PatW

Hello Petkula73 Oh gosh, you didn't have a happy experience! Thank you for all that info. Have you hired a car in France and found it 'easier' perhaps? Last thing I want to do is have a car accident over there because it would cost so much on excess (whether justified or not). Pat

We visited Flanders and attended the daily last post at Menin gate, Ypres, all well worth seeing. Enjoy your trip Keith. Hello Keith Thank you so much for that information - just the kind of thing we need. I feel the need to know all the minutiae to make sure we've covered all bases, particularly as it's going to France where there are French! (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Do you know the French language & use it? If not, did you have a problem with getting around & not knowing French? When I last went in the '60s if you didn't know French they wouldn't talk to you. And how many hours did it take to drive from Calais to Ypres, please? I was assuming we'd need to have at least one overnight stop. What's your thinking on that, please? Pat

Thanks Chicken66 We're dual nationality so have passports for both Australia and UK, which is why we thought it would be easier to go from UK to France on the UK passports (the EU thing - if it still exists come April 2016!). (Do hate that we were born in UK and if we travelled only on the Oz passports we'd have to queue at the Aliens counter.)

Hello KatyMac Keep in touch then, because there'll be another get-together about Sept/Oct and you'd be very welcome. We did it a few years ago, knowing nobody and it can be a scary/frustrating/tiring start to your new adventure.

We're going to UK in April 2016 and it'll probably be our last visit. I'm into family history & would like to go to the Somme to visit the Thiepval Memorial (gt g'father is mentioned on it). We'll arrange a hire car for when we land in Heathrow. It's literally years since I went to France so I don't know the system. 1.I'm assuming we can use our UK passports & not need a visa. 2.We make sure the hire car is allowed to go to France. 3.We'll need to book ahead for a car spot on the Eurotunnel (OH no sailor so won't be going by ferry). And that's all I can think of! But there's probably more we need to be aware of, so can anyone point us in the right direction, please? Thanks. Pat

Coming in on the tail end of this one. If you broke a leg or (heaven forbid) a back during that UK trip you'd have to be 'repatriated' back to Oz probably with a nurse in tow and special arrangements for seating, etc. Then the travel insurance would come into its own and prove its worth for a few hundred. Cancelled or delayed flights would be covered & you wouldn't lose perhaps $2,000pp+.

Hello Maria I'll pm you.

Hello Maria Not long to wait, then! And then it'll be 'welcome to Queensland'! What accommodation have you arranged/will you arrange for when you arrive? Motel, holiday let, etc.? What part of the Sunshine Coast are you heading for? Do ask (before and when you're here) if we can help.

Hi KatyMac We used to be 'down the road' in Banbury. And which spring do you mean: Australian (Sept-Nov) or UK (March-May)?

Next get-together Saturday 11 July, 2pm til you have to go, Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes. BYO food, drinks, etc. Free electric bbqs if you want to cook. You'd be very welcome!

Hello all OH & I arrange 3 monthly get-togethers in a park in North Lakes. The next will be Saturday 11 July, 2pm til you have to go, at Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes. BYO food, drinks, etc. There are free electric bbqs, play equipment, half-pipe skate bowl, off-leash dog area & a huge playing field for kicking a ball. We usually get about 10 families (with & without children) so enough people to have a chat to without feeling swamped. You'd be very welcome!

Hello Gilly & Stacey OH & I arrange 3-monthly get-togethers for recent migrants, held at North Lakes. The next will be Saturday 11 July, from about 2pm til you have to go, Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes. BYO food, drinks, etc. It's got free electric bbqs, tables/benches, toilets. We usually get about 10 families (with & without children) so not too many people that it gets all too much. And another family is living in Samford (but I think Samford Show is the same date). You'd be most welcome!

