brits1

I thought it was the “Banana State” that is what my NSW fiend told me many years ago…. I believe them lol

scrubbedexpat143

Good thinking here on your part, Moon River. Blunt in parts, but very much to the point. Which is needed in such situations.

The 'elephant' in the room, so to say, here is, are there other problems in the relationship? The OP hasn't told us this (nor does she have to, it's entirely her situation and as such entirely her business) but if there are, these should be resolved or at least tackled directly before she or they fly out to Sydney or wherever in Australia they plan to start again.

Life in 'Oz' just now is far from easy, and given the low quality of our timid politicians and the high level of profiteering business capitalizing on having been given virtually a carte blanche to raise prices and pocket the profits, Nobody expects anything of major importance from this year's budget in May (I hope I'm wrong in writing this, but I won't hold my breath). Prices for almost everything are sky high (officially the inflation is 7%, but ours at home works out at 20% if everything one has to buy to live in the real world is added to the list and recalculated, and we are far from profligate so that's just the basics), it's almost impossible to rent anything affordable in any state, wages are stagnant, employers threaten to cut staff if government dares to meddle in the heavy-handed way they do business, the list is endless. Everybody is depressed and unhappy. Many Aussies are great 'knockers,' they like to complain about everything but they seldom move beyond bad-mouthing and the great cultural apathy the place is cursed with, to actually doing something about resolving the problems. That said, this year I've not seen so many unhappy people since the 1980s when we had a spell of hyperinflation and mortgage rates went up to 18%, fortunately only for a relatively short period. A few locals in our town are starting to talk about throwing bricks and rocks into the office windows of our Members of Parliament. I hope this won't happen, but it's an indication of how low the national feeling has gone and how little confident the people have in their elected officials.

All this to say it isn't a happy place just now and to many the only consolation is that in countries like Britain and New Zealand the national angst is even worse than Down Under. If the OP and partner do come to Australia, they will see a greatly changed country from when they were here. The good parts are that the beaches are still there, the sun shines a lot, the wine is good, weekend sports are the way and there seem to be plenty of jobs, tho' whether the salaries are high enough to enable people to cope with the inflated cost of living is worth considering.

The OP needs to carefully consider all her options and make sure she has covered all the essentials. Having an escape clause is good protection for what they can do if things don't work out. It's a good idea to keep their house in Britain in case they decide to fly the coop in two years or less, but they need to bear in mind that they may have trouble renting to a good tenant for that short a time period.

I reckon their bottom line is that if things don't work out, they can always go home. The OP should keep this in mind in all her discussions with her partner. That escape clause may make or break their plan to move together.

Amazulu

Wayne Kerr is a common name in Queensland

mikelincs

When we had moved to Spain we were with an agent who did give excellent help for the first three months while settling in. He was telling os of one family who had bought a house through them, arrived in Spain, family of 5, Mum, Dad and three adult Sons, they had done no research about jobs etc and went back to the UK after just 2 weeks, told the agents to sell the house for what they could get, and they never wanted to set foot in Spain again, they were totally broke, no-one could find work, they had no savings and hadn't bothered to learn ANY Spanish. The moral being, do your research, and ensure that you ALL are OK with the move, one partner not really wanting could well be a disaster waiting to happen as they would be moving with very negative thoughts even before arriving.

the troubadour

As mentioned 'fleeing' Vic's in such high numbers are a very new thing. I doubt if their "Education State ' plates will necessarily improve IQ. (or even make much difference to the alleged labour shortage . Not entirely confined to that state by any means. Any plate from over East, spotted over here in the rogue state, regardless of state, claiming to be Smart State, would surely provoke a knowing smile as considered a 'false' plate covering up real identity surely?

Rainydaze

Absolutely. I think back and wonder if for these families the research was watching that lifestyle show that used to show British families swapping the UK for a beachfront lifestyle in Australia. It might have had some bearing on reality once, but I quickly discovered that Australia wasn’t without its reality checks :-)

Beoz

I assume you are implying that these foreign number plates you spot in Perth are people moving from the east. Please do remind them they need to have their vehicle registration transferred within 3 months. I believe this includes adopting a local number plate. It will make you feel more secure if these foreign number plates are localised ASAP.

scotty9000

I am driving around WA with Vic plates but have no intention to live and die in WA. I wonder if a car with vic plates actually remains a part of vic inside?

the troubadour

Actually now you mention it in my street the plates of one SUV did indeed change. But that was from Victorian to ACT. Does that count? No idea if the influx of Vic plates are those intending to remain out west. or indeed only over to make some 'fast' money. But I have noted some longer term have changed to WA but doesn't change a single thing. Still nice to see you can make 'light' of what some may deem a fairly serious issue.

Beoz

Why is Victorians travelling to WA for work or a holiday a serious issue?