ksarah

We used CurrencyFair, they have a flat rate per transaction (AUD $4) but the rate was always better and when you're transferring all of your savings it makes a big difference! I like that I can set up a trade in advance by nominating an exchange rate and then get a notification when it is matched. https://www.currencyfair.com

We are also with TPG. TV here can be a bit dire, so we signed up with presto (online on-demand TV/Movie content) and I love it. But the internet is very flakey (and we're in Ivanhoe which is pretty close to the city). FYI We initially tried to get an unlimited bundle deal with Telstra as they have better mobile coverage in some regional parts of Australia (where my rellies live) but despite my husband having been transferred in a senior management position (and never missing a pay cheque) they wouldn't let us join as we didn't have a credit record. Ironically, it was easier to get a rental and even buy a property than have them sign us up (even though we offered to pay out the contract).

Hey spreadingwings - I am, and always will be, a Sydney girl at heart. We played it safe and took a transfer with my husband's company (but the job was in Melbourne). So my grand return to Oz after 11yrs in London was not what I'd always imagined it to be. Having said that Melbourne has a lot to offer (easier to drive about, cheaper property) and we are enjoying our trips out and about (also slightly grateful that it's cooler down here!). Just looking forward to my daughter starting school so we can start to make some new friends.

Tartan Diver - we're currently renting in Ivanhoe but will be moving up to Greensborough once we get our new purchase renovated. Are you planning to stay down on the peninsula when you settle? Bound4Tassie - the wording on the SP application regarding medicals is rather misleading, isn't it? If your children have Australian citizenship they do not need to have medicals.

Bound4Tassie - I had both my kids obtain citizenship by descent then Aussie passports so that we didn't pay for them to obtain a visa (just my British Husband). Haven't dug out our old application (approved 2014) to give you a section reference, but you include their AUS passport numbers in the spousal visa app. Best of luck for your move to Melbourne, Tartan Diver. Having recently moved from Surrey to Melbourne ourselves, we're discovering that it's a fabulous city to live in.

We bought new when we arrived. Check out these websites to get a rough idea of costs, but remember to ask for their best price when you're in the store and you generally always get a discount. http://www.harveynorman.com.au/ http://www.harveynorman.com.au/cameras-phones-gps/phones-phablets/home-phones/2/1246 https://www.jbhifi.com.au/phones/Home-Phones/ https://www.dicksmith.com.au

Hubby has an iphone 6 - he loves the camera (slow mode is hilarious when filming kids on swings etc) his main bug bears are that: a) he has to stretch to press some buttons and still hold the phone (& he has giant man-hands). b) it's very curved edges make it a slippery little sucker... seriously I'm just waiting for the day it smashes. My main issue is that it's fingerprint access so I can't steal it!

We moved a few months ago and were initially all for Bayside. Check out www.domain.com.au to get a feel for what you can get for your budget. Most properties are sold at auction and you'll see estimated prices on the website - add $200k to these (no, this is not a joke - AMAZED that it's legal to advertise houses for prices well below the reserve the owner will accept). Providing that a house has been sold a few times you can get a reasonable guestimate of what it's likely to go for via www.onthehouse.com.au (but this will not take into account any renos). Also take a look at google maps (street view)- I was a bit shocked that some main roads can be 3/4 lanes (how is that not a highway?) and traffic noise can be an issue even in the surrounding sts. You will also want to consider schools (some are catchment area zoned) and if you're planning to buy, then also look at secondary schools via http://bettereducation.com.au/. Note that the better the school the higher the price tag of houses in that zone (McKinnon is one such catchment area based secondary school that consistently scores very highly). You can see if a house you're interested in is in the right area for any catchment areas based schools (without having to drill down to the catchments on individual school websites) via http://www.street-directory.com.au/vic/melbourne (just type in the address then click on 'amenities nearby' on the pop up window). For public transport times visit: http://ptv.vic.gov.au/ Having been house hunting for since June we personally feel we get a better lifestyle further out. I should confess that having grown up with surf beaches in NSW, most Melbourne beaches (inside the port) are underwhelming - but will be fabulous for your toddlers as it’s like a big flat pond. We wanted our move to Oz to include a big backyard, not constantly hear our neighbours, be part of a smaller community (so we could meet people!) and be close to the train. Of course you can get these things too in Bayside but the land value is higher. Ultimately we've opted for views on a 1/4 acre, 5mins from a train station/massive pool and 10mins from everything you could want shop wise. If you like more of a country feel with lots of gum trees and more hills (much of Bayside near a train line & the best public schools is rather flat) then look around Rosanna, Macleod up to Greensborough. All the best with your move to Melbourne - how exciting!!!

This summation of research (UK + Oz) into high schools is rather interesting: http://theconversation.com/state-school-kids-do-better-at-uni-29155

I've flown with small children on Eithad and Emirates (both great) but after our recent trip from London to Melb with Singapore Airlines they will be our top choice going forward. They have child sized headphones so they can actually use the entertainment system, very friendly staff and nice big planes. They key difference for us was the stop over in Changi, Singapore (4hrs). They have massage chairs (free!!!) next to the kids playground, a fish pond and a butterfly house! With a 2yro you will also appreciate the baby changing facilities, trying to find a baby change in Dubai airport was ridiculous!

We found that this little baby (with the combing method covered in this exchange) does the trick ... http://www.nittygritty.co.uk/products/52/the_nitty_gritty_comb/ Oh and wash ALL of the bedding/towels etc on a hot wash. We also do the vosene shampoo + repellent spray (I'm sure there's an Oz equivalent someone can recommend). Good luck!!

