AliQ

10 hours ago, ramot said:

We have always tel 0191 218 7777 and have just tried it and got straight through. They will want your NI number and your flt dates, they might need more information these days, as we didn’t go back last year.

Have a great holiday xM

Ramot is correct, they now ask for much more information. When we arrived back last October, my husband had to provide evidence that we had came back to live in the UK, we had to provide a copy of our tenancy agreement to prove that we were not here on holiday.

They actually asked us quite a few questions as to why we had returned to the UK too.

9 hours ago, Snowball2 said:

Ok so my partner & myself are moving to Townsville QLD in November. I have a job waiting for me but my partner hasn’t got anything lined up yet. She works in admin.

Work are covering the cost of my shipping container. Initially I had planned to bring my car, but I’ve discovered that the model (Citroen C1) was never sold in Oz. I’m thinking it will be impossible to get parts or sell it on so have decided that I probably won’t take it. What are people’s opinions on this? 

If I don’t take the car, I’ll have to rent one for a couple of weeks then  buy one asap. How easy/hard is this in terms of documentation/paperwork etc? Cars seem very expensive and I can only afford something 7-9 years old, whereas my current car is not even 3 years old with low mileage.

Any advice/suggestions are welcome! Thanks.

Having recently returned to the UK from Australia, cars here in the UK are super expensive compared to Australia, it’s quite a shock. When purchasing our new car here a couple of months back it nearly made me cry !

You will be pleasantly surprised at the cost of new cars in Australia, there are always deals on as well, you will have fun buying a new car over there !

Google new car dealers in Australia, you will see the prices and models available there.

2 hours ago, tonyman said:

 

Can anyone please tell me the best resort in Bali to go to for Christmas that is faily quite, just for a pure relaxing holiday?

Just for a couple to enjoy good food, drinks and relaxation ect.

Thanks

The Laguna in Nusa Dua, been there three times, it’s mainly couples and a great place to escape to.

It was getting a tad old last time we were there, but everything else in the resort makes up for that, brilliant spot for a bit of R&R.

25 minutes ago, bug family said:

Good for you and well done in giving it a second go, as you say we are all different for some it is home (UK)  for some it is not, I respect and see both points of view

Great.....any chance of having a word with my wife lol

 

one final question AliQ if I may ask, do you have any children?

Hi - no, we don't have children so I suppose that make's it easier for us to travel back & worth, but, we do have a cat - and that gets VERY expensive !

5 hours ago, bug family said:

Just curious AliQ, in what way?

Hi bug family, well, our first "trial" of living in the UK was great, we both enjoyed everything about living back here (Sept to March) and settled well, but after our six month tenancy was up, my husband did not want to stay, so we went back home to Aus.

To cut a long story short, we decided to scratch that itch (I still had it) one more time to be sure, so, we returned, but, it's not like our first experience in many aspects.

We don't find every day life as full filling this time round,. After the initial honeymoon phase of being back again had worn off, it's on to day to day reality.

For us, day to day life is much more enjoyable in Australia, but again, that all depends on what we all, as individuals, like and want to do each day.

I don"t want to get into a debate on UK versus Australia, because we are all individuals, we all like very different things in life, and we also have our own expectations.

However, our ping ponging is now bringing my husband and I together on the SAME page, it's no longer a debate on the UK or Australia.

We'll see our tenancy out and move back next year. We're not unhappy here, far from it, we enjoying it, but we feel day to day life in Australia, for us, is better long term back in Australia.

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I do hope it's not Australia. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but let's face it - if you've ping-ponged twice and it didn't work, the third time isn't going to be any different. 

Do you think it's because you and your husband are looking for different things?  Maybe one of you prefers Oz and the other is happier in the UK, so whichever one you choose, somebody can't settle?

 

Hi Marisawright, it's the UK we're ping ponging "on" so to speak

We spent 28 years in Australia, and left only because we wanted a change,  both in a position to travel and both originally from the UK.

Our trial of living in the UK this second time round is NOT as appealing as our first trial, but it's proving to be a very useful exercise as it's really ironing out what we want and what we don't want.

