Marisawright

Same here, coming up for 9 years and the only place id insist on air con is in the car. I find ceiling fans more than adequate and think in all the years ive been here i can count around half a dozen days that were ''too hot'' to do anything.

Winter is a different matter, on the thermometer it doesnt show its that cold, but i freeze,lol

 

Another good illustration of how different people react differently to heat and cold.

In Sydney, I used to sleep under just a sheet in summer and a very lightweight blanket in winter, whereas my ex-sister-in-law snuggled under a doona all year round!

interesting read. we are hoping to move to brisbane mid october. i cant wait to actually see the sun for a change this summer in scotland so far has consisted of about 3.7 days worth of sun. i love being outside running cycling etc but cant say i enjoy it when the rains coming in sideways and its turning into hail stones as you go. ( of course you wore a t shirt because it was sunny when you left.....) i think it totally comes down to peoples own life goals.I really do believe it will be a better life for us. i will be crushed if its not tbh. watch this space haha.

Everyone reacts to heat differently, but have you tried running and cycling in Brisbane's summer? You'll be fine if you're an early riser, but if you want to run/cycle during the day then the high humidity can be very unpleasant because your sweat doesn't evaporate to cool you down. It can be a real health risk.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/too-hot-to-handle-the-dangers-of-running-in-the-heat/

Yes, no such thing as winter in Sydney! It's my favourite time of year there - the summer I can do without!

Just to clarify - if I have the private insurance do I have to use it should I need an op? Could I bypass it and go for the free option, say in the scenario that you mention above? (obviously taking the risk on the long waiting time v paying the 'gap' (if that is the correct terminology!)

If it's an elective procedure (and you'd be surprised what's judged 'elective') - then no, you can't opt to be treated under Medicare if you've got private insurance.

The other thing to look at is the health fund loading - if you delay getting health insurance till you're older, you'll pay a surcharge, which gets higher and higher as you get older. Even if my oh wanted to get health insurance now, he couldn't afford it - he would have to pay a surcharge of 66% on the premiums.

This was one of the biggest issues for me, if I could have afforded the cost and annual leave to go back once or twice a year I'd probably have stayed. I used to get so jealous of a friend who used to go back about three times a year for work but tag on an extra week each time.

Yes, it's a big issue. The people most likely to succeed as migrants are the ones who don't mind not seeing family for two or three years on end, because that's often the reality. I often see potential migrants posting here about family visiting, or going back once a year, but that's not always practical - the air fares are not cheap, and you soon discover that flying over for a week or two is too exhausting and leaves you needing another holiday. I used to save up my leave and go for six weeks every other year - luckily I always had jobs that would allow me to take that much time off, not everyone does.

I think you make a good point. If we start now and get a insurance history behind us will be worth it on the long run when we need joint replacements and the other big ticket items. Just seems a lot of money to pay out when we are all in good health.

Well, yes and no. I had a major spinal operation in 2014. Altogether it cost $35,000 of which I ended up paying about $10,000. I thought, thank goodness I had health insurance - then my friend's dad needed exactly the same op. He has no health insurance so we all thought, oh dear - he'll be waiting years in pain. As it turned out, he had his op within about six weeks and it didn't cost him a cent.

That's just one of many examples over my 30 years in Australia. It does depend where you live, but in general you'll get perfectly good hospital treatment on the public system. And if you decide you want to go private, you can always pay for it - and if you put the money you would've paid on premiums into a savings account, you'll have the money to pay for it!

My husband is a good example - he's never had health insurance and paid to have his cataracts done. It cost $6,000, but consider how much money he's saved by not paying health insurance all his adult life.

However, that's not the whole point - you do have to look at how much you'll be slugged by the taxman.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Have now spent ages looking over the different policies and not much further forward. Now that I have looked into the costs of things all seems a bit pointless - root canal cover under most of the policies is about $200 but the total cost could be nearer to $2000 and for orthodontics / braces the cover is about $800-$1000 but the real cost will be $3,000 - $5000. Tricky to know whether worth the cost of the policy. Dental treatment and glasses not cheap in UK so have to look at it that way - just not sure what level of cover to get - slightly unfortunate that 3 of us wear glasses and our 2 children may very well need braces!

I think it depends how long you expect to be in Australia. Most companies increase the limits on dental over time - so you may not get much back in your first year but by the time you get to your third or fourth year, you're getting decent returns.

I don't like those comparison sites because obviously, they only compare the ones that are paying to be part of their scheme - but frankly, medical insurance is SO complicated, it's the only way to go. Try both iSelect and the meerkat and see what you get offered.

 

How much time should I need for this temporary accommodation before I can find an apartment that I can move into ? (bondi junction area)

 

I was thinking about 1 month. Any advice on this ?

 

Also, can you negotiate the prices down ?

