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Locals help required please - I'm moving up from Brisbane to Sunny Coast and would really appreciate some local knowledge on choosing a suburb and those best avoided.(if any) I'm open to all suggestions - would rather have a green and leafy suburb near a major centre like Molooolaba or Caloundra - although I have a read a few negative comments about the latter - - so if anyone could put me right that would be great. I'll have 2 teenagers going to the local state high school and I have checked them out and they all seem on par. Would like to be within 5 mins of the beach - as that's the main point in moving up. Any insiders guide into what the suburb offers eg, pubs, gym. shopping centre etc etc would be greatly appreciated. I Im going to commute down to Brisbane once a week on the train - so any insider knowledge on that journey also much appreciated. I had a look at Mountain Creek - which looks great - Sippy Downs - too far from beach for me - and Buderim - nice but I cant see myself cycling up that hill. I'd like to get out an about in the suburb with parks and walking trails etc etc, but still be close enough to enjoy the ocean and a bit of entertainment. thank you in advance

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could help me with the following: I'm planning on returning to live in England after 22years in Perth, Australia. I have both an old Great Britain passport (the blue one) which expired in 2001 and an Australian passport (which expired in 2015). Will I need to renew both passports to relocate back home or can I pay for just one passpost renewal? Do I need a special visa? I'm really confused, especially with the covid-19 situation. If anyone would be so kind as to help me I would be so grateful!! Cheers, Clair

hello i'm planning on moving back 'home' after 20 years living in england with my UK husband and half mancunian/half australian 4 year old daughter! i'm not moving back to perth where i'm from - hoping to go to sydney or melbourne. we're finding it a pretty daunting prospect - and that's with me knowing the country fairly well, so I do empathise with all the other expats moving to a new place. i just wondered whether anyone knew of a forum for expats returning to australia at all - or if anyone is in the same position to me. what i'm most worried about is settling in to australian society. australia has changed massively since i last lived there and i really have no idea what its like to live there now. i worry that i will be in a limbo - not really being australian or english anymore. anyone gone through the same doubting process? cheers

Hello all, New to this forum and hoping you can help me with my endeavours! I am a practicing doctor in the UK, and have the ambition to move abroad to Australia to practice there, and hopefully specialise at some point also. I have experience in emergency medicine, general medicine and general surgery, and have preferences to work in emergency medicine and/or medicine. I would hope to start work in Australia from March 2022 onwards, and was just hoping for a summary of information of how it works, and when is the best time to apply for my desired start date... Thank you for any help! Rikki

Hi all, So glad to have found this forum! 12 months later than planned (thanks COVID!), my partner and I finally received our 4 year TSS visa and travel exemption to move to Sydney. We have had a bit of a nightmare with the cost of flights (work are not covering our moving expenses but that’s another story…) and are booked to travel from London> Doha> Sydney at the end of March with Qantas, which is the cheapest we could find. I’m slightly worried with flight cancellations and needing to get a negative test before flying – feels so close but also those final hoops to jump through. Has anyone successfully got on a Qantas flight recently with no last-minute cancellations? Living We are in our late twenties and previously lived in London (Vauxhall/ Oval area) – enjoy pubs, bars and nice restaurants but equally love the outdoors (hiking, beaches etc). Does anyone have any advice on where would be best to move? We are thinking Zetland, Waterloo, Paddington, Bondi Junction, Surry Hills, Moore Park, Redfern. We need to be a commutable distance to CBD ideally and do not have a huge budget for renting. Moving Only have a 20kg luggage case included with our flight. We do not have any white goods, furniture etc to transport but I would like to bring as much of my personal items, clothing, shoes etc as possible. Does anyone have any recommendations on how best to transport - I do not think we will be needing a container – potentially a few storage boxes etc? I’ve seen MoveCube and Sendmybag mentioned on here, any experiences of either? Sorry for all the questions, any help/ advice would be much appreciated. I’ve loved reading all your threads Thanks, Ellie

Many of us have left our original country of birth, or even moved between many countries over the course of our lives. Moving to a new country is an incredibly big jump of faith into the unknown. Having to learn a new language, meet new people and create new relationships, none of which is easy and can make you feel isolated. Yet, many of us, myself included, make the jump to move to a new country and take the chance. I would love to know, and am sure many other too, what some of the reasons are why you made the decision to move to Australia, which benefits outweighed those of living in the country you left. Thankyou

If you are moving to Queensland and want to know about schools in the area, suburbs or need help finding accommodation or friends in the area, then why not take a look at our sister site: Life in Queensland.

