Franklin05

Tested the TV and Blueray player (it arrived a couple of weeks ago) and everything works. Kettle is not a figure of 8, I think only the TV is from what we have come back with - sewing machines certainly are not.

We used Pickards to move back from Darwin. I know they have an office in QLD so guess they will operate in Cairns.

Thanks, I think this is the way we will go with most things

Thank you

Thanks. Already got a plug for the MacBook, a friend gave us the power cable from their old one. I'm sure we will find a work around for the missing pound symbol through some random combination of keyboard strokes.

Ooof, another thing to add to the ever ending list of stuff to deal with since moving back!!! Might get an Aussie friend to send some over and deposit funds into their bank account. Seems like it would be simpler than searching!

I am thinking of cutting the plus off, UK plus in Morrisons are only 1.50 (Aussie MacBook and I cannot find a pound symbol - something else I need to look into!). Can get plugs easily for Alexa.

Wish we'd thought of that we're giving all of ours away!

For those of you who brought Aussie electrical items back to the UK, what did you do about changing plugs over to fit the UK sockets? Did you just cut off the Aussie plugs and reattach to UK sockets or get adaptors? I am thinking we might just cut most off and replace, and maybe get a few adaptors for some items.

Thanks, not heard anything about them so something to look into. There'll come a point where we will have to sell, just hope that the market picks back up at some point.

Been back in the UK now for 2 just over two months and I have just renewed my UK licence, it expired a few years ago. I had to renew by post as I'd also had a name change, but it was pretty easy and I just sent a letter explaining that I'd been living overseas for X number of years. No issues at all and I had both my new licence back within a week.

We did this, had planned to live in the house a little longer, but for various reasons it didn't work out and we're now back in the UK with an Aussie rental property. The rent minus all the various fees doesn't cover the mortgage, plus there is water and council rates on top of that and any maintenance that crops up. You do get tax back at tax time, but we are not sure what as of yet and what it will cover of our expenses. Our property was only empty for a few days between us leaving and the tenant moving in, but depending on where they are and the condition of the property they can sit empty for months. I good agent is a must.

You might find that the trip makes the decision for you. I know someone else mentioned just saving the money for your move, but our trip back in March really sealed the deal for us, especially for hubby who's not been back since we left in 2009. I wasn't happy in the first week, coming from the heat and humidity from Darwin to the first week in March in the UK was a shocker for my body, but by the end of the trip I really didn't want to leave. We had planned to return in a couple of years, but hubby being made redundant at the start of Sept pushed us to leave sooner. Can't believe we go in 5 days!!!! Doesn't feel real that this is us doing it!

We're moving from Darwin to Up North. Dog through Petraveller is costing $3700, goods - a sofa, bookcase and some 30 something boxes is costing about $5500 including insurance. Our flights were somewhere between $2500 to $3000. We've made a couple grand selling things off, and since hubby was made redundant we're living off that, I guess as citizens we could claim Centrelink, but it would be drawn out and a hassle to do so since we are planing to leave anyway. We've talked about going back for a long long time, I'd have neon sooner, but hubby wanted to wait a few more years. This year my grandmother who raised me died and we went back to the UK for the funeral, leaving to come back to Australia felt so wrong. Hubby mum was in a home with dementia, my sister was dying of cancer, they've both since passed and my other sister is unwell. We've been in Australia for 10 years and 1 month, moved interstate 4 times chasing work, we have bought a house in Darwin which we are renting out, there's no work here for hubby and the thought of moving within Australia again filled us both with horror. There are plenty of things we've seen and enjoyed here, but it's been hard. We want to go home be close to family and friends. We've not assimilated or found a niche for ourselves within Australian life, it is now time for taking the dog for a walk to the pub and taking him inside for a pint, Bonfire night and the dark nights and twinkling lights for Christmas.