Collie

Hi Shona, What profession do you both do and what kind of level are you at? Also what are you looking for in an area to settle? what was it about Adelaide that didn't work for you? Darwin & SS coast may have the same characteristics. Your answers will help people respond appropriately. Financial services head offices tend to be based in Sydney and Melbourne, Suncorp have a big presence in Brisvegas, Bankwest in Perth and then a few regional players. But the big 4 and most international companies tend to be Sydney and Melbourne

If you are agreed that the relationship is over, then the first step is mediation. Relationships Australia provide this service. Mediation is about working out a practical way of going your separate ways. There are no children involved so you are basically just splitting up Assets (Stuff) and Liabilities and try to be practical and fair and keep the emotion out of it. Australia operates a No Fault divorce policy so once you are separated for a year, you get your divorce.

Lots of those in their 30s and 40s are separating and getting divorced now,I know of a good few people going through it right now. I am a single 43 year old (with a beautiful daughter). To say Australia is not suited to older single people is not accurate, there are loads of clubs, meetup groups etc full of older single people enjoying life.

You can just say Sydney metro for now with exact address to TBA when you arrive. Moving companies are used to this. I have done it in the past and am doing so again for my move to Perth next week.

Hi there, I'm about to make the move from Sydney to Perth to be closer to my daughter. I have been going back and forward monthly for 2 years. I am a finance manager (CIMA) with experience mostly in Financial services (I'm 43). A couple of observations; Property is readily available and cheap (in comparison to Sydney/Melbourne, dropped 6-7% last year) Other living expenses else are expensive, drinks, meals out etc, eg a cup of coffee is $4-$5. This may come back a bit with the mining bust. Financial Services market is more or less non existent, most head offices are Sydney/Melbourne. You have Bankwest (owned by CBA) and a couple of regional players, that's it. You will need to flexible regarding work and probably look for a change of industry (as I am). Great place to raise a family - super parks, beaches, council pools (affordable) etc. CBD is a bit soulless, Freo has a nice vibe to it. Your salary expectations are very realistic, you may earn a bit more but it's availability of work that is the problem. Perth has been doing it tough in the last few years, some small signs that it may be coming back. Have a look at Domain.com.au or realestate.com.au to get a feel for property Have a look at seek.com.au and even Linked in for jobs. Remember, pretty much everything shuts down in Dec/Jan for job searching due to summer holidays Try the sistersite Perth poms for a more localised view. Feel free to touch base with me during the year as I can share my experience with you.

Ok, Bungo's advice above is correct. The principles are as follows: You are tax resident in Australia so you must declare your worldwide income (including rental income from the UK) You also declare any tax compliant expenses in earning that income (Mortgage interest, rental fees, repairs, depreciation etc, I think you are even allowed the cost of 1 trip pa to inspect your property) Australia and the UK have a double taxation agreement so you should/will not be paying tax twice, ie you get a tax credit in Australia for any tax paid in the UK. If the tax paid in the UK is greater than the Australian liability you will actually receive a refund. Try an example with simple numbers(made up): Rental income $30k Rental expenses $10k Net Rental Profit $20k UK tax liability $4k (Paid) (credit to Aus) Australian tax liability $6k Net Australian tax to be paid $2k ($6k less credit of $4k) It's pretty simple, hope this helps. Make sure that your return includes all rental expenses and a credit for your UK tax paid. Again, paying tax means that you are making money which is a good thing, I'd be happy to pay $1m pa in tax as it means I'd be making a lot of money.

Hi Lucy Jane, I have lived in the Balmain/Rozelle area for a long time and I'd really recommend it. It is a super area and I wouldn't live elsewhere in Sydney. It is a lot quieter than 10 years ago but still great pubs, cafes, restaurants, close to the city but is it's own village with no through traffic. A good community too and if you have kids and/or you/your OH are into footie, I can highly recommend BDFC - a real community club with teams for all ages, genders and abilities. Great way to meet new people in the area. It is very competitive for rentals and there is a mix of older stuff, renovated stuff and new stuff. I don't think you'd get somewhere until you see it, also 99% of places are unfurnished so you need to time for your stuff to arrive or if you buy stuff here for it to be delivered (may take a few weeks). Also it will take you 3-4 weeks to find somewhere suitable. I echo the comments above, get a short term furnished place to start, Airbnb, Stayz, Gumtree, Housesitting sites etc. Good luck

My "friend" has just ordered an Android jailbroken fully loaded box from ebay., coast about $50 as a one off You can access pretty much everything through the Exodus app.

