Kanga

Probably the best thing to do is to temp in London for a while, gather some cash, and then come back to Australia for a longer period with a view to seeing more of the country and meeting people in every State. You sound as if you are young, so travelling around Sydney/Melbourne might give you more of what you seem to be looking for. It's always difficult knowing what to do, there are plenty of ping pong Poms here, including myself, but I have now lived most of my life here in Australia and wouldn't change anything. The British sense of humour is difficult to find anywhere outside of the UK - I think you have to be bought up there to understand most of it!!! Good luck and happy travels.

Hi rustypie, I have recently returned from the UK to Brisbane and although my furniture and other goods were packed by Anglo Pacific back in mid-July I still haven't received a delivery. My stuff sat somewhere in the UK for 6 weeks before it even saw the ship and although the ship arrived on time into Brisbane on 30th September, I still haven't got a delivery date. Am totally over it. I have moved internationally several times and never had this problem before. It's all up to luck really, but the guys packing for overseas generally do know what goes where and probably wouldn't be stacking heavy stuff on top of lighter goods. If you have good insurance cover anyway that should cover anything that goes wrong. If you go with a reputable company I'm sure they would have a covered warehouse to unpack and repack your stuff. I had a shared container this time round, the only thing is its taking much longer to get here than before when I had a container to myself. If you share obviously the container has to be unpacked with your stuff and the goods of the person sharing the container with you and separated for delivery, this all takes extra time. Good luck with everything, some people swear by certain removal companies and others wouldn't touch them, so its just a matter of choice and good luck I think. I haven't seen my stuff for nearly 4 months now, so hope you don't have the same experience.

I have been back in Australia for nearly 4 months now and still no sign of my goods being delivered. The ship bringing them from the UK to Brisbane arrived on 30th September and I have been advised that my goods are awaiting quarantine inspection. Here in Brisbane apparently the inspectors only come twice a week and they chose which goods they will inspect on the day. How long it takes is up to them. The shipping agents here do not appear to have any say in the matter. I am pretty fed up with the whole saga. In my opinion the delay is totally unacceptable. I am still camping in an empty house courtesy of the kindness of friends lending me the basics. All my office equipment (not computer) is in the shipment plus everything else. Has anyone else had this problem with the quarantine people in Brisbane please? If nothing happens soon will probably seek some legal advice to see if anything can be done, as a date for delivery cannot be provided. :mad::mad:

I have just shipped my dog back with Petair UK to Brisbane. I can recommend PetAir UK, they are thorough and helpful. They handled everything, paperwork and a schedule of when blood tests etc had to be done. Such a relief when you are in the throes of moving yourself. Quarantine in Australia not a good experience for my dog or me, but that's another story. My dog has now settled back into his new home and is well and happy that's the main thing.

Thanks ramot. I did check with the Bank whether this was the case but they said not. Will wait and see!

Now back in sunny Queensland and very happy. Just wanted to let you know my situation regarding opening a bank account in the UK. This was early 2015. Because I had lived in Australia for so long I had no credit rating in the UK, so could not open a bank account in my name. My brother lives in the UK and opened the account for me using his long term address. I could not get a credit card until my account had been opened for 3 months. I had the same problem with getting a mobile phone plan, again this account was opened in my brother's name and I just paid him back by direct debit. I can completely understand why the banks do this. Even if you have money to open up the bank account they also want proof of where the money came from because of money laundering. Take as much information to the bank as possible. They were not interested in any credit rating I had in Australia. On my return to Australia, I was advised by the bank to leave my account open even if there is hardly anything in the account. Hope this helps.

My goods were packed in the UK for transport to Brisbane on the 12/13th July. I was told by the Anglo Pacific rep that they only deal with international shipping and plenty of ships were available. I took a shared container and am now in Brisbane. However, after emails were ignored by the shippers as to the possible arrival date of my stuff, I telephoned them last night to be told that my goods are still on the dock awaiting consignment some 5 weeks later. They say could be sent next week. Expensive and not happy!!

