Sooo how do I move (back) to Australia?

[jhog90]

I (Australian) have lived in the UK for close to 10 years now and the time has finally come to move back home. Moving at the beginning of September and now that’s looming closer I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed and clueless about it all. It’s dumb I know but when I moved to the UK I was young and carefree and simply packed a backpack and loathe it winged it haha. But 10 years, a (British) partner, and 2 kids later…I know, even though I’m Aussie and Sydney is home, there’s much more to moving to the other side of the world with a family in tow. So, strangers of the internet, I come to you to ask how the bloody hell do I do it haha? Looking for tips and advice about absolutely anything around moving/arriving in early days. A few things for context 

- partner visa is sorted 

- will be staying with family initially 

- Not needing to pack up an entire household but will be needing to take more than what you’d be allowed on a plane

- When I left Australia I was young, still living at home, and had no real “adult” experience of Australia. Any tips on life admin stuff that I should be aware of are appreciated 

 

Many, many thanks for any advice :-) 

[Tychen]

A couple of things in no particular order:

- think about what you need to ship by airfreight and what can slowly go via sea freight.

- when you land, sort out private health insurance. Waiting periods are annoying, but some providers will be willing to waive waiting periods if you had an equivalent plan in the UK. Ask around.

- Australia has a protectionist racket on child car seats. Your EU-rated seats are probably not legal in Australia. You can take a taxi home from the airport without car seats, but you'll need Australian-rated ones for your own car.

- If you don't have a car waiting for you here and you aren't shipping one, think about ordering one now. Wait times are terrible.

[Raplin45]

Hey - worth looking at something called a Move Cube if you're not taking enough stuff to warrant a container but more than your suitcases. They do various sizes based on your requirements. As long as there's no immediate need for that stuff as it's a boat ride so 90 - 110 day delivery time. I *think* that's what we'll be doing when we emigrate in October time.

[Quoll]

Before you leave, make sure you have your UK citizenship sorted just in case your family wants to return. Sometimes it isn't so easy for a non-pom to return.

Otherwise, pare down what you think you want to travel with (backpacks worked for us once after a total pare down!) and I second the Move Cube option if you don't own lots of furniture.

Make sure your kids' vaccinations are up to date and you have their records (you'll need them for school)

Think about whether you will want private health insurance - there is an age loading if you dont join up within 12 months of arriving and that can be a bit steep. Also remember that in some states you have to take out separate ambulance insurance (if you don't have private) and that is definitely worth doing.

If you're with Barclays you may not be able to keep your UK bank account and there may be time when one comes in handy. I keep my account open but my bank knows I live in Australia and so far they're ok with that. So check to see if you can keep your UK bank account open as a foreign resident. 

It's worth taking evidence of your UK no claims bonus for car insurance as a point of negotiation if and when you buy a car - you'll probably be after a second hand banger in the first instance but be aware they are very expensive at the moment. 

Seriously consider where your family may want to live. This is potentially tricky. Personally I (the Pom) was very happy not to be living in the pockets of my in laws even though we got along very well. Even with some distance between us it wasn't hard for resentment to bubble to the surface that my OH was "home" with all that he knew and loved and I was not, especially when his family got us for Christmas and birthdays every year and mine did not. Don't underestimate your partner's sense of displacement and isolation. For you it may have been ok to be "overseas" but you believed you would be able to go home one day - your partner will, I assume, believe that there will be no escape - you might want to start planning for trips home for her so her family have time with your kids. Given that your family is from Sydney you'll probably want to live somewhere else anyway unless you've made your fortune in UK.  I really think that for us, the whole family being in a new place (12 hours away from my husband's place!) meant that we were a stronger and more equal partnership. Be careful about staying with your family for too long!!!!

Good luck. 

[InnerVoice]

13 hours ago, jhog90 said:

- When I left Australia I was young, still living at home, and had no real “adult” experience of Australia. Any tips on life admin stuff that I should be aware of are appreciated 

I don't think you'll find much has changed over here in the last decade, except the prices.

Accommodation - very expensive, whether you're renting or buying, and Sydney property is astronomical (I'm sure you know this already).

Cars - prices have gone up a lot since the pandemic. My wife's 10-year old Mazda 2 is worth more than she paid for it 3 years ago. It might be worth shipping yours over depending on what you have (you can check with the Iron Chef on this site if it's worth doing).

Clothes - again, very expensive if you want quality, and well worth shipping over.

The MoveCube is a great idea if you haven't got much, but given that a 20ft container is roughly the same size as 5 large MoveCubes but only costs as much 3, it's well worth considering.

Tips on life admin -

- Definitely consider opening up another UK bank account so that you have a couple each before you leave, and keep your UK credit cards. Some of the UK banks are now closing overseas customer accounts, so you don't want to end up being bankless.

