Bromney

Domain and realestate.com both list sold prices but not much good for comparision in this fast rising market.

Thanks all. Ended up buying a used Mazda 3, can't wait to drive it home!

I've had no issues in getting a Project Manager job in IT. I've just recently started my 3rd job in 8 months. Quit my first job after a month as had a better offer and then quit the second job after 5.5 months to take another one as I became disillusioned with that job. I've had far more success applying directly to companies than using recruitment agents. I had no 'local' experience either. I'm based in Sydney and being Australia's no.1 city I guess there are more jobs here.

Can anyone recommend a new car to buy? We are expecting our first baby in late Jan so on the look out for something safe, reliable and doesn't cost heaps. It needs to have a decent enough boot to fit a pram with shopping and stuff. Would be great to hear from you especially car owning parents. Oh our budget is around $20k so can't afford SUV's

Had my first ever car accident in May this year, i reversed into a car behind me. I reversed as the guy in front of me reversed and for some inexplicable reason I reversed to avoid him and hit someone behind me. My first ever (and to date only) accident. Like a good citizen I provided all my contact details and never heard from the woman again. Then last week I received a letter from a debt collections agency asking me to contact them to make payment or provide insurance details. This was the firstcontact I've had and the letter doesnt explain the nature of the incident or what the damage was or even how much it cost to fix. The policy is also held by a guy but there was a lady driving the car. My questions are; 1 - shouldn't I be provided with more details on the nature of the claim, the cost, etc? 2 - how do I proof that I have paid once I make the payment? 3 - does it matter the polciy of the other car was not in the name of the person driving? Just a bit confused about the process. Thanks!

Hi. We are considerung selling our UK property and wondered whether this can be done remotely. Do we have to be physically present to sign any papers? Has anyone done this and have any xperiences they can share please?

I'm an IT project manager myself and there appears to be lots of opportunities, what are your hubby's specific skills? It will take time to settle anywhere new, don't panic and don't do anything in a rush. You say you're not doing anything leisure wise as it costs money but it doesnt have to cost money. There are some great beaches, walks and the likes. If you dont get out from time to time you'll only stress more and miss out on exploring some of yiur surroundings.

Sydney is a lot smaller than London so not many companies with big trading floors. ASX is cetainly one option but they dont pay that well. There are a few biggish banks; Macquarie, Westpac, CBA, NAB and RBA. Try looking on their sites. Cant say what the market is like as I don't look at support roles. You could always look on seek and get a feel for the market yourself. Just remember December and January are usuall very quite periods, not a lot of hiring goes on then. Good luck.

I'd agree with this. I arrived in Dec 2012 and didn't get a job until March 2013. December/January is totally dead, end of February onwards is better.

The grass is always not Greener, I strongly suggest you do your pricing research as houses in Australia are very expensive especially in big cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. Best of luck with the decision making process.

Yep, flew return from Sydney to London via KL with them in January. Great service and good food. Flew A380 between London and KL but the leg between KL and Sydney was on a much oslder plane so the entertainment system truly sucked. Luckily I had my ipad with me.

Yes you can. We shipped ours, just be sure to declare them.

Thanks guys. In the end we bought a cheapish sofa from Fantastic Furntiure to make do for now. We'll put it in the spare room and use it as a bed (its a sofa bed) when friends/famiky crash over. Cheers.

What's wrong with Bromley?! Even an average 2 bed flat will cost at least $500 a week in Bromley btw.

We've got a rental and are in the process of furnishing it, need everything!! Anyway the sofa we've ordered has a 12-14 week delivery time and we were considering renting furntiure to tide us over. Has anyone used such a service? Do you recommend it? Are there any particular pitfalls we should be on the lookout for? Thanks!

I'd agree with Rupert, you'll find cities more multicultural. There is a large muslim community in Australia (middle eastern) so I think you'll be able to get Halal products. My wife and I are a mixed race couple and live in Sydney, haven't faced a single problem. As the Aussies say "it's all good".

Also depends heavily on the city/area, a lot more jobs available in the likes of Sydney & Melbourne.

Depending on the shipping costs it probably isn't worth bringing over IKEA beds. IKEA is more expensive here but not by a great deal. We've just been trying to furnish from scratch and spent about $1800 on a Queen bed but the cost was largely for the mattress.

I hope it does go back to 2:1, will cash in then and maybe.......just maybe.....I'll actually be able to afford to buy property in Sydney!

I'm starting to get into my Aussie sports. Watched the Soccerroo's yesterday and now my first ever Origin of States of game! Enjoyed both, first ever game of Rugby I watched in full as well.......albeit all on TV!

Look up Australian consumer law too. Doesnt sound right you have no contract to sign, did you get any material in the post citing terms & conditions?

Anyone live in these areas and able to offer any views on these suburbs? Thinking about a rental in the area.

Thanks for that, very useful info. Much appreciated.

A lot of my Aussie wife's friends are heading back to OZ too. Majority have waited to get their British passports before leaving, they are leaving their options open and thinking "never say never" to a possibility of returning to live in the UK again.

I'm applying for my first ever rental and was wondering how the utilities work? What exactly is direct connect and should I use it? How easy is it connect utilities for only 6 months? (we are likely to look for a place to buy within 6 months)