NickyNook

Have to disagree with most of this. No mosquitos where I live in Sydney. None whatsoever. You certainly don't need a screened veranda in order to sit outside in the evening! Hardly any houses in Sydney would have screened verandas or patios. It's not like Florida.. And I would say that the areas surrounding Lane Cove National Park are classed as North West Sydney. Not 'Upper North Shore' which are the suburbs along the Pacific Highway from Chatswood to Hornsby.

Lived in the eastern suburbs of Sydney for over 40 years now. Never had a problem with the temperatures being too hot or too cold. Only need heating for 6-8 weeks a year, only need cooling intermittently. Can manage quite well without any A/C as long as fans available for the few very hot days experienced each summer. Never had fly screens on any property we've lived in here. Mosquitos not a problem, flies not a problem, spiders not a problem. Cockroaches are the biggest issue; they're endemic in the beachside suburbs and impossible to get rid of entirely though you do get used to them.

My husband came here as a single person (and alone) at the age of 21. He wanted to come before then but was warned by someone at Australia House that he'd be eligible for the Vietnam draft if he was under 21. He had the sense to delay his departure until just after his 21st birthday and is still here 55 years later. He's never regretted his decision to emigrate.

Hip replacement if you have private health insurance has an average out of pocket cost of $1120.

The Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa would be a better option than a Partner visa, I’d have thought? Particularly as you’re prepared to get married.

Agree, completely. I've lived in Sydney for over 40 years and can count on one hand the number of times it's too hot be outside. It's been in the low-thirties in the last couple of days - supposedly the hottest it's been in Sydney for over two years - and everyone is out and about as usual. People go to work, kids go to school, shoppers are shopping. To suggest that the whole population is stuck indoors for weeks on end during summer is ludicrous.

The landlord/owner also has an opinion and might not like it either. I don't like sharers living in my rental apartment - particularly male sharers. Cleaning is often not a priority when two blokes are sharing. Girls are different, they're more likely to make the place a home rather than a doss-house. I've had two occasions where there was damage and carpets had to be completely replaced after a stint of two males sharing the place. The situation only occurred because the original couple had split and the guys left behind then had their mates move in. I always specify to my agent that I would prefer a couple - don't care what gender.

Commbank waits now for 24 hours before making any online payments to a new payee - ie someone who you've never paid before. Reckon it's a really good idea - probably saved countless people heaps of grief.

No, it’s nonsense.

Pretty sure that the sponsor/bond visa route is really for certain people from high-risk countries who want to visit - where there's a higher risk that they won't leave at the end of their visa. I think the department advises applicants if this visa is required.

No, birth certificates alone are not enough to prove Australian citizenship. Children born here to parents on temp visas get an Australian birth certificate even though they're not entitled to citizenship, so having a birth certificate proves nothing. You will firstly need to get an Australian Citizenship Certificate for your daughter to prove that she's a citizen, then you can get an Australian passport for her.

It’s clear that you’re not ready or happy to give up your current life so stay where you are. Catch up with your family during the UK winters.

And I would choose Brisbane. Adelaide might have a drier heat but they have horrendous heatwaves with temperatures way up in the high 30s/low 40s for days on end during the summer. The east coast gets relief from extreme heat every 2-3 days when the next cool change rolls in. Adelaide doesn't; it gets relentless hot winds coming down from the Centre for extended periods. Nowhere's perfect...

I agree completely. It must depend enormously on where you live because here in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney we've had no problems seeing doctors, specialists, getting follow-up appointments etc during 2020 and 2021. My OH sees a LOT of specialists for heart, diabetes and a couple of other health issues. Most of these people he sees annually, his GP he sees at least quarterly for repeat scripts etc. Only one of his annual checks was done via the phone, last year, and that was after the doctor had seen blood test results. If the blood results had warranted an actual examination, he would have had a proper face-to-face consult. I had a cochlear implant op in late 2020. You can't get much more elective than those and there was no issue with the scheduling of it. The only concession to covid in the hospital was no visitors and you needed to wear a mask when away from your room. The implant was followed by endless follow-up appointments during 2021 for therapy, tests and checks. One appointment, originally scheduled for the middle of a lock-down period (late June to early September 2021 in Sydney) was postponed but that was all. No other problems or restrictions anywhere except for the requirement to wear a mask most of the time. Sounds bad if no-one in Melbourne has been able to stay on top of their health checks for two years but it's most definitely not the case across the whole of the country.

And in Canberra. All the land in the ACT is held on 99 year Crown leases.