My half container was packed 5 weeks ago and is still on the dock somewhere. Its going UK to Brisbane. I was assured by Anglo Pacific that they have ships leaving all the time, but obviously I must have just missed the one coming this way. Have spoken to them today after no response to emails. Hopefully my stuff will arrive at some point otherwise I will be camping in my house. Not real happy with the service.

Using Anglo Pacific to bring my stuff from the UK to Brisbane. I've just rung them and it hasn't left the UK yet, although was packed up 5 weeks ago and I was assured by the assessor when he came out to price the move, that Anglo have ships leaving all the time. I shared a container as didn't have enough for a whole container. Not real happy with how things are going, sent emails on a couple of occasions to them and they didn't even bother to reply. Should have gone with the other lot!!

Many thanks to everyone who responded to this thread. I am happy to say my dog has improved a great deal but Brisbane Vet says will need to be monitored in a few weeks time in case ulceration in eyes has left any scarring. I did get a response from PEQ which basically said even though my dog's eyes had a green discharge their Vet considered him to be okay and to keep using the Viscotears. Money is definitely not the object here, but it has cost me nearly a $1,000 in Vet bills which shows how much treatment he required. Thank you Dogtainers for following this up, much appreciated. When you are the other side of the world trying to sort this stuff out, it's pretty hard and emotional. I get back to Australia 24th July, so will be in a better position to find out what happened. Thanks also for your response Mary-Anne. Yes, my dog did travel with his medication and instructions from PetAir UK Vet on their usage. We know he had them at the Quarantine Centre because the email from PEQ refers to the drops. My friend who collected my dog in Brisbane, had spoken to PEQ and said that if his condition deteriorated then she would be happy to give permission for an outside Vet to take a look at him. I know this happened because she rang me in the UK from Australia in the early hours of the morning in question to explain what was happening and to clarify with me that I was happy to go ahead. I told her to tell them do whatever was necessary. I am glad your dog has recovered and is settled. I will be pleased to see my little one.

I have had a very bad experience with the Melbourne Quarantine Centre and although this is my own personal view, others who are thinking of sending their pets to Australia should take note: Dog went to Australia after being seen by Government Approved Vet in UK and given all clear including eyes (mild dry eye) He travelled with his medication and instructions on how to apply Was in Quarantine for 10 days and then flown by Dogtainers to Brisbane and collected by my friend who has experience with dogs and runs an animal business of her own Dog was in great discomfort and taken immediately to the emergency Vet in Brisbane. He had ulcerated eye, scratch in other eye, green/yellow mucus in both eyes and couldn't open either eye. Seemed in great discomfort. In view of bad condition Emergency Vet said had been bad for a number of days After a series of treatments and many drugs my dog is now recovering but will need monitoring. I contacted the Quarantine Centre to complain and they said their Vet had inspected my dog and he appeared to be okay. It worries me a great deal that animals go into Quarantine and owners do not have any contact with the Centre at all, unless they are run by the facility itself. I am very unhappy with what has occurred and the ordeal for my dog. Happy to say he is getting better. He was shipped by PetAir UK who did a great job and many many thanks to Catherine for her help and kind comments. Don't know what happened with Dogtainers, in my opinion they should not have put him on the plane in that condition. If anyone else has had any experiences with Quarantine I would be interested to hear. It seems like a very closed shop. I would add that my dog came from Australia to the UK just over a year ago and arrived very happy and healthy, looking far better than I do getting off a long flight!

I tried to get a quote from John Mason, but even after 2 emails they never came back to me. Going with Anglo Pacific.

