Imapla

Yes mine had a rabies vaccination in May and a blood test in December - failed - so had another rabies vaccination and then after 30 days the next blood test - passed

Hi I am told the rabies anitbodies tests are done on a Tuesday - does it matter how old the blood sample is ie is there a limit to the number of days in between obtaining the sample and doing the test. My dog's was taken on 7th - received by the lab on 11th and the date of the report was the 17th - it was too low. What do you think?

Good idea - if we could help a few people avoid the ping pong scenario - it will be well worth it

Hi My friends daughter came back at that age - she did her GSCE's herself ie not at school - maybe online - not sure how she did it but you could research that - only maths and english - and she joined the lower sixth to do 'a' levels - she is now at Uni Another option - which you probably won't like is to consider leaving her in Aus to finish her last year or so of school - there are homestay options and quite a few kids at my daughter's school in Brisbane were in that situation. If she is considering Uni, you will need to have lived in UK for 3 years - otherwise she will pay international rates so that is maybe another thing to consider. Or lastly is it not possible for you to delay your return as she is so near to the end of schooling in Aus? I do understand what you are going through as I returned last July (after 9 years in Brisbane) for the same reasons as you state and there are so many things to consider for each family member and to know what is the right way forward. Your head will feel like exploding with all the thoughts and options !

Hi Like you I have left my job to move countries and it is more unsettling than you would think - your job kind of defines you and that takes away a whole pillar of your life. I would think that if you want to give Aus a real go you need to invest some of your savings into your qualifications - not only will you be able to earn that money back once you are qualified but you will have really achieved once it is all done (my husband had to do the same as an electrician - it is expensive, it is stressful and it is frustrating when you have many years of experience under your belt but that's Aus for you - licences and qualifications needed for everything!) In the meantime could you get a less job in a law practice eg administrator - there are so many temp jobs available for legal companies and you could probably do that with your eyes closed - plus it might be a foot in the door. At least then you would have some money coming in and be back to the enjoyment of working (assuming you get to work in a nice place!). I know quite a few people who have had to go backwards in their career in order to get it going again Then when you have to stop work to have your baby you could fully concentrate on the studies. Hope all works out well for you

sorry but I agree with the mad bit - you will have well and truly forgotten the British weather - as I had done after only 9 years overseas. Just don't burn any bridges in Aus - if you have a job - ask them if you can go on a year's sabbatical a lot of companies are allowing this now. Good luck and really hope it works out well for you

Yes best to get them to store it and then 8 weeks before you leave again send it back - ours left Brisbane on 1/7 and arrived to us in UK 3/9 - the same company that shipped it to Aus should be able to ship it back - they work in partnership with an Aus company for that.

Beautiful - thanks for sharing

Good on you You really do have the best of both worlds - especially if you can visit uk once a year or even a bit more often while the kids are young. The thing to do now is find a past time that you wouldn't be able to do in UK eg dragon boating or something like that where you can meet one or two more people to add to your friends in Aus - quality is needed not quantity. All the best to you

Hi Strange they both failed first time and both passed second time - as a matter of interest - did you take Bob's advice and ask your vet to use vaccinations from a different batch ? @Bob is it quite common for them to fail and why would they fail ? Thanks for info

Hi - I think getting a mortgage will be the hard part - would you be better selling it and then buying an investment property in Aus instead which would be easier to manage ?

Yes - i thought i could live here for a few years and spend some time with my parents and family but I just feel cooped up and overclothed all the time - giving up my Aussie life has been v. hard and i wish I had just come over for a few months/long visit instead of moving everything back. Now I want to go back but my OH doesn't yet

Yes know exactly what you are saying - from day 1 I knew it was wrong and also hadn't been excited by the decision to return before we made the journey and shipped everything over (although it was totally my decision no one forced me - for the same reason as the number one reason to return to friends and family) but unfortunately you have given up every aspect of your life - house, job, friends, weather and all the little things that were in place which you didn't even think about - dr, gym, hairdresser etc etc and it is a big shock to the system. I myself plan to return to Aus as I wasn't planning to move back permanently but I thought I could do a few years at least but now I just don't think I can which might also be hard - a) saying goodbye to parents and family again and b) will we get back to the same life or will this move have changed us. Worst time of year to return for you too - I had forgotten how dark the winter is. We came back in July so moved gradually into winter but doesn't make it any easier. How old is your daughter - is it an option for her to return to aus to finish her schooling ? - I know that may be hard on you but if she finds happiness again that will help you a lot and nothing that we decide is for ever. Good luck and from the responses there are quite a few people out there who are feeling your pain - I don't believe anyone who hasn't gone through it can actually understand it or even imagine how hard it is to feel that you have made a bad emotionally and financially expensive decision

