AliQ

Private HOSPITAL cover is, in a nut shell, a fast track way to have surgery or to see a specialist. In other words, avoid waiting lists, avoid admission to a public hospital (for elective procedures) you can choose your Dr / surgeon, private hospital and admission date. It's a personal decision and also depends if you can afford it or not. Also, as a private patient, in a private hospital, even with top cover, you may still have some out of pocket expenses to pay ( called a gap) and they can be significant. As for seeing a GP, based on my experience currently in UK, it is so much easier to get an appointment in Australia ! There is usually a fee to see a GP in Australia, the government only pays in part. There are bulk billed GP practices around, but those are not the norm (not where we lived anyway) If you decide to take out private hospital cover, shop around, it's big business. It may pay you to join CHOICE Australia, they are very active in reviewing private hospital polices at the moment, it's not easy to compare policies, it's a complex industry.

Not sure as I've never tried to do that, but free ATM's are everywhere here, well they are where I am, so very easy to get cash at any time of day or night.

Thank You rammygirl, I never knew this type of service existed ! I've just goggled a rental company, checked prices and items, perfect for when we move back later this year. Great information and thank you for posting

Yes, have a rabies vaccination and keep your dog's blood tests up to date ( to ensure level of antibodies remain satisfactory) and start saving !

Hi Vickie78, I do have my UK mobile number registered as well with my bank, but SMS access codes will only be sent to Australian numbers (been told that is for security reasons) and I do use the bank's app most of the time too. Yes, my bank can turn off the SMS notifications, but then I can't do any money transfers , there is no other notification available for the transfers that I do. I bank with BW, and very happy with them too. I ONLY use my Australian mobile to receive SMS bank access codes, so no, not using up much credit at all. Of my last top of $30, I only used about $3 only so it's a very cheap and easy way to keep my Australian number, and make life easier with online banking. Good luck with your move.

Yes, you are right but our situation was a tad odd. We had a rental agreement document ready to go, but because we had not yet paid the deposit and six months rent, the document was not useful. We needed a UK bank account to transfer money from our Australian bank (had to use an authorisation form ) so we could then pay for the rental by direct bank deposit (credit cards not accepted for this type of transaction) We could not pay the rental agency from our Australian bank account because I had discarded my Australian sim card, so we could not receive those SMS codes from the bank, which was stupid of me otherwise it would have been so easy ! Big lesson learnt, KEEP your Australian sim card for banking purposes until you are 100% sure you no longer need it. I now use a Telstra pre paid, it's only about 30 dollars for six months, and it's easy to re new online once the time is up.

Totally agree. We lived in Perth for 28 years, LOVED it.

Funny you should say that ! We left Australia to go to France first, the idea is lovely but then reality set in once there. It did not work our for us. Hope you can speak french at a very decent level.

Marisawright is correct. I worked as a nurse in Perth for many years. It's now nearly impossible to secure a position without being there in person. When you arrive in Perth, send your CV to all the hospitals that you are interested in and make it clear that you are living in Perth and available to start work straight away. You could also try agency nursing, but the issue with that is you would need a car really, as you could be sent anywhere in the area at short notice, though booked shifts are sometimes available too.

Hi , when we moved back last year, my husband (who receives a UK pension) was asked a few questions and that was it, he did not have to provide any evidence at that time. He did explain quite clearly though that we had shipped all our furniture over, and the cat ! But, we did have to send in a copy of our rental agreement at a later date to show we were actually living in the UK to be able to claim the winter fuel allowance. Regarding a GP, we walked into a local practice and registered on the spot, easy. And for the TOR, we used a relatives address, then updated it once we had secured a rental. Going directly into storage is not a problem. Getting "set up" back in the UK was easy, but for us, it's not easy living here. Good Luck with your move.

Hi Larnie, for one way we’ve always used Covermore (we only needed insurance for the actual journey & luggage though)

Hi Bulya, no , off to Queensland , really looking forward to it (been before for a look see)

Hi, as you say, weigh up the pros & cons, and in my opinion, seriously think about moving back because of “ getting older “ and for family, I don’t think that is always a justification to leave Australia, but I’m sure many will disagree. We also lived in Perth, for 28 years, and currently living in the UK for a “trial” we only left because we wanted a change in our lives, no other reason, and I also wanted to spend some time with my brother. Our experience of life in the UK is mixed. It’s not for us anymore, old or not. We’re returning to Aus 2020.

Hi, we were staying in a B&B at the time, but the bank accepted our UK passports and a document printed off from the HMRC website showing our NI numbers which had a UK address on it (used a relatives for that) and my husband was receiving a UK pension so that was another document that was accepted. We explained that we had just arrived so no fixed address.

Hi RoundInCircles, just curious, have you been back to the UK since you left in 1990 ? We also left the UK back in 1990, it’s a long chunk of your life to leave behind. We’re on our second “trial” of trying to settle back in the UK but it’s not for us anymore. I wish you well and good luck with your plans, once you get started it will all fall into place for you.