scotland

I am planning to put my house on the market in Sydney in September.
I will have to sell lots of things and ship a lot over to Scotland.
Can I keep my TV's ? Will they work over there.
Has anyone any advice for me what I should sell etc and what I should ship over?
I have so many questions. How do I move my money? What is the best way. What are the tax implications at this end and in Uk?
Hope someone can help as I want a trouble free move as much as I can .

JAJ

Trouble free move? I didn't think there was any such thing.

Most light electrical goods move easily to U.K. although TVs may be an exception (different standards).

Moving your money? A bank can do an international transfer. Do you have a British bank account?

There is no tax on transferring your own money from one place to another. But you should visit http://www.ato.gov.au to see what you need to do on departure from Australia.

Have you got your Australian citizenship?

scotland

Yes I have got Australian citizenship. Unsure about TV's. I think they may work over there?? Trouble free as much as is possible by planning well is the hope. I think the banks have not got as good an exchange rate as fedx etc. The difference of one pence is large when it is a large sum . So I hope to do my homework so I can then buy over there.
Thanks for your reply. Any advice helps me.

scotland

Tax at this end I am unsure about. I do my tax return every year but will be 6 months or so into new financial year when I leave.

CaptainMerton

Why you moving back? if you don't mind me asking.

scotland

AS trime goes on I miss my family more and more. That is the main reason. I love Australia but family is a bigger thing to me now that it ever was.
Happy to answer Questions.

CaptainMerton

I just ask because I am considering going the other way. Girlfriend is australian, met in Scotland but her visa ran out and now she's back in Sydney. I'm going out for 3 months on a career break shortly and then i come back to work. Was in Sydney for 3 weeks last year for the first time. I liked it but obviously I have doubts and wondered what its really like. I should add I have no interest in better standard of living or winding down or any of that sh1te. I'm 31 and want to make sure I can live somewhere that has decent wages, a decent nightlife and some excitement. Is Sydney the place and how different is Australia to Scotland?

AudsFrmSA

Hi Scotland, I'm also moving back to Scotland as soon as we get our properties in South Africa sold, however, I'm not planning on taking anything back as I doubt the furniture we have here would fit into a house we could afford in Scotland, and I've done a bit of research and it is best to start off fresh once we're there. Where abouts in Scotland are you looking at settling?
Good Luck
Audrey

scotland

I am looking at settling in Bearsden, Glasgow. My family live near Loch Lomond but it is a bit quiet there. but 1/2 hour drive.
I am unsure what to bring with me and what to sell. Big move all up as I have set my life up here. Private health insurance, pension etc .I wish in some ways I had never left as I was looking for an adventure nice beaches etc. But I forgot or did not realise how important family is. Especially if you are ever sick or going through a tough time. There is nothing like family.
Can't fault Australia just can be a lonely time as everyone is involved with their family's at Xmas, Easter etc and you feel far far away from your own. Great friends are great but when it comes down to it family are really the ones there for you. As friends have their priorities which we can understand.
As parents get older you feel so cut off and guilty. Did not feel that way before as was younger and I suppose more selfish.
Now my parents are older they can't cope with travelling so far. So this is a real problem. I can go back yearly for 4 weeks but does not seem enough.
I am heading back in 3 weeks to have a good look around and look at Scotland not from a tourists eyes , as I have the last few years, but from someone going to live there.
Cheers Scotland.

scotland

Read my reply below. Not so different but a really good standard of living.
Cheaper, and fairly friendly. Lots of night life, 24 hrs, and I guess exciting. Lots to see and do. But read other post.Problem is you never get home out of your system. And if you had kids they would rarely see thier grandparents. Which is hard for people who move here. And for your parents.

AudsFrmSA

That is great! Please let me know how you get on once you've done your trip. For us, we're not going back to 'look around' as we are in a situation in South Africa, where we have to leave, so no matter what, we're going back, and will make the most of it, not that I have any negative feelings at all, I'm excited and happy about it and although it is a 'huge' move, and we'll be taking a few step backwards as most do when they move to another country, we're up for the challenge and know at the end of the day, we'll be better off in Scotland. Good Luck.

quoll

You are so right about the pull of family as you get older and less selfish. I hope your move home goes well - the thought of living somewhere near Loch Lomond would be my idea of heaven.

CaptainMerton

If it's any use I'm from Stirling lived in Glasgow 7 years and now Edinburgh for 5 years. You'll never beat Edinburgh for standard of living in my opinion.

heading downunder 2002

One of the reasons we came home was because once in Oz I suddenly realised that my parents were not getting any younger and I was a long way from home if needed. My parents were both in their 80's. We have now been back 5 years gone the beginning of April, my father died last June and my mother's health has deteriorated so much that she now lives in sheltered accomodation with 24 hour care. Although I have siblings I have taken on most of the responsibility of seeing to what her carers don't provide. I could not have coped with any of what has happened this last year had I been in Australia and would have missed the last 4 years of my fathers life.

We were only in Oz 6 months, this was mainly because I could not live there, before we went I kidded myself that I was only 24 hours away from home if anything happened to my parents, once there I realised that not only would we probably not have been able to afford the flights but it would have taken longer than 24 hours to get things organised to come back and I could never face such a long flight not knowing if my parent was still alive or not.

I have always said that had I gone in my 20's I would probably have settled fine but being 40 (I celebrated my 40th on the way in Singapore) it was never going to be my home.

I think that we go through life believing that our parents are here for ever because lets face it they have been there all your life, when they have gone thats it, no second chances, nothing. I am so glad we came home and I was able to be there and be part of my dads last years.

Good luck with your move back Scotland. I love Scotland, the people are great, the cities fantastic and the countryside breathtaking and living just over the border in Cumbria it doesn't take us long to get there

Susan

Pugsy

Just to add to Scotland's already fine reputation; we went to Edinburgh last month for family gathering and I spent a day shopping in the city. Well, every shop I went in took me double the time because the staff were just so darn friendly, I could hardly escape, 10 minutes after swiping the CC, the cashiers were still chatting away. Very nice though and to look up at that beautiful castle every now and then, that's really something.