Marisawright

Why Umina Beach? It seems like a very specific area to pick. It's a very small place so I guess your chances of finding someone who's actually lived there are fairly slim. Umina Beach is a nice little holiday resort with a nice beach and not much else, from memory. It's a long commute to Sydney if that's where you're working - about 1.5 hours drive if the road's quiet, two or three times that at peak. The train trip is over 2 hours. That's assuming you're going to the CBD, of course.

I think you really need to sit down and define exactly what the "pull of oz" is and why it's so strong. For most people, the attraction is better weather and a better lifestyle - but you've worked out that you'd almost certainly have a worse lifestyle, so why are you still so attracted to the idea? Are you sure you're not hankering for the Australia you experienced while travelling? A lot of the enjoyment you got then was possible because you were young and had no responsibilities. Go to Australia as a husband and father and it won't be like that.

He won't face it until he walks into the room and sees all the boxes packed. Until you actually do it, he will keep believing you're bluffing, because that's the way he deals with everything he doesn't like. That's why making deals won't work with him. Been there!

Don't buy sight unseen, it's a huge risk. Especially as you're not sure where your husband will be working. Not all jobs are in the city. For instance, if he gets a job at Macquarie, commuting from Wollongong would be a nightmare (even to the city is 2 hours on the train, much longer by car). Whereas if he gets a job in Parramatta, commuting from Umina Beach would take hours. I'm not sure why you've picked Coogee Beach or Mosman, either. Both are very expensive areas. Coogee does have the beach - but if you're willing to live further out, why not go to Cronulla instead (just as nice a beach, just as many restaurants, and cheaper?). Even better, look at all the train stops between Cronulla and Mortdale - still a short drive to the beach but cheaper than beachside, good transport links and decent schools. Gymea and Oatley are lovely litle villages in their own right. As for Mosman - the North Shore generally is very expensive. People who live on the North Shore think it is heaven on earth and it is leafy with an exclusive/upper-class vibe, if that's what you're after. However that doesn't sound like you, if you're willing to live in Wollongong (I like Wollongong, personally, but it's definitely a working-class city). If your husband gets a job northside or in the city, you could consider Northern beachside suburbs like Dee Why - it is a lousy commute because there are no trains, but a lot better than coming from the central coast. There are lots of other options for suburbs, especially further west - but considering most Poms dream of a beach lifestyle, I always think it's worth going up or down the coast rather than inland if you can. If you get a house in a Western suburb like Castle Hill (where many young professional couples live), it's a good two hour drive to get to a beach!

You have to pick your flights. If the stopover is longer than a certain time (I think it's 6 hours) they have to give you accommodation, so look for the ones with a longer break.

I do miss the longer nights especially as I come from Aberdeen originally, where it barely gets dark in summer at all! It depends on your job, but if you're working in a corporate job (where you get stuck in the office till 6) then have a long commute home, there isn't much time to enjoy the light. However you get used to the fact that you can only enjoy the sunshine on weekends (unless you're an early riser). However don't overlook the attraction of balmy evenings - you can still go for a walk even if it's dark, or sit out in the garden. Just watch out for the mozzies.

Don't assume stopovers are a bad thing. Look for an airline that offers free accommodation during your stopover. Kids (and adults) who have managed to have a sleep, or at least a shower and a rest, mid-flight are going to be much happier than if they've had to endure over 20 hours of non-stop flying. I've flown with Emirates and really appreciated having six hours in a hotel, plus free dinner and breakfast. I arrived much fresher!

I know how you feel as I've been through it myself. I won't dress it up, you're going to feel like sh!t for months. If you're anything like me, a large part of your feelings will be guilt - "how can I do this to a perfectly nice man, most people would kill to have a partner like mine, I can't bear to hurt him". You just have to remember - leaving him is going to hurt him, whether you do it now, or in five years time, or in ten years time. The only way to avoid hurting him is to resign yourself to spending the rest of your life here. Can you do that? It's also very hard to imagine life without a partner if you've been together for so many years - but you'll get over that sooner than you think and start enjoying a new sense of freedom. Don't forget, there's always the chance he will cave in and follow you. He's used to having a wife around the place. You can't imagine life alone - neither can he. When he discovers how it feels to hae an empty house, he may change his mind. So long as you can manage to leave on good terms, that door is always open.

