Quoll

Poor buggers. I've met that before - actually in the Canberra fires iirc - one family had lost all in a fire in a more bush place and come to Canberra because it was safer and they didnt live right on the edge either. I guess bouncing back the second time might be easier than the first - you've done it before, you've replaced stuff and you're all still alive (just my theory) and hopefully you've learned the value of good insurance policies.

Nah, she'll be right mate! (See, I've been an Australian too long!) Thanks for the thoughts though!

No idea, 50/50 before Christmas. Accepting an offer on the house today so rather depends on how quickly that goes through. Really hating the thought though but you do what you've got to do!

No more get ups??? Bon Voyage! Bring your thermals, the weather has chilled down remarkably this past few days!

IIRC - and this may well be out of date now so you might contact Qld dept of Ed for first hand advice - Qld used to require their own assessments because assessments from other states could be quite haphazard. They had designated multidisciplinary panels headed up by paediatricians. In general, disability funding is not dependent upon diagnosis but on level of impairment that significantly disturbs the child's participation in education and unless high functioning kids have significant behavioral or other disabling issues they're unlikely to get much, if any, additional support. It's generally said that Australia doesn't do autism as well as UK and often its just up to the school what support they provide. Some folk have found that non gov schools might provide better pastoral care/smaller classes which children with autism find easier to handle. The only feedback From ex colleagues I've had is that the NDIS is a dogs breakfast - very limited. Either way, just be sure that you take all assessments - Psych assessments generally have a 2 year validity, skills and adaptive behaviours 1 year validity. If the kids have to be assessed again it wouldn't be covered by Medicare but if they're assessed by the school system then it would be free - but could take a long time to get to the top of the list. There are some contacts linked on here https://education.qld.gov.au/students/students-with-disability/education-adjustment-program

Gosh that has rushed up quickly! Bon Voyage for Monday(?)

Me too, very scary especially when they evacuated the evacuation centre, and over 3000 people, without a heads up that they were going to do it. A very dark day, literally and figuratively. I also did recovery in the Gippsland fires 2009 - miles and miles of Martian landscape and all sorts of horror stories from survivors. Then my son and his family were totally burned out, losing everything, when the Snowy National Park went up in around 2014. Personally, bushfires scare the sh!t of of me. The problem with Canberra in particular is the green veins that feed into pretty much every suburb.

Talk to an agent but at your age, with your skills, I’d say you'll be looking for a ticket home Asap. You know that when your circumstances change (relationship breakdown) you are obligated to advise the authorities.

It was meant to be a bit tongue in cheek, people always get their knickers in a knot over the wildlife being dangerous!!!! The death caps in Canberra always grow under oaks - I noticed them on my way to lunch and hoped that no one would take a fancy to them and then I noticed the sign when I walked back. However, shortly after we arrived in UK a couple of Chinese restaurant workers died because they foraged - just as well they didn't feed it to the customers. The water hemlock was a plot in one of my favourite murder mysteries way back (now that is going to bug me all afternoon!)

Nothing beats the eyeball test. Take a holiday rental when you arrive and cruise the burbs looking for facilities you require, housing type you like, proximity to your work place, etc. If you don’t like the vibe you get from wandering around the local shopping centres and having a coffee and a bit of a yarn then avoid. Also if every other yard is full of Holden wrecks, avoid. If all you can see is dog poo on the pavement and the sound of yapping dogs probably avoid. Most people choose suburbs based on proximity to work, housing cost and availability.

Make sure you haven’t got any holes in the fly wire, they’re canny little buggers. It is a massive change from uk and you haven’t really started yet. It’s a foreign country that happens to speak English - oh, and don’t pick and eat the mushrooms, they can kill you

My younger son is like that. He’s ended up in hospital following really bad bites a couple of times. It was the infection which developed after the bite that needed iv antibiotics. It’s the nasty things that mozzies can carry like Ross River Fever that scare me.

Even after 32 years I had horrible reactions to Aussie mozzies. My DH on the other hand has failed to build up a resistance to UK mozzies in the 8 years that we have been here. They rarely bother me here and he never gets bothered there. Best advice is not to get bitten. Wear long sleeves and long trousers with socks and shoes, even a mozzie proof hat if they get at your head. There was an Avon product that people said was a good mozzie deterrent (a moisturiser I think) and others say that getting a good dose of vitamin B also keeps them at bay but nothing has worked for me. Couple of trips ago I went outside for 10 minutes within a couple of hours of arriving and got half a dozen bites which lingered pretty much all of my trip. This last trip, I made the mistake of going out to get the washing in, the day before we left and Bingo, 4 weeks later I still had the bites. If you find the magic answer, do let us know!

