mark roberts

I too will be returning, I have been here over 2 years now and miss England. Coming to Australia was a long time dream of mine and I had it all planned and set up for when I left the British Army after 22 years service, I figured it would be just as easy as starting off in civi st, and as I spent years living and working abroad I didn't think I would miss the UK that much. The problem for me is the cost of living, the poor service, everything seems so overcomplicated out here and the house prices and quality of build. I have seen it mentioned on this forum before and I have to agree that the average Aussie is just so xenophobic and boring, everything has to be about Australia, I am proud to be English but if I see someone gifted or talented from another country I can only admire them, but here they only concentrate on what is Australian, Australian owned and run, blah blah blah, I just don't find them stimulating at all. Apart from that the rain here is double what I experienced in the UK, I have been flooded out twice, I have the heating on more here than I ever did in the UK as there is no insulation double glazing etc and when the sun does come out it is unbearable. The only upside for me is my job as I earn a great wage and can save quite a bit, but even that won't be enough to keep me here, I did plan on working a lot longer and putting a sizeable amount on a house in the UK, but I can't bear the boredom or constant long drives to get to anywhere. I miss the close proximity of Europe and underestimated the impact the history and culture of the UK would have on me, it just feels very sterile here, no character. My friends keep saying I should have researched it more, but I did, this was 10 years in the planning, It doesn't matter what research you do, you won't know until you have actually lived and worked here for at least a year. I am glad I came for those reasons, I just had to get it out of my system, but now it's time to move on.

Thanks, so I guess my only option would be to leave it in Australia then claim it when I am 55?, not ideal but at least I know now.

I thought that you could cash in your super if you forgo your visa, although there would be a penalty. I too am thinking of returning to the UK and cashing in my super within the next couple of years.

Thats how I feel at the moment, I desperately want to move back to the UK, but I can save almost as much as I can earn in the UK here, so a few more years here will make it worthwhile in the end. But part of me thinks that life is for living and to hell with the finances.