Marisawright

That's interesting that you say that. I've lived in both Salisbury and Southampton - although admittedly well over 30 years ago - and visit both on trips back home.

 

What shopping does Salisbury have that Southampton doesn't? Southampton has all the usual British High Street shops plus the John Lewis, Ikea, Debenhams etc. I'd have thought that Salisbury might have a few more boutique-ey independent shops - plus the very good market, of course.

 

Is the difference that Southampton is basically chain-store central - in effect, no different to any other British High Street - whereas Salisbury has a few independents?

I can't offer names because I'm not familiar with British chain stores any more, but my impression is that Southampton doesn't have all the usual British High Street shops. Even in the glitzy new West Quay mall, there are very few shops I could walk into and buy clothes. They are all aimed at young people, full of cheap throwaway clothes and plastic shoes, like Primark or New Look. The main shopping street (Above Bar) and Marlands shopping centre consist mainly of Pound shops and other "saver" type stores. The only quality shoe shop is Clark's.

I was thinking maybe this was the new British High Street, but then when I got to Salisbury (and Winchester, where I went yesterday), I saw more shops with nice "grown-up" clothes and decent shoes.

This is my first post so I apologise if this is covered elsewhere. I am planning to head back to the UK after 20 years in Brisbane. I understand that by going back I forgo any right to an Australian pension. Do those years count towards a UK pension though?

Yes, you can apply to have some of your Australian work record count towards the UK pension. You'll need evidence such as written references, group certificates etc. Unfortunately the agreement lapsed in 2001, so only work years before 2001 will be counted. If that doesn't give you enough years to get the full UK pension, you can make some extra NI contributions.

Also what happens to the super I have sitting in Australia? I can't access it until I am 58, but does that then get paid as a lump sum or a weekly amount?

If you access that super before you reach retirement age, you will pay tax on it, whether you're in Australia or in the UK - so if you're thinking of withdrawing it at 58, make sure you understand how much tax you'll lose. On balance it's better to wait until you reach retirement age before you access it.

Even if you wait till retirement age to take a lump sum, the UK government may take a whack of tax, so make sure you know the implications before you do it. The other alternative is to turn it into a pension - your super fund will help you sort that out. If you do that, you will have to declare it on your UK tax return and you will be taxed on it as part of your normal income.

I've read somewhere that I should cancel the life insurance component of the super as it won't be paid whilst I am in the UK. Any recommendations about who to speak to about this?

You write a letter to your superannuation fund and tell them to cancel all insurances.

Unless you know you're due a nice fat refund, I always think it's better to leave it till the end of July. By that time, the banks have all made their reports to the Tax Office, which means when you open Etax, all those figures are already filled in for you.

Perhaps but the climate change fanatics want it both ways. When there is a heat wave they scream PROOF MORE PROOF but when they predict that Australia's reservoirs are all going to run dry and and rains DO come, well that is just more PROOF. No snow in Oz PROOF. More Snow PROOF. Volcano erupts PROOF. tsunami PROOF. Yet I know in the past it was cold enough for the Thames to freeze over. Is that proof? What about the extreme heating the UK in 1976? Nobody then linked it to climate change but if it happened again?

What about the anti-climate-change fanatics? Actually they seem much more like fanatics, in the sense that they are mindlessly espousing a theory without even bothering to study the facts. Did you actually bother to read the articles I linked to? You are now doing academic study, you should be able to apply that new attitude to this subject as well.

I do have plans for when he is gone. I have a great job that I can develop even further and can work the weekends and evenings without feeling guilty or having to arrange childcare. I can go dancing on Tuesday nights with my friend (she's been wanting me to go for ages) and I can make more use of my Cineworld Unlimited card :laugh: I know I have put my life on hold and put my son first for years as I've never wanted him to feel that he comes down my list of priorities to random boyfriends who may come and go!

 

However, I shall not let him know how busy and carefree my life has become in his absence because he may feel that he can't come back because I will have to give these things up again, I don't want him to think he's been holding me back for all these years, I've been willingly holding back.

I think I've said this to you before Rachel - but I can't help wondering if your devotion to your son is part of the problem. He may be feeling suffocated by your constant attention and that's part of the reason he wants to go to his Dad's, where he'll be treated more like a young man (which he nearly is), and given more independence. A 14 year old boy doesn't want his mother hovering all the time, no matter how much he loves her.

I may be totally wrong, I'm just relating it to my own experience - I felt suffocated by my mum when I was a teenager. These days I can understand that she was anxious because of my health problems, but then all I could see was that other girls had more freedom and more privacy, that their mum didn't escort them to every event as if they were babies, etc etc

I'm not a gasfitter but I'd suggest the very first thing you do is find out what you'd need to do to get your qualifications recognised in Australia, how much it would cost and how long it would take.

It is crazy that you can be given a visa as a gasfitter, yet you won't be allowed to work as a gasfitter until you're qualified to work in Australia. You will probably have to re-train and take exams, and that may take some months. In the meantime, the best thing you can hope for is to work at apprentice rates. That may be OK, provided you budget to support yourself and your family while you're training as, of course, you won't be entitled to any benefits, but it is something to think about.

