Re: Old gits thread
 

Of course it's on topic!!!

I like Adelaide because it is a quieter city - some say boring but I have lots of fun here:D
Great for families and still affordable.

The weather is good if you like a drier climate.I also like the seasons and the sense of change during the year.Saying that we have 32c today and this is Autumn!

Jobs are a little harder to find and some say pay is less - but the cost of living is lower.

We live down south of the city in a semi rural area and love it.
There are a lot of English migrants settling in Adelaide.

I wouldn't Adelaide is booming yet,I'd tip it to be next with all the mining in the North.

Re: Old gits thread
 

Hi

Just got back into using this website after a year or so of no posts. Think that my hubby and I qualify to post on this thread!! We came out to Oz in 2003 - I was 36 and hubby 46 at the time so now 40 and 50!! Daughter is now 15 and living the Sunshine Coast lifestyle - beach, movies, and enjoying life. We have found that our age did not restrict us from doing the things we wanted. We have both changed careers!! - mid life crisis for both of us I think - I was 39 when accepted for a student paramedic position in the Queensland Ambulance Service - so they will give you a go! I taught for 3 years (contracts and relief work) before making the move. Hubby did a cert 4course and is now working as a teacher aide in a special school.
We love the Sunshine Coast (the best place in Australia) and do not find the climate a problem - or maybe we have just got used to it now. Did go through some tough times and hubby and daughter did experience some home/family sickness initially but that has passed! Still miss Good English pubs and cold Christmases - we generally spend part of Xmas day having a BBQ on the beach!!:cool:
I really do not think that I would have been given the opportunity to retrain for such a different career in the UK at "my age"!! but I could be wrong - it has been known!!
Good luck to all awaiting visas whatever your age - don't not do it because you think you are too old -then regret it later.
SJ

Re: Old gits thread
 

Well, having viewed BE for some time now; it’s a great source of information (and entertainment), I thought that I would share my thoughts with likeminded “oldies”.

We are both in our late 50s and started our expatriate life over 30-years ago and since then lived and worked in several countries, but never Australia. It is now however one of our favourite and regular jaunts for vacation.

My first trip to Aus was in 1967, to then a small place called Bunbury, now a bustling port and have fond memories of people that I met taking me for a weekend crabbing on the Peel (I think). Within a few years thereafter I visited Geraldton, Perth and Fremantle; they were all very different places from what they are today, but we have been fortunate to visit most again in recent years.

Perth is a lovely city, clean and in my mind easy to negotiate. The coast has great beaches and Hillarys is a great place to have a coffee looking out over the Marina. Of course in recent years there has been an explosion of construction, with the landscape taking on a very different image. Further south, opening up the Peel has created another area of interest, with Mandurah becoming one of the new destinations; has the train reached there yet? For those who live there, you have a great location although for me, a little isolated.

The cities of the east coast are more active and we particularly like the tram and train system of Melbourne; did we mention coffee anyone. Then there is the never ending stream of sporting championships; Tennis, Formula 1, Golf etc. amongst all the other areas of cultural interest.

There is no doubt that Sydney harbour captivates all those on their first foray. The city is just another city, but the areas and topography surrounding the harbour certainly live up to all that has been said. Manly and Watsons bay are always worth a day out for lunch or dinner in the evening and even the ferry to Parramatta is an enjoyable experience.

Although we have been to Brisbane, it was brief and central city only so have no major comments either way.

Byron Bay has got to be on top of my list and if anyone is about to venture to BB check out The Villas Of Byron, they are fantastic; it’s a great weekend and I could easily park my hide on the side of the hills overlooking the coast.

Gosh, I only started this to say hello and to mention that when we do finally end this thing called work………….Australia will hopefully be our home.


Another Old Git!..............:cool:

Re: Old gits thread
 

Sorry were 56 and 58. Applied for the 410 visa on the last day before it was abolished. Have bought some land and are looking at house designs. Will start building in December and move to OZ permanently in Aug 08.

Feel like 20 again. No dependent children or didn't have! Son & daughter-in-law are just applying for their visas.:blink:

Re: Old gits thread
 

Hi all,

My husband and I have been looking to immigrate to Oz for a while now.
I'm 29, my OH is 49, we have a 3 year old daughter, so I guess we kind of fit in here.

