fourcorners

So many older people don't like travelling or flying though. We are about to have our first baby and only my mum has expressed a desire to come and see the baby. Everyone else is waiting for us to go back to them (which usually isn't a holiday by the time you've trekked across the UK and back). We could afford to maybe pay for one set of parents to come and visit, but we have 3 sets thanks to various divorces, so how do you choose who to give tickets to? Or is the money better spent on getting us back to the UK and sacrificing both our own leave and the opportunity to see somewhere new in the southern hemisphere. Some would say that's the price an expat must pay, but when one of the reasons you came to Oz was to explore the world a bit more it kind of starts to defeat the point of being here.

Yes, I feel like that too. There often seems to be a lot on tv from Devon and Cornwall, which is where I would choose to live back in the UK. Cornish beaches, moorland, cosy pubs all bring on pangs of desire!

I just can't be bothered..... Life's too short to try and argue with you jasepom

My friends tried to pull the wool over the SLCs eyes and claimed they were 'travelling', but they got chased up a few years later and have now had to start paying it back, plus 4 years of interest at 4.5%.

When I paid mine I could only do it from a UK account, so I used to transfer larger amounts which would cover the payments for 3-4 months each time. Then as soon as I could I paid the whole lot off, yey!

I've done it too, we've moved internationally 4 times now. Everyone's situation is different. And money isn't everything. Indeed if you have had the opportunity to earn a lot here and have saved wisely, that money can be used elsewhere and people could be happy earning that for a few years and then taking a pay cut if they know they're going to be happier elsewhere. We are earning $280k between us and would happily move back and earn GBP60k between us if we could move to the area that we want to. That's because we've used our salaries here wisely and not squandered it all buying unnecessary things, instead we've saved and saved and just about paid our UK mortgage off. Do you feel like you're well off at the moment?

Did you consult your own children before leaving them in the UK whilst you returned to Australia alone? Sorry for the personal dig, but I don't think you're in a position to call anyone else foolhardy. Yes many people do regret moving but at least they KNOW. They often have far more regrets if they do nothing and their lives slip by in a place they don't feel they belong. Staying put can also be costly and expensive from both a financial point of view and from emotional/stress aspects.

Probably not an ideal situation, but it may actually be easier to rent somewhere else yourself when you return? That is what we have considered doing when we return rather than turf our tenants out. You'd have to weigh up the pros and cons but it sounds like a lot of effort and hassle and it might just be more straight forward to rent another house for 12 months before moving into your own.

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/coolgardie-publican-apologises-for-barring-indigenous-people-from-hotel-20140305-346fv.html I saw this notice on facebook the other day, just could not believe it. And what was worse, the hundreds of comments on facebook agreeing with her and saying some pretty horrendous things. I got quite uncomfortable reading them. Racism is certainly alive and well! I'm glad she's apologised but she must have been pretty stupid to put that notice up in the first place. The Denver City is not the busiest pub in the world as it is, I expect far fewer patrons will be visiting in the near future.

Yeah, being 'sensible' all the time is a bit over-rated! We have been very sensible over the last few years and this move to Australia was very much a head decision, and for us it all has gone along as planned and nothing has really gone wrong. But when you follow your head and not your heart you can often be left somewhat unfulfilled and unsatisfied. I am hoping we can soon follow our hearts back to the UK, time will tell though.

I am approaching 8 months pregnancy and am fully covered under private healthcare (we're with GU Health which is a corporate provider - I don't think you can get it independently). So far I have been able to claim all the gap amounts for scans and obstetrics appointments. I am on a 457. I have seen the same healthcare providers that I would have seen through the public system anyway, so there is no difference in the service I get and I've been very happy so far. It's a similar situation with the hospital, there is only one in town so that's where I'll be to have my baby, the only difference is private patients get their own rooms, public share rooms (4 beds to a room in maternity), but if it's quiet they'll put the public patients in the private rooms. The amount you get charged at appointments seems to vary somewhat. For example I had an obstetrics appointment on Tuesday for which the total cost was $70.00 as is normal for a routine appointment. They then immediately claimed back $40 from medicare of this so I ended up paying $30. I can now put in a claim for this gap with my private health insurer. A few months ago my appointment was $130, and they claimed the whole lot back on medicare (bulk bill). I couldn't tell you what the difference was in my appointments, both had a normal check up and ultrasound. The whole medical system here is still quite mysterious to me! Just a note, if I wasn't private I would be looking at out of pocket medical expenses so far of about $500 as the providers here rarely bulk bill. But I have had a very normal pregnancy with no complications (touch wood!). Another thing to think about is maternity pay. As a 457 visa holder I get no paid parental leave as I do not meet the residency requirements. My employer does not have any kind of maternity pay either, so in a week or so's time I'm going to be earning $0. Friends of mine have more generous employers and they get 4 months full pay. It is not something I asked about at interview stage, and when I looked through my contract I wrongly assumed I would get paid parental leave. Worth considering when looking at jobs etc.

Maybe instead of moving again, spend the money on an extended holiday in Australia instead? We've moved here twice and I can't imagine coming here again, I would probably try out a different country!

