Candygirl

Thanks Kate. Once we know they are at Byford, we will relax. I know that the staff there will do their best for the girls.

Thanks Guys. They are here!!! Just got an email from Byford to say that the manager is at the airport dealing with Customs. They are going to call me as soon as they get to Byford. OH had less sleep than me. We have bought them two beds from KMart. Fi - we slept with two towels for a couple of nights for them to have in their crates on the plane. I will be at Byford at 11.30am sharp tmoz morning that's for sure. We received pics from the agent in Singapore and Cand looked OK (as we thought) but Purd looked a bit stressed to me, which again was expected. She is a typical Beagle and a drama queen. I am stressing over the rentals, but it is amazing how the thought of my babies being here with me now is making me feel so much better.

I have just tracked Purd & Cand's flight and they are over Russia as I type. I do hope they are OK as I am a Demented Giblet here and I have not had much sleep at all. They have been staying with the Wrinklies for the last week and Mum has said they were not themselves. Curd has been stressing and obviously knew something was up and Purd had just been sleeping a lot. When I left, Purd sat by the front door for 3 hours and did not move. Roll on Friday when I can see them. I feel awful that I am putting them through this.

Hope you find something soon Blossom. We are finding here in WA that 60% of the rentals are saying "no pets". If you saw the state of some of the houses over here, you wouldn't be wanting to put your pets in them anyway.

It feels like we have been here a lot longer. We have met up with friends in Secret Harbour and had our first Aussie BBQ and I also saw my first Aussie spider, but thankfully it was a tiddler. Unfortunately, I am sure they will get bigger and better. We have spent the weekend driving round more areas. We have been SOR. Very different feel to the NOR. Although we saw some beautiful properties, we feel the distance to the CBD and the traffic for OH would be too much so we have decided to restrict our search to Zones 1 & 2. We have shortlisted 4 areas around the rivers and have found a lovely property and we are off to the rental agent today to see if we can view it and we are keeping everything crossed that we can secure it as I am afraid we have fallen in love with it from the outside and the location is perfect for the Hooligans for walks along the river. Observations so far. Perth is huge (we forgot how big it is). Also forgotten how big the portions are over here. We are used to fresh produce in Spain, but have to say the veggies in Oz really taste good. TV, I am lost for words. We will need Foxtel for the winter months that's for sure. We have chatted to a few people who were also migrants who appreciate what we are going through and have been really helpful in offering advice. We cannot believe the difference in the petrol prices and how they change throughout the day/week. As soon as the sun is up everyone is out jumping, running and generally jigging about. I am sure that will be use one day, just not at the moment! We love the beaches and parks. The green areas with dog walking areas will be signposted and they also provide doggie bags and bins, which is excellent. Perth is very clean and green. The rush hour traffic is horrendous. We have seen our first mullet and Hoons, not so good. Wifi is not that good here. We have been to four Maccas to try to use it and it has never worked and the staff have said, it never does, so a Dongle is a must until you get can a contract. OH needs an Aus driving licence before he can get a contract.

Thanks Fi. Spoke to them last night on Skype. Purd took no notice, but Cand knew it was me. Purd sat at the front door for 3 hours after we left apparently and did not move, but has been OK since. They are due to fly on Tuesday. I won't get much sleep that night, but cannot wait for them to arrive now.

