Quoll

I do wish we'd brought the tumble dryer and the under bench freezer but we are coping.

Not unusual at all. I reckon you either belong or you don't. I never took the decision to come because I thought it was going to be paradise on a stick, I came because it was the best option at the time and I was married to an Australian. Whilst I felt that I was free to move on, that was fine but I can honestly say, coming up 44 years next month, I have never felt like I belong but I enjoyed the adventure for a while. Once I realised I was trapped - about 15 years ago - it became almost unbearable. I was fortunate to have 9 years back from 2011-2020 and that sense of belonging allowed me to get my life back, mentally and physically, something I hadn't felt for a very long time. I still don't belong here but there's not much I can do about that. Interestingly, there are a lot of Australianisms I do embrace like the distances, have a go and she'll be right but I don't have good friends here, even now, just acquaintances, the colours are all wrong for me and I don't share a lot of the humour - I'm a "chat at the checkout kinda gal" - around here they think you're bonkers if you do that. I guess, if you can reframe and treat this as an adventure then suck it and see. As long as you have the freedom to stay or go you will find it easier, just don't let yourself unknowingly allow yourself past the point of no return like I did. But, even if you decide is not for you, there's zero shame in that, just move on - never think of it as moving back because what you had is gone, you can only move forwards. It's not paradise, it's not inherently better, it's just a foreign English speaking country on the other side of the world. Good luck and trust your gut.

If you're in a committed relationship - and you seem to be, with jointly owned property for starters, you can apply now for a partner visa and chances are it will take about a year to come through but may be less if you're applying from UK. You have 12 months from issue to validate it - ie pop over to Australia for a weekend. Then you have 5 years (from date of issue) to make your move permanent. It'll cost you around the $8k Mark. No need to get married if you don't want to. There are two stages to the partner visa (309/100) and longer term relationships especially with kids often hop straight into the permanent one, otherwise you stay on the provisional visa for 2 years then apply for the permanent one. Meanwhile, if your partner (stop calling her a girl friend, that implies more of a casual relationship) hasn't got her UK citizenship you should get that sorted before you leave because you never know when you might want to return.

No, only the fees that everyone pays. Technically voluntary but there are subtle and not so subtle pressures on you to pay them. They vary depending upon the school. Then there's the other participation fees for things like excursions, visiting performers, specialist lessons etc. On top of that there will be book lists, stationery supplies and school uniforms.

You don’t need to be a home owner to emigrate but you realise though that £30k might be enough towards a deposit in UK, most of that is going to go just getting you to Australia with visas, fares, moving your stuff, getting set up etc and even if you had that much again, it wouldn’t be enough for deposit on a house these days anyway. Why do you want to move to Queensland?

We accidentally moved back in 2011 (having been here since 1979) and returned in 2020 just before everything closed down for Covid. Best thing we ever did - it gave me a new lease of life, I lost weight, I got fitter, my depression lifted almost magically. I loved those very things that you mention appealing to you - the semi-rural environment, walking in the countryside, trips to London, finding history at every turn. The weather hindered me significantly less than it has done since we returned. There were few days I couldn't walk when I wanted. We were different in that we retired to care for my parents so weren't faced with trying to get a job (we were both offered them without applying for any) and we didn't have to find a place to live because we squatted in my parents' back bedroom. Being a 24/7 carer was no joke but despite that I felt great. My Aussie DH thought he would hate every minute but he really enjoyed himself, loved seeing the country and really got involved with the history. Had I known 30 years ago that I would be stuck here I would have pushed like hell to move on to UK back then but it was more a "go with the flow" kinda deal. I got my sanity hits with regular trips back but it wasn't until retirement loomed that I realised I was trapped. The accidental sojourn was an absolute blessing, best 9 years of my life. I guess my question is can you afford to retire to UK? We came to the conclusion that we couldn't but I had another friend who did manage to do it very happily. I guess it all depends on how much risk you are happy to take. We have a son in both countries, grandkids in both countries but financially we are better off here, so here we stay.

He should have known that, it was well known at the time and it was rescinded in 2002. You have been able to apply to get your citizenship restored ever since then. He just wasnt paying attention.

