Rosiehome

I got a few different quotes. They were around $3700 for 10m3, but I went with OSS in the end and having sold a few larger items I'm now paying $3300 for 8m3. The OSS rep just seemed more knowledgeable and keen for the business. I went through a website where you could input your requirements and they would organise for half a dozen shipping companies to provide a quote. I've just had a quick look online but can't find what the website was called. Edit: Found it! http://www.overseas-moving.com.au

Ah yes, looking forward to that first cuppa with my Mum! Good luck also with your plans to return Brummy. People who have never done it can't appreciate the emotional upheaval involved in living so far away from 'home'. A doctor friend of mine likened it to grief in that we mourn all the friends, family and places we have left behind. It's not a reflection on Australia or Australians. I've had some wonderful times here. I hope you get to see that gorgeous green countryside beneath you soon...or once we arrived to a blanket of thick white snow which was also magical to fly in over. Best wishes it all works out.

Thank you T, I've been back and forth on visits a fair bit on visits over the years, but you're right I have changed and so has the UK. I think I am heading in your direction if you are in the land of song so I'm sure all will be well

i agree. I am four weeks away from leaving Australia after 19 years and the jitters are setting in. I am finding it harder than I thought to say goodbye to friends here. Now that I'm leaving suddenly people I don't hear from for ages want to catch up to say goodbye. The enormity of it all can be overwhelming at times. Having said that I'm re-assured by posts on here that I'm doing the right thing. I have never felt Australia was 'home' and I'm looking forward to things just feeling 'right' and 'normal' again instead of feeling slightly foreign. I'm not expressing it very well (its 4am - sleepless nights!) but there's a comfort in feeling you belong somewhere that I've failed to find in Australia.

I was also concerned that I might have to wait longer because I would have to wait for the container to fill but interestingly I was told by three different companies that there are unprecedented numbers of Brits returning home at the moment and the containers are filling weekly.

Hi Rob The MoveCube quote was from http://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/. I seem to remember that you can input all the information into their website and it will produce a quote for you. There was even a tool to workout how much you could fit in each sized cube. Good luck

Thank you deryans. I've already booked him in with Jetpets and they had him booked on a flight with Emirates until this problem with the medication. He has had his rabies injection etc. as you suggest I will try and contact the airline direct just to see exactly what the problem is. Thanks for the reassurances about the process. It's the thing I am most stressed about in the whole move back to the UK. I know he will be scared and confused for a couple of days but hoping it will all be worth it to have him with us over there.

Does anyone have any experience of trying to transport a dog back to the UK when it is on medication? I have a poodle with epilepsy. His fits are infrequent and mild and up to recently we haven't medicated him as the vet didn't think it necessary. However when I mentioned that I was concerned he might have a fit on the flight over the vet suggested putting him on medication to rule out that worry. He has started taking the drugs but now Jetpets have said there may be a problem with the airline accepting a dog who requires medication. He has a tablet every twelve hours. The vet has written a letter to say she sees no problem with the drugs affecting his ability to travel. Does anyone know what the issue is with the airline? Perhaps I should just medicate until he leaves and hope the drug stays in his system.

I really feel for you. I remember being at Heathrow saying to my husband "I can't do this, I can't get on the plane" It's understandable and natural to have last minute jitters. I agree with others - you will always wonder if you back out now. It doesn't have to be forever. Just look at it as an adventure, somerhing you are going to try. If it doesn't work out then you can decide where you really want to be based on experience rather than fear of the unknown. Good luck and I truly hope all goes well.

@thinker78 and @ruthwin. Thanks for such re-assuring posts. I am heading home in a couple of months after 19 years in Australia and have had my fair share of "why the hell would you do that?" remarks. I went back for two years ten years ago and loved it, but my Aussie husband wanted to come back here. Now I'm on my own and can't wait for all the things you describe..family, places to visit, history, culture and just that peaceful feeling of being home and it just feeling 'right'. I've had some great times in Australia and made some lovely friends but i always felt 'on the outside' somehow. It's not about the weather or food prices or any of the other things that people seem to bicker about on here, it's just about where you feel you belong.

Ai had a quote for the large move cube from Brisbane to Manchester. See below; [TABLE=class: MainTable, align: center] [TR] [TD=class: style1, colspan: 5]Shipping Items: 1 Large Cube (226x146x187cm) [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: Pricing, colspan: 5]Shipping Price: AUD1,714.50 A AUD300.00 Deposit is payable on order, the remainder (AUD1,414.50) is then paid after your MoveCube is collected in Australia but before it is dispatched. [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 5] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] 4. The MoveCube is shipped and, on arrival, inspected. [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] 5. The MoveCube is then cleared through customs. [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] 6. The MoveCube is delivered to you for unloading (or we can help you unload for a small fee).[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: MainImages][/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: MainImages][/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: MainImages][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 5] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: Pricing, colspan: 5]Destination Charges: £310.00 [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] I decided against it as I could move 10m3 for around the $3k figure. If you only have a very small amount of stuff the move cube may suit you better.

