sharonp53 Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Since we found the experience of others to be of such value I thought I would start a thread relating our experiences, rather than hijack anyone else's. We arrived in Qld on 25th October. We had taken the long way here - going via the States for 11 days and then NZ for three. Having done that I am not sure it helped with the jet lag. I am only too delighted we flew business class and had flat beds, otherwise we would be dead!! So, family reunion on Monday night was amazing - I have the most beautiful grandbabies and I am going to make their parents life hell with spoiling them. We stayed with my youngest daughter Monday night and headed off to investigate cars first-thing on Tuesday, and picked up our hire car and visitied our Aussie accountant and the banks (personal account was set up before we left the UK, but had to set up the new business account. Then off to the Gold Coast, where we have rented an apartment on the sea front for a few weeks. The apartment is huge and very glamorous, with wonderful views and a huge balcony, but the Internet connections are dreadful, so working is hard, and deadines are wizzing up to meet us. Wednesday we went to organise a few things, such as mobile phones and Graham's Medicare card - mine is far more complicated and I came away with arms full of forms to complete. Yesterday we set off to look at cars and found exactly what we were looking for - we bought a new RAV4, very nice car and got loads of extras for the special edition. Really pushed for a great deal and got it as the dealer was on month-end and needed a few more sales to meet target, so far so good! Signed the deal and paid the deposit (thank goodness) as they wanted to register the car before the end of October to meet targets. Then it all went wrong! We had to go to the Qld Dept Motor Transport to get our driver's licenses (needed to be able to register the new car) but, because we did not yet have our Medicare cards (takes three weeks to obtain the actual cards) and they would not accept the printed versions, and our bank debit cards are still in the mail, we were unable to get the license, so no car yet. But, since it was signed and deposit made the dealer has to honour the price (phew). But I did feel sorry for them. Now, to the point of this long message - when you arrive here you do NOT need the visa stamped in your passport - BUT - and it's a big BUT, make sure you have it anyway as for licensing purposes the visa and the UK passport act as two seperate forms of ID and as a result Graham only needs one bank debit card and bank statement to the address we are using, to obtain his license. For me, as an Australian, I needed my passport AND either citizenship papers, or Australian birth certificate (I brought neither as I thought I did not need them) plus one debit card and bank statement to the address we are using (my daughter's). So, from our experience Telstra was the most flexible, in terms of ID required, for our mobile phones. For driving licenses, get the visa stamped into UK passports, bring Australian birth certs/citizenship papers if one of you is on an Australian passport and make sure you have a bank account set up in advance and have a statement and debit cards sent to the temporary Australian address for collection when you arrive. I know NAB will open an account when you are still overseas and HSBC also did ours, but it was a drama to do it. Remember, you cannot register a car here without an Australian driver's license. For Medicare we needed (for Graham) for them to site his passport and visa and to enter the temporary address (although you do not tell them it is temporary, and remember the card will be posted there) and bank details. If you are a returning Australian it is more difficult - you need proof of permanent move back to Australia, letter from employer, shipping docs and proof of closing bank accounts etc. Plus proof of bank account and address. That's it for now. We still have to finalise the car and sort out somewhere to live, but we are on our way. I hope you find the information useful. Good luck to all who are soon to make the move, Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AussieGold Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Congrats on your move ......and WELCOME HOME!!!! i hope everything is plain sailing for you and your family. good luck with the house hunting. Cheers to you and yours AG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nando65 Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Hi Sharon Thanks so much for the great post, appreciate all the information, I am a returning Aussie and had no idea of the proof required so a huge help. Even with the license requirements for hubbie, so helpful, at least we can get all of this organised before we set of. Great to hear of the family reunion and you get to spoil the grandchildren, lovely!! Sharon, whereabouts are you staying on the coast? Do you have an ideas of which area you would like to live? Anyway, be sure to keep us update on your new adventure and we wish you all the very best. Hugs Jane (Nando65 - Jane and Nando) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Welcome to Brissy! Great post and sounds like you have the hit ground running. You dont need an Australian licence to buy and register a car here, its just a few sheets of extra paperwork for the garage (hence some dont like doing it). Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonp53 Posted October 29, 2010 Author Share Posted October 29, 2010 Hi Sharon Thanks so much for the great post, appreciate all the information, I am a returning Aussie and had no idea of the proof required so a huge help. Even with the license requirements for hubbie, so helpful, at least we can get all of this organised before we set of. Great to hear of the family reunion and you get to spoil the grandchildren, lovely!! Sharon, whereabouts are you staying on the coast? Do you have an ideas of which area you would like to live? Anyway, be sure to keep us update on your new adventure and we wish you all the very best. Hugs Jane (Nando65 - Jane and Nando) Hi to you both, I am glad it is of help to you. We are staying at Xanadu in Main Beach, but we will be heading for the Sunshine Coast. The Gold Coast was not our ideal, but family contacts made it an easy place to start. I just heard from my daughter that all the bank debit cards etc arrived today, so we should be able to get the rest done next week. We are off to a Chicago concert in Brisbane tomorrow night and staying with daughter to save the drive back. It is wonderful and I am so happy to be home at last! Where do you plan to go and when do you arrive here? Best wishes, Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonp53 Posted October 29, 2010 Author Share Posted October 29, 2010 Welcome to Brissy! Great post and sounds like you have the hit ground running. You dont need an Australian licence to buy and register a car here, its just a few sheets of extra paperwork for the garage (hence some dont like doing it). Cal x Thanks Cal, now I don't feel so bad about the fact that I did not complete the deal before the end of the month. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nando65 Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Hi Sharon Yes, I think the Sunshine Coast is nicer personally, GC is alot more for tourism, lovely all the same but it is more peaceful up there. We are just waiting for my partners visa, we lodged the beginning of August and the letter stated 5 to 6 months, so we are playing the waiting game, I so know I am going to be like you, so happy to finally be home. Fingers crossed we get the visa early, (wishful thinking I know) but hey ho, we are half way through the waiting. We are heading to Brissie to stay with friends and just see where life takes us, I will be happy just to be home so hubbie can choose wherever he likes the most. My friends live at Deception Bay so we will stop there first. Thanks again for the post and have a wonderful time at Chicago, that will be a brilliant night for sure. Take care and enjoy it all, Jane (Nando65 - Jane and Nando) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonp53 Posted November 1, 2010 Author Share Posted November 1, 2010 Hi Sharon Yes, I think the Sunshine Coast is nicer personally, GC is alot more for tourism, lovely all the same but it is more peaceful up there. We are just waiting for my partners visa, we lodged the beginning of August and the letter stated 5 to 6 months, so we are playing the waiting game, I so know I am going to be like you, so happy to finally be home. Fingers crossed we get the visa early, (wishful thinking I know) but hey ho, we are half way through the waiting. We are heading to Brissie to stay with friends and just see where life takes us, I will be happy just to be home so hubbie can choose wherever he likes the most. My friends live at Deception Bay so we will stop there first. Thanks again for the post and have a wonderful time at Chicago, that will be a brilliant night for sure. Take care and enjoy it all, Jane (Nando65 - Jane and Nando) Hi Jane, Chicago, the band, so as not to confuse others, was amazing. We had a fantastic night out and went back to stay at my daughter's. They actually dropped us off and picked us up too so we didn't even have to worry about parking the car - luxury. I also got a fix of the grandchildren. It is so wonderful to be home. I sat at the concert thinking I am the happiest I have ever been. I have so much excitement. It was SO worth the wait!! Please stay in touch and if we can be of any help to you please let us know. Wishing you well during the wait, Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonp53 Posted November 3, 2010 Author Share Posted November 3, 2010 Another update I also discovered yesterday that RACQ will transfer membership from RAC or AA for the remainder of your paid membership in the UK. Bring proof of how long you have been a member and you get cheaper rates and fantastic insurance. Ours for the new car was $600 fully comp. Mind you, we are old f**** now! Once you get through that lot there is private health to look at. We checked them all and joined AHM as they offerred the best deal, there are now loadings since 2000 if you have not had insurance, but if you have been away since then they will apply for exemptions for you, and that's important as for us the loading would be 61%! Can't think of anything else, except of course tax file number, we are tackling that in the next few days. Ohhh, and of course finding somewhere to live. Gee but it's great to be back home......... So happy :em3600: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr luvpants Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Hi Sharon Glad its going well for you. What does it cost to join the RACQ? I am just wondering whether to join the RAC in the UK and then transfer it when we get over in 7 weeks. Will it save me a lot of money? JOHN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Hi Sharon Glad its going well for you. What does it cost to join the RACQ? I am just wondering whether to join the RAC in the UK and then transfer it when we get over in 7 weeks. Will it save me a lot of money? JOHN Hi mate are you both getting really excited? The weather should be great by then, best of luck buddy and great opening post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nando65 Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Hi Jane, Chicago, the band, so as not to confuse others, was amazing. We had a fantastic night out and went back to stay at my daughter's. They actually dropped us off and picked us up too so we didn't even have to worry about parking the car - luxury. I also got a fix of the grandchildren. It is so wonderful to be home. I sat at the concert thinking I am the happiest I have ever been. I have so much excitement. It was SO worth the wait!! Please stay in touch and if we can be of any help to you please let us know. Wishing you well during the wait, Sharon Sharon hi Thanks again for the reply. It is so nice to hear you say SO worth the wait and the happiest you have ever been. You have so helped ease the waiting pain!!! Ah, I thought Chicago the concert and not the musical, forgot about that!!! Glad to hear you had a lovely time. Enjoy every moment and I will be sure to send you a friend invite, great to have someone at home that has gone through the whole move thing and knows best. Your information has been so helpful, I am just so glad you put the insurance details etc, I would not have thought to bring them with us but would have shipped them!! Take care and all the very best to you and your family. Best regards Nando65 - Jane and Nando X:hug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr luvpants Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Hi mate are you both getting really excited? The weather should be great by then, best of luck buddy and great opening post. weeks for us now. Shippers coming in 2 weeks so that is when I think it will hit us! JOHN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonp53 Posted November 8, 2010 Author Share Posted November 8, 2010 So, a quick update. We arrived two weeks ago today. In the past week we have found a house to rent, bought all the white goods, cleaners, TV etc. bought a bed and all the goodies and tomorrow we pick up the new car. We move into the house a week on Saturady and will stay with my daughter for a week in between the holiday and "permanent" rental. Thenn we can start house-hunting in ernest for our own permanent home. Just need the exchange rates to turn around a lot and we wil be totally happy. We went to the Sunshine Coast at the weekend, fell in love with the Hinterland. We came back to the Gold Coast then shot off early the next morning for the South Bank markets - they are really fantastic markets - nothing like those in the UK and even Europe - amazing stuff. Great day out. We are loving it here. More shopping for outdoor furniture tomorrow (that will be used until our dining table arrives whenever!! Off to the dentist on Wednesday, so we are really feeling at home now..lol. Wishing everyone a great move when the time comes. Cheers for now, Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddysMum Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 You are doing well. Hope you continue to love it here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonp53 Posted November 8, 2010 Author Share Posted November 8, 2010 You are doing well. Hope you continue to love it here! But, I do have to say, our happiness would be overflowing if our baby's next round of treatment works and her erlichia count is within acceptable ranges. We miss her so much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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