fizzybangs

I found your comment hilarious! Not sure whether you meant it to be so funny but that will keep me going today!

We are moving to Tassie early October and are so confused about where to go! I really need to be within visiting distance of Lonnie as my friend is ill but not too keen on the area. We thought of Ulverstone or Burnie but it's a bit far for her to do return trip at the moment (chemo for multiple myeloma) but we'd both prefer to be in Hobart LOL. I have lived in SE Queensland for 32 years and am at Sunshine Coast at the moment which is new for me but near my daughter, having spent an absolutely wonderful 11 months renting a unit overlooking Paignton Harbour in Devon. We are so missing the beautiful weather there and I am drained here back in this heat. to make matters more complicated we need a furnished place as we now have stuff here and stuff stored in UK and there are mo places to rent in Hobart. Where is the happy medium?

Once you get your Age Pension in Oz it IS portable to the UK. However, you cannot be living in the UK in the year prior to claiming your Age Pension for the FIRST TIME. You can live in many other countries and apply for the age pension for the first time though. Your heading stated that you are 'near' retirement age so just wait until you get it and you will be free to go to whatever country you want and you will be paid it. Do NOT bank on getting much out of the UK departments. I have been here since April and cannot even get rent or rates assistance despite being on low income as they will not review my payments until I have been here for a year. I initially got a miniscule rise but it is endlessly frustrating here. I get the grand sum of £54 per week! Luckily my husband gets the Australian Aged pension plus a little more UK pension than me.

Just joined amazing Tasmania and cannot find this beautiful photo at all on 12th December 2013 which is date you posted. I would have loved to have shared it!

I am absolutely stunned by these costs because two adults and 3 kids back in 1981 cost £49 for the airfares! Subsidised by Oz of course. I hope your employer pays your visa costs!

Sad! The need to discuss supermarket hours - bit stunned by this discussion!

We just got removal companies in to quote on cubic metres and then contacted Letton Percival as we knew they were good from people on this site and much cheaper than removalists insurance costs. He was superb. The removalists packed and did contents of each box and parcel which we forwarded to Letton Percival when goods were leaving.

Oh what a wonderful post and there are so many reasons I am saying that. I was in your position 30 years ago with 3 kids, about a third acre, chooks out the back and loved our simple lifestyle and in fact, it was probably the happiest time in our lives for all the family. I lived south of Brisbane and know your area vey well. I would have hated to have left Oz and would have kicked and fought against it had it arisen. We stayed until this year - 31 years and are now back in Devon. However, you have written about all the deeper issues that I did not face but ignored and I so admire you for that. So, I'm going to be honest and say that I now deeply regret that my kids did not grow up with their extended family - it is such a deep and obviously pointless pain. They have all told me individually at different times and ages that they wish they had grown up with their cousins, had a big family around us like other families (which becomes blatantly apparent at christmas and other special occasions) and the boys have said they missed their cousins so much. Only 2 years ago, my daughter who is over 30 said it had been so wonderful to get to know her uncles better when she came over to work in UK. They all still regret it and always will. One son refuses to come back because 'I'll meet all my family and get to know them again and then I will have to leave them again like we did before Mum and I couldn't go through that a second time so I'd rather not know them'. He was 5 when we left and can still recall our leaving and his feelings in some detail. I also wish they had been in the UK education system. As I have already said, I loved my life there and didn't consider anything other than our immediate lifestyle but it appears you are much more mature than I was and are considering what is REALLY important in life rather than the instant gratification that was all I was concerned with at that age. My mum emigrated at age 72 so she could be with me until the end of her life so I was able to be thee for her but it meant leaving all her friends and he sons and grandchildren to be with me and I just do not know how she did it! Actually, she left 3 sons but my eldest brother died suddenly not long after she came to Oz which was devasting. You love your present life just as I did and you may regret leaving and find it hard to settle bak in the UK because you are so happy there. I know I wouldn't have left then. I also learned to accept the fact that there was room in my heart to love both countries and that was okay. We cannot have it all though when we emigrate - we're going to lose out big time with family occasions such as births, deaths and marriages let alone Christmas and having Europe on our doorstep. Your kids won't be able to go to a favourite uncle, aunt or cousin or grandparent with a problem they cannot discuss with you so will turn to friends outside the family for support which is just not the same nor necessarily in their best interests. They will not have the extended family to face if they do something wrong and their friends won't care the same as family would and they won't have their extended family around them congratulating them and urging them forward to achieve their dreams. Not that all families are close or happy but there is usually some good influence for children to grow up within most families! You are obviously someone with deep values and I admire that and so wish you well whatever you decide.

