Amber Snowball

I sometimes wonder if they think because you are in Australia, you are on holiday so have more time than them or that you are the one with all the “news”? Rather than you are living a life of work, putting the bins out and ferrying children to sport just like them. I have found the same in both directions. When I moved to Australia people all gave me their email addresses and I duly emailed, not a single one replied. one did when I sent a ranty email asking if they were receiving my emails and they literally sent “yes” back to me. Gave it up then. Coming in the opposite direction years later pretty much the same thing. So I assume out of sight, out of mind and as others have said, I moved so therefore it’s on me to make the effort. Luckily I don’t get that attached to people, so I move on quite easily. I did visit the uk and not tell anyone once, so had a lovely holiday that didn’t revolve around seeing family. But I have an incredibly fractured relationship with my family, so not hard…..

I might still have my little card somewhere!

Agree, most of the issues listed could be resolved by proving residency (not citizenship) so get added to the utility bills and the electoral roll.

That’s what I thought. Yes NHS number from birth and it stays with you. Thank you kindly!

I didn’t think you got a NI number until you are 16 or thereabouts. My son wasn’t issued one that I am aware of. Is this a new thing or do they only tell you about it later on even though it’s created earlier? I’m just curious!

Still a long way off for me, so it might have all changed by then. Taking an income stream via TTR without paying back in via salary sacrifice would just be the same as retiring wouldn’t it? Although the way the money is invested by the fund is different isn’t it, as super if TTR, but it moves to something different as a pension income I think…..?? If I think I mean it when I say it, it makes it true doesn’t it……..

I thought the TTR was only if you were in Australia, as you would take your income stream from your super, salary sacrifice your maximum back into your super, thus paying little/no tax. Had a colleague who did it! What I have read is that outside of Australia you have to meet the age/retirement requirements, but you can return to work after “retiring “ as long as you were “not planning to work “ when you took your super. And how would the Australian super fund know anyway? It seems to be a statement of intent at best. I was interested in this question as well, thanks @Martinbjulieb! I was going to see how the landscape looked in 8 years for me.

Exactly! You might not even be old! I woke up one morning aged 47 and my life completely changed, never be the same again as far as I can tell and very unlikely to be able to climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower or do the bridge climb. So putting things off blithely assuming you won’t be hit by a health issue and have all the time in the world to do all this stuff is ambitious at best. Take life by the scruff of the neck and give it a shake at every opportunity I say. I haven’t ever really travelled in my life mainly due to finances but thought I’d do stuff once I had retired. Now that might not happen because I am having to reduce my work hours so again won’t have the money I thought I would, mobility is slightly compromised as well, so hey ho, rethinking it all again. And it could all be very different again by that time. Rolling eyes emoji. This might be a dramatic response to talk of climbing a bridge but I felt the subject symbolic of life experiences generally!

There was!

You clearly need to do something as what you are saying isn’t a great way to live/feel. Australia was good to me, but I just got “done” with it in a way I still struggle to verbalise. But that was my experience moving in 2005, in a very different time/place and personal position to you. Your experience will be different purely because you are you, not me! Brilliant you can speak different languages, I am so English, I just shout slowly!

Apparently it’s been classed as a tornado. Which makes sense given what they were describing. Yes, they have had a rough run for sure. They got power back on the following day, so that was at least something.

Sorry, wasn’t making a direct comparison in that way. Just saying there’s weather everywhere. Just as well it’s blue sky now, they have no roof. I understand your desperation to move, I really do, I have been there in both countries. I hope the move is everything you want and a positive change for you, you definitely sound like you need it. I don’t find the winter gets me down in the way you do, but constantly drying dogs does get boring! Hang in there, you’ll be on the move before you know it.

The weather is all over the place everywhere really. My son’s inlaws are on the Gold Coast and have extensive damage from the storm on Christmas night. It’s been wet and windy in Cheshire here, but not all the time. Comes and goes. Climate change, innit.

Sorry, bit fuzzy, but a real tree.

