Ladyw

Hi Yes we are NOR. My husband has roofing expeirence but the roofs here are very different and eveyone was asking for WA experience and if you didnt have any they were instantly not interested! He has work now so hoepfully things will be fine, but I dont think its as easy as it used to be, even if you have loads of expeirence and you put loads of effort in to finding work. My husband must have spoken to 100 people before he got a break. Lisa x

Hi You cant apply for your medicare car duntil you get here, but I would recommend doing it int he first few days. Its really simple, you just need to visit your local medicare centre (see link) they will give you a form to complete which includes your bank details so take these numbers with you. Also take ID ie your passprt and your visa. They will then give you a temporary print out and send you your medicare card itn ehpost whiuch takes several weeks. http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/medicare-card Lisa

Hi All I havent been on here in ages due to the fun of moving countries, but here is our story so far and I hope it helps, and I hope I remember all of the important things! Flights- we set off on 15th Octber from Manchester, UK, flying with Singapore Airlines who were great. We had double baggage allowance as it was our first trip and I can honestly say we were well over our allowance and nobody said a word!! (I think it was because most of the extra weight was in our hand luggage). We had an 18 hour stopover in Singapore which we thought would be fun to explore the city, but after 15 hours of no sleep and hitting the humidity it was not fun and we spent at least 6 hours asleep in the airport. I would definitely recommend having the shortest possible stop over or book in to the hotel in the airport. Day 1 - we booked a short term rental stopping with an Aussie bloke in his spare room with our own bathroom and privacy, plus free internet, cooking facilities and the biggest bonus of having someone to ask about everything you need when you arrive. We booked through airbnb.com and it was a fraction of the price of normal holiday rentals, plus the bonus of making our first aussie friend. Rental - we secured a short term rental NOR in week 2. I would recommend pulling together a rental pack so that when you find somewhere you like you are ready to fill in thier application form and attach your own rental pack to sell yourselves. I work in Marketing so this was wasy for me. I included a profile of us and our dog, plus pictures of our rentla in the UK and references from our letting agent, landlord and neighbours. We managed to get the first rental we went for, without having any jobs at the time. Work - I managed to secure a job in the second weeks we arrived even though we came over on my husbands visa (he is a carpenter). I applied on Seek.com one week before we left the UK and had two interviews set up when I arrived, which was lucky (I am a Marketing Manager). My husband did not have as much luck and after a few weeks of intensive searching for work we were beginning to worry, but he managed to get a roofing job two weeks before Christmas so this is a weight off our shoulders!. Although, when you arrive you cant beleive how much building work is going on both NOR and SOR, thr majoirty of the enquiries my husband made they wanted WA experience. I would recommend to other carpenters to get thier ABN number and white card sorted straight away and then just dont give up, drive roud sites, check out Gumtree and you will eventually get a break. My husband has loads of experience and he brought his tools on the flight so that he was ready to work, but it was still difficult. He says it is like starting from scratch again, as the work is so different from the UK, the majority of work is roofing and carpenters tend to specialise rather than being, like my husband, able to do all aspects. There is also a lot less aspects of joinery here, as they dont tend to have skirting and the door frames arent made of wood, which was something we werent aware of. Shopping - back to the subject I am best at!! Shopping is really funny here as it is like stepping back in time. Sunday trading has only just been introduced and it is VERY expensive. You obviously have Coles and Woolworths for food shopping, but for clothes I would suggest UK websites ie ASOS deliver for free and you just have to wait two weeks for delivery. For BBQs and by stuff check out Bunnings or Masters (lik B&Q), for cheap household items I bought everything from KMart and Target as they had a great selection. Household items - we came over with very little as we only shipped 10 boxes of sentimental things. If I could do the move again I would have brought EVERYTHING!! Even things I thought were junk as the cost of even second hand goods out here is daft. We have spent a lot on some nice new furniture for the living room and bedroom, but most of our other items are second hand. We bought our dishwasher, washer and fridge/freezer from gumtree, alotuhg thrse are not the type of items I would buy second hand, I think you know as soon as you go to someones house if you want it or not, we met some really nice people this way. Garage sales are a must, there are laods of them every weekend, you just watch uout for a sign on the main roads. We have found that if you check out the really nice estates you get some lovely items. Its great for the things you forgot you would need ie lawnmower, garden items, a heater for the winter, plug adapters, fishing gear etc etc. I am now a huge fan of garage sales and I wouldnt even visit a car boot at home! Socialising- there isnt the same pub scene up North as we were used to in Manchester, so you have to be willing to get out and about a bit further from home. I find people are really friendly here and offer loads of advice and support. Dog - Our border collie Flossy, arrived in Perth two weeks after us. We used Petair and the service was great. The quarentine in Byford is a bit more tricky as the visitng times are so restricted and biased towards people who dont work, plus I wasnt a fan of the kennels which look like little prisons. She is 13, so I was worrried about how she would get on but she survived! She is so far loving Perth, particularly the beaches, she has found a new lease of life! Top tips 1. Hire a car from day 1 for at least a few weeks. We hired one on the internet for pick up at the airport, and it was a life saver 2. Insect security - shake your clothes before putting them on and particularly your shoes 3. Bring as much as you can carry! 4. Ensure you have air con in your rental. 40 degree heat needs it! 5. Get a SIM card as soon as you arrive. The Vodafone $30 ones in Perth airport are fine as you need an Aus mobile for better job hunting 6. Buying a car - second hand cars are super expensive. So if you dont have a lot of money get on Gumtree and be prepared to buy something with high mileage as it is just normal out here. 7. Working in the city - look at houses near the train line as the traffic is rubbish in to Perth 8. Buy an Esky (cooler) as you will use it most days It will save you money on buying drinks when you are out and about 9. Get your Medicare card as soon as possible as it takes weeks to come through, and you need it for ID, and you need it before you can get your Aus driving license 10. Bring your warm clothes. It does get cold. That is all I can think of for now! We are so far loving it and have no regrets. The weather has heated up considerably in the last week. Let me know if you have any questions! Lisa & Robert xxx

