Freckleface

The Sunshine Coast Pride festival starts in Noosa on Friday night so I imagine people have started to arrive for that.

In my experience migrants who excel in their chosen field and demonstrate adaptability are normally recognised and rewarded fairly quickly. Any backwards steps are normally of short duration. Sadly not all migrants are as good in their field as they think they are.

Just a thought - if you aren't familiar with the market have you considered using a buyers agent. Yes it will cost you money you probably don't want to spend but it could save you from buying into a bad area or from paying more than a property is really worth.

It really depends on the vendors instructions to the agent. You can make any offer you like but the vendor may have instructed the agent not to present offers under a set figure. I know we have done this when selling.

I was thinking paper wasps as well.

You could consider getting involved in volunteering as a way to become involved in the community, get out of the house and meet people. More importantly though you could use volunteering as a way to build your limited skill set and get a good reference in order to gain paid employment. There are numerous organisations in Darwin currently looking for volunteer workers across a range of different roles.

You have done FNQ at the speed of light which is a shame because you have missed a lot of interesting and beautiful places. Have you considered going into a tourist information centre and having an in depth chat with one of the staff in there? It might help you work out what you want to see and where everything is between Mission Beach and Brissy. That way you could plan the drive so you don't blow past things on the way because you didn't realise they were there.

It's a long time since I lived in Darwin, and I haven't visited for a long time either, but from memory there is a bus stop outside that caravan park so he would be able to catch a bus into the CBD. It would take around 60 mins to walk in but if he isn't used to hot and humid weather I wouldn't recommend that. If I was in his shoes I would opt for the caravan park in order to save money. Preparing his own meals will save heaps of cash and he won't have to worry about leaving food in a shared fridge etc. If he doesn't like the caravan or if the aircon doesn't keep him cool enough he could always move to the more expensive accommodation. As far as meeting people goes he might actually find the caravan park more useful for meeting locals than the hotel. The only other thing is that the caravan park is fairly close to the airport. I don't know how bad the noise might be but as mentioned earlier if it doesn't suit him he could always move elsewhere after trying it out. It's all getting very real now isn't it :smile: Wishing you both the very best of luck.

While I have some sympathy for individuals impacted by these fees, they are deliberately high to act as a deterrent to those over 50 being about to stay in Aust on a permanent basis if they haven't already qualified for PR. While it is sad for individuals the Govt has a responsibility to act in the best interests of Aust rather than those wishing to live here.

I'm surprised people seem to think architects only design houses. They do a lot more than that lol

I'm no expert regarding eligibility for welfare but this seems to make it fairly clear the OP would not be eligible for a Low Income Health Care Card until he has been in Aust for 104 weeks. It is highly unlikely a new arrival would be granted an exemption. My own opinion is that if you can afford to migrate you shouldn't be looking for welfare as soon as you arrive. [h=3]Residence requirements for the Low Income Health Care Card[/h]To be eligible for a Low Income Health Care Card you must satisfy residence requirements. You must be living in Australia and: have Australian citizenship hold a permanent visa hold a special category visa, or hold a partner provisional visa subclass 309 or 820, an interdependency visa subclass 310 or 826, or a temporary protection visa You must also: be physically present in Australia on the day you lodge your claim, and continue to meet the residence requirements for as long as you hold this card Newly arrived residents generally have a 104 week waiting period, with some exemptions. http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/low-income-health-care-card

We have used architects and they are worth their weight in gold however unless you want something very individual you could probably customise one of the houses project builders have. Lord knows there are plenty to choose from these days and most, if not all, will allow you to change the internal layout, move walls and windows etc. If you are planing to build in the blue mountains you should familiarise yourself with the info in the link below regarding bush fire protection. You will be required to jump through additional planning stages and will also have restrictions in relation to building materials etc. It can all feel like a momumental pain in the rear end but the requirements have been put in place to help keep you safe. http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/building-in-a-bush-fire-area

Kate I like Cairns but - better than the Whitsundays? I think not :nah:

Jodi your situation is nothing like the one described on the other thread. For starters your husband has qualifications and a skill in demand. I understand why you are nervous but don't let the issues experienced by unskilled workers influence your thought processes. The only take home message I think you should take from the other thread is that your husband should do his homework about the jobs his is applying for and he should prepare for any interviews he is invited to attend.

Here you go Jodi https://flatmates.com.au/darwin

Until recently I was the CEO of a company that employed thousands of people. Feedback wasn't routinely provided to unsuccessful candidates but I did expect HR to provide constructive feedback to anyone who asked for it. I provided feedback myself to unsuccessful executive candidates. It is very short sighted not to in my opinion.

I disagree with the highlighted statement. I think it can be valuable to ask for feedback. For instance the OP has learned that applying for a job somewhere and not knowing anything about it probably won't be looked on favourably. Hopefully she will do some research before future interviews.

Sorry to hear about your mum. Hope everything goes smoothly with your plans to return to Sydney.

Stace I tend to agree with Snifter so my post above will be my last suggestion. I hope you enjoy your time in Australia xx

The Rocks is a lovely area to wander around Stace. The area was built by the early convicts so it is interesting from a historical perspective and there are lots of little alley ways etc. It's a buzzing area with markets, cafes, galleries etc and it has a lovely vibe. The area is just near the harbour bridge so you could walk there. http://www.therocks.com

Glad to hear you have a plan Kiwi. I sincerely hope you find the happiness you are searching for.

Stace did you submit an application to the Merivale Group I mentioned a few days ago?

If you go to Katoomba and are interested in doing something a bit different while you are up that way a visit to Jenolan Caves would be worth considering. The caves are considered to be some of the best in the world. There are various bus tours that go from Katoomba - this is a link to just one of them. http://www.trolleytours.com.au/jenolan-caves-tours There are lots of different caves. One of my favourites is the river cave.

Not defensive at all. Just surprised by a suggestion that I think is a little bit short sighted.

While I agree a long term stay in Sydney probably wouldn't be high on my list I wouldn't write the entire state off that quickly Marisa. There are some stunningly beautiful and interesting things in New South Wales.