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Thanks for the replies! Grace have been and gone - they were fantastic. Spare boxes tape and wrapping! 3 hours later off went our stuff! phew!

Grace come tomorrow at 8am to take all our stuff! We we have had a massive day of packing, I honestly do not know how we have accumulated so much stuff over the years! Anyway, we have run out of boxes! ? so, when the removals come tomorrow do they have extra they can give us? I honestly don't know what we will do if they don't! They are coming so early that I don't hav chance to ask them to bring extras, so I hope they come prepared! Any reassurance from someone who has done this would be great! We just need about 4 extra book boxes which I hope to quickly pack. Help!!

I have bought some of those vacuum storage bags from Woolies. Basically you pack all you stuff (clothes) and suck the air out with a hoover! Wont alter the weight but will save heaps of room. So much fun! (yes, I need to get out more...)

I have posted this here before, but worth a re-post. I love traveling and have been so lucky to spend the time i have had here. Why not try a working holiday visa for a year to get a taste of life before you commit to anything long term? My reasons for returning; * Family - Skype and phone just not the same as a family gathering around for Sunday lunch! I guess I value family very highly and want my children to as well * Christmas - Its just not Christmas in the sun! -mulled wine, turkey with frosty mornings beats Christmas on the beach * Belonging - To me, old friends are so important to have around - the ones you grew up with who really know you! * Distance - Part of my family when I was growing up, were in New Zealand, I guess to me it was always a bit sad that I didnt really know that side of my family that well. * Upbringing - I want my kids to have the upbringing I had - I had an awesome childhood! What seemed like endless summers playing with my cousins in the garden, walks with the family and dog in the New Forest, grandma knitting me jumpers and having to wear them when she visited, digging veggies in the garden with dad - the list is endless! Nice weather and better wages are great and I have (really) enjoyed having both, but long term, I see myself with everything listed above!

We are using Grace for our move from Perth to the Uk in August. They were the cheapest for us and have been fantastic. I suggest getting 2 or 3 companies to come to your house to give you an accurate quote (takes about 45 mins to an hour) We are getting insurance through Letton Percival - much cheaper than the insurance offered by the shippers.

We are in the same boat. We are moving with Grace in 5 week from Perth to the UK. We know we will be in the south west, but our exact location is to be confirmed! I was advised by Grace to put my mums address on the form that asks for UK address, but to clearly state that this will not be the delivery address. We plan for Grace to store our things until we have somewhere for them to deliver to! As for insurance we are using Letton Percival who has been fantastic. Cheaper then the shipping company insurance (about 1.3% of the value of your belongings, compared to about 3% with the shipping company). As with any policy, make sure you read the terms etc.

Hi All I am selling my car on gumtree. Lovely little car in excellent condition. Had no issue with it whatsoever. Cheap to run. Manual transmission. See ad here; http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/subiaco/cars-vans-utes/2010-kia-rio-hatchback/1082753735

Just on selling stuff - does anyone else find gumtree massively painful? People get in touch asking if you will let it go for a greatly reduced price. We recently listed a wardrobe for $130 and someone offered us $60 for it! And when people do get in touch to come and have a look, they are late or a no-show. One guy turned up (after being a hour later than he said) in a tiny van to collect the (huge) wardrobe, even though the dimensions were listed. Gumtree is full of time wasters unfortunately!

Thanks for the advice. I plan to move to Bournemouth and hope to secure something there. I have worked in various administration and reception positions over the past 6 years. This has been within the health and fitness industry (health club) and University Sport. I would happily consider short term contracts for a bit while I find my feet!

Does anyone know if there is a charge if I want my dental records? I had an xray on a wonky wisdom tooth a while back. I think it would be good to have for furture reference!

Yes, we have travelled a lot in Australia. I am just trying to think of the little things that I enjoy doing that I wont be able to do when I leave. I only have about 7 weekends left to make the most of!

