Kel1

I too am wondering the same thing, i am having real thoughts about going back and i NEVER thought i would really miss it as much as i have. But for us, going back is a drama with visa's - we gave up our chance to get pr and now it may be the biggest regret of our lives

Yeah i know i shouldn't look! Had lots of issues with NAB with regard to transferring large sums, the max is 20kper day. Seems hilarious that you keep money in the bank and they dictate how much of your money you can take at any one time. Finally sorted it out but was quite annoying. Highly recommend Moneycorp though, decent price compared with the bank and no fees YEAH!

hey guys, thanks for your replies. Just agreed on the phone with Moneycorp and now we are transferring officially! Feels quite good to see it in pounds and to know it will be in our UK account. I think it's also a healthy step in moving forward and not looking back to australia etc. We got a good deal as well, compared with NAB, we saved 1200 by going through Moneycorp which is sweet. Now i just hope we made the right decision!

Hi everyone, Looking for some advice/discussion... We are back in the uk and have a fair amount of aud to transfer back. We joined Moneycorp recently but are not sure when to do the transfer. The exchange rate is pretty rubbish compared to say early 2013... is there any chance of it returning to those levels or should we get out now? I've been reading a lot about the current climate and it seems like it's not so great at the moment, and there is a key RBA (?) meeting next week which could impact the value of the dollar. I'm not really that clued up on all this stuff, just wondering if anyone with more knowledge could give me their opinion? many thanks!

Thanks for some really insightful advice everyone! Trying hard not to look back but move forward. I think for us we are living in a newish place, my hometown, although havent lived here for years, i think maybe we should move to a bigger city or something, although there is a fear there of starting again as well. In Aus we felt like we were doing something exciting and we were the newbies and met people who were also travelling whereas in the UK people we meet tend to have more settled lives and therefore have established groups of friends/family that makes it harder to make meaningful connections. Or is that just the people we are meeting? I also think we had jobs in Aus where we met people but here we are trying to start an online business and therefore not meeting anyone really, which means i think we have too much time on our hands on our own, makes it too easy to dwell and look back. To anyone making the move, it is just a tough decision and i think any issues aren't necessarily solved when you come back 'home'. well, for me anyway

I moved back a while ago now, it hasn't been that long. I was excited to be coming back and on the whole it has been great seeing family and friends again, honestly, amazing. BUT, can't shake the feeling about Australia... kinda miss it and have pushed those feelings to the back of my mind but can't help but think of all the things i miss and the feeling i had living there, which i don't have so much now. it's so hard to put it into words, it's the feeling of walking down an aussie street and feeling part of something exciting. Maybe that was because it was foreign in a way, different. I thought to be honest i was done with it, a lot of things had worn me down in the months leading up to leaving, but we had a great time on the way out, a great holiday - in which i shook off a bit of my dislike for things aussie, i think i got to see a lot more of the country and now looking back it was really cool. England i think was so built up in my mind and if im honest it actually took over my thoughts in making the decision to throw it all in and come back, and now im not 100% sure i was right about a lot of that stuff, some things like family of course are great but the feeling i thought i would have in the uk im not so sure is even real. God such a ramble but i wondered if anyone else has moved back and feels flat and sort of a bit confused by it all. it almost feels like a dream that never happened!

i wish i had taken my money out sooner from Aus, the dollar is falling so quickly right now. We are doing it this week hopefully via Moneycorp. I would recommend all those returning to look into the future of the dollar and get your money out quick! the signs don't look good!

Sorry to sound stupid but this has me confused? You predict that 1 australian dollar will equal 2 British pounds in the new year?? But 1 aud is only worth 58p at the moment? This has me confused? I am concerned that soon 1 aud will only be worth like 40p or something in the future.... (We have a fair amount of aud, saved for a deposit on a house/flat and need it to be in pounds ideally. But any loss is a hit, since we kept an eye on it we have already 'lost' 4k... not sure what to dooooo! Spoke to Moneycorp and they said to wait and see before we transfer)

An update here! Spent some time in the forest of dean (absolutely amazing), wales, south east, midlands etc. Realised it is a totally different life, with some similar people (i.e.family) but other than that it's all new. Got a temporary rental and seeing how we feel. Keen maybe on doing some casual travel next year, not fretting about where we will 'be' - although everyone we know is obsessed for us haha! Glad we came back, we think... i miss some things but the weather recently has sort of made everything much nicer. If it was constant grey it may have been different. Keen on seeing more of the world and i think in Aus it was easy to get into a rut as we were so isolated (from what exactly (apart from family etc) i am still not 100% sure, but it felt that way) and feel a lot more free. I think in some ways i will always have grass is greener syndrome haha :eek:

Hey everyone, We have been watching the falling dollar recently and are keen to move our savings back into pounds. They have already lost a bit of value and we are watching it drop further We recently left Aus and see now how the country appears to be slipping a little further into recession/something like that. We are quite inexperienced with all this type of stuff and are not sure whether to wait, or just move it now before it drops more. What should we look out for as warning signs/positive signs? Anyone else thinking similar thoughts? Interested in people's experiences!

