Sapphire

I would think there would be an awful lot of regualtions, health and safety, tagging of all equipment and anything else the local council can think of. There would also be Public Liablity insurances,to think of. You may even need planning permission depending on the are you are heading There is always a huge amount of red tape here to do the basic of basics, so I would maybe send an email to the local council, in the area you are heading to and ask them what they would require Might also be a good idea to do a search in the area and see how many beauty therapists there already are in the area, to see if it is even a feasable option Clients are usually loyal to thier exsisting beautician, so it could be very hard to get a client base as well.

We managed to purchase an Induction cooktop from ebay for $249.00 with free delivery .Its a "nobby no make" but it was the same one that Harvey Norman were selling for $900 plus There are some deals around, but you just have to do a search.I think we were lucky, to be able to find one for that price Alot of the electricians we spoke to wouldent fit one if we purchased from the UK, as they said it could affect thier licence if anything went wrong,and if they had to change cables.Not sure how true this is, buts thats what we were told . We had the same with kitchen taps, we got a great one in from the UK, but the plumbers said , that because it did not have the Aussie logo on it, they couldent fit it!!! It wasent up to Aussie standards

There are some beautiful houses around.We watch the property programmes on Sky and some of the houses they feature are to die for.Unfortuantly they are out of the price range of most people who come out to Aus, unless they have a least a million or want to take on massive loans. But we can only dream!!!!!!

I dont see why this would be an odd comment,,,,,its a matter of personal preference and I prefer decent bedding to the rubbish I have previously purchased in Kmart and the like.Plus I refuse to pay stupid money to buy bedding from Sheriden and Myer etc.So I buy all of mine from the UK, where I persoanlly prefer the quality and the price. Each to thier own,I find it an odd comment that you can liken Kmart bedding to M&S or House of Fraser,,but there you go

Bring everything you can, as its extremely expensive to buy new, especially if you want good things Bedding is a must, you can buy cheap scratchy quilt covers and sheets ,but you will pay a fortune for quality.I still order mine from M&S, cant stand the quality of bedding here

Make sure you have been quoted all the way to Tassie We were suddenly presented with an extra $1800 bill to get our container accross the bass strait to Tassie Our container was held up in Melbourne for ages, customs were a nightmare and then we had to pay extra, and when we questioned it, we were told they had only quoted to Melbourne,,,,albeit I couldent find anything on the paperwork that said that (:

We did not have a good experience with them Infact it was an extremely bad experience, would never use them again

Things are pretty tough at the moment and the jobs are just not out there. Imagine how all the ones with families must be feeling, when they cant find work Its such a myth about all the jobs available in Aus,so many people come here and unfortunatly find out the hard way. Hope you manage to find something soon.

I feel so much, for the ones who cant afford to go home and the ones that get stuck here forever, for one reason or another, I know how you are feeling Chocolate Orange,,we dont know how long it will take to sell, but once we do, we are on the first plane out of here It drives me nuts though, but I just have to try and keep occupied, until I can leave.But it is really hard and I know what you mean about everyday being Groundhog day. I get up everyday with hope that maybe this will be the day something positive happens and we sell, and every evening I go to bed feeling like absolute c**p because nothing good has happened Just try to keep busy,,,easier said than done, but it will all be worth it in the end x

Tassie is 8.1% at the moment Whoops,,,sorry just rechecked,,,it was 8.4% in July's figures The Liberals are calling it a catastrophe 21000 Tasmanians unemployed

I think they call Tassie 'The coffin, without the lid on" :)So very true. Give me the Hustle and Bustle of the UK anyday.

I watch the locals and honestly wonder how they do not go "stir-crazy" Some people just spend the entire day, walking round and round the block,,,,,you see them coming round every 15 minutes or so, all day long,every day.It has become so amusing watching them day after day. You can tell how boring our days are !!!

Make sure Rabies jabs are up to date If your Rabies jabs have run out, you will need to get them done 21 days before you fly...no blood test needed for UK Contact a reputable company such as Jetpets and they will be able to quote you for getting your dogs home

Its not cheap, but we wouldent even consider leaving our babies behind Probably best to give a couple of the companies like Jetpets and Animal Travel a call and get some idea of prices Good Luck with everything

