Here's different - France to Oz...

[Kevinmc]

.....anyone doing it ?

Any contacts for shipping etc.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I did UK to Oz 14 years ago. Used Pickfords to move stuff.

One of the best moves I ever made.

[Sprogster]

But then you left France to move to the USA Mr C de L!

In response to the OP, the key is an entitlement to an EU passport, as otherwise you are restricted to ninety day visits and prohibited from employment. Unless you qualify for a work visa which are very difficult to obtain, unless you have specialised skills where there is a recognised shortage.

Unlike with the UK, there is no reciprocal holiday working holiday visa programme between France and OZ.

[kaju]

French citizens between 18 and 30 may be eligible for Australia's Working Holiday Visa, it's the same as for the UK.

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/countries.htm

I've met quite a few here! (Western Australia)

cheers

julian

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

[quote user="Sprogster"]But then you left France to move to the USA Mr C de L! [/quote]

One of my worst moves was Oz to France though. :(

[Evianers]

Not likely! Shudder!

[Aussie]

We are currently in Australia and selling up here planning to come back to Europe. Probably France. We are both EEC and Aus passport holders. We love Aus but miss history and culture and little village life. Id be interested in why Oz to France was awful CdeL, and anyone else's opinions on anything else that might be relevant to us. Was it only the move itself or that fact you left Australia? We wont be bringing much, but will be bringing one dog. Of course if there is any help I can offer from Australia (we live in Coffs Harbour, half way between Sydney and Brisbane) I would be happy to help.

Anyone want to recommend where we might end up (will be travelling first to suss it all out) . We want a big old stone maison de maître or similar, small village/rural, slow pace of life, best value for money, not too many tourists, friendly people, don't need ocean, not too extreme in weather, we had thought maybe Limousin, or down towards that south west corner.... Any ideas?

 

[PaulT]

Again, CdeL has not been on the forum for quite some time - his new American wife is probably giving him too much apple pie.

The weather in France can be very variable and also extreme. The Limousin and SW France can have very cold and wet winters and hot summers. I am in the Haute Garonne in SW France and apart from a couple of sunny days it has been very overcast and rainy at times.

You should find what you are looking for at a cheap price. Near me a house that had been on the market for 600k+ euros sold for 300k and one that was priced at 300k+ has sold for 295k euros, so a good time to buy. The euro is weakening, certainly against the pound so it may well be against the AUS dollar.

I certainly like the SW France and think it has all that you are looking for.

The best thing to do is to do as you plan and tour around the area to find what you like.

A word of warning about Immobiliers (estate agents). They can be very skilful photographers and very creative with descriptions - a case of the details may come nowhere near reality. They will normally take you to view a property and its location will be very vague so you cannot find it yourself and cut them out of the deal.

[Sprogster]

For anyone considering moving to France and finding employment I would strongly suggest they read the reports published this week by the IMF and PwC on the French economy, which make pretty grim reading, saying rather worryingly that France has now economically fallen behind both Spain and Italy to become the sick man of Europe. Furthermore, it is anticipated that France will fall back into recession, with recovery possibly taking 20 years, because of the structural reforms needed to the French labour market that are unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Not so much a problem for those of us who have retired or are second home owners, other than continuing falling French house values and increasing taxes, but pause for thought if you need to make a living.

By comparison growth in the USA and UK continues to accelerate and even Spain looks like it has turned the corner.

[Sprogster]

If I recall correctly CdeL left France because of the difficulty in making a living, the isolated nature of a French winter life where everything closes and the locals live behind closed shutters for four or five months! (French winters are much colder and wetter than many appreciate.) Also when he decided to sell he really struggled to find a buyer and eventually had to take a big loss. That is why renting for your first year might be a more sensible option because if you decide to move on again you don't want to find you cannot sell and the French property market, especially larger rural homes, are not in a good place these days.

[Aussie]

Thanks Paul for the info and the feedback. We will certainly look at everything, have been enchanted by some properties on line from here but will not do anything without seeing it...and as we are no au fait with all areas feel the need to visit them first! We have done a lot of moving around Australia and don't enjoy it much, so hope that it will last a few years till my terminally itchy feet get itching again...

We have lived in extremes here, Perth which is hot and dry, Tasmania which is cold and dry and windy, now in Coffs harbour while can be hot and humid in summer, but pleasant in winter. I think I just yearn for whatever I am not getting at the moment, now in winter here I yearn for summer and vice versa...

We will be retiring so the work issue is not important and we will keep property and investments in Australia so hope to spread our risk. I certainly think that the way Australia is heading we will be able to live more cheaply over there than here. I came here 30 years ago from England and it truly was the lucky country, easy to find jobs, and dead cheap to live. That has very much changed and on my recent visit to England I found it has reversed and England is now cheaper to live (though still exy for what we want in terms of property). The other advantage of Europe is (for us now) its size, we have family in England, and friends in Spain and Holland and we will be able to visit them.

Id welcome any more input from anyone on this forum, I found you guys from a google search, this one came up first so must have the most recent or relevant additions!