If you are moving to Perth and want to know about schools in the area, suburbs or need help finding accommodation or friends in the area, then why not take a look at our sister site PerthPoms: Western Australia Migration & Expat Forum

If you are moving to Adelaide and want to know about schools in the area, suburbs or need help finding accommodation or friends in the area, then why not take a look at our sister site: Poms in Adelaide.

hie all members am a new member. We will be moving to the sunshine coast on a student visa end of April.Hubby will be studying at the Sunshine Coast University.I would like to know how we can get rental accommodation as we do not know anyone there.I would like to know other peoples experiences. How easy or difficult is it to get part time work.

Hi we are due to move at the end of the month. more packing and moving while trying to work is going to be a nightmare since the new place is over an hours drive away from where we are. anyone ever used a removal firm to do a local move? If so, whos recommended?

Hi I'm sure these must have been answered in various threads so apologies if so - looking for advice - we are looking to move to Mornington/ Mount Martha in January of next year. Currently our children (an August born boy - age 5 when we move - and February born girl - soon to be 7 when we move) are in primary school in the UK (a state OFSTED outstanding school). I have a couple of questions: 1. year groups of the children when they move (our son is very young in his year group - which is currently reception year - being only 2 weeks in the threshold of the year group). 2. schools that are recommended in the areas mentioned above 3. how to we go about registering them - do we need to have an address in the area first/ how have others gone about doing this logistically in terms of move/ registering/ timings etc 4. how long does the registration process take - and is there a chance they may not get in to a school at all (or end up in a school we don't feel is suitable)? We'd be super grateful if anyone who has been through this process recently with similar aged children could offer tips/ process information/ contacts that we should be in touch with? Many thanks - and apologies if this is long winded (my first post on the forum).

I'm 32 and thinking of moving to Australia. I don't have a degree but do have A levels currently living in Bristol I have no criminal record but only work in temporary jobs don't have a specific skill of profession as such. Would I still be able to move there? Also, what are the negatives and positives of life there compared to the UK? The main reason I want to move is because I am really tired of this country the weather and lack of space etc Also I want to have different experiences and a change.

How long does it take after moving to Oz to secure a mortgage? Short answer: it depends. I can see the rolling of the eyes from here. Different banks have different criteria, you need to tick the boxes. However long that takes, that is how long you have to wait. There are no hard fast rules on how long you ‘should wait’ to buy a house but there are some important things to know. The process itself is super quick The actual purchase process here is a lot quicker than in the UK. The never ending chain of teetering disappointment is very rare here. Property is bought and sold within weeks. Find out how much the banks will lend you, find a suitable house, put an offer down, exchange contracts, settle and move in. From start to finish in Australia you can be putting down an offer on a house today and potentially be moving in 6 weeks later. It can be that quick. Are you actually ready to buy? Why do you want to buy? Are you in a rush to buy? Why? Do you know the exact state and suburb you want to live in? Will the kids be accepted into the school there? Are you happy with that school? Is your commute to work a nightmare? Is it a dodgy area? If you have just arrived, renting is a great way to get to know Australia and trial out living in different places so you know exactly where you want to buy. The last thing you want to do is buy in an area soon after arriving only to realise your dream location is on the other side of the country. Where to start Ok, let’s assume you are set on buying as soon as possible. The first step is figuring out what it will cost overall and where is the money coming from. If you have enough to cover the shortfall between what it costs and what the bank will lend, you are good to go. If you don’t, then you need a plan on how to change that. Do you need to save more? Or do you need to wait for some circumstance to change so the banks are more favourable towards you (e.g. do you need to complete probation? Does the bank require you to have worked for longer than 6 months?). If you are a PR or Australian Citizen with 20% deposit (plus costs) then happy days, the banking world welcomes you with open arms. If not, don’t give up! There are so many different banks and policies out there so you don’t know exactly until you have had a professional unequivocally tell you so AND (most importantly) what you need to do to change that. If you are a temporary resident most banks may only lend you 60 – 70% these days. BUT if you purchase with someone who is PR or a Citizen then it can be a whole different ball game. It all drills down to finding the best fit for you. One last thing. Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR)- Australia is catching up If you are coming from the UK you probably already know all about credit scoring and the importance of having a clean bill of financial health. Australia has technically had CCR in place since 2014, but the uptake has been sluggish. This is about to change and may be a rude awakening for a lot of Aussies. From 1 July 2019 all major banks are required to share 100% of their data with credit reporting bodies, so this will become more and more relevant here, as it is in the UK, in the coming years. As of right now, lenders are slowing sharing their data and eventually will use this as a tool in their lending decision making. So whilst I wouldn't run to get an Aussie credit card, it is not a bad idea to think about ways to start developing your credit rating here, because it will be a brand new file. Setting up with an Australian phone plan is a good start, and if you are renting first even paying your utilities bills on time can help build up your score. Keep in mind that yes, a good credit score can help, but some banks value it more than others and it is not the be all and end all at the moment. What is more important is knowing which bank to go with and what is best for your particular circumstance. Hope this helps, any questions feel free to ask!

