lynste

So she may have braces but that only if she wants the work done. Basically her teeth are lovely and straight the problem is that the top teeth are not sitting centred in her mouth, they are all slightly to the right. We had an appointment with the orthodontist today, only waited 4 months for it for her to be told she would need 3 teeth removed and top plus bottom brace for at least 20 months with a retainer after that. TO say she wasn't impressed would be an understatement. she is 14 now and seems quite happy with her teeth and says she doesn't want to be wearing braces until she is 16. I don't really blame her to be honest.

Just a thought but how easy is it to get registered with a dentist in Oz? My 14 year old may be moving over with braces in her mouth

Thanks I knew about the Child Benefit Agency but started wondering who we notified after a conversation with friends today who were considering home schooling. With all the bad press about unauthorised absences in UK schools i had a panic about being in trouble. Just to confirm they will be attending school in Oz and i certainly have no intention of home schooling lol i couldn't cope with having them all day every day lol

When we take our children out of school when we leave for Oz should we notify anyone that they will no longer be in the UK? Not wanting any government departments coming after us for the children not being in school in the UK Currently the children are in an Independent school not State run. Just wondered what everyone else did as it was something i thought about today

So hubby and I are in dispute over a rental with a pool or a gated community with a pool???? Personally i like the idea that the pool is someone else's responsibility to clean, maintain etc other half prefers the idea of walking out patio doors to his own pool. Would be great if people could let me know how much the reckon they spend on additional electricity/waters, chemicals and servicing they pay for the pool. not sure if it would differ between states but we are looking at the Gold Coast TIA

I had a quote from Doree Bonner who insisted on coming out to see how much stud we had even though i assured them that apart from around 6 items of furniture it was all packed in boxes and wrapped in export foam and that sitting in the garage and seeing as it had only just arrived back from Canada that I was sure it would fit in a 20ft container!!! none the less they came out and said "hmmm not really much to see"!!!! they then gave me a quote £2k more than who we eventually went with. I emailed them several times asking if they would like to re quote at a more competitive price but they insisted on having to speak personally to me before they could do this. This wasn't feasible as I was working and busy dealing with kids, i gave them half a dozen chances to come back to me with a lower quote but never got anything from them despite them saying they were sure they could do something. I didn't have time to wait around and all the messing around left a bad taste in my mouth.

I contacted them for a quote and they where a nightmare. I told them I wanted a 20 foot sole use container but there where adamant i would be better and cheaper with a shared load although they could never actually tell me what date it would leave never mind what season we could expect to receive it!! When i politely declined as I had had a cheaper quote elsewhere with a company who where happy to give me exactly what i wanted (not that I am fussy but I have moved between countries previously so had an idea on what to expect). Anyway Meadows removals where adamant the other company were lying and that it would be a shared load and kept pestering me to reconsider. They only left me alone when i sent them photos of my 20ft container being loaded on my driveway and sealed along with the paperwork. Never heard from them since and will never ever recommend them. The company we went with we have had no issues with. The day after it was picked up then sent me all the details with ship name and an ETA of 4/11/16. We have been able to track our container the whole way and it looks like it is on schedule, currently somewhere between Singapore and China lol. So thats just over 7 weeks which was what we were advised originally

Having researched almost all areas of the GC this estate really stood out but may just have been the well presented marketing video I saw lol. Does anyone one have any feedback both good and bad? Our container arrives beginning of November and would like to have at least narrowed the areas of interest down to single figures before we arrive. Have visited GC for a month last year but never made it any further north than Pacific Pines TIA

Can anyone give any advice good or bad on these schools? Children will be yr 10 & 6 (I think) when they start in February 2017 TIA

Thanks for all the input on the above. Yes I am well aware they will do discounted rates for customers who threaten to leave, having worked for Sky in the UK for many years I understand the way it works and its probably no different in Oz. What I am interested to know is if there is any alternatives to Foxtel? maybe an Oz version of Freest perhaps? We are not big TV watchers. Does Oz have any cash back websites offering incentives to take out products through them? I have always used these here in the UK and made a fair bit by taking out new phone/insurance/utilities every 12 months

So I thought i would do a bit of research into the sort of TV, Internet and phone packages we could get when we move over next month. I have heard so many stories about poor internet speeds in comparison to the UK. I would be grateful for any feedback both the good and the bad on what we can expect or any recommendations that people have. Below is what we have in the UK and we would like something similar. TV - We have Sky package (no sports or movies and don't want any in Oz either) we do hugely use the Sky+ functions so that is a must. Internet - we done have super fast fibre just the good old copper type not particularly fast but does the job, it is unlimited and we like not having to worry about exceeding limits Phone - we don't have a landline phone only mobiles Mobile Phones - Hubby and I pay £20 a month each and have unlimited calls/text/data, my 2 daughters pay £10 a month each and are limited. This is with giffgaff and none of the iphones are locked so we will be bringing these. If anyone can recommend similar services or providers they use that would be great. I appreciate it will vary depending on the areas but we will be looking to move to Goldcoast TIA

