Jimjustin

Decided to lower the price on this to $1095- even more of a bargain!

The Union Jack on the Australian flag only makes up a quarter of it. The five stars on the right represent the Southern Cross, a star constellation visible accross most of the southern hemisphere, which is used for navigation purposes and has been since people have sailed in this region. The larger star on the left represents the Commonwealth- it has seven points to represent the states and territories of Australia. Plenty of people seem top think Australia should become a republic and leave the commonwealth. What they should remember is that after the recent flooding and cyclone damage in QLD 75% of the funding to sort it all out afterwards comes from the commonwealth. See there are advantages! The Union flag should remain to remind people of where the majority of Australias current values and heritage come from. I dont think anyone thinks of Australia as being "part of Britain" any more- just ask anyone from the UK trying to get a visa!!! I wear the Australian flag on my uniform for work and Im extremely proud to do so- and so are the other guys I work with who are all Australian. If the flag is changed, it would dilute the patriotism and pride in the country that Australians from all different ethnic backgrounds have now. It will end up like Britain is now, where people are afraid to show pride in their country. On Anzac Day in Sydney last year I watched parades for over 9 hours with people from just about every country you can imagine all displaying how much they value being Australian- you dont see that in Britain. Migrants there mostly still view their birth country as being "home". You should also remember that the flag must represent the whole of Australia, not just SA !

Hi, We recently stored some of our stuff in 20ft shipping container at Western Storage in Camden Park. (near Glenelg) It cost $35 a week which was the cheapest I found anywhere and it went without a hitch. We only had it for 5 weeks too- I dont think there is a minimum time. Cheers Jim

On the subject of cars, give it some thought if you intend to buy a car here. My car in the UK was a Mazda 626, 1998- a complete sh##ter (but reliable) worth about 500 quid maximum. The same thing here would be at least 3 grand english!!!! If you intend on buying a car less than ten years old over here, it would probably pay you to bring one. After 5 years, cars in the UK are pretty much worthless, because people always want something newer. In Australia people dont seem to care as much and will happily drive round in a 15 year old car. Lots of people buy new and keep them for years and years. And they are still worth a lot of money when they sell!! If your container costs 3-4 thousand pound, that wont go far at all on a second hand car here. Plus you get the benefit of your own container, with just your stuff in that sails almopst straight away. I think you have to own it for a period of 3 or 6 months before you come to avoid paying import duty. Look into car prices here in SA properly before you dismiss the idea. SA car prices are higher than some other states due to numbers. It might save you a packet in the long run, and kill 2 birds with one stone! Remeber you can still fill the car with stuff, inside the container... I wish we'd done it..... Hope this helps. I looked into it before I came, but I was still shocked at how much real nails cost. (relative to UK values.) Especially with the oz dollar being so strong against the money you bring over. Cheers, Jim

Just noticed you have a lot of electrical items- in most cases you just need to change the plug when you get here! Simple! White good s are reasonable in price here though unless you go for miele or top end european stuff. Some TVs / DVD players have issues here though- ours have all been fine, but some might not work. You'll probably get more advice on that from here. You wont watch much telly anyway as you'll always be outside somewhere

Hi, Just thought I'd share our experience of a shared container. We got quotes from several companies, but decided on white and co. The guy who came out to measure our stuff was the only one who new how to use a tape measure and then convert it into volume!!! He was very professional and also gave us "realistic" time schedules. He said it would take at least 8 weeks, probably closer to 10 with the christmas period as fewer people would be shipping. Unfortunately he was the only professional at the company I think. From there on in it was terrible. We knew it would take a while, as we only filled about one fitfth of a container and knew it would be a while before it was full and could be loaded for shipping. They collected everything on the 15th of december 2009- just. The guys were over 2 hours late and didnt even apologise. It seemed the person who worked out their route at the office had no idea of realistic schedules... We left on 1st feb 2010 and arrived on the 6th feb. After a couple of weeks, I rang the UK to see how long our stuff would be. It hadn't even left yet. It was still in the storage facility!!!!! Two months on and it hadnt moved since the 15th december.... As you can imagine I had some very serious words with the manager....he assured me it would leave very soon and take 6 weeks. I had been told the passge was 8 weeks minimum on more than one occasion.....he was full of s##t, and I told him so. I had several conversations with him and was given a load of crap everytime. Eventually it arrived in Australia- in MELBOURNE! Not Adelaide as it was supposed to...so it had to be freighted up here then too. Our stuff finally arrived at the end of April. 4 months and lots of bull later. To cap it off, one of the boxes, containing my beloved bike riding gear didnt show... I hadnt ridden for nearly 5 months at that point so I could have wept. Fortunately it turned up the next day- after yet more phone calls and hassle. My advice would be get a whole container if you can afford one. That way it will be shipped as soon as it leaves your house, not sit around in a storage facility waiting to get filled up. You might not have much, but if you can afford it, buy new beds, sofa etc in the UK and ship them here- quality stuff is MUCH cheaper there. If you can afford to spend the money buying stuff before you leave then I would do it. Make sure you tell customs you have owned it all for at least six months and you shouldnt have to pay any duty on it. Second hand cars are very expensive here too- you could fill your container with that- seriously, you could bring a car over in a container costing 3 or 4 thousand pounds and still save a ton of money if you bring a fairly new car over. I can tell you that a honda civic or similar sized car will fit in a container as I did it a few months back for temporary storage! With room for other stuff- plus you can fill the inside of the car too. Check out Cars for sale | New & Used Cars | Car news, reviews & blogs at carsguide.com.au to find out about second hand car prices. My eleven year old vectra estate cost 8000 dollars here- you could get the same thing for a 1000 quid in the UK.... All that said, you dont come here for a cheaper life because it isnt- its more expensive now. However the QUALITY of life is amazing. We have been here a year today, and we absolutely love it.