I think we are going to keep busy, business is going well which is great. Popped into London which although was dull (weather wise) it was still quite fun, despite it being a short time. My bf said England compared with Australia is like the contrast button turned right down, haha! We are more happy to be here now though, going to enjoy these summer evenings and make sure we see a lot of England while we are here. It's funny we have changed a lot i think and [despite me reading it so much on here over the years] the people and family we know at home havent really. And we can't expect them to, but it can make it difficult to relate to them in many ways. i guess that is what happens when you go away for a fair amount of time. And it's so hard to put into words, but you just feel like you want more from your life now you have explored more of the world.

it has been cloudy!!! I am in East Anglia and not Wimbledon. It has been warm, not rainy, only a touch of rain really. BUT it has not really been a blue sky at all. I have seen blue sky on 2 days out of the last 7 and that was still with cloud. I am telling the truth! Plus Wimbledon isn't that sunny anyway. Dont try and schew the truth. Sometimes i think people keep saying the same thing to convince themselves they made the right decision or are in the right place. That's why i am here now, i am not sure of my decision and need to tell the truth to know i am making the right choices and not telling myself lies

Oh to all who were wondering why we moved back.. well we have asked ourselves this again just today. It wasn't simply 'family'... we definitely missed family, although we were never the type that lived with our families in our hometowns, we had lived away in Manchester for many years. We thought we missed the UK for what is is - the green, the culture, humour, etc etc. We also wanted our own home and Melbourne was out of the question for us 457 visa holders, as well as financially. Also, the route to PR was long and meant a commitment to an employer that my bf didn't like. So we decided not to stay and fight and just come back. We have set up our own online PR business, and have some aussie clients as well as overseas ones too, so decisions were not based on jobs. We have now the opportunity to set up our business properly and commit 100% to it as we are not working 9-5 anymore. The only thing is, we travelled once we left melbourne across Australia for a few months and we had ups and downs but mostly it was fun, exciting! Now we feel flat. Also, despite being in the south of England it is very grey, blanket cloud. I was over the sun in melbourne but didn't think about how the lack of blue sky would effect me. I feel quite sad and not sure why exactly... we felt like something was missing in Melbourne too. Now we feel we miss the 'buzz' of Melbourne and many parts of Australia, it feels like there is more going on, but is my view skewed because we are in a small town and not a buzzing city. But then not sure we could handle London as it is very expensive which is not ideal for us as we need to watch our money due to us starting our business, and we have lived in Manchester already and don't want to do that again. We feel pretty lost!

Yeah i feel like i have gone backwards.... im not sure if it is because i am different to the person i was here 3 years ago. In England i had very little success in work and was struggling, whereas in Melbourne it was technically 'good' - decent job etc. Now we feel we have gone back in time. It is so strange

Wow everyone thank you for all your replies, I appreciate each one of them! We didn't have a particular place in mind, just to be nearer to family (both live in different parts of uk - east anglia and midlands), we missed the culture, missed the green/countryside/woodlands, ease of getting to other places, familiarity etc. We lived in Manchester for many years for uni/after uni which was great and so now we are seeing our families we are unfamiliar with our old 'home towns' as it were. We are starting our own business (internet based stuff - so no need to be in a set location) and so we have no need to base ourselves anywhere. We had jobs in Melbourne so i suppose it is strange not doing that, it is a big change for us, new country and new business. Bristol is a consideration, i like the independent shops and the vibe there, only been once so will have to check it out properly. I know comparing is terrible but i suppose it can't be helped. We are in East Anglia atm and it has been grey almost everyday, a hint of sun here and there but if you blink you miss it. Now i hated the oppressive sun in Melbourne when it was hot, but honestly, i think the grey has just shocked me as it hasn't relented and this is summer! I am jet lagged a touch and need to get out there! It's hard feeling a bit lost in somewhere you thought was 'home'. I suppose home is where u make it. i hope i don't become a ping ponger!x