Andrea

Hi everyone, My husband and I are currently on the 457 visa and it expires in June this year. My husband's boss has agreed to take him one for six more months at the hospital he works at. do we have to pay the full amount of the 457 fees just to have it renewed for six months? thanks for your help! Andrea

Hi Everyone, We were just wondering if anyone knew of any decent estate agents in and around Melbourne? Or places to rent? We have been lucky enough to secure jobs here in the CBD, but they don't start for 2 weeks. We arrived in Oz 7 weeks ago now, and are really running low on money. Staying in hotels and even hostels is too costly now, so we need to get somewhere fast. We have looked on Gumtree, but have only had one response, which turned out to be a scam! Once we get the hideously expensive bond out of the way we will be ok, but we are finding that everywhere we enquire about is gone before we have a chance to view it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated Andrea and Andy

Hi Karen, I know that DownUnder travel insurance will cover you on a one way ticket, we found this out just before we came out here in Feb. They were also the cheapest and you can have the insurance for as long as you want. We have got it for six months as we dont know how long we will be out here, but can just log in online to extend it every month if need be which is good. If you come home early I think they will refund you for what you havent used too. We looked at many backpacker insurance sites, but they were silly expensive and once they knew we were going on a one way they said it wasnt valid (something you don't find out unless you ring them so be careful) Hope this helps! Andrea.

Hi Everyone, We moved to Oz a month ago now on our Working holiday visas, started off in Melbourne and went up the coast to Brisbane. We are currently in Brisbane but have booked a cheap flight back to Melbourne for next wednesday (14th) as we want to have our base there. The problem is every hostel and hotel are fully booked due to the F1 race and we are completely stuck and panicking now. Please can anyone help us, do you know of anyone who may be letting out a room or a one bedroomed place? Any help would be great, getting so worried now! Andrea and Andy

Hi All, We finally arrived in Melbourne last week on our WHVS, and after ten nights here have got a campervan booked to go up the East coast towards Brisbane. Thing is, as the campervan cost us much more than expected after forking for extra insurance,we are now left with mimimal funds. We have heard that there are a few free camping grounds around that may be useful to save on extra fees on top of the car rental and petrol. Does anyone have camping experience as we are rookies, and could do with a lot of help!!! We know there is a good camping booking called camps 6, but at 60 dollars on the GBP exchange rate it is a little expensive for us!! Many thanks Andrea.

:biggrin: Hi Everyone, We are flying to Oz in 5 days, and were just wondering if we could apply online for our Medicare cards or if we had to wait until we were in Oz. We have a friend in Melbourne who we could use for address purposes. Many thanks! Andrea

Hi All, We are off to Oz next month, and although we have most things organised for our year out, one thing is still bothering us -TRAVEL INSURANCE!! I know that the annual policies only cover your stay in each country for 3 months so are guessing we will have to take out the backpacker one. Problem is it is very expensive, as they think we will all be bungee jumping or something! Does anyone have any tips on cheap policies as we won't be doing any extreme sports or anything, but would like to be covered for health and luggage etc. Thanks! Andrea.

Thanks! I hope I will get to see some, they look gorgeous! x

Hi Everyone, A few questions regarding F1! My F1 fanatic fiance would like to know what channels show the F1 on over in Australia and is there a charge to watch it? Do they show any BBC 1 coverage of the races? Also, Do the local bars tend to show the F1? Many thanks Everyone! Andrea.:biggrin::cool:

Hello All, I was wondering if anyone had done any TEFL teaching whilst on their travels in Oz. I have a recognised TEFL qualification, and just wondered if anyone had given it a go, and how flexible employers are. From the website I have checked, it seems pretty positive. Thanks! Andrea.

Hi Both, Thanks for your answers. I checked out the Aussie YHA card, and it saysyou have to be a Aussie resident to have one, so we are definitely going to go for the UK one. I will remember to ask everywhere if they accept it and get some discounts! Thanks again for your help! Andrea.

Hi All, I have noticed on a few Oz tourist sites that peole who possess a YHA card (Youth Hostel Association) can get discounts on certain attractions. The card costs £10 in the UK, available from any YHA hostel. Sounds like a great idea, Does anyone have one, and are they useful? Thanks! Andrea.

Hi Postive Pixie, Thanks for your help I took a look at the Camping guide, it looks fab . We will purchase it in Oz, as like you say, it is pricey over here in the UK! Thanks for the info too on Wicked campers, certainly one to avoid!!! Andrea xx We have got a quote online for a one way rental from Melbourne to Brisbane. When the payment page comes up, is that the final total for the rental, as it doesn't mention whether a one way charge was applied. We just don't want to find extra costs cropping up when we pay! Also, Can we pay on a debit card, as we do not want to incur costs with a credit card, and do we have to pay the total amount in one go, or a deposit now and the rest when we pick up the car? If our plans change, and we need to amend rental dates, is that possible and is there a cost involved? MANY THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!! Andrea.

Hi Lucy, Thanks for your help. We do have a few quick questions! We have got a quote online for a one way rental from Melbourne to Brisbane. When the payment page comes up, is that the final total for the rental, as it doesn't mention whether a one way charge was applied. We just don't want to find extra costs cropping up when we pay! Also, Can we pay on a debit card, as we do not want to incur costs with a credit card, and do we have to pay the total amount in one go, or a deposit now and the rest when we pick up the car? If our plans change, and we need to amend rental dates, is that possible and is there a cost involved? MANY THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!! Andrea.

Hey Everyone, I was wondering if you could help us. We are moving to Melbourne in Feb, and are planning on doing a bit of travelling before we commence works on oue WHVS. The plan is to hire a campervan up the coast on a budget, and Jucy campervans seem to be quite widely advertised. Their rivals are Spaceship van hire. Has anyone had experience campervanning with any of these companies, and is one better than the other? Also, Is this a good way of getting around, or really expensive, as I know you have to pay campsite fees on top of the rental! Many thanks Andrea and Andy x