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Don't get too excited - its only a day wiring up a shed. I built a shed a couple of years ago and now need it wired up - power points and lights. All pretty standard. 2nd smaller job of wiring in some deck lights. I'm in Angaston in the Barossa Valley.

Xzibit - bang on right. Don't say you've just arrived. Haggle and haggle some more. From the outset make it clear that you're not fussed about the car, you have no real interest in cars and theirs just fits the bill along with 1 or 2 other brands. Obviously don't be rude but don't let the dealer snake their way in to try and be your new best friend. Until a couple of years ago I bought cars like everyonelse. Then I work colleague who was fresh off the boat asked if I would help her. She only needed a small cheap car until her partner arrived 3 month later. What an eye opener. I made it clear to the dealer it was all about the $$ and there was no passion for the car. We haggled (never normally liked doing - thats why the dealer tries to befriend you) and walked out twice only to be pulled back in and a lower price offered. Hugely successful.

Its nothing personal its just you! I had the same problem when I arrived 6 years or so ago. Look at it this way. If you're a landlord or agent why make life possibly harder giving a property to someone fresh off the boat. If you arrived here by the click of a finger surely you could leave just as easily. That was the conclusion I came to - and I'm in a fairly introverted area. Try touring all the local agents with copies of your references, completed applications etc. Face to face works well. Good luck.

Did you sone do the KMCC ride day yesterday? Enjoy it?

.....I should have added that both the Gawler Club and KMCC have ride days this coming Sunday 22nd. Gawler is at Saddleworth and KMCC is in Truro. KMCC closing date for entry is this Wednesday. If your son wants to ride a lot then buy a year licence for about $ 110 rather than having to pay $25 per day. Year licence is 365 days rather than 2016 - 17 so buying mid season is not an issue.

My son rides in the Keyneton MCC. Its an enduro and trials club. He's only 9 so only rides the monthly track days and loves them. Its one of the oldest clubs in Australia and has members ranging from KTM Aus factory riders to , well, my son. Very friendly club. I'm in the Barossa so its close for me but I see you're down south so its a bit more of a trek. Try searching for the SAORC - their website shows the State championship dates and locations. Don't worry about the 'state' level - you don't have to be David Knight to enter! From the races I've seen over the last few years, enduros here are more like GNCC than enduros / hare & hounds in the UK. The landscape here isn't overly difficult so speed plays larger part in the results. Bogs and mud aren't an issue either but learn to ride in sand and moon dust. ACUSA Park has ride days - they have enduro & MX tracks. Pay on the day. I think they are in the Hill near Harrogate. I've not been so can't give an opinion. There's also the Gawler Club - search on Google. There is no trail riding here as in the UK (or was in the UK when I did it years ago) as all land seems to be private - hence organised ride days on farmers land. Remember if your son enters any road trials or reliability trials (both enduros rather than 'trials') the bikes have to be completely road legal. Not road legal like in the UK where the bike has the same rego as your car, MX tyres, no mirrors and just a back light (sorry Officer!) but totally legal and will fail scrutineering if its not. Likewise UK / EU helmets are fine for racing but not riding however this law is in the imminent process of being changed. Local events always seem hard to find but there are around so ask at the clubs. http://www.motorcyclingsa.org.au http://keynetonmcc.asn.au/web/ http://www.motorcyclingsa.org.au/en-us/safacilities/acusapark.aspx http://gawlermcc.com.au/wp/

Thanks all. I managed to the the item moved for Worcester to Adelaide and it arrived just after Christmas. I moved to the Barossa over 5 years ago and wild horses couldn't drag me back to the UK or Worcester.

Bought my washer and drier. The drier was never unpacked after 2 years so I sold it.

They drink beer of course! I try to do something different every year although it nearly always involves prawns, lobster and riesling. Tradition is just for people too dull to think of new things Locals do actually have an English style roast - often with numerous cooked meats - despite the fact that its probably the last meal you'll want in the heat. There's the Christmas parade in the city but even a die hard Christmas fan would be put off by a parade on a 35 degree bright sunny day a month before the actual day - it is worth seeing though but probably only once. So, what can you do? Theres the beach, conservation parks or hills but either way, just do whatever you enjoy with no other outside pressures. After all, isn't that the reason for coming here? Happy Christmas.

Hmmm. I'm not sure if I'd list Chewits ad in my classic list. Adverts here are pretty dreadful - its all shouting and cheap cheap cheap. Stuff the quality (or lack of) and look how cheap it is. I think I miss the general cleverness of UK adverts. Most of the Guiness ads, Hamlet cigars and the Cadbury drumming gorilla would be the ones I remember best - definitely not Jarvis cars or Sleepland!

I think if I were the author of the article I'd be somewhat shocked at my failure as a parent. Kids don't go to school to learn life skills, they go to learn very particular subjects. Is it not the job of the parent to teach life skills? With the exception of the obvious ones like driving, I'd be pretty confident that that my 11 year old would be able to perform most of the skills on the list as would the majority of her friends. Interestingly she recently had a school lesson on understanding the media which heavily concentrated on how to interpret adverts and that what is said in adverts, be it TV, radio, or print media, is not necessarily true!

Super fast broadband up here in the Barossa!!

As mentioned above. Here its DAB+. You can't get DAB+ broadcasts on a DAB radio. Radio is pretty bad here. Nearest thing to Radio4 BBC would be ABC Local or National but I can only get that in long wave. There are loads of really crappy FM stations but like the TV, you'll soon get sick of 50% listening time being filled with adverts. Its not all bad - pretty much everythingelse is good.

Very sadly snow is not one of Australia's finer points. I really miss skiing. I took my kids to Mt Buller for a weekend just to see if it was worth booking a ski holiday. It wasn't. I'd seen better snow on the Malvern Hills back in the UK. It was grey, slushy, sloppy and wet. Easy to rent toboggans but take a wet suit. However, friends ski at Falls Creek and enjoy it although they do say the weather / snow is a bit hit and miss and its not good to good early. From memory staying in the resorts is expensive. I stayed in a small cottage near Mansfield just found through the web. Everything was good apart from the snow.If there is proper snow the mountain roads are closed unless you have snow chains - they can easily be rented at local petrol stations. Sorry - just saw your bit about snow in SA. It doesn't exist unless you fancy waiting for the 1 in 50 year flurries around Mt Crawford. I'm in the Barossa which is near to what must be one of the coldest parts of SA - Mt Crawford / Williamstown / Springton and its not snowed in the 5 years I've been here.

Are there any qualified sparkies on here who want a days easy work? I need a shed wiring up in about 3 - 4 weeks time - 3 x fl tubes and 3 x double wall sockets. Main switch board and meter are on the outside wall of the shed. I'm in Angaston the the Barossa. I can probably get hold of the parts at trade price if it makes it easier.