Questions

I have read a multitude of posts on this site over the past few days and I respectively ask this to not be turned into a UK vs Australia thread. I do not wish to debate. I shall leave that there. We carried out a huge amount of research and are knowledgeable about the price/value of this car in the UK and now Australia. Just lacking knowledge with shipping to the UK. I am asking for advice from anyone who has shipped their car from Australia to the UK. I shall also contact the professional as suggested by unzippy. Thank you.

Thank you unzippy.

Hello all. Please could I know if anyone has experience shipping a car (bought in Australia) from Australia to the UK. I understand I would need to arrange to change the speedometer from km to miles. I do know it probably would be quite expensive. The car we purchased is only a few years old (just), only 50k on the clock and has been fully looked after/serviced. It's a popular car in the UK however not as popular here so we managed to secure a very good price for it here.

He was involved in timber engineering. I can only speak of our direct experiences, thus my fears. As Marisa pointed out perhaps I do need to accept the evidence. To see the wood for the trees (pun unintentional)

My goodness! This is horrific

Good points Marisa. Perhaps you are correct on both accounts. Perhaps I am clasping at straws. Perhaps I have my head in the sand. I suppose I was trying to look for positivity, seems like other industries haven’t been affected. Yes. He was really lucky to secure the role here. He is in a higher role, I’m not sure what the x would be if he was doing a like for like job. Thank you everyone. This has been really helpful.

Thank you for your opinion Bristolman. It’s good to hear there is stability there. Perhaps I’m worrying about nothing however my fears do rise based on first hand experience of many of my husband’s long standing colleagues losing jobs and experiencing pay cuts directly from BREXIT concerns/uncertainty - however perhaps it is industry specific. My husband, extremely luckily, did not lose his job (although did experience a pay cut) however we did wonder if he may be affected down the line - thus we moved to Australia. I hope once things are smoothed out in the UK things are positive and there won’t be any further cuts for my husband’s ex colleagues, in fact I really hope they secure new roles. I wonder if anyone else on this forum has experienced anything first hand or if it is indeed industry specific. Sorry to bring this up, I don’t mean to bring things down. I just feel really unsettled here and wish to move back but this is hugely playing on my mind.

Thank you Very Stormy for your response. It’s very good to know you/the company you’re working for are doing well. Good to have a strong feeling of stability. I do not wish to pry, however may I know if it’s specific trained professional roles your company are seeking? My husband is involved in the environmental industry and he saw many colleagues lose their jobs (some were very key important roles, others of varied levels) or received pay cuts due to BREXIT uncertainty/concerns as funding trickled off and ceased. I do harbour grave concerns about suitable roles being available IF we should return however I suppose it may be industry specific rather than white wash. Uncertain uncharted territory. Thank you again for your input.

Please note that most sunscreens are not healthy for you. They contain all sorts of harmful chemicals. I have been undertaking quite a lot of research on this and we now use protective natural mineral sunscreens - please see this website for some reference. I am not associated with this. http://blog.hellocharlie.com.au/biggest-ever-natural-sunscreens-cheat-sheet/ On this website [link provided above] there is a very helpful chat now function. You could explicitly explain your teenager's concerns and they may be able to provide you with some helpful advice.

Sage advice Marisawright. I do think marriages/partnerships are about compromise. It seems many aren't 50/50 and some people are ok with that. You give really good advice! Do you, or anyone else, have any thoughts about my message right up the top with regard to jobs/BREXIT? I know no-one really knows but it is something weighing heavily on my mind. I don't know if I'm over thinking it or whether it should be something that we really need to consider? I just discovered the like button :-)

Thank you everyone for your comments. I'm really pleased my friend alerted me to this site. It has been great to get my thoughts off my chest and to hear other's opinions.

Thanks Antipodista Sorry to hear you're in a similar situation. I read that your husband won't agree to stay. It is so hard. You, like me I'm sure, are very aware this is a partnership and everyone's feelings and thoughts matter. It's just so hard when one of you wants to be somewhere and the other doesn't. Thank you for your hug - here's a hug back in solidarity! Let's hope all works out well for all of us.

Hi LKC. Sounds like you've been through a lot - I have read a few of your posts. I'm glad to see you're happy however. We have agreed in 18th months we will make a decision. I know it is very beneficial to immerse yourself into this life - I am actively participating - making friends, attending playdates, visiting different places - trying to get work. He says he knows my mind is made up - I say I am open to the 'wow, I'm here this is great' moment if I ever felt settled here but I'm almost confident, between you and I, that that moment won't happen. As I say, I am open to it however, it's not a closed door. Life could be full of changes. Thanks for the advice about restarting up life again in the UK, good to know.

Thank you. We still have bank accounts open. Annoyingly we have a stellar financial history in the UK. I had hoped it could be transferred here, no such luck. We do have one now here of course.