Hi, I'm selling the Diamond back Axis I brought over from the UK as I have since bought another dual suspension bike. I now have 5 and my wife says I need to sell one! I only got this bike (brand new in september 2009) to ride when Amy came out riding with me. We boxed all our bikes up in december 09 to come here, and didn't get them out again until june 2010! Needless to say it has only been ridden a handful of times, when Amy comes out riding, so it is still like new. Please note, this is a UK Diamonback- very diffrent from the budget Aussie brand of the same name! It is a seriously good bike with only top spec parts. It scored 9/10 on bike radars review, and 5/5 for user reviews. Something equivalent here would be at least $2000 + Im asking $1200 ono. If you are looking to take up mountain bike riding this is the bike for you. Ill list all the parts spec below- only real bike nerds will probably understand most of it! Alloy Vectra hydroformed frame - size 18" medium. Suit up to six foot tall. Rock shox Recon 335 air fork 130 mm travel, with lock out - this fork gets great reviews Truvativ Stylo Crank Shimano XT shadow long cage rear derailleur Shimano XT front derailleur Shimnao LX shifters Avid Juicy 7 hydraulic brakes with 160mm rotors Mavic 321 professionally built wheels with shimano deore hubs FSA XC190 handlebars FSA SL280 seat post Bontrager racelite stem Bontrager Rythym seat - brand new Crank Bros candy C pedals - brand new with cleats. Or I can supply flat pedals. (Bikes of this calibre usually come without pedals when new.) Outland locking grips Cane Creek Headset Nokian NBX lite tyres 26 x 2.2 - brand new cross country tyres. or I can fit it with some brand new bontrager 2.4 tyres that are a bit more heavy duty that came off my GF Roscoe. Lizard Skin frame protection All up this is a top spec bike and you'll never buy better for this kind of money I guarantee you that! Im at Henley Beach if anyone wants to come and have a look. Call me on 0428400288 if you want more info or I can email more pics etc. Cheers, Jim

New in the box Sony Ericsson Vivaz, touchscreen mobile phone. I got it when I took out a telstra contract and being a dinosuar I stuck with my old one! It does everything- HD video, 10MP camera, 8GB memory, video messaging,MP3/MP4 player, internet access with facebook, twitter etc, you can even get PIA on it. It comes in the box with the charger leads, and all the gear that you get new. I will also throw in the (unopened) screen protector they gave me. It is unlocked, so will work on any network. The picture shows it with a vodafone SIM I put it in to check it worked with that. To be honest unless you live and stay in the CBD you need to be on telstra to get any kind of coverage anyway! It works on Telstra next G and with rural coverage. Teltra are charging me over $700 dollars for this phone! Im selling for $250 dollars, because I know I'll never use it. Please ring for more details or I can email more pics etc. Cheers, Jim. 0428400288 Im in Henley Beach

Jeyes is the way to go, but remove all traces of soil. I cleaned about 20 MTB tyres, and my bikes really well, used jeyes on all the tyres, our camping equipment, boots etc and it was fine. Got stung though because my wife packed some xmas decs with a pine cone in it! They wanted 400 dollars to treat it or 280 dollars to destroy it! I got them down to 80 dollars to get rid of it, but it was still a pain in the backside after all the trouble id gone to. They do check a LOT of stuff. If you take the wheels out of your bikes, put frame protectors into the wheel dropouts to stop any side impacts bending the frame or forks. You can use 8mm threaded bar cut to length with nuts and washers- dont get ripped off for actual frame protectors that dont do anything extra! Lots of good riding here in Adelaide. Message me if you want more info. Cheers, Jim

I think this thread started about people wearing football shirts? No grown man should ever wear a football shirt. Unless he is playing football.

