nicolesmith

I shipped all my horse gear over from New Zealand when we came here, and it was in quarantine for some time (a few months), while it was fumigated and stored before being reinspected. It may have been a shorter time if we had not shipped wooden patio furniture as well, I don't know.  But it took months for us to get everything back, though it is all here safely now.

9 minutes ago, Basunia said:

3 hours ago, VERYSTORMY said:

You can look at the 143 visa. It does will take some years to process - allow at least five and cost over $60,000

How many years to get the decision for 143 visa !!

I read this as being around five years to process, and the cost for the single visa to be over $60,000.

There's also a retirement visa, but I don't believe you can work on that visa, and you have to be able to support yourself without cost to Australian and social welfare services.  I think also that it's only granted for 4 years initially, and then you have to meet certain criteria to be given the next 4 years and so on.

I know someone who came. over on a retirement visa, and after several years of nothing but golfing, returned back to the UK and back to his business there.

13 minutes ago, can1983 said:

Aren't NZ house prices crazy these days because everyone wants somewhere to move to if the world ends due to nuclear holocaust

Yep, that and there are also loads of Chinese people buying up the properties in Auckland, forcing the prices there higher.  I think the prices are slowing down a bit now, certainly outside of the Auckland area, and where we were there have been a couple of price reductions recently due to the houses not selling.

I had heard that Golden Bay in the South Island has a community of Americans who moved there in the 80s waiting for 'the end', and they are still there!

12 hours ago, juliaoz01 said:

Hi Nicole

Thanks for your reply. With regards to social issues, I find that there are many across the spectrum! Ranging from what I consider worrying social issues such as the problems they have with crystal meth here, to the social issues they have in just general lack of manners and general hospitality. I’ve never found Australians as being unfriendly however, but in Perth they are very secular and we both feel very much like outsiders. It’s like if you’re not from here you are missing some big piece of the puzzle. I find some things very disturbing in that I have been to places where couples are physically fighting and people just look away, or they are off their heads on drugs. Of course I have witnessed things like that in the uk, more to do with being drunk but in broad daylight when I have our 4 year old son with me it’s quite confronting. I’m from the north east where people will talk to anyone in general and you can chat away to people like you’ve known them all your life, so I just find it very much like it’s closed ranks here. Sometimes it’s nice don’t get me wrong! And it’s certainly not everyone. I don’t like the men here at all on the whole. A lot of them they have no manners and treat women like crap. They’ll happily just watch me struggle to pick up things or to get out of the car when I’m 8 months pregnant. In fact they seem to find it amusing. 

Your husband is bang on about them being snippy. They have a huge chip on their shoulder, I have no idea why but they do. Perhaps it’s down to the fact they feel inferior to the rest of Australia, but if they adjusted their attitudes maybe they would be respected a bit more. The shops here close early and restaurants you’re lucky if they’re open past 8.30. I know there are more options in the city but you’d expect there to be really! It is weird, that’s definitely what the W stands for in WA! We have permanent residency and have spent a lot of time on the east coast. We’d love to move to Sydney but i just don’t know how we could realistically make it work from a financial point of view. The houses there are just so expensive. We want to live somewhere where you have a life - restaurants, shopping, museums and that’s a bit more cultured as well as beaches, parks etc. Sydney would be perfect but I don’t know if we could do it financially. I’ve been to Brisbane and liked that too, so that’s an option rather than just going. I just worry that if we moved over and still didn’t settle, that’s more money gone. Probably a lot less than moving home and wishing we’d stayed in Australia though!

Are you in the uk or Australia? I feel such a failure for thinking like this and so soon, like everything we have dreamed of is just crashing down around us

Hi Julia, 

Thanks for your reply - I really appreciate it, and found it very helpful.

We are currently in Australia, having spent the previous 6 years in NZ.

The reason I asked about PR is because if you have Aussie PR, you will automatically be granted residence in NZ on arrival at the airport. https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/why-choose-nz/compare-new-zealand/australia

 We applied for Aussie PR and were granted it back in 2011, because I had loved it here as a backpacker in the early 2000s. The only thing was that once we got PR and came here, we didn't feel as if it suited us as a family.  So we went across to NZ to visit friends and from there we were going to go back to the UK.

Anyway, long story short, we were given residence on arrival (as is any Aussie PR holder) and we loved it there, so we stayed.  After two years we applied for NZ PR and got it, and after five years, we became citizens.

We absolutely loved it there, but sold up to go back to the UK because having the kids sit in a house at the end of the world away from family, just seemed a bit empty.  But nothing has come together on the work front yet, so we have ended up here in Aus, this time on our NZ passport.  I do enjoy my time here, and we love the better weather.  But whilst we feel as though Oz suits us better this time around, we are still missing family and so hope to get something sorted out on the work front so that we can move closer (at least somewhere in the northern hemisphere, if not the UK).

So basically I was wanting to say that NZ could also be an option if you didn't fancy anywhere else in Australia, but if you are wanting to move back for the culture and for family, then I guess NZ wouldn't really do anything for you either, though it is lovely there!   