Garage sales are usually a great way to get rid of things,,,advertise it as a 'massive moving sale, everything must go", and I would be surprised if they are not banging your door down hours before your sale is due to start.That has worked really well for us, and we have off loaded so much, even big items and got pretty good prices The other good way, is a local Auction house This is a great way to off load the bigger items you plan to use till the end You can take the items down and leave them.Some places will let you put a "reserve " price on, some wont, so make sure you ask , and set decent/realistic reserves if you can We have ended up, getting more than the items initally cost us to buy on some occassions by doing this You can just leave the items you want to sell and go You can then have a cheque posted to you (Even if its to an international address), or you can leave your bank details and they will pay the money (less thier charges), into a bank account They normally charge a "sellers fee", of about 20% in total, which Yes is a bit steep, but you have no hassle and the items are gone.If they dont sell the first week, they usually reduce the 'reserve" for the following week, and it has been very rare that we havent got rid of items If you have "knick-knacks", just make up small boxes and they will be sold as "job -lots" Its always worked really well for us,and I really do recommend it

They like to go to bed at 8pm, and get up at some stupid time in the morning to go out walking or jogging . How they can go out ,is beyond me,,,,,you need an oxygen cylinder attached to you ,to go out in the thick smoke from all of the wood heaters.It is unreal, how anyone can go out in the smoke. I have to hold my breath, just getting out of the car, to go into the local shop.I get back in the car, and the smell of smoke on my clothes and in my hair is just awful We dont even walk our dogs in the colder months, it is impossible to breathe, yet it doesant seem to worry them. Whenever I have ever commented on how smoky it is,to them, I just get a blank and they say "what smoke????" OMG Even though it is all over the radio, nearly everyday in winter months, that the smoke levels are 4 or 5 times the safe limit and they are warning people with breathing problems, not to go out!

I just think its what they are used to,,,,,they have never done anything , except, the mudane ,routine stuff,they do everyday.Most have nver even travelled interstate, let alone abroad. They seem perfectly happy just doing the same thing over and over Here a night out, is in thier 'man-shed", getting drunk out of thier faces,maybe throw a "snag on the dirty barbie" When we have chatted to Aussies about the days out, and the places we have back in the UK, you can see in thier face, that they almost do not believe that we used to do so much.

Agree totaly. My Hubby works so many hours here, he often says he has never worked so many hours in his life. He really does not earn much more either, but constantly seems to be working I think that is just another great Immigration myth,people really do seem to think they will be working far less hours, earning vast amounts of money and having this amazing outdoor life, spending all thier time at the beach!!!!. People back home, wouldent beleive us,if we told them how hard it really can be here. No-one is going to believe the hours Hubby has had to work for us to survive here and get enough money to get home, I think most people will think we have had it easy,and been lucky:)

Says it all really, boredom is one big problem here(: I used to look forward to weekends off, but they bore me to tears now.

We have never found any in the time we have been here Occassionaly if the supermarket/veggie shed has just put out a new display there may be the odd one in there, but I think the big ones go off to the factories for chips etc We use the Nicolac spuds, and usually have to have 2 or 3 small ones each, to make up a decent size jacket spud

Hi Katiecuts Thank you,,,,I am fine now, thankfully We have been here just under 6 years,,,,2 years of Hubby wanting to stay, and now the last 4 years, saving enough money to be able to go home and have the standard of living we left behind. Its been a long haul, but we hope we wont be here, much longer, property to sell and then we will be booking our flights. I dont know how I will feel going home, I think I will probably just sit on the plane, not beleiving I am finally going home. I hope everything works out for you , Good Luck with it all.

We are from the South of England.We know Blackpool really well, we have a lot of friends in and around the area. Tassie is very quiet,too quiet for us, we have visited other states though and would not move to them, due to the expense and the fact we dont want to stay in Aus.

When you are on holiday, everyone seems lovely and it always seems the perfect place to live

Hi We are in Tassie.Probably one of the quieter states, but nether the less, for a small island, theres plenty of problems here. There is a lot to learn, and you will only find out what its like by being in Aus, for a length of time You will get an array of opinions on here,and only you can deceide whether to take notice or not Personally I wish we had stayed in the UK, we had a great life, but thought Aus would be even better We totaly dismissed the negatives and really thought the negatives were just "sour grapes".In hindsight we should of taken notice and realised that it really is same s..t, different country. Some come and love it and others loathe it. If you can come out and give it a go, without burning your bridges back home and giving up everything in the UK, that is what I would advise. If it works out great,,,,,,,,but if its not what you thought, you havent given up everything back home.

Honestly do not be under any illusion that teenage preganancy, teenage drinking, drugs , gambling, crime is any less here,,,,it all happens in Aus. Whether its more, less or the same as the UK,,,its still a flipping big problem in Aus. Honestly, do not think the sun shining will make a huge difference to your life,,,,it can be a complete pain, when its stinking hot and you find yourself very limited to the outdoor life, as its just too unbearable outside.We find we do far less outdoor things now, as the heat can be awful. As for smiling people,,,,,,,,,,well,,,,,,,,again,,,a very big shock instore for you there. Have you ever been to Aus ?