AliQ

Hi Ballaratburd, we lived in Perth for 28 years and loved it. We chose WA because of the weather and the beaches and it suited us to a T. If you are looking for a less busy lifestyle then Perth will suit you. I’m sure you will get loads of replies on your question, everyone will have their own opinion of Perth, but all I can say is we loved living there, loved the quieter lifestyle, and the “isolation” comments you may receive are in my opinion over exagerated.

We were not driven out by any problems, just reached a new stage in life and wanted a change of country after 28 years. We’re retuning to a different state, and already been there to have “a look see”

Sorry to hear about your Mum. We flew our cat to the UK last year, and used JetPets who were fabulous. Yes, it is a lot cheaper to arrange yourself, but there is a lot of paperwork and issues to address. Miss just one piece of paperwork or forget to tick one box etc, you may find your dog is refused entry. Personally, I would never risk it to save some dollars, even though it is a big saving. Also, relocating is such a lot of work, stressful and incredibly busy, I’d leave pet transport to the experts. I wish you well and good luck with whatever you decide to do.

We’ve doing the same as Booma but staying a bit longer. Yes it costs a lot of money going backwards & forwards, but to us it’s money very well spent. When we go back to Aus next year, we both know 100% it’s the right decision.

Thanks richev, yes we plan to buy a new washing machine once there, no way could I last without one till our shipment arrives.

We’re in a similar boat as Marisawright. We’ve tried twice over the past two years to settle back in the UK, but it’s not for us, we ‘re returning to Aus 2020. We love both places so we feel like both are home, but the UK is just not “our place” anymore for many reasons. We only came back really because we were at a new & different stage in our lives and just wanted a change, well, it’s not a change that suits us, but having said, we’re enjoying our time here but it’s a long term prospect anymore.

Hi AussieMike, try the website again, I used my Aussie bank card to pay for our new UK passports and did not have an issue. Supply all the listed documents as requested and you’ll get your UK passport very quickly, it’s a simple process these days. Our new UK passports arrived in just over a week which was very impressive !

Hi Eera, thank you for posting about form F4408. Do you know if having no permanent address or temporary address for a while, increases your car insurance ? Thank you.

Thanks Quoll, yes, also taking our Dyson, it has to be one of the best gadgets ever. Decided not to take our TV and washing machine even though they are only a few months old, as we’ll need those fairly quickly on arrival for our rental, and shipping is too long to wait for for these items. Thanks for the idea of taking a power board, that’s very useful. As we have no children to leave anything to, we’ve de cluttered big time thanks to that book by Marie Kondo. No one will want to clear our house full of “stuff” when that time comes !

Thank you, much appreciated. We have our lists of what to ship and what to sell / donate etc, but interested to know if anyone had that “ wish I’d bought that with me “ moment or “wished I’d left that back in the UK ! “ moment. I tend to cull very strictly so I know we’re not going to be shipping any useless stuff !

To anyone who has recently moved to Australia, is there anything you wished you had shipped ? and is there anything you wished you had left behind ? We’re currently getting removal quotes ( this is our second move, and already done some very serious culling of “ stuff”) but keen to hear from others who have recently moved for fresh ideas. Thank you.

Thank you The Pom Queen - we’ve booked a home visit with PSS and Robinson’s for now.

Hi, has anyone had any recent experience with 1st Move International ? Thank you.

Ah, that's why then. Your initial post inferred you were in Australia, as it was posted under Aussie Chat. Anyone reading your post would presume you were in Australia.

In that case, leave husband behind and just take your lovely dogs & cat !