Bromney

Sydney is a big place if you take all the suburbs into account. There are a lot of areas I'm sure a lot of ppl won't have visited as they simply have no reason to go there. Kogarah, Carlton and Allawah have always been decent places, property prices there show you they are very much desired by a number of people still. St Georges public is where my son was born. Very good care, can't fault the place. My son was 11 weeks premature and the fact he is strong and healthy today 8 months on is all thanks to the team at St George and Royal North Shore, 2 great hospitals.

Thanks maryrose. I know the bev hills area well as I have family there, I was trying to weigh up what the right move would be for the long term. The house in padstow offers more space but the bev hills place offers familiarity and more convenience. As for moving later, you are absolutely right. We are in danger of taking him away from his friends so will have to consider this. My personal favourite place is Oatley followed by Gymea but we are priced out of both these areas.

I'm looking at buying a place in one of these two suburbs. Does anyone have any opinions on the virtues of one over the other? We have a 8 month old boy so looking at primary schools. Bev hills public is better than Padstow park, anyone have any experience of either school? I expect we'll move in years to come as neither has decent high schools. With that in mind, what do you think is more likely to gain in value?

Looking to get a return flight to London in August with a stopover in a resort somewhere that is baby friendly (10 months). Anyone recommend any decent and reasonably priced flights? Anyone recommend any particular resort to stop in? I'm considering Langkawi but will need to look it into a little more.

We've just sold our UK property and want to transfer the proceeds to our Aussie bank accounts. HSBC don't offer great rates and we've used UK Forex before but my wife isn't sure about trusting them with a large amount of money. Anyone transferred a big sum with UK Forex?

same experience here, my wife (aussie) went in the non-EU line but was told she could join me in the British line and thats what we always did. Doesnt matter now as she is a dual citizen. i certainly wouldnt expect immigration to ask you a lot of questions about your intention.

I'm not sure of the having to be white statement. I'm of Indian origin and have had no problems in securing jobs. Having said that I know a friend in Melbourne experienced issues when applying to the smaller companies but had more success with the bigger well known brands such as the big banks and big service companies like Hewlett Packard.

Hi, I may have asked this question before but I am pretty desperate! Can anyone recommend a chiropractor in the Sydney CBD they've used? I have issues with my hip flexors which is causing issues my quads, hams and glutes and resulting in lots of pain. I've seen a couple of physio's but am not happy with the result so would like to see a chiro.

Hi Davlap, I'm looking to book flights to the UK in either August or Sep this year, do you have any specific airlines or sites you can recommend for competitive fares?

I have to say as a seller I do like the Aussie system better, the exchange happens so quickly and then you are locked in or face losing your deposit.

It's taken us 4 months to exchange and complete sale (end of May hopefully!) on our UK flat. We are chain free and we are selling to my two sisters whom are also chain free yet it's taken 4(!) months to finalise, is this some kind of record?! I'm so angry at my choice of solicitors. I'm going to have a few stiff drinks when completion is done!

I live in Mortdale and know some parts of the areas in the Shire. Oatley is beautiful and does have some excellent schools but not sure your budget will get you anything comfortable for a family of four. Kirrawee, Gymea and Sutherland are all places we are looking at in buying, we think the Shire is great. Affordability wise Narwee is worth looking into, rents are cheaper and is 30 mins drive to Caringbah. Not sure about schooling in the area, we don't have any kids of school age so a bit ignorant on that front at the moment! Good luck and happy hunting!

Check out the car insurance comparision sites like comparethemarket, the cost difference between insurance companies is shocking. Coles were pretty reasonable and you can score flybuy points with them which helps a (tiny) bit. I'd agree with Rupert, dont be in a massive hurry to sort out TFN and things, plenty of time to do that once you arrive on a permanent basis.

A soggy letter when it rains and its sitting in the mailbox rather than being dry on my hall if it was posted through the door.

What websites are you using to search for your flights? I'm looking for a return trip in September too. I've tried Sky Scanner so far.

Last time I checked my dipstick was quite useful, helped me check my car oil levels!

I'm not a fan of Aus Post at all but then I'm also not a fan of the mailbox type delivery, I miss the UK style where the post lands on your doorstep. It's also an opportunity to get to know the postman, just feels a bit more personal.

Thanks Alan. Hindsight is a wonderful gift, looks like I'll be getting hit with a tax bill that I could gave reduced with the right advice. Frustrating as I had sought advice from three different accountants!

What specifically in the IT sector are you looking for? Keep an eye on the big banks career sites and apply direct to as many positions as possible. Dont bother with seek as there are too many agencies with phantom jobs. Also look at service and consulting oriented companies such as HP, KPMG, etc. Sydney is a bigger financial centre than Melbourne so you may struggle to fund a role within IT finance in Melbourne. Not saying its impossible, just maybe a little bit tougher.

Wondering if someone can help with this question. I ran a limited company in the UK (IT Contractor) and left it open when I arrived in Australia in December 2012 on a PR. I left it open on the advice of a UK accountant and was told I should close it in April 2013. I promptly closed it in April 2013 but the question is; am I subject to income tax in Australia on dividends and the cash reserve the company held at the time of it's closure?

I would highly recommend bringing over as much as you can, the shipping will be cheaper than the cost of goods here. If you do need to buy items here check out appliances online for the big electric items. Avoid Nick Scali for sofa's, we bought one at a premium price and have had nothing but trouble with it. Oh and as someone else said in most stores the display price is not what you would pay, you need to negotiate. If you are going to buy multiple items this puts you in a very good position and don't be shy to haggle. If you are shy take a friend that isn't shy, you'd be amazed how much you can save. There are also regular sales that take place, keen an eye out for these. They typically take place around public holidays, major holidays (Xmas, Easter, etc) and occassions such as mothers day.

Drinking Coffee daily outside is expensive whether it be in London or Sydney. $7 daily (for 2 cups) works out to be around $140 a month, that's not cheap by any standards! Some of the Coffee around where I work is appalling, I even threw one out the other day because it tasted just like hot milk. I've switched to drinking instant Coffee which is totally free at work, not a great taste but that extra $140 saving does help when you are on a single income family like I am. Moral of the story is if you perceive something to be very expensive and it's a luxury item (some would argue Coffee is a necessity!!) vote with your feet.

You're not going to get a definitive answer here as it can vary on a case by case basis. I would suggest you be very honest and just apply.

Hi, I'd be interested. Depending on when and where.

There are no train stations, only buses. Check this out from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton-Le-Sands,_New_South_Wales I don't live far from there and yes it does have a beach but right next to a very busy road. There are a lot of boy racers around there, Friday and Saturday nights are extremely busy. Lots of restaurants and bars around, it does have something of a unsavory look to it but I've only spent a few Saturday nights there (dining out).