richard300

Hi folks – I wonder if you could assist. My wife has just informed me that "She will no longer wear her wedding/engagement rings, as far as she is concerned, our marriage is over" The problem is, we have two children and pay a mortgage on a plot of land and are literately about to get acceptance on a home loan, for a new build that is poised to happen (all the paperwork and specs and consents have been signed off) She earns way more than me and might possibly be able to afford the house on her own – but not without using all out joint savings. Now, because of the way she has been acting recently and things she has said and done – I would be tempted to say "whatever, i'm out of here" BUT we have two young children, and i want them to have somewhere stable to live.... At the moment i have not been asked to leave the rental home we all live in, but no doubt that will come. I am unable to move back to the UK (we are here on 189PR Visas) where i could simply move in with my mother for a while, re-group and re-build and then move on – Because there is no way i could leave my children. I have never in the entirety of my life, sought any kind of financial assistance or hand out... But i fear i may now need to as i would need to rent a 3 bedroom property because i would want at least 50% custody of my children. Any idea's what i should do, best course of action? Is there anywhere you could recommend free legal advice? I would like to walk out of this with my head held high, knowing that i did the right thing by everyone. If it helps – I live in Adelaide (Southern Suburbs)

So today i enrolled my 4yo Son at O'Sullivans Beach Day Care Centre, for Wednesday/Thursday/Friday's (He goes to Taikurrendi Kindie on Monday and Tuesday). I needed to do this in preparation for my finding full time employment, but also because i have casual work and i am constantly having to turn down shifts on a Wed/Thu/Fri. Until i find full time work, i will be running at a financial loss, paying the $73 a day. But i needed to go to Centrelink to give them some paperwork relating to our family claim, which we started at the beginning of April and still has not been processed. The Child Care Centre told me to let centrelink know that he would be starting tomorrow - I did this, several times, but the woman i saw didn't seem to register it or acknowledge it. Is this something that can be done online? Forgive me if some of my questions sound a bit ridiculous, but my wife initially started dealing with this claim, but as she is working full time i am trying to sorted out. It doesn't help, that every time i want to log into centrelink using the passwords my wife set up, it sends a code to her phone that has to inputted into the site - And she is not contactable during the day. My son had his first Hep B jab today, and they also said that because there was no proof he had chicken pox in the Uk, that he needed the jab for that too - which meant he had to have his MMR again..... They told me this was safe?

We forgot to bring the red books for out two children - they are packed away in storage with some things that will ultimately be sent over to Australia. In the interim, i am going to see if the doctors surgery back in the UK, can send some acceptable proof of their immunisations. (have a 4yo and a 6yo and they have both had chicken-pox. Is the 50% rebate, an alternative to, in addition to, or part of the general Centrelink payments that we may be eligible for? Many Thanks, Richard.

Well, Jean/James, If your experience is anything like ours - you will find it's the best decision you ever made. And starting off in one of these fully furnished properties is definitely the thing to do. I nearly made a rod for my own back by coming over strait into an unfurnished long term rental..... But thankfully i listened to the voice of the masses!! We are here (i think) until the 27th June and would be more than happy to say hello and offer any advice that we may have. As you are probably aware - This site is a great resource for finding answers to questions. We wouldn't have been able to do things anywhere near as efficiently as we have done, if were not for the folk on this site!

Thanks for that Steve - That's the kind of information i needed.

Back in the UK i had a bit of a hobby/sideline that (luckily) happened to make a little money. I would buy and sell classic/retro Mercedes-Benz, BMW's and a fair few Jaguars. Basically, i would buy something i liked as a car to own, at price i thought i might make a little money on, do a little fettling and detailing, take some nice pictures and then advertise the vehicle at a price that would see me make a little profit - Sometimes these cars sold quickly and sometimes i got the opportunity to enjoy them for a little while. I never sold anything that had an issue and i never bought a lemon that might require stitching someone up with. Now, over here i am at a disadvantage as i'm not 100% familiar with any of the markets and researching prices is something i have to actively spend time doing - But i would still like to dabble and have identified a couple of cars i could work with. I guess my question is - Can it legally be done here? Or do you need a licence to trade cars? I'm happy to buy a car, register it in my name, put Rego on it, do the fettling and detailing, use it a bit and then sell.

I'll be attending my first meeting in AU on the 11th May......

Thanks folks.... apologies for the late response. Still very much enjoying things - Hoping that a couple of job leads come to something and looking forward to the kids starting school and Kindy on the 27th!! Tamara, you were absolutely right, the cottage is an excellent place to be based whilst finding our feet! As for the pool - I like getting up in the morning and giving it a clean as part of a daily routine and its being used (almost) daily - The trick is to jump in, catch my breath and once numb its really very nice :-) I bet its a dream on a 40+ degree day, though!! Been doing a little more exploring of the area, both local and a little further a field, with Hahndorf being a lovely little place and Clelands Wildlife Park was a great experience.

