with Karen Bleakley
Helping UK families
navigate their way
to a dream life
in Australia.
Anything in life worth doing is tough…
otherwise everyone would be doing it.
Thinking about moving your family from the UK to Australia? Packing up and moving to the other side of the world is daunting, terrifying and exciting. As an experienced project manager, I found the best way to tackle it was by breaking it down into chunks and tackling it one step at a time.
Life’s full of opportunities and the only
thing limiting them is you!
I set up Smart Steps to Australia to help families who are interested in moving to Australia. Whether you’re at the difficult decision making phase or you’re already headlong into the Australian visa process, this site will walk you through everything you need to know about emigrating to keep your stress levels to a minimum.
“We contacted Karen for advice about a move from the UK to Australia, particularly regarding the logistics of making the move with children! She provided excellent guidance and support and as someone who has made the move already was able to draw on her experiences to help us have a smoother transition for us.”
– Jen & Shim
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Top Blog Posts
Christmas gifts and leaving gifts for someone moving to Australia
I remember our last Christmas in the UK. It was SO difficult knowing what to buy each other as we knew whatever we gave would need to come with us to Australia in our shipping container. Our family had real trouble deciding what to get us too – we ended up with mostly chocolates and booze as people knew we’d be able to consume those before we left the country! READ MORE
Plan your Australia themed party
If you’re moving to Australia, you’ll probably already be thinking about how you’re going to say goodbye to your friends and family. That subject was on my mind from the moment we decided we were going to make the move abroad because I knew it was going to be one of the hardest things I was ever going to have to do. Organising your Australia themed leaving party feels like an impossible task on top of everything else you’re trying to do but, at some point, you’re going to need to organise something so you can say goodbye to everybody. READ MORE
How to emigrate to Australia in six easy steps
Dreaming of moving to Australia for a new life in the sun? Stop making excuses for why you can’t emigrate. You can migrate to Australia in six steps. READ MORE
Want to know the best way of transferring large sums of money to Australia?
When you are going to transfer large sums of money abroad, it’s essential that you not only get the best money transfer deal but also that you get a great service as some money transfer companies are definitely more reliable than others. Moving abroad soon? Have you organised your one-way travel insurance yet? READ MORE
Recent Posts
Changes to wait period for welfare payments for new migrants – proposed from July 2018
There has been a lot of talk in my Facebook group about the government’s proposed plans to introduce a four-year wait period for certain benefits for newly …Read More
What is the cost of living in Brisbane, Australia?
Something I’m constantly asked is how much does it cost to live in Australia? Now I can’t tell you about the cost of living in …Read More
What is the cost of moving to Australia from the UK?
I get asked the same questions all the time…How much is the cost of moving to Australia from the UK? How much money do you need …Read More
About Karen Bleakley
Karen is a beach-loving travel writer, non-fiction author, experienced project manager, online marketing junkie and Founder of Smart Steps to Australia. She moved from Hampshire to sunny Brisbane with her hubby and three insanely energetic kids under five in September 2014. READ MORE
LOOKING TO COLLABORATE?
Visit the Work With Me page for details about ways you can work with Smart Steps to Australia.
Blog Topics
Recent Travel Posts
What to do in Noosa
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve recently been on a little Noosa getaway with one of my good friends. I was doing research for a travel article for Australia and New Zealand magazine, so the weekend break in Noosa involved lots of eating out and lots of …Read More
Top tips for attending Oktoberfest Brisbane with kids
Last Sunday, I shared some photos from our family day out at Oktoberfest Brisbane. I’ve had so many people messaging me and stopping me in the school grounds to ask me what it was like for kids, so I thought I’d write an Oktoberfest Brisbane review. Even if you aren’t …Read More
Best weekend trips from Perth
Best weekend trips from Perth is a guest post by Keri of Our Globetrotters. This site contains some affiliate links. Perth is one of my favourite cities in the world. We *almost* moved there and I know we’d have loved it as we really enjoyed our time travelling around Western …Read More