Foreign country, totally different system. Ignore the year levels she will have done in UK and GCSEs mean diddly squat in Australia. If she has aspirations for Uni, they will tell you that there are "conversions" but that's very much a gamble IMHO. Over the years there have been posts from people wife been promised things only to discover that they'd been left out on the cold and not able to get into courses they want because the conversions haven't been enough. Best solution is to let her finish A levels - leave her with family if necessary and that way she keeps all her options open for Uni in either country and A levels travel better to Australia than the reverse. If you can't do that, then try and get her to Australia for the start of year 11 which will be in the January of the year that she's either just turned or just about to turn 16. She would be better doing the full two years of the year 11/12 program rather than hoping for a reasonable credit for work done in UK.

You're not likely to get a job before you arrive especially if you don't have a visa. I doubt your area of expertise is going to be much in demand that anyone would think of sponsoring and they're only temporary visas anyway. There are lots of agents, many post on here - you need to use one who is MARA accredited and they will give you an idea of what you might be eligible for and whether you have any likelihood of getting a visa. I lived in Australia for over 30 years, back in UK for 8 and now my dad is in care we will be heading back (Australian husband) family in both places so forever torn with the grandkids. Both first world countries with very much the same issues in each, nothing magical about Australia at all. On balance I'd say probably more opportunity in UK at the moment but that probably depends on whereabouts in UK you are, in the same way that there are parts of Australia you wouldn't want to inflict on your worst enemy. Don't underestimate the pressure of being isolated from family and friends. It's hard enough when you're a couple but when you're a single parent its going to be even worse. Don't expect to develop the same sort of friendships you have at home, cities (where most people in Australia live) can be very insular and most families these days are stretched and needing to be dual income and they struggle to look after their own family without giving too much more to others. I'd agree with VS, it's going to cost you a lot of money - if you're looking to support yourself for 6 months while you find a job - worst case scenario - you'd need around the £30k mark but you'd probably haemorrhage more than that in starting up - bonds, car, insurance, communication etc etc

So is your occupation on the list? Bottom line, go where you can get a job. Why would you want to move to Australia?

Not going to meet the relationship criteria if they're not actually living together, it's not just boyfriend /girlfriend status. Prospective Marriage Visa would be the most straightforward, as long as they get married within 9 months in Australia she can then apply for the spouse visa.

Make sure you have your child's father's permission to remove them from the country. Check to see if your skills are on the list for a visa - be aware that psychologists are ten a penny in Australia and negotiating the registration process to actually practice is real wrist slitting territory. I think you may now need at least a masters to be registered, you always required a fourth (honours) year but they did accept UK honours as equivalent back in the dark ages.

I get it, mine was in jest too! Especially at the thought of moving back there!!!

I will be going back there once my dad’s house sells. Does that count

So nothing on Mt Ainslie recently? Its been a while but it had been white on occasion. Seeing the pic of the snow in Captains Flat reminded me of the year my rather weird son decided he was going to cycle around Australia. He packed judiciously, planned meticulously and set off only to camp around the Captains Flat area - which then encountered a freak snow storm. He froze that night then the next day he damaged his knee so I picked him up from somewhere down on the coast. Round Australia cycle ride abandoned on day 2.

Good old Canberra, always determined to confuse.

Don't bother putting her into school until you've got a long term rental. Nobody is going to mind if she's out of school until you are settled, you don't want to be chopping and changing as she's already going to be displaced, moving to a foreign country. All schools have priority enrolment areas (called different things in different stages) and are obliged to find a place for a child living in that area. Some schools may accept out of area enrolments but that's a faff especially if you decide on a school for the longer term but then find you can't get a rental in that area and transporting her every day and the social connectivity get to be a nuisance. Just wait until you're settled, much easier all round.

It's been a while!!!! I can relate to the only child-ness - sucks, doesnt it?! We came to UK on holiday 8 years ago and didn't return because of the "only child thing" and a pair of parents galloping towards their 90s with the wheels falling off. Now, 8 years later, mum has died, dad has recently decided that he is better cared for in a Care Home (we agree, by the way) and we are in the process of selling up his life, belongings and home (to support him in the care home) and we will be returning to Australia, probably by the end of the year. All I can say is that these past 8 years have been bloody fantastic. I have loved being "home". I've lost a lot of weight, am considerably fitter and have an amazing group of new friends. If you can persuade the rest of the family to come to some sort of compromise where you get at least a few more years of belonging, I'd say go for it! My DH hated hated hated the thought of living in UK but he's had a ball, he's seen and done so much in the time although we have been hamstrung more recently with 24/7 care of a 95 year old! I would give my eye teeth to stay here but I promised the DH that we would return and, honestly, we couldn't afford to live here, we are past the point of no return unfortunately. Good luck living with your homesickness, I reckon the only child guilt factor probably plays a significant part and I am hoping that the knowledge that my dad is well cared for (and the communication with the home seems excellent at this point) will in some way reduce that for me when I have to return and I can view it all with the "whoopee it's a new adventure" frame of mind. However with one kid there with 2 grandkids and one kid here with one grandchild (he came for a year's holiday 17 years ago!!!!) I am always going to be batting around from one side of the world to the other and you will never know where your kids decide to end up.

Good point, I'd forgotten about that. Ive been away too long!