jad n rich

I have not read the whole thread, but what you are saying is a real problem in australia.

We ave done absolutely everything within a weekends distance soooo many times, we are bored the kids are bored. It costs big money even to go interstate, and even then you only really have 5/6 other cities anyway. I cannot even begin to imagie how people going to perth would feel (distance wise) after 6 months let alone 6 years. And I will never understand why a aus to Uk return airfare on the same airline has to cost up to double the UK to aus return airfare, its just another rip off and people are so limp here about being ripped off , $9 for cucumber today, have to laugh or you would bloody cry.

We drove 3 hours the other weekend to do almost exactly what we do here, I sat in that car thinking how far we could have gone in UK/ europe for the same effort and how different it would be. Yes its hard to deny it does become very boring here after a short while.

TracyAnne

When are you heading back?

aaron8123

Hi Tracy, My husband is going to hand his notice in end of next week and then we will give ourselves a month to go. It is going to be chaos, not looking forward to co-ordinating the move with selling furniture, car and shipping, also still have 6 months to run on our rental contract. :scared:

TracyAnne

Hi,

Just to make you feel a little better, we are leaving our house here unsold!!!!

Where are you moving back to?

Tracy

Mercedes

When I went to Australia, late 80's early 90's there wasn't the opportunities now of travelling and living in other countries. Going to Europe for a weekend was probably unheard of. I spent a few years living there in most of the cities, and probably with me moving around so much stopped me from getting bored, although I did. In Melbourne I kept busy as I had a good social life, also a lot of my friends were into sports such as microlighting, parachuting, jetskiing gliding, and I joined in Melbourne the local Hunt Club, also took the horse and dog down to Phillip Island horse riding and swimming with the horses on the beaches. I also used to go to and see a lot of local bands around the place and a friend had a holiday house in Point Laundsdale, which he had some great parties there. I enjoyed the outside life, so flies and heat never bothered me. Perth I did find boring and certainly couldn't live there, and it was too sandy for me, and it was the only place I remember bad flies. Brisbane after a while I also thought boring and the Gold Coast people quite superficial. I did miss Australia when I first went back to UK, and often thought of returning, but that was because it was the only other country I had lived in besides UK, and doing outdoor pursuits I do need the weather. I also found being back in UK a little claustophobic and the pub life was boring to me as well as those who I met in them. TV, I can't sit still for very long to watch it. The only way I can describe the feeling is like a caged animal. I did regret going back the first couple of years, in fact you could say I hated it. But then I moved to Spain, which gives me the outdoor life I missed and other elements, but I'm closer to family, the friends I left behind I had moved on from and ended up finding new ones. This year I've lost a few family members and family related friends, so I'm actually glad I'm not living the other side of the world anymore. By being closer I'm more accessible to them and see them more, and the last year I probably see them more, than previously as I was further afield for quite a while.

If I had the opportunities that are now open to us nowadays with being able to live and travel to other countries easier, I probably wouldn't have stayed in Australia, I would have gone somewhere else, closer. When I lived there I often wished there were countries that offered a similar lifestyle, but were closer, now I've achieved that. The other plus is having Europe, USA and other countries nearer and doesn't cost a bomb to get there nowadays, so its great to experience other cultures within a couple of hours flying.

I can also relate to the fact you have to drive miles in Australia to see anything, and often wished the cities were closer. I enjoyed my time in Australia and the people I met there, but I think all our needs are always changing, and what is good for us during one period of our life, may not be for another. We all change. I'm personally glad that I had the opportunity of being able to live in Oz and other countries becase it made me more independent and opened my mind more than had I not done it. Now I doubt I would live back in Australia, because I would rather remember my memories from it and going back would not be the same. Also I don't now know where I would return to, and I think I would be bored. UK, I spend quite a bit of time there now, in fact half my time at the moment is spent between too countries, but I also like being able to escape, but thats mainly the lifestyle that I'm used to now, so I get what I missed from the UK, and also the lifestyle, but closer.