Well Depti72 you have been in Australia a long time and I can't understand why you haven't moved back to the UK. I came back to the UK last year to spend some time with my mother, who sadly passed away very suddenly. I am heading back to Australia next month. I too have spent 35 years in Australia and for me that is where home is. It is always easy to remember how good everything is when you are not there to experience it! Everywhere you live there are pros and cons. Believe me, visiting London is very different to actually living there. Everything changes. There are things in the UK I will always miss, great pub lunches, beautiful greenery and flowers in the Spring/Summer. I will not miss short dark cold days of Winter and the lack of some warmer weather. My personal advice is to come back for a 6 month stint, see if you feel back "at home" here. Wish you the best of luck.

I have read all these comments and just have to add a couple of things. Firstly, I can't believe people actually go to Australia not knowing that in some places it's going to be very hot for a lot of the time. Brisbane does get a few hot days during the Summer months and can be humid during that time, but the other months are lovely. Melbourne and Adelaide almost have four seasons, although Adelaide does have hotter Summers. I returned to UK after many years in Australia to be with my elderly mother, who unfortunately died suddenly at the end of 2015. I have spent the last few months sitting in a very well centrally heated modern house with a hot water bottle on my lap as I just can't get warm. Since October the days have been very dark and short and who wants to go out in the freezing cold and dark. Basically unless you want to spend every night in the pub, you just sit in an watch TV (which isn't as good as it used to be in my opinion). A friend has had her routine operation cancelled 3 times and has now been waiting almost 18 months for a definite date. There is a shortage of Doctors, the NHS is under enormous pressure to cope with the amount of patients it already has, and media reports are that people are dying in hospital corridors. Getting a Doctors appointment in my area can mean a wait of up to a week. If they can afford it, people get operations done privately because they have waited so long and are in a lot of discomfort. I still feel that wherever you decide to live, the grass is always greener. Good luck to everyone who is heading back to the UK in the near future, I sincerely hope it works out well for you, but please don't expect to always find it the same as when you left it! I didn't. Am heading back "home" to Australia this year and will be very happy when that day comes.

Have always had dogs in Australia, they love it there, all that open space and off leash areas. I was lucky enough to live near a reserve where the big dogs and little dogs were separated according to their size. I know in Melbourne dogs have to be walked on their leads at all times, not sure about other States, but always walk my dog on a lead in any event. My little lad is returning to Australia this year with Petair UK, I would never leave him behind. He coped very well with the journey over from Australia to. UK last year, just a couple of days of doggie jet lag and he was fine. Just have to be aware of regular flea/tic treatments as already mentioned.

I am using Pet Air UK to take my dog back to Australia, he is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and classed as a snub nosed breed. I had a chat with my contact lady at Pet Air and she said Qantas have relaxed their rules about times of the year for shipping these dogs. Recommend give Pet Air a ring, they are helpful. Good luck.

I did have a bit of a problem with credit rating, as it turned out I didn't have any at all in the UK. I managed to open a bank account with HSBC but think this may be because my brother who is resident in the UK had a long standing account with them. I did stay with my brother and sister-in-law when I first arrived back in the UK so was able to use their address at first. I didn't get a credit card for 3 months. The Banks are very concerned with money laundering now, so are much more cautious, even though I had proof of a good credit rating in Australia. I didn't have any problem with car insurance, used Direct Line. They weren't interested however in my previous Australian car insurance records but again luckily my brother had a policy with them and they gave me a decent rate. Tesco wouldn't give me a mobile account until I had been in the country for a certain amount of time,but again my brother came to the rescue and opened the account in his name and I pay him back by direct debit. Not too bad really, just a matter of being a bit patient.

