North to South

Hi, We are soon to be moving to Melbourne and in addition to our main house purchase we are considering buying a holiday home that we can use in the summer months/weekends or rent out when we're not using it. We currently live in the UK and are fortunate to own a second home in Portugal that we can get to within about 4 hours should we choose to go there for a long weekend, but mainly we rent it out to holidaymakers. Being new to Australia we are not sure where to look and what would be the main areas we should consider - Ideally, we would like somewhere that is within 3 hours of Melbourne so that it is easy for us to get to of a weekend, but also in a good area where we could rent it out if we chose that option. It may seem odd when we're going to be living by a beach to buy another holiday home elsewhere, but it's something that we've enjoyed having the benefit of and it is nice if we want just to be able to get away for a weekend. We also hope that it might be a good investment....Can't be worse than Portugal..... We may completely change our mind when we get there, but my wife is quite keen so I'm keen to explore what's available. All help / comments would be most appreciated and if you think we're mad then please let us know that too

Hi, As part of my research into schools in and around Melbourne I've pulled together a set of data that details a lot of information on the schools in some of the suburbs which maybe helpful to families moving to Melbourne with children of primary school age. Hope that this is useful..... School_Info.xls School_Info.xls

Hi, I'm interested to know what the most popular courses/examinations are in Australia for Project Management. I have about three months before I move and I thought I'd enrol on a few courses before moving, but not sure which ones to do. All advice would be most welcome. Thanks, Rich

I'm moving soon and only stocking up on some medical essentials for my daughters eczema and asthma as I know the cost of the creams and inhalers can be quite expensive in Australia compared to the UK. Oh, and my wife is for some reason buying new duvet covers as she thinks they are cheaper here I'd be interested to know the cost of Anadin Extra in Coles as I go through a packet of 16 every week and I know these are the only ones that subdue my nagging headaches.

Hi, i keep seeing threads relating to 100 point ID check on rentals. What does this mean ? thanks, Rich

Hi, We're soon to be moving and really would appreciate a summary of what we need to do on arrival regards medical care and also likely costs. We are a family of 3 and my daughter has eczema and requires hydromol as a moisturiser and a steroid cream to keep it under control, I suffer with mild asthma and require a purple and blue inhaler and my wife is the healthy one and only has the pill. I'm assuming that these medications will have to be paid for when we arrive ?? Where would you find out the cost of these so I can add it into the budget ? We currently have private medical cover which has been beneficial for my daughters eczema and this year for me when I needed surgery, so we are considering taking this out for peace of mind so any recommendations on what companies to look at would be welcome ? i have read on a few posts about doctors bulk billing but unsure what this means ? i would welcome all advice on what a soon to be newbie should be doing and looking out for when we arrive. looking forward to any posts and help

If you don't have enough points to qualify for a visa then you are not entitled to one! Fact! If you feel that lying is the correct route to go down, then just remember your lies are potentially stopping another applicant who meets all the points criteria from maybe fulfilling their dream as you could be taking their place. If you have the correct number of points already, then that's great, so why lie? It may be a harsh fact, but the points system is there for a reason and if you don't qualify, like many people don't, then you're sadly not entitled to a visa. If you feel lying is the correct moral route to go down then that's your choice.....

Hi Blake, Thanks for the post and a lot of useful info there. One question I have is regarding the speedometer. We are looking to bring our 3 year old SLK when we move in a few months. The car today only has a MPH speedometer with no KMH on the dial, but it does have a large electronic KMH on the main display when you select it. In your view would this be sufficient or is it likely that we would be asked to have a KMH on the dial which means replacing the entire instrument cluster? All help would be most welcome as I know mercedes have quoted over a £1000 for the actual cluster before fitting. thanks, Rich

Hi, This may seem a daft question, but please bear with me. I'm concerned about my daughters ongoing education when we move over to Australia later this year. Our intention if we stayed in the UK was for her to sit the 11+ next year and then hopefully secure a place at a grammar school rather than going down the private route. I'm interested to understand if there are the equivalent of grammar schools in Australia and what the process is for enrolment into them - Is it the same as the UK? All help would be most welcome. Thanks, Rich

Hi, We're moving to Melbourne and will be shipping our car in our own container with our personal possessions. It may cost slightly more, but I have peace of mind that my car is safe with all my other possessions and won't risk being knocked or scuffed with the other forms or transportation. It's a personal preference, but I'm just nervous handing the keys of a £40,000 car to another company and hoping it arrives at the other end. I will be using Iron Lady though for all the import and to get the road on arrival in Melbourne. Hope this helps.