Just bear in mind, there are stingers in the sea round Mackay, which means you can't let the kids in the water in the summer except at netted beaches. You also have to watch out for crocodiles. No such risks on the Sunshine Coast so a lot safer for the kids. The other thing is that yes, Australia is a massive country, and in Mackay you're a long way from all of it - which means (a) if you do decide to move later, it's going to be very expensive to relocate (on the Sunshine Coast there's more competition and therefore lower prices for removalists) and (b) it's a long drive to go anywhere on holiday apart from the Barrier Reef and Eungalla. http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/while-most-of-us-spent-the-day-working-a-3m-crocod/2143075/

Do you mean an old desktop? Is it really worth packing?

Yes you can. http://www.britishpensions.org.au/pension-guidelines.htm#No1 If you want to increase the amount, you can pay for extra years, too. Just bear in mind that if you're also eligible for the Australian pension, your British pension will be taken into account in the means test. To get the full pension, you need to have contributed for 30 years but the minimum is 3 years to get the minimum.

I can't help with a formula but I think it comes down to common sense. The only sensible way to ship is to use a MoveCube or, if you need something bigger, a container. Look at the big items in your house. Don't think about what they're worth, think about how much it's going to cost to replace them. Take a look at Ikea to get an idea (ikea.com.au). That will give you the lowest cost - Ikea is much cheaper than other furniture stores in Australia. So, for instance, a new bed (including mattress etc) will cost you over $1000. A new three-piece suite would cost you at least $2,000. So it may be worth getting a container big enough to fit those, if they're in really good condition. Once you've got a quote and know the size, start working out what else will fit in it. Set priorities for what you'd like to take rather than making hard and fast decisions, because when it comes to actually packing the thing you may find it holds more than you think, or less than you think. Remember you can pack a lot of little stuff in and around things in a container/cube - you can fill the drawers of a chest of drawers, for instance. I wouldn't take electrical stuff like fridges and washing machines even though they're expensive to buy here. I've tried shipping those internationally in the past and they've always developed niggling little faults after they arrive - but maybe others have some tips on how to avoid that. Finally, think about how you'll manage while your stuff is in transit. Can you afford to stay in a furnished apartment until the container arrives? If not, could you pack the container a few weeks before your leaving date, and manage to borrow some old furniture to get by with (or move in with the folks?). Working out how to manage in that interim period is important - you may realize that there's no point packing some things, because you'll need to buy replacements anyway.

The big thing for me, when I was on holiday in the UK, was the price of restaurants and cafes. You can eat out very cheaply in Australia compared to the UK. A cup of good coffee costs $4 and a pub meal costs $10 to $20. A main course at a nice restaurant costs $20 to $30. In the UK, we could change those dollar signs to pounds - meaning everything cost nearly double! Australians eat out a lot, so if they still have Aussie habits, that would have an impact. The other thing is rents - I've been researching rents in the UK as we're thinking of moving back. Edinburgh is horrendously expensive compared to many other UK cities.

You're both right, I think. Yes Australia has more rain overall, but because it falls in big downpours, Britain has more rainy days. I remember when I first saw rain in Sydney, I thought it was a monsoon! But I soon realized the benefit of getting all your rain in one big dump, because it's over with and then you get more days of unbroken sunshine.

I think you'd be wise to read this thread: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/moving-back-uk/209870-we-love-here-but-too-expensive-settle.html

Petals, you're in Australia. The OP wants to move to Britain. As soon as you become a non-resident of Australia, all the tax laws change. If I stay in Australia: - I could claim the Centrelink pension when I turn 65 (though like you, I wouldn't get it as I have too many assets). - I wouldn't pay tax on any pension I draw from superannuation, either. - I'd have a tax-free threshold of $18,200 a year However if I move to the UK: - I won't be able to claim the Australian pension when I'm eligible, unless I come back to Australia and stay for 12 months. - I would pay UK tax on all pensions (either from my super or Centrelink). - I would pay full rate tax on all Australian investments I still had - there is no tax-free threshold for non-residents If the OP have a self-managed super fund, as soon as they become non-resident it will be taxed at 46%.