Hi Love the post. My husbands a carpenter and we arrived NOR in October. He really struggled to find work even after calling a visiting loads of sites everday. Maybe there is more demand down south?! Although there is a lot of biulding work all over Perth a lot want you to have WA experience, so I am not sure you can say its easy to get a tradie job. My husband has over 10 years experience and he is now working but he ist being paid anyhwere close to what your OH is on. Lisa x

Hi Not sure i I have missed out but as we have just moved hee I hjavent been on Poms in Oz for AGES!! I have one dog (gorgeous border collie) and live in Merriwa (near Clarkson) would love coffee, cake and walking in any order1 Lisa xx

Hi Not sure if anyone else has ran in to this problem. But you can only pick up from quanretine between 9am and 11am on thuer release date. My dogs release date is this Friday, but my husband has just managed to secure a job today (starting tomorrow) so we are very stuck!! Has this happened to anyone else and does anyone have any advice as this system seems really restrivtive for people who work!! Ta Lisa x

Hi I am hoping it is because of the time of the year, but a lot are asking for WA experience. Fingers crossed!! Lisa

Would love to know where the easy to pick up work is?! My husband has been looking for weeks and he has never struggled for work in the past

Hi My husband is a qualified Carpenter with 10 years+ experience. He has been job hunting for two weeks now in WA with no success. He has tried all the websites, and travelled hundreds of km's to ask builders on site if they have any work but with no success and very little response. Any ideas? Lisa x

No she is still in quarentine We were in temporary accomdation when I got bitten and i wss sitting on the couch. Lisa x

Thanks for all advice! Its nice to know there are friends out there thinknig of me!! I have been putting some cream on the bites the chemist gave me and it has eventually stopped itching! It is still there and looks pretty awful but it is just s line of 12 scabby bites now! I still havent worked out what it was but I think I had a reaction as I am bad with allergies anyway! (I once had a really nasty reaction to pepto bismol!!) Thanks Lisa

Damn it Im in Perth?!!!! Will check Woolies here though, thanks for the tip!!

I thought I would miss loads of food but have bene pleasantly suprised in my first three weeks in Perth. The fish and chips are amazing (and I am from the North East where true fish and chips come from!), all of the english brands seem to be here, the bakeries are outstanding. The only favourite I havent found yet and may not find are Fry's chocolate creams which are my favourite chocolate bar in the world!!

Hi All I have just been reading ths thread and I'm now really worried! My dog sets off for Perth tonight (we are already here) but I cant beleive they dont walk the dogs!! what are they doing if they arent walking dogs?!! My dog is an older border collie and she is mega lazy but a walk keeps her happy, and as she is clever and needs stimulation! Really unhappy and I may complain or see what action can be taken as this cannot be a correct way to treat animals, partuclarly considering the cost of quarentine Lisa x

Ok, so my OH and I have been in Perth or two weeks and about five days ago I was bitten by something whilst sitting watching TV. It left a line of little bites on my stomach. Since then it is still really really itchy and there is a redness all around it and it looks worse?! I dont want to go to the docotrs if it is just a silly bite but I am worried as it is constantly bothering me because it is itchy and sensitive to touch. Any advice? Lisa x