets get this started. How many people are happy they have made the move and whats the thing they like the most and thing they like the least? How many people are not happy they have made the move and whats the main reason behind this, but also is there anything that is liked? Ill keep the tally and update on a regular basis.

Hi, I don't think it's a bad idea as at least it will give you an idea of the market and salary expectations so at least you know where you'll stand. Clearly as with any visit you'll get an idea from a point in time, but if you have a spare few hours it's worthwhile. We visited two recruitment companies when we were last in Australia and have kept in contact with them since. It's also probably creating the CV's into the Australian format as that immediately helps with recruiters to see what your skills and experience is. I think there are some templates you can find on the internet. Hope this helps.

Hi, I'm trying to find some prices out of cars for sale in and around Melbourne but each dealers website I go to only shows a few used cars for sale! For example, when I looked on the Honda website for CRV's it only showed 9 in all of Victoria, Mazda only showed a few CX7s and Kia just a handful of Sportages. Is this it, or are they listed somewhere else as I have to believe there are more than this available from sale at dealers in Victoria. All help would be most appreciated. Thanks, Rich

Hi, What are the most popular destinations that people in Australia head to for a weeks holiday? I'm just interested as I've not really given it much thought as I tend to feel that we'd have everything we wanted from a holiday on our doorstep in Victoria, but my OH has other ideas..... Any help would be appreciated so I can show OH some pictures of places we can go so I can get her mind off Fiji and other places. Thanks, Rich

Hi, As we move closer to our move date our minds are beginning to turn towards what we'd miss most about the UK (aside from Family and Friends). What are the things that you'd miss or are missing the most about the UK? Looking forward to some interesting comments. Rich

Hi, Just interested what the most popular SUVs are in Australia and which ones you'd choose to buy with a budget of <$30K? Would be interested in any viewpoints. Thanks, Rich

Hi, I'm hoping that someone out there can shed some light on this for me. I have an online business in the UK (.co.uk) which provides details of various services in Australia via partnership arrangements with Australian companies. I now want to purchase a .com.au domain name so that when we move I can carry on this business, but with a more local domain name along with the .co.uk business. I've searched online and cannot appear to do this as I don't have an Australian Trademark or Australian Company set up. Does anyone know if there is a way of purchasing a .com.au domain in the UK as the last thing I need is to move and someone has already purchased the domain that I need. Thank so much, Rich

Hi, there are still some 'Phil Relocation Down Under' and 'A Place in the Sun Down Under' on Your Tube. These are quite good as they cover all the main cities. In fact it was Amanda Lamb on a Place in the Sun in Melbourne that made us bight the bullet and decide to move.

Sorry, we didn't have to take a car seat for her as they used the lap belts for take off / landing.

Hi, we first did the trip when our daughter was about 18 months old and flew with Singapore Airlines. She had her own seat and the flight staff couldn't have been more helpful to us - In fact when she was restless they would take her for a walk up and down the aisle which was great. Definitely take the extra seat as even if she's not on it all the time, it gives a bit of extra space when sleeping etc. Not promoting Singapore, but Changai is great for children and has a play area which was a godsend as she could play and we could just sit and watch her, sorry I sat and watched while my wife shopped.

Hi, just wondered whether anyone had any experience of the Primary schools in Frankston South - Derinya / Frankston Heights / Kingsley Park. All comments would be most welcomed. Thanks, Rich

Hi, we were granted ours last year and have already been out an activated them. We are moving on July 1st. Please feel free to pm us. Rich

Hi Davina, I agree that there are some big estates going up around Berwick, but the centre has a nice village feel too it and there are some good schools too, especially primary. There is a great variety of houses in Berwick especially if you are looking for the modern contemporary open plan house. Frankston South is nice, but we didn't like Frankston when we were there. We both really like Mount Eliza and if I could do the commute to Melbourne each day then we'd be happy living there. I guess there is a balance between being on the coast or being inland. My preference is coast, but of all the inland towns we visited Berwick is the only one where we'd really want to settle. Good look with the visas. It's a great feeling when you get the nod and then all the planning you've down becomes a reality as it is for us now.

Hi Davina, we've been to all of the places you are mentioning and we prefer Berwick and Frankston South. While they are a longish commute to the CBD we believe they are the best option for us for houses and primary schooling. We love Mount Eliza but think that it may just be too far to travel. Ringwood was nice, but for us we'd only choose to live there if we wanted a shorter commute. When are you moving ?

Hi, it's important that all of you make the trip or you risk your visas being invalidated. It is expensive especially going at the time you'll need to go, but unless you want to risk losing the visas you'll have to make the trip. As far as I know you only need to enter Australia, there is no stipulation on how long you need to enter for. Also, if you are state sponsored I don't believe you have to enter that state, it's just Australia. So if for example you are sponsored by NSW and flights are cheaper to Perth and all you want to do is validate them, then I believe that's OK. I know there are some cheaper flights with Royal China - Not ideal, but it could save you a £1,000 if cost is a concern and you don't mind who you fly with. Where are you heading too ?

Hi, thanks for the reply. Would you know any such companies that I could try? Thanks, Rich