Livelifenik

Wow, your life sounds amazing! We couldn't afford entry into London - we will be returning to north west of England but I take your point about all the great sites to behold - the Uni info is interesting to know as well - thank you so much for this post, it's inspiring - happy new year Deryans!

GGS we will probably have to go pick up some work down the track but the main draw for OH is not working so that's the plan at least initially - the main draw for me is being close to family again but I'm giving myself 12 months to get organised - hoping we will have time to sort citizenship out - for both of us then I guess I hadn't thought further down the track. Yeah I need all the luck I can get to persuade OH I think - I'm trying to gather info to make a kind of business plan for him to see the facts of the matter (he keeps telling me my logic is too emotionally based) - thanks for all the posts guys, it really helps to get other people's opinions, esp ones who know about the factors involved - thanks everyone!

Thanks Bungo and everyone else for your input - it's so great to have new brains on the issue without the subjective angle on it - it is an emotional time but also it's the longest time to be off work hence all the extra focus on it atm. Planning to look into all aspects in 2017 and by July I'm hoping to have a firm direction sorted for our little family - will have been here 9 years then - in my mind 10yrs in Australia means I gave it a good enough go and if all goes to plan, we will return the UK in a much stronger position than when we left it. I think I will enjoy my Australian adventure much more in retrospect. Does dual citizenship cause any problems when returning to UK?

Bungo, yeah, I wanted to sell up and return as soon as I landed after my dad's funeral but I realise this is a particularly vulnerable time for me - and yet in some way it has made me be honest with OH and myself about how I feel

Quoll, yeah my initial gambit with OH is to sell the idea of renting out the Sydney house and buying in UK first as like a 'try before you buy' - I won't be needing my Au citizenship but I've encouraged OH to get his cos he goes off doing his kayaking and biking and he's so content here - my life here is decidedly less interesting and most of what I like (books, podcasts, skyping family) can all come along with me - trying to go with the flow but I can feel a torrent coming our way lol

Bristolman, hubby is all for the outdoors life and the better wage (comparative I know) - I am resolute though, I am going to get my research together and the facts and hope I can get him over the line - yeah the better life ideal of a place in the sun, funny how that work life balance lie got spread - I do more work now than I ever did.

Hi Lady Rainicorn - yeah I keep telling my hubby that the better life we migrated to Oz for is actually waiting for us back at 'home' - except hubby insists that 'home' is now Sydney, hence the many circular conversations resulting in the same polar opposite views - son is nearly 7 and both myself and OH are not even mid 40s yet - hubby says we are too young to retire and he will soon be bored back in old stomping ground - he also blames my grief - my dad passed away 2 months ago and I was lucky that I flew over to be with him at the end. During those weeks visiting hospital every day, I reconnected with family and had a 'wtf am I doing' realisation that my hubby missed out on cos he was still in Sydney keeping our Aus life going. I've tried to build a life here with play dates and mother's groups and work friends are great, but it feels pretty vacuous compared to my sister and surviving mother now living alone - feel a real pull to get back there and do my bit but then I don't want to stuff up the future of the only Australian in the family, my little aussie battler. I don't want to be selfish - I want everyone to feel good about this... argh!!!!

That's good to know that there was no hidden costs or penalties to move back - hubby is adamant that HM gov will want their cut from our gains here and would also require us to pay back pension contributions for each year we have been out of UK.

Yeah I see no downside myself but hubby is just more cautious cos of all the effort it took for us to get over to Aus in the first place - it sounds a bit too good to be true that we could actually be debt free - I see that as the best legacy for our child but hubby views Aus as the best country for opportunities for our son - so I have a big roadblock on my hands atm

Thanks Gbyegreysky - I am now on a mission for my 'house in the shade' which ironically is more likely to set me up for the kind of life I migrated here for - less hours working, more time to myself to enjoy the things I want to do - thanks for the reply.

Hey Bungo, I guess I just want to get my question out there - getting some info together is all, thanks for the reply

Hey LovelyWA, yes I am happy to return to UK myself but hubby not so much - trying to work out the kinks to say the least, thanks for the reply

Thanks for the reply bristolman, did you get stung with capital gains or other tax issue? Anything you miss now you are out of Brissy?

Hi guys, is anyone considering returning to the UK after selling a home in Australia? Interested to hear if any other people find themselves with the opportunity to return to UK to be much better off financially. Using the equity of the Sydney house, I could buy a property in UK outright and still have change left over so I could take frugal early retirement/work part time. Has anyone else found themselves in this predicament and how that has worked out for you? Funny that I first used this forum to help me work through the initial migration here in 2008 and now I'm back here thinking of a move back England for my dream of a better life. Life has a way of coming around full circle sometimes! British born and migrated to Australia in 2008 - feel like I've given it a good fair go here but reality is not the dream I had envisioned....