Quoll

You're probably going to struggle to be a police officer wherever you go TBH. You could try the AFP which is Canberra's local police force but it's also the national police force and does things which go over state lines and had quite a large presence in Sydney. However you're probably better thinking about what new career pathways to take.

Wouldn't go into it looking for deep long term friendships, you're probably going to be disappointed so throw yourself into your local community regardless of where they originated and see what sticks. If you go into it expecting nothing then you won't be disappointed. I've found the best friendships I've had have been formed at times of developmental angst or significant stress so you might find some mates if you volunteer for things like the bush fire brigade or Lifeline, nothing like throwing yourself into stressful situations to see who has got your back and who will laugh with you. Personally, over 3 decades in Australia I never made the kind of friendships that I've found here in UK over the past 8 years but lots of other folk say they've made lots of friends - what friendships I had were generally situational and rarely stood the test of situation change.

Possibly. You’d be well advised to talk to one of the agents who specialise in medical conditions. George Lombard & Peter Bollard are the two usually recommended in this regard but there are probably others who now have good medical advice. In addition, not only might you have to pay for mainstream education (depends on the state) you will probably have to pay for any additional special ed support in school and possibly therapies as well. You will need all assessments, IQ, language, skills, adaptive behaviour, academic skill level etc. Btw there is no 457 any more.

In UK shingles vaccine is offered to all 70 year olds. I had mine as soon as I could and no ill effects even though I had the flu /shingles double whammy. It's quite common in older people especially at times of stress apparently - my dad has had it at least twice to my knowledge and a good friend, my age, recently had shingles of the mouth - definitely horrible! I didn't know you could get it in the mouth but it follows one or other of the cranial nerves.

I promised my DH we would return when we were no longer needed to support my parents. My dad has decided that he needs to be in a care home now so we are having to sell up his stuff and we will leave him in care. I feel sad that we are having to do that but we cant afford to live here unless we move lock stock and barrel and that would be financially ruinous for us - we are past the point of no return and DH is an Aussie. Dont panic about Brexit - the Remainers are spinning all sorts of doom but once we leave (fingers crossed) there will be scope for a much better future and more opportunities. Dont envy you Darwin - not the sort of place that I would like to spend awfully much time and it sounds like you have done the hard yards for a long time with all your moves.

I'm in the throes of moving in the reverse direction (unfortunately for me) without all the additional stresses you have but it's still pretty daunting. Sadly I'm not that good about education moves to UK, I'm more Au fait with the Australian system. But, that said, the vast majority of returnees I have spoken to who have kids with special needs say that the service they have had in UK knocks spots off what they had in Australia. You've got comprehensive reports so you're definitely on the right track. You could approach schools once you know where you will be living and see what advice you get. They'll be able to get you organised for whatever level of support may be necessary. My experience of the NHS (with frail aged folk mainly) had that is been amazing but everyone seems to whinge constantly about appointment times which, compared with what I've had in Australia are astonishingly quick for a free service. We have decided on the Move Cube option - we don't have much but we have been here 8 years now and my wool stash rather reflects that as does the DH'S book collection. We are clearing out my parents house of 35 years detritus and sentimental value so lots on Free cycle and the local charity shop is going to get fed up with seeing us! I think it would be easier if it was our own stuff rather than someone else's precious belongings. I'd be optimistic, I've not meet many who haven't been able to find a job and it seems to me that there is much less age discrimination here. You're lucky to have the parental backstop option to tide you over. Good luck! We may cross in the air - our move depends on how quickly the house sells and fingers crossed its in one of "those places" that everyone wants (worst house in best Street thing). Then we return to our own house which is half renovated and sort of have to stay again with the declutter ruthlessness. I hope your move on is going to be more satisfying than I fear mine will be.

Apply right now and cross your fingers. If his visa comes through then you win. If it doesn't, then you have a choice - either you go and he waits for his visa to arrive then he joins you or you tell your CO that he will be applying for a tourist visa and he goes with you as a tourist then nips over to NZ or wherever when it is due to be issued. If he goes on a tourist visa and lies about his intention to be a tourist then he runs the risk of being turned around at the border and even if he is allowed in, as has been said, he could struggle to find work in a bridging visa and on shore applications are taking longer than off shore ones.

Marriage

Nah, just bite the bullet and do it. The bassinet on the bulkhead will probably be ok but take a sling just in case you need to walk the aisles with the baby. You don’t want your arms dropping off. Travel light, sleep when you can, hopefully your wife will still be bf at the time, it’s a whole lot simpler than faffing around with bottles, be confident in your own parenting. It’s only 24 hours, get it all done in one hit. I did it with my kids at various ages and more recently with grandkids. Only one of the grandkids eschewed the bassinet but she was a kid who was a co-sleeper. If you can travel while the baby is younger, you may find it marginally easier.

