Redhelen

Is this definite? I would have loved to have gone but just too expensive for night out and babysitter etc. Very jealous of anyone with tickets and hoping it's on TV.

We also used Crown for a part container and no complaints with the service in UK but could have been better in Oz. They sent just 2 guys to deliver over 70 boxes plus some furniture and even with my husband working like a dog, they still didn't finish unpacking all the boxes and they left here at 8.30pm. Just not as good as the excellent packing done by a large super efficient team in London.

I've had bacon & eggs and choccies this morning so also a very happy mum today x

I needed to move some stuff from northern NSW to Melbourne and used a company called The Backloading Company (online). The local firms were all going to charge me more than our UK shipment too so went cheap. I'm not sure if I would recommend them as their timings for collection and delivery were quite vague and the guy that turned up was new so not really clear on instructions. But it was approx $1000 and they brought quite a lot of stuff for the price so if you're not in a rush they might ​be worth a call.

Hi May gang, we made it!!!!!! Spent our last week in the UK at my parents place near the Lake District and helping with my dad's 70th birthday party which was excellent and a good opportunity to say bye to extended family. Sunday couldn't stop crying, mostly because my 13 year old nephew wanted to have one last cuddle with his 10 month old cousin (oh my god, thinking about that set me off every two seconds). But after a very early start on Monday morning, we arrived in Sydney on Tuesday night to start out Aussie adventure. We're now staying on the east coast for Xmas and January with family before heading down to Melbourne where we plan to settle. So definitely interested to hear from anyone already there. Still kind of feel like we're on holiday but suppose that's not a bad way to think about things for a couple of weeks over the festive period and I'm glad we're spending it with family. It's weird to be here after spending so much time on the application and other than a slight bit of confusion over my maiden/married name at immigration we walked straight in. As with the visa grant, I think I expected some kind of fanfare and grand 'Welcome to Australia'. It's funny isn't it..... Well the sun's out where we are so hope things are good wherever you are.

Hi nycplanner We're heading to Melbourne in late Jan/early Feb so really interested in your posts. We haven't booked our holiday accommodation yet but I've been looking at the site you used. They have some great properties and seem very reasonable compared to some I've seen. Do you think it will take you a month to find a rental? We'll have a one-year old by the time we arrive so wondering how feasible viewings will be with a baby. I'm interested in what you've said about your passport as I presumed we wouldn't need anything other than our passports. Was it for anything specific like house rentals or just for mobile phone? Glad to hear the weather is as crazy as everyone says it is and looking forward to leaving the UK in December.

Hi Jaycris We're flying to Sydney in December to have a holiday and Xmas with a family member but we're settling in Melbourne. The plan is to arrive at the end of January, early Feb. Nice to hear from you, thought everyone from May gang was in Perth :-)

Your bags are usually checked in all the way to your final destination so no need to worry until you arrive in Australia. I flew with Qantas a couple of years ago from London to Bangkok and then on to Perth via Singapore. Pleasantly surprised by how good it was compared with a BA flight some years ago and that was in Economy. Food and drink were excellent and very handy overnight snack packs. We're flying with Singapore when we leave the UK but only because they were a hundred times more helpful with our booking for family of 3.

I'm curious to know what everyone is packing in their luggage when they leave the UK. I'm trying to think about my son who'll be 10 months when we fly but haven't really thought about me. Is anyone taking anything other than clothes. We've got quite a big luggage allowance with Singapore Air but there's only so much we'll be able to carry between 2 of us.

Hi everyone, realise I haven't posted on here for ages since we got our visas back in June. Being a full-time mum is certainly busier than being a Manager ;-) Just wanted to say massive congratulations to everyone who's heading to Oz this year. Don't know about everyone else but it's taken us about 2 1/2 years from when we started the process to that all important email. My husband had to re-do his skills assessment to ACS a couple of times until they were happy with his qualifications and experience. But the main thing is we're off......flights are booked for 10th December. We're going to Melbourne but heading to Harrington in NSW first for about 6 weeks to stay with family for Xmas and have a holiday. Not sure if anyone else is as seems you're all going to Perth???? But anyone going to Melbourne, let me know.

We are moving in December when my son will be 10 months old and I'm now quite worried about what to do about car seat. He's still in a rear facing one here in the UK but we'll definitely need a new one when we get to Oz as we have a 4 hour car journey the morning after we arrive. So is the general advice, don't bother taking one from the UK, just buy one when we get there? Also we probably won't be buying a car for several months so if there's the possibility of hiring one, that could be useful.

Hiya We also got our confirmation through this morning. What a relief and I've been genuinely shocked by how quickly this all came together after our visa forms were submitted. Massive 3 year wait is now over and now comes the fun bit of organising how and when to move. We're also heading to Melbourne Gareth, who have you booked flights with by the way, did you get a good deal on one-way?

Congratulations and good luck with your move. We've submitted our application so just waiting for the nod and we should be over before Xmas. Myself, husband and 5 month old son and we're not sure where we're heading yet but definitely to Melbourne. I would also welcome advice about mum and son activities.

Hiya We submitted our application at the beginning of May and as of Friday have now supplied everything including our PCCs. Our application is based on my husband's job (web developer) so keeping everything crossed we're 'granted' soon so that we can start making plans. I'm on maternity leave at the moment so it would be good to get this sorted before I have to return to work as will hopefully have more time to do research into accommodation, shipping and flights and stuff. Has anyone in May group had their visas granted yet and just out of interest, what are your jobs?

We've now been allocated our CO and have been asked to book medicals and complete Police check forms. I've booked the meds for Wednesday in the West End of London which was our only option really. Bit weird that you don't get to see the results before they get sent to Immigration but fingers crossed all OK. I can't believe how quickly this has happened as it's taken us nearly 2 years to get here. My husband's skills assessment was rejected first time round so he had to re-apply but we're soooooo close now, hope it was worth all that effort. Good luck everyone.