mungbean

Hi @CaptainR - as a regular flyer on this route I'd appreciate your tips on dealing with the jetlag! Going back wasn't so bad, but I've done UK to Sydney twice now (via UAE, no stopovers) and the first time I was jet-lagged for a whole week. This time I'm all over the shop as well... currently trying sleeping 8 hours, awake 8 hours, but work is going to be a struggle Monday/Tuesday. Any suggestions? Do you take melatonin? I've been trying to get outside to get in the sunlight, but balancing that against the need to sleep is tricky, especially when it's dark by 5.30pm. Cheers

I flew from Manchester to Sydney via Abu Dhabi with Etihad a few days ago. First time I've used them. Planes were new, food was fine, and the digital entertainment system was decent, although with much reduced choice of movies compared to Emirates. Good headphones though, which comes in useful if you're trying to block out the sound of screaming and vomiting infants on a 13-hours flight.

Apparently Melbourne as well as Sydney now both have them in the "concourse" (ie. the walking along bit). Which was the main impetus for my post... if you try it there, where hardly anyone is thinking of using it, it's very quick and if it doesn't work you just move along and join the huge, snaking queue. The instructions on these machines could definitely improve though... I struggled first couple of times, and I work in user interface design! (Hint: you have to keep the passport on the scanner until you've answered all the questions)

Correct, and this is why I pointed out that you have to be over 16. (10-15 year olds are allowed on a trial basis for Aus/NZ passports at the moment.) This isn't well signposted and I saw a family with small children standing there puzzled as to why it wasn't working.

buy a scanner and a shredder ;-) you might actually need things like payslips from the last 5 years and transcripts from qualifications at some point (stuff that I never expected to need again)... but if you have a PR visa maybe you supplied this stuff already.

Just in case this is news to anyone... If you and your fellow passengers are over 16 and have a biometric passport from the UK, Ireland, Canada, USA, Singapore or Switzerland (as well as Auz/NZ), you should use the ePassport machines as you arrive at Sydney airport (international). (Even though some of the airport signage and info videos on planes still say they're only for Aus/NZ, these need updating for the list above.) http://www.customs.gov.au/smartgate/ There are now ePassport "self service" machines just before the duty free shop at arrivals (which is also handy!), as well as at immigration. They look like small ATMs with a screen. You scan your passport, answer some questions, then get a "SmartGate" ticket which means you don't have to join the huge, snaking queue at immigration. When you get to the Smart Gate you simply stand on the magic spot, insert your ticket, get your photo taken, collect your validated ticket and then walk through the automatic barrier. Keep your SmartGate ticket along with your immigration card for collection at the exit at customs. Explanation video: https://youtu.be/d-cw59lMf6A I was through there yesterday literally in a couple of minutes -- no waiting at all. (And then waited 20 mins at baggage carousel and another 20 queueing to get out through customs... but hey you can't have it all.) HTH!

Refuelling at Bangkok with Emirates a week ago, travelling SYD to DXB, the choice was: (a) take all your carry-on baggage off the plane with you and have to pass through security before boarding again, or (b) stay on the plane

If Martin Mitchell is your real name, they might already know. Postings on here show up on google...

Flights with Malaysia Airlines are bloody cheap just now, but then again how long they will be in business is another question... Prices will definitely go up nearer the time, and flights will fill up giving you less choice. If you're flexible I would look for flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and definitely avoid weekend travel.

Issuing of passports depends on the countries who are issuing them. Some countries allow multiple citizenship, some don't. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_citizenship

skyscanner won't give you prices for flights including stop-overs (or at least it didn't when I was looking in January). Once you've identified the route, do a search on the airline's own website with the stop-over feature selected, or phone them up and ask them.

There are 4 registered agents in Bangalore, according to search results on https://www.mara.gov.au/search-the-register-of-migration-agents/

:-) I stayed with a friend in Gold Coast back in March and was astounded at the dawn chorus there... one of the most interesting parts of moving to Aus for me is that almost all the birds are unfamiliar and exotic. Some are bloody noisy though -- Cockatoos wouldn't win any prizes, Noisy Miners obviously earned their names, and even the beautifully colourful Lorikeets make a proper racket when they're partying in a nearby tree!

I bought antihistamines (for mosquito bites) that were branded as being for Hay Fever sufferers, so presumably it's a similar situation if you're affected. Would living next to the coast would make it slightly less of a problem?

I flew out of Sydney to the UK at the weekend, and can't say I noticed anything.

I hadn't heard about this before - thanks for posting @Captain Roberto, useful to know.

Quite. The agents are the gatekeepers. If you can't satisfy their criteria you won't get anywhere.

Another +1. Some places use 1form.com which means you upload everything there once only. It's worth registering because they prompt you for loads of useful stuff, and once you've got it together anyway you can provide it to any agent you're dealing with. My "pack" was a ZIP file with scanned copies of passport, UK driving licence, proof of current employer and salary, employer's ID card, last 3 payslips before moving to Aus, proof of paying previous rent, recent bank statement from Aus bank, recent bank statement from before moving to Aus, copies of qualification certificates, proof of previous address before Aus, and references from my 2 previous employers. And a cover sheet explaining what everything was. A lot of this had to be produced for the visa application anyway, so I just figured to hit them with everything I had. My first offer was accepted. Good luck!

The only "reliance" on the MARA website is Thilinika Primalki Marita Wijesinghe, working for Reliance International Migration Services, registered in Cranbourne West, Victoria and in Colombo, Sri Lanka. https://www.mara.gov.au/search-the-register-of-migration-agents/

120 credits should be recognised as equivalent to a 1-year diploma in Aus no problem. (Level 5 in the AQF, equivalent to first year of a degree.) Good luck.

How does this work then? I keep hearing about the levy, but nothing is being taken out of my salary according to my payslips. So is it already included in Income Tax deductions, or does it get taken as a one-off at the end of the year or something? Cheers

Welcome to "winter"! Actually it was a beautiful day in Sydney today. You missed some appalling weather in April. All the best with all the stuff!

Wow it's really picking up out there... same company I went with on Sunday reported this today: https://www.facebook.com/whalewatchingsydney/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1433141999&hash=-6101517473629489458&pagefilter=3

I'm in a similar boat, on a 457 but now going for PR. I checked with my MA and he said I would expect to pay $45 for the blood test that wasn't included in my previous medical. Not a big deal.

Some fancy residential conversion.