Hey Emma, I'm not sure about all states, but here in Tas (and in Melb) if you meet the eligibility criteria, then you can get the required vaccines for free once you arrive (for us it's for Hep B as the kids had chickenpox a few months before we left). Check out your local council website for more details. We need to get our medicare cards sorted next week then we're off to get our jabs and vaccine certificates completed - I'll let you know how we get on, if you think it would be helpful...

Arrived in Launceston on Sat & I have to admit I underestimated how bloody cold it is. Under-insulated houses are soooo cold, ironically it is warmer outside in the sun. Merino thermals are my new BFF

Hello My hubby has a transfer to the Melb office of his company BUT despite it being 4months since he resigned and they found this role for him he still doesn't have an Australian contract. He's still working on an Asia/Pac project for the next few months but given the local office hasn't sorted out his transfer he's still technically employed by the UK. We arrived on Sat to activate his PR (spousal) visa and he's on holiday this week. Perhaps I'm being overly paranoid, but I would have thought that there would be some downside to working from home for a foreign firm? Can anyone offer any advice? As always, any info would be greatly appreciated!

Friday the 13th could indeed get scary, especially in my street since all of my gal pals are coming over to drink the house dry before we move...

Hello everyone I'm in a mad frenzy of pre-move activity and having some difficulty finding the replacement cost of our wooden furniture in Melbourne (for insurance purposes). Basically all our furniture is solid oak or ash and only 3yrs old so it's all going in the container. The range of what I can find online in Oz seems to be limited to extortionate custom made stuff, veneers or just pretty pictures with no prices. I've checked out Freedom furniture, Myer, Harvey Norman - does anyone else have any suggestions of where to look? As always, any help would be hugely appreciated!!!

Hello!! We are moving from London to Melbourne (via Tas) in July with our 5yro daughter and 3yro son. Aim to rent in or around the Bentleigh area and would love to meet up. While our kiddies are young, hubby and I are early 40's/mid 30's.

Whilst not as open to bribery as older kiddies travelling with a 6m old baby was not so bad for us, thankfully our little miss was in a good mood on our flying days. I flew from Heathrow to Sydney with my husband and solo on the return leg and it was actually one of the easier trips with kids I've done. Didn't go for the stop over as I felt that just delayed the inevitable jet lag adjustment and added in an additional layer of complexity (transport/feeding etc). Went with Emirates and they were brilliant - great that they have strollers in the airport for your plane changeover (we aimed to minimise this as there aren't many child facilities for young babies on their routes). I was breastfeeding at the time so that made things easier for take off/landing and general settling on demand. Other friends who were bottle feeding just ordered the pre-packaged milks with screw top openings/disposable teats along with Ella's kitchen pouches to pick up at Boots on the international side of the airport to avoid the ridiculous 100ml limitations. You want to make sure that you have enough so that the little one is drinking/swallowing on takeoff/landing to counter the change in air pressure. I'd also advise teaching them to feed straight from the pouches if you can (I had a very fussy eater on my hands so bought our own food but had to pack extra as they can make you open them when going through security). I popped my daughter in short/long sleepsuits for the flights and took her sleeping bag for the bassinet (you want to make sure that you book a bassinet/cot with the airline). The ipad was very helpful to entertain the wee one but they also love the inflight entertainment system (random button pressing etc). I also took the baby bjorn on board for walking around and decanted my essential stuff (breastfeeding apron, wipes, muslin, chewy toy) into a large zip lock bag for take off/landing since they won't let you have anything on the floor if you get the exit row. We did not take any squeaky/noisey toys lest we incur the wrath of fellow passengers and bought out a new (small) toy every few hours. Here's hoping your little one will travel well.

Good idea to get on the electoral roll (do you have poll cards for the recent EU/local elections?) and have utilities (where they allow it) and home insurance etc in both names. Also collect paper work that shows you are recognised as a couple - wedding/christening invites etc.

Many thanks for your reply, Rupert. I understand that if this goes ahead he will be paid via the Oz office come July. Not sure they (UK HR) realise about the P45 (as specified in P85 form) but perhaps there's another form that we should be using. It would indeed be prudent to get a tax accountant involved...

Hello, I was hoping that someone may be able to shed some light on a few tax queries ... By way of background, Hubby *potentially* has a job in Oz with his existing company (he has PR via a spousal visa). We arrive in Oz on Sat 28 June and after a week of unpaid leave, he'll start working remotely on 6 July. I assume that even though he has continuous employment (& isn't even switching 'roles' till Sept) that he needs to get a P45 in June so he can complete the P85 form. Is this correct? Would he get a tax rebate in the UK? HUGE thanks in advance for any help in answering these questions!

Normally not likely... but after spending (probably a fairly sleepless night in a hotel) I can see how my husband and I with 2 young children, a stroller, 4 large suitcases + 4 carry on bags could (after a 28hr commute to Oz) be easy targets in an airport or simply forget something (hopefully not one of the children!).

I'd be rather cautious about laptops etc in checked luggage as some insurance policies don't cover them if stolen. Best to read the fine print... Also all of the 1 way immigration style policies I've found so far have pretty small limits on replacing personal items (ie a £65 5day policy will only cover £1500 with £65 excess). Yet to find a policy that will cover our 2 laptops, 1 ipad, 2x iphones etc. If we lost 1 backpack we'd be out of pocket....

Congratulations & best of luck with your move!

Love the Lake District, stayed in Ambleside a few weeks back (highly recommend the The Mews). Make sure you book and go to Lucy's on a plate - they write your name into the welcome at the top of the menu and the food is fabulous! Also a big fan of Grasmere and the gingerbread shop. Lots of National Trust sites there too - we loved Allan Bank, Wray Castle, Sizergh etc. Hope you have a fabulous trip!