juckky

After 4 years and 10 months of dreaming about emmigrating to Aus, the reality of it not happening has dawned on me. The following factors

1. Well paid job in London earning more £ than I would earn $
2. Wife and Daughter madly into horse riding. Daughter has a pony
3. Schooling worries of 13 year old who is in grammar
4. Not enough savings to feel comfortable going without a job lined up

I know the above are no excuse to not having given it a shot, and believe you me, I would be gone tomorrow if it was just me, but the other 2 people in my life don't share the dream.

It is with a heavy heart that I write this. Not sure where the last 5 years have gone, since I checked the online application in April 2010 to find out my Class 175 PR had been granted. I went back to Perth in Jan 2014 for a 3 week windsurfing trip. The memories are still very fresh.

Gutted. But hey ho

louie

You never know what tomorrow holds.

You may still qualify until you are 45, so maybe consider reapplying again at the last minute so you have until you are 50 to make the move.

I'm about to move at 53; never too late for a bit of an adventure, though fortunately hubby is equally enthusiastic and we have no kids to consider.

quoll

Sounds like a pragmatic decision to me - when you have it good why screw it up, I reckon. There are some things in life that you have to draw a line under and say yup, that's it, no point in dwelling on it and getting your knickers in a knot because you didn't do it. The Stars didn't align for you in this case but you've got a good life doing what you're doing and you can always head off for holidays! Onwards and upwards, hey, enjoy the rest of your days!

Buzzy--Bee

Just a personal theory - BUT -

I reckon the people who have it great in the country they are emigrating from are the people who have it best in the country they are emigrating to.

My $0.02

BB

quoll

Certainly, failures in one place often continue the trend!

aries

But not necessarily. A sister and her family had been living in a council house and leading a nothing life in England, her husband riding a moped to work, but they decided to follow us to Australia.

Within months they began buying their own 3-bedroom home, and as time went on they acquired a swimming pool, caravan and a motor cruiser, as well as changing cars every couple of years.

They never thought about returning to England even for a holiday, and it was the same for another sister and her family who had also emigrated to Australia.

I could not have imagined any of them being successful in England, yet in Australia they achieved success.

Vash the Stampede

On the contrary, they are perfectly legitimate reasons for staying in the UK. I think you deserve credit and respect for making a tough but sensible decision.

Moses2013

Doesn't sound like a bad life to me and nobody can stop you going over on holiday again. You should be happy for what you have now and you can also go on windsurfing trips in Europe for less money. Portugal is just around the corner and many other places too.

juckky

Although the reality has dawned that we won't be in Aus when the visa expires I am still battling with myself over it. I keep thinking about the plus side for me going to Aus. The only ones that keep coming to mind are

1. The weather
2. The better windsurfing and more time to sail during the week

Aside from those 2 things there isn't anything else drawing me over. Like people have said, I can always go on holiday

Moses2013

Weather always seems to be a factor for so many, but when you're working long hours, you don't really have the time to enjoy it and would you really have that much time to sail during the week? Most Brits end up sitting in the shade all day, because the sun is so aggressive. There are plenty of options in the UK and if people don't like the weather, why not build a covered patio? Living in Europe you also have the advantage that you can fly to a different country in no time and it's cheap enough to have a nice long weekend somewhere. It would be a 5 hour flight from Sydney to Perth.

juckky

Agreed. I have been racking my brains for the plus points, but at the moment I am struggling to work them out.

spouse of scouse

I think you've pretty much answered your own questions/dilemma in your above post. There's very little driving your move to Australia (weather, windsurfing and a dream), and plenty of reasons to stay and be happy where you are.

Moses2013

We all have dreams and there are so many nice places to visit, but overall you can be happy with your life. Maybe you would have gone over and it would have been a nightmare, or the exact opposite (who knows). In reality, you probably did more during your 3 week visit, than many working people in OZ do in a year.

juckky

Driving 5500km from Perth up to Exmouth and then all the way down to Esperance. Cracking trip!

But conscious that I would not be able to do that all the time if I lived in WA

aussietobe

The weather does make a huge difference to one's life...However London is very vibrant and happening city especially if you are earning big $$$