We are hoping to arrive late October early November and would be interested to know if you have availability

So we are in the last stages of sorting out the house before the removal company come in next week and todays dilemma is around the duvets:arghh:. Personally I love nothing more than getting into bed with a big thick feather duvet, realistically I am thinking that my 15 tog duvet is not going to be needed even in winter. What does everyone use on there beds even in the cooler winter months? Thanks in advance

we did this a few years ago for my daughter, booked direct with Emirates and it was cheaper than the standard child fare. was well worth the money

Thank you for that I thought Pacific pines would be more than 30 mins so thats great to hear:-)

Cant believe this is finally happening and on Wednesday we will be boarding the plane to Brisbane:jiggy::jiggy: Initially heading to a rental in the Gold Coast but will be looking for a rental in the southern Gold Coast possibly over into Tweed Heads. Ideally I want to be no more than a 30 minute commute to Gold Coast Airport but i don't know how far north that would take me?. I have read many posts about the commute time from the Gold Coast to Brisbane during rush hour but can anyone tell me how it is the opposite way? i.e. Pacific Pines to Gold coast Airport. Winter?????? I appreciate that the area does get a winter but do I need heavy jackets or would a lightweight jacket be suitable? Is there any point in bringing my expensive knee length leather boots or should I just leave them with parents for visits home? Don't want to be bringing stuff I am never going to use. Sure I will have more questions as the week goes on but any other help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Suzi We (Hubby and two girls 13 & 9) from Edinburgh are moving to the Gold Coast next Wednesday and can't wait would have been sooner but other half insisted on seeing the last Scotland v England rugby match and Edinburgh Derby before he was leaving!! We have been looking online at houses around Varsity Lakes/Robina as I will be studying at Southern Cross Uni. Would be great to meet up as I have never been to this part of Oz before. Any hints, tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Hi there We are using Pets by Plane to take our little Jack Russell direct from Glasgow via Dubai into Melbourne, They have arranged everything including the onward flight for him to Perth after quarantine. Never any issues with temperature he is flying start of January. Martin has been really helpful with everything

Probably going to sound a bit random but here goes Will I get through customs with a Duck/Goose feather Duvet? If anyonce has any experience please share

So finally after all the planning things are coming together nicely for us to move over to Adelaide in January. I have a place a Flinders University to complete my degree, Fees all paid, OSHC paid, CoE in hand all I need to do now is wait until November until I lodged the student Visa application. Our house will be tenanted from End of July whilst we stay with family, removals/storage coming mid July. The big question is should we wait or should we go sooner??? We still have valid tourist visa's as we where out there at Easter finalising everything and really didn't want to come home but we had to tie up affairs here. We have no real reason to stay here for the time being other than having one last Christmas here:confused:. I am waiting on the school we have chosen for my daughter coming back to me to see if they could accept her earlier. Has anyone else felt this way? just feel a bit at a loss as to what to do now and the Scottish summer is not exactly inspiring me to be here.

My mother in law said to her new boyfriend "is it ok if she comes out to visit for a few months?" his reply was "no problem in fact do it a couple of times a year" :confused: Not sure I want my mother in law as much as that

Ok I am getting confused re school fees. I have read ther threads which state only ACT/NSW charge fees up to $14000 whilst QLD/WA give temp visa holders the same education subsidy as a permanent or citizen.:confused:

Thanks Blossom Our preferace would be to go to SA hopefully Adelaide. Maybe I wasn't clear with regards to the children's school fees. I understand that every family has some fees to pay for uniforms/sundries/trips etc, but will I be required to pay $1000's for them to actually attend or will the education be free as it is for PR? As we will still own our home and business back in the UK will being in Oz for 2years have a detrimental effect on us returning? I am wondering if we would be better to not include husband as dependant and for him to come on a tourist visa?

I am in the process of applying to universities in Australia to complete my degree as an international student. (SA/WA/QLD) It's seems a bit of a minefield but reasonably easy to apply without the need of agents. We have budgeted for the following upfront fees so far Uni fees $40,000 oshc (family) $1420 Visa fees $800 A little confused re the following and would appreciate any useful input Will my 2 children 6 & 10 be able to attend public school whilst I am there and will I be required to pay fees. my husband has his own business which can be run from UK/Oz and will spend most of the time with me but will require to travel back to the UK at least once every 6 months. Will he be able to travel without me? I am aware as a temp visa holder I would not be eligible for the equivilant of child benefit, but will I still be entitled to my current Uk benefits (not that I get much)