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Hi we are a family of 4 with 2 children aged 3 and 1 living in Blaxland near Penrith. Just wondered if there was anyone out there in the same area with children who fancied meeting up for a coffee?

Hi there, recently moved to Sydney from UK. My Mum is coming out to visit & I would like to take her to the Blue Mountains. Is is better to take a tour and if so does anyone have any recommendations for companies or ones to avoid? Or is it relatively easy to find your way around as we can take the train to Katoomba. Am happy to find our own way, just don't want to miss out on seeing things a tour may take us too. Many thanks for any help! :biggrin:

Hi chaps, My parents are coming to visit in October and we want to spend 2 nights in the Blue Mountains. We're undecided whether to stay in a B&B or a cottage, so recommendations for both would be great, as we've never been! So if anyone has any secret hotspots they'd be willing to share, that would be fab! Thanks very much!

The English can be so ridiculously stuffy at times. Plans to honour Phyllis Dixey with a Blue Plaque are causings ever so much fuss. What do you PIOers think ? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8885927/English-Heritage-plans-a-really-blue-plaque-for-stripper.html

Hi, We are thinking of using True Blue Migration Agency and wondered if anyone's used them and if they come highly recommended? Many thanks

Hiya, we are flying with SIA into Sydney and then have a ticket booked to Hobart with Virgin blue - it was bought in conjunction with the SIA ticket so is a through fare. Just wondering though does anyone know what the policy for transferring from the international to domestic terminal is? I've flown with Qantas before and transferred through and they put you on their own free shuttle service but wasn't sure if Singapore and Virgin have this type of thing in place and I can't seem to find it no matter how much I google! I'm just starting to panic and want to be as prepared as I can be because of course we will have loads of luggage with us, a bike and also my 18 month old and pram! Thanks so much for your help in advance! xx

People mocked me too when I said that if a naked man rode a bike down Crown St, his only problem would be if he was not wearing a helmet and the police booked him. These blokes were in Riley St and NOBODY noticed, except me, ever the 'tourist' even in my own 'burb. Maybe they weren't 'blue spidermen' after all though? Wasn't there a commercial for British Gas or something where they all dressed up like that?

I loved this area whne we went out for a visit in July, it was just me, more than the beach, but only spent a short time there, it just seemed to have a small town feel and since we're coming from a village outside a market town, (although originally from a large town) it didn't faze me...............but what's it really like living there, any websites you would recommend to look at thanks Cal:daydreaming:

So since being here in Sydney these past two months we have been trying to explore a bit during our weekends. This past one we took a trip out to the Blue Mountains, approx 50 min drive from Sydney, to Katoomba. Here you can see the famous Three Sisters rock formation and a great view over the Jameson Valley. The best way to do this is the Scenic World ride, a combination of cable cars and railway rides, you can spend all day and get absolutely stunning views! We can thoroughly recommend a day out here for couples or families, the railway ride is really exciting!!!

I just had my little grandsons to stay for the last time before we make the big move. I took them home at lunchtime and have been feeling a bit down in the dumps since! Im sure that this is normal but could do with a few positive comments from anyone who felt the same when it came to leaving family behind. Im not getting cold feet but i dont think i anticipated just how hard its going to be in less than 5 weeks.....anyone got a pick me up?:unsure:

ONE of the world's most venomous animals deserves better protection in Australian waters, as it may yield a potential cure for cancer, according to a new report. The blue-ringed octopus is found throughout the country’s coastal waters, particularly in rock pools. A single bite from the marine creature can paralyse a human within minutes. The octopus has been linked to at least four deaths around the world. In a report released by a US researcher, it is argued not enough is known about the tiny octopus’s global distribution, and it could in fact be an endangered animal. Marine biologist William Lambert, from Prescott College, wrote in his report A Review of Blue-Ringed Octopus Conservation, the highly venomous animals were majestic representatives of poorly understood species, which were difficult and dangerous to study. "Experts have been unable to prove whether or not they are a declining or endangered species," Mr Lambert said. The toxic venom of the octopus could yield clues for further advances in medicine. "Blue-ringed octopuses possess one of nature’s most potent chemical compounds with the potential to provide treatments for human diseases," Mr Lambert wrote in his report. "Future research may one day provide a biomedical discovery for new medications to neutralise pain or even treat cancers."