Whilst there has been costs + involved, we believe it's money well spent, it's really opened our eyes living here for a second time round, and living here past that honeymoon phase.

3 hours ago, Toots said:

Are you pinging back to Australia or trying somewhere new Ali?

Hi Toots - not sure, early days as yet, we're just enjoying the moment for now.

Well, we're back in the UK for a second time, to "scratch that itch".

It's been well & truly scratched now.

Next stop  ? no idea !

Hi,

Just do an "international" money transfer from your UK bank account to her AU bank account online, the bank's online site does all the calculating for you, and will tell you the fee as well.

It's easy to do and the money get's transferred within 48 hours (mine does anyway, I transfer sums between our UK and AU bank accounts frequently)

Just make sure you have the all the correct bank codes and account numbers for your daughter. Once one transfer has been made, any others will be easier as all the account numbers etc will be saved for you.

Your bank's web site will have a page telling you what to do step by step.

Bit nerve wracking the first time - I have to admit - but now I do it without blinking an eye !

To check your UK pension, go to www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

You need to register, log in, and it will state your entitlements to date.

It will also tell you if you can improve your future pension by making any extra payments (voluntary National Insurance contributions) between now and retiring.

6 hours ago, GrandpaGrumble said:

When applying for a UK police check, the advice from ACRO is "You do not need to send in a copy of your driving licence but it will assist with processing your application if you do."

I was wondering what happens when your UK driving licence is up for renewal after 10 years.

Do you use your old, expired licence?  Do you not refer to your licence at all, in which case I wonder how much it slows down the application?  Can you renew the licence if you're not resident in the UK any more?

Not an issue for me yet, just want to be prepared.

Hi,

I can only help with your last query. 

NO, you cannot renew your UK driving licence if you are NOT living in the UK, and at the UK address you declare as your normal residence.

Having said that, I am aware that some people have used a relatives address in the UK to get hold of a UK driving licence, but, it is illegal and a risk definitely not worth taking. Now I’ve never heard of any consequences from those who have falsely and illegally renewed their licence, but it’s a risk not worth taking in my opinion. One day the DVLA will may make an example of someone, don’t let it be you.

3 hours ago, Di Ebbett said:

Hi All 

lm moving from Tas back to UK , I've been in touch with Seven Seas about Move Cube , 

It appears that this is not an option from Tas

I would have to get my stuff over to the Melbourne Depot and then load The Move Cube myself there 

As anyone got any suggestions as to  how I can get shipping from Tas to UK 

Thanks 

Di 

Hi,

When we moved from Perth to UK last year, we used KENT.

We got three quotes, and KENT were the most professional & organised, but also the cheapest.

Out of the three companies, they were the only one which appeared to know all about the requirements and legalities of moving goods abroad, I felt very confident that they would handle the move properly - and they did.

3 minutes ago, Sloth said:

I see that last time you were here you only stayed for 3 months. What made you decide to go back to the UK again?

Long story. 

We should have stayed longer in the UK first time round to “sort out our true thoughts”

I wanted to stay in the UK (when the six month tenancy was up) my husband did not, so off we went back to Australia. Got off to a dodgy start once back in Aus though which coloured our thoughts ( that was misguided ! ) so we both decided that the UK was the place to be.

Now we are back, we are seeing things SO much clearer and we are in a better frame of mind to sort this out.

Despite all the money it’s cost to keep moving, it’s been very well worth it, as it’s truely clarified our thoughts. Being back near relatives is NEVER a reason to return to the UK, well, not in our book anyway but I know everyone is different so take that statement with a pinch of salt

I will say though, we acknowledge how lucky we are to have the choice, and we are very grateful to be able to return to Australia whenever we wish.

5 minutes ago, Sloth said:

I thought about taking an income stream from my super but decided I would be a lot happier having everything in the same country! I don't think we'll change our minds about relocating, but you never know I suppose.

The move to Oz has been very good for us financially, but now I'm effectively retired and my wife can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we realised we'd like to go home.