We re-instated private medical insurance after a two year stay in the UK. We suspended it with the company before we left. I seem to remember we had to take out cover within a month of re-entering Australia so we didn't have to re-serve waiting periods or break the continuity required for the age loading. That was ten years ago though so check with your private health insurer. I'm sure they would have advice on conditions.

This was one of the things I noticed when I came here 20 odd years ago. The first date I went on with my husband, he turned up with no shoes! :eek:OK, we were going to the coast but he drove without shoes. You still see it around some of the outer suburban shopping centres in Brisbane and lots of kids play outside at home barefoot.

I agree based on personal experience too. I came to Australia as a result of much persuasion by my husband and although I've had some great times here it caused huge strains on our relationship. Now that has ended (which I never would have foreseen back in the UK) and I'm moving back home with one 18 year old who can't wait to get back there and having to leave a 20 year old who wants to stay a little longer. i wouldn't recommend trying to persuade anyone if deep in their heart they don't want to come. Give them a wonderful holiday instead perhaps.

That makes life much easier. Thanks for the practical advice - better to ask those who have actually done this rather than rely on "theory" from the web.

In fairness Quinkla, I chose the route, the itinerary and the airline, and flight centre merely price matched for me. I deliberately chose a long transit time in Abu Dhabi so that my 17 yr old son could get a decent sleep as he is 6'4" and can never sleep on the plane. I've been using them for about ten years with no problems so far, but I'm sure you're right and they would charge heavily for any changes.

Thanks CaptainR. Did you apply for the 96 hour visa before you travelled or is it fairly straightforward to get once you are there?Flight centre told me I'd have to collect all my bags to leave the airport but that doesn't make sense to me as the bags presumably will have been checked straight through as you said. Also the airport website suggests if you are in transit for more than four hours you might like to go sightseeing or have a game of golf which would seem pretty difficult if you had all your luggage in tow!Marisawright it isn't classed as a stopover I don't think - just in transit between connecting flights

For what it's worth I've decided to take about 10m3 and it will cost about $3500. This means I won't have to buy a lot of more expensive items like sofa, dining set, mattresses that would cost more than that to replace. I didn't want to ditch fairly good quality stuff I'd bought over the years to have to buy much cheaper replacements over there. Also I've got stuff I'm sentimental about and couldn't leave behind. I guess in my particular case I felt it was worth the cost of shipping.

Can anybody offer any advice. I have a ten hour transit in Abu Dhabi and want to get some sleep. The airport hotel is fully booked for the night I am there, however trip advisor has great reviews for the Premier Inn just outside Terminal 3. If we leave the airport during transit do we have to collect all our bags and re-check in or can the bags remain checked through? Thanks

Some airlines (Etihad) allow a 30kg baggage allowance. That may make quite a difference if you haven't already booked flights.

Thank goodness for PIO. I am returning to the UK at the end of the year with a 17 year old. I had just assumed as a British citizen he would get domestic fees. Just when I thought I'd got everything covered something else pops up. He is probably headed to a technical / trade college rather than uni but I assume the same deal will apply.

Thanks Marisawright. Looks like I will have to wait until retirement to access the super then to avoid the tax hike. Scruffythetugboat, thanks for the heads up. I will get on to the future pensions centre myself

Thanks AJ...that's a bit tough, but I suspected as much.

This is my first post so I apologise if this is covered elsewhere. I am planning to head back to the UK after 20 years in Brisbane. I understand that by going back I forgo any right to an Australian pension. Do those years count towards a UK pension though? Also what happens to the super I have sitting in Australia? I can't access it until I am 58, but does that then get paid as a lump sum or a weekly amount? I've read somewhere that I should cancel the life insurance component of the super as it won't be paid whilst I am in the UK. Any recommendations about who to speak to about this? Thank you

I also have to agree with the other comments on here about the difference it makes once you are stuck thousands of miles away from family when you have children. Perhaps women feel this more than men. We brought an 18month old over here and subsequently had a child over here. As a young mum I struggled terribly without the support of family around me. I felt my kids, my siblings and my parents sadly missed out on those relationships only family can provide. True they have had wonderful outdoor lives with friends and swimming pools in the garden and fantastic beaches down the road. However they have really missed out on cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents in their lives. We have often visited the UK over the years and even spent a two year stint back there when they were in primary school. Now they are 16 and 19 and are both planning to return to the UK. Now divorced from my Aussie husband I will be right there with them! I had a fabulous time in Australia as part of a couple. It's a friendly, laid back, outdoorsy kind of place but I cant wait to come home.