verystormy

It was mainly lack of work in Australia that made the decision for us to leave. But I think we both had already decided the adventure was over and it was time to go home.

We are loving the UK and have settled in straight away. Neither of us know this part of the UK so it is all a big adventure and it is great exploring. I was worried about the weather as my wife is a sun / heat person, but it has been great. We are both seeing the UK with different eyes and enjoying what we see. For example yesterday we had an incredible walk in the country at Runnymede, then off to the pub to watch the football and then home to sunday lunch.

Have seen lots of family and friends and we hadn't realised how much we missed them until we got back - or how much they had missed us.

Moses2013

Didn't come directly from OZ, but settled in the Republic of Ireland. Definitely like it here.

lf1

Returned from Canada after 30+ years and now happily living in the Scottish Borders. I am from the west of Scotland originally, but chose the eastern side of the country as it gets less rain than the west. Having lived in a city for most of my adult life I am thoroughly enjoying living in a village in the countryside. Just love Northumberland and having good access to the coast. Not as densely populated as other parts of the U.K. and the only traffic tie ups are caused by tractors LOL!! Edinburgh and Newcastle are just over and hour away, so a big city fix is easily sorted. The scenery is beautiful. If you get a chance try and watch Robson Green's "Tales from Northumberland" which aired on ITV, it will give you a flavour of the area.

If you are unsure of where you would like to live, perhaps you could rent for a while to ensure you like the area. We jumped in with both feet and bought our place, even although we had never been in the Borders before. So far so good.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

elonii

We relocated from Sunshine Coast to SW Scotland (D&G) just over a year ago. I'm Scottish, hubby is Kiwi. It's cheap to live here and we are making progress on our long term financial aims (retirement money).

There's a lot of semi retired people in this area and hubby has settled in really fast. There's a lot of activities and groups for the over 50s. Hubby joined the local dive club which once you have all the gear costs him about £14 a time to go out to a wreck and get all aquatic. A stark contrast to $180 for a jolly out off the Sunny Coast. Bit colder tho.

We both only work part time, which gives us time with our 2&4 year old girls. Back in Australia we would have had them in Daycare full time, and hubby would have been working all hours at his mobile phone repair business.

Hope my thoughts help, say hi to the Coast from me. I miss it every day, even the bits I didn't like

Grommit59

Hi s is for you're message. Sounds good to me! Glad it's working for you. Sounds like a good work life balance there which is what it's all about isn't it?

We keep honing in on the areas of Scottish Borders and D&G as they appeal and prices seem more affordable.

PS. you won't be missing the lovely cool rain were having on the sunny coast this week. But I'm loving it, (I keep going outside standing in the cool rain and smiling to myself...). Bring on the looney van lol!!

Xx. Thx again for your note

Hi there elioni

Moses2013

The good thing is that you aren't set on one area, so that will give you loads of options. Recently drove through Wales and really liked some parts, but not sure about house prices at the moment. Ireland certainly has some advantages and really depends what type of property you are looking for and the area. Some might say that the UK has the NHS etc. but then again you can save thousands on exchange rate, or council taxes, but that will again depend how people live, spend and again the area.

elonii

I guess it's fairly ironic we had to come to Scotland to get what a lot of people used to move to Australia for before the property prices went up there! Yes, the work life balance is good - I do miss Australia badly, and I actually hated the roasting hot QLD days, you know when you step out of the bedroom aircon and the carpet just about burns your feet lol. We haven't got a very comfortable house here, so I think once we get that sorted I'll miss QLD less.

Do let me know if you need any info on D&G - I'm a human house price encyclopedia for the area I live (around Newton Stewart).

D&G is stunning, with an amazing coastline, lots of wreck diving for hubby, and a thriving artisan food culture, plus lots of Farmers markets. It has lots of the things I liked about the Sunny Coast - just not the winter weather to match hehehe. Good luck with it

Grommit59

Interesting to hear how/why you all came to go/consider going 'home'. So Im not going mad!! lol...

Very stormy - you hit nail on head, 'the adventure is over' JUST how we both feel, as we sit here trying to get jobs, watch the budget and have no inclination to explore this country just validates that fact for us. You come out here with the 'dream' of utopia and for a lot of us it just is too different from what our 'northern hemisphere genes' are used to - thats my theory...

Im deffo with Eloni & Angila - the longer Im here the more 'negative' I guess I am about Aus & the little things - from trying to dry your hair when its humid, to sweating as soon as you get in the car, so much that I just don't want to go out anywhere, and if I do can't wait to get back indoors. Oh yeh, & not being able to cook a roast dinner in the kitchen because you're dripping before you even eat it and it heats the house up even more LOL....