So the only thing you will gain by returning as free accommodation for a while? Then your husband has to look for work just as he's doing now and you are prepared to move to wherever the work is in the UK but not somewhere different in Oz? I have no ideas as to what to suggest although your gut instinct is telling you to stay. However, you sound as though you are still young and have a lifetime ahead of you to explore the world and change your minds which is to your advantage so it doesn't have to be the end of Australia if you do return to the UK for work, so perhaps you should look at it that way? I would encourage him to expand his limitations though within the Accountancy profession even if it means doing auditing for a while.

If you have been there for nearly 2 years and haven't settled yet then why are you staying on? Are you still looking for 'the dream' that doesn't exist for you? Grab that good job and return to the UK before more ups and downs with work and anxiety about what to do.

About 3 minutes! As soon as I spotted a London taxi I knew I was 'home' where I wanted to be and it was an incredibly beautiful deep feeling. Got back in April and still awed every morning when I wake up and realise I am here

If you're selling a house you cannot book flights first but you can get quotes from removalists and declutter. Only when your solicitor tells you that the house is actually sold (rather than under contract) do you tell whichever removalist you have chosen and book flights. So- when you sopeak to your agent about any future contract, make it absolutely clear that you need at least 6 weeks AFTER the unconditional date for settlement. Settlement dates can always be brought forward but cannot be postponed. If you live in most states the agency do the contracts but it is different in NSW so please talk to a solicitor and local agents and get your facts.

I too did 31 years in both countries and returned to UK in April - absolutely loving it here. Can't get my head around low food prices and the choice of shops, nor the low cost of broadband and cars and there is so much to see I feel overwhelmed by choice.

Exactly. they have to post it to you in hard copy stating your no claims history with a signature and date on it so you'd better phone them again quickly to get it in time.

I think you've had some wonderful advice but there is one thing not mentioned. You are in fact 'living the dream' that so many emigrate for and don't achieve. However, now that you have achieved this goal I think you are starting to look at the more meaningful things in life - perhaps as you have matured or perhaps because you have attained your dream. I was in Oz 31 years before I got to that point! I was too busy to even have the time to reflect. It is not a bad thing to be introspective for a while as long as you reach a decision because you cannot live being torn apart by what if, whichever country you live in. If you have fulfilled your dream but still find something lacking then perhaps it is time to look elsewhere? Only you can decide what is truly, deeply important to you. If you are wondering if to go back now then what on earth will you be like if you have children who aren't going to know their uncles, aunties, cousins and grandchildren. I agree, get your Aussie citizenship and stop worrying about the oath you take because if you return to the UK it doesn't mean that you don't still support Australia and all it stands for, nor does it mean that you don't still love it - I should know! It just means that you have to do what is best for yourself at whatever point you are in life. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Yep -still use ours with no problems at all and pay it off at end of month.

Yes - of course and why not! Doesn't cost us anything and they have our new UK address. Can't see the point in giving it up if you think you might go back for a holiday or for other reasons. We regret closing down our UK one when returning to Oz once and now so wished we hadn't as aren't working now. Not sure if we can get one but might apply soon to find out. We get on line statements and do all our communication with the bank that way and it's so easy.

Wow, you have had some trials - enjoy having your children and grandchildren around you again and the very best of luck.

