Moving back to the UK in February

Flights booked, shipping organised and family told...

But, we've just come back from a week in cairns and now I'm worried that I've made a mistake.

I want to go home as I miss friends and family but good lord Australia is wonderful.

Good Luck with the move - hope all goes smoothly

Flights booked, shipping organised and family told...

 

But, we've just come back from a week in cairns and now I'm worried that I've made a mistake.

 

I want to go home as I miss friends and family but good lord Australia is wonderful.

I totally feel your pain! We are heading back to the UK later this year, probably for similar reasons, but I am constantly worrying that we're doing the wrong thing. I absolutely love Australia, and I know we're extremely lucky to have been able to live here. Every time we go out walking I see something amazing and wonder if I've made the wrong decision. However, I tell myself that no amount of beautiful scenery or amazing wildlife can make up for being so far from our family.

It is really hard, though. Constantly trying to work out if you've made the right decision.

Wherever you stayed in cairns move there instead...............It's very normal to have that sort of feeling, you've still got the " rose tinted glasses on " that I hear people say a lot. It's not too late to change your mind.

we will be back in uk ourselves in next year or so, so i know the feeling but as usual it passes.

Good Luck.

Tough choice...and agree with LKC. An hour on Skype just does not beat a weekend with family and friends or even a night out!

What are your reasons for moving back? Do you have a good job here, Melbourne?

Plenty of places close to the UK to fulfill your travel bug, much closer and much cheaper, greater choice.

I completely understand your reasoning for moving back, especially as I have gotten older and see the difference in age more in my friends and family as not so easy just to pop around for a weekend visit. Missing watching my nephews grow up.

Australia is certainly a wonderful place, but it is far far away from the rest of the world if that is where you come from.

I too going through my own dilemma, of relocating to Toronto, similar reasons as to yourself. Bonus part is so much closer to the UK as family getting older and much quicker to get back in case of an emergency.

Good luck with your move and I hope it works out for you.

Good luck with the move, if your having doubts just make sure you have a way of getting back should you wish to in the future. Do you have citizenship?

Cal x

How many times have I nearly quit and told the other half we are moving back.

And, after 5 years I'm really glad we haven't.

Hopefully you have citizenship in case you want to come back in the future.

Good luck with the move, if your having doubts just make sure you have a way of getting back should you wish to in the future. Do you have citizenship?

 

Cal x

Nope, we have PR so we've got a small window where we could return.

Nope, we have PR so we've got a small window where we could return.

Yes thats definately better than nothing. How long have you got until you do qulaify for citizenship?

Cal x

Another 18 months before we can apply for citizenship.

Tough choice...and agree with LKC. An hour on Skype just does not beat a weekend with family and friends or even a night out!

 

What are your reasons for moving back? Do you have a good job here, Melbourne?

 

Plenty of places close to the UK to fulfill your travel bug, much closer and much cheaper, greater choice.

 

I completely understand your reasoning for moving back, especially as I have gotten older and see the difference in age more in my friends and family as not so easy just to pop around for a weekend visit. Missing watching my nephews grow up.

 

Australia is certainly a wonderful place, but it is far far away from the rest of the world if that is where you come from.

 

I too going through my own dilemma, of relocating to Toronto, similar reasons as to yourself. Bonus part is so much closer to the UK as family getting older and much quicker to get back in case of an emergency.

 

Good luck with your move and I hope it works out for you.

I have a reasonably well paid job here in Melbourne but I bloody hate it!

I totally feel your pain! We are heading back to the UK later this year, probably for similar reasons, but I am constantly worrying that we're doing the wrong thing. I absolutely love Australia, and I know we're extremely lucky to have been able to live here. Every time we go out walking I see something amazing and wonder if I've made the wrong decision. However, I tell myself that no amount of beautiful scenery or amazing wildlife can make up for being so far from our family.

 

It is really hard, though. Constantly trying to work out if you've made the right decision.

If as you put it, it was your decision and you talked your OH into it it may well be a mistake.

you can always come back but a costly exercize.

Very difficult.....

Are you sure it's not just home-sickness and a job change might sort it out? Maybe join a social or sports club and meet some new people? I found that helped me immensely feel more settled...

Settling in does take years rather than months I've found.

