Alaska

My parents always get travel insurance as it covers all the extra things as well. My dad had an accident and needed to go to A&E and he was covered by the reciprocal agreement without having a card. At the hospital they didn't even ask for any proof however I did offer them his passport to photocopy which they did, and gave them my phone number. Sure enough, we had a couple of follow up phone calls to verify his eligibility. Everything was covered - xray, ct scan and all checks.

Not sure if it will help or not, but we used Go Walkabout and their 21 day emigration insurance just to cover us until we were registered with Medicare. I am not sure if the criteria is any less stringent for a short term policy like this or not? I am also assuming that you would want to only be covered until you were registered with Medicare, and are from a reciprocal country!

Great photos. We have been camping there a couple times. Got put off though as my daughter got 2 ticks last time and my husband a paralysis tick in his hair that we didn't find until his head went numb! I will google the treatments you talk about.

Go Matilda! They were completely upfront when contacted them for a free assessment many years ago. We were not eligible for anything other than a 457 at that point and they told us straight up. I have since used their tax arm (GM Tax) and found them to be very helpful also.

I know it's scary but being alone is fabulous. You can set your agenda, change your schedule at the drop of a hat etc without having to worry. I did part of my WHV with a friend from uni and whilst nice in some ways, it became quite restrictive and difficult at times. After she went home, I went on to have the time of my life to be honest as I could truly please myself and get the most out of the time. That opportunity doesn't happen too often in life due to other commitments, so grab it with both hands!

Yes, unfortunately everyone is correct. Please let us know how you get on and good luck.

We came over on a 457 from the UK and cancelled our insurance as soon as we enrolled with Medicare. We were entitled to pretty much everything PR and citizens are. I have heard of people who have had exceptions to this but we didn't come across any ourselves in terms of GP visits, scans, prescriptions and blood tests etc.

So you have done UK, Aus, UK, Aus? I hate to say it, but I fear that you will never feel settled and will always be thinking the grass is greener. Maybe you could look at it objectively and try and to see which one suits you best and just do trips to the other one for holidays. Only you can really answer which one that is.

Hopefully they will improve the system. After we got to Australia, we got up to date with the different vaccines they had here compared to the UK. However it still took over 1.5 years and dozens of calls to get them to update our records as "up to date". My GP was trying as well. We were on a 457 so didn't receive any rebates, but if we had been it would have been even more frustrating during this long process.

Hi Tony Sorry I can't help you with the specific question, but the obvious one to me would be - is there is reason you haven't applied for a PR visa? We were on a 457 (as we weren't eligible for PR at the time) but were able to apply under the transition scheme after 2 years for PR. Sorry if it's an obvious question

I lived in Perth for a while when backpacking and loved it. I kind of had my heart set on it when we emigrated, however the job was offered in Brisbane. Honestly, I wouldn't be anywhere else now. I love Perth but the advantages with Brisbane are how lush and green is it is, how so many suburbs have great views, and the closer access to Sydney etc. I am sure Perth is too, but Brisbane is a great place to raise a family. I can't comment on the job situation in both places though. x

I would've thought 20km would be ok Cal? The Gap just about fits into that and has great schools. Indooroopilly has some good schools. Toowong has a lovely primary. I have had friends who lived in the Chelmer area and loved it. Another resource for schools is the myschool website.

Apex Apex Apex Apex Apex!!!! My parents rent from them (in Hendra near the airport) every single time and they are brilliant. They are the cheapest for all inclusive and include the most. They are also laid back and don't try to fleece you for anything like a lot of them do. Don't use Hertz! We had a nightmare renting from them.

I work in a mainstream high school with a support unit, and it is fantastic. The support offered is great. Also, even for the kids that don't have a formal diagnosis, they are monitored and helped "unofficially" also - often they are in the same classes as our kids. There is more and more specialist training offered to support staff here which is really positive. One thing that you are probably aware of is that you will tend to get much better support from the state system than the private sector. I am sure there are exceptions, but as a general rule it seems to be the case.

Welcome. Good luck with the plans! If you have any questions regarding the Sign Language side of things then send me a PM (as I don't get on here so often anymore) as I also made the transition. x

All I can tell you is they definitely allow you to be mortgaged until 70.

I bought my ASICs at DFO Brisbane. They retail at £95 in UK (but I can see them on sale for £70) and I paid $140.

I lived in Kirribilli as a backpacker (there were a couple of dodgy hostels which have long since shut down!). It was a fabulous area and getting the ferry across the harbour never grew old! Went back there last year for a visit and still really lovely - and some nice cafes have sprung up on the way to the train station too. I used to be a regular at the Olympic Pool at North Sydney which was easy walking distance. Gorgeous view. Good luck with whatever you decide - it's a great city.

Yes it's a fact of life in the northern suburbs. I find it worse around February/March time as that's usually after all the heavy rain. We use coils and sticks in the evening and long clothes. If camping etc we take the repellent along. It's not just in the evenings either, I was up in the sunshine coast hinterland at the weekend and they were there all day but haven't noticed them so much in Brisbane until the evening yet.

We did it a few days before we flew. We had a few things we needed to buy in Brisbane anyway - like a double bed, outdoor setting, fridge etc and I also packed a few essentials like some duvet covers, a set of cutlery, some small plates etc and some plastic cups and anything else we could fit in. The only thing we rented until our stuff arrived was a washing machine. We were also lucky that some neighbours and new friends lent us some bits and pieces.

My first time was back in 1996 on a WHV. I had dreamt about coming to Australia for so many years - I was like a dream come true. When we landed I was euphoric that I had actually made it - I was straight out of uni and it was a big adventure. I *may* have kissed the ground at the airport in celebration of making it :yes: . We got picked up by a company who drove us around to see the sights on the way to the hostel. The sun was shining and Sydney looked amazing! I can remember thinking that the Opera House looked pretty yellow though! When we emigrated, it was a bit of a different story. Arrived in Brisbane with the kids - all exhausted and also hungry. It was muggy and raining. DH left phone on plane. Had to find internet to find hire car confirmation to find an email saying there had been a mix up. Then trapped my thigh skin on a split plastic chair. Found that a mini tube of Pringles were $4 which tipped me over the edge. May have cried a little bit. It did improve though!

We were in the exact position that you were in terms of coming out of a 457 and selling up when we got PR (actually we sold 2 houses as we had a rental that had been in negative equity for years). I did our own tax returns whilst it was rented out and used taxcalc software for the UK returns and it was relatively straight forward. However when we got PR and sold up, it was too complicated and I used GM Tax (Alan Collett's company) as there were too many ifs or buts. I have no idea how it was all worked out but it turned out that we didn't owe CGT at all - something to do with losses on the properties or something. Employing them wasn't cheap in terms of $ but I suspect it has more than paid for itself a few times over as I just didn't have the knowledge to interpret all the rules. I know the rules have changed since we sold up (end of 2014) so can't comment on how it might work out for you in terms of CGT. Good luck!

We had one back a couple weeks ago that took 3 weeks altogether.

When you get here, I would recommend visiting somewhere like Lone Pine and listening to the talks and then holding a snake and getting your photo done. I used to be terrified of snakes, but have really been educated about them and have totally changed my feelings. We have held them 3 or 4 times now and I never could've imagined doing that before. A lot of the fear isn't based on fact when you learn a bit more about them. We had one get into the house (just a tree snake) which my husband safely removed (after getting verification of the species from an expert) but apart from that rarely see them out and about.

We have just used GM Tax and they were great - can definitely highly recommend them.