markb28

Final from me: Moreland Council VIC Applied online: 18/4/2018 Test: 1/5/2019 Approved: 4/9/2019 Ceremony (Moreland Town Hall): 17/12/2019 Passport application: 18/12/2019 Passport received: 20/12/2019

Australian passports are now accepted at the UK ePassport/smartgates so there is no speed benefit to travelling on a UK passport any longer.

Some movement on mine at last. Applied Melbourne (Moreland Council) Applied 12 April 2018 Test 1 May 2019 (Melbourne CBD) Approved 4 Sep 2019 Just awaiting my ceremony date now. Good luck to all waiting.

Did test in Melbourne on 1 May, application still sitting on received. Bit of a shambles this process, have no idea when or if it will be looked at.

I've used a ton of these over solutions over the last 6 years using smart DNS which works better than a VPN for streaming UK stuff. Install Smart DNS proxy on your router to enable all your connected devices at once its a simple DNS config change. There are others like Unlocator and Getflix that also work. I've used a PS3, Firestick, laptop, ipad, phones and Android Tv all work fine using this method. The best solution and one I constantly use is my Smart Tv instead. I have an Australian Samsung smart TV, about 4 years old and have set it up as a UK tv so the apps are native. No messing about in daily use and works for all main UK catch up services. Instructions below: https://www.cactusvpn.com/tutorials/how-to-change-region-on-samsung-smart-tv-k-series/

Yes, have used smart DNS proxy worked well.

Update for Melbourne CBD application Applied online - 12 April 2018 Acknowledgement by email the same day Test appointment email received- 30 Jan 2019 Appointment/Test - 1 May 2019

I watch tv player on an Amazon Fire TV stick. Buy one from the UK or get it sent over, the one on the Aussie amazon site is an old slow rubbish one. About 40 quid Get a Smart DNS service unlocater/Smart DNS proxy/getflix for a few dollars a month. Install Iplayer/ITV/all 4/5 catch up apps on the fire tv. Install TV player app for free live TV (there is an option for more channels like Nat Geo/Discovery for 5 quid a month). The services above also allow you to watch stuff on your computer/Ipad etc also. I did have the other sky channels through Now TV but never watched them. If you want football, I'd just pay for Optus sport, also works on the fire tv.

The NBN is a mix of different technologies, what you get depends on where you live and at what stage your area was NBN enabled. These types are explained here: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/02/giz-explains-every-nbn-technology-compared/ You can check potential addresses here: https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address.html. This will give an indication of the NBN connectivity type in place or when it will be scheduled for NBN. For residential NBN, Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is the best and is generally hassle free if already installed. I have FTTP and have no issues getting close to the 100/40 service I pay for. There is a long running conversation on Whirlpool about which Internet provider to use, however to summarise Aussie broadband and Telstra have the best performance, Aussie Broadband being pretty flexible over contract length, Telstra have unlimited data but a bit expensive. I'm with Telstra and have no complaints - it just works. The others Optus/TPG/iinet/Dodo are cheaper but lots of complaints about congestion and speeds so be wary of getting into any extended contract with them. I've used a few of these but wasn't impressed.

I'd ask for $140k inclusive (that includes super), more if you get it.

I'd have to say as a Londoner myself - you won't get a spectacular lifestyle on $110 AUD compared to 63k GBP as a single guy. I'd agree that the 130k would be closer to parity. Sydney is bloody expensive and you'll find that rent if you live somewhere nice on your own is going to take a big chunk out of your salary (same as London). Food/drinks more expensive as are groceries. And if you're negotiating don't be swayed into a performance related deal as there are multiple factors that can mean your take home annually is even lower.

