Dawn2002

Thanks for that. Do you have to pay for the shopping on the credit card to get the frequent flyer points ? And is there an annual charge ? We are trying to avoid any form of credit card at the moment !

Hi there I currently have a Woolworths loyalty card, now I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but there doesn't seem to be much point to having it. You get the fuel vouchers any way and other than the occasional money off if you spend X and get a gift voucher I can't see any other benefit. The Nectar card in the UK accrued points which gave you money off. Are there any similar loyalty cards here like that ? Please enlighten me if I'm missing something on the current rewards card. I am trying to cut down on our spending on food and as I have to go shopping with 2 children under 5 my main aim is to get all I can in the minimum number of different stores !! Hence I only manage the supermarket fruit and veg shop and butchers at most.. I have tried Aldi but I wasn't impressed. Any suggestions ?

Fish.01 My hubby may have to get a job in Brissy, if the commute is to much for him we have discussed moving there, I was a bit reticent about that, but your post has just set my mind at rest a bit , it looks lovely.

I've only been in the GC for about 9 months, my initial impressions are it's mostly sunny ! In summer there were about 3 or 4 times when it was overcast for a few days, when it rained the cloud built up during the day and then there was a great big thunderstorm around 4 ish, not for very long but quite violent sometimes. Winter has been so far mostly clear and sunny, like a lovely sunny winters day in the UK, but the sun is still warm ! I did go to Brisbane at Christmas to visit my OH family and I found it much more humid than the GC.

I would agree with Fish.01, Springbrook is beautiful and very accessable from the Gold Coast. The G is starting up on 20/07, with free rides that day. My understanding is you can use the GO card which is used on the trains in it. Check how the service goes as they have had a few issues, not least with people driving down the tram tracks in cars by mistake !!! I'm looking forward to taking a ride on it to see what it's like.

Fishenka We rent our place in the Uk, mostly for similar reasons to the previous posters. We tried to sell before we left, but with only one offer of £40k under what we paid for it, we gave up. We came to the conclusion that the mortgage would still be paid, we weren't in a position to buy in Australia at the time( we still aren't) also the exchange rate was only about 1.5 AUD/GBP at the time. We use the agency who rented it to manage the place they charge around 8% of the rent per month. We have been lucky as we have only had to get a couple of inexpensive things done. However, renting was not our preferred option, the rent does not cover the mortgage after the management fee, so we have left money in the Uk to cover this, also incase anything major goes wrong and the landlord insurance. We are still in contact with our neighbours in the UK and I am confident we'd find out pretty quick if they thought the family were trashing the place. But I don't like the thought that our major asset is on the other side of the world and I can't check on it every now and again. We only rented as selling was not financially viable for us at the time. It is comforting that if we did want to go back it is there, but as my hubby and kids are Aussies I think it unlikely. We plan to sell next year, providing the tenant wants to renew the lease. It all depends on your individual financial situation, make sure you do the sums properly and can cover periods when the property may not be rented. Also investigate the tax aspect. Dawn

Hi there I'm not a new mum, I have a 2 1/2 yr old and a 4 yr old, but I'm a stay at home mum and am always looking for friends, my kids are lovely, but I do like to chat to an adult every now and then !!! Obviously I've been through your sons age and know what it's like to feel a little isolated, even though I was in the Uk at the time. I'm in Bundall and have been here 9 months, I've made some good friends, also with kids a similar age to mine through this website. Anyway, if you fancy a meet up pm me. Dawn

Hi Tosh If you're in Essex you could try GEO Copsey, not sure if they cover all of Essex, but they did us and we were in Chelmsford. The guy who came round was your traditional Essex wide boy, so I was unsure at first, but when I spoke to the guy in the office, he was very knowledgable and helpful. Our stuff was shipped to Brisbane, we weren't there when the lorries were loaded,my mum let them in and they locked up and came back the next day for the rest. We also packed most of our stuff before, but they packed what we hadn't very well. my only gripe was it took longer then expected to get through customs checks. We were told that was because they were very busy. For an idea stuff packed in container on 27th Sept arrived at our house n the Gold Coast I think the second week of December. They use a different agent here, but they were easy to contact, and very good when they delivered the stuff. We also had John Mason and Anglo Pacific round to quote and I'd have been happy using them too, but the price swayed us and I'm a bit if a one for using local firms.

Compulsory Third Party Insurance. You must have it in Queensland to get the rego.

Hi Rheia Been here 9 months now !! Had a few wobbles but hey have passed. Got hold of some chocolate hob nobs and Branston pickle today and had 10 minutes of absolute home sickness/.bliss combined !!! Sounds like you are in a similar situation, OH family is here, they're great, but they're his family if you know what I mean ! I won't lie it has been a difficult 9 months, especially as I am a stay at home mum now, but I have met people through PIO, they have become good friends and it is good to speak to people who are going through similar emotions to you. Please pm me with any questions you have on the Gold Coast,( and if you want to catch up when you get here). I can't profess to be an expert on the area as I am still discovering myself, but I'll try to help if I can. So you know it was 24 today according to the car, but a bit breezy on the beach !! Haze 9229 as you say positivity and giving it a go is the key.Good luck with the move, both of you.