Hi everybody, well it has now been 19 days since our medical's were finalised.............. still no news all our documents online are set to met.......... (after researching on here today I have noticed that the only thing that isn't mentioned online at all is FORM 80, we are with an agent and this has definately been sent should this be under the document checklist and if it's not does anybody know why? we we're hoping our CO just has a big pile of applicants and we got everything in on the 28th June, we're both feeling extremely fed up and just want to receive oour visa so we can step off this rollercoater ride :frown: Thanks xxx

Hi everybody, well it has now been 19 days since our medical's were finalised.............. still no news all our documents online are set to met.......... (after researching on here today I have noticed that the only thing that isn't mentioned online at all is FORM 80, we are with an agent and this has definately been sent should this be under the document checklist and if it's not does anybody know why? we we're hoping our CO just has a big pile of applicants and we got everything in on the 28th June, we're both feeling extremely fed up and just want to receive oour visa so we can step off this rollercoater ride :frown: Thanks xxx

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Video/Features/Social-Media-choice-1-Bus-cam

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on how to fix my computer. I have now started getting this blue screen error all the time which is shutting down and restarting my computer. This is since the computer guy has been to clean it up (which cost me $300 for a clean up, 2GB RAM and a seagate portable hard drive) It didn't do it before so he says it must be one of the programmes. But to get it fixed by him would just be more hours and more labour $$$. I know he should fix it cos essentially i think he caused it but it's not happening that way. I wish I'd just bought a new computer but now I have paid for the extra RAM and the $300 of course. I also can't use my friggin hard drive, I don't know how to look at what's stored on it, as the usual obvious methods are failing. Do I need a back up programme or something? I have looked online but am an idiot. Any help very gratefully recieved:biggrin:

So i stuck my profile and cv on seek.. with a view to begin testing the job market.. out of the blue i get asked if i would mind an employer looking at my cv.. yes ok.. says i today i get a phone call from the employer.. can we have a phone interview..! well blow me down.. totally out of the blue.. i wasnt even looking. so.. long way to go yet.. havent got anywhere other than a chat so if your offshore (i'm in NZ) it seems it is possible to get some interest. cheers Six it i should mention that i am an NZ citizen as well.. so its not as straight forward a tale as i'm initially making it out to be

World Autism Awareness Day 1st & 2nd of April Light it up blue Australia to Light It Up Blue « Autism Speaks Official Blog :idea:

Has anyone had experiance with 'True Blue Migration', we are starting the process of emigrating and have contacted them but people have advised me to choose carefully but how would you know the good from the bad, its not like you do it more than once is it, please help!

Just a quick question. We have our 176 visa's and will be coming out to Canberra in a few months time. How would we go about getting my daughter the disabled badge she needs periodically? We have one here but were unsure what the process was for Australia.

Just read a post from a member saying that they are not great thread/conversation starters, and whilst this may be true in their own minds I am sure if they stick up a thread about many things it would get a conversation started. This is not a criticism at all, but often 'The Old School' members are often the ones that start threads, there are too many to mention, but the Hoff, Kev, Susie, Chalky, Geoff, Paulv, Pablo, Chris, Dom, me, WAY TOO MANY TO MENTION and speaking purely for myself I often run out of ideas, or more to the point I often find myself posting/threading things that have become a little stale, boring, inept, the list is endless. I read time and again from certain posters and their thoughts and response are very valid and worthwhile, then they seem to pale into the background a bit. I am sure with some it is purely a choice, where they just like to read posts and not post themselves, nothing wring there. Then I reckon there are those that think to dip a toe in the water would result in their subjects not being 'worthy' of putting up. Well, all I can do is speak for myself, but if this was the case I would never post/thread anything.:biglaugh: But maybe at times people see the conversation going on and maybe they become a little reticent in case they get shot down, but in all honesty the thread may also fly and take off. And lets e honest, a lot of the time the threads started are or can be fairly repetitive, nothing wrong with that, but new blood is often needed to get the forum going again. And if I was being totally truthful, it would be great for other subjects to be discussed because we cam ALL feed off this and great times would be had. And truthfully again, I am one of the nosiest people around and really enjoy seeing other post about ANY subject on the CTF forum. I am no expert on anything, (except speaking out of my arse, so that is why I tend to stick with CTF), but I would welcome many other subjects, from knitting to someone's bowel movements. Kidding aside, we all need to see others point of view, and hopefully more and more people will start threads and get the old juices going again. Come on dive in, have a go, it may not work, it may die a death, it might disappear, it might get hijacked, :shocked:, but I reckon in the main, it would fly and we could all have a laugh, banter, debate, cry, argument. Cheers Tony.:wink:

Do you need to apply for the Blue Card if you are an approved teacher in QLD? Cheers B!K3R

I woke up this morning and it was another grey yucky day and it made me feel quite down! So, I got to thinking, does living in a country where you wake up and on the majority of days and the sky is blue when you wake up really make a difference to how you feel? :em3600::cool:

I am looking at migrating to Australia and have been speaking to a number of Migration Agents. I am very impressed with a company called True Blue Migration and am looking at going with them. Does anybody have any knowledge of these guys they could share with me???? Thanks

Anyone got any info on True Blue Migration?? We have contacted Joy Orosz- anyone else with them or know of them? Thanks

Hi all Im hoping to fit in a whirlwind road trip from the Blue Mountains to Melbourne when I go over in a few weeks. If anyone could share their experiences or suggestions for the best route or unmissable things to see on the way? (Please no negatives about the blandness - I need to discover this for myself :biglaugh:) Gill x