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Hi, would anyone know if we are able to get any financial help with childcare if we are on temporary visa for 2 years and are both working 20hrs per week? We are in Brisbane and the kindy charge is $90 per day. Many thanks!

Hi everyone! I really hope that someone can help me with this... We are coming over to Brisbane soon, family of 3 (husband and son UK citizens, I have EU passport), husband coming over as student (myself and our son as dependants). We have Allianz OSHC(Overseas Student Health Cover) family cover for the duration of our visa. I was reading through the policy wording and the OSHC does not cover dental, optical, ... I am hoping that OSHC will be good enough cover for us in case we need to use it, but - I want to ask how does Medicare work? Is it only accessible for people on PR? Or would our OSHC cover most things like medicare anyway? If we need to go to see a GP, will we still need to pay anything or would that be covered by our insurance? And is dental all private and therefore has to be paid for regardless(as it is not covered by OSHC)? I am just wondering if we should look into getting a separate insurance to cover the dental care. Sorry for going on a bit, it has been playing on my mind , so would be great if anyone could simplify for me. Have a great day everyone!!! Thanks

What a nice post Cal After months of planning and organising we are finally getting on a plane to Brisbane next week!!! I can not explain how many different emotions there are in my head right now, it still does not feel real and I have to pinch myself every morning to make sure it is not just a dream...No doubt there are some difficult times ahead of us, but as you said -if you are open minded and willing to give things a go- Australia is a great place to be and bring up a family... so thank you for your positiveness and fingers crossed things work out for us All the best xx

Thank you very much for all your comments... We would of course love to find a properly built house,with good size garden,privacy and with lovely neighbours all around, however we must be sensible and stick to our budget. Once we are settled and ready to buy, then we will not compromise as easily on a property, but at the meantime we have to try to find a nice house, that "will do" for a short time until the right time and the right property comes along for us... Thanks again for all your input!!!

Hi everyone, we are coming over to Brisbane mid November. I have arranged a temporary accommodation for the first month and will be looking for long term rental(1year+) in that time. We are a young family- my husband and I in our mid 30's with a 3 year old son. My husband has work at Acacia Ridge. It's difficult to choose a suburb over the internet and we definitely will go for a drive around once we arrive before we commit to anything, however I want to have an idea of few suburbs that might suit us -ei.rental prices, services available,childcare,outdoor,ALDI!!! etc. I like the look of Springfield Lakes, it seems to have lots to offer and within the 30mins drive frame for my husband too. Do you live there or have any advise on that suburb??? Many thanks!!!

Ok, that would be interesting to know how you got on with your claim! We have to arrange the insurance in next couple of days, but after reading few of the posts, I think we will go with LP. Fingers crossed we will have a smooth ride and not have to claim at the end of it... But better be prepared

@lp77 thanks for your reply Sorry I don't want to sound silly, but what do you mean by "xs on policy"? Thanks!

Ok, thanks Nic, after reading few posts I am definitely inclined to go with separate insurance company( not only because the cost is more appealing). But what worries me is that if we dont go with PSS insurance, they will not take as good care when packing/handling/loading our stuff as in case of a claim they have no responsibility. But maybe I am just being naive and the packers do the "same quality" job no matter if you are insured with them or not ...

Forgot to mention that we have also added extra £35 for indemnity fee - it is in the event of being ordered for external container cleaning by quarantine inspection on arrival (in case of the container having dirt, soil or bird droppings???which is obviously completely out of our hands)??? Anyone actually experienced that? Thanks

Hi everyone, we are in a process of sorting out insurance for our 20ft container from UK to Brisbane. We have picked PSS as our removal company, but now deciding if we should go with their insurance too or go with a separate company(Letton Percival). So cost wise we are definitely inclined towards Letton as they are lot cheaper than PSS, BUT what worries me is that if we go with someone else, we have to sign a statement from PSS, that we have an insurance with someone else and therefore they pretty much hold no responsibility whatsoever for our stuff??!! So that being the case, I am worried that they will perhaps not be as careful when packing/handling/loading our stuff as any claims will not go through them... Someone was saying that PSS use a separate insurance company, so you have to sort out any claims with the insurance company directly yourself anyway and PSS are not actually dealing with it??? Does anyone know if that is the case? Please let me know what your experiences are. Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Eva

Hi agm, just came across your thread and wondering what you did in the end and how things worked out for you? We are in a process of sorting out insurance for our container and deciding between PSS and letton. Would be great to hear if you went with Letton in the end and what were they like? Many thanks,Eva

Hi #Becks22, just came across your thread. We are now exactly in the same situation as you were back then. Wondering what yo decided to do in the end, which insurance company did you go with (or not) and how things worked out for you??? Would be great to hear your experience. Thanks, Eva

Wow congrats!!! when does your course start?

