Alaska

Generally you just through a website that all agents use - like realestate.com.au rather than a particular agent. You will get good and bad staff within the same company and even within the same branch.

I heard that is it, officially they look for a max of around 30% (or maybe it was 1/3) of net income. However ours is near to 40% and we got the first property we applied for.

Definitely a rucksack! A large one for your bag and a smaller backpack for your front (as hand luggage). Although I was doing a lot of walking to buses etc.

I think ours was "supposed to" but it didn't really happen although they did put things in the right rooms and did the beds. They wouldn't/couldn't do anything that was Ikea furniture but also refused to do things that weren't Ikea like my daughter's wardrobe. I wasn't home at the time so I'm not sure on the reasoning. We just unpacked in our own time.

As pointed out above, even traditional easy names can be spelt differently. Mine have fairly popular names but still have them spelt incorrectly constantly. There is a similar, more popular, name to my DD's name and she gets that all the time. I wanted names that had the long form but could also be shortened so they have some options when they are older.

We used Halifax and it was cheap and easy. We had our regular insurance through them so that may have helped with the price as it was the lowest quote we got. Not had to make any claims so can't comment on that process fortunately!

Yes I do - the road tax was very cheap for me in the UK. Here in QLD we all pay the $600 regardless of engine size from what I can gather.

We get "flashes" from our sockets. Seems pretty concerning but I have asked an electrician who said it was ok. I do wonder about the electrics sometimes. We had a dodgy socket which wouldn't charge my phone, kept blowing bulbs and hairdryer kept cutting out. Electrician tested it and said it was fine. Luckily they decided to change the switch (to get a bit more money from the call out I suspect) and found out that a nail was through some wire or something. Apparently could've ruined any appliances plugged in there. Makes me wonder what else could be going on....

I have the same type of car here as I did in the UK. It cost me £350 a year for tax and insurance there, but $1050 for rego and insurance here. So a lot more. Petrol is obviously cheaper though.

We got them done here for free (my kids were 2 and 5 at the time). The Hep B was a course of 3 jabs over around 6 months or similar. There is something about being over 7 though. A friend of mine's son had 2 of the Hep B vaccines for free but then she had to pay for the 3rd one he had his birthday beforehand (I think it was his 8th birthday).

Not at all as the poster is very very clear he wants to find a job. The questions about benefits are just to ensure he has the full information which is very sensible in my opinion.

Jeyes fluid seems to be popular.

I think we must be pretty lucky here then. DD had a abscess on her toe. Walked in to make an appointment and they saw her straight away - all bulk billing. Antibiotics prescribed (about $18). No follow up needed unless we had any further problems. DS needed a urine sample tested - all bulk billing. Said they would call if there were any problems otherwise all was fine. I did follow up and it was all ok. I had tonsillitis - appointment bulk billed. Antibiotics prescribed ($9.99). No follow up necessary. I haven't quite worked out how everything works yet in terms of scans etc. DS was referred for a stomach scan (getting a lot of tummyaches). I got him in the next working day. It was about $190 with half back from Medicare. I am guessing this is standard? I don't know the system well enough to know yet.

I spent my first one as a backpacker on Bondi Beach. Actually found it a big let down plus the weather wasn't great. Second one I spent in Melbourne in a hostel as I was going to the Boxing Day Test. Had a great time with great people. Yes Sydney Harbour for NYE is great. But make sure you book a hostel now!

I wouldn't worry about it too much. My daughter had just turned 2 when we arrived and we haven't had any big issues. Just do the same for him as your daughter and soon enough he will understand. We do spray the house outside every 3 months with Mortein and also cut the trees away from the windows and that has reduced what we get inside a lot. We haven't seen a redback around here. A few huntsmen and small wolf spiders as well as the orb-weavers etc. Depends where you live as to snakes - we are in a area that has a lot of snakes but we are right in the middle of the estate and it seems to be rare that they come right in. One of my neighbours has only had 1 in the garden in 14 years. To be honest I've just allowed myself not to worry too much about it but just to educate them about not touching anything they see. We also go to places like Australia Zoo, Lone Pine etc which helps to reinforce the message.

Not really sure what you are trying to prove with some of your posts to be honest. We all know about the 186 PR Visa that where there is a Transition Stream especially for 457 visa holders.

I think it's very different if people come over without realising that it doesn't automatically lead to PR. That is a lack of basic research. We have taken a gamble by coming on the 457 (we didn't have a PR visa option unfortunately) and we accept that. If DH is made redundant for example we will have to accept that it was a gamble that didn't pay off. We'll be gutted but it will have been us who decided to take that risk. But to completely change the goalposts for existing 457 holders by introducing massive extra fees, such as for education, doesn't seem acceptable to me. Yes, they can do what the hell they like but does that make it ok? Does it mean that it's our own fault for not having a crystal ball? I don't think it is. There was no way to take this stuff into account when making a decision about coming.

We did our research to the pros and cons to this visa and whether we could make it work - we knew everything there was to know. But you can't possibly factor in this kind of stuff - as someone said a family with 4 children having to pay an extra $16,000 a year. It has all become just a political showpiece that completely disregards how it affects people who, on the whole, benefit the Australian economy a great deal.

Good point. Do the schools keep a record of all the visas people are on?

Will wait to see what happens in Queensland. DH's company have told us they will sponsor us for PR in March so fingers crossed that, if it is brought in in QLD, it is only for the 1 year for us. We only have 1 in school at the moment but if we had 2 or 3 and couldn't afford it, then I would consider home-schooling for a short time.

Are you able to edit the title/first post to say WA?

If this is the case then our fee has increased from just over $3000 if we could've applied earlier in the year to over $6000, and now to over $7000. By the time we can save up that kind of money, it will have probably risen again.

Yes - they were completely honest with us about our options and didn't try to lead us on or get money from us with no prospect of success.

Haha - we actually did bring a year's worth of toilet rolls! Only because we had bought hundreds at Costco and our move happened very quickly, and they happened to fit in the container! Just take things out of the packaging and give them a wash if you are worried. Don't think they will be poking through your linen looking for a year's worth of wear and tear! About wood - yes anything treated is fine. About bamboo etc - it really depends if anyone spots it. I know people who had it wrapped up really really well by the packers and it got through, but definitely doesn't happen to everyone. Also there is a good reason for this rule - something to do with a bug that lives in it or something. I agree about not believing that "everything is expensive". I have found that not to be true at all - only certain things. With the falling dollar, if you are spending pounds, it is going to be seeming more and more reasonable as well. It is all about finding out where to buy really.

I would contact a registered Migration Agent. Most will give you a free assessment to see if you have an options. We contacted a couple to see if we had an other options (apart from the 457) and they were very upfront and let us know we didn't.