I know there is a Eurosport app on my Amazon fire tv. http://www.eurosport.com/application-amazon-fire.shtml havent used it though. The Amazon fire TV stick used with a smart DNS service (better than a client VPN in my opinion) gives all the UK free to air catch up, with a remote for 40 pounds. Get someone from the UK to send one over. I use mine with a service called getflix which sorts out all my devices with access to iplayer etc. Think its about $4 a month for the smart DNS. You will need a UK amazon account to set the device up (easy to sort). Setting up smart DNS is as easy as paying for it and changing DNS in your router. The main advantage of smart DNS over VPN is speed, most VPNs will significantly reduce your download speed. Instructions: http://www.eyeondemand.com/2015/11/27/how-to-access-amazon-fire-tv-for-uk-streaming-television-from-anywhere-in-the-world/ The above refers to the bigger fire tv device, however the small stick works just fine and the instructions remain the same.

I moved here from London (Brixton) in 2012, lived in Sydney now in Melbourne (Brunswick East) where we bought a house. My partner and I both work in IT, I'm a Londoner she's Aussie. Compared to Lewisham the suburbs are safe here and not rough at all - what do you want to know? The weather ain't that spectacular for 6 months each year regardless of what you hear- but still better than home and awesome for the other 6 months. You're looking at $600 a week for the type of property you are looking for in a decent area,$100 less if you are content with a 2 bed flat. There's loads of suburbs I could recommend - Fitzroy/Carlton/Brunswick/Northcote/Thornbury in the North, St Kilda/Windsor/South Yarra and Prahran in the South (getting more expensive in the South). City beaches are pretty unspectacular in Melbourne, however good ones are just over an hours drive away. All the areas mentioned I'd find suitably lively as a Londoner. Avoid docklands, its reasonably priced for a reason - Canary Wharf like soulless. Someone mentioned Coburg, next suburb north of us and has stuff going on however I'd move to somewhere with a bit more lively - that's more an area you would buy in when you're getting a foot on the ladder. I'm assuming you are fairly young - if so transport options should be key to your decision, a good tram/tube station close by is important.

I moved to Oz in October 2012 and lived in Syd for 3 years before moving to Melbourne. Big pros and cons for both places but Melbourne just feels like a much more real place, the people, lifestyle and culture suits me much better and along with slightly crappy weather has a lot of the good stuff from my hometown (London) but still having the beaches within an hours drive, great wineries and even snow if you want it. I feel much more part of the community here in Brunswick which has loads going on. It doesn't have Sydney's harbour (never tire of that) or decent city beaches, however I've got out to good suburban beaches in the same time it takes to find a park in Bondi/Palm Beach. I lived in Newtown when in Sydney which was great but again real estate prices were crazy and west Connex shortly to ruin the local vibes. Unfortunately to get the best of Sydney, location is everything as its hard to get around and even the dullest suburbs are way in excess of $1 million for a simple 2 bed townhouse. I know at lot of people talking about being priced out and willing a crash on. Also the gentrification is turning swathes of Sydney into very dull zones of rich foreign students (Alexandria) or former nightlife areas being destroyed (Kings Cross) by state government/police interference. The VIC state government are just so much more progressive than in NSW, easier to get around, better highways and public transport ,all night trams at weekend free trams in the CBD zone all day, Drinks/meal at 3am - not a problem, a vibrant CBD at weekends - check, Better food here (like massively). For balance, in Melbourne there is a lot of annoying construction everywhere, variable weather, numbers on public transport rising and a worse job market than Sydney. For now its more affordable to buy a house, and for those with a smaller budget easily attainable within an hours commute. First home buyer stamp duty abolished from July. I made the decision to buy a house here within 6 months - finally shaking off the UK/Oz dilemmas which were always there in Sydney. I stayed in Manly a few weeks ago as a tourist, its great to go back but I don't think I'd consider living in Sydney again, my partner feels the same and she grew up there.

I brought my PS3 over and UK tv. The PS3 (and PS4) is worth keeping setup as a UK one, with a DNS service like unotelly all the UK catch up tv will continue to work on the PS4. Oz free to air is rubbish, Foxtel aint really worth it either

I moved here with my partner at 41, 3 years in Sydney before moving to Melbourne last December. Things are going well, but there is and will always be a yearning for home. When the time is right, we will go back home and will keep the option to come back to Australia also. Seems all the concerns are financial, however you should just go if the yearning is too great, life's too short and do it while you have the desire and are healthy. If you summoned up the energy to come here and start anew, returning home is likely to be much easier.