Perth is all about the beaches and they stretch all the way up and down the coast, so take your pic. Cottesloe is nice and Scarborough has a bit of life (although a big redevelopment currently under way). Freemantle is well worth checking out, much nicer and has more atmosphere than Perth CBD (which is a bit soulless). You could do a river cruise from Perth to Freemantle and then the trolley tour around Freo. Rottnest island (never been but people rate it) Margaret River may be a bit far for the short timeframe. Leederville for a meal and a a few drinks in the evening.

Down to a pleasant 24

Hey mate, Yes you should be ok. $100k pa will give you about $6 - $6.5k per month. It will be tight but you should be ok. You should get a nice 1 bed in a reasonable area for $500-$600 pw. I live in Balmain in inner Sydney and 1 beds are about $550 around here. How quickly do you expect to start working? Have you a job to go to? Your $15k for start up may be a bit light. Remember you will need pay a bond (4 weeks rent) upfront and probably a month in advance. Look at Gumtree, facebook, local garage sales for furniture (95% of places rent unfurnished). Do you need the car? In Inner Sydney public transport is ok. You can do carshare for a while if you like, there are some good schemes, look at goget.com.au I did it for >3 years with no worries. If you need a vehicle, look at a moped, best way to get around this city and cheap to buy and run. If you can, try to save to bring over a bit more to start, postpone buying a car, look at a sharehouse to live in for a while - save you buying furniture and cheaper rent/bills. But yes it's doable. If you can, try

It did drop to 30 at midnight last night :wacko:

Have a look at Taste of Ireland. They have an online retail shop, a warehouse shop in Botany in Sydney, they also supply some stuff to Coles & Woolies and various pubs (cant beat Tayto Cheese & Onion) The chocolate in Aldi is a lot nicer than the Aussie stuff, mostly Choceur (they have a lovely choc orange nought - like a cross between chocolate orange and toblerone) and Riesens are great.

Is this a SMSF? If not, most providers have pretty good online access so you can manage it yourself from anywhere. When I moved home in 2007, I moved my super into a few funds under the Colonial wrap product. Pretty much left them there and just logged in from time to time to see how they were doing. Moved back in 2011 and then started adding to it again.

You can get your photos done at Australia post at the time of submitting your application. It is not overly expensive. I think they may even send the digital photo with your application. It is very easy and straight forward. Allow 3 weeks for the passport to arrive (it may be quicker than this). Some people just like to do things the hard way for the sake of it. To the OP, get your Australian passport before you leave, apply through Aus post and get your photos there, too easy and will save you a load of hassle and worry down the line.

INGDirect are good. They have a full service current/transaction account, refund ATM fees ($2-3 a pop)and have lots of good other promotions from time to time.They are very competitive on savings accounts and mortgages. No branches but very good internet banking and app banking (can do transactions through any Australia post shop if you need to) . The call centre is based on the central coast just north of Sydney and I have always found them helpful, haven't had a reason to call them in quite a while (years) as you can do nearly everything online. Not sure if you can open an account from offshore though. Drop them an email if it doesn't say so on their website. You do the AML/KYC checks through an Australia post outlet anyway. Colin

The Perth market is very competitive at the moment. I'm looking at 2-3bed houses in Scarborough / doubleview for 400-500 so 350 a bit further out is probably available.

Hey mate, That's a bit like how long is a piece of string and will depend on many things. Do you plan on buying a vehicle? Will you be looking to have your own place for just the 2 of you or are you happy to live in a share house? Where do you want to live? Have you a place to stay for the first few weeks? How soon do you plan on working? I would suggest a minimum of $10k and possibly up to $30k depending on your answers above. You don't want to be struggling as soon as you arrive. Start saving. Not sure about teaching but as far as i know there is always a big demand for nurses and plenty of agency work but somebody else may be able to give you a better steer. I worked as an accountant as a backpacker (albeit a long time ago), I'm pretty sure nurses can work on a backpacker visa. I don't know whether you could do subbing for teaching.