Hi Would agree that if you get your citizenship you will have choice - if you don't you probably won't Sounds to me like you have the best of both worlds at the moment - your work is sending you for an extended time in the UK - your kids are in Aus. I would think very carefully before leaving all that (only say that because I ahve done it and it was a mistake ) - have you gone back and lived through the winter - it really isn't the wind rain or snow that is the problem for me it is the darkness - dark by 4pm - yesterday it hardly even got light - when you have been used to Aussie skies that is v. hard to cope with (for me). I also had a flexible job in Aus which would have allowed me to come back for extended periods to spend time with the family and get a UK fix and I regret giving it up especially as finding a good job is v. hard at the moment - especially the older you are. I also miss my colleagues as I felt really at home there and that takes quite a bit of time to build up again. It is hard living so far from your kids - even if they are adult. Sorry to be a downer but I guess you will hear all types of views on this forum We made the decision to return for various reasons and I was never really comfortable with it though I thought it was something we should do - if you have serious doubts take the time to review the decision - we took the view that we had made the decision and there was no going back on it - but it is difficult to tell what are last minute wobbles and what are serious doubts. Just fast forward in your mind what you new life will look like (without your kids, without your work, without the sunshine) and make sure it gives you a good gut feeling before going ahead with it. I think I didn't think much past getting on that flight which I thought would be the hardest thing but living over here with regret is much harder Good luck with everything

Hi I am one step behind you having moved back to the Uk where it is now dark dark dark - dark by 4pm. I can't wait to return to Aus and also had cold feet about our decision to return to the UK and also felt it was too late to stop everything. It sounds easy to say go backwards and forwards but it is very mentally draining to close off a life in one country and start it up again in another - unless you or your OH has a job that can be done anywhere such as best selling author ! Not to mention the cost - it is scary to add up exactly how much a move actually costs. When I was in Aus I didn't realise the climate was that important to my life but moving back here I now know it is - I will never get used to this winter. We arrived back in July and the weather in UK at that time was pretty similar to the Queensland winter. The temperature is not such a problem it is the darkness - the lack of light and high skies that you kind of take for granted when you are living in Aus. There will always be that choice Aussie weather/lifestyle and long distance family relationships or UK weather/lifestyle and closer relationships with your family - if only we could have both. Maybe give yourself until July and take that flight back for a holiday before you go to all the expense and emotional upheaval of moving again - in the meantime spend time doing things that you couldn't do in the UK and getting outdoors and enjoying all that lovely sunshine and light because over here we have another 3 months til the clocks change and then another 3 months til summer officially arrives. I think it always helps to have the next trip back planned so you have that date in the back of your mind when you are missing home. Good luck with your decision - what does your OH say btw ?

Hi thanks for this it is really useful. I was under the impression that you couldn't use UK fridge or TV in Aus and vice versa - I don't know why I thought that but evidently it is not the case ?

Hi we used Britannia Movers - highly recommend them - great service - all on time and no issues

Hi Can anyone give me an idea how much it cost you including quarantine and shipping up to Brisbane ? Thanks

Hi - a dose of home is probably a good idea but don't go in July when it is all lovely or Christmas - if you can go for couple of months ie not just a holiday in November or jan/feb and you may just get it out of your system (only saying that cos I wish I'd done that). I know its not all beaches and paradise but there is a lot of beauty over there to fill up your soul and yearning for 'home' stops you from seeing it

We have lived in quite a few houses in Aus - I think it takes a while for a house to become your home - can be months - even years and then one day you look around you and you think yes this is home ........ and then probably a few months later (if you are renting) you move again! and that is (some) migrants life until they find their forever home

Hi As someone who had the same serious doubts as you but went ahead with the move anyway and is now regretting it daily (it was the reverse moving from Aus back to UK) I would go with your gut. If backing out of your house sale costs you money it will probably be much less than going to Aus and then coming back again within a short timeframe which is what is likely to happen. Maybe you can get your jobs back too (if you want them). Basically go with your gut - if it isn't feeling right then it isn't right and it is such a long way - it sounds like its not the right time for our adventure - but that doesn't mean you should never do it. Good luck - no doubt you will get conflicting advice on this forum so may or may not help you

Hi You could look at North Lakes - that is an every growing suburb and commute not (too) bad to F valley

Well if you are working int the city there are loads of places to go - they are just different from your average pub. and there are some pubs and RSL clubs around. We found that being in Brisbane just the four of us OH and 2 kids meant we did lots of things together and brought us much closer than we might have been if we'd stayed in UK. Good luck and you will feel strange at first but hopefully it is a fun adventure - especially at this time of year when UK is so cold and dark

Hi Does anyone have any advice as to what is needed and how it was different going in one direction to the other ? Thanks if you do

Hi - its good to have a plan in place but in the meantime you need to find some nice things to do - have you thought about joining a choir - I did that and I met some lovely people - including a lovely Kiwi lady - you don't have to be a great singer (if you're bad you can sing quietly!!) but it is so uplifting to sit in a room of 30-40 people and hear how the conductor can get harmonies going and make a beautiful noise from a load of strangers. There are lots of choirs setting up nowadays - many of them part of a national network - it is the sort of thing you can go along to on your own and you will be welcomed. At the very least you will come away with the songs in your head which will replace (even if only for a short while) the monkey chatterings that many of us on this forum have going on inside!! You will have to put yourself outside your comfort zone initially but you may find it was worth the effort and it cannot help but bring a smile to your face