Sorry, this won't be an answer to your post, but I just wanted to ask as we are considering a move back to the UK next year...you mentioned that you don't know if you want your kids growing up here as there are so many social issues.  Is that compared to the UK?  Would you mind saying what some of those issues are? We've always thought the UK had more issues than here, and it's been a concern for us, so I would love to hear your opinion of the difference between the two countries.

As an aside, I wonder if things are different in Perth.  You mentioned that your partner has found it difficult getting on with people there.  We visited Perth four years ago and my hubby who gets on with literally everyone, found that every time he opened his mouth to say something in any shop or restaurant in Perth, the person he was speaking to seemed to be really offended and was very snippy in response.  We've never encountered that ANYWHERE else, just Perth.  It was so weird.

I know some people like Perth, but for us the week we spent there was plenty enough for us to realise that we never wanted to go back there.  It just wasn't for us.  And yet we love the East Coast, Queensland in particular.  Could you make the move over to the east coast, or do you have a requirement to stay in WA?

Do you have permanent residence here?  

On 04/10/2018 at 21:06, karen williams said:

I am British but was living in New Zealand with my young Daughter when I met and married an Australian, it made sense to move to Melbourne Australia as all his family were here. With the exception of his parents his family were not overly welcoming. We adapted to our new life, it was only after my Husband passed away three years ago and I have visited UK three times that I realise, I have lived in Australia but it's never really been home, on my last visit to England in September this year, I felt totally content and walked around with a stupid grin on my face most of the time. I love the British sense of humour and I just felt like I belonged. My Daughter and her then boyfriend moved to London 12 years ago on a working holiday, they are now married with a child, they have visited many times but there is no talk about moving back to Australia to live. When people asked me when I was flying  home I realised I already felt like I was home. I would have happily stayed in England. When I arrived back in Melbourne I felt totally flat. I am now making plans to move to England to live and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am not saying that Australia is a bad place to live, it just doesn't suit me.

I hope it all goes really smoothly for you.

We have just returned from a visit to the UK, and to be honest I feel really flat.  Some of that could just be from the wrench of leaving family (again).  Actually, leaving family gets harder and harder each time we visit.

We spent 6 years in NZ, and have only been here for just under a year, and I have loved every minute of our adventures.  The only thing is, that I am really starting to question whether it is all worth it, when all the people we love are on the other side of the world...

Anyway, congrats on your decision, and hope it all goes well...

We had 31 degrees here this afternoon (an hour north of Brisbane).  So lovely and warm, though some rain would be really helpful!

Wow, all the best - hope your move goes smoothly!

13 hours ago, calNgary said:

I'm an hour South and we just had air con fitted this year, for the past 10 years we too only used ceiling fans and days that have been totally unbearably hot (too hot to move) are few and far between in all that time. In fact so far the air con as been used more for heating than cooling,lol.. The biggest negative i have about living here (other than missing family) is the cold nights in July and August., i really feel the cold and they just depress me as do the dull days in winter,but  thankfully we don't see too many of them and the sun creeps out most days all year round. 

 A car how ever is a different kettle of fish and i wouldnt even entertain one that didnt have great air con.

 

 Cal x

Me too.  As soon as the daylight hours start shortening, and the mornings and evenings cooling off, I start thinking of flying north for the winter!

We had a car without air con in a Cyprus summer (up to 45 degrees a couple of days).  We managed ok, but I sure do appreciate being able to drive in a cool car.

43 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I'm very glad for you.  If I were in your shoes, I'd be really suffering.  Like I said, different people have very individual reactions to weather.   Some people will manage very well with ceiling fans and be perfectly happy, whereas some people won't be able to cope at all, so it's really unwise to say to a stranger, "don't worry, you'll be fine."   There's no way any of us can know in advance.

 You're right - I wasn't telling the OP that they would be fine.  I was just saying how we had found it on our first summer here.  And as I don't know the OP I obviously can't tell them how they would feel.

My family would probably think the winters too hot here.  They don't like it any hotter than 20 degrees in the UK summers.  The first time I came here was in the winter, and I spent three months being the only one in t-shirt and shorts while all the people I knew were well rugged up.  I guess I acclimatised, as I now wrap up for the arctic for my walks each morning.

We just used Airbnb.  Often you will find that the host will offer a weekly or monthly discount which really helps.

On 20/07/2018 at 16:57, ramot said:

As Marisa said, Brisbane is hot and humid in Sumer, buildings are air conditioned, but would be hard if working out of doors, realistically it’s only a maximum of 4 months, the rest of the year is predominantly lovely. Winter is mostly clear blue skis, low humidity,  temperature in the low 20’s, but can get down to 5/6’ over night, 

I can’t help with the work situation, but my son and wife seem to do ok. Brisbane is obviously much smaller and often referred to rather rudely as a small country town. There is plenty going on there, and we have most of all the good shows, exhibitions and major sporting events, and Southbank is a bit special.

