bigfishybob

I’ve just requested mine to be transferred to QLD licence. Applied on the 9th and received notification on the 16th that the card had been produced and that I would receive it in 10 days.

The Gold Coast has a decent population ~600k vs Cairns ~150k. You also have the fallback of commuting to Brisbane, if you're struggling in the short term. I'd like to think you'd have a better chance, but I'm sure someone more informed will be able to let you know what the job situation is like down there. Good luck! Regards BFB

Not 100% decided where we’ll end up. Had a recent visit to Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. Liked them all, though my personal preference was the Sunshine Coast. Nothing set in stone yet, going to spend the first few weeks having a proper look around before making any firm decisions. I hope all goes well for you. Regards BFB

I might be inclined not to buy initially. This should give you a bit of financial flexibility, particularly if it doesn’t work. We’re heading out in July with a comparable budget and intend to rental for the first couple of years. Trying to be sensible in terms of the big ticket items such as the car and choice of long term rental. I expect to be paying more for rental, though factoring in location, I think this is fair value vs the UK. At least you can switch rentals reasonably easily if it proves not to be in line with your budget. Good luck! Regards BFB

I was just reading up on this. Seems like it does have a high fuel cost per passenger which is a shame. Looks like we may have direct flights to the east coast from 2022. I would still be tempted if the price wasn't too steep, but it looks like a 50%+ premium at present, which is hard to justify when you could probably get Premium Economy indirect. Apologies, drifting a little off topic... Family of 4 booking direct with Qantas and flying direct (marginally cheaper returning a day later, but there was an option for the 18th Jan): London (Heathrow) to Perth Monday, 30 December 2019 Departs 11:55 Flight Duration 16h 50m 0 stops Arrives 12:45 Tue ECONOMY Q Deal QF10 QF10 is subject to government and regulatory approval for departures between 28 October 2018 and 30 March 2019 Change this flight Perth to London Sunday, 19 January 2020 Select your return flight Subtotal: £2,261* GBP 2 Adults 2 Children Actually quite reasonable. Regards BFB

I was not a fan of the airport in Dubai, toilet facilities seemed to be fairly limited, with fairly long queues for these on the flight out and on the way back. Generally seemed busy and had a fair bit of construction ongoing. Still I may just have been unlucky. We were planning to use Singapore Airlines on our upcoming move out to Australia, but decided to break up the journey with a few weeks in the US. Had a look at direct flights to Perth, but these looked prohibitively expensive, I think in the £3-£4k range if I remember correctly. Then we would have had the internal flight also. Though if our end destination was Perth I would have been tempted. Hopefully as direct flights to Australia become more common they will drop in price. Good luck! Regards BFB

Thank you both for this.

Any idea what sort of documentation is typically required when applying for or starting a new school? I'm looking at Queensland in particular. I'm presuming general proof of ID, possibly some sort of handover document from their school in the UK, possibly medical documents (?)... Any general info or links to relevant posts would be appreciated. Regards BFB

For my recent trip to Aus I opened a free standard account with Revolut which allows you to exchange £5k per month at the interbank exchange rate. I also opened an account with WestPac which offered $50 for people who moving to Australia and opened a new bank account with them and deposited $250. Though I'm sure other banks offer similar. I then did several transfers from my Revolut account to my WestPac account in the weeks leading up to the trip. Shortly after arrival I went to the local branch to complete the setup of my account. My debit card was then ready ~5 working days after. In the meantime I withdrew money at the bank itself. Points to note. Not all bank branches open at the weekend (check online). Transfers should be done during the week i.e. not at the weekend - surcharge out of trading hours (I think). No fees. Interbank exchange rate. +$50. No issues as far as I'm aware. Regards BFB

We had a look round from the outside only, but it looked pretty impressive.

Thanks again. That all makes sense and aligns with my expectation. Much appreciated.

Thanks for this. I think this the approach we will be looking to take. What sort of hours per week were you working initially? Regards BFB

Apologies for the confusion. This makes sense now. Regards

Thanks for your replies. Elena (bruce 7) - Based on our recent visit, the Sunshine Coast would be our preferred destination. Though that is dependent on the availability of work - primarily for my wife - and having a reasonable degree of confidence in being able to securing a position, if not prior to arriving, then shortly after. We have been in contact with HR, but they said to just send in a CV and cover letter. I think the recommendation to try and make direct contact with an NUM is a good one and we will definitely give this a go. ramot - I will check out some of the hospitals you've mentioned. How did you find working in the private sector vs public sector? Regarding Casual positions - this sounds like there is no guarantee of work. Anybody have any experience/knowledge of this? Whilst not ideal, this seems like it might be a option short term to provide some income (possibly combined with other work e.g. agency), gain experience working in various department and making some contacts, with a view to finding more permanent opportunities. Regards BFB

That makes sense. Thanks for this. Regards BFB