Hey, so we are on the journey AGAIN! Third time lucky, due to personal circumstances each time we’ve had to put our Aussie dream on hold.  the first time we were 28 and 34 with 2 kids a baby and 3 year old. It seemed the perfect time.  the second time we were 36 and 42 kids were then 8 and 11 Now we’re 38 and 44 kids are 10 and 13 it really seems if we don’t make it now we never will.  I need success stories that were not mad at our ages to up root and start again!  The way I see it is if we lived to 80 we’ve both got almost another 35 yrs plus to make some wonderful memori ..read more

we have had a toyrus 10ft trampoline ,and tbh after the first yr it was on its way out .......mrs tonyman is convinced that the springfree trampoline is the way to go with our 5 children as they used it everyday ,so did Pepper...........does anynoe have a springfree and i really need to know how many yrs will they last......i believe they are made QLD so they must be built to last and a 12" cost $1,495......so in the long run, will we get what we pay for ..read more

Dear friends, as usual we received our UK tax coding last month. I have a question. As we all know our state pension is frozen. It has had significant increases in the last 5 years since we came to Australia. When you receive your new coding, is this reflecting the new 2024 state pension amount, or is it based on the frozen amount. And if its based on the 2024 amount are we being over taxed..?? I hope I've explained that ok. Thanks in anticipation. Steve S ..read more

Hi everyone,  I was hoping to hear some stories or get some advice from those that may have been in the same boat as me.  I’m a single mum to a 6 year old, I currently work as a medical professional and a senior lecturer. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to move to Australia. When I was a kid, my parents would buy my books about life in Oz and it honestly just spoke to my soul. Anyway, life took over and I ended up staying in the UK, getting married, having a child, and getting divorced. I have a pretty good life here, family support, friends etc. I feel like I’ve outgrown ..read more

Hey everyone Just a quick question if anyone can help. I’ve just got a new passport for my daughter and I’ve updated the passport number on my immi account.    Just checking is that all I need to do so that we can leave the country and re-enter without any issues ..read more

So I'm currently in the UK, have been my whole life. However I'm seriously considering moving to Australia and main reasons being weather/lifestyle which I know is better than UK. People keep saying its too expensive, holidays are less than what you get here. So I'd just like to hear what life is like for someone who actually lives there, if they enjoy it, the good and bad.  ..read more

If you have managed to get through my first 2 posts - well done!   So, here goes nothing, I almost feel I should have a disclaimer on this post - the following constitutes my own opinions and only my own opinions, it has not been designed to be harmful or offensive in any way and should not be interpreted as such! It mostly pertains to QLD but is probably relevant in a wider context too.    It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the down sides of a move to Aus - after all this trip was really all about discovering what the compromises are and deciding if we can live with th ..read more

As some of you know we have just returned from a 3 week trip to the east coast to check out potential areas to live in when we move later this year (and to do some sight seeing and visit family).  I thought it might be helpful for people who maybe haven’t been yet (or not for a long time) who maybe lurk on the forum, to get some feedback on our trip so I’m going to share some general observations in particular about things we were interested in finding out about.  Food/drink - Always a priority! We found the quality of food much better than the UK in general - both eating in and eat ..read more

Why do alot of Australians critisize people who drive fast? I'm currently holidaying in the UK, and literally everyone on the motorways is doing atleast 80mph (limit is 70mph), and yet the fatality rate in the UK is much lower than Australia's UK also has much worse weather conditions and much worse roads compared to Australia ..read more

Just over a year ago my wife and I enjoyed a very nice holiday in Tasmania, which was also a bit of a reccie for somewhere to spend our golden years. We really liked Launceston, although overall we weren't sure whether Tassie was a place that we could settle in retirement. We're thinking of taking another trip there during winter time and seeing what that's like. During the last year, two of my friends have moved from the East Coast to the Perth area for different reasons. One has retired near Mandurah while the other is working in Rockingham, and both are loving it. The most co ..read more