So he's not an Australian citizen? He might have to rationalise his expectations. What does Holland have to offer its citizens? It's unfortunate when the elderly get fixated on one pathway and then lose the capacity to make rational decisions. He can certainly get in home care to support him in Australia even if he's not a citizen but he will have to pay, sometimes the elderly resent that but it is available to him.

Assuming he is a British citizen it would be relatively easy to get him into supported care which would cope with the one level house etc and the sale of his Aus house would go to fund what care he needs. It may not be what he wants, but if what he wants is not possible then this is the next best option. Alternatively, check out supported accommodation in Australia, it might provide you with more sense of security, knowing that he is being monitored and supported.

Either wait until she has finished A levels (best option, keeps all her avenues open inc Uni in either country which is a huge bonus ) or get her here before she turns 16 or just as she turns 16 then she can start year 11 in the January (note, we have different term dates - the school year goes from Jan - December here - foreign country totally different system/s). As she doesnt turn 16 until October, she wouldnt start year 11 until 2024 anyway so if you can get her here before next January you should be OK however if you are looking at the end of 2024 it'll be too late. She cant just go into year 12 and expect a good ATAR - that's like going into A levels half way through, it just doesnt work. If you leave it until start 2025 then she is going to be about 18 months older than her cohort which might be uncomfortable for her. There are other alternatives like TAFE or VSV (Virtual School Victoria) which is a distance ed program. If your time frame isnt working - you can get the visa, she can activate it with a quick trip to Aus and then go back to finish A levels and maybe board with family or friends if you are staying in Australia then come out within the next 5 years to join you. You said she is your step daughter - does her father approve of her moving countries - I think under 16 they still need to give permission to leave the jurisdiction. GCSEs are only important if you decide that Australia isnt for you - and that does happen - and if she needed to return to the UK system, it would be significantly more difficult with ATAR scores not equating as well back for Uni entrance as A levels do in the opposite direction and if a student hasn't done the 3 years before Uni actually resident in UK, then they are up for international student fees which are eye watering.

For a couple of teachers who want to remain in the profession I think the deciding factor is going to be more a case of "go where you can get a job". It may be that they can get jobs in somewhere like Wagga or Dubbo, Echuca or Orbost but struggle to get something in places where people actually want to live. Flexibility and compromising a few desirable features is probably going to be key. I had a chuckle at the joke version of Milton Keynes! Give me a smaller town any day of the week

You probably don't want to arrive in December - the place closes down over Christmas and there is a huge pressure on rentals at the beginning of the year as students and new postings all vie for rentals. Arriving after May will give you a (marginally) less demanding time for rentals and the job market will be plugging along (for your husband). Your son has the time up his sleeve as he doesn't turn 16 until the May and he can enrol in year 10 then. Your youngest son can slot into year 7 mid year.

Oh yes, I discovered these only fairly recently - I had been supporting my local pharmacy for years but when I found the discount chemist and I was paying less than half I would at the local pharmacy I am afraid I changed allegiance and it is only a few metres further from home. I didnt think to ask the local one to price match We considered self insuring and, honestly, we could but we had the lowest age loading, having had it for decades (because we were over the threshold) so thought we would continue with the lower level premiums. For us it was a toss up and I am OK with it. Given the appalling elective surgery options around here I wasnt going to risk the public system - significantly worse than the NHS in this neck of the woods I reckon.

The reciprocal agreement covers only medically necessary interventions so elective surgery may well not be covered. So if you fell and broke a hip and needed a hip replacement, that would be covered but if your hip was just generally disintegrating they'd expect you to go home and get that done. Personally I'd be getting private coverage - we do anyway and we are Australian but I'm very much a belt and braces gal - elective surgery around here is always a very long wait - over the years I have been very glad of the private cover. One in particular was life changing for me and I'm not sure I would ever have got to the top of the elective list. Not sure what the insurance options are for non PR but I'm guessing there will be some. Of course, the Australian government will expect you to go home for your elective surgeries but the NHS will take exception to you rocking up for an elective surgery after living overseas. Bit of a conundrum that one

There'll be an admin/services fee, usually but it'll only be $300-400 which is peanuts against the.$30,000-40,000 you may pay for the course (that's middle of the range, they can be over $60k pa for the medical, dental etc. I think fees are paid up front per semester.

