Tutankarmun

Thanks for that "Sparks", I had to look twice to see that was a "Mock UP" and not a real installation. I am sure that in real circumstances the work would look much better. ha ha....

Just wondered Bobbie, when I was there last Summer, I was talking to an Engineer who looked after a large Hotel, and I am sure they did not know too much about the systems. I worked in the UK as a Senior Electrical and Mechanical Engineer on projects to values of 500 Milion Gbp so was interested to know if these or similar schemes were enforced in Australia. Thanks for your information Bobbie.

Matthew, I am referring to RA - Risk Assessments and MS - Method Statements, before starting a project to cover the workmen that are doing the work. RS is measured in points and assesses the amount of risk to a persons health or risks of falling etc, electrocution. MS - refers to how the work is going to be carried out, what equipment will be used, etc. All the men working on the project will be shown the forms so they all know the risks and how the work will be carried out. This is a requirement by Health and Safety Act to guard against accidents and mishaps, and is there to protect the workforce.

I am not saying they are not, just saying they are not up to 2008 prices, 8years on in the UK. Regarding 90and 95% mortgages, because of asking prices you need to be on a lot more than the average persons wage or you are combining two wages together, (man and wife) that's fine until you want to start a family. Just imagine how much you pay your lender over 25 years, more than double the price you paid for your home in the first place, add on your maintenance bills over the 25 years and you will see, what places and things you have been unable to go to or do. I look back myself and think what an idiot I have been, struggling almost all my life to say I have my own place, only to kick the bucket and someone else gets the benefit. So really you only make profit if in 25 years you have both paid your mortgage lender off, the interest he has charged you, and the 25 years of maintenance costs. Add all this up and the investment is not has good as you think

Of course a lot will depend on personal debt and the Banks ability to control it. In the UK at one time the finance people were happy to lend 100% mortgages, and to those with maybe a 10% deposit. Personal debt rose and was left uncontrolled. Home prices shot up almost double in 5 years, then the Banks got into trouble, people unable to pay their mortgages. It came to light that some people had mortgages for a period of 25 years and the cost was 75% of their income. 2008 came, the Government had to step in to liquidate the Banks, people lost money, their jobs, and this led to mortgages not being paid back. People had their homes reclaimed by Banks etc, the housing market plummeted. Even now 8 years later, house prices are not up to what they were in 2008. Many now will not buy, they rent, it's more secure. So when prices outstrip wages, and job insecurity takes hold, the first thing to cool is the housing market. In the UK now you need to have saved around 33.3% of the value of the house you are buying before you get a mortgage. So for example a 300,000AD home would require a deposit of 100,000AD's Daunting to say the least.

We could not live that far out of Cairns but we know a couple who moved to Mareeba a few years ago now, Colin or Neil moved there from Lincoln and I have lost contact, trying to see if we can hook up again.

Myself and wife are looking to meet ex pats in Mareeba near Cairns, especially two people living there who originate from Lincoln in the UK.

Do MS's and RA's apply in Australia, when I was inquiring people seemed pretty vague. I am asking being a retired Electrical Project Manager

This type of thing happened in the UK not too long ago, the result was a serious drop in the housing market prices. Owners found themselves in negative equity, buyers faded away and waited for the prices to drop. Unless the property market is in line with peoples income the future could be dire. Already you can see rents are well beyond many peoples income

How are you, where about's in Oz do you live. We are frequent visitors to Oz and halfway through our visa application, with a view to moving to Cairns to be with our family. We are wanting to meet new friends to communicate with and also if possible to meet if they are not too far from the area we visit

Debs72, we were staying at my daughters in Kewarra Beach last summer and spent many happy hours at the Zoo, so when we return to Kerarra Beach in August we will miss it. Is there a zoo in Kuranda? I never saw one there, or are they opening a new one. We are hoping to move to Palm Cove in 18 months time. I think there are too many developers around the Kewarra, Clifton, Palm Cove, Smithfield Holloway areas, and there are so many buildings going up, many of which are beyond the reach of the young and newly weds, that the area will become a bit of a mess. Thank goodness Daintree and Cape Tribulation are keeping their open status.

Fancy selling to greedy property developers, it may have been them that are behind the closure.

I have heard that Cairns Zoo and Night Zoo is closing, can anyone confirm this please? It was a great attraction for tourists in the area.