We arrived on Weds after an eventful second flight. We flew to KL with Malaysia Airlines on an A380 which was an experience, esp with the camera so that you can see take off and landing. Good first flight and would fly with MA again. Second flight, however, from KL to Perth, not so good. Just as we took off, I was violently sick three times, not sure why but needed to change clothes and just could not believe what a start to our adventure. Also, experienced bad turbulence coming into WA, what a welcome Oz! We arrived in Perth and fearing the worst for Customs, but had no problems. We declared chocs and biccies for friends and were waived through so all in all prob came out of the door 30 mins after landing. Collected hire car and drove to our short term unit in Yokine. Unit is basic, but OK for our first month whilst we find our feet and long term let and very easy to get around and into the city. The next morning, we drove into the CBD and paid $20 for 4 hours parking (expensive, but we were tired and could not be faffed about with public transport). We managed to register with Tax Office, Medicare and sort everything out with our bank, collected debit cards there and then so felt money well spent for the convenience. That afternoon we started to drive round and after getting lost we went and bought a satnav. Got a Tom Tom for $70 from JB Hi Fi. Also got new mobile phones with Optus and a Dongle. After one day without communication, we could stand it no more. Been to Spud Shed at Wanneroo today. Wow, what a place. It was like a madhouse, but we found it incredibly cheap and have bought loads. Now have a full fridge and freezer. Also been to Reject Shop, Red Dot and KMart and so far finding it quite reasonable. I think we prepared ourselves for the worst and have been pleasantly surprised. Spent the last 1 1/2 days driving NOR looking at areas and houses. We have a short list of two areas at the moment. Totally different seeing roads and areas in person and have surprised ourselves with what we have actually liked. We have driven into an area, looked up on realestate, seen what is available and then driven to the property to view from the outside. Thursday night, we went to Freemantle in the evening for fish and chips. Not as good as previously, but we will wait a while and head back again. Tomorrow we are heading SOR as we are having dinner with friends in the evening. Sunday we are off to feed the Roos at Caversham. We need to get a Roo fix. So far so good. Perth has not changed too much for us and we both feel we have made the right decision and this is our home, even though it has rained every day and has been a bit nip, but we know that will soon change and we will be moaning about the heat. Been picking up local papers and planning our weekends and seem to have things to do well into the future. It has been very hectic, but we have both said, it is only early days, but we feel like we have been here a lot longer. Everyone is incredibly helpful. On our first evening we got lost and a chap in a gas station, got out his maps and pointed us in the right direction and it was no trouble to him at all. Our container should have left Felixstowe today bound for Singapore and then should switch ships to Freo. Finger's crossed and our goodies will arrive in Freo on 17 November. Oooroo Lorraine x

WhoooHoooo, still cannot believe we are actually going and still having to pinch myself. Said goodbyes to friends, just family left tomorrow. We have 47kgs each, but have still managed to go 6kgs over. It must be the Choccie Red Cross Parcels for our friends. OH has been left speechless as to what I classify "essential" items that I just cannot do without before the container arrives in November:wink:

Thanks very much for all your lovely posts. We collected our Aussie Dollars today for the first couple of days until our bank account is activated. Whooohooo now that the To Do List has gone, we are very excited:jiggy:

Good Luck and wishing you All a safe trip Hon. Take Care Lorraine xx

Cannot believe we only have a week left to go. Our move from Spain was stressful getting out of the system with the paperwork and getting the house ready for our new tenants. Half an hour before we were due to leave the fridge freezer packed up and we had to dash to the shops, order a new one and unbelievably for Spain, it was delivered and fitted within the hour. As a surprise our friends had flown to Spain from the UK to say goodbye. We were shocked to say the least and could not believe how they managed to organise it and keep it from us. We had a lovely time with them. The goodbyes were not as bad as expected, we managed to keep it together, but our neighbours were very upset and could not hold back, which was sad to see. Of course, we have the family to say goodbye to at the end of the week and we know that won't be easy at all. We have a family dinner organised for Thurs as our goddaughter is going away for the weekend, I will need to keep strong for her. The Hooligans were good on the ferry from Bilbao and they both slept soundly in the pet friendly cabin. They are loving the cooler weather in the UK at the moment and both had a dip in my Dad's fish pond as soon as they arrived! We soon realised that we were no longer in Spain and how long it took for a dog to dry in this climate:err:. Whites came on Friday to take all of our possessions and were excellent and we could not fault the men who turned up. We had booked a self pack and they were there to just collect, but they felt that a couple of my items were not packed sufficiently and took the time to re-pack them for us. If we had our time again, we would pay the shippers to pack everything. We did not have a choice as we moved from Spain, but we totally underestimated the amount of work that goes into maintaining that boxes are sealed properly and that the furniture is not just wrapped, but sealed as well. Having said that, Whites thought for self packers we had done a good job, which was good to hear and such a relief. We are taking the next week to re-pack our suitcases. We have 50 kgs each so I think we should be OK. OH is sending his tools by air freight. Also, just have some last minute paperwork to sort out in the UK and are pretty much there. Friends in Perth are getting ready for our arrival. I think they are more excited to see the chocolate parcel than us:biggrin:. If we don't manage to get on before we leave, we will see you on the Other Side! Lorraine xx