Hey mate, Not too sure about the medicare and what you are/are not entitled to on your visa. Everybody pays a medicare levy (1.5%) of their income, basically a tax. If you earn above a certain about (think it's about $80k at the moment, not $180k as stated above) and do not have Private Health insurance (PHI), you pay an additional 1% of your income (Medicare Income surcharge levy). If you are not entitled to Medicare you can get a cert to be exempt from the levy. Regarding PHI, you are encouraged to take it out from 30 (ie penalised if you do not have it). There are 2 types of PHI with many different levels of cover, Hospital and Extras/Ancillary. Often sold as a package but are 2 separate products. Extras covers Dental, Physio etc with different limits depending on your plan - Govt aren't concerned about this at all. This is a lifestyle product and you should claim as much as possible Hospital is the product you hope you never have to use (ie you get sick, need an op etc), it covers hospital admissions, protheses etc. Again, different levels of cover depending on your product. This is the product that determines whether you pay the surcharge or not. It basically enables you to skip the q and choose your own surgeon/consultant etc. Depending on your income level, you do get a tax rebate on your premium up to 30%. The PHI will refund this to at source if you like (ie reduce your premium) If you have hospital cover from the age of 30, you just pay the premium. For every year after 30 you pay a 2% loading on your premium for 10 years, eg you first take out PHI at 35, you will pay a 10% loading on your premium for 10 years. Now if you are a recent migrant to Australia, you have some time to take out PHI without being penalised, I thought it was 3 months but it may be a year. Eg. you move to Australia at 60 and take out PHI within the 3 months/1 year, thay effectively treat you as taking it out at 30 (effective age for loading purposes). PHI insurers often get this wrong, you need to prove that you are eligible for this. Bupa charged me a 6% loading for 5 years, I moved to HCF and realised I shouldn't have been paying the loading at all. I did get a refund from BUPA once I got the right paperwork together. PHI does not cover GPs as a rule. Medicare will cover some or all (bulk billing) depending on your doctor. Clear as mud? Hope this helps

Hey Brad, You are both young enough to come on a backpacker visa to start. Easy to get, This will give you both a year (2 if you do a bit of regional work) to really get a feel for the place and maybe travel around a few parts of Aus. After that, you can look at permanent visa options. Oh to be 22 again. The world is your oyster mate, Embrace the travel and enjoy it. Colin

Congrats mate. I'm a Sydneysider but from what I know the Sunshine coast is a bit of a trek if you're commuting daily to the city, Gold coast is a bit more doable. If your missus goes back into banking, Suncorp would be her best bet as they are HQ'ed in Brisvegas. Bank of Queensland is a smaller regional player who may be worth a look. The PT market is fairly saturated and competitive as far as I know.

Wow, 6cm3 isn't very much at all. A standard 2 bed unit move is about 20m3. A medium size fridge is about 1m3 to give you an idea. Not sure about the gross v nett ration but there is always some shrinkage. I think a standard 20 foot container is about 37m3 (if filled with sand) but may only take 30m3 of furniture etc depending on the shape, size and packing.

Hi Alycat, What type of car are you looking for and which city are you coming to? I'll be putting my Subaru outback on the market in Sydney this weekend if you're interested. Colin

Hey mate, I'm in Sydney and moving to Perth in a few weeks. The rental market in Sydney is very tight at the moment (landlords market) so it would be harder. There seems to be plenty of stock on the market in Perth (renters market) so you should be ok. Get all your documents ready for applications, ID, previous rental history/rental references (if you have one - even from the UK) and bank statements showing sufficient funds (ie ability to pay the rent) Take advantage of your mate's hospitality. You should be ok, if you're having an issue try offering a few months rent upfront.

Hey mate, Try one of the car share schemes. It works well if you only need a car occasionally and live inner city. Go Get is a good one