Well I could murder one right now! Looks like we won't be returning to Cornwall any time soon, but maybe Devon. My job contacts in Cornwall are very quiet this year, they have no room for us unfortunately. Still pursuing a couple of opportunities in Devon though so fingers crossed.... Hope that feeling of money running through your hands like sand starts to slow down soon, everything will fall into place I'm sure! Has Spring sprung yet? I loved all the daffs coming out around this time in the hedgerows

Yeah you should get a little more after tax each month. I'm on $140k and get about $8.5k per month, but I do salary sacrifice the rent and fuel bills which gives me a couple of hundred extra. You should get a nice wodge back at tax time anyway, maybe enough to fund a move back to the UK?

How long have you been in Australia in total? In other words how long were you on a 457 before getting PR? For citizenship you need to have been here for 4 years of which at least the last 12 months needs to be as a permanent resident. Might be easier to get that rather than mess around with RRVs.

I am surprised that a 3 month wait for benefits would be such a dealbreaker for you. Perhaps if that was enough to put you off returning then you probably should have stayed in Australia. In the grand scheme of things 3 months is nothing.

Going back for a visit will certainly help you decide. You'll probably either feel right at home and will have a hard time getting back on the plane, or you'll be wondering what all the fuss is about and keen to get back to your lives in Australia. I know for us weighing up the pros and cons of getting PR has helped us decide not to get it. We have two rental properties in the UK so we would have to start declaring income from them here in Oz, and then there's the superannuation aspect. I too have a positive skills assessment lurking in the background so if we change our minds it will be relatively easy to start the PR ball rolling. But it all depends on the outcome of some job applications my OH has submitted. I hope someone wants him and we can go back this UK summer.... But then for us, if we ever wanted to return to Australia, I don't think it would be terribly hard to get sponsorship again. So this didn't really factor on our decision not to get PR but it might with yourselves.

Here in Kal we've had pretty much the wettest summer on record. I think we've already had our yearly average rainfall. Nice and green everywhere but not enjoying the humidity and the mosquitos! And yet all our water still comes from Mundaring Weir through the pipeline. Much of it gets stored to keep the bloomin' golf course green! But it's never emphasized to try and be water wise here, I know so many people who shower morning and night, have their pools with no covers on, and water the totally unnecessary lawns every day. My colleagues complain about their $500 water bills, I don't think we've ever had one over $50!

You may find you can find a rental where you don't have to pay 6 months up front, especially if you go to an area where demand for rentals isn't so high. For electrical items just take a australian powerboard and change the plug on that to an english one, that way you can plug in a couple of australian appliances and only have to change one plug. I have an english version in my kitchen here for microwave, toaster, slow cooker etc! There is the cost for anything you need to buy immediately on your arrival, like a bed, fridge (although most rentals in the UK come with a fridge), washing machine (or laundry costs), bed linen/duvets. I don't know how long it takes for a movecube to arrive, but when we moved out here last our container took 4 months so we had to buy a lot!

So, fish and chips have actually gone up 10%, not 40%. But that looks so good, don't get chips like that here!

Some of them I wasn't keen on, like the lasagne with white sauce made with cornflour (I could just taste cornflour!). The curries are really good though as is the tortilla salad bowl. I used to make the recipes for the first time following them exactly, and then modify to suit. So next time I made the lasagne I stuck with the leek sheets but used a normal white sauce instead made with low fat milk. I also liked the fish stew, cassoulet and chicken pie. I would try another and not tell your hubby. If he doesn't know its a 'diet' meal then he'll probably like it. The art of deception.... I recommend the chicken jalfrezi or lamb and potato curry.

You may get more of a response if you re-post on the main MBTTUK forum. I'm sure you'd get lots of totally unnecessary comments but you never know someone who isn't on this private forum might know more. I'm sure people have asked similar questions before. I know a lot of people with autism and parents with autistic children in the UK and they generally get lots of support, particularly in schools. I hope you can find the answers you need.

Hee hee, I agree on pretty much all of those. Could easily see myself getting very fat here but just over a year ago I made a really conscious effort to lose some weight and managed to shed a stone. Put it all back on and a bit more during this pregnancy but for a good reason! It was hard work but I did it over 6 months and kept it off for another 6 months. All I can say is Hairy Dieters, that book was a godsend and I now feel I have the tools to lose weight after baby arrives. Really not enjoying this summer. We've had unusually high rainfall which has turned Kal into a humid mossie bowl rather than the usual dry heat we get. I feel like a radiator at the moment anyway and sleeping with no covers on even though it's now dropping to 14C ish overnight here. OH keeps getting cold in bed! But I doubt summer's over yet, we reckon we'll have at least one or two more 40C days yet Quoll that's great, maybe your hubby will want to stay more permanently in the UK?

You need to stop living in the past and with such a heavy sense of regret. Nothing you can do to change what's happened you've just got to move on, make the most of your situation and get on with life.

Our house is between Redruth and Portreath, and we may be headed back there in a few months, who knows. Either there or Dartmoor, not a bad choice!