It's been 5.5 years and I'm still not sure. We're talking about going back in 2014 (my idea) but I know I would miss Australia. Guess it's the curse of the expat.

2 seconds. The time it took for me to step off the plane.

Not long, less than a year, my wife has taken longer but is there now.

I lived in the UK from 1995-2005 and never really settled there, but here it was easy.

My wife hasn't settled after 20 odd years and can't wait for us to go back, I grew up here but I'm still very much looking forward to our new life in Somerset. Everyone is different, that's the problem.

Mine is Aussie-born and she's naturally unsettled as far as I can tell

Couple of years I suppose. If asked, I couldn't explain what the 'issue' was with Australian in those first couple of years, but I definitely had an 'issue'.

I beat you by one

What he said.

Gosh, the only thing that stopped me going back for the first couple of months was the thought of the journey. Even though we had return tickets I couldn't bring myself to change the return date because of the flight.

Our little boy didn't settle well, and couldn't understand why his cousins couldn't see him every day, or at least come over on the weekend.

After a couple of months I was totally overcome by what I can only describe now as grief at the loss of the friendships that I'd 'given up'.

Fast forward three years, two lots of brilliant visitors, a trip back to UK for a wedding, (we visited England mostly, and Ireland and Scotland).

I was happy to get on the flight back home to Australia.

The people who were my friends in UK are still my friends now. Email and Skype are fantastic tools for keeping in touch.

I think another poster has already said that if you're unhappy in UK then you'll be unhappy here.

We've been very fortunate, and I feel for those who come and are unsure from the outset.

I have no idea if we'll stay here for the rest of our lives, but we make sure that we make the most of every minute we have here.

MG

Best part of the first year, and I've lived in Australia before. Same happens when I go back to live in england. Moving country is unsettling.

^^ This.

Even moving within your own country is unsettling. I've lost count of the number of times I've moved over the past 39 years, and it's invariably a stressful experience.

The easiest move was the one that took me back home to Australia.

The general thumb rule is to give it two years time..

Three and a half years here now. I think I tried to blend in too much to begin with, to just let myself be absorbed. First two years were not very happy but that was more to do with living with a woman who would try and burn me with the iron while I was asleep.

I feel settled here now, not sure if I feel I *belong* or not yet but maybe that feeling is always reserved for your country of birth. A quick trip back to the motherland at Christmas has confirmed I'm not missing much.

I find the hardest part is that over time my memories of the UK are just the good bits, the long summer evenings, good weather days etc and the broken car in the freezing rain days are forgotten. Rose tinted hindsight maybe.

Ok but you were living in Walsall !!! it would'nt be much of a wrench would it.Of all the places to live in England,Walsall

There should be a "like" button on here just like Facebook has, as there are some excellent posts.

From my/our point of view, we emigrated in 1996 and went to Auckland, then in '03 we came to Oz (Perth).

I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I don't think that you can ever really settle once you have emigrated.

Perth is a great place to live, we have many good friends,.......BUT it is NOT home. We do feel "at home", but there is still an emptyness there, that only ex Pats can experience.......... Well that is my feelings anyway.

If I could turn the clock back....knowing what we know now, I would have stayed back home.............maybe????