richjop

Fortunately not, Richard will be coming back, it may take hima little while to get used to having us around again!

Richard has now been in Adelaide for a week and as we have no broadband at our new home I thought I would let everyone know how much can be achieved in a week. He did a reccie in March and managed to get a house, school and job. Arrived on Thursday at 7am, man from Pabs arrived with sofa etc at 12, dash to IKEA to buy essentials, food then bed. Friday, more shopping, plumber to sort out hot water, ran into the city (we are in Malvern nr Unley), met the neighbours. Sat, cycled to Glenelg, attended house auction, dinner at Neighbours (steak and prawns on barbie), lots of wine and beer. Sun breakfast at doof doof (organic place in Unley), went out for a stroll, found shops etc. Mon-started work for Bradken in Adelaide, out with the boys from work in the evening, Tuesday flew to Tasmania with work, Wednesday in Melborne, off to NSW week after next-been a bit of a whirlwind but he's told me its the best thing he has ever done and when we join him at the end of July everything will be just as he imagined-how's that for a busy but positive start to our new life:D!!!! Joanne (left behind with 2 boys)

We were always set on going to Perth as we have friends there and they told us how great it was but we didn't get the necessary points for Richards job so we started looking at Adelaide. One of the things that we were concerned about were schools, sea and affordability-it seemed to tick all the boxes so we booked a two week holiday to Perth last August followed by a week in Adelaide to compare the two. We loved Perth but felt it was too far away from the rest of Australia. We did have a couple of weeks of Australians telling us tales about 'the city of churches' and how smalltown Adelaide was. Arrived in Adelaide full of trepidation and spent the first night in tears as we arrived in the dark to the most awful accomodation. We were staying in Glenelg so Richard ventured out and found a lovely restaurant and after a glass of red all seemed a little rosier!!! Spend 6 days really looking round and decided to go for it. Up shot of this ramble is that Richard went back in March, got a really good job, found a great school and a house and he flew out today to spend 7 weeks travelling with work before we join him. Adelaide felt comfortable, not as glitzy and American as Perth but just the right balance for a young family, (and a boating mad husband). I would say, go an have a look, everyone has different likes and dislikes and if you ever get to Malvern I'm sure the barbie will be on!!!! Joanne

I have an interview with a financial advisor next week. £150 for 2 hours who i met at a recent seminar on emigration. During our 5 minute chat he reckoned I could lose out on tens of thousands of pounds if I left my pension where it is, so I thought £150 was worth a punt. I have got a load of other things that I need advice on as I have a few investments and shares and I will be doing a bit of work for my old boss in UK while in Oz. Will report back after Tuesday 8th.

Schools were also one of our main concerns given that our child is 6 but academically nearer to 10!!! My husband visited Adelaide in March and spent a lot of time looking around and we have decided to send Ben to a private school as they said classes were smaller and more able to help each child individually. This is, of course, our own choice. The one thing Richard did say was that going into the schools and just chatting was the best way to find out whether they were for you or not, everyone was so friendly and nothing is too much trouble!!!

We are renting on a 12 month contract which gives us the opportunity to get to know the area and then hopefully buy something that might need a bit of work which we can do without too much upheaval. When I came out in March a few agents suggested buying in a place where demand is high as you would be fairly sure of selling for a profit a few months down the line. You can normally complete a sale in a month - if you are going for OAA this might be a good idea as you might not want to stay there for 12 weeks.

I flew with Malaysia Air in March and had a great flight out (though some of the passengers weren't too keen on lamb curry for breakfast!) Flight back had a 3 hour delay with a mechanical problem (though that could happen to any airline). I would recommend Malasia air as it stops at Kuala Lampur which is a really good airport. Nice, clean, plenty of places to eat and free wi-fi in the whole airport (and UK plugs to charge the laptop). I would go for the flights with the times that suit you best.

Hi Gazza We have been to both Perth and Adelaide twice and will be moving permanently to Adelaide in July. I agree with Kevster's comments and would add that Perth is also quite remote. We chose Adelaide mainly because the visa process was easier but it was also more affordable and seemed to have everything we wanted. At the end of the day its up to you to make the choice.

I have just been out in Adelaide for a week and there seems to be plenty of work. I have got the jobs pages from today's Advertiser. If you want it PM me with your address - there are a few jobs for chippies. Richard

You are so nearly there. We got our Bond letter on 30th November and got our visa on 25th January. As far as I can tell, they wouldn't ask for the bond if everything else wasn't OK, so all you have to do is find the money. We struggled to meet their dates as there was a delay in getting the money out of our unit trusts and clear into our account, especially over Christmas. Once it had cleared into our account we used Moneycorp who were very helpful. The hardest bit for me was working out the international diallling code on the fax machine at work (which I found didn't allow overseas calls) to send the form to the SA Finance people. If there is going to be a delay make sure you notify your case officer. We got our visas about about 9 days after the money cleared. If I were you I would start thinking about selling house and leaving jobs, etc as the worst bit is having a visa but not being able to get over to OZ. Best wishes Richard

Thanks for the replies. I have sent a follow up to the ten primary schools we emailed two weeks ago. I received a reply from 2 of the private schools first thing today and have made appointments to see them. As you said we will narrow down our search area a bit and then hopefully find one thats good and local.

Hi - First post on this forum. We have just got our visas and are looking at coming out in July / August 07. I emailed about 10 primary schools in / around Adelaide 2 weeks ago and none have replied (we are looking at anywhere between Port Adelaide / Hills and Flagstaff Hill). Is this normal? Does it mean they are all full or should I give them a reminder. These were all state schools. As I haven't had any replies, I have emailed a few private schools, but looking at the enrolment forms they ask a lot of questions about where we go to church, etc. Am I right in thinking that for most private schools, preference is given to people who are a bit more religious than me (e.g. been to church in the last 15 years) but would still offer a place if they had one? Final question - my son Ben will be 7 in May. Will he be likely to get a place in Term 3 / 4, or will he be likely to have to wait until January 2008?