And what second language do you teach? Do you have a 4 year degree? Lots of hoops for teachers to leap through

Schools usually reflect the suburb they are located in and if you wouldn't want to live in a suburb because of the neighbours, you probably wouldn't want your kids to go to school in the suburb so choose your home first and if you're happy with that then likely you'll be happy with the school and, if not, theres always the private system which is very popular especially at HS level. Schools change all the time too, get a new principal and they'll be gung ho about embellishing their cv and doing new things so even if there's a bit of a lull, change is found the corner.

You're unlikely to find anything until you've got your boots on the ground and it could take you 6 months to get something. That local experience thing will be thrown at you all the time. Australia is good at that. Just have to be prepared for unemployment and be flexible.

Do you have a visa, that's the first challenge because accountants are always mooted as begin the next to be taken off the list. Are there any restrictions on where you might be able to work if you do have a visa. Seek is one of the employment sites but there are plenty of accountants and finance folk on the ground out there who would certainly beat you to a position in the general scheme of things. Do you have the dad's permission to take your child away? If it's all good then you should budget enough to have 6 months in which to find a job (that's the general advice)

But I suppose by that time and within that time frame you would have got a new UK passport anyway and he would leave on that. However you've still got time to get a new passport and could get it off today. Much easier than the faff of negotiating at the border especially if he's starting school, maybe wanting medical care etc.

He may not be able to do so and should resign himself to that. If he has a skill that is on the list of needed occupations he might be able to apply for a permanent resident visa but otherwise his chances of playing a part in his child's life are slim unless the relationship gets seriously back on track. He should talk to a registered agent to see if he had any options but just being the parent of an Australian isn't going to cut it.

Why not get him a new UK passport? 5 weeks should be enough then enter on his UK passport. You can apply for an expedited one of you think time is short.

No. You will need to get advice from your doctor about what level of intervention may be necessary then - as always - the usual advice is to contact one of the registered agents who specialise in medical conditions and get their opinion as to whether your child will exceed the threshold or not. George Lombard, Peter Bollard and a few others now have medical specialists on their team.

7 and 12 should see you right. Many of the others I would disagree with but if you're going for adventure then that would be enough and it'll either work, in which case you win, or it won't, in which case with your adventurous attitude you will move on.

Do it Zack! I know how you feel. We came back on holiday in 2011 and (I) have loved every minute and been astonished at the services my oldie relatives have got. Of course, now we are about to sell dad's house to pay for his care but we would have to do that in Australia too. There's just so much to do and see that I still haven't got round to and am very anxious about having to return to Australia - I will, of course, because my DH has been amazing in helping me support my oldies and he wants his life back in Australia (he's Australian, no brainer) but if I had a choice, I would stay.

Back in the day it was Midsomer Murders, Lewis, Morse, Who do You Think You Are and similar - generally more fiction than reality, reality made me more depressed because I couldn't be there and have it all like they have but in fiction it was more generic impression and less real life. I've even been known to follow old episodes of The Bill in bad moments!

Sure, but the decision was yours to enter the country without a permanent visa. If you had intended to stay you could have gone about it differently and entered permanently instead of trying to work the system. Temporary visas should be expected to be just that. No one is making you stay in the country on a bridging visa.

The Department arent making you put your life on hold, that's a choice you are making. Immigration are very clear in their advice which says don't make irrevocable decisions to move to Australia until you have the visa in your hand. They're not in the business of making you feel good or responding to your "life on hold -Ness" and if they haven't done anything illegal then they are doing what we, the tax payers, expect of them.

Its a simple on line process, much less faff than getting their Australian one which, of course, they will need in order to be able to escape the country. UK one is about half the price as well.

Can your DH take a career break? You could rent out your house then suck it and see. It always worries me when the "ticks all the boxes" mantra gets trotted out if you haven't ever actually lived in Australia. Bottom line, it's just another first world country with just the same first world issues, there's nothing magical about it. If Your life ain't broke then don't try and fix it I reckon. However, if your aim in life is adventure and you're prepared to sacrifice financial stability and tens of thousands of pounds then go for it. In answer to your question - dual citizen, married to an Australian, 32 years in Australia, 8 years back in UK, impending move back to Australia now my dad has put himself into care. Not really relishing the prospect but we are sadly past the point of no return on lots of different fronts so we have to go. There are loads of things the Poms whinge about and they don't know how lucky they are - I often tell them what the same situation would be like in Australia and they gape - little things like the cost of renewing your passport, the recent hot weather, waiting to see a public specialist for a non emergency situation etc. Nowhere is perfect, sadly.

Ooh, exciting! There's not been snow in Canberra for a while I think. I can remember Mt Ainslie being able covered one year and our very first chooks copped a snowfall almost as soon as we got them and that was the October long weekend!