Thanks for the responses, will use that as info when we get quotes. As contractors, days off work to do the work ourselves isn't great value.

After 4 years in Australia, I'm finally in a position to purchase a house and will be looking at buying a 3 bed house in Melbourne, inner north suburbs in next few months. Some of the places I'm thinking of buying are nice but dated and will require a fair bit of work. Can anyone advise on ballpark renovation costs, think mid-range not top of the line. Purely for budgeting purposes. Replace bathroom (tiling, toilet, sinks, bath/shower enclosure) - whole room renovation Flooring (wood) per room,hallway and living area Kitchen replacement including appliances/dishwasher/cooker/sink/cabs Painting for approx 150m2 house 10-15m2 garden - fixing up generally Also any advice on securing good tradies would be useful, after renting I haven't had to deal with many here. Cheers Mark

I didn't find a decent job for 7 months, burned through all my savings over that period. Its a very expensive time when you emigrate. That was with my partner finding a job quickly and paying the main bills, still spent a bundle. Make sure you have enough money to last a considerable amount of time comfortably - if you're worried about financials in the first few months it will not be a great experience at all.

I moved to Melbourne in December 2015 after 3 years in Sydney. 5 months in, no regrets whatsoever. Although Melbourne is a big city in Aus speak, its not comparable to say a London, Paris, NY - I'm originally from London. Although I'm not single and have my Aussie partner, dog and cat, I wouldn't hesitate to move here on my own. Melbourne is a great place to live. A few reasons why: Public transport is good, Sydney is a pain to get around without a car unless you are in a well connected city or inner suburb Restaurants and bars everywhere, generally excellent quality More affordable than Sydney Just a better vibe all round, although there is some pretentiousness there are notably less hipster knobs here Life here is easy

Yes, you can get them working here.

As others have mentioned here, using a DNS solution (unblock us, getflix, unotelly etc) will give you access to all the main UK catch up TV services. I use unotelly which supports all the UK services and has worked well for years. I used to view these on my PS3 when I arrived 3 years ago. My Samsung smart tv (Australian 2015) model, was easily converted to a UK smart tv with all the catch up channels. I wouldn't bother with Now tv the service, however the box is a bargain at about 15 pounds. I would recommend the Amazon fire tv box at 35 pounds, especially as it gives access to netflix, all UK catch up tv and tvplayer for BBC/4/ITV live streams (and Amazon prime). You may want to browse: http://www.eyeondemand.com it has a lot of info on what is available.

Moved from Sydney to Melbourne a couple of months back. This article is bang on the money. You'd have to say the CBD is a ghost town these days.

I don't think the cost of living differs much between London and Sydney now that the dollar has tanked. Rent, eating and drinking being the main factors. I also don't buy anything from the UK anymore, the shops here are often the same price. My (small and crappy) two bed flat that I own in South London rents out for 1300 GBP per month. I have a much nicer place here which I rent for $2500 per month in Newtown. As long as the OP is not too extravagant, they will be fine for a pretty decent standard of living with holidays. A night out for $100 is pretty easy to find with dinner/drinks equates to 50 quid. Cabs a bit cheaper. You have to compare inner city Sydney with other capital cities - costs are comparable to NY/London/Auckland not Scunthorpe I spent about 80 quid on drinks and dinner in the West End last time I was in London, a round of 4 pints being close to 20 quid. Not having a car and living central will make Sydney a lot more affordable.

There are lots of ways to achieve this. The easiest way is to ask a relative if they can use their sky credentials and use Sky Go. To do this you will need a DNS bypass service (much better than a VPN tunnel). The DNS services will also sort out the UK catch up TV services. There is a site that shows you all the options: http://www.eyeondemand.com I would also recommend that you bring a Now Tv box with you - just hook it up to your telly with a DNS service: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2800150.htm