SoozyB

Hello all! Thanks in advance for answering this question - apologies if you get this a lot! My OH and me are currently waiting for the decision on our 186 visa - what we want to know is when it is approved, do we have to go overseas to 'activate' the visa and return to Australia before we can then head back to the UK for an extended trip? Appreciate your responses.

Hi All! Thank you for all your messages! Good Luck to everyone in the same position as us and moving over in a few weeks!! We started to sell all our furtniture back in October, with the mindset that folk don't want to spend too much on the run up to Crimbo (apart from food, presents and booze of course!) and we did well to have sold everything within 2 weeks...Gumtree is brill! For those mentioning HMRC, the Letting Agent have given us a Non Resident Landlord Scheme form to fill out, but ours is one where you apply to not pay tax. This being that our yearly rental income is much less than our personal income allowance. So we are to hear back about that. Can I ask....what should we do with the P85 (claiming any overpaid tax back when leaving the UK) as we have heard to complete the form before we go and others have advised to do the form once we are over in Oz?? A little confused so if anyone can help?? The main things left for us are trying to cram everything in our cases now! 30kg each is proving hard work!! Thank you again! Sooz

Hello!! Hope everyone is well and can throw some suggestions at me? We have 3 weeks on Wednesday until we fly to Melbs and we are trying to run through things that we need to get sorted out before we go... so far we have done the following: House is up for rent (we have a tenant on board) Re-mortgaged to a BTL Sold all our furniture (we have only a small sofa we are borrowing as well as a small 3/4 bed) Cancelled the Virgin Media Sold the car Opened Aussie bank account Opened a Moneycorp account Sorted out shipping Taken out Landlords Insurance There are things that we are yet to do which we have been advised to sort last minute; TV license, Electric and Gas, Council Tax.... What else is there to do? All suggestions welcome! Thanks, Sooz

The plan was to vac all the clothes we have in our cases, then there is more room for toiletries bags, shoes, etc It would be tempting to pack more, but I am terrified of going over my 30kg! haha

I'm hoping that a couple of weeks and I will find something Thank you for your replies so far!

I had never flown before March 2011!! My VERY first flight was Manchester to Melbourne via Dubai with Emirates. I was very impressed! set aside the free blanket, pillow, ICE (tv/radio system), drinks, food, etc the stewards were lovely! They knew that I had never flown before (I was 23 at the time) and they made me feel at ease the whole way. So for me, Emirates is rather good when I fly back out in January, we are hoping to fly with them again! Hope this helps!

Thought this was the case! I have been emailing and annoying that many people in Melbs that someone will hopefully employ me once I'm there to stop me nagging them!

Hello Folks! I'm sure that this has been asked before but looking at someone that has done this recently? Vacuum storage bags to pack clothes in for flying and also using them for duvets, pillows etc for shipping. Has anyone used them succesfully?? (sounds odd I know but I hope you understand where I am coming from?) Any help is super!

Howdy everyone! Just looking for a bit of advice..... OH and me are moving to Melbourne first week in January 2013. He has a job secured (457) I have been looking for work also but each CV or application I complete I receive an email saying "thanks for your application, register with the site and get in touch when you arrive" which I completely understand, but it is a little frustrating. Is this the norm?? Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi! It does help! Thank you. We roughly estimated that if we set aside around $150 a month then that would be enough? With maybe a little extra to add on with the bill.

BUMP!! Can anyone else help?

If you live in one of these apartments in a high rise....what happens with water bill? I did read somewhere (couldn't tell you where! haha) that water bills are sometimes void as they cannot possibly get an accurate meter reading?

Sell what DVDs and CDs you can at car boot. What ever is left, take them to Cash Converters or CEX.....guaranteed monies. Granted you won't get as much as you would like for them, but it's all money in the pot

Hello all! I am hoping that someone can help. Been trying to do some comparisons of the cost of utilities but unfortunately I can only seem to find bills for a family of 4/5, living in a 3/4 bedroom house in the 'burbs. What I am after is cost of utilities based on a couple sharing a 1/2 bed apartment in the city. Can anyone help? Thanks in advance Sooz

Hey! OH and me are going through this EXACT process right now!! We have been putting large items on Gumtree (bed, sofa, TV, bikes, shelving units, chest of drawers) then all of the little nik nak pieces we have sold at Car Boot. We have done this now as it's getting closer to Christmas and come December no one is going to part with their cash We had a king size bed, which has now been sold so we are on the 3/4 bed in our spare room (not pleasant as we are both over 6foot!), luckily the bed we are on is naff so that will be tipped just before we go. Getting rid of the sofa is no issue as the next door neighbour has a spare sofa they don't use so they are lending us that. We have sold out fridge recently! So will have no fridge for about 4/5 weeks! Again the neighbours (who just happen to be our best friends) are jumping into the breach and letting us store stuff there. Also, we have a cellar so it gets pretty cold down there We are only shipping 2 maybe 3 boxes and that is heavier jumpers, couple of duvet sets, shoes and a couple of pictures. For me, sell everything, get the cash to take over and start a fresh. For many moving to Australia is all about a new start and do you really want to be cluttered with old stuff? Granted you want some "homely" items......just be ruthless! Hope my waffling has contributed something?!