Our reasons for wanting to go back are more hillwalking/cultural/holidaying in Europe oriented with a view to seeing out our retirement, plus my wife has family in the UK that she likes-I'm not so keen on mine.

You sound exactly like us.

Please, seriously think very hard about this, take it from me who has moved back to the UK twice since taking early retirement.

We’re currently in the UK for another “tasting session” of life in the UK. 

I doubt we will stay, I really do. We have given ourselves nine months to think it out. And I was adamant that the UK is where I wanted to end my days (relatives, Europe, countryside, pubs etc etc, ) 

I wish you well.

35 minutes ago, Sloth said:

After 13 happy years here in Tassie, over the weekend we decided we'd like to go back to the UK. I'm effectively retired, my wife has about 2 years to go to her super preservation age so that's our time frame.

We haven't really got very far with our planning yet, but one option is to cash in our super and our other investments, sell the house and just transfer the cash across and reinvest it once back in the UK.

We'd be using OFX to make the transfer, but what I'm slightly concerned about is the sudden appearance of what would be quite a large amount in our UK bank account-is it likely to arouse suspicion of money laundering or some other dubious activity?

Do I just need to notify the bank ahead of time what I intend to do?

 

 

 

My husband now receives his super as a fortnightly payment into our bank, but they will NOT pay into our UK bank account, it has to go into our Australian bank account, the other option was to have a cheque posted to us every now and again.

Before we left Australia (after 28 years) we did some investigating as we wanted this payment to go into our UK bank account. We were told that the Australian Super Funds can NOT pay, if it is a regular ongoing payment, into a foreign bank account, they will only pay into an Australian bank account.

We also contacted the Superannuation Body that governs all Super funds, they told us it is very rare to find a Super Fund that will pay REGULAR payments into foreign bank accounts. This sounded odd to us as Centrelink pay into foreign bank accounts, but on investigating this appeared to be the majority rule at this time.

You need to contact your super fund to find out the current rules. There were many industry changes last year that are applicable to all funds.

And no, no need to inform the bank of any deposits. If they have any concerns then they will contact you.

We ended up hiring too, much easier.

We hired from Enterprise. Their customer service was great, nice new cars and very reasonable rates.

Some companies though would NOT lend to us because we were not UK residents at the time, so visitors to the UK from other countries will have some problems if they want to hire a car to explore the UK ! 

Hi,

In a nutshell - NO.

When we moved to the UK late last year, the quotes we received were horrendous !

One quote was for just over 1,300.00 POUNDS and we are older experienced drivers too.

Despite evidence of our NCB from our Australian Insurance Company, NO ONE was interested.

However, I kept calling around +++ and eventually came across NFU (National Farmers Union). This was the only company who reacted sensibly and accepted our NCB. 

The NFU is highly regarded over here in the UK and their polices are excellent. We've also got contents insurance with them now.

56 minutes ago, newjez said:

To be honest I don't ever remember going for early morning breakfast in Australia. Is it a thing?

We often go for breakfast at our local beef eater as it very cheap. There are a few other places we go that are a bit more upmarket. But we wouldn't go before 08:00.

Are there many people there at 06:30? Is this weekend or week day?

Yes,  it is a thing, lots of folk are up early and going for breakfast at 06.30 -  weekdays and weekends,  especially in the cafes on the sea fronts. Suppose it depends where you live and whether you are near the coast or not.

Even when I went out for “social breakfasts” with work, we’d always be there for 07.00 or 07.30 at the latest, then we could all go home and get on with our day.

2 hours ago, starlight7 said:

Interesting about the breakfasts, I hadn't realised it was different in the uk.  Guess we take stuff for granted, we often go out for brekkie and they are cheap, too. Nice washed down with a coffee too.

Here in the UK, well where we are anyway, NO cafe or breakfast spot is open before 09.00.

That’s mid morning to us, it’s morning tea time at nine !

We really do miss those early morning aussie breakfast’s, in fact it makes me want to get back on that plane right now

1 = Better career opportunities and working conditions. I had a fabulous career as a nurse for 28 years in Perth, WA.