Thank you everyone for your recommendations!!! Some good points brought to my attention and as a bonus a few of them made me chuckle too rammygirl- thanks for confirming that duck down bedding is ok! Phew!!!

Hi all, is there anything you have found to be considerably more expensive in Australia vs UK that would be worth stocking up on before we send off our container? Anything kids, cooking, sports, outdoor, home ,clothes etc related... Excited to see your answers

Hi, just wondering if anyone had recently a quote done for shipping a 20' container from UK to Brisbane (sole use of container)? I have approached about 5 companies (PSS came round to do a detailed survey, so we know the exact (ish) volume), but for the same service the quotes vary quite a bit with different companies... What was yours and who with? Many thanks!

Thank you Snifter and LKC! Spoke to our nurse today, she said they do not offer the chicken pox jab,but we could have it done privately. Also they only do hep B for children at high risk after referral. So I guess that we will wait till we arrive! One less things to worry about UK side...

Found this helpful website if anyone else is looking into this... http://www.seqwater.com.au/recreation/recreation-activities Have fun and keep safe everyone!!!

Hi everyone, I am wondering if I need to book my 3 years old son for any jabs before we leave the NHS? We are coming on a temporary visa, therefore I am assuming that all medical has to be paid for even for a 3 years old? I dont want to end up with a huge bill on the other side for vaccinations... I was trying to compare the vaccination schedules for UK and Australia online to figure out any differences, but it is a bit confusing to me... The only obvious one was Hep B? He hasn't had chicken pox yet either, is that one a must in Australia? I am waiting for our nurse to get back to me on that, but maybe some of you will have an advice. Many thanks!!!

Thank you for the suggestion DT55, I will check it out Also thanks Zoedan24 for the bayside tip! Im hoping there will be few little safe and pleasant places to do this around Brisbane, I just need to find out about them first!!! Would anyone know if there is anywhere around Mt Coot-Tha, Indooroopilly etc...If not, then The Gap will be close enough... Thanks!

"Free in Australia - but only until 10 yrs old" Hi Peachy, does this apply to all children? Our son is 2,5y and we will be coming over on temporary visa later on this year...Just started looking into jabs he might need to have done before we arrive. He hasnt had chicken pox yet either. I am finding it all very confusing comparing the jabs in UK & australia.. Thanks for any advice!

Reduced to £5999

Hi all, not sure if I'm posting this in the correct section, but... Could anyone tell me if it is allowed and safe to kayak and paddleboard on the Brisbane river? I know there are companies close to the city that offer kayak hire etc, but how about a bit further down the river- Indooroopilly, Kenmore area etc... Or is there anywhere else safe and pleasant with easy access to do this? Any creeks, lakes etc around Brisbane? Many thanks!!!

Im unable to upload the car photos, but you can view them on the following link on Autotrader. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201607256152638?search-target=usedcars&make=toyota&model=avensis&price-from=6000&price-to=6500&searchcontext=default&page=2&sort=atcustom&postcode=bn237rb&radius=1500&onesearchad=new%2Cnearlynew%2Cused&logcode=p&adPos=5

TOYOTA AVENSIS 2,2 D-4D T Spirit BLACK FOR SALE NOW!!! -excellent condition, excellent drive, very reliable, spacious and safe family car -selling due to moving to Australia in November - £6495 ono -2009, Estate, 69,280miles, manual, 2,2l , diesel -2 owners, next MOT due 21/12/2016,full service history -leather trim, air con, heated leather seats, electric windows,panoramic sun roof window,parking sensors, folding rear seats, height adjustable drivers seat, child seat points(isofix system),metallic black paint, alloy wheels, power steering, steering wheel rake and reach adjustment, cruise control, traction control, central locking, alarm, immobiliser, drivers airbags, side airbags, passenger airbags, xenon lights, 2 keys AVAILABLE NOW , Eastbourne , East Sussex I will try to upload a photo asap, please bare with me... Please Contact me for further details/ viewings. Thanks you!!! -