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I would say a month is sensible. It's unlikely you'll be able to negotiate prices down on holiday accommodation - it's much in demand, especially short term furnished flats which are rented by companies for their relocating employees.

What is your budget? Bondi Junction is in the Eastern Suburbs which is the most expensive part of Sydney. It is the terminus for a major train line so it is easy to get to from other parts of the city. I suggest you research on domain.com.au to get an idea what suburbs you can afford to rent in, so you don't waste time searching in the wrong places when you arrive.

If you want middle class utopia darling, one has to pay to live apart from the scum!

LOL, to be honest I think I was living in a middle class utopia in Sydney for all those years without realising it! Seriously, though, I'm not being a snob - I just prefer to live in an area where I can relate to the people around me. That doesn't mean they have to be middle class - my oh's family are all working class but there's a world of difference between them and a swearing, chip-on-the-shoulder, sense-of-entitlement bogan.

Hobart vs Southampton is a no brainer! It's not too late is it?

It's not THAT much of a no-brainer actually! We're real city folk and although we liked many things about Tassie, Hobart is a bit quiet - and parts of it are just as overrun with bogans as Southampton (only in Tassie they're wearing flannel shirts). Did you know, HALF of all adults in Tasmania are illiterate?

My employer is considering relocating me to the UK as there is no work in Australia...

I am 42, married, no children but we do have an Eclectus Parrot.

I don't think we can export an Eclectus Parrot outside of Australia so will have to find someone to look after him for our time away.

We are looking at being in the UK for 2 years so will put our belongings into storage whilst we are away and rent out our house.

I have been living in Australia for 14 years.

 

Is there a checklist on what to do to prepare yourself for going back to the UK? Such as putting bank account on hold, renting out house in Australia etc.

What do I need to do with regard to being back in the UK such as getting my NI stamp up to date, tax, updating driving licence?

What do I need to be aware of?

 

You can't put a bank account "on hold" and there's no need to - unless you've got an account that charges fees, in which case I strongly suggest moving to a fee-free account, with another bank if necessary, before you go. Anyway you may be using it in the UK for longer than you think!

Firstly, you won't be able to open a UK bank account until you have a utility bill or bank statement showing your new address. Even once you get the bill, you have to make an appointment with the bank to open the account, and since they have so few staff now, it can take a week or two before you're seen - and then a wait to get your cards in the mail. Also if you've been away from the UK long enough to lose your credit rating, the bank will give you only the most basic account, with a debit card but no overdraft and no credit card.

Notify your Aussie bank that you're moving overseas temporarily, and then notify them of your new address once you're settled.

There's no need to bring your NI contributions up to date, gaps in your record are no problem.

Renting out the house in Australia - get a valuer in before you go to do a Depreciation Report. He will give you a report that shows what to claim as a depreciation expense on your tax each year. The report does cost money but it's likely to be more than offset by the tax you save, unless it's an old house with old interiors. You can also claim mortgage interest (but not the whole mortgage payment) and agent fees against your tax.

You can drive on your Australian licence in the UK for up to a year, then you have to exchange it for a UK one - no test required.

Tax - this can be a thorny one. You will, obviously, be resident in the UK for tax purposes and will have to do a UK tax return. As you are receiving income in Australia, you'll also have to do an Australian tax return - the big question is whether you'll be regarded as an Australian resident for tax purposes or not.

You really, really want to remain an Australian resident for tax purposes! If you're judged NOT to be an Australian resident, you will be taxed at over 30% on your rental income, with NO tax free threshold. And if you have a SMSF (self managed super fund) that will be taxed at over 30% too. You may need professional advice on what your status will be, but this tool might help:

http://calculators.ato.gov.au/scripts/axos/axos.asp?CONTEXT=&KBS=residency_leaving.XR4

You won't get taxed twice on anything - just declare your Australian income on your British tax return and also declare any Australian tax you paid, and vice versa.

3 bed dormer bungalow - 2 bed & a box room really ,up north ( supposedly cheap)- council tax, - £1500 ( $3100 ish). Rent £695 ($1400 ish) . Comparable properties price wise are much more impressive in Tassie at least ( haven't looked elsewhere).

Ah, you're lucky you've chosen Tassie! House prices in Sydney are roughly double what they are in Hobart. Since we're not enjoying our return to the UK as much as we thought, I often think wistfully of that 3-bedroom house we nearly bought in Hobart - spectacular never-to-be-built-out views of Mt Wellington and the sea, 10 minutes drive to the centre of town, and all for $500,000. That kind of house would cost well over a million in Sydney.

I didn't bring enough to need packers - but any time I've done a corporate move, I've basically hung around and made a nuisance of myself.