The question I have is re business visa: do you have to run business in Uk for a period of time before applying?

We don't seem to fit any other categories and business visa now seems the only opportunity.

Thanks

Re: Old gits thread
 

Yes you do... Here's a link to the relevant page on the DIAC site... We're here on a 164 which required us to be employed for at least 2 of the previous 4 years at a high level within a business with a turnover of at least $10m...

For business owners the requirements are substantially less... turnover of $500k I believe...

For anyone that thinks they've run out of possibilities I would always recommend talking to an agent... There's more than one way to skin this cat... :) We used George Lombard who was excellent, living up to his reputation on this forum...

Good luck... :)

HTH

Re: Old gits thread
 

what are 410 visas?:D sounds good hope the house build goes well:thumbsup:

Re: Old gits thread
 

Glad to see you have got an old gits thread up and running.

My OH is 46 in July and I'm 47 and before there's any cracks about a blue rinse, I've got my appointment booked to get my hair coloured after all the grey hairs the aos has given me(well I'll blame that):rofl:

It' great to see that other people from the "new 30's" are heading out. We have young family, two boys age 6 and 2. I wonder if they have toddler groups that are zimmer friendly!

Re: Old gits thread
 

410 visa was a Temporary Retirement visa you could apply for at the age of 55 with a minimum of $870,000. This is renewable every 4 years. I think this visa was replaced by the Investment visa which means you have to have 1 million GBP.

Re: Old gits thread
 

Thanks Tyke. So presumably "drier" means it's nowhere near as humid as QLD? Jobs may not be a problem as we'd think about buying or setting up a business. Next to boom may be good from an investment point of view...

Re: Old gits thread
 

Yes, we are in the same boat Karl, We estimate to be going over with slightly less & if I don't get a job straight away..... well, let's not even go there! But coming back to the UK isn't an option I'm even going to consider :eek:

:rofl: Man after my own heart :) This is usually my mmentality sold our house & kept worrying that it would fall through the day before we moved..... then when it did I worried that my negative thinking actually caused it to fall through! :eek:

Trying to think positive now, but it's hard when you have been a pessimist for nearly 43 years :rofl:

Chris.

P.S. have you thought of organising a N'pton meet again soon?

Re: Old gits thread
 

Not soon. Have been assigned CO today, so have got to organise meds etc. Girls have end of year exams coming up soon, so don't want to overload them with immigration stuff over the next month. Tall order with medicals coming up....

I think we'd quite like a meet up when (if) we get the visas and we've jumped up and down lots -assuming we don't have a change of heart and scuttle quietly off to a hole...;)

On the subject of worrying, we have a house with (minor) subsidence to sell.:ohmy:

Cheers
Karl

Re: Old gits thread
 

See you in Armadale or Kwinana (I think oil refineries look cool at sunset...)

Looking at some real estate forums, prices have started dropping in some suburbs. A lot depends on any stamp duty changes which may or may not happen in May. Some sources are thinking prices may drop up to say 8% over the next year or so, but I'm not counting on that - most seem to think prices will level for a bit. Resources boom not over yet, so who knows, although a lot of the mega contracts have already been tendered and awarded.

FIFO to the mines is an option for me. It's not what I'd like for the long term, but if it brings in good money... Anyway, as immigrants, we'll be willing to work for any money to get started on the employment ladder (and not erode precious savings).

Looking at REIWA, there are still houses in $300k to $350k range which would be sufficient for our needs. It just needs a lot of research to make sure you're not on a drag strip etc etc.

How long until you leave?

Karl

Re: Old gits thread
 

"Looking at some real estate forums, prices have started dropping in some suburbs. A lot depends on any stamp duty changes which may or may not happen in May. Some sources are thinking prices may drop up to say 8% over the next year or so, but I'm not counting on that - most seem to think prices will level for a bit."

Is this prices on Oz we're talking about? If so, which city/state?

Re: Old gits thread
 

Hi. I'm referring only to Perth, where the rise in median prices has been 136% in the last four years, a lot of which has been driven by investors and panic buying, all fuelled by the WA minerals boom.

Karl