- As you've been in the UK 10 years, I'd make sure that you have at least 10 years NI contributions paid up so that you'll be entitled to a UK state pension when the time comes. It might not seem much, but it will be a guaranteed income for the rest of your life when you reach retirement age. Also make sure that you can access the Government Gateway portal before you leave the UK, otherwise this could be problematic.

- Renew your Aussie drivers licence online (if you can) before you arrive, as that will safe you time once you arrive in Australia.

Good luck with your move back!

[Marisawright]

I second @InnerVoice's post.  House prices in Sydney are even sillier than usual. We sold up just over 10 years ago planning to go overseas.  Our move was delayed for various reasons, but long story short, we came back to Sydney in 2016 to find that house prices had doubled and we couldn't afford to buy anything remotely resembling the home we'd sold.  We decided we'd rather move to Melbourne than end up in somewhere like Mount Druitt.  I am still homesick for Sydney but Melbourne is a far nicer city than Sydneysiders give it credit for.

[Tychen]

5 hours ago, Quoll said:

If you're with Barclays you may not be able to keep your UK bank account and there may be time when one comes in handy. I keep my account open but my bank knows I live in Australia and so far they're ok with that. So check to see if you can keep your UK bank account open as a foreign resident. 

HSBC is quite good for maintaining accounts in both countries - they are happy to send you UK statements etc to your Australian address, and you can transfer between UK and Australian accounts. You can even do some UK banking through an Australian branch and vice versa. They are not one of the "big 4" banks in Australia, but big enough at least in Sydney and Melbourne for everyday use.

[Marisawright]

@jhog90, the most important piece of advice is, do NOT close your British bank accounts, even if you think you're never going to move back to the UK.   If you close them, you'll never be able to open a new one from Australia.  It can be handy when going for holidays and buying presents for UK family etc, too. 

[Quoll]

21 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

@jhog90, the most important piece of advice is, do NOT close your British bank accounts, even if you think you're never going to move back to the UK.   If you close them, you'll never be able to open a new one from Australia.  It can be handy when going for holidays and buying presents for UK family etc, too. 

Unfortunately, Barclays will do it for you! 

[FirstWorldProblems]

26 minutes ago, Quoll said:

Unfortunately, Barclays will do it for you! 

Could you register your address as being at a U.K. friend or family members home?  Would that prevent closure?

[Ausvisitor]

29 minutes ago, Quoll said:

Unfortunately, Barclays will do it for you! 

Only if you tell them! 

Given the OPs other half has family in the UK they could just set their settings to email/online only and use the family members address (obviously tell them).

So long as you aren't talking about huge amounts of cash being left in the UK no-one will notice 

[Quoll]

1 hour ago, FirstWorldProblems said:

Could you register your address as being at a U.K. friend or family members home?  Would that prevent closure?

You might be able yo change address, I don't know, they needed evidence of address when the account was opened so I don't know about diverting to someone else's address. It's all academic for us as my bank is OK with me living here. 

[Quoll]

1 hour ago, Ausvisitor said:

Only if you tell them! 

Given the OPs other half has family in the UK they could just set their settings to email/online only and use the family members address (obviously tell them).

So long as you aren't talking about huge amounts of cash being left in the UK no-one will notice 

If you don't use your account they close it and they will only send new cards to the address on the account. Not sure what evidence they need for a local change of address - wouldn't put it past Barclays to require a utility bill. Most user unfriendly bank I ever had dealings with. 

[Marisawright]

49 minutes ago, Quoll said:

If you don't use your account they close it and they will only send new cards to the address on the account. Not sure what evidence they need for a local change of address - wouldn't put it past Barclays to require a utility bill. Most user unfriendly bank I ever had dealings with. 

I agree, but the trick is to change the address before you leave.  They don't make much fuss about changing addresses within the UK.   We still have our Barclays accounts using my sister's address.  Our cards etc are sent there and she sends them on.

However if @jhog90 is with Barclays, I'd recommend changing banks before they leave, just in case!

[jhog90]

Hello all 

 

Thanks all so much for taking the time to respond. Really appreciate everyone’s replies. Those who’ve used a Move Cube…how much do they fit? I’m kinda asking how long is a piece of string but curious to see if containers may be more suitable/economical. 
 

also thanks for the tip re private health insurance definitely something I’d have not thought about but v useful to know. 

[Quoll]

2 hours ago, jhog90 said:

Hello all 

 

Thanks all so much for taking the time to respond. Really appreciate everyone’s replies. Those who’ve used a Move Cube…how much do they fit? I’m kinda asking how long is a piece of string but curious to see if containers may be more suitable/economical. 
 

also thanks for the tip re private health insurance definitely something I’d have not thought about but v useful to know. 