Hi. Yes I have a British passport. Actually from a practical point of view. If we were say two to three years away what impact, if any, would this have on NHS, schooling, benefits (if necessary) or even financially (banking/mortgage?).

Hello Quoll Thank you for your sage advice. You are absolutely correct there - there are no easy answers. Wish there was a Dummies self help manual on 'How to have one's other half agree to go back to a country you call home when they do not wish to in four easy steps' tee hee. At least I can joke, I guess. I actually feel I am a little bit desensitised already. Perhaps I have accepted that I am here and have to start "living" here properly per se. However it could also be that I am feeling so low I am already lacking a bit of fight. I sometimes wander around the malls (as great at they are here) wondering if this is a dream, is this real. No I do not take any sort of drug (unless you believe fibre 'gummies' to be one!). I dream of being back some nights and it is a horrible feeling waking up knowing I'm not. I am hugely grateful for this opportunity but I do feel it is hacking away at my mental health as I just can't seem to find how to be truly happy here. My husband is not the type to apply for roles unless he had agreed to return. It would only be if we had decided to go back, we're not at that stage yet. He has calmed down a bit and agreed to discuss it - at first he raged "he was not moving anywhere" and would not discuss it. We both said what we would want - polar opposites however we have agreed to decide either way in 18 months. I feel this is too long but I will absolutely do this as I will always take his feelings and thoughts into consideration. We are a team after all, not a dictatorship. It would also mean more time in the role for him - more experience - which I can only see as a good thing. Plus we will hopefully know more about BREXIT then. I really don't think I could last four years here, I believe that is time-frame for obtaining a citizenship? I have researched a resident returning visa (apologies if that is the incorrect term) in the event we ever decided to move here again (can't imagine it happening but you never ever know!). Our son has dual. Already being here for eight months has felt like eight years. Although I do not look down on anyone taking any sort of medication (of course not) it is not for me. I do not wish to suppress feelings, but 'feel' them. If I felt like I could absolutely not cope and it was bridge jumping territory I would relax my feelings as such. I'm not at that stage and nor do I ever wish to be. I unfortunately suffered from PND so I do know the darkest depths of despair. I thank God I am not feeling that now. It has just come to me, I know how to be happy here. If my husband agreed we could go back, say mid next year I would live and love each day to the fullest, knowing we were going back to where I felt at home. However, it's the whole unknown - what will he do/decide that I guess is taking a big toll on me. I absolutely do see it from his point of view. I just wish I could feel as happy as he does here - and I have tried - but I can't.

Hello Maybe I just read through some posts and noted yours. I do think our stories are similar. It is very hard to put into words but when you know, you just know. I wholeheartedly agree - these feelings, although I did have doubt, were very unexpected for me also. I also had 'visa' / moving on an adventure feelings. But then, when the dust settled, I should have just taken a holiday. I do think it might be better, in both our cases, to give it a little more time. Take some advice from the others on here and try new things - perhaps once a week if possible. Set a time-frame to make a decision (at least six months away) and then fully discuss all options. I think we both need proper time. How does your husband feel? I'm sorry you're going through this also.

Thank you Ramot. That actually meant a lot to me and I choked back a little tear. I have been trying to be so strong and plaster the smile (Pollyanna effect I believe it's called) I hadn't actually thought about how low I was/am. I do feel a bit better but still very low. Perhaps I should speak to a doctor.

Thank you Marisa. I have just spent a few hours reading through many posts and although it's upsetting in some cases of course, it's good to know I'm not alone. As my friend said, there will be people all over the world who feel like this and will feel like this in the future. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I guess that is how I feel about 'home'. It's very hard to explain but very easy to know what it is not. Would your Australian husband quite like to be back in the UK? Is he happy settled in Australia for life now? I was very very unsettled for the first say six months. Literally obtained a quote for our dog and looked into flights, checked out rentals online. Was on the verge of contacting my husband's ex-boss (without my husband knowing - very very glad I did not do that). This is unlike me. I actually enjoy change but I did not listen to my instincts when I was going through the visa process. Every night I thought 'what am I doing' but I just thought it was nerves at having lived away from Australia for so long. Turns out I should have (and will do in future) listen to myself. Something I'm trying to do now. Yes, just not heat although I do have a particular issue where I heat up (in what seems triple time faster than others) and struggle to cool down. It's very strange - almost makes me feel angry when I get like this. Like I'm drowning but in heat - very hard to explain. I've always had this particular issue but I guess almost forgot about it living for so long in England where, aside from the odd hot days during summer it was a perfect temperate. I don't mind warm weather - but I guess on my terms, in a pool or lounging about. Not struggling to get into work clothes and having to stand under aircon and a fan going like the clappers just to be able to apply makeup. I can appreciate it will get slightly cooler in Queensland over winters. Whilst we are in Australia, no, my husband would not move. As mentioned, he really does have a great job with lovely colleagues, more hand in strategic matters and much healthier bank balance. I don't think that, in my case, that would be the answer anyway - it would just would cost more $$$, have to go through the whole job search/school process once again and then once the dust settled, I would still not be in the UK. Thank you very much for taking the time to reply however. I do appreciate that.

