budeman

Oberthur primary school in Bull Creek is also excellent. Most children from there go to either Rossmoyne or Willetton. You can look for the rankings for all schools on the links below. http://bettereducation.com.au/SchoolRanking.aspx http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/schools/interactive#browse

Hi - Hope its not too late to book in? If not two adults and two children (5 & 2) please.

Definitely think this is true - if you can scope out the job market before you get here and manage your expectations it will help a lot. We arrived in Sept and I managed to get a job in Nov - I'm an accountant and if you listen to all the news (and a few of the agencies I went to) you could get convinced that you have no hope. But I believe if you have a can do attitude (and do your research) then you will be fine. And on the plus side because of the downturn rents are cheaper and you have more choice. House prices have come down and are predicted to fall even further. Although it has dropped in the last couple of months the exchange rate is a heck of a lot better than it has been. And that sun keeps on shinning! Although we miss friends and family we do love it here and certainly don't want to move back.

The job market has changed due to the mining downturn but there are still jobs out there - LinkedIn is used a lot here (for accountants) so make sure your profile is fully up to date and you have some good references on there. There are a few key agencies that seem to have the majority of the jobs and so many of them are from the UK if you have good experience you should be fine.

Hi My wife and I would like to attend as well - with two boys in tow, 4 and 1 year old. Thanks, Mark.

Agreed on the train point - good thing is the train going from Mandurah up is pretty good in my opinion. We (wife and 2 young boys) moved over here just over a month ago and are in Rockingham. Supposedly a few years back was voted bogan capital of WA but we really like it here. We are five mins walk from the fabulous beach and being able to sit in one of the restaurants on the waterfront of an evening is really really nice. Plenty of rentals (as there are most places at the moment) about but I really like being able to walk to a shop when needed and not begin stuck in the middle of a big housing estate. Have been to Mandurah as well which did have a v nice feel to it as well - cant comment on the other areas in between though. Get as much advise as you can but I would recommend just spending a morning/afternoon/as long as you can in the areas you think you may like to get a feel for the place. If you want any move advice on Rockingham just drop me a pm. Mark.

...another question.... on the page where you are meant to attach a copy of your visa there is not enough room to sellotape the A4 printed copy of my grant letter in the space provided - is it just a case of including it as another page? there may be other dumb questions to follow...

So another movecube dummy question here...... On the form it asks if we are shipping any 'Furniture or other articles of wood, cane or bamboo' - question is we are taking over a fair few pictures with wooden frames, do these count as 'Furniture' and need to be declared and listed?

Excellent thanks will do

Many thanks for the replies - jeez it does seem like a minefield..... Think for starters I will just have to look at all the extras packages out there and weigh up the costs/benefits. Regarding Private Medical do many work packages include it? From looking on the Seek website I dont remember seeing any including it. I've tried to have a look at the restriction period for PR visa holders in regards to Private Medical but can't see anything - could you recommend anywhere to look? Thanks again for the responses! Mark.

So we are heading over to Perth on the 17th of next month and one of the many things on the to do list is look into health insurance and medicare. EDIT - will are on a 189 visa if that makes any difference. I am trying to get my head around the Australian system so I just wanted to ask a few questions as its a wee bit confusing... 1. From my understanding Medicare is free - but not for some stuff.. A&E visits (not the trip to A&E in the ambulance), other hospital visits and operations are free - what are the things that you do pay for hospital wise? 2. A lot of people at least when they initially come over get 'Extras' cover which can include ambulance, dental, chiro, optical cover (not sure of anything else) - I imagine it would be wise to get prior to landing but not sure this is possible without a bank account as its a weekly payment -is this correct? And if you get extras cover you don't get all the extras free, just a rebate on certain items? 3. The Medicare levey is 2% of wages proving you are on a certain income - amount deducted at source and covers hospital visits - does it also cover GP appts? 4. What is a 'gap payment'??? As a family with two young (4 & 1) kids I want to come over and not have any huge bills should something bad happen - if Medicare is free for most big things I imagine all I want is extras cover for the mean time until I get work/house etc sorted - Then down the line I can think about what else I may need/want such as private medical insurance. Well im hoping I have got the basics but if anyone can shed any more light then it would be grealty appreciated! Thanks, Mark.

Practice Practice Practice - as mentioned above there is a heck of a lot of good free info out there. Google 'free ielts practice tests' and just go through each link. Also make sure when you practice the test you do them timed - its very easy to run out and not finish on the writing.

Completely normal - agree with the other posters you dont want to regret not doing it in 5 years time. And yes think of it as an extended holiday ie for as long as you want it to be!

We booked out flights last week - arriving 18th Sept! Found them on Kayak and ended up booking them through Tripsta with Singapore airlines for £570 each per adult - one way. Didn't look at a return price though to be honest.

Thanks for all the advice – I did wonder about the commuting side of things with it being so far from a train station. I was looking at getting the train in from Cockburn central station as it didn’t seem to be too long to get in then but then as mentioned it’s the added time to get to the station that makes a difference. Does anyone park at Cockburn for commuting? Is it a struggle to get a place in the morning? I do have visions of cycling there (more likely thinking about it and not bothering!) I think affordability wise we would be somewhere between Coogee and Cockburn station so Beeliar and Munster would be on the radar – will definitely have to look into schools a bit more to see what is available.