The wife's daughter & partner have just gone back to Aus again . They where up in north QLD first before a couple of months in Asia. They are staying in Melbourne this time around and they love it. They have said about the prices of some food and drink being expensive but I recon they'll make there stay permanent.
I wouldn't need a second thought to go..

Pro's

Sunshine
Beautiful beaches
Standard of living is high
Jobs are well paid
Rugby League is the number 1 sport
It's likely to become a republic within the next decade


Cons

Spiders
Sharks
Not much else.
You'll regret it if you don't go.

As all the others have said...get over there and give it try. It's not as if it's the other side of the world...oh, hold on! If you don't like it come back...easily done and at least you'll not have that nagging feeling for the rest of your life.

You will be able to claim the allowance if you're a temporary resident. I really do recommened it, not only as it's a tax break, but that you don't have to think about finding money for your rent. etc. etc. How many years is your visa for? You can get up to 4 years I believe. Also, for parity here is a BBC article about people leaving Oz: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15799571 Where you are and the money you're earning, you should be OK. The beach up round there is pleasant. Though if you're in the aeronautical business will you be out by Williamtown?

You will be able to claim the allowance if you're a temporary resident. I really do recommened it, not only as it's a tax break, but that you don't have to think about finding money for your rent. etc. etc. How many years is your visa for? You can get up to 4 years I believe. Also, for parity here is a BBC article about people leaving Oz: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15799571 Where you are and the money you're earning, you should be OK. The beach up round there is pleasant. Though if you're in the aeronautical business will you be out by Williamtown?

Why would you put your proposed salary on here? Really? What does it add to the discussion at all?

You have got to go!

It adds more to the discussion than your input.
It is not infact the salary I would be earning as I wouldn't be sharing that with the world, but a ball park figure.
In a country where things are notoriously expensive, there is some value in checking these things.

Quote ="Rooster Booster"You will be able to claim the allowance if you're a temporary resident. I really do recommened it, not only as it's a tax break, but that you don't have to think about finding money for your rent. etc. etc. How many years is your visa for? You can get up to 4 years I believe. Also, for parity here is a BBC article about people leaving Oz: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15799571 Where you are and the money you're earning, you should be OK. The beach up round there is pleasant. Though if you're in the aeronautical business will you be out by Williamtown?'" Indeed I would be at Williamtown, so I'd be looking to be in the North of Newcastle to cut down on commuting. The visa would be for 4 years (during that time I get health insurance paid for too by my employer), although we may be encouraged to make it permanent in that time.

Quote ="Rooster Booster"You will be able to claim the allowance if you're a temporary resident. I really do recommened it, not only as it's a tax break, but that you don't have to think about finding money for your rent. etc. etc. How many years is your visa for? You can get up to 4 years I believe. Also, for parity here is a BBC article about people leaving Oz: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15799571 Where you are and the money you're earning, you should be OK. The beach up round there is pleasant. Though if you're in the aeronautical business will you be out by Williamtown?'" Indeed I would be at Williamtown, so I'd be looking to be in the North of Newcastle to cut down on commuting. The visa would be for 4 years (during that time I get health insurance paid for too by my employer), although we may be encouraged to make it permanent in that time.

You missed out a con. It's full of Aussies.

Quote ="super-fast-winger"Very Valid points Rooster, as il be on Temporary Residence Visa at first I arent sure if il be able to get LAFHA, but certainly worth asking - and also I know there are salary sacrifice schemes for purchasing a car. In all honesty I cant see me turning it down providing the offer is right, il be earning a damn sight more than I do here and wont be getting flogged half as much as I do here. The grass isnt always greener, but it certainly looks that way. Ive been looking at that, aswell as www.realestate.com.au Some very nice apartments in the city that have taken my eye, aswell as some places abit further afield in Nelson Bay.'" Lafha is finishing soon. Your 457 visa is for 4 years but you can get residency and you can change jobs as long as your new employer takes over the visa, so basically your not stuck. Australias biggest secret is it's weather, it's not always hot and it does rain (alot). Dont worry about spiders or snakes and get on a wine tasting course in preparation for the Hunter Valley, get down to your local rl club (there's level's for everyone), and buy a Knights season pass. If your visiting Sydney send me a message and i'll give you a few clues on where to go/stay, I may even buy you a schooner.

