I've started applying for a visa to go and live in Australia

[Bagpuss]

The weather there can be extreme. I've been there a couple of times and the first time I was in a restaurant with about 15 relatives near Melbourne when there was a sudden massive hailstorm with giant hailstones which caused the roof to collapse and the meal to be abandoned. My lasting memory is of a fishtank in the restaurant that was being filled by natural means!! The pressure of water also demolished the drainage system, broke up the roads and submerged many cars. According to the national news there were millions of dollars of damage to property.


Another time we went again to a restaurant and returned to my relatives farm to see swathes of trees had been uprooted by a hurricane while we were out.

Is your surname Spencer by any chance?

[themistry]

Is your surname Spencer by any chance?

... you know, some mothers do 'ave em...

[beeker]

Anyone in AU have an HSBC bank account? I'm with the HSBC over here and would like to open up an Australian account in preparation for the move over. Just wondered if the same 'immediate' transfers of money inter-account would apply as it is in a different country?

Anyone have experience of this kind of thing?

[TimberWolf]

... you know, some mothers to 'ave em...

Or the 'man who knew too little'.

[Lucy]

Anyone in AU have an HSBC bank account? I'm with the HSBC over here and would like to open up an Australian account in preparation for the move over. Just wondered if the same 'immediate' transfers of money inter-account would apply as it is in a different country?

Anyone have experience of this kind of thing?

AFAIK HSBC only has commercial operations in Australia, getting a bank account there is much easier than here. Just take in enough ID and proof of address and it's done on the spot. They do have quite hefty fees though, for account maintenance etc I quite liked the Bendigo Bank when I was there or some of the Credit Unions, it's probably changed by now though.

Moving money between here and there or there and here is a flipping nightmare and costs AUD30 or so.

[gadgetman]

The rates I've seen are the same as I'm getting in London...

...the rates there are 80% that of sydney, which are 50% that of London, unless you are in a top flight niche.

[snaw]

The rates I've seen are the same as I'm getting in London...

Not in my IT world they're not - they're way off. Almost same dollar rate as I'd expect in pounds.

[beeker]

AFAIK HSBC only has commercial operations in Australia, getting a bank account there is much easier than here. Just take in enough ID and proof of address and it's done on the spot. They do have quite hefty fees though, for account maintenance etc I quite liked the Bendigo Bank when I was there or some of the Credit Unions, it's probably changed by now though.

Moving money between here and there or there and here is a flipping nightmare and costs AUD30 or so.

Cheers Lucy - I can see me asking you a lot of questions in the near future
I'm off to check some bank websites...

ps. if you ever need your network seen to f.o.c (and aren't a tecchy) you know where to come!

[DimPrawn]

See thread on tax dodgers re moving your pension pot with you and getting it all tax free after 5 years.

[aussielong]

Anyone in AU have an HSBC bank account? I'm with the HSBC over here and would like to open up an Australian account in preparation for the move over. Just wondered if the same 'immediate' transfers of money inter-account would apply as it is in a different country?

Anyone have experience of this kind of thing?

This does not work. HSBC in Aus is effectively a different business to the one in the UK. You cannot transfer money any easier than as if it was between two different banks, ie SWIFT.