FluffyTheCampfireSlayer2

Thought I would write this post and detail our experiences of moving to Oz, then back to the UK. We are now planning a move back to Oz at the end of 2010!! Hopefully, our experiences will help some of you that are stuck in that godawful situation of not knowing what to do....

I'm not new to this forum but my user name is so bear with me

Myself and my partner moved to Brisbane in Sep 2007. We moved back to the UK in April 2009.

Why did we move back? Well, a combination of many reasons that a lot of you will recognise. Missing family and friends, especially the other half. Not feeling at home, history, culture, proximity to Europe. Queensland attitudes - call us snobs but we just couldn't relate to them. We felt that they were generally not very well educated, scruffy, laxidasical, un motivated etc........ remember, just my opinion

Anyway, we got home and after less than a year, are now planning a move back to Oz. Quite simply, we miss the excellent standard of living that Oz can offer us as opposed to the UK. We miss the weather. We miss the outdoor lifestyle. We miss our nice big home with lovely views. We miss our pool, we miss having money on our pockets after the bills, rent etc.. have been paid...I could go on all day!

We are doing what we should have done before heading home so quickly - trying another state. Victoria to be precise and Melbourne. We are hoping that the more cosmopolitan Melbourne will offer us what Brisbane couldn't in terms of mental stimulation and variety.

This is a tough process, not to mention, expensive! We have done a lot of soul searching and decided what is right for us. If you are thinking of heading back to the UK, I strongly recommend trying somewhere else in Oz first and TRULY remembering WHY you left the UK in the first place. It's easy to forget the bad things and only remember the good.

We intend this to be our final move - and are coming in with eyes wide open this time round!

If you are thinking about moving back to the UK - do yourself one favour - think real hard about what you left and why you left!

manamama

When you lived in Brisbane - you missed the UK for various reasons.

Now you're back in the Uk - you miss Australia for different reasons.

What a dilemma..alot of backward and forwarding.

Hope you're able to put down some roots somewhere.....

FluffyTheCampfireSlayer2

I think it's more a case of remembering why we left the UK in the first place.

It is a dilemma for sure, not one I would recommend to anyone except as a last resort.

quoll

Have you thought about somewhere else in UK?

It looks as if you have a touch of the expats curse, forever condemned to wandering the globe in search of the greener grass. Hope you find Melbourne to your taste, lots of Poms do, probably because it reminds them of home.

I think, however, if you move because you are running away from something then nowhere is ever going to work for you.

Good luck

jad n rich

Love your comments about queenslanders, unfortunately that sort of person is found in much of OZ not just qld

Weve lived in melb and qld, I like melb but be very aware how expensive houses have got the last year, yes I did say the last year, economic stuff ups or not. Think the avg house price rose $74,000 My FIL still lives down there, real aussie, reckons its cause the chinese are buying everything, some truth in it but racist all the same, thats a V wealthy upper class aussie BTW and still just like the qld peep you described

Just check the house prices there, and most of it still goes to auction and what people are paying seems crazy!!

roaringmouse

Is it also not the case of remembering why you left Australia in the first place too?
Will moving to Australia (again) help with why you left Australia (first time) - that is:

• Missing family/friends
• History
• Culture
• Proximity to Europe

That leaves you with not feeling at home - with the above (especially the family/friends one) do you really think you'll feel at home, and if you do the others won't magically go away.

Or to put it in your words - If you are thinking about moving back to Australia - do yourself one favour - think real hard about what you left and why you left!

Ciderman

We did a ping-pong to Canada. Canada 10months, UK 5 months, Canada 5 years now back in the UK for good.

You didn't mentioned where you've moved back to in the UK, was it the same place you were originally? We came back to the same town we left in England for those 5 months and in hindsight that was probably a big part of the reason we went back to Canada so quickly. We're now living in a different part of the UK.

I'd certainly recommend somewhere different in the UK before deciding on going back to Oz. But if you do return definitely give somewhere else a go. We lived in two different provinces (BC & Alberta) in Canada in 4 different houses but for us it didn't work out in the end. That's just us though.

Agree with the comment on identifying what you're trying to escape from as it's not easy.

PoppetUK

Thanks for sharing. We have moved from Surrey to WA and now 2.5 years in are wondering where we will be for the rest of our lives. Hardest decision of my life.

Will be looking out for other views to.

Thanks again and best of luck.

manamama

For us we had a serious touch of "Grass is greener syndrome". Not life threatening but can turn your life upside down.

I have now been cured of this condition and realise that the UK ticks most of my boxes.

Now if I was young (not that I am old mind) and single, then travel travel and do some more travelling, but now our children need a good education, so back to the UK for us.

But I do feel that children need to have some roots with a place and feel secure with familiar things around. Upping here and then there can't be good.

My opinion of course..

tree

I've been in Melbourne for the past 3 years and its nice enough. I originally came because my partner (now hubbie) had to come back (he's aussie). So it wasn't really part of my plan to emigrate to Australia... but I've always been open to living overseas.

I've tried really hard to settle in here but I've found it hard to make connections here and I miss those from home. I also lost my father while over here and that was the hardest thing ever. I have a sister in Sydney and 2 brothers in the UK so we're divided up evenly

Hubbie has all his family here, but I would say that he is the one more keen to go back to the UK. I think I want to.. but I'm trying to make the most of our time here. I have a little one and I think I want him to go to school in the UK - I don't know why... I just do.

So - sorry I've been rambling.... I would say that you should know in your gut where is right for you. If it is just the life style... is that enough?? What about all the other things - culture...etc... I know you can have a good standard of living here... but there are other things missing ... I want my son to be able to experience Europe... and I miss the green green grass of home

Hubbie hates the isolation of Australia - he feels so 'out of the loop' out here...

There are good things and bad things about UK and Aus... just what suits you the best?

I don't know whether any of this ramble helps!

hereandthere

Go for Melbourne and give it a go. There are some on here whose pathological problems vis-a-vis Australia pretty much rule out their advice. I would give it all you have - the UK you see today will NOT, I repeat NOT be the same in a few years' time. What's happening in Athens is about to head West.

FluffyTheCampfireSlayer2

This is also another fear we have!

I left Australia several months into the supposed 'worldwide' economic crisis. In Aus, you were lucky (as an average Joe) to even realise anything was going on. Back here in Blighty, the story was oh-so-different!! With obvious signs of depression everywhere that affected me directly as an average Joe.

I will be much happier living in a country strong enough to deal with a recession than one that falls to it's knees at the first hint!

As for what is happening in Athens and it heading West - that remains to be seen but I certainly shan't be hanging around to witness it!

itacha

We are in a similar position, moved to Brisbane 05 then moved back 07, and now live in Surrey. Since we moved back we have had a family and now the cost of living over here is starting to hit home. Although we did not have kids in OZ we seemed to have much more disposable income over there and an overall a better quality of life.

We are planning to go back summer this year however having lived over there we know that nowhere is perfect. Agree with other comments in that there needs to be a pull for going in addition to leaving because of the pressures of the uk. The remoteness from my family, lack of culture were a problem for me.

The two ing and throwing has been very disruptive and costly but hopefully we will make the right decision.

FluffyTheCampfireSlayer2

I feel your pain

A large factor in us returning is the cost of living here in Surrey. We can just about afford the rent on the pokiest, draughtiest place whilst slogging our guts out to pay the bills. End of month - never any money to do anything!! We are wasting our lives watching TV and staring at the walls!
Different story in Oz completely! I actually earned nearly double my salary here doing the same job!!!

manamama

Now that gives a different slant on you returning back to OZ.

Makes sense...