karenjh73

Brilliant! A place came up in Epping which looks good, can't wait

Thanks KirkyG! All recommendations gratefully received .

Thanks Daxx2 - we had an email just this morning so I guess it all kicks off from here! Thanks for the info on the usual areas, will be taking a look at travel times/schools etc in preparation...

Thanks Marisa, I will have a good look around on realestate.com.au - there are some really nice looking places, I think we will have to wait until our house sells here in the UK before making any purchasing decisions...still, it helps to be prepared!

Thanks for all the good tips and advice! Marisa - I'm assuming we will be looking at getting a car pretty quickly, which will give him the option of driving or using public transport, but from the sound of it the train sounds the best option...will be checking that out, so thank you. Maybe we will be looking a bit further out - $1-2million! EEK!! sydneysider3 - thanks for the M5 point...so somewhere near M5 with rail links Captain Roberto - thanks for those suggestions, will be taking a look. Don't know how I missed your previous posts on the same subject, but will be reading through very closely! Good luck with your upcoming move.

Thanks for your reply, Bungo. I assumed that by 'family friendly' (and mentioning young children) most would have an idea of the type of area I had in mind, but to clarify, the following would be what we were looking for: - 'safe' area (quiet roads, low crime rate) - open areas/play areas - facilities for out of school activities (eg football, gymnastics), may be provided at school? - easy access to other facilities such as library/swimming pool/health centre - other young families in area - good schools - husband may need the car for work, so local food shop/supermarket/shopping centre/cafe As previously mentioned, husband is in the Navy (initially at base in Potts Point), and family is in Campbelltown, so something with good transport links in between the two would be ideal. Not fussy about the house at the moment, would need 3 bedrooms, garden and garage. Not sure about budget at the mo but obviously I am aware that in general, properties closer to the CBD would be more expensive and we would have to weigh up commute times and what the area has to offer when looking at what we wanted to spend. Will be narrowing this down when we have seen the range of properties available. Thanks for any help.

Hi all, finally got confirmation, we will be moving out to Sydney area in June...we have been advised to look for suitable schools and areas to live, but I haven't got the foggiest at the mo! If anyone (particularly Navy) knows the area I would really love some advice. Ideally, we would be looking for a relaxed kid (8 and 5) friendly area, with a good primary school (possibly with navy kids there?) and good transport links to the Navy base so hub doesn't have to commute too much. Also (and here is where it gets a bit more difficult), I have family in the Campbelltown area so would like to be able to get there relatively easily... Thanks for any suggestions, hopefully I will be able to offer some useful advice to others when we get to the other side instead of just asking Q all the time! :twitcy:

Hi all, we're hoping to get over to Oz at the end of June with our two kids (8 and nearly 5), to NSW. Have visas and a final interview this week (with the Navy) before we have a date so haven't been able to sort out the big things like flights and packing up the house yet! Can't wait to get started. Would be great to hear from anyone else in a similar position to compare progress! Good luck to everyone, hope it is all going well...

Hi Donna, we are hopefully emigrating this June, I can't remember exactly when we started the whole process, as we had a bit of initial to&fro-ing over pensions and other stuff, but I remember hubby accepting the post before the summer last year and the date given to us for starting was a year from then (ie. this June). Medicals/visas etc were all done in the meantime, and we have a final interview next week with the visiting RAN board. TBH I'm not sure what the purpose of this interview is (one of the questions is 'why should we recommend you for the post?' ) as I was under the impression that having signed and returned the offered position, and having visas, it was a done deal....apparently not! If anyone else could shed further light on this I would be interested to hear! Anyway, good luck with your interview, let us know how it goes!

Thanks bobby, that's worth knowing...and now on to the import permit! (costing considerably more!)

Hi shak, I know this might sound a bit weird, but every time I visit my family in the Sydney area the tap water makes me feel ill! (I'm still in the UK at the moment, but have visited nearly every year for about the last 20!) They now get in those massive bottles of water for me to drink until I get 'acclimatised' and it really makes a difference. Don't know if this would be the same in your case, but its worth a try!

Thanks for your reply Bob. Yes, we are in the UK. The bit that threw me was the statement that the OGV was not the same as the Government approved vet who is already prepping our cat...I know this vet does pet passports, so does that mean he is actually an OGV and is it ok that he has been doing all the rest of the treatment/paperwork so far?? Thanks also for the permit quotes - I will be seeing the husband at the weekend and we will be taking a closer look at how much the costs are going to be. Personally, I know I would be more reassured if someone who knew what they are doing was in charge of it all rather than me! Cardmaker - glad it's not just me! You would think it would be a bit more obvious when so many ppl must have done it before us!

Hi, our cat has passed his rabies antibody test and we have the test report. We now have to get an Official Government Vet to complete the RNAT test declaration, but this is apparently not the same as the Government Approved Vet we have been seeing so far. How do we find the OGV, and do we just send off copies of the lab report/vaccination certificate for them to complete the RNAT test declaration, or must they be originals? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Long story short, we seem to be having trouble every step of the way, with visa problems due to RAN not passing on info, then losing forms which needed to be resent, now the sudden realisation that medical info expires next week (despite having all this stuff for a year) and needs to be resubmitted next week if we have a chance of clearing the June 2015 intake. (Security clearance and interview still need arranging, God knows how long that will take them!) Liaison in the RAN never answers the phone and only emails when they have created the next urgent problem. Husband's job in the RN ends this June, and initial entry on our visas expires this Nov (next RAN intake is Dec), so I'm getting a little worried! Has anyone had any similar problems, or words of advice? How was the process for those of you already out there? Is all this last minute organisation usual for the RAN?? Thanks for any advice!