Geraldine

Oh dear...any changes that make patients think of A&E before their GP will be bitterly regretted and more costly. Its difficult enough to achieve continuity of care in Oz. This has the wiff of making it even more fragmented.. Shortsighted

As ever in life compromise is king... Firstly what matters most to you...your child having their dad in their life and you having your husband on a daily basis or your child its grandparents and you your parents. If your parents were supportive of your move and said they would visit how would you feel ? Are you able to say to hubby and parents that you are going to try it for a period of time and then re assess if he will also reassess. Such a difficult decision for you and only you know the right answer for all concerned. Good Luck with it all.

like a few others came because we believed the hype of better pay for same work, we hoped this would mean being able to work less hours than the ridiculous hours we were both working. The hype didn't quite live up to it regarding pay but what we have found has been so much better. Our health and fitness is better and our time together as a family has increased substantially. We are also the type who love living in a warm climate. I will be forever grateful that we took the chance when we could to try living somewhere else. Picked Oz as they needed OH and eldest sons skills, spoke the same language, drove the same side of the road, had the same queen.... ( can you see a pattern) Of course we always knew that the worst that can happen is you go back to another wonderful country. At the moment we don't anticipate doing so as we are enjoying living in this amazing country. Having just returned from a long weekend in Sydney we could see why so many folks choose to live there. For us however the Sunny Coast is just perfect. Close enough to the city to watch a show but far enough away to feel like you can breathe. We are lucky beasts for sure

Woooo Hooo our PR Visa was granted this morning....such a relief as one of our sons is over 18 studying online, working part-time, living at home and we were worried they would say he wasn't dependant...trust me he is !!! However, now we have our PR Visas he can do what he likes even working full time and moving out :laugh: Just our eldest now to go, he hasn't applied yet as he is a nurse and on his own 457 and in the middle of a skills assessment for a job he is already doing !! Oh and we bought a piece of land today Yaaaay Good times :smile: wish everyone else whose waiting a speedy decision xx

Love those pics...we are in the city for Lion King with friends and our kids ..even the big ones on 20th Dec...looking forward to seeing all the other Oz xmas celebrations .Last Saturday the neighbours had a switch on of their lights on the tree and we all brought a plate of food, something to drink and sat out until midnight without a coat !! We went back to the UK last year for Xmas so this will be our first Oz one....intrigued and determined to have a fabulous time even if that means skyping my mum and dad and siting them around the pool with us via the internet whilst they sit me around their fire with the queens speech on :laugh:

Our agent asked us for colour copies of our police checks 2 weeks ago as we had been assigned a Case Officer....Everything was front loaded on 16th Sept and have still heard nothing which on the one hand makes no difference as we are already lucky enough to be living here...however we are buying a piece of land at the moment and PR would make a big difference to the % the bank will loan. Also thinking of going back to uni to retrain and can't apply until my PR comes through as Im not willing to pay international fees ...so even though some of are here the granting of the visa will allow us to move forward with our plans in settling here .....I have no more toes or fingers left to cross that we will hear very soon :laugh:

Great news mathewroberts, today our agent asked us to resend our police checks for OZ and UK , she stated they are now needed in colour....maybe she submitted them in black and white but I sent them to her in colour so no idea what happened there. As we lodged the day after Mathewroberts Im hopeful this week I will be having a celebratory cocktail on the beautiful Sunny Coast :smile:

We front loaded everything with a migration agent on 16th September including police checks and medicals...We are onshore but doubt that makes any difference to the processing times.... hoping the wait is nearly over. Will update as soon as I hear anything.....now back to trying to distract myself with one of the free Open University courses via the Oz Open Uni.....never was a very patient person :laugh:

Lovely news, congratulations x

Fizzybangs, Im not surprised you are felling low at the moment irrespective of where you are living you have just had what must have been a very traumatic time dealing with the health issues of your son and the fallout of a break up for your daughter. Don't be too hard on yourself. Ive just returned from a visit to the UK to our beautiful hometown...funny thing was I felt trapped in the UK for the same reason as you mentioned feeling trapped here. I love the fact that we have both the hinterland and the beaches....as I drove with my son this morning to his work on Bulcock Beach it looked absolutely wonderful chances are though we will live in the hinterland when we buy a place . I do hope you are able to make the most of the time you are here with your kids and if you fancy a little scouse banter over a cuppa just give me a shout....Im only down the road x

