byrned

I have to agree with you in Melbourne anyway big houses very small gardens, units have just what I would call a yard at the back. Outdoor living does not happen In Melbourne we have crap weather 6 months of the year.

Do not leave it too late to go back if you know in your gut this place is not for you then its easier to go back getting the kids into school etc. I see ex pats all the time here at the park with their kids and at the beach I always feel sorry for the little ones in away because some will never know what it would be like surrounded by family ie grandparents, aunts,uncles cousins being apart of an everyday extended family feeling that love and craziness of a family a feeling of belonging. Then you have the die hards who protest too much ie Australia is the best thing since sliced bread and a lot of people once you start digging beneath the surface are unhappy as well or lonely, and for many, end up living to work due to lack of stimulation, especially if the kids are older and doing their own thing.

You like a lot of ex pats seem to spend their time worrying about the decline of the uk, is that to try and justify your existence in a foreign land. I would have thought for all ex pats if you love Oz so much why spend your time on a forum defending your need to choose oz over the uk. Quite baffling to me.

I would not let him go full stop. He could be upset at the thought of starting high school. His father should be supporting you in keeping his son in the uk until at least he has finished high school, he will not get the kind of education here that he will get in the grammar in uk unless you are willing to pay money for it, the state schools here are not on the same level as grammar in the UK. A boy needs a father yes but he needs a mothers love more, take it from me, his stepmother may think a lot of your son but will never be able to love him like she will her own children and your son after the novelty of him being there wares off will show. Just because he says life is boring in England it sounds to me like panic talk from him, you may have to put your foot down with him and tell him how its going to be.

to jasepom I think you are basing your post on yourself, you do not know the opening posters financial situation or what him and his partner do for a living and what they can and cannot afford. Every situation is personal and different to the individual and I should imagine that the opening poster is not that blinkered to not have an idea of costs in the uk. I find you are rather biased in your post and does not give a fair reflection and what was asked by the opening poster in the beginning. -

try barkisland, stainland, holmfirth, Hebden Bridge, soyland, ripponden, rishworth, kirkburton, highburton, look on rightmove.co.uk have you thought about North Yorkshire, some nice little market towns ie grassington is a lovely yorkshire village. I think Rishworth have a good private school.

try barkisland, stainland, holmfirth, kirkburton, highburton look on rightmove.co.uk have you thought about North Yorkshire, some nice little market towns ie grassington is a lovely yorkshire village, try the Yorkshire Dales, stunning scenery and beautiful villages.

sell everything now just keep the mere basics to get you through and all your cars asap you can always hire one if need be for a while.

As a parent nothing beat seeing my children surrounded by close family ie grandparents,aunts, uncles and cousins at christmas, bonfire night, easter, summer holidays sharing special occasions and milestones in their life. We moved to oz when they were 15 and 8 yrs old so they had a taste of extended family and for that I will always be so thankful, because in my own opinion if you have good family and friends around you and your children you have everything, no amount of money, material possessions can surpass that. I will be returning next year as soon as my son finishes high school here and my daughter also wants to return, she had a 3 month trip last year to catch up with family her old high school friends and cousins who are spread all over england and that was the deciding factor for her. I now say, never say never, it is a big wide world out there who says we have to stay in one spot for ever.

Hi here are some websites realestate.com.au seek.com.au http://www2.woolworthsonline.com.au www.originenergy.com carsales.com.au /www.abc-childcare.com/rates /www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/How-much-income-tax-you-pay flightcentre.com.au myers.com.au target.com.au bigw.com.au kmart.com.au davidjones.com.au aldi.com.au coles.com.au caltex.com.au You will also have to factor in cost of school books and uniforms you do get some money back to help with fees and books see the government websites, dental care and doctors costs some bulk bill can be quite confusing but if you look on the medicare.com.au it should explain for you. You are better doing your own research as a family nobody knows how you live your life and what you spend etc but do not under estimate your income and outgoings so it looks good on paper you have to be totally honest with yourselves. good luck

Hi, you sound as though you have situational depression as I call it, a lot of us ex-pats get and got it at some point. Yes this country is very nice, but it can also be extremely lonely, you could be in paradise and it could still be hard while you are getting used to not having the people you love most in the world near ie your close friends and extended family. The older you get the harder it is to make friends I found when I came that most people at my age already had enough friends in their life they did not need any more. What I did was to get a job, you may have to do this it will give you purpose and will also give you the social interaction that you may need. Try the job route first without the aid of tablets. good luck.

