Oh, right. Our mortgage here is huge and it has been a constant obstacle in allowing us to enjoy the Australian lifestyle and with the recent interest rate hikes it seems we've gone backwards.

I changed jobs and went contracting in an attempt to ease the cost of life but we seem to be back at square one right now.

I've even thought about going to the mines! But then you really do question what it is all about - 15 years of experience, a masters, 2 post grad diplomas and I'd be cleaning canteens and not seeing my family!

My OH works with a couple of twenty something Aussies. To them 'cashed up poms' would be who? what? They rent their homes and have no desire to give up buying the latest gadgets in order to save because they believe it's beyond their reach to buy a house at the moment. I think it's a wee bit arrogant to think that a FEW 'cashed up poms' are keeping ordinary Aussies from getting their own homes!!

Good luck mate

The interest rates are one of the reasons we are leaving. Infact it has got to the stage where we can't afford to live here anymore. Maybe in time things will calm down, but being caught up in the middle of all the madness is very unsettling all the time.

Certainly is. It's been difficult to hold my nerve and not commit to buying something I'd later regret.

I've stooped to the level of having a couple of Strepsils for lunch, so we can save money.

Hahahahahah!!!!!

The "wrong" reasons for whom? What are the right reasons? I'm always intrigued by this right reason/wrong reason issue. Who decides what is right or wrong for whom?

We are thinking of leaving after just 6 months here because of costs of housing etc. Our original plan when we were going through the visa process was to buy here and keep the house in the UK as an investment. This was possible back then when we first applied as houses were half the price and the cost of living was less. Even if we sold up in the UK it wouldn't make much of a difference to a mortgage here. If we stay we have no choice but to rent and even doing this costs more than our mortgage in UK and our wages here would be less. For us, moving here has made us worse off all round. The goal posts have changed and the dream is no longer accessible for us.

I know money isn't everything but it helps you feel happy knowing you are financially secure and can afford life's little luxuries. We could stay to get the passport but at the end of the day is it all worth it and would we come back and use it anyway? If I want a lifestyle change and good weather maybe I should consider Europe in my old age. I keep forgetting that even though Australia is a beautiful country it's not the only country. The world is a big place and maybe somewhere else can offer us sunshine, lifestyle and value for money.

I hope my kids appreciate their Aussie passports. For us they are probably the most expensive passports in the world!

We are now paying more than twice as much in rent here in Perth than our mortgage in the UK. (Similar house to the UK albeit slightly larger and with a swimming pool), same type of suburb - although I would argue that the one in the UK was slightly more attractive (and that was pretty dull in itself!)

Exactly! I've been considering staying so my non-existent kids have the chance of coming here in the future.

No seriously, I don't mind the place, but I liked the UK to. It's a shame not to get citizenship, but it's not the end of the world if I don't. If my partner's not happy and it's not financially viable then why am I still here?

Ty, however, I don't know the circumstances and NKSK seems more than capable, so its best he takes all these comments, including mine, with a pinch of salt, then makes up his own mind. Good luck NKSK, but I suppose you don't need it with your two year safety net, good job on that

Most people, including myself, came with and still try to maintain a positive attitude and make the best of any situation.

Unfortunately, as I am beginning to find out, you can't go on kidding yourself that something is great when it isn't - even though you so desperately want something to work.

Sometimes you have to accept that no matter what level of planning and research you have done, the reality is very different to the expectation.

Exactly. I can't imagine too many people think "I know let's spend years applying for visas, sell our house, chuck tens of thousands of pounds at the process, uproot our kids, say goodbye to lifelong friends and family and thrust ourselves into the unknown in terms of jobs, house, schools, culture etc" unless they had a pretty positive attitude about the whole thing!

Some people assume that because they love it, there is something wrong with others who don't.