Elven We emigrated last Sept after 9 years in the planning. I met my OH in Sydney in 2002, we returned to the UK in 2004, planning for a couple of years stay then move back to Oz, life just took over though !! We applied for the visa in Feb 13 it was granted in July and I think it then sank in we were going. Even more so when I finished work and got shipping quotes and booked our one way flights. I did even the week before think to myself what the heck am I doing. Nice house, car etc, kids settled in daycare, friends, family all the things you are leaving behind and start to realise they will be there, but not accessable as easily any more. Skype is no substitute for a hug from your mum when your down. The next I would be excited about moving to a new country, how great the weather would be and what we could do with the kids we couldn't in the UK. I'd lie awake at night occasionally worrying. The worst thing was saying bye to family and especially my grandad in the knowledge I may not see him alive again. I think the emotions you are feeling are normal, I can say I defiantly felt the same, it's a huge move. I found as it got nearer I had so many things to do I didn't think about it as much. We are now settled in the Gold Coast, kids settled in Kindy. It got to 16 last night and I had a cardy on !!! My husbands family are here, hence why we came to this area, but I still miss my family. Sorry this ended up slit longer post than intended !! I hope it all goes well for you and for you Monk. Dawn

Hi Craig I don't know the exact process, I'm afraid, I'm sure someone on here would have a much better idea. My lay mans understanding is it is valued and assessed for duty etc at the port Cargo on line handled the port side for us, from there we got another agent to do the rest. They were brilliant and kept us well informed. I have dug out the invoice we got from the company that did the compliance here in Australia. This is in Queensland so I have no idea if it is the same everywhere. I would expect each state is different, so please don't base anything on this. Compliance inspection $ 290 Road Worthy inspection $ 67.50 12 months rego and CTP insurance. $ 1729 Management fee ( labour, use of trade plates, environment fee etc) $360 Fitting of child restraint and 4 new tyres $ 1113 ( we have run flats on our car so may be more expensive than others ) That doesn't include fees from the port or the duty payable there. We also had to pay for the car to be steam cleaned at the port. I can't find the invoice for these charges I'm afraid. Also we could only find 2 companies that woul insure the car as it was an import, we rang around lots but none if the mainstream ones would. We went with Shannon's. I hope some of the above helps. Edited - above prices don't include GST. Dawn

Flake We flew last year with our then 3 1/2 and 18 month old. To Brisbane with a stopover in Singapore. With Singapore airlines so on the big 380. They were very good and even brought extra food when the children refused to eat the airline meals. TBH I don't plan on doing it again anytime soon, my our 18 mnth old decided that halfway through the flight was playtime and the toys etc we bought were not as good as running up and down the stairs at the back of the plane. If it helps those with babies seemed to have a quieter flight than we did. One thing we did take were some sachets of Calpol incase of sore ears or good forbid a cold developing mid flight. Good luck, you will find most people are understanding.

Good news for your other half. There's lots of competition for general admin jobs, especially if you want anything part time. I know well qualified people who are having trouble. I wouldn't know about the bar work/waitressing area. Good luck.

Agree with previous posters, work is hard to come by on the Gold Coast. As an example, my OH is a qualified accountant with over 5yrs experience, work was not forthcoming easily after his original contract ended. Broadbeach is lovely for a visit with the kids to the beach. we live about 10mins drive away, but I wouldn't suggest it for a family. The other areas mentioned Burleigh, Robina etc have more for families and are much less busy with tourists.

We went for the shipping companies insurance for total loss only. I think the premium was around 2 - 3 % of the sum insured. I think it was higher if you wanted to insure for damage as well. As we packed ourselves this wasn't an option for us as I believe Rupert is correct in saying that if you pack yourself breakages aren't covered.

We packed almost everything ourselves, we saved a certain amount per cubic square feet doing this. But in hindsight I'd have let them do it. We aren't the most organised of families and we were still packing on the morning we left for the flight here !! We underestimated completely the size of the task we had set ourselves. Also we managed to pack a tiny paper mâché box which we kept cufflinks in, cost at purchase - nothing we received a gift in it. Cost to destroy when it arrived here $250!!! Guess a lot if it depends on your overall logistics if when you plan to leave the UK and arrive in Oz.

Thanks Gallah, I'll get one of them, and leave it out overnight and see how it goes. My kids are very messy eaters and I always seem to miss a bit !!

Hmm never thought of that. I have had a quick scan of the grassed areas in the garden, there are a few obvious holes we could dig up. We don't have a big block and there is a deck round the pool, could they be living under there ? The focus of the entry and exit points are near our Landry room/ kitchen on the other side of the house.