Hi. If you can make sure you have the whole container. We had a part container with White and Co, and our belongings took over 4 months to get from Nottingham to Adelaide. I could have driven them here in a van quicker. A big part of the hold up was waiting for the container to be full before it left. White and Co were very poor, with very very poor communication. I shipped our stuff mid December, thinking that by the time we arrived in early Feb it woould be almost here. It had in fact not even left the UK, and didn't until mid Feb. It sat in a warehouse for 2 months. Obviously if you have a whole container it will bypass a lot of these problems.

Just to let you know, I went into a really ggod store in Adelaide last week for outdoor stuff- a place called Anaconda near the airport. It was similar to decathlon in the UK and had some great tents- some tiny 2 man jobs and some bigger than houses Ive lived in! They were very reasonably priced too. They had a ton of other outdoor gear - we got some great reclining chairs, and a hammock. The hammock, with a frame was only $100 and big enough for two.

Hi Drumms. We have been here for 4 weeks now so have recent first hand experience. The mobile phone tip is good- if you have 2 unlocked phones then get 2 sim cards. Put a lot of credit on one and give that number to people. Then just use the second one to contact each other to meet up after interviews and the like. You'll find you spend most of your time together initially so you only really need one. The other thing is if you have one number to give out, leave that phone with your partner while you are in interviews and things so you dont miss any important calls. Its worked for us with job calls, estate agents etc. You'll find if you miss someones call its not that easy to get hold of them again! We got 2 vodafone sims here very cheap. We got a vodaphone mobile internet dongle here working on 3G. It costs 200 dollars for 12GB and is valid for a year so unless you use internet ALOT it will last a long time. We've used ours a fair bit and haven't used 1GB yet. Ive seen 12GB dongles a bit cheaper than that since but vodafone are ok for coverage. The connection speed does depend on a few things though- mainly signal strength, but also weather, and internet traffic. Drivers licences are more expensive here and you pay for them annually. It wasn't cheap for the year either. If you are only temp residents you dont actually need an oz licence. You only have to get an Oz licence within three months of becoming perm residents. I got one but only because I took my wifes surname when we married before coming over so its good for photo ID here. We were going to spend about 20000 dollars on a car but having spent the first few weeks looking for jobs, cars and houses and not getting anywhere, we bought a cheap runabout for 4000 dollars instead, just to allow us to concentrate our efforts on the more important things, ie. jobs and houses. It also left us a lot more money as funds if we dont get work for a few months. Grocery shopping is a bit of a shock- most things are a bit more expensive, some things a lot more. Most fresh produce though is the same or a bit cheaper. You wont go hungry! We've been going to some of the bargain shops where you can buy brand name toiletries (palmolive, colgate etc) and the like much cheaper than coles/woolies etc. Be prepared to try a few aussie brands too. We've found if something seems too cheap to be true, it usually is! As a friend of mine used to say "buy cheap, buy twice." The biggest problem you'll face is the exchange rate- you're coming over at the worst time in history for the dollar/pound rate. We got it pretty bad, but the pound has dived again since then so not good news I'm afraid. We have brought over an initial set up fund, and left any cash for buying houses etc in the UK until the rate improves. The only real answer to your main question is actually quite simple- just bring as much as you possibly can to make it as easy as you can once you get here. We've worried about a few things since we arrived, but because we saved hard and went without a bit in the 12 months before coming over, money hasn't been one of them. Yet! All said though and money aside, its well worth the move, we are enjoying it here. People go on about standard of living a lot- for me its about quality of living, and the quality of life here is better, regardless of money sometimes. Some of the really good stuff money can't buy anyway. Blue skies, lovely beaches, amazing wildlife, and friendly people, all make for good times for free. We've found our best days so far have been the cheapest. Fish and chips by on the beach at henley- sunset, 20 dollar dinner, million dollar views. Take the free city bikes out from the various stations around the city- just show ID and take them all day for free. We've cycled around all the parkland, riverside, and cycle paths, stopping for a picnic in the Botanical Gardens- Great afternoon out, and free. Good luck on your move, take a bit of time to settle in once you get here, and you'll be fine. Cheers, jim.