We are in Queensland.

Good morning. I am staying with a friend and after chatting through something with me she alerted me to this site as a place where I might be able to obtain some guidance/thoughts. I moved to Australia May 2017 with my husband and our son who is 4.5 years old. Prior to this I spent 18 years in England (I am originally from Australia). Whilst living in England we had visited Australia on holidays a few times and really enjoyed the visits. There was a question of 'perhaps we may move here one day' but we didn't act on it. I loved being in the UK (and thought our life was to be there forever) however a few things happened in the year leading up to our move and so we decided to apply for a partner visa, of which we obtained for my husband (he's English). He is involved in an industry (environmental) where funding came from all over the UK and Europe. In the year leading up to our decision he saw countless colleagues not have their roles (funding) continued due to the BREXIT uncertainty. Lots of colleagues from different departments across different locations were impacted. There was also an issue with pay outwith normal hours cut. Although his pay was cut, he hadn't been advised his role was to be cancelled however it caused quite a lot of concern as to 'who was next' - thus the decision to move here. I guess we thought we would go on 'our terms'. So my husband found a great job here. He's really enjoying it - he loves the hot weather. He really values his colleagues (they are lovely), finds everyone friendly and says the food is great. He loves being outdoors and goes running/swimming a lot. He is doing a job that was not possible in the place where he worked before (a higher role) so is really enjoying being involved in more strategic planning and the salary is over three times on what he was on in England. He loves it - in a nutshell - he would be here for life. We are saving so much more money and have extra for things we just didn't before we moved. I feel very lucky we landed on our feet. Here's the kicker. I am just not enjoying it, really really not. After the dust settled I realised that, despite growing up in Australia, this is not where I wish to live. It is a great country with lots of fantastic things going for it but I know it's not for me. I know there is a period of adjustment, I know it's a huge thing to turn life upside down. I had good friends in England but I also have good friends Australia. We both don't have much family so it's not a 'family pull'. I really really struggle in the heat - Dec to now has been so unbearable. Despite using sunscreen always (by the way everyone, check your sunscreen - mineral is better) I'm alarmed at the UV that is around the 14 mark most days. It's ironic how much more we did outdoors in England but not doing too much outdoors here is purely down to me being scared of the sun damage to my son and husband's lily white skin here! I'm not just not wanting to live here because of the sun - there is a lot more going on that I struggle to put into words. I know what is not for me, I just know it. People have been so friendly, the food is fresh and great but the thought of living here forever? I just ...cannot. This move is about us - as a family unit - I am not a selfish person so I hid my feelings from my husband for about eight months. He is just so happy here. I used to cry every day and constantly berated myself for ever bringing up the idea of moving. I put a lot of effort into the visa, in fact drove the whole process so I feel I am entirely to blame. My husband was angry with me, he's not a person who I've really ever seen angry before. He is frustrated - why did we do this! All I could say is that I didn't know how I would feel being back here until we were actually here. Despite living here before it was different. Before I moved to the UK I hadn't lived outside Australia and I obviously didn't have my husband nor our son before - so things are different this time around. My husband initially said he won't go back - he really detest the dark cold winter (suffers from SAD) but I think he may be now thinking that we may go back. I don't push it but he does now know that I can't see my life here. I absolutely won't split up my family and he does not want this either. In the words of the famous song I would rather live with him (them) in their world than without him (them) in mine. I am at an absolute loss. Do I just continue living a life here with my husband and son in the hope that one day I will feel comfortable/happy to stay? There are so many great reasons for us to stay here - not just the massive financial aspect but the fact my husband and son are happy and my husband is doing a higher job that allows him more experience in this industry. Am I being totally ridiculous to throw this away for the 'what if' of moving back. Yes it would be very hard to get back into his industry but the way I see it is that he now has more experience here than he would have had, had we stayed. Opens things up for more jobs. If we go back we will go back with healthy savings - once his wage was cut we were losing money back in England. I had been out of work (looking after my son) however now he is this age I would go back to work. I have huge experience in my field of work and have been keeping a close eye on job sites - I know it wouldn't be an assurance but there are huge amount of jobs for me to to apply for. My husband is really worried about what BREXIT will do - although he does know that no-one really knows at the moment but he has first hand experience of what had happened to many colleagues before we left. I guess I really just looking for advice. For those who have been out here for the amount of time I have or longer. We are in our early 40's and we don't have property anywhere. I really really don't know what to do. Thank you for all and every advice.