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Yes, pay that fee whilst in the UK. We paid our UK removals agent a NES fee and a Container Indemnity Fee. And once in Australia, there will be more costs. We have just paid a Quarantine Inspection Fee & Port Infrastructure Surcharge, aprox. $275.00. And we have had to leave our goods in storage for a few weeks until we can move into our house. Thats more fees. Storage & Handling aprox. $150.00 and a weekly storage fee (of a few dollars) We used a shared container.

Hi and thank you. The Sunshine Coast is gorgeous, just love it, it's going to be a great place to enjoy the next phase of our life We loved our spell back home in Derbyshire, and, if we had found the right house over there, we may have stayed. We love it here, but also loved it there. I just feel very lucky and very grateful that we have the option to choose.

We flew with Singapore Airlines recently, and booked Premium Economy. Whilst we had our flights cancelled three times (not Singapore Airlines fault) we did not get "bumped" when we came to board. Good luck.

We did quarantine in August. We were asked at the airport what type of room we wanted in regards to beds, queen or singles etc. As for windows, that will depend on the State you land in, and the hotel you are allocated to. The hotel we stayed in had no opening windows so had to rely on the air conditioning. And if I had to do quarantine again, I would take a couple of tea towels, some laundry detergent and washing up liquid ( for the cups that stay in your room)

Don't feel bad, or feel like you have to explain why you want to return to the UK. Some people appear to be "overly enthusiastic" about life in Australia. That makes me think that their experience is possibly, not always as rosy as they portray. I've been here many many years, been lucky enough to ping pong, and whilst I love it here, in my opinion, it's not necessarily better, it's just different. You go and enjoy the UK

Yes I know, that was the rule when we were in the UK as well. BUT, when I explained our circumstances ( emigrating) they DID sell us a policy, limited yes, but it did cover our immediate needs. That is why I suggested calling them and having a conversation. You may be lucky, may be not, but at least it's worth a try ?

Hi Senfield, as suggested in my earlier post in this thread, try Insureandgo, but don't use their online service, phone them and discuss the issue. I got travel insurance from them (UK office) for our one way back to Australia during covid. The cover will be very limited, but all we needed was medical cover for any issues during the journey really, so stress that point when you call them. They will not give you cover for any cancellations / change in plans etc due to covid, but that was fine with us. They do have an Australian office too.

Leave on your Australian and enter the UK on your British passports. And we used our Australian passports to book the flight tickets out of Australia. On arrival in the UK, you use your British passports at the SmartGate, and just walk through. I think there is an age limit though for children so you may have to go to a counter instead.

Hi Quoll, we posted at the same time ! You were lucky to avoid paying that lifetime health loading, we were told we were only allowed 1094 days out of the country. Well done for securing that.

Hi, as you all have Australian Passports, and putting covid aside, then there is nothing to stop you returning whenever you wish to. We have just returned ourselves after spending a year in the UK with our relatives. Just do not close any doors, keep your options open, suspend your Private Health Insurance (if you have it) and go and enjoy the UK. Good luck and enjoy

Hi, take heed of the advice from previous posters, NEVER travel without appropriate insurance, regardless of cost. Try Covermore and Insureandgo, I've bought one way travel from both of those companies in the past, it's best to phone them and arrange over the phone rather than use the online system though. Just noticed that you say resident, in that case, try calling the UK branches instead, they may cover you to get home. Covermore and Insureandgo both have UK based offices. Mobile, are you after an Australian plan that you can use in the UK ? or a UK provider ? When you land in the UK, have a look at GiffGaff. They have a great range of plans, offer a great service, it's on line only, and I have never had any problems or issues. If you are after an Australian plan to use in the UK though to receive banking SMS codes etc, sorry, can't help with that. Whilst we were in the UK recently, I still had my Telstra plan for that, but they have now stopped these plans until the middle of next year which is a shame. Private Health. Suspend it. It will not cost you anything, and you can suspend for 1094 days without creating any problems or issues if you return at a later date. BUT, double check with your own health fund and get it in writing before you leave. And Good Luck with your planning.

I get it bug family. Agree.

Private Health Cover covers hospital stays and hospital procedures, and some day care treatments such as chemotherapy. It not does NOT cover costs involved seeing Specialists privately, as you say, Medicare pays some of the cost, the rest you have to pay yourself. If that private specialist orders an XR , scan or tests of any sort, then Medicare covers some of that cost, the rest you pay yourself, if you go private for that as well. In a nut shell, Private Health Cover is for going into hospital for an operation or procedure only. Having said that, there are always some anomalies. And yes, anyone can pay to see a private Specialist if they wish to. Now Private Health Cover EXTRAS, is for dentists, eyes, prosthetics etc , it pays to do lots of homework on this one, cover varies greatly from fund to fund and covers a huge variety of "extras".

I miss those ! And Marks & Spencer Food Hall

Totally agree with Tulip1. Never skimp on travel insurance, it's a long long way to fly and you need that reassurance. NEVER be complacent when covering your health when travelling.

Possibly best if you apply once you arrive and have an address. Not sure if you can apply anyway before you arrive, but it's a pain having to complete change of address's all the time !

We used Insureandgo UK. They have a good website, but I set up ours by phone and they were very helpful. We took out insurance just for the journey (48 hours) as we already had our medicare cards. You can always extend your period of cover if necessary once you arrive here.

Can you do an electronic signature ? The form requires a signature, I think there is a program for this ???

When you land, pay a visit to Mountain Warehouse UK. You will be able to pick up a fabulous winter jacket / coat at a great price !

We used KENT to move to the UK, and they were excellent. When researching, try to find out who their UK partner is as well. It also depends on what staff you get on the day too. We have experienced excellent and shocking service, from the same company. Good luck with your move.

Hi Roy, we have recently returned to Australia from the UK, and were told by Sony that our UK TV (smart TV only a few months old) would not work in Australia, regardless of any "add on gadgets". I checked with them because it was a great TV and wanted to ship it over. Good luck with your move.

Very very sorry to hear this. Just to offer a different point of view, when my Mum took ill (many years ago now) I debated as to whether to go or not for a few days (work, finances etc). After a few days, I decided to get up and go. My Mum died whilst I was on my way. I truely regret not going as soon as I was given the news. I still live with this regret. It's a very difficult decision for you, as everyone's personal circumstances and family dynamics are so different. Good luck, I wish you well.

Great info Marisawright, we're not sure yet as to what type of property we wish to buy here. Can I please ask, did you hear a lot of "neighbour noise" when you lived in an apartment ?

We no longer had our expired UK licence's (got discarded years ago when moving) so we completed an application form for new ones and ticked "lost or stolen" then explained that we had shredded them when they had expired and as we were abroad at that time, we no longer needed them. New ones were issued, with photo, within a week. And we did not have to hand in our Australian licence's either.

Hi Bethan, we used PetAir, they don't fly pets out of Manchester but they pick up your pet from wherever you live in the UK. They picked our cat up from Derbyshire to take down to Heathrow. Their customer service is very impressive.