You'd be surprised how many of the top companies use casual staff to do the packing and they're not given any special training, just expected to use common sense. So I like to make sure they know what they're doing - and often they don't!

Also as others have said, if you're not packing everything in the whole house, then you need to be there to say, "no don't pack that!" or "you missed this", even if you think you've labelled everything clearly.

Finally perhaps I have too cynical a view of my fellow man, but I always think they're more likely to take care,, and there's less likely to be pilferage, if there's another pair of eyes on them. The supervisor can't be everywhere.

 

I'd be looking at getting one in the centre of everything if I could, somewhere like Kangeroo Point in Brisbane which caught my interest although I'd need to research the transport in areas like that.

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Ah, you're in Brisbane, that makes sense. There is an oversupply of new apartments in Brisbane, so that tends to depress rents.

I was not aware of 'new build' appartment blocks being leased by the Dept of Housing...

 

There are no disadvantages that I know of in renting or buying new build appartments, compared to older ones.

 

Meriton have been building blocks of units for decades.

No, I had never heard of the Dept of Housing buying new build apartments either. Since they are trying to move tenants further out to the cheaper suburbs, I suspect that's where they're doing it (if they are) - the average young professional like the OP is more likely to choose an inner city area, or one of the new developments slightly further out like Rhodes or Breakfast Point.

Yes, Meriton has been building for decades. I used to be involved in the construction industry and the dodgy quality of Meriton apartments is legendary. I've had tradesmen come and work for me, who were sacked by Meriton for being "too fussy" about their work, which meant they were too slow - their philosophy is, don't worry if the kitchen cabinets aren't quite straight, just slap them up on the wall. That said, I'd have no problem renting a Meriton apartment - I'd just be scared to own one!

I much prefer British fish and chips overall, the fish we get here is about an inch thick whereas what we used to get in Australia was like a wafer. I still much prefer the real Cadbury's chocolate here, no comparison. Definitely agree about the strawberries, no need for sugar. Reading between the lines I think you really need to move further North, the country you often describe bears no resemblance to the one we are living in. Too expensive to eat out for example, I have assume Southampton is in a bit of a bubble.

As you know, I explained on another thread that the main reason eating out is expensive is the cost of wine. And I'm not imagining it - we've discussed it with a few locals (the guy we bought our car off, the project manager on our block of flats etc) and they agree - one comment we got was "the wine sometimes costs more than the meal!". I'm glad to hear BYO's are gaining some traction in some areas.

I can't remember where you were in Australia but in Naremburn, Five Dock, Bondi, Coogee and Bronte, the fish was always fat and juicy. Again just illustrates how you can't compare two countries, you can only compare two areas within countries.

As for Southampton being in a bubble - I don't think you can do that far. I'm sure areas closer to London must be even dearer, for instance.

Absolutely. If we were of retirement age we would have gone north when we returned to UK and indeed might head that way one day.

 

Still I don't think it will make the wine any cheaper, but then I would never have expected to pay $10 for a bottle in Australia and wouldn't expect to pay £5 in the UK. That wine is for cooking with isn't it? :laugh:

My oh used to be like you! When we met, he wouldn't buy a bottle under $20 and I was drinking cask. I played a few tricks on him with anonymous bottles and eventually he had to admit he couldn't tell the difference between a $20 and a $10 bottle a lot of the time - though he could spot a $5 bottle every time! One he realised he was suffering from "price snobbery" we set a budget of $10 to $12 per bottle and used to stick to it pretty well. Given the way Liquorland, Dan Murphy etc offer big discounts on mixed half dozens etc, there's a huge amount of choice in that price range in Australia.

It's very easy to find a good £5 bottle of wine in most of the supermarkets. The reason I disagree with much of what you say is because it isn't what we are finding. I have noticed you say something like you can't live a city lifestyle as it's too expensive in the UK, actually it is perfectly possible to do it in the UK but you haven't been able to do it where you are. I sincerely believe for your own long term good you need to move, even just as far as Bristol for instance. Also it doesn't help that you are using $ as this seems to be artificially inflating what you are spending. I'm really not having a go at you, I do feel where you have found yourself is seriously distorting your view.

How many times do I have to say, I'm accepting your word that many things are cheaper in the north.

I must say it had not occurred to me that supermarkets would adapt their prices depending on area, but obviously I am naive. Trust me, we drink wine every day so I have had plenty of experience trying to find drinkable wine under £5.99 in Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, the Coop and even Lidl over the last few weeks. It's difficult, other than specials of which there's usually only one or two.

However, the main point of that post was how the lack of BYO makes eating out unaffordable - which you conveniently ignore in your reply.

As for "using $" - I'm not sure how I can compare prices in the UK and Australia without using $ at some point. Also my income comes from Australia.