Quote ="super-fast-winger"Very Valid points Rooster, as il be on Temporary Residence Visa at first I arent sure if il be able to get LAFHA, but certainly worth asking - and also I know there are salary sacrifice schemes for purchasing a car. In all honesty I cant see me turning it down providing the offer is right, il be earning a damn sight more than I do here and wont be getting flogged half as much as I do here. The grass isnt always greener, but it certainly looks that way. Ive been looking at that, aswell as www.realestate.com.au Some very nice apartments in the city that have taken my eye, aswell as some places abit further afield in Nelson Bay.'" Lafha is finishing soon. Your 457 visa is for 4 years but you can get residency and you can change jobs as long as your new employer takes over the visa, so basically your not stuck. Australias biggest secret is it's weather, it's not always hot and it does rain (alot). Dont worry about spiders or snakes and get on a wine tasting course in preparation for the Hunter Valley, get down to your local rl club (there's level's for everyone), and buy a Knights season pass. If your visiting Sydney send me a message and i'll give you a few clues on where to go/stay, I may even buy you a schooner.

Not as bad as being full of sintelliners but a definite con.

I moved out there with my wife 3 years ago, turned out the place wasn't for me but I would say go for it. A few things though, it is very expensive to live there these days and don't think it's going to be like England but with sun, we share a language but that's about it, I actually think its more like America than England. Sydney is a great city, I don't know much about Newcastle I've heard good and bad things. It also rains a hell of a lot! But if I were you I'd jump at the chance just go with your eyes wide open.

Didn't read all the posts and I have to agree with Coddy. Too good an opportunity to pass up. I'm sure you would rather do it, not like it and come back then wonder what it would've been like??!!

I can tell you though the section of NSW coast North of Sydney to Newcastle and beyond up to the Queensland border is a lovely place to be. The cost of living is ridiculous too though!

Get your flight sorted man and good luck

What's more, do you need a pool boy??

Would that not make it full of Cons then

You never bought me a schooner.



We play on Sat if you're scratching your årse Sheldon.

With the money you earn?



Having a op on thursday mate going to be off my feet for a couple of weeks.

My wife's from Newcastle, and her folks still live there. When we got married there my best man made a joke about it basically being Bradford-on-sea, moved to Australia (thankfully most of the guests hadn't been to Bradford so weren't too insulted). The surrounding area is beautiful - lots of nice beaches and bushland, but the city itself has been in decline due to the fortunes of the steel industry (the city centre really is reminiscent of Bradford's). On the plus side you have a great NRL team with Bennett in charge, and Sydney is relatively close (in Australian terms) if you want some more metropolitan culture. If I was offered the chance I would swap Exeter for Newcastle in a heartbeat, although I would prefer to live in one of the bigger cities like Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.

But it is being redeveloped

x2



Just go anyway, you've got your work mates to knock about with.

PS - Can you get us a job? (Sound like Yosser Hughes)

RL is the Number 1 sport in NSW and Qld, but AFL rules the roost elsewhere.

Pros to moving out are lifestyle and the general strength of the economy, and Aussies are generally easy to get on with. If you have kids, then Australia is likely to be a much better bet for their future lives than the UK.

On the Con side, I read somewhere that a significant number of Brits who 'emigrate' to Oz end up returning to the UK. I'd put that down to it simply being a massive move, entailing genuine separation from friends and family in the UK. There's also a bit of a culture shock in terms of TV, news etc but you get over that. I certainly wouldn't underestimate the potwential homesickness. I've felt it a bit myself at times - if I didn't have kids there are probably a few times when I would have seriously considered moving back to England.

The other 'con' is that the cost of living here has gone up massively compared to the UK in the time I've been here - and that's including the fact that the Aussie dollar buys 50% more than it did compared to Sterling back then. House prices have gone up to ridiculous levels in most cities. Last year when I returned to the UkKfor a visit, I was really surprised at how relatively cheap things were - my memory is of being stunned at how cheap everything was in Oz when I arrived.

Bottom line is, make your own decision, and view it as a fantastic potential experience that will hopefully work out and become permanent.

...oh, and if you do stay, don't become a citizen unless you want to be forced to vote.

Is being forced to vote such a bad thing???

Being forced to vote or get a fine is just stupidity, although the politics in Australia is quite frankly hilarious, even worse than ours!

But that aside, we in this country have the right to choose to vote or not I would hate to be forced to by any government. It also doesn't automatically make people think about who they vote, quite a few of people I met just ticked one of the boxes without giving it any thought or spoiled the ballot paper just so they had actually 'voted' and didn't get fined.

Don't go. The Chinese will invade within the next 10 years to get their hands on the minerals.