Location updated There is every chance I might wind up commuting to the city, but we just can't afford to buy/rent the type of propery we would want, with close proximity to the beach in those suburbs - I guess it's the trade off. Ideall location would be Brighton I think, in a perfect world.... But I do really like Port Noarlunga and the Westerly parts of Christies Beach

Ok, so having survived the long and arduous journey - with two young children and no sleep (not even a nap) for 49 hours (thank god for the rooftop pool @ Singapore Airport)..... I awoke on the 2nd April with excitement and a list of things I wanted to do before the Easter weekend kicked in. We had already been to the Collonades on our 1st day here (we are based in Christies Beach) and activated our bank Accounts and had the bank fill in our green forms (for drivers licences) ....... Anyway, without making this into a 'diary' type post, we were able to enjoy the Easter weekend, having purchased a car (Holden Berlina) sorted our Medicare and our drivers licences. The weekend was spent exploring the local area (christies Beach, Port Noarlunga, Seaford etc) on the Friday we went to Glenelg - weather was perfect and it's a beautiful place. on the Sunday (it was raining) we went to a farmers market inland (Meadows) which was nice, and a great drive through the countryside! The remainder of our time has been equally productive, with our Daughter enrolled in School, our Son enrolled in Kindy (and done a morning session before they broke for the holidays) plenty of Job hunting and leads generated for work etc We've enjoyed plenty of leasure time too - we bought new bikes and I've been on daily cycle rides along the coast, everyday we've been to the beach for a walk or a paddle (i even had a swim @ Port Noarlunga two days ago). Went to a really great evening @ Christies Beach Sailing Club yesterday (Sunday) to watch a band called 'The mighty Night Owls'...... That was really good and I even has a few Corona's (I don't usually drink). We are staying at one Tamara's fully furnished homes (Christies cottage) for our first 3 months - I'd really recommend this to anyone planning their journey to the area! Being able to take a (cold) dip in the pool and BBQ dinner and breakfast several times has been a bonus. There are great facilities close to the beaches of Christies Beach and Port Noarlunga and I definitely thingk we will stay close to the beach (we lived opposite the beach back in the UK) in either Christies or (ideally) Port Noarlunga...... So far, everything has exceeded expectation - we have yet to start work, have the kids going to school/Kindie etc, but I'm looking forward to all that real world stuff and some structure and order to my days/weeks. One thing I will mention is just how friendly everyone has been.... for example. On our second day here I had to drop our hire car at Morphett Vale. I worked out it was a simple drive and the route looked like it would be serviced by public transport for the journey home - It was, but I found myself having to run for the bus (which I missed) this was witnessed by a passer by walking their dog, who asked "where you heading to? I see you missed your bus" I replied "Christies Beach, just off Beach Road" which, to my surprise, they responded with "Come with me, I'll drop the dog off and give you a lift home" Amazing!!!!

I actually find big engine cars nice, because you don't have to 'scream' in them.... you ride round, riding a wave of torque pulling barely any revs. I recently sold my 4.2litre Jaguar XJ8 in preparation for moving to Australia and so, for the last 4 weeks i have been using my mothers 1.6 litre Nissan Note (both the Jag and the Nissan are Automatics) and its dire..... On a motorway run its slightly worse on MPG than the Jaguar which would cruise at 1800rpm as opposed to the Nissan's 3750rpm. Around town the Nissan is shocking - hunting for gears and never has any power reserve to nip in a gap or make swift progress out of a junction - The Jag just needed a slight prod of the accelerator pedal and you were on your way with no drama or fuss. So, i have spent exactly the same (in the real world day to day driving) on fuel in a 1.6 litre 'thrashy/noisey' box than i would have done in a 4.2 litre Jaguar but had not of the 'pleasure' of experiencing effortless comfort or torque. I wouldn't say big engined cars are crazy at all.

So, i missed the boat earlier in the month, when the exchange rate was 1.980 and it seems to have slumped now to 1.850 (Based on what Moneycorp are offering).... Really need to think about transferring funds from UK to Australian bank account, but with several tens of Thousands of pounds i want to make sure i am getting the very best exchange rate... I know its all going to speculation.... but are there any educated guesses as to if the exchange rate is going to climb, dip remain the same over the next week? Is there a best time to try and lock in a deal.... when uk market opens, or AU market opens etc or other times of the day - Please state if were talking UTC or local times? Many Thanks.

Thanks for the feedback everyone - Its all appreciated.

I also meant to ask - does this car have any image issues?? I only ask, as originally i was going to short list VT Commodores in SS specification (V6 or V8) but i received a lot of feedback (on Pistonheads) that they have a very bad image, likened to a chav'd Citroen Saxo, here in the UK?? I dont want to be looking like Barry big wheels when i pull upto a job interview.

With just over a week to go, before we land in Adelaide - I am shortlisting cars to view. I should go for something practical, economical etc, etc....... But thats not really me, when it comes to cars. Here in the UK my wife always has the new car and over the last few years i have taken to driving older, comfy barge (old Jags, that kind of thing) type cars. The budget for my car (which initially will be our only car) will be $5500 - Which really doesn't buy much. However, i have seen this car advertised: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/old-reynella/cars-vans-utes/2002-holden-whii-statesman-sedan/1073289681 And it looks like something i could happily waft around in - Its hansom (in its own kind of way) has lots of equipment and looks relatively understated. I know it has 250k on the odometer, but then everything thing i look at seems to have 250k on the odometer. Does anyone know much about these cars? And specifically the engine? Is it belt or chain driven? does it have any inherent issues, like head gasket failure, water pump issues, etc? Are the gearboxes strong? I am assuming that one must be incredibly thorough when inspecting a car in SA as there is no annual inspection for road worthiness??