Bordy

Make sure you rent a place with Air Con Maggy. Can get pretty uncomfortable without it for us poor Scots.

ScotsCouple

My wife and I are in the very early stages of the immigration process (getting documents together for sending to ACS). We live just outside Livingston. Hoping to move to Melbourne (Berwick).

This visa/immigration lark is all a bit bewildering...and a little scary.

Cheers
Colin

p.s 1st post (hopefully of many )...

faye_gillan

Hi,

We in Aberdeen and are hoping to be in Newcastle (North of Sydney) by Summer 2005!

P.S. We have just come back from a weekend in Edinburgh and found an "OZ BAR" which totally delighted my other half as he was in his mint drinking VB and Tooheys again!

the owner was really nice and even gave us free t-shirts! with Bundaburg Rum on them! heee heee

FiFi

Hi all you Scottish folk .. I moved to Perth with my family on 9 January 2004 after a 2 year wait for visas etc. Perth is a nice clean sunny city, people are nice too .. and lots of opport5unities for the kids ... however it is a bit of a culture shock, very different from Livingston.. difficult to explain.. couple of lessons we learned .. houses are not cheap here ... employment is not easy to find ... don't pack any valuables in your luggage its not covered in transit by your insurance policy ... it is very very hot in summer ... I am living South of river, 1 child at all saints college, 1 child at Murdoch uni.. if I can help anyone .. please ask

regards

Fifi

Ginny

Hi there Maggy & co.

We're from Dundee. Went out last year to validate but can't move out straight away (although we'd love to). We're still hoping for Brisbane area. What about you?

Ginny & family

maggy

My partner is from Dundee Whitfield but now lives in Kirkcaldy. He really misses night life in Dundee and regularly visits his friends and family in order to hit the night life.
We want to settle in Perth but have yet to decide exactly what area although have been told Rockingham is good. I cant wait to leave for sunnier climes. Its got to be better than rainy Fife

maggy

Do you know if there is work for painters in your area. We like the idea os settling in rockingham only problem is I cannot drive and I believe public transport is not to good. I am hoping to arrive April May and also need to find a school near by for my 14 year old son. What are the school hours in Perth and how much do you reckon we will pay to rent a house. Initially we thought about renting in the city as it would be easier to get around but I believe the house prices are really expensive. We will be arriving with around £30,000 so want to be careful with our money as I dont know how long it will last.

maggy

It has taken us 2 years and a great deal of money as everything has to be certified by solicitors etc etc etc. We used 4 corners emigration who were fantastic as DIMIA are very strict and everything has to be worded a certain way. I will be glad to get our medicals out of the way and look forward to our visas popping through the door. Initially I thought 2 years was a long time but there is so much to do that it soon flys by. We are now ready to put house on the market and start selling our belongings. It was certainly worth the wait.

maggy

My partner came across Oz bar in Amsterdam and broke his back to get inside hahahaha. He has the Oz hat with corks on it and has been speaking like an Oz for the last year it drives me nuts. We were in a pub in Dundee a few months ago when rugby was on and there was an offer with guinness. If you drank 5 pints of the stuff you got a free Oz hat. Guess who had the pleasure of knocking the stuff back. Yes it was myself and he moaned because all the way home in the car I kept needing a wee.

GengaKev

Hi,

I'm just back from Perth and used www.dowlerapartments.com.au It was clean well furnished and when the shower broke it was fixed that morning. It was $85 ( 2 bedroom place) per night and really central In Subiaco. It would be ideal while you're waiting for your stuff to be shipped or hunting for a place to rent long term.
Transport wise it may be worth looking at the transperth website and looking at the railway destinations. It would make life so much easier if you can walk to a station.

Ex Fifer

mike7

Maggie,

We are from Aberdeen and are moving to Sydney on the 14th April 2004.

I have accepted a position with a Quantity Surveying Practice in Sydney being sponsered under a 457 visa. Myself, wife and two daughters (8 & 10) are all going.

The move is quite daunting although we have now organised most things (flights, furniture shipping etc).

What part of Australia are going too ?.


Michael

scotvness

Hi Maggy

Sent you a PM

Scot

maggy

going to perth but not taking furniture or anything other than clothes and ourselves so it will be a new start for everyone. My son is looking forward to it he is 14 and should adjust easily but my daughter aged 15 is going to finish her education in scotland and join us later. Who did you order your flights through? We are presently looking through different sights on the internet but will book nearer the time.

CornishPasty

There is a walkabout bar in Edin now, it opened last summer. Been there a few times and had a laugh, though its not the same as the sheppards bush walkabout in London. Nothing can explain that place! Best Aussie nights out in London are Thursdays in the Slug and Lettuce on Fulham Broadway, and Sunday all day sessions on Fulham road in the Pitcher and Piano. Some wild times, and alas where I met my Aussie g/f and since totally changed my direction in life!

Maggie, I go through www.ozflights.co.uk for my flights. I tend to fly Singapore airlines, I am off in a month for £600 rtn and have flown on xmas eve/day for the past few years for about £800. the g/f got a one way for £300 last sept. ( I was quoted £450 for this April) If you intend on flying regularly I recommend getting a star alliance card for the points. for every 5 flights you get a free one and also, if you do 2 flights a year you get Gold membership which gives you free upgrades and also means no queuing which can take 90 minutes in the past. You also get the luxery of business lounges if you have lengthy stop overs.

Even if you dont fly that regularly, its worht collecting the miles, its like getting a 20% discount in the long term.

Carrianne

Hi,

We are from Perth (scotland) but just arrived to the Sunshine Coast.