Hi, My wife ans I am moving to Mackay from NSW. I was checking the net and found that there is a lot of crime in Mackay. 1)Was just wondering if it is a correct representation of the actual ground reality. 2) For renting, which place is good to live for a family (less crime and less flooding issue) 3) If crime is high, then is it better to get a secure apartment or an independent house is good. Please help with any valuable advise. Thanks!

Hi folks, this type of message has probably been posted millions of times before, so apologies if I bore anyone! Basically, my wife and I both have enough points to move to Australia with our professions, we have two young children. She'd never been until after the Brexit vote madness; she approached me and said she wanted us to go, as it'd be bad for us. We did the research for Oz and NZ, it looked favourable for us overall. Unfortunately, that Autumn she completely changed her mind. She said she wasn't prepared to go and nor would she ever be, and if I wanted to go I could. We very nearly split but soldiered on, and there's no way I'd leave my kids. She remains obstinate to this day, and has openly said she'll never go. Is there any way of trying to broach this with her again? So many friends of ours have gone and love the lifestyle, she has family in Perth and has visited. Apologies for the long post, just feel heartbroken about it all.

Hi sorry if this sounds boring to some or seems daft but I have been looking around the internet looking for advice and getting very overwhelmed by the different sites... A friend of mine recommended this site so here’s my situation. I am 32yrs old my wife is 33yrs old, i have 3 children daughter 11yrs old and 2 sons one 9yrs and other 5months. I am a hgv diesel mechanic and i have done a online application and get an email back saying with my occupation and having family already in Australia that are willing to sponsor us, the agency are pushing for me to transfer money to them to get things started i have done research about the firm and had both positive and negative reviews does anyone have an idea how much the application process is and hoe long it takes as some sites say years and some say months and like i say it’s getting a little overwhelming but it’s been our dream to move over and family ties are no longer a problem.... any advice would be greatly appreciated ?

I wasn't sure where to post this, so apologies if this is not the right place. Our visas have been approved and it's definitely happening. How do I tell my family??

Hi, Myself and my partner are moving with work to Perth in July or September this year!! Eeppp! I’ve never been to Perth but I’m very excited! Can anyone recommend the best areas in Perth to live- perhaps looking over the Swan river? thank you!

We are about to have all our worldly possessions shipped over to Perth [emoji51] and for some reason have LOADS of vacuum pack bags. We have had mixed messages about whether to use them or not. One removal company said yes the other said no- you could get mould due to items sweating inside the plastic. What did anyone else do? Anyone had experience or advice about this? Just thinking it could save us money with the space!! TIA [emoji846]

Hi all, We were granted our visas this week (hurrah!). We aren’t taking a lot with us but we would like to send a couple of suitcases ahead of us (I have relatives there already so we can have them delivered there). I’ve done a few online quotes and they seem extortionate. Would we be better to pay for extra baggage on the flight and take it on the plane with us or is there a reasonable company out there for sending just a couple / few suitcases? It doesn’t matter how long it would take to ship them over, I’ll happily start packing now! This is Midlands UK to Sydney. We’d appreciate any advice.