Hi, I have to say moving back and forth like that sounds exhausting!! I don’t think there is a flat rate, it depends on the goods I think. HMRC have a helpline for TOR and I think an online chat assistant, which might be worth a shot. Wonder why they refused your TOR, maybe they think you are running an illegal import/export in single items of homeware! Once you get through to HMRC I always find them really helpful. Good luck!

I haven’t lived in geelong for years now, but I have a bit of a soft spot for the place. I would live there ahead of narre warren that’s for sure. Both places have probably become more built up since I was there, but you should find something on the fringe I would think.

I can imagine! You worry so much about the right/wrong decision with them, thinking that their entire future rests on what you decide now, but things usually work out one way or another. Can be expensive mistakes sometimes but rarely much worse and usually fixable, just a more meandering route. Pick your battles, she sounds like she knows her own mind! Obviously that mind might change later, but that will be another discussion! Try to not pull all of your hair out, she’ll need someone to practice on!

Speaking as someone who loathed school, barely attended and left with a couple of grade c’s, one was English literature o level, I liked reading and did it a year early. The other was a commerce gcse. Failed the rest, really, all D’s which no one counts. I would look at the tafe course and be done with it. I am generally unclear what being forced to do my gcse’s actually achieved. I left school at 16 and have worked one way or another, every day since. She isn’t saying she wants to sit in her room, smoking a bong all day, she is motivated to learn a skill/trade. If she can tack on some maths or English or something that might be useful. When I decided to do my nursing, I did a 1 academic year access to higher education course due to the lack of GCSE’s, there’s probably something similar in Australia for adults if she had a change of heart later, I would imagine but don’t know. I actively encouraged my son into TAFE but he followed a hard science route and now has a master’s degree and a shed load of debt, that due to inflation is now higher than when he qualified 3 years ago. Apart from entering university, no one has ever asked for my school exam results. Good luck to her, whatever she chooses to do!

“Plan, don’t react “. Best advice of the day.

My opinion is that yes, it could break the dream and maybe you going remote. It would me, but you are not me. Rural less so, especially for only 2 years and regional areas are often just not the centre of a main city. You have come this far you don’t want to be worrying about a maybe. If you have a permanent visa, I assume it is an employer that is saying rural/remote for 2 years? As Quoll says, there is nothing in the UK to prepare you for truly remote Australia. It’s got to be worth the risk hasn’t it? How old are your children? That is going to decide whether it is a long or short 2 years I would think! I understand your concerns and it is a hard one. I wish you luck. Fingers crossed for the Sunshine Coast or similar! Will you know where they are posting you before you leave the UK? I am reading my reply and I don’t think I have helped!

It could be useful, I think stratas have lots of rules as well. Don’t think I’d buy one out of choice. That said, a new estate in Pakenham Vic (years ago now) had rules about what sort of post box you could have and no caravans on driveways, and that was freehold, detached houses.

Quite agree. My thoughts when they told me was, “oh dear, didn’t you read the paper you signed”. Read everything before signing was the lesson there I suppose. I don’t doubt @InnerVoice ‘s ability to read, was just saying these places can have dodgy clauses. Information sharing for the greater good. It’s what the forum is for.

I did! Very happy with it. Didn’t move much furniture so it was fine.

It’s obviously a while ago now, but one lady I dealt with in Victoria had moved into a nursing home, but found she couldn’t afford it because when they sold her retirement unit, they discovered the exit fee was about 25% of the sale price. I couldn’t believe it, that was just obscene. It was a real issue for her and the family, with the care home clamoring to get paid. I hope it is better regulated now, but beware that the big print giveth and the small print taketh away.

Hi, I did one back in 2018 and listed everything I thought I might take, it ended up being much less and no one cared. I didn’t list everything separately, but just said “kitchen utensils “, “clothes”, “towels” etc. If you have a pet, you need to list that as well. hope the system is better than when I did it, it was still quite new then. It didn’t allow a very big upload but didn’t warn you it hadn’t been accepted! It was awful, I ended up ringing and getting it done. More recent movers seem to have had a more streamlined experience. Good luck with your move. It’s currently raining!