Shona7

My son is the very youngest in his whole year. His birthday is 30th June which is the cut off date. He really struggled when we first arrived. I considered the same thing and had a meeting with the principal with regards to placing him in the year below. They were quite willing to do this however he informed me that he had known children that struggled socially later on. We decided to keep him in his aged year and with lots of help from school and us he is progressing just fine and he's happy. Just make sure you make an informed choice and discuss with the school.

We used a company called insureyourmove.com. They were cheaper than the shippers.

Hi Lauren, it goes in catchment areas here, it depends on where you live to which school they will go to unless you go private. My kids go to Settlers. They've adjusted the catchment size since my kids started as Tuart Rise opened this year so there was a bit of a shake up. If you contact the schools they will tell you if you eligible to apply. Good luck x

Hi Stephanie it's me!! I'm not stalking you I just browse on here a bit. Haha. I just went with the motion of it all to begin with and it didn't really hit me until the packers came around 10 days before we flew. I remember thinking 'what are we doing?' After that I was an emotional wreck. The hardest thing by far was saying goodbye to my friends, family, everyone I love..... to be on our own. But it was 'our' adventure. I can honestly say the last almost 2 years of being here has made me a stronger person, my relationship with my husband has excelled and it's made me appreciate people that little bit more. Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait to go back next year to visit everyone but deep down I know I'll be looking forward to coming back. I know I won't ever stop missing everyone but life is what you make it. Just think of it as an adventure and worst case scenario you can always go back. Shona xx

We brought our 2 Chihuahua's from the UK. They flew to Sydney for their jail time then we flew them to Perth after 30 days! It's a good thing it's only 10 days now I believe from the UK. Our dogs were overwhelmed when we collected them. One of them had lost a bit of weight. It took them about a month (clingy and a few accidents when we went out) then they were back to their normal selves again. As Stormy says they do cope better than we think. Just as we do when we make the move! Best of luck x

I work at Fiona Stanley and live in Baldivis. To be honest to drive there for an early it's an hour because of the traffic. When it's not peak times for traffic it's 30 mins. I get the train because its cheaper and easier

The Hep B vaccination may cost you in the UK as it's something not normally given unless family members have been exposed in high risk areas. I'm not sure migration would fit this. Also, Hep B is transmitted by bodily fluids so it really wouldn't matter if you waited until you got here to get the vax for the kids for free. Chicken pox vax doesn't need to be given if they've already had the virus.

We used Pet Air too. Nothing but praise. They were excellent. It isn't a cheap process no matter who you go with

We've just got a plot of land in Baldivis and are just starting the building process. Our build will be around $680,000 all in all and we have only had to provide a 5% deposit ($34,000). Go to a broker, they're full of information.

We got a company in to do it for us. They also gave me a guarantee that if ants reappeared within 2 weeks I think it was, then they would come back and spray for free. They went straight after the initial spray.

Look, each to their own and yes my way isn't environmentally friendly, sorry. I am a very neat and tidy person so no mess outside or in. We didn't do aything last year as didn't see a thing but this year we were getting white tail spiders in our en-suite and lots of crickets outside and in the garage. Since we've had it done I've barely seen anything. On the day of spray they all came out. It was like something from a horror movie

We got our house sprayed for spiders, cockroaches and ants and the crickets went with them! Our garden is now nice and peaceful :-)

There are jobs but they want skilled workers not newly qualified in my experience.

Not sure on the paramedic side of things but it's highly likely that your wife will also be required to have post grad experience as there are many new grads here who cannot get jobs.

No because you need your IELTS certificate number and skills assessment number. Plus the EOI doesn't take long to fill out :-)

Well done jac2011!!!! Happy times :-)

Results day! Have to say I'm extremely relieved. L: 8.0, R: 8.5, S: 8.5, W: 8.0!!!!!

Always happy to help. Let me know if you have any queries. Ian

Hi mate, I may be able to help you out when you have tools. I'll PM you my number and call me when you want to speak. I worked in London quite a bit and know lads who worked on Heathrow so may even know you! Drop me a call. Ian

I sat mine the same day as you, so same painful waiting time! It's one of those situations where you leave and feel it go anyway. Good luck with your results and let me know how you get on.

Aww will do. Fingers crossed for him on the other sections. I say they were OK but only time will tell! It's so frustrating when we're bloody English speaking! Are you guys here already or waiting to make the move?

Thanks so much Derbygirl42. I speak quite fast being northern so felt like I verbally vomitted all over him! It's going to be a long week! Good to hear your hubby got such good marks! Thanks for your response x

I've recently sat my General IELTS. I'm English from the North East. I feel the written, reading and listening elements were OK. The speaking however was absolutely awful. I felt like I was back at Uni. I was speaking about subjects that should've been easy but I struggled beacuse the questions asked were so unexpected. I felt unprepared. I repeated myself, went off task I think and had to ask him to repeat a question because I was so nervous and terrified I wasn't going to give a relevant answer! I'm kicking myself. I need 8's for points. I wondered if anyone else has had the same experience and what results you managed to come out with? TIA Shona

I am the owner of 2 small dogs. Yes I agree they are usually more noisy than bigger dogs however they are no less of a dog than any of the larger breeds. I agree that it is the owners responsibility and the perception of small dog, little harm and no lead is wrong. My dogs are always leashed and if everyone adopted the same principles we'd have less bother x

We contemplated over this for months due to the sheer cost but in the end we took the plunge and brought our 2 chihuhua's. I have to say it was most definitely 100% the right decision. The thought of being without them now or having to give them away breaks my heart. If your pet really means that much then delay and save as you could regret it forever x