kiwi_child

I have read with great interest the posts about those who have moved back to the UK, but have not heard so much about the area they moved to and why they chose it. Would be great to know why you chose your particular patch of "Old Blighty" to move back to. Was it job opportunites? Friends and family? Quality of living? Or maybe something else...Please do share

Cheers,

Christina

Mercedes

Initially Stratford on Avon, mainly because immediate family and extended family were there and since my parents are getting on abit and wanted to be close to spend some quality time with them. I then created my work around me. Had friends scattered throughout the country. I now live in Spain but I now have offices in the Midlands and London in UK so I commute, gives me a chance to catch up with family and friends when I'm over there, but have the lifestyle I want also when I'm not. In Oz I only saw my family and friends probably 3 times in 12 years. Funny thing is my partner lives on the southern coast in UK and he leaves his house the same time as me in Spain and arrives at Birmingham airport to pick me up, exactly the same time as I land and often it has been cheaper for me to fly in than his cost in petrol. When I was looking at buying a house before I brought it in Spain, I had put an offer on one in the Cotswolds, mainly because again it's easy access to London and to our Midland office and not that far away from my family and I had the rural life as well. I tend to like having the country life, near towns and cities, beach and airport if possible, so you get the best of all worlds, I've managed to have all components in my life now. The airport is always important as I often go to other countries for work so tends to also be a important priority as I sometimes have to leave at moments notice, and don't want to spend hours on the road. So when I brought my house I also based it 30 minutes from an airport.

That's me.

seasprite

Dorset, where we lived prior to the move. Did consider other areas of South West for husbands work but I need to remain in Dorset to do my job. Fortunately he got work here very quickly so we can resettle in our old village! Both relieved as we wanted our old life back. We were very happy in the Uk and simply thought we could improve our childrens future somehow by moving. What a load of cobblers...
so why? Well, we wanted our old lives back, to be with our friends and neighbours, to be able to resume careers, to be near family, to live in one of the most beautiful, interesting, varied and historical places in the world.

Brewerboy1

I think you are unfair on yourself in coming to the conclusion that your idea idea that Australia is a better place for kids is "a load of cobblers".
There is much to be said for the UK, and it might help to understand that much of Australia's bravado comes from an era when moving to Australia was an emphatic better bet that staying in the UK.
At the turn of the 20th century Australia's residents (not the Aboriginals), due to isolation and spacious clean conditions, had what was nearing a modern life expectancy. The main reason people didnt come to Oz in those days was there was no gaurantee that they would survive the ships journey, many many died enroute.
To this day Australians seem to have imbibed their ancestors attitudes that if you have house, a local shop, etc your OK-many migrants didnt have those things in the British Isles and achieved them in Oz.
Yet the UK is twenty years ahead now in what might be termed lifestyle exectations-and Brits want more that just the basics.
Much is to be said for the UK today-its a pretty good place.
However, I still think the one arena that Australia shines in is that is still the far better place for kids. More relaxed, more outdoorsy and most of it is more safe for children in all sorts of ways.

TraceyW

Mmmm...I both agree and disagree to this one. Yes, our kids play outside loads, but at what price? Skin cancer risk, chemicals from suncreams daily....you know the drill.

As for being safe, in our little cul-de-sac it is but if I lived on a normal road, my kids wouldn't be playing outside the front because of the wacky drivers here and the weirdo's (yet another attempted abduction on the news today )

It's all comparable to the UK really. Good and bad in both.

Brewerboy1

Blind freddy would see that Australia has a peadophilia problem, and traffic is dangerous anywhere on earth. In saying that if you choose your area and company well, I think you will give your kids the safest upbringing planet earth can give them-in Oz. The UK, in my opinion, isnt a great place to raise kids on the whole. I think other parts of Europe are however-rural france for example.

Pollyana

I think you can safely say that Australia has the same problems as anywhere else. Look at the news from Portugal over the last couple of days, for example.

Mercedes

Whats the betting a Brit is involved?

robo43

IMO the rap culture that most teens aspire to in the uk does not seem evident over here,we have found most of our kids friends polite and actually can and want to hold a conversation.

seasprite

wow, have to disagree on this one! We always did stuff outdoors anyway, and we enjoy the 4 very different seasons here. I don't think kids need to be more relaxed these days, and it is certainly not safer. In fact my biggest future worries were fear of the kids drowning or dying in a car crash as the hoon culture takes it's grip.. crime is no different really.

seasprite

yes, but what is there in rural France...not alot. I suppose if your children are happy to be poor peasants then fine.

Scout

Can we drop the argument of Australia is better than the UK/ is not on this post? For the sake of my sanity I am getting a little weary of it

As to where we came back to.......SE Wales, near Cardiff. Why? Because hubby absolutely hated the US and I (the American) was not too happy with America at the time either (too much George Bus, too many religious zealots, crime, pollution, running on empty all the time regarding work, etc).

We chose this area because we still owned a house here. Hubby's family is here and it was the easiest choice. Once we got back we considered other areas since we were investing in a business, but as it worked out the best business opportunity we found was in the village next to where we live.

Now when I am in my car for business I get to look at sheep, cows, horses and the valleys of SE Wales instead of other hot and cranky commuters that I shared the road with in Atlanta. I feel safe walking the streets here and the children I know in our village seem pretty safe playing outside and don't have their parents watching them 24/7 to make sure they are safe.

While I didn't 'return to the UK', my husband did and I can tell you he's a much happier man today than he ever was in the States. Pretty much I like it better too.

Mercedes

You brought a post office didn't you. Howz that going? Have you learnt Welsh yet.

Scout

Yes we did. It's going great if they don't shut us down. One month after we bought it they announced the plan to close a bunch of Post Offices across the UK. They delayed the naming of which ones will close until after the elections.....I wonder why? I can now speak some Welsh (thanks to several customers teaching me) but don't even ask me to spell it
Da hwyr

gruffbrown

I moved back to Sussex (no, not from Australia) for Family, Friends, the Sea, the South Downs and because it's Home.