srg73

Trains are great for city commute as car parking is extremely expensive. Busses are also good and cheap. When looking for houses, ensure you are near a train station however these come at a cost. North side easiest are those closer to the city ie Albion, Bowen Hills etc but they are developing quickly and are are not overly family friendly. Avoid Gimpy Road and Sandgate Road as these get very busy. Cant help with schools. S

I can't see anything beyond the £ recovering slightly as the initial shock fades and confidence rebuilds. I can also see the $au weakening with further lowering on interest rates especially considering the $us is highly likely to strengthen with interest rate increases. S

I've worked with neurone companies all my working life, very little wrong with what they sell, just we don't read what we buy and therefore ignore their conditions or exclusions. S

Best of luck with the claim! Only comment is not good for PSS. We commented when using Bournes that our possessions seemed very tightly packed into the container, reply...it MUST be packed without any gaps so nothing can move about. It worked to our advantage, we filled the container but also did not have a single break, scratch etc. PSS seemed to have left plenty of gaps from one of the photos. To anybody else, make sure you get the guys packing who are experienced in global moves. S

You will need white goods. Essentially you rent the property which includes the property, floor finishes, curtains, blinds etc and any fitted furniture including kitchen, bathrooms and robes if built in. To kitchen oven, sink and hob will be included. S

Mattress sizes are different here, I would bring it, settle in and then look at changing once established. Mattresses are also very expensive here plus seem to be hard by comparison, a medium we purchased here is pretty hard despite having a topper and being an international brand. S

Insure against breakages and total loss. We lost absolutely nothing and our shipping ncluded some very fragile items. Take your Removalists advice regarding banned items as you may incure customs charges if they need to open up and examine your contents. Finally you may want to negotiate free storage AU side to give you a change to get settled before your contents tun up. S

If we were to do it again then we would not have bought our sofa (had to leave the other due to lack of space). Everything else yes, definitely as it removes the added stress of buying again. It really depends if you like your furniture, if IKEA stuff then leave and replace, if antiques of hard to find items then definitely bring them over. It it is a personal choice. S

Simply come and go as you want, we have never had any issues when re-entering Australia.

Airbnb will be your friend. Most rentals will want 6 months minimum lease. S

Albion, Ascot and Newstead/Bowen Hills border, lived/living there and all very expensive areas with good transport links however beware of the Dooban train line serving Ascot etc which closes at 7pm! Do not be over confident with work, you are new, jobs here are different and local experience accounts for a lot, more than qualifications in most instances. S

A post with responses covering many topics. 1, parking is extremely expensive in Brisbane CBD, either commute in via public transport which is cheap or negotiate parking as part of your work package. 2, workplace place bullying is there and very ugly especially to those on working visa's. Not nice to see and can result in significant decisions including where in QLD you end up living/working. I've seen people moved interstate to Brisbane and then within 6 months moved to rural QLD without any choice! What are you going to do......your on a 457! 3, do not consider the GC to Brisi commute, can be 2 hours average each way! 4, Brisbane, GC etc do get cold especially this time of year. You will have evenings in so don't ignore your inside environment. 5, QLD'nders do work hard, it is far from beaches and bbq's, anytime I between is left for banana bending......according to other states! S

Read what Verystormy said.....wages vary across AU. We are in Brisbane and earn less than we did in UK however quality of life is better. Jobs are also not very easy to secure unless you have fully prepared, ensured your qualufications and experience fully transfer and it us unlikely you will secure work prior to landing. I did but the job was short lived although being very high paying. You need to consider your reasons for wanting to move and then design your move around these. QLD is booming although unemployment is higher than UK. I personally can see the building boom dying off as projects are getting finished with new sites not breaking ground just sitting dormant I'm guessing due to insufficient funding. Best of luck with it all, a long journey with lots of ups and downs. S

Rental demands are down in Brisbane. Where are you working, this should guide where you want to live as travel in Brisbane is not always required. When viewing, turn up a little smart, be early and talk/befriend the agent as it is them who submit your expression of interest to the owner. We jumped a huge line of people wanting a property we got....3 bed town house in Ascot (expensive area) for a cheap price in front of many others as the agent liked us and believed we would be good tenants which we were. All apartments and houses are required to have a laundry and incentives are out there as many landlords of the dreaded 2 bed apartment are struggling. Best prices are available on established flats in central areas. Best of luck and I'm sure you will grow to love Brisbane and it's more laid back lifestyle. S

I believe cash means cash not assets. S

The points system is not a guarantee for entry, just because you get 50 points does not entitle you entry, it entitles you to apply. Your application is then considered against other applications which maybe more attractive due to a greater number of points or partners also with professional qualifications etc. With certain professions there are very limited applicants meaning a lower score is considered where as some professions are massively over subscribed meaning only the top candidates are considered. As with anything, the better your score then the more attractive you become. Personally my application was submitted with 70 points and was overlooked in the first month. I reset IELTS and got an additional 10 points totalling 80 and got selected the following month. S

We are not keen on Brisbane water, will drink it but not great. In UK we were subject to the most iron rich water I've ever seen coming from Tunbridge Wells, sometimes would come out of the tap a rusty colour and would destroy immersion heaters etc in a matter of months. TW water made Ribena taste amazing! We have got to get a new kitchen fitted and plumbed at some point and will include a waster filter and likely one of those boiling water taps too. S

Go to the airport DFO (Desinger Fashion Outlet) and a couple of places there. Most importantly keep your receipts as you can claim some of the money back against tax next year. Bunnings would also be a good option and possibly easier to start with. Are you sure your employer will not supply ppe? Also get lace up steel toe cap boots, most sites especially mine sites will not allow trainer or slip on style. Also avoid the steel toe cap thongs:wink:. S

You need a chartered surveyor to undertake both. A good estate agent will be able to help not Halifax, you need a more traditional practice. S

Why not buy in Dubai on the way through tax free and legit. I bought my Tag Heuer Carrera in Hong Kong from a dealer my brother knows, 6 months old and less than 1/2 price, still had all protection on and was unworn including paperwork box etc. My brother has bought loads of watches from them including a rose gold IWS Portuguese and they have Rolex's of all ages and types. Where I will be buying my next watch however my Tag is still going strong.

No could...would be import tax. One of my late dads friends bought a watch offshore and bought back to uk....huge tax bill and fine! Box and warrantee are the issues. S

Biggest differences Volume Sole container usage Insurance inclusions Removalist AU side Limited or unlimited packaging Alot of Removalists belong to a global network which is best as you are ensured of a good company Australia side. S

And increase their costs to use them in order to maintain them too? Au banks charge for ATM use, to call a call centre never mind visit a branch! You are in Melbourne, try find an ATM in a small country town, impossible unless you pay stupid fees. Banks don't like cash so are now charging for them handling it, they simply want computers to run our accounts using virtual money. S

Brisbane is booming and certainly not stuck in the 70's....I'm guessing that came from somebody living in Gold Coast!

Competition is good however some banks are not actually high street banks, we have at least one in Brisbane CBD which is a Chinese Investment Bank which allows foreign investors access to the Brisbane market. A friend enquired, not a single AU$ is held. UK will develop into a banking market more like AU, plenty of banks in cities just nothing in the less profitable country areas. S