Hello Joanne Welcome to Brisbane! Of course you'd be very welcome! It's not just for North Lakes' people - it's for anyone who wants to come. It's just that there are a lot of recent migrants in North Lakes and it's a convenient place to meet up. You're just in time for the next get-together, which will be Saturday 11 July, from 2pm til you have to go (although Bob and I are there earlier to try and grab a table) at the Parkside Park/bbq area, at the roundabout on Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes. BYO food, drinks, etc. There are free electric bbqs, play equipment, half-pipe skate park, off-leash dog area and lots of room to kick a ball. Do ask if you want more info.

Hi ya OH & I do 3 monthly get-togethers at North Lakes (postcode 4509), which is about a 40 minute drive back down the highway. The next is this Saturday, 18th April, from 2pm til you have to go, at Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes. BYO food drinks, etc. Usually about 10 families (with and without children) come. It's have a natter, get to know other people, info on how things happen and where to find things. You'd be very welcome! PM me if you have questions/queries you want answers to.

Hi all Jim mentioned the next get-together: this Saturday 18th April. BYO food, drinks, chairs. Free electric bbqs available. Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes (by the roundabout). PM me if you have specific questions/queries. Organised by OH & me who came a few years ago and know what it can feel like in the first year or 3. About 10 families (with and without children). Get to know a few people and start to make friendships and networks.

Hi Matt Beyond Bunnings, Masters & Mitre 10, there's also Trade Tools (http://www.tradetools.com.au) and Total Tools (http://www.totaltools.com.au) and Home Hardware (http://www.homehardware.com.au) although there are fewer of them. Hope this helps. And, OH & I do 3 monthly get-togethers for migrants at a park in North Lakes (postcode 4509). The next will be this Saturday, 18th April, from 2pm til you have to go, at Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard (by the roundabout) - behind Bounty Boulevard School, North Lakes. BYO food, drinks, etc. About 10 families come (with or without children). Just come and have a natter with others that have recently done the same & start new friendships. PM me if you have specific questions.

Another migrant family has asked for the washing machine, so it's no longer available.

Next get-together Saturday 18 April (see previous posting). Would be delighted to see you. PM me if you have queries.

Next get-together will be Saturday 18 April, Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes 4509 (behind Bounty Boulevard school). From 2pm til you have to go. BYO food, drinks, etc. Free electric bbqs on site, as well as kids' play area, off-leash dog area, half-pipe skateboard thingy & a huge playing field for ball games. And hopefully all this rotten humidity will have well & truly gone by then! PM me if you have questions. I also put the details on the calendar of the PIO website.

There shouldn't be a fee for you to apply for a rental property (based on Qld rules). You don't have to have seen it, if all the online information & photos are sufficient, although the Property Manager may prefer to vet/see you before agreeing. You can submit applications for multiple properties. You can submit an application online & provide necessary scanned ID documentation, i.e. passport, photo driver's licence, pay slips (100 points needed). In Qld you can go to the rta website (Rental Tenancy Authority) and see the forms, rental info. etc. available there at no cost. Hope this helps.

Hello Darryl Should have said: WELCOME to Brisbane!

Hello Darryl What part of Brisbane? Because friends have a Simpson 7.5kg heavy duty top loader washing machine to give away to a good home. But they're in the North Lakes area (post code 4509). If you're going to be north side of Brisbane, we can help collect & deliver because we have 6' x 4' trailer. PM me if you're interested, please.

Hello Marisa & Fisher1 Thank you for your replies and useful information. I've downloaded the State Pension Statement form and will get that completed & mailed asap. Then we'll see. Oh dear, finding National Insurance numbers could be a problem, though! But thank you both again. It's much appreciated.

I've been searching gov.uk to see if we're eligible for UK pensions and have, frankly, been going round in circles. Am I right (from the reams of pages I looked at) that one has to have been working in UK for 35 years before one is eligible for a UK pension and living overseas?

Hello Tiff The next North Lakes get-together/bbq will be Saturday 18 April, from 2pm til you have to go, at Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard (behind Bounty Boulevard School), North Lakes 4509. BYO food, drinks, etc. Free electric bbqs to use if you want to. We normally get about 8-10 families and would love to see you. For those in the city area, it's about 25 minutes' drive north on the highway and then 10 minutes into the suburb. Would love to see you there!