What would you have done differently ?

[Liam13]

This thread is aimed at those who have been successful and made the move to Australia. What you wish you had done differently if you had known prior. Hopefully your experiences can be passed to myself and those who are in the pipeline. Let us know

[DT55]

If I did it again I would never come over here on a 457 with a family- found it too stressful when we decided we wanted to stay. Wish I had got PR prior to moving. Other than that i wouldnt have changed anything

[Marisawright]

I migrated over thirty years ago, we had very little in the way of possessions at the time so it was an easy transition.

 

More relevant is my recent move FROM Australia to the UK. If I was doing that again, I'd ship far more stuff.

 

I know shipping is expensive but if you sit down and do a test shop to replace it all -- even at a cheap supplier like IKEA --you may be amazed at how much cheaper it is to ship than to replace! Plus, more importantly, replacing stuff takes effort at a time when you're trying to get settled, find a job, get your medicare card, get a mobile phone, get the broadband connected - because you're in a different country where everything's done a bit differently, all that takes a lot longer than you expect and you don't have time to schlep around the furniture and homewares stores as well. Particularly as you don't even know where they are, you don't know which stores are quality and which are rubbish, or which are good value and which are expensive. Lots of driving around trying to find retail parks when you really haven't got time!

 

Of course you do have to allow for the delivery time, but if you can send your stuff off early and survive on furniture borrowed from the family for a few weeks before you go, that will help.