trabonita

Hi I am looking for flights from UK - Sydney and China South are coming up a lot cheaper than anyone else, has anyone flown with them, any experiences? My mum will be travelling on her own and although she isn't bothered which airline she flies with, I don't want her on a flight from hell :-) Thank you.

We are currently looking for a rental in NSW. Most houses are open days (well open for 20mins) but some have been able to view by appt. Be friendly with estate agents so they remember you. We have been asked for slightly different things by 2 different estate agents, some work on a points system so you have to have 100 points to submit an application. You will need your passport, driving licence, birth certificate (not necessarily all three), we provided a letter from my husbands employer saying he was starting work on x day and earning x amount. We provided a letter from our previous landlord saying we were good tenants and printed out a UK bank statement, prev water/electricity bill and our Aussie bank statement. So basically we couldn't provide everything they wanted i.e current bills, current rent books etc but they accepted the above instead. You don't need to take it all to the viewing but if you really like the house it is handy as you can go straight to the estate agents and apply.

No chance of that with two children! it may take several weeks!!!!

Hi we arrive in NSW in 2 weeks and I would like some advice of what to do first with regards to the important stuff! we have a temp rental sorted and husband will be starting work 5 days after we arrive. What do we need to do? i'm thinking things like sorting phones, medicare etc? what else is important? Thanks!

we are flying Singapore airlines. You can take 30kgs per person but as far as I am aware there is no limit to the amount of suitcases as long as it totals 30kgs.

Thanks everyone. lots to check out!

Hi, we arrive in Sydney in just under 4 weeks. I want to be prepared when I get there so we can get things sorted asap. Just wondering what mobile networks are popular, where I might get a good deal on a mobile phone package, particularly one that offers free/cheap calls back to the UK as I imagine that is what I will be using it for the most! Any suggestion greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Our furniture has just left the UK for Aus. We have been told the eta is 9th August, which is a few weeks earlier than I had hoped as I don't think we will have found a permanent rental by then. Has anyone used the storage facility for your stuff? Roughly how much does it cost per week? It will be arriving in Sydney. Many thanks.

It was a shared container so we knew we might have to wait. Apparently the 10-14 weeks they quote you factors in this though, still I would like to know it is on its way! We have 5 weeks before we leave for Aus though so plenty of time I guess!

We are moving from Essex to the Central Coast NSW. House prices are very similar, the difference is I get to live near the beach which I could never afford a similar house in the UK. I'm originally from the north of England so if I compare house prices in the north to house prices in Sydney for example then yes it is very expensive so I think it all depends where you have come from. Renting wise, we are currently living in a 2 bed in an ok area, we can rent on the CC for a tiny bit more but get a 3/4 bed near the beach so its a no brainer!

wow that is so quick! How long did it sit in the UK before it left for Australia? we have gone with pickfords too, our stuff was collected 2 weeks ago and it hasn't left the UK yet!

That's good to know, thank you.

We are just debating whether to ship our TV but have just read that sometimes the sound quality is different if bringing a TV from the UK, has anyone found this? Thanks.

Congratulations on your new arrival and well done for being brave and making such a big move whilst pregnant! Where have you settled on the coast, we are moving there with our 3 1/2yr old and one yr old in 7 weeks!

Thanks everyone. I don't have a problem with them checking it was more that this would be an additional cost to what we are already paying! I wondered if other shipping companies include it in their quotes or if its always an add on if the container is checked?

I am just about to sign up with pickfords and I thought the cost was inclusive door to door. However, ive just read that we would have to pay between $140-400 if our container was checked by customs in Australia, of course apparently this is unlikely, but I'm not believing this as its a shared container and we would still have to pay even if they were checking the other persons goods. How likely is it that it will be checked? has anyone else incurred these costs? Many thanks!

Great, thanks everyone.

Hi, just wondering if rental prices are set in stone or if it is acceptable to offer lower than the asked weekly rental? FYI we are moving to the Central Coast NSW. Many thanks!

Can you ship your things several weeks before you leave the UK? We are shipping ours about 7 weeks before we go.

ok so warm clothes for indoors not out :wink:. Thanks everyone.

john mason have just given us a quote, i've only had 2 but it was the cheapest so we will probably go with them. Can I ask did you take their insurance?

wow 7 weeks, that's quick!

Hi we have been told it will take 12-14 weeks on average for a shared container to get to Sydney. Is this what others have found? I really want to try and time it so that we can move from our temp rental (6 weeks) into a more permanent rental with our stuff, I realise there are no guarantees but was thinking of sending our things from the UK about 7 weeks before we go, do you think this is about right? Thanks for any replies.

wow that sounds great! is there much sunshine in the winter months? Thanks x

Hi We will be arriving on the Central Coast end of July. Could someone tell me what kind of weather temps we can expect this time of year please? I'm wondering if I should hang on to the children's winter clothes! Many thanks!