I came back to the UK early 2015 to be with my elderly mother after being in Australia for 35 years. Unfortunately after a long and healthy life my Mother had a bad fall and passed away very suddenly 4 months ago. I have no regrets about coming back to spend this time with her, but I will be returning to Australia in 2016. My dog came too, so he's in for another adventure. Personally, I love Australia. However, it pays to remember what someone told me when I first went to Australia in my early 20's, that Australia is a foreign country and although English is the first language, the way of life is completely different to that in the UK. Some love it and settle in for life, others can't wait to leave. Sure there are plenty of beaches and BBQ's but its not a holiday and you still have to work. I have lived in both Brisbane and Adelaide. Brisbane is sub-tropical, great beaches, hardly any Winter and can be very humid at times. Property can be expensive the nearer to the City you get, but as someone already mentioned, real-estate.com is a good way to start looking. Adelaide is a lovely City with a lot of parklands. Very easy to drive around. Climate is more seasonal with hot Summers and cold Winters (not as cold as UK though, as days can be quite sunny). It has been referred to as a big country town, but the folks are friendly and the houses a bit cheaper. I wish you all the very best in your decision and hope you decide to give it a go!

Sorry wrong thread, my comments were meant for someone else!

I came back to the UK early 2015 to be with my elderly mother after being in Australia for 35 years. Unfortunately after a long and healthy life my Mother had a bad fall and passed away very suddenly 4 months ago. I have no regrets about coming back to spend this time with her, but I will be returning to Australia in 2016. My dog came too, so he's in for another adventure. Personally, I love Australia. However, it pays to remember what someone told me when I first went to Australia in my early 20's, that Australia is a foreign country and although English is the first language, the way of life is completely different to that in the UK. Some love it and settle in for life, others can't wait to leave. Sure there are plenty of beaches and BBQ's but its not a holiday and you still have to work. I have lived in both Brisbane and Adelaide. Brisbane is sub-tropical, great beaches, hardly any Winter and can be very humid at times. Property can be expensive the nearer to the City you get, but as someone already mentioned, real-estate.com is a good way to start looking. Adelaide is a lovely City with a lot of parklands. Very easy to drive around. Climate is more seasonal with hot Summers and cold Winters (not as cold as UK though, as days can be quite sunny). It has been referred to as a big country town, but the folks are friendly and the houses a bit cheaper. I wish you all the very best in your decision and hope you decide to give it a go!

Thanks very much to everyone who replied and especially to The Pom Queen who moved my enquiry to the right place! I did live in Brisbane for a short while before I came to the UK for family reasons, but nearer to the City. I don't have the need to commute daily now, only on the days I will be volunteering at the hospital, but note all the comments about the Brighton/Sandgate area. I did look at the Bracken Ridge area, but a friend of mine said "no way". I have no idea what she is basing her reasoning on, but I would be interested in any views.

Am moving back to the Brisbane area this year. I would like to live near the beach, but can't afford the popular Sandgate area. I hear that Brighton is a lovely quiet and affordable place to live and it takes about 30minutes to get into the City from there. Does anyone know anything about this area please?

Hi Britsabroad2013, I shipped back a Samsung smart TV too, it was only a year old. I had someone come to the house to adjust the TV aerial and set up the TV. However, when he went into the Menu section it was only set up for Australia/New Zealand. I did query the top box issue, but he didn't think it would work. Looking at the response from BacktoDemocracy, it could be I have been given the wrong information. I also asked at the local Currys store here, but they didn't seem to know either! I also did some research on the internet before I left Australia, and got the impression that although some people managed to get their TV to work, quite a lot had the same problem as me. Hope this helps!

I did a shared half container of furniture from Adelaide to the UK last year. I used Grace and they were competitive and helpful. Not worth bringing car etc.,as they are cheaper here and there are more models to choose from, bearing in mind that petrol is a more expensive in the UK than in Australia. I had a problem with my Australian TV, as it wouldn't work here so had to buy another one. It took 6-8 weeks for my stuff to get here, but that wasn't a problem for me. Everything was packed very well and arrived safely apart from a couple of very small breakages. The removalists this end were good too. Grace did all the paperwork which is a big bonus.

Thank you The Pom Queen for your comments about Petair. I agree money should not be an issue if you are serious about sending your beloved pet on a long trip. I did quite a bit of research about animal transporters in the UK, and Petair certainly came up trumps. I have had quite a bit of phone contact with them recently regarding Rabies vaccination etc and the person I speak to is always helpful and attainable.