I thought I'd share my experience of PSS and our house move in order to help others in a similar place to us. In July 2017 we booked our tickets to Sydney. No jobs, no home and no schools for the kids - but somehow, I'd managed to get my 190 perm resident visa (still didn't believe it until we arrived at the end of Jan!). From that point on I was in planning overdrive. We used movehub.com to get quotes for our container, I needed to downsize a 4-bed house into a 3-bed house and do some major de-cluttering. I'd already listed in an excel spreadsheet what we wanted to take, keep, leave or new tenants, trash, sell, recycle etc. This helped when getting the quote from movehub as you need to enter in what you will be taking for them to quote. The quotes came thick and fast and I decided to see PSS and John Mason. They both organised home visits to assess our house. In the end we went with PSS, no major reason, perhaps the sales guy seemed a bit more genuine and nicer, it wasn't price, as they were very similar. My husband had also been tracking PSS on social media for the last few years and they seemed to have a good rep. We booked a 20ft container at approx. 85% capacity. We paid for them to pack and spray everything (your outdoor items will need major cleaning and disinfecting). The week before they turned up was probably one of the most stressful and emotional of my life. Saying goodbyes, packing up etc. We'd already de-cluttered loads before Christmas, but we still had sooooooo much stuff and many items (baskets, candles, rope-based items) that we couldn't take. I sold so many storage baskets on Facebook I lost track! Anyway, by the time the removal guys turned up we were just about ready, my kids were still in school the day they arrived which was good. They were like machines, one upstairs, one downstairs, packing like crazy in return for tea and biscuits They packed everything on day then, then on day 2 our container turned up - our very own container! We ended up 5% over our original capacity so paid the extra to PSS afterwards. The boxes were packed into the container by lunchtime and off it went - we're hoping to get it mid-end March once its cleared customs. Defo recommend PSS, they are obviously used to people being a bit all over the place and were a calming influence; on me at least! They even spotted a few things we couldn't take, e.g. aerosol cans or some old cough medicine I had, which I'd forgotten about. We took our vacuum, 3 bikes, some garden tools, camping stuff, kids scooters etc - I'd jet washed everything beforehand, then used vinegar and a wire brush to scrub off rust etc from tools/bikes. I put my vacuum parts in the shower / dishwasher. The PSS guy said they were some of the cleanest he'd ever seen (maybe he says that to everyone, but I really went to town on the cleaning!). Some pics attached if useful! I'm thinking of turning our little adventure into a blog, so if anyone is interested in more info on how I've got this far, and our perm 190 visa let me know. It's been a hectic first week - looking at lots of rental places and having job interviews. I'm thinking I'll do my next post on rentals.

When I was asked why I loved Australia, my mind instantly thought of the weather, the glorious sun shining for most of the year and the golden sandy beaches. But Australia has become so much more than that to me, it’s become my home and the people here have become my community. Don't mistake me for saying the coastline isn’t one of the most glorious things I have ever seen, especially at sunset but there is so much more here to see! When I moved to Australia seven years ago I thought I’d be here for a year or two, earn some good money and go home again. But here I am after all this time settled into a beautiful home and engaged to an Australian! My experiences in this beautiful country have taken me all over the state of NSW, up to the scorching Gold Coast and Brisbane, down to the creative and artsy Melbourne and to the nation’s capital on a regular basis, even smaller coastal towns such as Coffs harbour The drive to Canberra is one of the best ways to see a bit of everything! Starting in Sydney you see the hustle and bustle of the city life, the long stretching highways, the build up of traffic, the different cultures through the western suburbs of Sydney, and then suddenly the long highway takes you into the wide open air! You are cruising along at 110km looking at beautiful bush land, wide open fields with kangaroos bouncing around and suddenly you feel like you’re so far away from the city! When arriving in Canberra it’s like being in a small coastal town with no coast! The people here are so friendly and relaxed, willing to help you with directions or a flat tyre or anything you may need! Below is a picture I took on my most recent visit to Canberra from my hotel room. I also have a silly picture of my first journey to Canberra in 2011 when I first arrived in Australia and this is taken at The Great Dry Lake George. Which is exactly what it sounds like, a big lake that is no more and now lays a sometimes rain filled sometimes dry for the kangaroos to lay around on! Speaking of kangaroos, all those little grey specs are kangaroos! The people are one of the biggest reasons I stayed here, as well as job opportunities! The people of Queensland that I encountered were so relaxed it was like they were on permanent holidays, the shops were wonderfully quiet and the tourist attractions were what we expected! The theme parks on the Gold Coast are a must visit for anyone travelling to this part of Australia! Young and Old will enjoy their time here with plenty of shops and attractions as well as rides for thrill seekers. Below is a picture from my most recent visit to the Gold Coast in the evening I have also a picture of the tropical hotel I stayed in The people of Melbourne were so different to anywhere I’d seen before, they are outspoken, passionate and proud and LOVE their coffee and coffee houses! The place is beautiful with art everywhere, interesting places to visit and of course a beautiful coastline as well! I didn't have much time to take pictures of all the wonderful art while in Melbourne as I was too distracted with the sights to get out my phone but I have two pictures one from the Aquarium we visited and one from the river bank we ate our lunch on. Where I live in Sydney is very multi cultural, it’s very diverse in shopping and eating facilities and this acceptance of everyone’s cultures is what makes it home to me now! Here is a photo from my balcony The other reason I stayed as mentioned before is the job opportunities. Here in Australia you can be whatever you dream of being, from a teacher to a builder, from a nurse to a road worker, every single field you can dream of has an entry level position where if you work hard and succeed you have so many opportunities to climb the ladder and grow as an employee. The government here also helps greatly with training and development options. Or if you already have the qualifications they are recognized here and you can go into a position higher than entry level. All the jobs I have had here in Sydney have paid me well, and rewarded me for my hard work. If you have the right attitude towards work then Australians respect that. I haven’t been “home” to New Zealand in a very long time and as I look into the future the reasons to go back dwindle, as each day I build my life here with more confidence and love for everything I’ve come to know here in Australia. And yes the sunshine is wonderful but the people and opportunities are more wonderful!