The other thing to consider is that gas is not widely used in Australia. In the countryside, there is often no piped gas at all - cookers run on bottled gas.

Marisawright, I hope you're selling back ok? let me know if there's something you can't find locally, we are near you in Fareham!

Still deeply unimpressed with Southampton, but feeling more optimistic that once our lease is up, we'll be able to find somewhere more affordable and nicer to live in. We went to Salisbury the other week and that really lifted my spirits - it makes no sense that a smaller city could have so much more choice of shops than a big place like Southampton, but there you go. We even managed to find a drinkable coffee. It gave me hope that we can find a place we'll feel at home in eventually!

have listened to the tales of earning a fortune in oz while also having the weather .

You will NOT earn a fortune. You may get higher pay, but the cost of living may also be higher depending where you go, so overall it will end up about the same, but with the weather.

The most important thing for you is to find out how much getting qualified will cost, and how long it will take. Don't assume it's just a case of taking a few exams - I saw a post recently from an electrician who discovered it was going to cost him thousands and take months, and in the meantime the only work he could get was at apprentice rates. You would probably have no trouble getting work once qualified but you would need to budget to feed the family on an apprentice wage for the whole qualifying period, as you'd likely get no benefits - and that would be expensive!

I can imagine being stuck in Penrith with no car and no friends would be depressing. You are right, Sydney is ridiculously expensive and many people despair of getting on the housing ladder.

Melbourne would be slightly cheaper (Sydney is dearest, Canberra is next, Melbourne third), and the public transport system is better. The fact that you have both friends and a son there makes a move seem like a no-brainer to me, if your oh can get work. I wouldn't hesitate if it was me!

How old are you? You will need to consider things like pension and superannuation, what you will be entitlted to in your new country and how they will be taxed.

Personally I find it's short-sighted that they're developing these areas at all. Australia doesn't have very much good farming land in spite of its size, and most of it is near the coast, in exactly the areas where people most want to live. Gradually all the prime farming land in the Sydney Basin is being sold for residential development because it's politically expedient to do so, and the same has happened/is happening in other states.

That may not sound like it's relevant to your question, but it is. If the politicians do the sensible thing, then there is NOT unlimited land in Western Sydney, because they should be preserving that land for agricultural use (relying on imports to feed ourselves is dangerous - what if other countries have shortages, or there's a war somewhere that disrupts supply lines?). The developers don't want unlimited land released either, because it would depress their prices, and we know their influence on the pollies.

I think the prices will depend on how fashions change in property in Sydney. Right now in Sydney, people WANT to live in the inner ring suburbs, and are only forced to the outer areas because of affordability. Whereas thirty years ago, everyone was fleeing to the leafy outer suburbs and thought the inner city was for bogans. That's a cycle that comes and goes in all cities. Perhaps in a few years, Sydney will be more like the UK where everyone seems to want to live in the country and commute for hours?

http://www.sesl.com.au/fertileminds/200912/Sydney_Basin.php

I'm having the same experience in reverse! In Australia, if I was looking for any kind of household needs or casual clothing, I'd go straight to my nearest Target, and be reasonably confident I'd find it. Plus unlike Argos, I can pick up the products and take as long as I like to examine them without someone standing over me! If Target didn't have it, I'd go to K-mart, which would probably be on another floor in the same shopping centre, or BigW.

If I can't find what I want in one of those stores, then because they're usually inside a huge Westfields shopping mall, it's only a short distance to try somewhere else (and easy to find alternatives on the directory) - unlike the UK, where I find I have to walk much further, due to shops being spread out over high streets and smaller malls, and of course there's no directory of where they are!

When I have time I do like being able to go shopping on an old-fashioned high street in the open air instead of inside a big air-conditioned hangar - but if you're trying to find something specific it can be tiring.

Our container is going the end of July but we haven't yet booked flights or accommodation in Brisbane. Has anyone else been in the same situation. I need to give the shipping company AN address but don't have one. .

Did you ask the shipping company? This is a very common situation and if they don't have a way of dealing with it, I'd be wondering how experienced they are! Just tell them you are migrating and don't have an address of any kind in Oz, and see what they say.

I'm not a parent so I could be totally off base, but two things occur to me.

One is that you're all being so careful to "support his decision". That sounds good in theory, but could you be going too far? When I left home (admittedly much older than your son), my family were so positive about my departure, I started to feel like they couldn't wait to get me off their hands. It's important not to weep and wail, but he does need to be reminded how much he will be missed IMO.

Maybe if, when he asked why he should go to the BBQ, you'd said, "because I'm going to miss you so much, I want to spend as much time as I can with you before you go", you might have got a different reaction?

At the same time, I think Que Sera Sera has a point. It happens in marriage breakups too - I remember, when my first husband was cheating on me (which I didn't know at the time), he started picking fault with me all the time. It was like he was trying to manufacture reasons for his decision to leave me.