Hi, I'm hoping some fellow PIOers who are about to embark on a new life in Sydney or are already there may be able to help. We are looking for good family suburbs (with good primary schools) with about 1 to 1-30 commutes into the CBD. I've spent some time searching for houses etc upto about £750K and there are some nice ones, but just unsure on the areas so really would appreciate some pointers in the right direction. All help and comments most welcomed. Thanks, Rich

Hi, Are there any areas within a reasonable commute (less than 80mins) to Sydney where you can still buy a reasonable house for less than £600k in a good area with good schools? Heres hoping

Hi, i am sure the answer is no, but just wanted to ask...... We have kept one of the tiers of our wedding cake for sentimental reasons and while we'd never eat it again we want to keep it, and I just wondered whether we would be allowed to bring this with us when we move? Any comments would be appreciated before it ends up in the bin.... thanks, Rich

Hi, This is a very quick question to find out how easy people have found it/find it to gain short term accommodation to tide them over until you gain your first proper rental/property in Australia? This could also be for people seeking apartments/self catering when doing their reccies. The reason I ask is that I'm considering creating a very simple website where accommodation owners, who provide short term rentals, could list their properties and I could then make it available to PIOers to ease their searches. It'd be great to hear some feedback on whether this would be a useful website/service for people who are making the move? Thanks, Rich

Hi, This has probably been covered before, but I just wanted to gain some balanced feedback on what it's like living in Point Cook/Sanctuary Lakes versus say Ringwood/Frankston South. Key things I'm interested to hear about is the commute into the CBD and the schooling. I can see that you seem to get more house for your dollar in PC/SL, but that's not everything.....So please share some honest views from people who live there and those that have considered it and decided not to move there. Thanks so much, Rich

Hi, Where are the best / most popular locations to live on the North side of Perth that provide good commutes into the CBD? We are looking for a 4 bed house up to about $550K close to good primary schools. All help would be most welcomed? Thanks, Rich

Hi, Could any fellow PIOers let me know what good websites there are that give a good idea of things/activities to do with children in Australia. I'm familiar with kidspot.com.au, but I'm just looking for something more specific that lists great places to take children. Thanks, Rich

Hi, I'm trying to find some smaller, more personal recruitment companies in Perth that deal with accountants/finance professionals. I've emailed Robert Half, Hayes etc and have had zero response from them regarding employment opportunities in Perth, so I'm hoping that there might be some smaller ones out there that someone could recommend that I could contact who may actually respond. All help would be most welcome. Thanks, Rich

Hi, We've contacted a few recruitment companies but no one has come back to us, so just wondered what the view was on PIO about the employment market in Perth for Accountants / Finance Professionals. We both have great CV's with lots of experience working in global companies based in London, but now as the time comes to move the reality sets in about finding work when we arrive..... All help / comments / guidance would be most welcomed. Thanks, Rich

Hi, we were supposed to be on the Melbourne show filming at the end of Jan but sadly we had to withdraw, but wish we hadn't. I received an email from Raise the Roof and they mentioned May but hadn't seen any adverts for it. It's good to see its coming soon . Will look out for fellow PIO and be jealous it wasn't us... ​

Hi, I just wondered if anyone had heard when the new C4 Programme on families looking to buy homes in Australia that was filmed earlier this year is being aired on C4? Thanks, Rich

Hi, I'm a bit confused whether you have to keep a personalised imported car for a length of time after importing it. We are considering importing our X5, but know that we would probably look to change it after about 12 months and want to know if there are any restrictions on us doing this. I don't want to go through all the pain of importing the car if I don't have the freedom to sell it or change it when I want too. All help would be most welcomed. Thanks.

Hi, I'd appreciate some guidance on whether you can bring a used (6 person size) tent with you to Australia when you migrate, and if you can does it have to be spotlessly clean? Also, I know that a lot of tents in Australia are the cotton ones, but does anyone use the more lightweight versions that are more popular here in the UK and are they OK or are they too hot in the Australian summer? All help would be most appreciated. Thanks, Rich

Today, I find it sad that some people can be so disrespectful to the dead. Margaret Thatcher, whatever your political views was still a mother, grandmother and human being and deserves some respect in her passing. I was part of the task force that recaptured the Falkland Islands in 1982 and to have served HM Queen and The PM in doing my job to stop a regime taking over British Sovereignty was one of my proudest moments - What comments would be written today had Britain not fought to recapture part of Britain under the leadership of MT? Yes, there were some political changes that looking back in hindsight may have been done differently, but the Country at that time needed change, and without MT I don't think that change would have happened and today the Country wouldn't be where it is. MT, in your passing we have lost a great person, someone who stood tall and showed the Country a different path. You deserve the honour of a Ceremonial Funeral and those that celebrate your passing clearly do not understand your passion, commitment and dedication that you gave throughout your life to a cause greater than your own life.

Hi, As far as I know if she's named on your visa app then she should be able to work on a 189. My wife was the lead applicant on our visa and I was granted the same visa that allows me to work. It's always worth checking these things out with DIAC / Migration Agent to be sure.