Chortlepuss

I think they lost their unique selling point as far as clothes went - years ago you could buy stuff like lambswool sweaters and cotton knickers- good quality basics - now its cashmere (too expensive) or man made fibres. The clothes are appalling shapes and a lot of sparkly bits/diamanté which doesn't look good if you're over about 10. Shops like Zara seem to have got it right - a lot of basic everyday stuff with some appealing designs. I miss the old M&S though!

Australian landlords don't like to spend their money! I notified my agent of a dangerous electric socket and they took 6 months to fix it and even then that was after someone had received a shock. My landlord wasn't a multi-millionaire for nothing! As a landlord renting in the UK, I'd have had someone out in 24 hours. So yes, your landlord is being unreasonable but protection for tenants in Australia is very poor - keep complaining and ask for a reduction in rent.

I'm back in the UK (temporarily) and really miss the wonderful local market in Brisbane for fresh fruit but when I'm in Australia I miss fish - so hard to get fish caught locally, mostly inferior imported pre-frozen stuff. Maybe decent Australian stuff goes for export? The quality of local prawns, smoked haddock, Dover sole etc here in the U.K. so great, I'm eating fish every other day! It's not cheap but it's good and will be one of the main things I miss when I go back, alongside good quality bread and of course a great curry!

i haven't been back in Autumn/Winter for a few years...is this typical weather or exceptional? It has been utterly glorious as you say. I bought myself a duvet style warm jacket the other day. Now I'm worried that I won't get the chance to wear it...

..one thing that does shock me too was how quite senior staff play up in the absence of their line manager. It's like a holiday in the office when the boss is away in some Govt depts - down tools, in with the endless morning and afternoon teas and long lunches....Quite a culture shock if you're used to taking responsibility for your work even when direct supervision is absent. I think the 'work smarter not longer' message is a little lost in Australia too - plenty of people pulling 'late nighters' from time to time in consulting firms that I've worked for - poor quality work almost always the outcome as people are far too tired but they won't shut up about how heroic they are for working till 9pm

Have a look at sabbatical homes - you may find a uni lecturer etc interested in it.

We shipped what we wanted and kept bare bones of furniture - then sold/freecycled everything prior to moving into Airb&b /friend's houses for a couple of weeks. That couple of weeks was invaluable for tying up loose ends. Went to the tip a lot but for me clearing out stuff is liberating. Had a garage sale but people expect stuff for nothing. I have moved very frequently in the last 10 years and am now determined to make an effort to stay on top of the clutter. Hard work though!

I think our only hope is that Theresa crumbles in the face of business opposition and goes for a softer brexit. I'm expecting sterling to tank for a while now although if something happens to cause the AUD to drop we may get a bit of relief.

That'll be about the time - but in seriousness I may move just a little and do it on a staggered basis - can't hit the bottom every time. Or maybe I can? I was hoping that Mrs May may get the Brexit plan together and inject a little confidence...

My favourite place in Australia - so much going for it. I'd live there if there was work (IT).

Sterling will continue to dip against the dollar for a few more months. It will rally after I've sold my UK house to release cash and moved cash over. Sorry I can't give exact dates but you can trust me to almost always catch the bottom of the market.

Thanks Ken for such a great explanation. I wasn't worried so much about the UK side but didn't know about the 6 year rule in Australia.

Thx rammygirl!

You will have paid tax as though you would be earning up to the end of the financial year so if you haven't used up your allowance it is possible you'll get a refund. If you have worked a part-year you may get a refund of tax paid - there is a form to complete on the HRMC site if you are leaving the country - I worked a part-year in 2013 and it was nice to get a refund check from the tax office.

Don't cancel bank accounts and credit cards. You will not easily be able to obtain credit if you decide to come back to the UK (never say never). Tell your bank you are going overseas temporarily - they should be fine with a 'care of' address (they won't post replacement cards to Australia). Make everything Internet enabled as possible - Think of any pensions, investments etc.. Are you renting out a property? get a valuation for capital gains purposes. Inform TV licensing, council tax, HRMC (you may be entitled to a tax return).... Good luck!