For anyone planning to return to the UK, do you have a wish list of things you want to do while you are still in Australia? I cant wait to get back, but at the same time I dont want to wish my time away here. One of my bucket list items is fish and chip at Cottesloe beach watching the sun set.

Does anyone have experience with temp jobs in the UK? I am thinking that this might be an option when I arrive back n the UK while I am searching for something a bit more permanent. I have a lot of office administration experience. Does anyone have any idea of pay rates for such a role?

Ooh, this is a tricky one. I plan to leave work in 7 weeks. I have told a few close colleagues, but not my direct manager. My issue is that she is going on maternity leave in 3 months, and keeps making comments about tasks I will have to do when she is not here. (And I am sitting there nodding thinking, i'll be long gone by then!) I plan to give her a 'heads up' next week. Have a chat along the lines of; 'my circumstances have changed and I need to return home there fore you can expect me to hand in my 1 months notice at the beginning of July'. Just leave it at that. I think she would be disappointed if she knew I had been planning this for months, but at the same time I don't want to be penalized for wanting to leave at such an awkward time for the company.

allow an hour for each. have your questions ready and know value of your car if you are taking this.

Thanks for the input. 3 seems to be the best so far. Great idea about checking coverage - didn't think of that! I used The Cloud a lot when I was back at Christmas. Gotto love free wifi!

For anyone wanting a comparison I have attached my quotes below from Grace for shipping a 20ft and 40ft container both shared and sole use. Hope it helps. [TABLE=width: 278] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD] 20ft[/TD] [TD] 40ft[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sole use[/TD] [TD] $8,101[/TD] [TD] $9,184[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Shared use[/TD] [TD] $6,651[/TD] [TD] $7,861[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Grace charge 3% of the value for insurance I think a company such as Letton Percival charge around 1.3% [TABLE=width: 202] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

I am heading back to the UK in August and need to get myself set up with a phone ASAP. I currently have an iPhone and want to stay on PAYG. Can anyone recommend a decent PAYG provider? Ideally I want free social networking! Is Tesco mobile any good? (i am just thinking about the Tesco club card program, so points for mobile top ups would help with points!) Thoughts?

Here are photos from the only 2 occasions (in nearly 8 years) we have had a huntsman in the house (Perth). Both times they we caught and removed easily. Redbacks can be found in the garden occasionally, but Barrier spray is a godsend. (But it will kill every living thing in the area, so use very sparingly)

Did you get a quote from Grace? We had the most competative quote from them for a 40ft conatiner including vehicle. Have you thought about insurance? I have been doing a bit of research weighing up a few options and am undecided wether to use the shipping company's insurance or seek this elsewhere (this would be cheaper but I am concerned that using a third party would make things complicated if we need to make a claim)

Hi all we have had quotes for our move from Perth to the UK which is a house full and a car. We are going to probably have a 40ft sole use container. It looks like the insurance is really going to bump up the cost. I have read post on here saying that it is cheaper to get insurance directly, rather than from the shipping company but I can't remember what the other option was. I mentioned it to the lady from Allied Pickfords, but she had not heard of alternative insurance. (Or had she. . . ?!)

Orginally I was not keen on the idea, but now I think that there are better things to spend the money on to be honest, as long as you are not compromising. You still have to love the dress and be comfortable in it. If this is from a second hand dress - why not?!

Having a chat with a girlfriend recently about second hand wedding dresses. What is the general concensus on this? Has anyone had a good/bad experience?

When I was at Uni I lived in Gloucester. I would not live there to be honest, it was abit rough round the edges (although this was about 10 years ago and I was a poor student, so my opinion might be outdated!) The docks area was nice. The shopping was pretty ordinary. Nightlife average as targeted towards students. Cheltenham on the other hand is much better. Defenately the best out of the two. Just has a much nicer feel about it. Better shopping, a bit classier in terms of night life and eating out. (Would be more expensive than Gloucester though!) Stroud is also lovely, it is samller that Cheltenham and not as much going on, but has more of a community feel.

You have just summed up exactly how I feel about home! :smile: Hit the nail on the head!