Friends and family being able to pop over for a cuppa. Has to be going to watch the blues at Goodison , although I don't miss the layers of clothes I needed to sit there for 2 hours . Miss all the footy progs on the TV but don't miss any other TV as mostly watched the news and politics stuff anyway. I order stuff from M&S and get free delivery which is great. Went back at Christmas and first stop was M&S cafe for a Cumberland sausage toastie. Wasn't as fab as we had remembered. We've adopted a much healthier eating style over here as the fruit and veg is much better. Miss the long light summer evenings. We will never have that here on the Sunny Coast even if they do change the daylight saving hours. Was lucky enough to see quite a bit of Europe so looking forward to seeing some of the history here and in the countries closer to Oz. Listened to Life in a northern town by The Dream Academy recently...now that really did make me nostalgic but probably because I was a teenager at the time. What you miss may depend on where you land in Oz, I'm lucky that I have the most amazing green hinterland and stunning beaches. Anyone who is lucky enough to hold dual nationality for both countries really did get hit with the lucky stick

Well who knew when I wrote this I would be back in the UK a couple of weeks later, back in the house we lived in for 10 years. Very mixed feelings about everything and certainly clouded by having to return due to the house being trashed by our tenants including a welcoming racist comment on my front window !! Hubby joins me with our girlies on Monday as his dad is ill. So friends and family have been able to pop over for a cuppa, the season hasn't started yet so no trips to Goodison. Had afternoon tea in M&S for two for £12.00. I thought I missed the light nights...I now realise its not as big a deal for me as I thought. Everywhere seems too hectic for me...clearly the Sunshine Coast laid back attitude has rubbed off on me. Loving watching the commonwealth games in the same time zone. Enjoying listening to the English anthem but surprisingly have gained a soft spot for the Australian one. Yet again I am reminded that I am simply lucky to be able to live in either country.... I do feel a what do you miss about Oz thread coming on......

Not a big city but The Sunshine Coast ticks your boxes, you can now cycle from the bottom to the top of the coast and although I haven't tried it there is mountain biking in the hinterland. Bags of tennis courts and clubs. Mooloolaba Esplanade is particularly nice

Friends and family being able to pop over for a cuppa. Has to be going to watch the blues at Goodison , although I don't miss the layers of clothes I needed to sit there for 2 hours . Miss all the footy progs on the TV but don't miss any other TV as mostly watched the news and politics stuff anyway. I order stuff from M&S and get free delivery which is great. Went back at Christmas and first stop was M&S cafe for a Cumberland sausage toastie. Wasn't as fab as we had remembered. We've adopted a much healthier eating style over here as the fruit and veg is much better. Miss the long light summer evenings. We will never have that here on the Sunny Coast even if they do change the daylight saving hours. Was lucky enough to see quite a bit of Europe so looking forward to seeing some of the history here and in the countries closer to Oz. Listened to Life in a northern town by The Dream Academy recently...now that really did make me nostalgic but probably because I was a teenager at the time. What you miss may depend on where you land in Oz, I'm lucky that I have the most amazing green hinterland and stunning beaches. Anyone who is lucky enough to hold dual nationality for both countries really did get hit with the lucky stick

I suppose it all depends on what you naturally enjoy. I always love the warmth and can't wait for winter to be over. For some the winter really appeals as it's so mild in the day (bit like a warm UK summer) Been here 18 months and have a couple of box sets which are for rainy miserable days ( you know day in day out no let up weeks on end ) but I haven't taken the cellophane off them yet ! It's definitely cold at night in the winter but it lasts for such a short period of time that your biggest concern is slapping on your factor 50 and a sun hat. For us climate was the big draw card as we can nip to the big cities for a trip from the Sunny Coast Airport I just didn't want to swap UK weather for more of the same. It really is each to their own though

If you are considering a move to Brissy I don't think you will be disappointed by the climate, although its still too cold for me in the evenings . We live on the sunshine coast and think we are just about the luckiest devils alive in terms of our location. Oh did do a commute from sunny coast to north brissy and it isn't for everyone. We had been spoilt in the Uk though with a 2mile commute to work so nothing like what many have to do. I asked my OH what did laid back mean before we came over as I didn't know what to expect. I do now…we feel like we have a mini holiday each weekend enjoying a bbq at the beach or a walk in the hinterland. The scenery up here is stunning, customer service in the shops has been a pleasure. We still like a little night out so usually head up to Noosa. Cant wait for our chums in the UK to visit and see where we ended up. We don't go to the city that often but knowing it isn't that far away is great. All depends what is most important to you, why don't you come for a little holiday, walk from Moffat Beach to Kings and back and take in the view of the glasshouse mountains . A trip round the hinterland will remind you of the UK with rolling green hills and trees…its only the odd palm tree that gives it away that it definitely isn't Wales. Kids are about to take surfing lessons and the local nippers groups are fantastic. Have never been to Melbourne and have heard it has a european vibe. For us the climate was our big number one, work is work, doing the dishes is doing the dishes wherever you are in the world. Its what we get to do in our down time that makes the drudge of the day to day more enjoyable. If you are down our way in true british fashion…we always have the kettle on for a cuppa even in the summer !:smile:

Gotta be honest, although the day time temp on the Sunny Coast is still lovely, the night time is freezing, can't complain though as we do have heating via the reverse aircon…but I'm dreading the bill. Having thyroid problems does mean I love the warmer weather so you never hear me moan when it goes well over 30…the frizzy hair is however another matter ! One of the benefits of living in a rental for two Ozzy winters has definitely made us realise what we need out of a home should we ever have a deposit saved up to buy or build one. Roll on spring..Im over the winter already:laugh:

Hi Manchester Lass, my daughter goes to Sunshine Coast Grammar School and I couldn't be any happier with it. My youngest is due to go in February after being on the waiting list for her year group. The receptionist at grammar is from Barnsley and one of the nicest ladies I know. The great thing about Buderim is you are surrounded by excellent schools. Good luck

Fantastic News, good luck with everything

Hey there, could I be a nuisance and ask for the link to the paragraph on the immi site that talks about the UK nursing diploma being equivalent to an Oz Bachelor degree. I hadn't realised that this might be the case and this could mean my son simply needed to sit the IELTS and not go through the 457 process that he currently is. Pity our migration agent did not point this out a couple of months ago

Wouldn't attempt applying for a UK one at the moment due to the massive back log. Emergency passport however took 24 hours from the Brisbane office. I would stick with obtaining an Australian one . We've just been through the nightmare of applying to the UK for the three kids passports. The UK office managed to loose them ! I've now got them back after months and will never do that again. It's ended up costing us even more than it should with two courier costs and emergency passport charges not to mention the telephone, mileage, toll fees and car park charges. Lesson learnt. Good luck and wish your family well with your health issues.

We used John Mason and were very happy with the service, we needed them to store our things at their depot whilst we lived in temp accommodation in the UK and they let us bring the rest of our boxes to them when we were ready for it all to be shipped. Had no problems at the Brisbane end. I still have some stuff left in our UK home which is now on the market and I won't hesitate to use them again for anything we might decide to bring over. Good luck...you will be surprised hoe easy it is to live without all your stuff, you will also be delighted when it arrives

If you want to have one over on the banks....take a credit card out use it each month and pay it off. I must be one of their worst customers....I get all the benefits of interest free money and protection of my purchases and they don't get a bean of interest off me. Oh and I've got enough points to stay over at a very nice hotel for free. If the banks annoy you Pabs, play them at their own game. Not paying what you have borrowed is not the Liverpool way. The provvy man would be out of business if it was ( don't get me started on loans with massive APRs though)

Inspired to do one of these myself…thanks for posting it.:smile:

Hi Tomdapom, firstly don't worry getting an emergency passport is much easier than getting a renewal at the moment. As you know it's a new service and the website is still in a beta phase. We applied on 11th March for three renewals 2 kids under 16 and 1 over 18. Sent it by courier and paid a princely sum so that it would arrive at my friends for signing within four days (not been in Oz long enough for someone to countersign) She sent it recorded around 28th March. She went online and it showed it had been signed for by the passport office. Checked the online portal 3 weeks later and the status had never changed. The helpline has no ability to ring Durham all they can do is send an email which was ignored ( or never sent) rang another week later for them to say they will email again. Explained it was urgent as son was due to travel to Thailand. 3 days later a lady from the Durham office rang. She explained they are inundated and receive approx 3000 applications a day and although it says it was signed for it actually means a sack of them have been signed for. So they put a search out. Another week went by and she then said they must be lost. Thankfully I was now in possession of the direct number to Durham 0845 6015175. The manager then sent me new application forms and lost/stolen forms to fill in. Then we started all over again. Kept chasing up but in the end it was too late for my son he spent two days going back and forth to the British embassy and the Thai consulate to get emergency passport and visa (told the Thai authorities may not let him stay for a month but he's had no problems with that) Don't expect a reply to any email I didn't get them to the couple I sent directly to the manager. So Monday this week out of the blue I got a text from DHL to say they will be delivering a letter today ! On Tuesday I got the exact same text but changing the date to tomorrow. So I went out today instead. Sat on the sofa typing this and the doorbell has just rang with two letters and two passports! So now I realise that tomorrow the third will arrive so will stay in and not move until they are in our hands. You see all of this has not only been a total waste of time and money for everyone it's also delayed our PR application as without the passports we couldn't do the medicals which I wanted done before my son went to Thailand......He's been warned not to pick up any nasty diseases or ruin his liver whilst he's away So in short forget the helpline number, ring the direct one I've given you and I hope it gets sorted soon ps the web portal still says contact us.....you couldn't make it up

As a very independent kind of gal I know I could do it, not all wives are the same. The only question here is what does your wife think?If she has the remotest doubt that she could cope then do not do it. Having lived with a very unsettled child I know that would be my top priority. Some kids settle really easily some don't and it can't be predicted . Mine was the most enthusiastic in coming out and was also the most heartbroken when she realised we wouldn't be going back anytime soon. Thankfully she has turned a corner but it was easily more difficult than living apart for periods of time. Good luck in whatever you do