Could anyone recommend a financial adviser who is in a position to advise on any capital gain liability (from a UK and Australian perspective) in respect of a potential UK property sale? This is and has always been our only property and has not increased in value from April 2015. It has increased in value by about £75,000 from when we became Australian residents (2009) until now. The property has been rented out for nearly 10 years out of 19 years ownership and we are currently in the UK residing back in the property (from March 2016). Hubby will be part resident in Australia this tax year (Jan - June 2017), I may or may not return before end June 2017. Ideally we would like to sell this house, buy a small flat here and use the remainder to buy property in Australia. But we cannot afford to sell if we are going to be walloped for capital gain tax - hence the need for advice. I have contacted HRMC in respect of capital gain from UK purposes and they have said they 'will not advise on hypothetical situations' - So not very helpful really. The ATO advice is similarly impenetrable. We have a tax accountant in Australia who we are happy with filing our returns, but want someone with particular expertise across UK/Australia on capital gains issues. Thanks for any suggestions.

There are cheaper areas in Brisbane - I reckon a joint salary of between $90K and $130 would probably be OK dependent on no of kids, lifestyle required etc. My hubby is on $85K and we cannot live well on his wage alone - depends if you are buying a place outright or renting - rental should be around $400 - $800 depending on how well you want to live, and how near you want to be to the city

We moved to Australia when my son was under 18 - I was the signatory on his bank account and premium bonds account in the UK (we set these up for him). He is 19 now and has mental health issues which means that he is unable or unwilling to manage these accounts - it has taken all my powers of persuasion to get the bank to issue him a bank statement. Nothing is Internet enabled. The banks and NSI will not deal with me, he will not ring them - so all communication is sent snail mail to Australia. He is happy for me to manage the accounts on his behalf (basically making sure account doesn't go dormant and that NSI winnings cheques are paid in). I would love for all these accounts to be managed by Internet but sorting this out is impossible as he wont do it and the bank wont let me do it as he's over 18. The bank won't allow him to skype and needs him to pop into the branch - pretty tough when he's in Brisbane. I am currently based in the UK (going back in Jan) and my son is living with my daughter who is in a position to help him. I am pretty sure that the bank will not recognise any Australian issued POA (they struggle to accept UK issued ones). Will I need to fly my son over to complete a POA with a solicitor here or could this be done by post? I realise this may be an unusual situation but if anyone has any experience/guidance that would be really useful.

It's very complicated - and I'm assuming all worked out on a pro-rata basis. There must be lots of people spending part years in UK/Australia so if anyone could shed any light on this it would be helpful!

Shortage in Brisbane of manual arts teachers - always have to wheel some old boy out of retirement to teach these...so if maths and science aren't your thing, this could be...

Go back while you have some savings. You have been through a very hard experience and no doubt reeling from it all, but will be astonished how strong you will feel when back in your support network. It's so hard with teenagers but they are very adaptable and tougher than you imagine. Back in time for Xmas would be good!!

Caloundra, Tambourine

Good advice received - especially re: remortgaging. You need to offset as much as possible against Australian tax. We were mortgage free and got hammered for tax.

A great approach to keep your options open. It's bound to be a sad and challenging time for a little while, but you've made all that effort to come - and nothing has to be forever - Spring is a lovely time to be in Australia. When I first moved to Australia I kept seeing people I 'knew' everywhere... despite logically knowing that there was no sensible way it could be them, I think I was desperately seeking familiarity and comfort - Was told this was part of the grieving process and that it would pass... and it did....

Anyone moving back to SE UK soon and needing a reliable car, hubby's 2007 Fusion will be for sale as he is heading back in Jan (I am staying a little longer). It has served us very well as a runabout and is in good condition. Will be around £2.5k open to offer ..PM me if interested.