There is a conversion on the UWA. Site, it'll be essentially comparable https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/how-to-apply/international-and-overseas-qualifications/gce-a-levels Or here for SA (page 6) Wagga has a Charles Sturt campus but she may have to go to Canberra or Sydney for a broader range. It depends on what she wants to study. International student fees are going to be rather steep https://study.csu.edu.au/international/apply/course-entry-requirements

Start by checking out the job market and apply for the job you would kill for. If you don't escape now, you probably won't go and if being with family is important to you then give it a go. Take a career break and fly.

As an elderly person myself I would wholeheartedly agree with that. She certainly shouldn't be putting pressure on them to move just because she wants to move. I can certainly relate to being an elderly person wanting to return to my roots but there is no way I would expect my kids to come with me, just because I want to go. If she has a good social network then she should be well supported in her old age. I do wonder how the OP's partner feels about having to leave his family behind, no doubt they arent getting any younger either. In response to the OP's enquiry about auctions - no bargains, the converse is usually true, auctions generally drive up prices especially when you are competing with Asian money intent on buying properties. I think the northern beaches and eastern suburbs are a bit pie in the sky unless you are coming over with several million in the bank. Newcastle or Wollongong are going to be a bit more accessible with more bang for your buck.

If you arrive in July 2024 then he could enrol in year 10 part way through the year. Its OK to enrol in mid year for any other year but not during years 11 and 12. Whilst no one would get their knickers in a knot if he did take 6 months off, legally he should be in school until he turns 17 and it would give him chance to get settled and make a few friends before the hard yards start. Your younger child would be going into year 7 in 2024 but if you arrived half way through 2024 that's OK he would just slot into year 7. Getting work as a nurse - as long as you meet the AHPRA requirements you should be OK https://www.ahpra.gov.au/~/link.aspx?_id=7DBDF4675BCA42EE93A46D3BCA2004D2&_z=z It'll be a different life, not necessarily better or worse - just another first world country. If your mum wants to return, can she not move back on her own?

He's actually potentially got another year leeway there if he is only going to be turning 16 in the May of 2024 you could easily wait until January 2025 - May is a very late birthday and most kids with a May birthday would choose to be one of the older kids in the year instead of one of the younger. In some states he wouldnt be eligible to start year 11 in 2024 anyway as they have cut off dates of April (ACT and Victoria). If you are thinking NSW then the cut off is 31 July but kids born sort of March onwards usually stay back a year so they are a bit older

He will be doing the ground work for HSC when he starts in year 11. UK tends to be ahead of Australia in terms of skill acquisition so I wouldn't worry too much.

The beach is going to be 5-6 hours away, but on the plus side, Wagga is going to give you the "real" Australia. Canberra has lakes!!!!

Hmm, yup, we've heard that before too.

I hesitated to suggest Canberra - cost of housing here is eye watering and I wouldn't be wanting to travel to Wagga that often!!! You could do it in reverse tho and visit Canberra for random activities. My granddaughter is coming 4 hours each way each weekend for dance at the moment. There is Albury Wodonga but that wouldnt be much better of an improvement and it wouldn't be an interesting commute on a regular basis. Thinking of schooling, Wagga is probably likely to be it for many hours around but NSW has a significant distance Ed program that can provide an alternative if you dont want a long commute. The area around Wagga bears no resemblance to the British countryside though with long stretches of bugger all. Wagga has a nice pool and quite a vibrant swimming club and they've produced some top class cricketers over the years so there should be quite a bit going on. There also Kapooka down the road and with quite a large army camp there will be other opportunities.

No, you won't have to pay other than regular school fees. Won't he be a citizen by descent? He will need a year 12 score to go to Uni - in NSW that's the HSC (other names in other states) You do realise that the school years start at different times of the year? School here starts at the end of January so if you arrive in June or July you've missed the first half of the year - that's like expecting to do well in A levels having missed a couple of early terms - it doesn't work out well. Australia is a foreign country, GCSEs are irrelevant, all that matters here is the ATAR which you get after the HSC assessment. They only matter if there's any likelihood that he may one day want to return to the UK for further education but then you'd have bigger worries, like international uni fees.