I know there are a few threads on the subject, just thought my own experience might help. I know I trawled the internet looking for reviews! The choice: MoveCube or packing company? I found the prospect of self-packing and loading quite daunting (I was on my own and had some pretty heavy stuff to move). So for peace of mind I went for Anglo Pacific (which had been recommended by two friends who had moved to Australia) over MoveCube. Preparing the move: getting a quote, an estimate, a date - Quote: I had a phone call to AP during which I was asked to roughly estimate how much stuff I would be shipping to Oz so they could give me a provisional quote. No fret if it's a bit off the mark or if you can't think of everything, they want a rough idea and if on moving day it turns out you are bringing more (or less) than estimated, the quote will be adjusted. Just don't forget to mention the piano or any Big Thing that doesn't lead itself to improvised packing Moving day was confirmed over email. - Making a list of my belongings: it helped for getting an accurate insurance quote, but also for flagging any problematic stuff that customs might object to (organic material, tools, etc...), and which will have to be declared on the customs form. - Insurance: AP offered insurance, but following the general wisdom I went with a third party (Letton Percival). In the end I had no claim to push so I can't tell you how Letton Percival are in a time of crisis! All I can say is that I found them very efficient and professional in our communications. - Arranging parking space for the truck: I had off-street parking so that was never an issue, but this is definitely something they will ask you about. Moving day Miscommunication between the office and the packers meant the truck was 5 hours late... so that wasn't great. But I have to say that once there the packers worked with incredible speed. In less than an hour they had packed and loaded about 25 boxes. Which was a good dozen more than estimated (I had way more books than I thought during that first conversation with AP!) but that wasn't a problem: the packers are prepared for that turn of event and always bring extra boxes. The quote was re-adjusted accordingly, but I thought the final quote was fair. The packers bring their experience of shipping goods to Australia and can advise you on some items you're not sure about (I thought about bringing sand and seashells from the motherland but they advised against it, so I left it behind). They also put all the potentially problematic stuff (I had objects made out of wood) together and labelled the boxes accordingly - that way if Customs wanted to check all the wooden objects they could go straight for those boxes instead of opening them all. All in all, knowing my belongings were packed in accordance to customs requirements justified the extra amount, I thought. Not breaking my back trying to load a dozen box of books into a cube is also pretty neat. Row, Row, Row Your Boat The container took a couple of months to arrive in Australia, which was the estimate I had been given. AP kept me up to date with the shipping status over email and gave me a tracking number as well. Christmas Delivery Day Once in Australia, Allied Pickfords took over for delivery. Once again, the office and truck didn't seem to communicate that well as my delivery didn't arrive on the agreed day, so I had to call again and rearrange the delivery. All boxes were accounted for, HOWEVER a couple were bashed in... one of them pretty seriously - though thankfully the content was unaffected, so I didn't have to investigate any further. But there is no telling when that occurred: on the truck? on the ship? in customs? It's not like anyone left a note saying hey, sorry we handled this one a bit roughly... The boxes containing my wooden objects looked like they had indeed been opened by customs. Nothing was removed/destroyed. In the end my belongings arrived pretty much in the state I had left them, save for a few books which ended up with crumpled pages, and a couple of tins which suffered some bumps. Pretty sure this occurred during packing, as the packers probably wanted to make up for their late arrival and just crammed things into boxes. But this is very minor stuff, and there's not telling I'd have done any better! And on the other side, all my fragile objects (vases, frames etc) were completely fine. So there you go! Not perfect, but nothing is, and overall I'm pretty satisfied . Should I ever need to move back to Europe(God forbid) I'd probably use the same companies.

Hey.. so I'm 27 year old female have 4 years in recruitment - engineering and trades, which I don't really want to do, and have 8 years in administration. I have never been to the sunny coast and heard it's not so good for white collar roles ? I am going to do more research and try asking more agencies but I generally get the same answer back "you need to be here" or ignored. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Ps .. I have no idea where I will be living yet! I'm not moving until May 2018 but I generally will go where the work is