As for the PS4 - you can't put it in checked baggage, it will either get damaged or stolen. But why can't he take it as his hand luggage?

http://www.amazon.com/Playstation-Carrying-Case-Bag-AMAGLE/dp/B00JYGT2BY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_63_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZSGS971SGJN6ZCCTDGB

Yes, it is evidence of global warming actually. I was confused by it too, but I've since watched two excellent programs (one from the Open University) showing how the Jetstream etc move around the earth and bring weather from the Poles, and it makes a lot more sense now. I just tried Googling but I'm afraid I can't remember what the programs were called, but here are some articles explaining it:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/climatechange/11191520/Cold-winters-have-been-caused-by-global-warming-say-scientists.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earthtalks-global-warming-harsher-winter/

Anyone damaged their rotator cuff? I just wondered how long they take to repair.

Ouch. Depends how bad it is. The main thing is not to lift anything - including shopping bags. You do need to do exercises but NOT weight-bearing ones.

I know men hate going to therapists but I'd really recommend he go to a physio. The pain will go away with rest and ice packs, but without the right exercises, it's quite likely to heal "tight" and he won't ever get the full range of motion back.

When I comes to paying for everything.. VISA, flights... It's a very expensive "try it for a year"

The OP already has his visa. And while it's not cheap, it's going to be a lot cheaper than waiting until he's older, with more possessions to store/sell/transport and possibly a family in tow. Also the older you are, the more difficult it is to pick up your career again if you take a year out.

 

Weird thing is when its time to come home, he gets in no trouble:confused:

 

 

That has got to be the clue to the whole thing, surely. When he knows where he's going, he's happy to get in the car.

So it sounds like every time he's asked to get into the car at home, he's fearful you're going to take him somewhere nasty (like the vet) - or you're going to take him somewhere and leave him (like you did, presumably, when you were leaving the UK). Did something like that happen 8 months ago, or could it be just the memory of being left at the kennels when you migrated?

Hi Guys, has anyone migrated to Oz by themselves? Reason I ask is I recently split up with my ex as she didn't want to come with me. On one hand I want to stay here as I miss the ex a lot and figure happiness is more important. .

I hope you're not saying that you're reluctant to leave your ex? I was like you - still on good terms with my ex and keen to remain friends. However eventually, I realised that wasn't going to work! So long as your ex is your best friend, it's impossible to move on to a new life and a new relationship. And while you might think being near her is important to your happiness now, how will you feel when she gets a new boyfriend and has less time for you?

I'd say emigrating alone is possibly the best way to do it, and I think you should go for it! Emigrating alone is far cheaper than trying to move with a family, so if it doesn't work out, you haven't lost much. Don't think of it as a forever move, think of it as an adventure and an exploration. Say to yourself that you'll try it for a year then review.

Wow, I guess they don't get returning customers. A Pukka pie, probably the best pie in the world, is less than half the price you quoted.

Just reminding you that JD is in Salisbury, not far from Southampton, and I thought we'd already established that prices in this part of England are quite a bit higher than where you are. At least I hope they are, because I'm banking on the fact that we'll find somewhere more affordable to live further north, once our six month lease is up.

 

Sometimes posters come on here because they have no one else to listen.! How about all opinions are welcomed, but the focus is on

the OP!

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Exactly. That's exactly the situation I found myself in after arriving in Southampton and the whole reason I posted. When you've just arrived in a different country you often don't have anyone to whinge to that would understand! I was very grateful to those who posted understanding comments, it does help. It'ss a pity that some people take that kind of post as an attack on the whole of the UK, and get all defensive.

I have noticed no difference in how greasy the food is but I can only comment as someone who lives here. We had KFC a few days ago and it wasn't greasy.

KFC is always greasy, Australia or the UK!

It's really quite simple, although the rules are slightly different for each country within the UK.

If you come from Australia, or any country with a reciprocal arrangement, you can access the NHS. What you're entitled to free depends on the agreement.

GPs don't have to accept you, but they can and most do for urgent care. You can go to walk in centres, urgent care centres or A&E if they're available.

You may have to pay the prescription charge for drugs or dental treatment etc. Emergency care is free.

 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/healthcare/help-with-health-costs/nhs-charges-for-people-from-abroad/

Thanks for that link, and I find it interesting that it doesn't acknowledge that reciprocal agreements even exist, unless I missed a mention somewhere in all that verbiage.

Had chips 3 times since being here, none of them a patch on my local in Oz, and more ammo for the wolves, fish and chips is dearer, so when I'm paying for 7, quite a lot dearer. The steak and kidney pie at the local chippy here was 5 pence under 4 quid but was just how I remembered it though (lovely) but 8 bucks for a pie? Cod at 5.95 again, at my local Oz chippy is $7.95 , although it didn't taste like the cod I remembered. Old age must have knackered the taste buds, and yes, I know Australian Cod is a different species..

My experience too. I don't think old age knackers the taste buds, I think we've got used to the different tastes in Oz.

^^^^This, absolutely. We have a few British friends who were recent arrivals in Australia and they would just about jump down your throat if you said anything that could be considered critical of Australia. It was like you were trying to burst their bubble or something. They would constantly be saying 'well you can't do that back in the UK' when not only was it perfectly possible to do it often we had in fact done it. Lol

Absolutely right, bristolman - but I must admit I felt you were doing exactly the same to me when I dared express disappointment with this area of the UK.