Did anyone either now settled in Australia or in the process of going do a rekki before they went.

We pass criteria balance of family, daughter who can sponsor us on PV or CPV etc) but are not sure if we should go straight for the 173 or 143 or try and go for a 3 month rekki first. We have only been to Australia twice for a holiday with daughter & grandchildren one month at a time and naturally it will be a lot different living there, we didnt really have a lot of time to see much else of the country because we wanted to spend all the time we had with the family. My daughter lives on the Southern Gold Coast and it is beautiful but although we would like to be fairly close i.e. a 'drive away' we would like somewhere a bit more 'rural'.

If anyone did do a rekki what kind of thing did you do, rent a camper van and tour? rent a house and car? Thanks to everyone in anticipation

Try realestate.com.au and look at rural properties outsdie the Gold Coast, renting a camper van is a great way to see the country, thats what l would do.

have a look at the hinterland. its a lovely spot and still a short drive away from anywhere on the coast

if your looking for more rural properties on the coast, have a look around mudgeeraba, we live on acreage in Tallai and for us its perfect, privacy and still 5/10 mins from shopping, 20mins from the coast...good luck

We have been to Mudgeeraba it's a lovely area do great place to start looking sounds just the type of thing that would suit us and only about 30 minute drive from the family. Did u find it through realestate.com?

If you are wanting to experience what it would feel like to live there, I would suggest a 3 or even 6 month rental in an area you could imagine yourselves living in. Hiring a campervan & touring round is only going to give you more of the holiday feel surely?
Just a thought

Yes Sally I understand exactly what you are saying & therein is my dilemma
So do we take a rental & hire a car to travel around to look at other places............it's so difficult

Buy a car & save a few $$$'s

Assuming you will want creature comforts....i.e. a mid-sized car on rental will set you back around $65 a day, So 90 days (3 months) x $65 = $5850

this is going to take more planning re financial implications than I thought............3 month rekki sounded like at good idea at the time

We haven't done a rekki ourselves because as you pointed out these things cost quite a bit and I still think your likely to only remember the good things. Every person I have spoken to that has visited Australia and Perth in particular have said its a lovely place to live.

Problem with that I suppose is just because other people have said its a lovely place to live dosen't mean it would be for you or me my daughter & grandchildren absolutely love it there (they are on the Southern Gold Coast) its a beautiful place but it hasnt worked out for some people. My daughter has friends who emigrated to Perth, her friend dosent like it (she had never visited Australia before) but went on her husbands recommendations (he had been once) they have a 4 year old daughter & sadly are in the process of splitting up because of it .
I have a son getting married this year who would be left in the UK. I know he's a big boy now he can look after himself and will soon have a wife, we haven't told him as yet we are thinking about emigrating but he has mentioned in passing a couple of times 'why dont you get yourself to Australia'. He is building up a good business (pyrotechnician) and is often on the road touring with stage shows just finished a 5 week tour with diversity but this is why I feel a rekki is the right thing for us to do, I have to be as sure as I can be that leaving him behind for a new life with my daughter and grandchildren in a beautiful country is the right thing for us to do.

Do the 3 month reccie. It makes sense. Good luck.