It's a tough one. If you keep your house, you'll have to battle with the (very expensive) rental market in Sydney. However, if you've got any doubts at all about the move, it would make a lot more sense to keep your UK home until you're sure. With family in the Northern Beaches, I assume they've been able to give you an idea of rental and purchase prices in the area.

Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought - so by moving to Bristol, we'd save a lot of money on rent, which would compensate for some of the extra costs of living in the UK. I wish my husband would go out and about and enjoy life, but as I said, since his cancer he won't go out in the sun between 10am and 3pm. In most of Australia, it's sunny at that time even in winter. That's very limiting - we haven't had a day out anywhere outdoors since last June. That won't be a problem in the UK because even in summer, the UV index is much lower (it's to do with the tilt of the earth) so I'm hoping we'll be able to get back to a normal life. When it's humid, I get dreadful hot flushes which last all day (they never stopped after menopause). Apart from being uncomfortable, it's not a good look to walk around with sweat dripping off your nose! So I won't be sorry to get away from the hot weather either.

If you didn't pay National Insurance Contributions for at least 3 years, then no you can't get the UK age pension at all. You can collect your Australian pension there, but you have to be in Australia when you reach pension age to claim it.

A word of warning: if you're thinking you'll retire back home one day, be aware that there are lots of complications, such as not being able to get your Australian pension back in the UK, being taxed on your superannuation, being taxed on investments etc etc. So don't assume you can spend your working life in Oz then head back to the UK in your old age as you'll be well out of pocket if you do. There are probably things you can do to improve the situation but you'd need to think about it in your forties - don't wait till your sixties like us, as you'll find yourself in strife. Not to mention the fact that countries don't stand still while you're away. If you stay in Australia for 20 or 30 years, the Devon you go back to won't be the Devon you left!

I agree, it is a great country. The thing is, there's one big difference between the ten pound poms and many of the people on this forum. The ten pound poms left Britain because they were struggling there. When they got to Australia they still had to struggle - but it was worse back home, so there was no point going back. The poms who come today aren't leaving poverty. They had a pretty good life in the UK, but they thought Australia would give them something more. When they got here they realized it's not better or worse, it's just different - and that's not enough to make up for the distance from family and friends. So no wonder they go home.

And what's good about being warm? I've never really liked hot weather, especially when it's humid, and as I get older I'm getting worse. My husband has had a basal carcinoma removed from his face and is now paranoid about going out in the sun (yes, I know that's an over-reaction, but I can't make him see otherwise). So if I stay in Australia, I'm looking at a life stuck in the house with the air conditioning on - unless I move to Tassie. However we're city people and we like our restaurants, social dancing, shows etc and Hobart is just too quiet for us. I'm not leaving because I hate Australia and the OP isn't saying that either. Circumstances change. People change.

Interest in Australia is dropping too. We've got term deposits that are only paying 4% now, and it was hard work to find those! I know it's not much. However if the OP are entitled to it, it's always an extra cushion. . Yes, IF you were already getting the pension before you left Australia. If you leave before you reach pension age, you have to go back to Australia to get it. I didn't say you did. You'll get the pension the day you claim it, BUT then you have to stay in Australia for a year, otherwise they'll cancel it again. That's interesting, because they don't look that bad on the internet (I've been looking at Bristol). What kind of money are we talking about? Bear in mind I live in Sydney and currently pay $500 a week for a shoebox. As for politics - I wonder if the British lot are much worse than the ones we've got in now. They're talking about raising the pension age to 70 and stopping people taking their superannuation as a lump sum.

I was lucky, when I arrived it was only 2 years to get citizenship. However there was no such thing as a Resident Return Visa.

Yes. As you can see from some of the houses Mary Rose has posted, I think a good bet is to go South rather than West or North. That way you can be closer to the beaches, too. Oatley/Mortdale are about 40 minutes commute by train to the city, you could go as far out as Cronulla and still be within your 80 minutes. On the other hand, if you want to drive to work, you'll have to be much closer in - it can take 2 hours by car from Oatley in peak hour!