beatnik

Thanks for the replies, I've just used travelex to transfer some funds. No fee for my first transfer, but $15 for future transfers below $10k.

I'm looking to transfer about $2000 every 4 months or so

I have previously been using Moneycorp to transfer AUD to the UK, and paid $22 fees every time I did this with NAB. Since Moneycorp have changed their accounts to Barclays, I have been charged an additional $51. Last time Moneycorp refunded me this extra amount and requested that NAB charge the fees to them directly next time. However NAB say that they cannot do this and will continue to charge me all the fees! Does anyone know of a simpler/cheaper option to send money back to the UK?

I'm just wondering whether to get travel insurance for our trip back to the UK in July - we currently live in Australia and we're going back to see family etc. Is it worth getting travel insurance - it seems so expensive! If we have any medical problems, we can use the NHS. Do other people use travel insurance on their visits back to UK?

Thanks for the replies, they were reassuring!

Hi, When applying for PR, does the immigration department check your medicare records whilst you've been living in Australia. I just wondered as we are currently on 457 visas and have been to see the GP several times for different things and claimed via Medicare; and wondered if this may count against us if we go for PR? I'm guessing that the PR medical examination is just what they look at, but wanted to be sure.

Hi, We're returning to the UK for a 2/3 week trip next July to see family. Flights seem very expensive and I wondered if it would be better to book nearer the time (i.e. in 2 months time)? Does anyone have any experience of this? We live in Gold Coast and have considered using Scoot to get to Singapore, then buying a return ticket from Singapore to Manchester. However some of the reviews we've read of Scoot are horrendous, and their Facebook page is littered with complaints... Any tips? Thanks

Hi Silus - I managed to successfully ship about 10-15 bottles of essential oil in our container. I didn't take any candles though... Good luck!

I've just moved into a great new rental on the Gold Coast. However there is a neglected pond in the garden which appears to be full of cane toad tadpoles. What is the best thing to do? Empty all the water out of the pond? The water is pretty stagnant and I think the only other living creatures in there are mosquitos. I don't like the idea of killing anything but the thought of having millions of cane toads hopping round in a few weeks time fills me with dread. And of course they are a huge pest to native wildlife... Thoughts?

I've found a company called "contact connection" very easy to deal with, they posted out our first order with free extra lenses. It arrived about a day later. The quality was the same as the UK, with identical packaging. They are also on Facebook and they are easy to contact, friendly and price-wise fairly good too. http://www.contactconnection.com.au/

Thanks very much for the info, RockDr, very useful info.

Hi, thanks for the advice everyone. So if I understand it correctly I have to get overseas visitors cover while I am on a 457 visa and cannot claim the rebate for this :mad: The overseas visitors cover seems to be more expensive than standard cover as well.. But I may cancel my existing IMAN policy as this just covers everything that I can get with medicare anyway (and I understand that being enrolled with Medicare is sufficient to meet condition 8501 for 457 Visa holders). But I want to get cover for extras such as dental care, chiro etc - can I get this as a stand alone policy from insurers? And would this extras policy have to be specific for a 457 visa holder? Also, as mentioned, I would have to consider whether we would have to pay the medical surcharge levy, and how much this may be, and whether getting a standard policy would work out more cost effective. RockDR - you mentioned some insurance companies have specific policies for this reason - do you know of any in particular? Many thanks

Thanks for the recommendation, Nevsm. We are looking to get health insurance that includes dentist cover at the moment...

Thanks for the recommendation GoldCoastMag

Hi, I'm trying to sort out long term health insurance for myself and my wife. We're on a 457 visa and arranged insurance with IMAN before we got here so we could get the visa. Now we are here I'm trying to get my head around the complexities of Aussie health care & I have got time to work out which plan will be right for us long-term. We've enrolled in medicare. I just wanted to check whether we could claim the private health insurance rebate while being on a 457 visa? Any advice appreciated. Thanks