Just read it on Perthnow - good news for them. Purple Perth tonight.

I wish I could help you, but just wanted to say Please don't give up! My OH was told there was no way he would get a visa and we went through a rollercoaster of emotions. I couldn't accept it and did not give up. He was offered a 457 visa and turned it down as we really wanted a PR visa. A big gamble at the time, but it paid off. We fly out to WA on 8 Oct having been granted a PR visa because we were determined to get there. The lists change and are updated. I agree, contact some companies and enquire about sponsorship. You don't have to rely on a 457 visa. Take a look at the 186 visa, this is PR. Alternatively, speak to a reputatable MA and ask their advice. Wishing you the best of Luck and hope you manage to fulfil your dreams.

We did not wait long at all (see mytimeline). Of course, it will depend what day your EOI is finalised. There are two rounds of invites sent out each month.

3 days is the norm. 5 days was quoted by Parcel Monkey. They were the cheapest at £136 so worth waiting the extra two days. We have not booked anything as we are solely concentrating on getting back to the UK at the moment and I will then look at the quotes again and decide who to use once we are there. The Mod on PP has recommended ParcelMonkey as she has used them before without any probs, so I will prob use them as better to have a recommendation from someone who I trust.

My OH was self employed up until a couple of days ago and DIAC never asked to see any of his paperwork. I only uploaded his TRA Assessment certificate and they must have been happy with that. If you cannot get hold of any "old" tax returns, don't panic. If you cannot get copies from the IR, you can swear a Stat Dec for the missing returns. OH did this as he needed to go back to 2002 and again, he was never questioned on anything. Good Luck.

We are sending my OH's tools by air freight. Cheaper than excess baggage. We have quotes for door to airport service, ranging from 136-250 for 40 kgs. The quotes are 3-5 days turnaround and they collect from your door and you collect from the airport when you arrive in Oz.

Thanks very much for the advice.

Really sorry to hear that. I hope you are OK now. I am sure there was absolutely nothing you could have done:hug: We were always nervous about driving at night in Oz, but didn't think they would jump out during the day. Oh dear.

He has put them in a box and will plastic wrap it with the same roll that we have used to do the furniture etc. The box weighs 40kgs and the quotes we have range from £136-250. We need to sit down and read the difference in the prices etc. This is from Kent UK to Perth WA. It is for a door to airport service and companies are quoting from 3-5 days delivery.

Thanks for the tip. When I found the address for the Dept of Transport, it did bring up addresses for post offices. I was not sure whether we could do this there. Why is it quicker? Strange, you would have thought it would have been quicker at the Office. I suppose best not to reason why, just go with the flow.

Thanks. Good point. I have my own set of screwdrivers which are going in my suitcase. OH has decided to send his "important and essential tools" by air freight so that he can start work before waiting for the container to arrive.

Thanks very much. He has made a start and the whole house now smells of Jeyes!:err:

We are just going through and cleaning OH's tools before boxing up. Some of them are rusty. Will this be OK for the inspectors? Any suggestions? TIA Lorraine

Hilarious! Wow - cannot believe Coco sat there looking at it. You must have her very well trained.