Hello Over the last few weeks we have developed an ant problem ( the tiny little black type). As soon as any food is not swept up they are on it in minutes. I have been spraying the exit holes with Raid and this stops them for a bit, but they just seem to find a new hole. They are coming out of the little gaps in the skirting board corners and between the skirting and the floor. Not from outside that I can see. I know the property was sprayed before we moved in about 6 months ago, does this wear off ? Should the landlord be treating the house regularly ? I have two young children so I don't want to go overboard with the Raid. I'm on the Gold Coast if that's relevant. Is it just the fact the weather has turned ? They're driving me mad and making me feel I live in an unclean house !! Which I don't ! Any thoughts welcome. Dawn

Hi Craig We used Cargo on line to ship our car last year. It got here fine and the company that did the compliance were very good. We shipped to Brisbane. However, we felt being novices to importing a car that we weren't well informed by cargo online of the process of how the car got to the ship, other documents we may need, the customs/ cleaning process in Australia. I sort of felt that they knew what they were doing but didn't want to take the time to explain it to me. saying that the car arrived and all was fine, just get a few quotes and go with whoever you feel comfortable with would be my advice. Don't underestimate the costs of the compliance though, it cost us about $ 1500 more than we budgeted as we needed a third anchor point for a child seat and 4 new tyres, even though our car had passed its MOT in the Uk about a month before it left. you can do the initial private import form yourself though, we did, its pretty straightforward. hope that helps. Dawn

Thanks for the advice, I have tried one of the chains and it was $15, so slightly better. Would the ones who work from home advertise in the newsagent or would I be better looking in the local paper. Sorry quite new to how these sorts of thing can be found over here! I have cut their hair once but I don't think I should try again ! Even if it does make a good 18th birthday photo for one of them! Dawn

Hi there, Not sure what forum this should be in but this seemed the most appropriate ! My kids need a haircut, now in the Uk our local salon charged £5, here I have only I seen them for $20, this seems like a bit steep to me, considering they don't have a huge amount of hair as they are both under 5. I have also heard it is less if you get it done during the week ? Can anyone advise if this would be à reasonable price. I am on the Gold Coast if that has any relevance. Thanks Dawn

Hi Dave, We have had a couple of meet ups with Team Edwards and Wattsy, pm me if you want to arrange something. The more the merrier. I am in Bundall. Not to familiar with Pacific Pines at all, is it in the northern GC . Where abouts in the Uk are you from, I'm from Essex, but hubby is from the GC. Dawn QUOTE=DaveD;1936361902]Hi Everyone, My Wife and I have been here just over a year with a 2 and a half year old daughter and 3 month old son. We would be happy to join in with any meet ups and get togethers to try and make some new friends. We are just up from you Nic in Pacific Pines. Cheers Dave

Hello, After actually doing the journey I thought I'd share my experience for those who are flicking through looking for this sort of info. Our first flight left LHR at 10.30 pm, unfortunately our son (22 months) did not have the planned sleep on the way to the airport in the car, hence by the time we got on the plane, and when it took off he fell asleep. This was great, we got him in the bassinet, he was v cramped up, had our meal and settled down for a snooze. Unfortunately my daughter (3 1/2) decided it was it not time to go to sleep until they turned all the lights out on the plane, but when they did she went out like a light. All good, my son woke after about 6 hrs, basically when he would have in the uk, then had to run around the plane with him, a big airbus 380' so not to bad as lots of running could be done, stewards were all good with him going up and down. He wasnt to interested in all the presents we had wrapped for him. My daughter did like them and when she woke, they kept her amused. Neither of them ate any of the food on the plane except for the drink, so glad we packed snacks. All in all not to bad. Arrived at Singapore and got to the hotel and in the room about 7 pm, both up late but eventually slept, to be fair we were there for4 nights and they both woke up at about 3 am for most of the nights for varying amounts of time, but we only had to go walking around the hotel with my son once. The flight to Brisbane was at midnight Singapore time, we thought we'll go to the zoo and wear the out, and as we had the room booked for that night too, take them back, give them a bath and a little sleep before we left, it may help. My daughter fell asleep, almost as soon as the plane took off, my son took a little longer, unfortunately he woke just as the lights were turned off and refused to sleep in the bassinet and I had to cuddle him the entire rest of the way ! Again wouldn't eat the food. Got to Brisbane then down to the Gold coast for about midday in the end I think, both kids slept in the car. As did I ! As we were staying with relatives the kids were all excited about seeing them, and took ages to settle at bedtime, my son was hugely overtired and screamed his head off for about an hour even when being cuddled before he finally fell asleep. However apart from the obvious waking early fora bit I think it only took a few days forthem to sleep through the night till a reasonable time. All in all I am not sure we should have stayed so long in Singapore, but once in Oz they settled quite quickly. So there it is, hope this helps anyone wondering about this sort of thing. Dawn