Quite a lot! We got a big cube and there was plenty of room for what we had. I couldn't load a pic here but somewhere in one of the threads there is a pic of our loaded cube. If you've got lots of furniture then it probably won't be enough but just a load of boxes and random stuff you can pack in a heck of a lot. They give you the dimensions - you can mark them out and see - we had an area in the dining room marked out and we just fitted our stuff into that but when the cube came it was so much easier to pack and we ended up with just under 1/4 not used at a guess.

However, the down side to a cube is that you have to pack everything yourself - my husband did ours and he was at it for a good month, slowly, box by box. If you get a container you can get someone else to do it for you and you can take the kitchen sink! 

Just found pic here in this thread

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Quoll

[InnerVoice]

2 hours ago, jhog90 said:

Those who’ve used a Move Cube…how much do they fit? I’m kinda asking how long is a piece of string but curious to see if containers may be more suitable/economical. 

They come in three sizes. You can get a quote on the Seven Seas website;  https://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/en-au/moving/movecube/international-movecube/

The following prices are current for door-to-door delivery, but the don't include packing materials;

Large: £2155
Medium: £1126
Small: £822

Edited July 7, 2023 by InnerVoice

[InnerVoice]

By comparison a 20ft container has about 25-28m3 of usable space (so 4 times the size of the largest MoveCube) and currently costs around £4,000, with the advantage that @Quollmentioned of having everything professionally packed included in the price.

The thing is that you will easily spend a couple of thousand pounds over here on the furniture and white goods that you couldn't get in a MoveCube, so a shipping container is always worth thinking about, especially if you own some nice stuff in the UK.

Edited July 7, 2023 by InnerVoice

[Marisawright]

37 minutes ago, Quoll said:

However, the down side to a cube is that you have to pack everything yourself - my husband did ours and he was at it for a good month, slowly, box by box.

 

Just to point out that your husband took a month to pack the BOXES, not the Movecube.   You only get a day to pack the Movecube, which is why you have to mark out a spot on the floor somewhere and do a "test pack", otherwise you'll never get it all done on the day.  You can also pay Movecube to pack the cube for you.

[rammygirl]

And best to pack it tightly so nothing moves in transit. We stuffed soft bags of cushions and throws in the gaps when my son moved his stuff. 

[Quoll]

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Just to point out that your husband took a month to pack the BOXES, not the Movecube.   You only get a day to pack the Movecube, which is why you have to mark out a spot on the floor somewhere and do a "test pack", otherwise you'll never get it all done on the day.  You can also pay Movecube to pack the cube for you.

It took him 45 minutes to load the move cube (good point!) but we had a practice lay out so it was a doddle. The van was on its way within the hour! I didn't know they would pack the move cube for us! DH did an amazingly organised job. 

[Marisawright]

8 minutes ago, Quoll said:

It took him 45 minutes to load the move cube (good point!) but we had a practice lay out so it was a doddle. The van was on its way within the hour! I didn't know they would pack the move cube for us! DH did an amazingly organised job. 

We haven't used a Movecube but we used a Taxibox (same thing but domestic not international), to move some stuff from Sydney to Melbourne.  We made the mistake of NOT doing a practice layout.   They say you have "a day" to pack but in fact, the box didn't arrive until after 10am and they had to pick it up by 3pm.  The packing process was chaotic to say the least and to be honest, we did an awful job of it.  We didn't have nearly enough soft things to pad everything out with.  A few things got damaged as a result. 

[Judy]

Have a look for Movecube ala Tetris posted on 17 July 2015 by Kevsan. (In shipping and removals). I can remember that we found it useful before we used the movecube in 2019.

[Tychen]

On 05/07/2023 at 17:22, Quoll said:

If you don't use your account they close it and they will only send new cards to the address on the account. Not sure what evidence they need for a local change of address - wouldn't put it past Barclays to require a utility bill. Most user unfriendly bank I ever had dealings with. 

We had the opposite problem. Tried to close a sBarclays account to consolidate it into an HSBC account after we moved. Barclays wouldn't accept instruction to close over the phone, wouldn't send a cheque to Australia... Sounds like we should have just let it be until they closed it!

[Quoll]

9 hours ago, Tychen said:

We had the opposite problem. Tried to close a sBarclays account to consolidate it into an HSBC account after we moved. Barclays wouldn't accept instruction to close over the phone, wouldn't send a cheque to Australia... Sounds like we should have just let it be until they closed it!

They basically won't have anything to do with you if you are foreign resident! They'd close the account and give your money to HRMC. You might have been able to transfer to an Australian account or just send to another UK account and send to Australia from there.