Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Our house sale has just gone unconditional so I can finally get the shipping and flights home booked! Am very happy but very nervous!

My parents arrive here on 9th December for a 5 weeks holiday and our house settlement goes through on 10th December, so I've booked us all into a holiday rental for our last few weeks in Oz.

We are using Kents for the shipping as they've been recommended to us by a few people and their rate was the best I got - $7225 for a 20ft container from Perth to UK.

I've booked our one way flights to the UK for 13th January.

We'll be moving in with my parents when we return for a few weeks while we try to sort out an unfurnished rental.

My biggest issue is going to be getting my 10 year old daughter a school place. I can't apply to the council for a school place until I get a rental in the catchment area and even if I get a rental in the catchment, it doesn't guarantee we get a school place as the area we will live in is over subscribed for schooling! It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation! Pointless getting a rental in a certain area if we can't get in the school. I just hope we get lucky!

We have a Toyota Tarago to sell before we go and will be having a garage sale as there is no way that the furniture we have here will fit in a UK house.

So lots to organize, but I'm so happy it's happening.

We came to live in Australia for an adventure and once we got the visa, we couldn't not try it. We assumed we would both get well paid jobs (as we had in the UK) and would enjoy a comfortable lifestyle here, but it hasn't happened. If I could press rewind and go back to the point we were at when we left the UK, I definitely would! I just hope we can put our life back together when we return. We might not earn as much as we used to, as the doom and gloom surrounding the UK at the moment might affect this, but having close friends and family close by will make all the difference.

I will update on our progress when we get back because I've enjoyed reading how other people have found it and hope someone is interested in our experiences!

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Congrats on the house sale, buzy days ahead for you with all that packing and selling to do :fingerscrossed: it all goes well.

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

That is so wonderful for you:) I can hear the relief in your post!
Don't wish your time here could be rewound. Life is far too short for regrets ( I worked as an ICU nurse for many years). There is a positive in all experiences and even if yours just making you realise how much you appreciate home...then it is something.
When you do get home...things will sort themselves out. There is doom and gloom, but I know from my family back home that it has not affected them greatly.
You will make a killing in the dollar/sterling conversion rate at the mo!!
I have similar issues with schooling. I need three places in primary and senior and all the schools where I will be living are "full". I have contacted them directly (I think someone on here advised that) and I have put our names out there. When we get back - I shall phone every few days to see if places are coming up whilst the LEA does their admission thingo. Children leave all the time and the schools and admission people will get to know my name well!!
Let them keep your daughters name in mind at all times.
I would die for an unconditional sale...how completely wonderful for you! See, this is the beginning of a very long period of fantastic luck for you! All the best - my children and I will be following you on the 17th!

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Thanks for replies and good luck with your trip home on 17th!

Are you moving back permanently?

I know we are fortunate to have a buyer for the house so we can press ahead with our plans - you are right.

I'm already getting a bit fed up of people telling me we must be mental to go back to the UK and we only started telling people a week ago! I'm sick of having to justify our decision to people here and at home. People in Australia seem to have built the UK in their minds as a third world country where failure is guaranteed and people in the UK think Australia is Fantasy Island! :frown:

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

All the very best, Gill! I can tell you that you are far from mental. If you want a life with a bit of buzz in it, this is the place to be! (Here at home half way through a holiday!!!)

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

I agree as I am having exactly the same of family and friends. I am just telling them i am in a position to compare and moving to another country is not necessary better as each country has similar problems. If the UK is so bad why havent they got off there backsides and done something about it and leave. Unfortunately I was probably the same and was anti UK before I left as I wanted to justify my reasons for leaving. Nobody can really know until they live it for themselves and at the end of the day I am returning to where I call home.

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

I have said exactly the same thing - until they have lived in WA for two years like we have, then they have no idea how it compares to the UK. As you say, if the UK is such a disaster, why are they not doing everything they can to move away. When do you plan to be back in the UK?

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Thank you! Enjoy your holiday!

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

We fly back on the 18th and can't wait now. Good luck to you all xx

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Good luck with the moves, all of you who are lucky enough to be moving back. I'm so jealous of you all. Today has not been a good day here.

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Gill

Congrats to you on going home, we went back in 2008, but my DH really wanted to come back here so we did and now realise what a mistake, so we will be palnning on going back to the UK again, but he needs to find a job that he will enjoy, he is in the UK at the moment so will be checking out some possible jobs.

Where abouts in Perth are you?

Sandra x

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

We are in Burns Beach. Where are you?

When do you think you will be back in the UK?

Gill x

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

We are in Duncraig, have no idea when we will be going back I just hope it is soon. stupidly we purchased a house so will need to sell etc, he said if we had rented then we would have gone by now, sometimes I could really kick myself:(

Sandrax

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Awesome!!! Well done for making the decision. We moved back in September and absolutely loving being HOME! Long may it continue. Broke now but I'm in the right place for us now. I fit into my life here pretty well. I could never see WA being long term for me and had to make that move before I became trapped by it all, investing too many years there would have made it harder to leave.

Good luck with the packing. Enjoy Xmas :)

Re: Finally...we have a date for going home!
 

Fly back Fiday evening from Brisbane (tomorrow) and land back in UK Saturday afternoon. Furniture has been packed and gone. Slept on airbeds for couple of nights and left bare essentials to manage. Sleep at friends for our last night tonight. Stressing about luggage at moment as we are over. Only allowed 20kg with Malyasian airlines. Just have to pay excess if they want to be strict but aircraft looks half empty when I checked in online.