Shayman

As things currently stand, I feel very fortunate to be living in Australia but sad to see the state of affairs in the UK. I consider myself an optimist but get the sense my home nation is in a state of long term decline. For this reason I would not move back, but look forward to being able to return for a holiday.

Kangaroo Point Rovers welcome any players interested in trialling for our 2018/19 senior squad to send any enquiries or personal details to the following email address: Coach@kangaroopointrovers.com.au We are seeking to build upon a very productive couple of seasons which included both a Grand Final success and 100 year anniversary celebration:

Hi, I've been in Australia for coming up to a year (with my wife) and would describe the move so far as a success. We have fitted in well, love the lifestyle and live in a great area of Brisbane. However, I have suffered from occasional mood swings and depressive/anxious thoughts which have impacted my enjoyment (particularly in the workplace). Whenever I feel this way I feel a strong sense of guilt at being so far away from my family. On certain occasions I have felt an impulse to return immediately back to the UK, but as soon as my mind clears up again believe this would be a decision I'd definitely regret. I'd be interested if anyone else on here has experienced these feelings and how they coped with them over time. Part of me hopes that these phases will get easier to deal with as time moves along. After many years of surpressing my anxious/depressive phases (I used to get them way prior to my move here) I have finally decided to see a psychologist. Regards

My wife and I have registered for postal votes as we are leaving the UK at the end of May on 4 year visas. I believe that whichever side loses will (in the short-to-medium term at least) be claiming the moral high ground as the UK faces tough times ahead regardless of the outcome. If we vote to leave there may well be an economic hit, whereas if we stay we will be powerless to prevent further uncontrolled immigration. Open border EU migration is a good thing for big businesses and our GDP statistics but many average Brits have reasonable concerns about the pressure it puts on our schools, hospitals, housing and other public services...not to mention some negative social effects (which most politicians we are graced with shudder at the thought of discussing). Both of us shall be voting out because even if there is a temporary economic hit we feel the country is strong enough to adjust and would as a result be a better place to live in the longer term.

Hi Can anyone recommend a sports bar to watch the England Euro 2016 fixtures in Brisbane? THanks

Thanks for the replies. We look more likely than not to be renting a complex-style place initially, so I would imagine the running costs would be built into the rental price. I would probably use it regularly as I am a fairly active person, and if it were to help us mix with others then that's an additional benefit...

Greetings, My wife and I are moving to Brisbane at the end of this month and are looking at properties to rent on rightmove for the first 12 months or so. I'd like to ask whether, based on your experiences, you think it is worth paying extra to be somewhere with a pool? Due to the climate this looks like a bog bonus, but filtering properties with this feature brings back far fewer options... Regards

Hi, I have just gotten married and we are moving to Brisbane at the end of the month. We have about 10 bottles of champagne bought for us as gifts which we would like to put in shipping. The company I am dealing with (Anglo Pacific) however have liquids down as a no-go! Would anyone be able to offer some advice? Regards

Hi My OH and I have just had a feisty debate over whether I could have to pay tax on rental income of c.£7k per annum while I am living in Australia on a 4 year visa. Please can somebody clarify this? I know £7k is within the tax free income threshold of the UK, but am unsure whether my Aussie earnings would affect anything... Thanks!

Thank you all for the most helpful advice and well wishes. I have decided based on your feedback (and some rough calculations) to rent the property for the initial 2 year period, in hope that we settle happily and decide to sell it thereafter.

Thank you Rachel, most helpful advice! If it was a house there would be no consideration of holding onto it as a vacant property. However, because the ongoing monthly costs would be manageable for us this option is something which we are willing to consider (versus sticking any sale proceeds we receive from a sale now into a low-interest savings account...). Although I've described it as a flat its like an old stone building cut up into 4 x 1 bedroom apartments with its own uniqueness, so compared to modern apartment blocks I believe it has lasting value and due to its position the likelihood of vandalism is low. I need to go and do some number crunching I think!

Thanks for your reply, very helpful. As it is only a small 1 bedroom flat and I would be able to hand over the keys to my retired parents (who I'm sure would happily check on it regularly) the deterioration issue is not much of a worry of mine, but I'm glad you raised it. The tax on rental income is something which I had not considered. What would I do with the money is a key question! The answer is I can't think of anything safer than sticking it in a UK savings account which will earn barely any interest, hoping that the exchange rate movement over the next couple of years or so is favourable should we decide to stay in Australia permanently. Without ruling anything out I am are fairly confident that my wives sponsorship is pretty secure as she works for one of the "big 4" global accountancy firms, and they have already suggested that if she likes it she'll have no problem in applying for permanent residency a couple of years down the line...

I would probably say that I'm happy and content 70%, sad 10% and on a high 20% of the time. It is in my nature to have mood fluctuations, and it doesn't take much to set me off in any particular direction. I'm 28 and over the past few years my "low" periods have often been linked to feeling bored and unfulfilled with my office job (in spite of it providing me with a comfortable salary and a pretty cushy work/life balance) often leading to feelings of anxiety, irritability, restlessness and pointlessness. Sometimes I wonder if I'd have been much happier working behind a bar all of my life instead despite the pay gap... Most of the time though I accept that my life is pretty great and that I have no real reasons to complain. In terms of suicidal thoughts, I don't think I could ever put my family and OH through this no matter how bad things were, but appreciate the mind can act in mysterious ways and that many people have to deal with things which make the average persons issues look like a walk in the park in comparison.

Similar, I really dont want any hassle while I'm out there with estate agents or tenants though...which is why I'm contemplating just holding onto it and making mortgage payments as a substitute for savings, at least for the first year or so. Fortunately as its only a 1 bedroom flat this is something we could probably afford.