We both truly believe, after 9yrs here, that Qld weather is even more limiting than in UK, in respect that its too hot for OH to play his beloved golf as he did 3x week in Liverpool, and I was an avid hill walker - doing 10-14miles every Sunday with my club - both these passions have gone over here because of the extreme bloody yucky heat! At least at home you can wrap up warm, go outside, garden/golf/walk - then find a lovely pub and an open fire - bliss!!!

And why aussies go on holiday now (from May onwards) because they 'cant stand the winters' - when its just about bearable temps here...?? We like to get the hell outa here between Dec-Jan, because those summers just go on & on & on... they really wear you down in the end and I never feel well (OMG sounding like a winging pom here!!!!!) but its true )
Ive just come back from aquarobics this morning with a bunch of winging aussies complaining about the 'cold' (the pool was heated to 27c!!!!!! I just smile to myself.. get some backbone guys!!)

Joking aside, can I add my sincere thanks for all your comments and info guys - I really appreciate it & the support. )

spouse of scouse

Some of the things you find annoying (constant sweating, humidity etc) also annoy some Aussies (me included!). Yet one of my sisters can't visit me in the UK during the colder months and will rug up like a bear in summer there!

Some of it's down to us being acclimatized to the place we've lived most of our lives in, and the rest is very much personal preference. I have a niece in Liverpool who travels to the hottest places she can find, every chance she gets, yet she was born and bred in Liverpool. Queer people, us folk

Anglia

And the way sunrise and sunset come so fast: no long, gentle summer evenings...

Yes, hot weather is limiting. In summer I get attacked by mozzies as soon as I set foot out of doors. Last year I spent a few weeks washing walls and ceilings in my house to get rid of encroaching mould, which thrives in the hot sticky climate. It’s sad when you can’t go out of doors for a walk, but have to drive to an indoor airconditioned shopping mall just to get exercise!

In years gone by I went on ‘Christmas in July’ weekends away in Springbrook, Gold Coast hinterland. We did find one lovely place that had something of the feel of an English country pub – except it wasn’t. It was an imitation, a pastiche. I long for the authentic, the historic, the real 17th Century coaching inn, not the ‘faux’ version.

Both Australia and Britain have cultural traditions. But Australia’s culture is not mine. My northern hemisphere self longs to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, attend a Medieval Fair, watch Cheese-Rolling in Gloucestershire and walk down the Dorset hill where the Hovis ad was filmed. Guess I’m just living in the wrong country.

Perth

Yep, that's Florida too. Hubby not only will not do outdoor stuff in the summer, but he refuses to go to the beach as we are on the west coast by the Gulf of Mexico and there are no waves (he is from California - so used to dry heat AND waves). We have been here 19 years and he is miserable. Turned 70 today and still not retired, but we are working on that. As for the mozzies - I am covered in bites, and with each one I fear the dreaded Zika virus

LondonSquirrel

I think there are 'hot' and 'cold' people and some in-between. Like in our office some people are always bundled up with heaters on, but I'm in dresses with no sleeves and have to keep putting my fan on! Doesn't seem to depend on body fat either as the 'cold' people certainly aren't skinny dudes. Mostly the too hot or too cold thing seems to be women. Men seem less affected but it does happen.

Can totally relate to swimming pool temps being too cold. I am a coward at that and have been known to go 'swimming' only to say the pool is too cold and spend the entire session in the Jacuzzi while my companion swims!

verystormy

I can sympathise about the heat a lot. Every year I dreaded summer in Oz more and more.

Finding it much better here - today will be blue sky and sunny and temps in the high teens with low to mid 20's expected by the weekend

quoll

You're never too old to recharge the adventure I reckon. We came back to UK on an 8 week holiday in 2011 (in our 60s) and haven't returned because the wheels fell off my parental wagon and it had been absolutely the best thing for me. I have my life back, lost stones of weight, walk every day, find there is far too much for me to be doing and I laugh a lot with mates. Living with, and caring for, a couple of nonagenarians is not an easy gig but what with the better weather, wealth of stuff within cooee and variety I am still in honeymoon phase. I had been seriously depressed because I had come to loathe living in Australia but thought I was trapped.

When we go away for the odd weekend we have seen some amazing places, any of which could easily be "home" and considerably cheaper than this area so the world is very much your oyster!

There is no such thing as a wrong decision - you make the best decision you can on the day with all the information you have to hand - as long as you don't burn bridges (get citizenship!) then if it works you win and if it doesn't then you move on. Life is an adventure after all.