Did you wife and family move back to australia with you, I thought they were still in Uk?

I think you are going of topic here, its not why people come in the first place but more why people if they are going back and why. its peoples own journeys/stories not for us to judge

Here 8 years going back next yr. Miss my country, family and friends the buzz of the cities in uk and being so close to everything. The feeling of isolation in this country and sometimes I have felt suffocated due to it being so expensive flights . May buy a small holiday home in Spain if I start missing the sun and outdoor lifestyle especially in the English winters a 2hr flight beats a 24 hr one. Australia has become very expensive.

It is 4 years.

Hi Was wondering if any bank would lend money for us we want to buy a property in the uk but stay and work in australia. we have a 75 percent deposit does anyone know of any banks that would loan us the money. Tried HSBC they do expat mortgages but they say they will not lend to us because the country we live in is Australia and on their exclusion list. Thanks

Somebody told me you can get ex-pat mortgages try HSBC or Nat-west that is if you need a mortgage.

mine is the opposite to you in away, I want to go back but the kids want to stay and finish their education, son is nearly 16 and wants to complete yr 12 then go back, so as a parent I have to stay here with him until he has completed so this means I have to put my dream on hold for 2 yrs until he is 18. I know people say oh they will leave home eventually, go do what you want, I know this but 15 is very young to be living without the parent.

Thanks everyone, out with the old and in with the new is the way we will go. Just need the time to pass a bit quicker getting very excited.

You are right about your daughter missing out, I remember when my son celebrated his birtday here, we had only been here a short time and when he was blowing out candles on his cake, it hit me how lonely it seemed not been surrounded by his family at this special occasion for him. Australia can be a very lonely place yes you can make friends some good and some will turn out bad, but you can never replace your child been surrounded by aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. one regret of mine is we did not go back sooner but stayed this long. We are very fortunate we have such a great family in the uk, they are spread over the uk which is good for us as more places to visit when we go back.

Glad you have found where you really want to be, it has been a long road for you with plenty of insults you have endured a long the way on this website. We too will be making that journey in the next 18 months and already because I dared to say I find the place boring I am then told by a poster well its not Australia that is boring it must be me that is the boring one, then another poster who goes by a very apt name agrees.

HI After 7 years living in Melbourne we will be heading back to uk in the next 18 months, just wanted to know from people is it worth money wise shipping furniture back or buying new. Thanks

It was ok for the first few years, we came to give the kids a better life, but 6 years in and they have done nothing that they could not of acheived in the uk, would probably have done better as they would have had a richer up bringing been surrounded by family, cousins, aunts, grandparents, Australia can be a very lonely place. We also like to travel which we did a lot more of in the uk, but the cost here is very expensive. Once the novelty had worn of for me I found Australia to be a very boring existance a long long way from the rest of the world I guess.

Hi You cannot move to another country just for the sake of the weather. I have two kids both been through high school, 1 spent 4 years at high school in uk before moving here and to be honest the school in the uk was better for sport and interschool competitions then the government school here. You also have to remember if you move to Victoria AFL is the state sport not soccer, not played in the schools here like the UK they may have 1 or 2 interschool comps per year for the soccer. You may get better results if you move your kids into the private sector ie catholic schools and anglican schools you have to pay for them here. Cricket is fine just make sure you slip, slop, slap the sun in summer here is not nice, skin cancer in the young is a real worry for many parents. Do your research, for all of you as a family, jobs, cost of living yes Australia is a very expensive country to come and settle and live with kids, check out what the employment situation is like I know construction in Victoria as been on a go slow since before christmas. Have you ever thought maybe just relocating further south in uk instead of the other side of the world.

Hi the landlord pays the rates, but you have all utilitie bills to pay, in Melbourne you also pay the water but it is metered. So 450 per week plus elec, gas, water usagae, telephone, internet, foxtel if you want to have extra channels, insurance contents only. Rent is normally paid monthly so for 450 per week it is calculated by 450x52 divide by 12 this gives a monthly figure of $1,950.00 dollars per month plus the above utilities. Hope this helps.