I live on the Sunshine Coast which is a bit far for a daily commute, we do have aircon, but a surprising number of people only have fans.

Good luck with your visit.

We live an hour north of Brisbane and only have ceiling fans.  Fortunately we have high ceilings downstairs, so the air flow is good.  We found it fine in the summer, hot but bearable, with only two nights that we felt we needed more than open windows and fans.  So we bought a portable air conditioner, and had the kids camp out in our room for the night.  But we really had no need for it other than that.  

Can't comment on Melbourne though, as I've never been there.

15 hours ago, ramot said:

The first winter I was here on the Sunshine Coast I froze, but had moved from spending 10 years in Brunei. We put in reverse cycle aircon and Verisol? Blinds which helped. I was ready to move further north! Now 15 years later I really like having to rug up and wear some winter clothes for a change. As long as it doesn’t last too long.

Yeah, we were about ready to fly north for the winter!  You'd think coming from the UK and then NZ, that we'd be used to it!  But no...

I don't actually live quite as far up as the Sunshine Coast, but in the area I am, there are probably about 15 salons within a 10-15 minute drive of me.  So I don't imagine there's any shortage of them on the Sunshine Coast.

I live just below the Sunshine Coast and love it around here.  I love the fact that we can get to Brisbane quickly by car or train, and that the Sunshine Coast is just up the road.  Also love that we have all amenities nearby, as well as decent beaches.

The best part of it all for me, though, is the laid back vibe.  I'm just not a city girl, and prefer a quieter life with less concrete and the houses less squished together.

Love your photos Toots.

I wouldn't mind some warmer weather right now.  I'm enjoying the daytime temps where we are, but I struggle with the temperature first thing in the morning, and in the evenings (SE Qld)...I guess I'm just a wimp when it comes to cold weather! 

We've lived in a bunch of different countries, UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, Cyprus, New Zealand and now here, and I have to say that we've not had any problem finding a few good friends in any of those places.  However, in all those places our friends have mainly been expats (not just UK expats), but that's kind of understandable when you're trying to break into social circles where people have grown up together and known each other for years.

The place we stayed the longest was NZ (six years), and we had just started making friends with Kiwis and were starting to feel at home there when we left. 

We have been here six months and are starting that process again, but honestly I don't find it any more difficult than in any other place.

My husband is making some great friendships with guys at the gym he goes to, plus tradesmen who came to do some work for us, who he got chatting to.

I have been enjoying reconnecting with a couple of Australian friends I made when I was here on a working holiday back in 2000, so I feel pretty good about that.

I think that for us, we feel as settled here as we have felt anywhere else, and are finding it quite easy to fit in with the people and lifestyle.  I'm looking forward to making lots more friends here.

The Gold Coast is the busiest of the two, and the Sunshine Coast is pretty laid back.  Personally I prefer the Sunshine Coast, though if you like hustle and bustle it might not be enough for you.

I have a bunch of kids and we like quieter areas where we can spend a lot of time outdoors with them, so the Gold Coast is just a bit crowded for me.  I just prefer the more laid back vibe.

5 hours ago, Toots said:

My sister-in-law who was born in Australia (though has lived in the UK since she was a young child) never stops telling me how hot it is  and she doesn't like it at all.  She lives in Hertford.  My sister and another sister-in-law live a lot further north are really enjoying it.  Mind you SIL lived in Thailand for a couple of decades and my sister lived in lots of hot countries too so are used to the heat. 

Ha, all my old friends moaned all winter about how horrible and cold it was, and now they're moaning about the heat!  Can't win...

I love my life here right now, but do miss my family in the UK and am hoping to go and visit them in the next month or two.

I also think you should just go back.  With your profession, I imagine you would have no trouble finding a job somewhere.   And as has already been said, you can rent out your unit in Sydney while you give it a shot in Scotland.

I just don't see that you have anything to lose.  You have a unit which you can go back to if things don't work out for you, and you don't have kids who you would be leaving behind.  And either you'll go back and love it, or you'll go back and realise it isn't for you anymore.  Either way you win, because just having peace of mind knowing you gave it a go would be an amazing thing.

I love Australia, New Zealand and the UK.  We lived in NZ for six years, and now have a house here instead.  I miss both the UK and NZ, each for different reasons, but don't really have the opportunity right now to split my time between three places!

Anyway, good luck and I hope you're able to come to a decision that you feel happy with.

Here's one taken when we were at Bribie Island, Qld for the afternoon.  The Glasshouse Mountains are in the background.

18 hours ago, Quoll said:

At least you didn’t include videos of (ahem) which I understand, from friends working in the area, has been done on occasion!

That is so funny!!!

Great news!

Avoid any suburb beginning with M: Manunda, Mooroobool, etc. Also Woree, Edmonton.

Many rumours abound about the quality of the ex-agricultural land around Cairns, especially in Gordonvale. Some suggest having the land tested due to heavy pesticide use in the past when it was cane farming land.

I would suggest talking to some of the local real estate agents. By email.would be a good way to start. The best property and land never gets to realestate.com.au.

 

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