I am sorry that you have experienced this but believe me it is perfectly possible to lead that kind of lifestyle, we have certainly not found eating out to be expensive neither have we found wine to be expensive. I'm not entirely sure why the area you have found yourself is so expensive but I do suggest you move if at all possible.

We've had this conversation before. I'm quite prepared to believe things are cheaper further north, but as you're not a wine drinker, maybe you're not fully aware how expensive it is. In Australia, we used to buy reasonable wine - our budget was between $10 and $12 a bottle. We struggle to find wine in any of the supermarkets for £5 or £6 - they do exist as specials but the choice is always limited.

In Australia we would then take a bottle to the restaurant when we ate out. In the UK, we have to buy the bottle from the restaurant or pub - and the cheapest I've seen on the menu is £11 (in other words, double the cost of our BYO bottle). Most restaurants charge far more than that. If we decide to economise and just have a glass, it's likely to cost £3 to £4 - so just one glass each, and again we've spent more on wine than we would've in the UK for our whole bottle!

That means that, even if we find a restaurant where the food prices are similar to the UK, it's going to cost us considerably more.

Yes it was pretty tough but we wanted to be here so in a way the decision was easy (ish) lol. Yes I miss a few things about Australia, I miss the rainforest up north, dim sims and flake. The longer we are away the harder it is to think of things I really miss. One of our boys misses Cherry Ripe's but is getting g some later this month lol

The taste for foods definitely fades and you come to appreciate different things. For instance, like many Brits I missed "real" Cadbury's when I went to Oz (it has a different formulation in Australia because the British recipe would melt in the heat). Whereas now, Cadbury's chocolate does nothing for me.

Similarly I used to dream of British fish and chips. Luckily it became fashionable in Sydney and there was a handful of excellent chippies dotted around the city. But now I find British fish and chips horribly oily. It doesn't help that the fish is always quite thin and therefore overwhelmed with batter, unlike the fat flake used in the Sydney version! I couldn't even contemplate eating battered sausages or other greasy "treats" now.

On the other hand, there is nothing quite like a British strawberry. Bliss. Even Tassie berries don't come close.

That is what I advocate too. Personally I wouldn't live in Southampton if you paid me. There are many lovely places up north, much cheaper and friendlier too. Also even less sunshine, so all good :cool:

That's what we're planning on. We have a six month lease here so will have to wait until that's expired.

My only worry now is that my oh hates moving, and although we don't like Southampton, we both love our little flat with its million-dollar views over the river and the Solent. And we are managing to enjoy ourselves more (by getting out of So'ton as much as possible!!). My fear is that in six months' time he will feel happy enough in that routine that he won't want to move! He's always been a bit of a loner and won't mind that we don't have a community here to engage with - whereas I do.

does anyone know if milk here in australia undergoes more or different treatment than milk in the uk?

 

I only ask as in the uk, if you leave milk out for a week or two it goes all lumpy and smells like liquid hell.

I left milk out accidently in melbourne when we went to adelaide for two weeks, we returned it was still liquid and smelt fine.

I wasnt brave enough to taste it, but it did make me wonder!

I'm curious too. I see milk here (UK) advertised as "filtered" and the bottle says it lasts longer. I've never seen that in Australia so maybe all our milk is filtered?

I've also been doing some Googling, and the only thing I found about longer shelf life was that as dairies become more mechanised and controlled, there's less bacteria finding its way into milk and therefore it lasts longer. Apparently in the US, different states have different laws about allowable "use by" dates, even though it's the same milk.

Southampton? Are you living there now? Which part!?

We've got a flat in a new development in Woolston, which is an urban renewal area (think Redfern) very close to the city. We wanted to be in a city not a small town because we are so accustomed to an inner city lifestyle in Sydney, eating out regularly at cafes and restaurants.

What we've discovered is that you can't lead that kind of city lifestyle in the UK even in a city, because eating out is too expensive (mainly because there's no BYO and wine is expensive).

I've drunk semi skimmed in both countries and it tastes the same. Where are you buying it from? Have to check the bottles in asda as I've seen bottles unsealed where it looks like someone took a swig.

Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, Asda, Coop. It comes back to that coffee thing again - I can feel the difference it makes to the coffee! It's not so much taste as "mouth feel". The right milk will make a cafe latte feel creamy in the mouth - the wrong milk will make it feel exactly the same as a black coffee. That's why some purist cafes in Sydney won't even offer skim milk, they feel it's impossible to make good coffee with it!

The British semi-skimmed seems more watery than the Australian one, meaning it doesn't give that "mouth feel". It probably does taste the same, though - I don't know, I never drink it on its own.

I've heard that too about melbourne being a lot friendlier than sydney

When you're on a WHV I wonder if you'll notice any difference. Being in backpacker hostels, you'll meet so many other travellers and because you have that in common, you're likely to make lots of friends there.