Alaska

Yes that's true. I did a big Amazon shop to ship over. I've also joined the local library which is working out well.

We were better off in the UK as I was working part-time and we got child benefit etc. DH wage is about 2x what it was in the UK. We don't really have anything left at the end of the month here whereas in England we did. I am not working here as it wouldn't be worth it (on a 457 visa and can't afford to study and we don't get childcare rebates). We are playing the long game and hope it works out but it's a very risky game! DH has come over on as a Supervisor rather than a Manager so if/when he is one day promoted we will be on a similar income to the UK and with further scope for promotion hopefully in the future. In the UK he was at the top of where he was likely to go. It feels very precarious sometimes I have to admit, but we absolutely love it here. We are able to do so much without spending much money at all - beaches, park meet-ups, locals passes for attractions which works out very cheap. I just hope it all works off and the gamble is worth it!

I haven't noticed about soap powder and fabric conditioner being too bad. I bought a 15kg box of soap powder for around $35 at somewhere like Kmart, and a 5kg fabric condition for $9. That doesn't seem too bad to me.

Just to clarify the 457 workers won't be paying more tax than they are now?

Some things are expensive but to be honest it's not as bad as I feared at all. I stocked up on things like kids' clothes on the strength of "oh my god it's so expensive in Oz" threads only to find the likes of Kmart to be cheaper than the UK supermarkets. I bought DS 3 pairs of trackpants for school for $5 each, and some sandals for DD for $2. Very similar items were £10 and £8 in the UK supermarkets when I left. Food isn't as bad as we feared either. Pasta is cheaper which we eat a lot of. Meat is cheaper which DH likes to eat a lot of! Our weekly shop is around $160 as opposed to about £90 in England. Petrol is cheaper here. It really depends where you are used to shopping I suppose. I also use the 2x or 2.5x to see if things are really more expensive. I have found second hand furniture to be a lot more expensive here (shame I didn't read a thread about that else I'd have stocked up instead of on kid's clothes). Brand specific toiletries are too. DH uses Head and Shoulders (did stock up on that). Costs about 4x the dollars but can sometimes get for 3x in the sale. Swings and roundabouts.

My first was in Sydney when I was 21 and it was fine. No access to air-con at home but did at work and shops. My second was backpacking around - Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and it got to about 42C in Adelaide. No access to air-con except in shops. Was fine though as I wasn't in a rush. We live in Brisbane now and I think it might be worse doing the school run etc in the heat. Everyone has told me that I'll be using the car for it so we'll see. Saying that everyone uses the car for the school run in any weather even if they live 2 streets away (and that is not a joke).

I've got some rats (possibly possums) in the loft you can have for free. They sound very healthy to me. Seriously, I don't know. Have you done a google search for pet shops in the area and given them a ring?

As well as the ones I voted for (top 4), I think being realistic plays a big part. I seems that some people think that all their problems will disappear when they get to Australia. If your problems were with yourself (eg. confidence, outlook etc) or your family (eg. marriage problems) then they are coming with you too. I think whether or not you have your main network close to you in distance in the UK makes a difference. Most of my family and very close friends weren't there to call on in England so I don't miss that safety net. I'm also lucky enough to have met enough people to call on in an emergency here too. I have never agreed with the "selfish" thing. I think you need to be able to be self-sufficient but think that's a different thing. You need to be able to look forward not back all the time.

I finally feel like I am back home now I'm in Australia. I spent almost 18 months here in the mid-late 90s and loved it. I always wanted to come back to live but never had the opportunity again until recently. It wasn't an easy decision as life was very very well set up back in the UK. On paper things were great but I never felt like that was "it" for my life. It was so tough to decide to come as my DS is in school now, I had a job I loved etc. I am a stay at home mum over in Oz for or at least the next couple of years (we are on a 457 and I'd need to retrain paying International fees and have no childcare rebates so not possible). I have decided to embrace it and really enjoy the time with the children. We are in Brisbane (about 18k north I think) and it's great. Our old house was a town house but this is all one level so the kids can roam around, the patio and garden is off the living area and they are always out there looking for lizards and playing ball. We are on lower wages here and there isn't much to spare but we can have days out looking for shells on the beach for free, or at all the great parks and festivals. We have cheap locals passes for places. So we are doing a lot more for a lot less money. I feel so much more relaxed and content. Things may change as we have only been here a couple of months, but for now things really are suiting us all. x

I would've bought some decent quality 2nd hand furniture for the kids. I was a member of a brilliant fb group in my hometown - had about 10,000 members and it was all car boot prices. Things like solid wood chests of drawers for about £20 all the time. I thought I wouldn't have a problem with similar here. But people ask very high prices for second hand stuff on gumtree etc. So much so that we ended up buying quite a lot of stuff new in the sales as it was cheaper than similar second half stuff! Any decent solid chests of drawers, even in places like Super Amart are upwards of $400. We managed to find a decent deal on Gumtree in the end but waited about a month.

Isn't that where Rick Astley is from? How do I know that?

I have only just started driving here so nothing yet. I haven't got a "feel" for the kilometre speeds yet. In England I could almost always know my speed within one or two mph without looking. I keep thinking 60 means mph.

Good to know.

North Lakes seems to be like Marmite! It might be worth a visit before you make a final decision. There was a thread elsewhere that got a little heated with people's different feelings about the area. We are a little further south in Eatons Hill which we love and like Albany Creek too. Further away from the sea though.

I only use zinc based/chemical free creams after reading a report! I have jusr found Invisible Zinc which is 4 hours water resistant and rubs in really well compared to other zinc creams. Not cheap though.

Just spotted a spider on the bedroom roof. All the reality tv is the same - half presented by Brits too.

Careful with the huntsman splatting. Just bought DS a book about the Brisbane wildlife and apparently the stuff that flies out can blind you for 2 days. Sorry if you are counting on crap chocolate as Ive found lots of lovely bars including dark with orange in. Also i think the free TV here in way better than in the UK. A lot of the American drama, for example, that you find on Sky1 is on regular tv.

I love it here but I wish the spiders would stay outside! We have a bet on which room we will find the first one of the day in. Unfortunately my bedroom won today.

Hi Eve. We have been in Brisbane about 6 weeks and love it. We are a bit further north though - there are a few of us around Albany Creek and Eatons Hill and there is lots to do for the children within easy distance and we have regular meet ups which is great. The schools are good but big up here! X

I might be wrong but you don't have to make the choice do you? Can you get the visa and validate and then don't you have years to come back? If so that's what I would do I think and give you time to see where things go. Good luck. X

Hello Have you looked at the myschool website? Ones we looked into, and visited, were Patrick Road in Ferny Hills. McDowall, both in Albany Creek and Eatons Hill. All with decent results. It seems the exceptionally performing stste schools are generally closer to the CBD than we could go. A private school to look at might be Genesis Christian college. Be aware that most private schools have waiting lists North Lakes seems to be like Marmite ad we didn't think it would suit us. Give me a shout if you want any info on specific things.x

Can't help you with the rental but that's a pretty area up there - it's where DH works. Good luck with the move and finding work and shout if you have any area specific questions. X

You will be a resident for tax purposes. Go to Google and find an Oz tax calculator. X

Hopefully you'll be fine. DS's were all crusted over in 5 days from the start and DD was around 7. Definitely get a Dr's note to prove they are fit to fly though as a friend of mine was refused on the plane as her son had recently had the pox even though.they had all scanned over.