My main reasons to return was family and to spend a bit of time with them before they popped their cloggs, and also to get to know my nephew and nieces who I've missed growing up. I didn't want to regret not having spent some of my life with them. If I hadn't moved back to Europe, I think that would have been my regret in the long run. Intially I did regret coming back, but circumstances can change, and I think it is better to keep moving forward, and make other changes to make us more happier, whether it is like I'm doing in now commuting from another country. Nowadays, there are more opportunties for us to experience other countries, so nowhere has to be for ever. But we should all also be grateful that we have the opportunity of being able to live in another country and try and enjoy the experience whilst we are there, many people would love to be in our shoes in being able to do so, and maybe never get the opportunity. No where is perfect, but whether we are happy or not, we have to find that happiness ourselves, and that can be the hard part. Life is always evolving, so we have to change with it, trying to grasp onto the past though sometimes can be a disappointment.

Techno Freak

Wow Mercedes, superb post. Sounds like you have had a ball over the years.

Mercedes

I had some good times, some not so good time, some incredibly bad times and some very sad times. But life is like that, I doubt anyone can say they have gone through life without them, wherever they live. The thing is to try and focus of the positive things not the negative, as the latter can destroy your soul, and when you get that low, its hard to pull yourself back up again. It also has a domino effect on the rest of your life. I nowadays don't have negative people in my life if I can help it, probably another reason why I don't live in UK, too much negativity, whingers and grey weather....I like being around sun, light, positiveness...thats my feng shui that works for me.

Lord Pom Percy

Melbourne is one of the largest cities in the world in terms of size and a population of almost 4 million with people from all over the world.Why is Melbourne boring while a city of the same size in the Uk is'nt boring.

karaokeM

Ferny Creek

karaokeM

Hi arron

I agree entirely, last week we went to the zoo for the first time. So we decided to have some lunch at a outside cafe in the zoo, it was like being the film 'the birds', being swooped on by thousands of seagulls, there was bird S***t all over the tables, nobody coming out the clean them. I ordered a jacket potato with "the lot". It came dry as a bone, bit of grated cheese and two pieces of sliced tomato. I try my best to the see it has the city with the lot, but just like with the jacket potato I end up being disappointed everytime.

woodyinoz

have sent you a pm

aaron8123

Moving back to Middx in the first instance, but will look at moving shortly after to either Windsor/Maidenhead or Buckinghamshire (for the schools). We did not sell our house so should be to afford these areas, also when you have only been away for almost 7 months you can slot right back in.

I am treating this whole experience as a working holiday, yes it has hit us financially, but I would rather bite the bullet than stay here any longer. I know people say give it 2 years or so, but I know in my mind that if I stay for 2 years, I will learn to put up with it rather than realise I want to stay (deep down you know if you like it or don't, but I admit this takes at least 5-6 months), all that will happen in 2 years is that I will become more familiar with the surroundings. The truth is I do not want to. My cousins came to OZ 20 years ago, 20 years later they still beg there parents to come almost every year to see them, (who are 70 odd years and cannot hack the 24 hour flight) The loneliness does not go away even after that length of time, especially if you are close to your family.

Tracey, home come your leaving your house unsold, are you struggling for buyers or is this intentional? where are you heading to?

aaron8123

Funny you should mention that as our first impression of melbourne is when we went to McDonalds in the CBD and went upstairs to eat, they had an opening in the roof with some netting, but this did not stop the pigeons getting in. There were about 50 birds in the restaurant and birds**t all over the tables. We had to eat here?. You would not get this in Central London, surely this is a major health hazard, the government don't even want birdsh*t on the pavements in Trafalgar Square anymore, let alone a restaurant.

I am not kidding, I think the Mac's is in bourke street or close by, check it out, Cos I know you are missing what happened in the zoo and you want a repeat performance. We can call it The Birds 2

aaron8123

A good post, I can see a lot of people doing what you have done, You are getting the best of both worlds. I personally would like to do this some time in the future, however the property prices in spain are very high now, but still worth it as they probably won't come down! One of my friends has done this in Marbella, invested in a business and property out there and does not regret it one bit.

TouristTrap

Excellent attitude to have!