AliQ

Hi carlymac, Marisa is correct. We had to pay six months upfront (we're both retired) as we are in a popular area where there are very few rentals available, also, you need to put down a bond as well, that was another £1,000.00. To move back, you will need a fair amount of cash to cover the interim period whilst you settle.

We found the UK passport office to be very organised and very efficient. We sent them my husband's birth certificate ( by registered air mail), it was returned very quickly, and his new passport arrived in just six working days. As for the photo, not worth risking if there is any doubt, it will be refused. Go to Officeworks, they take your photo and give you a print out stating that it meets the correct size, definition etc etc.

Snap ! They only had to deliver from Leicester to Derbyshire - NO refund - so it cost us the same amount of money for them to deliver back to us within the UK, as it did to ship all the way over to Australia ! I did question the company, no rational explanation provided. And same as you, they literally dropped off our goods and ran - they were only here 20 minutes.

Not sure if you can leave before it's finalised, Centrelink will be able to confirm that, it's best to ask just in case. We had a four week timetable, and luckily it came through a few days before we flew. Good luck.

We booked and paid for Britannia to pack & ship our goods back to Australia last year, and paid for monthly storage in the UK until we gave the OK to ship, but we ended up not moving at that time. I experienced issues with their fees, of which I felt were excessive, and inflexible customer service. We got our goods back from storage thank goodness, but will use another company when we return to Aus sometime this year.

Hi Marinulay, when my husband claimed his, it only took three weeks. Very easy.

Hi Vickie78, yes, when you all arrive in the UK, you and your kids just walk through the smartgate using your UK passports, no questions asked. And you are in

Hi Vickie78, we moved back to the UK recently. It's simple, show your Australian Passport when leaving Australia, and show your UK passport when you land in the UK. When filling in details on the web for booking flights, I used our UK passport details as UK was our destination. The airlines only concern is that they are carrying passengers who are legally allowed in to that destination country, so yes you could use your Australian passport but you will / may get quizzed by customs about length of your stay etc etc etc. so keep it simple, enter UK on a UK passport. Safe and happy travels Vickie.

Hi, that's a bit like asking how long is a piece of string. We've made two international moves, soon to do a third, and prices are vastly different due to what we decide to ship each time. Each person's two bed house hold effects could be hugely different from another persons's two bed house hold. Best way to approach this is to get three quotes (unless you are only taking bits & pieces) and assess at that stage. Also, look out for "add ons" in each quote, what each company will do for you and shipping time. Good luck

We used Kent International Removals. They did everything from start to finish. I felt I had enough to do without spending hours wrapping & packing, doing paperwork etc etc. so I was prepared to pay for their service. However, we were moving more than a few boxes of stuff. Enjoy your move back and good luck.

Go to Miami Bake House near Mandurah. Their pies are just what you are looking for ! They have a few more outlets now who sell their pies, we used to drive down to Mandurah just to buy a pie. Look at their website for locations, it is miamibakehouse.com.au Enjoy

Hi kamb1ng, I worked in the private health care sector for many years, and what The Pom Queen means, is that, private health cover covers you for admission to a PRIVATE hospital for an elective procedure / operation / treatment. If you had a car accident, fell off a ladder, etc. then an ambulance would take you to a public hospital first. BUT, in some instances, and depending on the size and facilities of the private hospital in your area, you MAY be able to ask to to be taken to a private hospital A&E, but that is not the norm. And, having private health insurance cover does NOT mean that your costs are 100 % covered. Nearly ALL private Drs and hospitals have a GAP to pay. And, they can be HUGE ! It's a complex issue and you have to assess your own needs, health and finances as to whether or not you wish to join a private health care company.

Hi kateB, that's a long time to be in Australia, is there any particular reason why you feel you need to return to the UK ? It's an expensive exercise (we've made the move back to the UK twice now, it's not for us) If you search this forum, you will find many many discussions on the UK versus Australia. Good luck and I wish you well.

We paid for our new car using BPay and did it in two consecutive amounts (due to the bank's limits on the amount you can bpay in one go) very easy.

If you know the area you plan to move to, then google Estate Agents in that area, and contact them directly nearer the time. They will know of any properties that are coming up for rent but not yet advertised, and what is currently available. We secured our rental this way once landed in the UK, went to view it and secured it very quickly. Good luck

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.