Margie, we live about 15 mins from the Valley of the Kings and Queens, and the same from Karnak and Luxor Temple, there is a lot of historic sites surrounding us, we have visited most of them. it is very cheap to live here, many people live like kings and Queens on the Equivalent of 600AD per month. Our petrol is 0.5AD per litre for the best quality, a good villa complete is around 200,000AD and that would be a furnished one with modern facilities. A good meal out for two would cost around 20AD. The expensive things are imported things, they suffer around a 100% import tax, for instant UK McVities biscuits would cost you 3 times the amount they would cost in the UK. Car's and Motorbikes hardly devalue, and a 40 year old Puegeot would cost almost 2/3 of its new value. My biggest gripe is the fact quality goods are not available, most things are of Chinese origins and are basically rubbish. But the life here is simple and takes us back over 40 years to when we were youngsters. Computers are still new and the internet too, maybe only 30% of people have them, and most do not know how to use them. Everything is a paper trail! It really needs good and modern investment. Just a little insite

Hi Margie, hope you are well, our daughter and her husband and grandson live in Cairns, we visit often and hope to move there in the Summer of 2017. At the moment although both myself and wife are from the UK we live in Luxor Egypt on the banks of the River Nile. We were in Australia in the Summer of this year, June/July, and passed through Melbourne, my goodness it was cold, we landed at 6am, and from Melbourne flew to Cairns. Interesting to know you originate from Scotland, we lived on Skye for 12 years, my wife's father was from Scotland, and I am a piper have been for 30 years. Before moving to Egypt we lived in Norwich, East Anglia. Originally my wife was from Birmingham and myself from Lincoln. We retired early in 2008 after getting so disillusioned with the UK, and wanting to spend our lives together with no pressures. Its been great! Our next time in Australia is August 2016 again we will be at our daughters in Cairns, but like last time we will hire a Harley and get around. We too want to find friends in Australia, to find out how they progress, the type of life they live and their thoughts on life, so for you to be able to share these things would be lovely.

I guess then you are living in the Daintree Area, one of the most beautiful parts of Queensland and the Oldest rain forest in the world. My wife and myself stayed 5 nights at the Parakeet Resort near the petrol station in 3 lodges over looking the forest canopy past the mangroves and out to sea, it was truly beautiful. We spent many hours on Cape Trib. beach with picnics and the odd bottle of Red, ha ha. We also spent many hours in the Daintree Visitor Centre, totally stunning and very informative. I would love to live in that area, but my wife is a snake objector. Maybe I can make her into a second "Snake Sheila" ha ha! When we stayed at the Parakeet Resort the owner would often ring a bell, and everyone would rush out to see CO-CO the Cassawary and his two chicks, Carmen the owner would forage everyday for natural Cassawary food in the forest edge to feed the chicks on. I have some wonderful photos. Another place we visited was Green Island, on the edge of the reef, again truly stunning and well worth the 4 hour visit. The trip on the glass bottom boat was not to be missed, and the trip out on the katermarang was great. When we were in Daintree, every evening we would have dinner at a restaurant, the name I forget, but at the side were lodges for backpackers and alike, also there were many Parrots and a menagerie of birds, we both loved the fish menu, Barramundi and Spanish Mackerel. If it is this area you have moved to, you are extremely lucky, have you got mains electric or do you have a generator? How do you get on in the rainy season? because the main road often floods. We are back at our daughters in August of next year for 5 weeks, so we will definitely have a car on hire and visit the area for a few days. Our daughter and son in law go to Cape Trib. every 3 weeks for some R and R, she is a nurse at a hospital in Cairns and our Son in Law is the Chief Engineer at the Shangri La Hotel in Cairns, they have been there a few years now, living in Brisbane, Perth, Broome and finally where they wanted to be Cairns.

Our Daughter lives in Kerrara Beach Pom Queen, we were there for 6 weeks last June/July, and will be back again in August 2016 for 6 weeks. We have just started with the parents visa through an agent in Cairns. We both know Townsville. We are hoping if we get there to live around the Kerrara Beach area, either Trinity Beach, Palm Cove, or Yorkies Knob Area so we can be close to our daughter. A place we spend a lot of time at is Kuranda, and we love coming back into Smithfield via the Skyrail. We also adore Cape Tribune. For our next trip we hope to pop into Screaming Eagles to hire a big Motorbike to get us about on. I am no H. Angel but love the fresh air and the freedom of a motorcycle. On saying that i am a slow rider and may well get in everybody's way ha ha!!! Nice to hear from you.

My wife and self are in our early/mid sixties and would like to correspond with people of a similar age in the area between Cape Tribulation and south to Cairns, including especially people living in the Palm Cove and Kerrara Beach areas. To be able to share their adventures and style of living. We live in Luxor Egypt, near to the Valley of Kings and Queens, and not far from Karnak and Luxor Temples. Our next visit to the area will be August 2016