debbie13

we had that info too and live in Queensland.  Good to be cautious but this rule is very vague.  My children 9 and 11 would often walk to and from school on their own, my son now in high school so my daughter at times walks to school with one of her friends of the same age.  Usually the school route is very busy and I am more than happy for her to travel with someone.  I see nothing wrong with this.

I am teaching here in Brisbane and did my B.ed in the UK.  It did take a few months for my qualifications and teaching experience to get recognised.  In relation to my teaching experience I had to get a letter/record of employment from my last UK employer detailing how many years I had worked within the department, how many days absence/ leave I had taken and my hours of work.I had to send this to the department of education here and within a few weeks my correct status was reflected in my pay. I initially registered for relief work, getting on average 4 days per week.  Good luck with the move.

I've always watched it and the new one 'new life in oz'. Can I ask out of curiosity why people don't like it? Is it not realistic?

Love"a new life in oz"much prefer watching those who have made the move too. Unfortunately only two shows were put onto you tube so I can't get to watch the rest of the series.

I am sure they will be thrilled to have you back home, if you hadn't tried it you would have always wondered what your life would have been in Australia. Good luck with the move back.

yep I can relate to you with the teaching registration....it was such a piano to get all the documents certified time and again, as well as tracking down my teaching prac transcripts from my old university, well worth it now though. Been here 4 years now and enjoy teaching here.

we came over 4 years ago on 457 to Queensland. As was mentioned above, if you intend to go to a state school then there are no fees just the payments for books, writing tools etc. There are lots of private schools which are quite reasonably priced too. We opted to send our two children to state primary school but will send them to a private high school.

defo bring jackets for winter, it does get cold. Houses aren't as insulated as houses in the uk so unless you have costly reverse cycle air-con or a wood burner you will need to layer up in the evenings. I couldn't believe that I would be using my duvet but I do!

loved reading your post Daffodil,. Like you I still miss beautiful Wales and all those fundamentals you mentioned in your post, but have only been in Australia for 4 years. It's good to know you can change your mindset if you really want to, it is going to be vastly different to life back home but like you said it is about appreciating the good things. Good luck to you and your family.

Hi, we moved over from "sunny Wales" nearly 4 years ago. As Neil said get some of the practicalities out of the way such as medicare, tax file number, centrelink, bank account. so you can start enjoying it here. My husband started working about 3 weeks after his arrival and I found joining several mums groups made it easier for me to settle in. The home sickness kicked in at around 3 months but from speaking to friends is very common. Hope it all goes well for you and that you enjoy your new life here!!!!:cool:

We had the same dilemma when we first moved over with job offers in Perth and Brisbane. We went for Brisbane for many of the reasons mentioned by others on this post and have not regretted it, its a great lifestyle for us and our two young children. I haven't been to Perth and so can't comment, I have heard it is very beautiful but isolated.

We do see lots of geckos, spiders and creepy crawlies, not sure how that compares to Perth, although when hubby worked over there on one site he did comment on there being far more flies during particular times of the year.

I suppose you have to weigh up what needs you have for your family in terms of entertainment/lifestyle etc Hope you get lots more advice to help with your decision.

I think ( although not certain) that Strathpine would be a better option- I live in Eatons hill and can get to the station in around 10 mins and the traffic always seems less busier going in that direction than anything moving south.