We've slowed down now - we were only busy by choice as we were like kids in a sweet shop! We go somewhere new about once a week and spend a 'tourist day'. We want to see so many places in the UK but there's no hurry. It all depends on what your personal needs and wants are. If you want to still see your friends from time to time then the UK is a lot nearer to the Netherlands of course which you must have taken into account. Just remember that although Australian's have English as their national language it is still a very different country to anywhere in the UK. Like any country, it depends where you live and we are extremely lucky to live in S.E Devon. We still can't decide where to buy a house though - too much choice!

Sorry, don't get alerts about posts so only just found these responses. All I know is that Quoll is always mentioning the Geneva Convention and that if the child is an Australian citizen and the mother wants to return with a child before the father, he has the right to block her move. We have heard some very sad stories on this site before where a mother is stuck in absolute misery as she obviously doesn't want to leave her child behind! Ergo, you can lose freedom of choice and if you are separated or divorced in Oz and all alone and cannot return to your family in the UK it is - well, I have no words for what that must be like - it would tear me apart. Any child when they grow up can apply to travel to Oz just like all of us did - they don't need citizenship and if they like it they can get it themselves. However, for adults, if they are unsure and think they might wish to return to Oz one day they yes, get it before returning so you have choices.

Well I love both but they are world's apart! Tasmania is a very, very mini UK! Just as Australia and the UK are so different to actually live in - culturally I mean. I'm back in UK after 31 years in Oz and I left UK when I was 31. I am finding the UK far superior in so many ways and there is so much more to do here, places to see, cost of food etc is so much cheaper, cars are cheaper, housing is cheaper - I'm awed! I've been all around Oz, staying for some quite long periods in some States (including Tasmania) over a period of 4 years but there is no way I would ever be able to explore the whole of Britain as it is so very diverse every few miles you travel unlike Australia which looks much the same for hundreds and hundreds or kilometres when travelling. We have been here 4 months now and are still trying to get our head around our local towns, cities and villages and moors/lakes/woodland/beaches etc. Many people have travelled around Oz in less time than that! We thought we'd be travelling to Europe and popping over to Paris from here but there is so much to see and so much to do here that I have no idea when that will happen. Good luck with your choices but it seems like a choice between a bicycle and a Maserati!

When you are young as you are, your career and working environment are very important and you don't have to look on it as permanent either. It is simply what you are doing at the moment and who knows where you might be in 3 years time? The world is your oyster - you could meet a Canadian guy and fall in love! Seriously, stick to your job for now, get a nice little pad of your own even if it is only one room and bathroom and get your PR and then you have choices and choices are invaluable. If you're earning good money perhaps you could see yourself going back to UK for holidays more often or else join other young people in the group holidays that are on offer. Explore Oz too whilst you're there because there are some amazing places to see and you will have some awesome experiences.

I haven't read all the replies yet so forgive me if this has already been said but if you have decided to return to the UK, for goodness sake do it before your child becomes an Aussie citizen.

I will be rolling my super into an income stream in Australia and will therefore be deducting a set amount out of it which will be transfered to the UK. As that will be income in the UK, I will have to tell the department of pensions there and my total income (I get a part UK pension) will be what is taxable - that is if my income is over the tax free threshold in UK. If you were to stay in Oz and take it all out then as far as I am aware it is tax free over the age of 60 but then it depends what you do with it! If you are still here on your 65th Birthday then you can apply for the Aussie aged pension - if you leave before your Birthday you can't. Please note everyone that retirement ages now vary depending on when you were born so some people may have to wait until they are 67 for example. If you take it out and keep it in your current account it would become an asset and you probably wouldn't be able to claim a pension because your assets would be too high! If you put it into an income stream, then the same rules apply as above for the UK - only the amount that is withdrawn (either monthly, 3 monthly, annually or whatever you decide) is counted as income and your aged pension here would be reduced slightly depending on how much you withdraw. At the end of the tax year you would get your statement from Centrelink and another from whoeverf you have your income stream and presumably it is all income and therefore taxable - again only if your total income is over the tax free threshold. The remaining capital still in your income stream fund would not be taxable - only the amount withdrawn. This is what super was set up for - to supply an income in your old age. The UK is doing exactly the same although it has a different name etc.