It's nice to to hear I'm not the only one having second thoughts, for me the last month has been hard especially with all the negative anti Australia posts at the moment but I'm not going to let myself regret not going as you only have one life.

I lost my mother two years ago, my dad in 1999. Without them there is only my immediate family (hubby and kids) that I have here. I haven't really got any lifelong friends as I was always ahead of the ones I made at school, (thank god cos they all have lots of kids and live on the social !!)

My best mates from my late teen years have all moved, one is in London the other in Scotland. I see them occasionally, but not often.

I find it really easy to make friends, I can talk to anybody (must to my hubby's dismay ) but I have only had one truly close friend, who I could tell anything to, go anywhere with, and feel totally at ease with and that was my Mum.

I live in a not so nice area in the UK, maybe if I had lived somewhere else I may have a different opinion, but I can honestly say that I will not miss it here.

I am sure I will miss the every day familiarity, but I can overcome that as I am not one for the monotony. I want to live my life to the full, and show my kids that there is more to life than this.

Ouch Ouch and more Ouch, Gotta be the hardest to leave your kids behind, I can only imagine what that must be like, Mine are only 6 and 8 - but the idea of being parted from them cuts like a knife, Respect Respect and more Respect, and more so as you are so positive

Completely unrelated but remember Mandy Skegs? ( good on you if you dont) from A new life down under, at first she annoyed the pants ( not decent M & S ones though) off me, but when I heard that she had left her son in England, I had to respect her.

Hope it all goes fab for you, but am sure for you the sun will always be shining,

We have already decided that he is coming for a holiday at Christmas.

He had all his future planned before any talk of Australia and he didn't want to change them. He is going to study Computer Science with games at Hull Uni at the end of this year. He is then wanting to apply for jobs in Japan or the US. Although we have told him that if he wants to come to Australia we will do whatever we can to help him.

It will all work out in the end I'm sure.

Sounds like he has a great future ahead of him , so I can understand him not going. Sounds like he has his mums courageous and adventurous nature.
I truly hope my teen develops this I wand to see her live life to the full and be happy, even if its away from me

Friends: I'm in a bit like you Wendy (perhaps that's why us saddos spend our time on here , lol), just circumstance with family and kids that dictates what happens with your friends. I have had a friend for more than 20 years and haven't seen her for months, although she just stays about 10mins away, but we are so busy with our kids and own lives , that we have went in different directions just now One of the reasons i am looking forward to going to aus, i am determined to get our there and make friends, supposing i have to lasso them

You are like me Margaret, you can talk the hind legs off a donkey.

I get it from my Mum, she could go in a pub (on her own) and walk out with a string of guys following her. If I every got invited to a party they always said "is your Mum coming"

Wendy, she sounded fab You were lucky, i've always had an elderly, ill, mother As kids we were frequently sent to stay with relatives coz of this. I was lucky and went to a fab Aunt, she is one of the best, coolest people i know. She is now 70 or 72ish and looks about 60 or less and still acts 20. My only regret (and am ashamed to say this), is i wish she had been my mum

We weren't always close. My Nan more or less brought me up, but she died when I was 11. It wasn't until I got into my 20's that we started doing stuff together, but I'm so glad we did.

My Mum wasn't that healthy either, she had epilepsy from being 21, and then of course the Cancer since 1997. But she didn't let it stop her. A truly amazing woman, who was a pain in the arse but wonderful with it.

Hi sean it must be unsettling to see so many posts looking at australia in bad light ,i am one of those who is returning to the uk .I think one has to make a personal choice and if you are a working man and woman the fact is we have to work whereever we are ,i personally have been in australia for 15 years and have given it a good go and would suggest to any body to come here as people have to get it out of there system .In some respects the ones who are leaving oz are just as confused in their decisions to returning to the uk when they read the posts by people who are so obviously excited by their future lives here ,the only advantage we have is we have lived here and dealt with day to day lives here and realised its not for us its apersonal choice ,good luck in coming to oz it is a good country and so is the uk it really all depends where you call home .I in some ways feel about england the same way aborignes feel about australia ,when im on english soil i feel it in every part of me it is who i am and what i am its my heritage its my country

Hi i just feel that maybe people could tell us the good and bad points about Australia as at the moment it all seems like doom and gloom.

But dont forget there are lots of people who are out there living a good life who dont post on this forum.

The only way to find out if its for you, is to go find out for yourselves.

The only thing i can say to the people who are coming to australia is especially to the women folk is think of a faceless brand new estate without a corner shop and a fair walk to the nearest bus and very few people walking the streets that is a fair out look on australia because most but not all uk citizens come to those brand new faceless and treeless suburbs some love it some dont those that dont would rather go home to busier streets and in some cases terraced housing because they feel they are in the heart of things going on.Believe me its not doom and gloom here but neither is it paradise ,the only thing on your side is 60%dont come back to the uk as said you will never know untill you try it so if i was you i would go for it and i hope you love it because believe me it would be easier if i loved it .Another point is especially if coming to perth you have to ask yourself can you live on a island within an island because that is how perth feels to those that are a little adventurus and want to go to other places ,i have travelled all over the west of australia and seriously you need a minimum of a couple of weeks to get anywhere and you will find with work commitements you wont go anywhere then you will be wondering what hell am i doing here i dont see anything ,uk on the other hand has interesting and varied places maybe a dayys drive away if a little effort is applied .

Australia has good and bad, just like the UK. Maybe you just have to expect that life in Australia will be 'different', as opposed to 'better'. I mean, of course that we all hope it will be better as I'm sure few of us are striving to change our lives for the worse, but remember for every tale of doom and gloom, there is something fabulous to be discovered and enjoyed.

Aus isn't perfect but that doesn't mean it's hell on earth either. What was your catalyst for emigrating?

Well I'm back after a hard days graft and am really chuffed about the responses thank you all - seems that most of you say give it a try even for only a holiday. Unfortunately I have cancelled the flights - on a whim a couple of Sundays ago and you know it felt okay to press the "are you sure you want to cancel these flights" button on the computer.

Saying that I saw hubby today and said the word "Australia" to him and he came over all weird on me - not sure if it was good or bad! He would probably go tomorrow - he's very easy going and nothing really phases him that much.

Hmm still got Oz at the back of my mind - Always thought one day I'll live there but perhaps it is not right at this particular time. Still we have got TRA so perhaps we'll up-date it next year and go for it!!!

Sun's out in York today, business is going well, daughter watching Shrek for the 20th time this week (!) also for no reason she's dressed as a bridesmaid (neighbours looking worried) so things looking ok here in the UK for the time being.

Sue x

Hi - thnaks for response

I felt okay at the time but the words "Come to Australiia" seem to pop into my mind at the most unexpected of times. So at the moment relieved but would be ever so slightly miffed if someone said you definately couldn't go.

Hmmmmmm