I totally feel your pain! We are heading back to the UK later this year, probably for similar reasons, but I am constantly worrying that we're doing the wrong thing. I absolutely love Australia, and I know we're extremely lucky to have been able to live here. Every time we go out walking I see something amazing and wonder if I've made the wrong decision. However, I tell myself that no amount of beautiful scenery or amazing wildlife can make up for being so far from our family.

 

It is really hard, though. Constantly trying to work out if you've made the right decision.

i had doubts just before we moved back but we went anyway. i guess i thought it was just the jitters so ignored the feeling. i had also badgered my husband into it so i was a bit worried about saying i was having second thoughts. being back was great for a little while but not so great after the novelty of being back wore off & i realised i should have just gone for a longish holiday to see my family instead. in some ways im glad we went back though because it made me realise i really did want to live in oz & i might never of worked that out if we didnt go.

thankfully we are back in oz now & i am totally happy & settled. nobody can tell you whats right for you though. although i wonder if you would feel more settled in a job you like. anyway as long as you can come back if you change your mind again the only thing you will lose is money which is a pain but not the end of the world.

You will probably go back to oz and then yearn for the UK gain, there is a word for it but I cant think off it right now...:rolleyes:

If as you put it, it was your decision and you talked your OH into it it may well be a mistake.

 

you can always come back but a costly exercize.

Nope, it was a figure of speech. OH wants to return to the UK, and the kids are excited at the prospect of living over there too.

We viewed our move to Australia as neither permanent nor temporary, and we will view our move to the UK in the same light. We are lucky enough not to have any financial difficulties, and could easily afford a return to Australia should we decide to at a later point.

But havent you said that your not moving back to where you were before, so are they going to play such a big part in your life?

We didn't live near to family when we lived in the UK, but we were nearer than we are here. Living a couple of hours away by car or plane is vastly easier and more convenient than living a minimum of 24 hours on a plane away. Wherever we choose to live in the UK we could easily spend school holidays, Christmas etc with family, since it wouldn't involve a 24 hour journey and $8000 in plane tickets.

ETA: Actually I can't believe that someone actually questioned the difference between being in the same country as family versus being at the other side of the world, as if there is no difference. There is a huge difference! A map should help!

Good luck with everything. From experience, it took me a long time to settle in Oz and we came back to the UK once for choice, another in difficult circumstances and I feel very out of place in the UK a now. Just keep your options open. You can always go back

Holidays are great but living in places is quite a different ball game. You've made a decision based on the best information you have at the moment, stop trying to second guess yourself! If it works, you win, if it doesn't, then you move on!

You can always go back

Very true. But, it gets rather expensive and there's a limit to how many times you can do this before your bank balance can hit a big fat zero.

Another 18 months before we can apply for citizenship.

Highly recommend you get your citizenship first - we came back 18 months ago for probably the same reasons as you - wrong decision - we are going back again this year - without your citizenship you will be stuck (or maybe that is a good thing - then you will not become a ping ponger !)

Had the same doubts and knew it was wrong but went ahead anyway - I guess we all have to find our own path ......

Good luck with your decision - it is a hard one which many people understand

Yesterday I was listening to a psychologist on the radio and the subject was yearning for different times. Talking about how people loved the sixties, seventies etc whatever. Anyway the crux of it was that we only remember the good things, we do not remember the bad things. My mum always wanted to go back to Uk and she went a couple of times, but she forgot that none of them actually go on that well. So she would come back. My dad would never go back. I was grown up by the time they moved here and I moved here separately. I have found in my life that I have to go forward not back. Remember a bloke my husband worked with they went back, lasted 12 months and then came back. They said it was not like being on holiday, actually family and friends had moved on. When he went back for a holiday later on his wife refused to go.

We need to bury ghosts that is what we are.

I have always said that if family and friends are with you on a daily basis being a migrant may not be the best path.

One we move its the end its always what if and where if

I know how you feel. I spend 2 weeks every year in Cairns/Port Douglas to avoid a bit of the Melbourne winter and get very depressed when I have to leave. I would be even more depressed if I had to go back to the UK.

Flights booked, shipping organised and family told...

 

But, we've just come back from a week in cairns and now I'm worried that I've made a mistake.

 

I want to go home as I miss friends and family but good lord Australia is wonderful.

A week on holiday is not really life, that's all you need to remember.