2= Climate

3 = Ability to live near the sea

4 = Can always find a place for breakfast open from 06.30 in a morning

5 = Wanted a change in our lives and a new challenge.

6 = And, we just want wanted to go to Australia.

However, we’re currently in the UK, not sure for how long though !!!

.

On 08/07/2019 at 02:01, davidtiffen said:

Hi

Been living in Australia now 5 and a half years and love it.  Will never go back to UK.  We were made citizens last year and trying to decide now whether to stay in Melbourne or move to Perth.

Just wondering what peoples views were on Perth over Melbourne - this will all depend if I can get a job in Perth which seems difficult when based in Melbourne.  I know Perth is classed as more isolated and weather is better but at 46 & 55 we are not sure if this is the right move.

We are still renting due to major problems with land titling so still have the option to buy at either location - just wondered if anyone had experience living in both cities and what the pros and cons are?

Thanks All

Crikey, hard question to answer this is !

We lived in Perth for 28 years and LOVED it,  we moved because we just wanted a change,  and had reached a certain stage of our lives.

It all depends on what work you do, what you like to do with your spare time, and what your interests are. Perth may suit you, it may not, but unless you try it you will never know.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

On 08/05/2019 at 14:24, Kevin shuck said:

Thanks everyone for your reply’s! It really does help! We do have an area in mind as we’ve already spent time over in oz. we’re looking at south Perth! South freemantle, Coogee beach but are open to other areas.is it possible to get short term accommodation as we really don’t want to sign a 6-12 moth rental agreement . I presume most people use a mortgage advisor as we have in the uk! If so any recommendations of advisors in the Perth area would be great! And also any other areas for us to think about We’re just looking for somewhere nice to bring our babies up! Thanks again kev

Hi Kevin,

Having “emigrated”  twice very recently, I’d strongly advise you to rent first, as others have said. Long story, but we were recently tempted to buy a house on the Sunshine Coast based on what we could see on the internet, we did’nt buy it, but when will we arrived we did go to see it, and thank goodness we did not buy ! House was great but immediate surroundings were not nice at all, and obviously edited out of the photo’s. And, don’t rent sight unseen either, we’ve been stung doing that. Six months will fly by anyway, you will need that time to assess areas and view  property that is for sale.

We know the areas you mention very well, we rented and lived in that area for 28 years. No idea of your budget, but a house in South Perth or Fremantle will be very expensive, and a unit in either area will also be quite expensive. Lovely area’s though.

We used PetAir earlier this year to arrange the transport of our cat back to Australia (we stayed in the UK in the end though, long story) but their service and organisation was excellent. All communications were prompt and concise, organised to a T and their care of our cat whilst in their boarding facility was just fabulous. 

Please bear in mind what Marisawright has said though.  As it is a very very expensive exercise to transport pets and very stressful for the owners ! Our cat was fine on her travels from Australia to the UK, she arrived like it was just a normal day in her life - ate some biscuits then went to sleep ! Having said that, she can’t talk so no idea really what went off on the flight over

Hi Gary H,

We shipped our goods and cat back just last year, we used JetPets for our cat and we were very impressed with their service and attention to detail.

And for all our “stuff” we used Kent (we were in Perth) We got several quotes from shipping companies, but Kent came out best not just for cost but for their customer service as well. The rep was very helpful and organised, and their packing staff were excellent. All our goods arrived intact, not one glass was broken !

Enjoy your move

I agree with all the above replies. Stop and have a really good think before you move, and write it down as it’s often clearer that way.

Living in Australia is NOT just about living in the sun and frolicking on a beach and eating from a barbecue, which many folk in the UK think we do !

Life goes on as it does in the UK. Bills to pay, mortgage to pay, car to pay for, you still need to go to the dentist, doctor, opticians etc. you can still get sick, need an operation etc etc, life goes on wherever you are ...............

Having said that, we spent 28 years there and loved it. And we just arrived back in the UK yesterday, to settle back here.

It IS a very expensive exercise, so you do need to be fully committed to moving as per the above posts.

I wish you well with whatever you decide to do.