Hi Shella, I have just moved to Adelaide with my wife Amy and we are finding it much to our liking. We only landed 4 weeks ago but we are starting to feel quite at home now and getting to know a few areas. We too have been looking to rent at the beaches and you are right it is expensive. we have seen some complete dives, but some nice places too. We think we have got somewhere now at Henley Beach which is lovely. All the beaches up that stretch are nice but we prefer the ones nearer to the airport, West Beach, Henley beach and Grange. We've been up to semaphore, and largs and it is nice all the way up really. Not too sure about holiday rentals, but for six or twelve month rentals which is the standard time scale here this is what we have experienced in the last few weeks. If you need a three bed house you will be looking at 400 to 500 dollars a week if you want somewhere nice. We saw a 4 bed place 2 streets from the beach at henley 3 days ago and it was lovely, probably ideal for your young family, but it is expensive there. It was 500 dollars a week, and unfortunately it was just too big for us otherwise we would have applied for it. But if you want somewhere relatively modern and close to the beach with 3 beds, thats what it will cost unfortunately. You might get something cheaper if you look at units, but it depends if you want to be detached from everyone else or not. If you want to PM me your email I can send you some pictures from Henley and West beach that we have taken this week along there. It is lovely and the sunsets are spectacular. The rental market for good places is very tight and there are lots of people after them. If you can, offer to pay rent up front for a few months as it usually sweetens the deal. Also if you can provide any references from previous landlords that can help too. You almost have to sell yourself to landlords here as they have plenty to choose from. The rental estate agents can be hard work too. On the diving front, Cairns is excellent for diving, I've dived there a bit and its usually very good. My friend owns a Hostel up there and would probably sort some trips out for you on the dive boats if you tell him you know me. Let me know and I'll give you his details. Cairns is a great place to visit at that time of year. Although it is winter, the temperature is generally in the mid twenties and its not wet. (It can be a bit chilly at night though.) If you go during the wet season, (December to April time) it can be very wet and very humid. The only downside is sometimes it can be a little windy at that time of year and the sea is a little rougher. Should be good visibility though. Good luck on the move, and if I can give one piece of advice, it would be this- dont run around like headless chickens trying to set the world on fire in the first week. We did that and got nowhere, but did get very stressed out. So chill out a bit, take your time, (everybody else will!) and settle in slowly if you can. Hope this is of some help. Cheers, Jim.

Hi Michele. Well done for finaly getting what you wanted. Perseverance gets you everywhere. I havewanted to come to Australia for nine years, and finally made it here 2 weeks ago with my wife Amy. Adelaide is very different to other parts of Australia we have been to, but we are really starting to like it here now. We really like the Adelaide Hills too, but its very difficult to find a nice rental! They are few and far between and get snapped up very quickly. Like I said though, perseverance- gets you everywhere! Jim and Amy

I've only used it a few times, (not at peak admittedly) but it seems ok to me. The idea of traffic only going in the main direction of flow at certain times seems to make sense. Wouldn't the be better to use the 445 million to take it closer to the city though? Just a thought.

Hi Tyke, I'd appreciate it if you gave your mate a call and maybe fix up a phone call or a meeting with me, that would be great. I have looked at the airport fire service- they are run by airservices australia along with most other airports in OZ. The snag is you need to be a permenant resident before they'll employ you according to the website. Unfortunately I'm on a three year temp visa and can't apply for PR for 2 years. I have tried calling them but it's a head office number in Canberra so any local contact would be good. Adelaide airport fire service also operate a water rescue service, which i'm fully trained in too so it would be right up my street I think. Thanks for the reply, Jim. P.S Settling into your place nicely! On first name terms with the possum...

Hi Gareth, Thanks for the input, I've already looked at the metro fire service and ambulance websites and you need to be a permenant resident which I won't be for a while unfortunately. I have all the relevant qualifications from the UK fire service, HGV, advanced first aid, computer skills etc but mostly you find you have to get the Oz equivalent before you apply. The ambulance service is the same on the permenant residency front, so no joy for me there either at the minute. I will just have to do something else for a while until I get PR. Dont let the numbers or lack of vacancies dishearten you though- if you want it bad enough just keep at it and eventually something will come through. When I first applied for NFRS there were 10,000 applicants for 12 jobs! Didn't get in that time, but I did next time when I knew more about what was expected. And it was definately the best job I've ever had by a long way, and one of the few things I was sad to leave in the UK. Cheers, Jim.

Hi, I don't suppose either of your lancers is a wagon is it? Im looking for a wagon asap. Thanks, Jim

I was originally at Beeston station, then Dunkirk, then they closed them both and built a new station at Highfields, so I finished my time there. Lived mostly in Kimberley area, then Attenborough and Beeston.

Hello, I've just arrived in Adelaide from the UK and would like to know if there are any Australian or UK firefighters on PIA? I just left Notts fire and rescue service and will be contacting the emergency services here about employment prospects and would like any info from anyone with any knowledge on the subject. All experiences good and bad will be appreciated! Thanks, Jim.

Hi, do you still have this car up for sale? Thanks, Jim

Hi Guys, Do you still have this car for sale? Thanks, Jim

Hi Dave. We land 6th Feb and will be looking to rent after end of march. Will get in touch for more info when we get there. Thanks, Jim.