Imapla

I very would not recommend leaving your (adult) children - you will miss them a lot and they will so miss just having Granny around. Maybe break down the 6 month here and 6 month there idea - could you afford to do a short stint back to the uk - say 3 months and see how it goes (go in the winter) when you are living in Aus you totally forget how dark and long the winters are here ! Make sure you arrange a few whole family get togethers and that might keep you going until the next one. If you have a job - they may give you unpaid leave and job hunting over here is very hard no matter what age you are - there are so many applicants for each job Although I must say that now summer has finally arrived it is lovely

We used them- no complaints

Been back nearly 2 years - still not feelin' that

Hi We are doing up a Chrysler Valiant Charger and having to order car parts from Australia and we are being stung by customs - the car and parts are for personal use - does anyone know a cheaper way of sending smallish packages to UK? or whether we can claim back the gst in some way. Thanks if you can help !

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

Congrats - we would be 10 years too ....... if we had not given in to the family and friends 'ping' last year - but we will be 'ponging' back again next year to continue our journey. What suburb do you live in and why is it so nice just as a matter of interest ?

hi Sorry I haven't read all the other posts (there are a lot!) but you will read and listen to everyone and take what you want deep down from them. I came back for the same reasons as you and before I left I knew it was a mistake but the day we landed in the UK it really hit me and I haven't settled since. It is not just the cold (for in kent the weather really hasn't been that bad) but it is the fact that you are stuck inside the house from October to June pretty much - yes you can go outside and do all the things you can do in Brisbane - cycling, walking, swimming, tennis etc but you can't just sit on your outdoor entertainment area and chill and while away the hours as we used to do a lot plus the windows pretty much have to be closed for those months. I don't want to have any regrets in life but if I could go back I would have listened to my inner self - as it was I kept asking other people what they thought - the Aussie ones said stay - the UK ones said come home (of course) and so I did. We're not getting any younger and I feel I have made a backward step - I am spending these one or two years (until we go back) planning to go back and so not making the most of being here. So in short - if you live in a nice house, have good jobs and are generally happy (except for your yearning to go back) I would stay (maybe go back on an extended trip - 2 months (in winter) and fully check it out without committing to the full move. It is also very expensive to make the move - shipping, rental properties, etc Good luck with your decision Oh yes and you know the poem - happy wife, happy life !!

Hi We used JetPets - can't fault them - very friendly and efficient and we collected our dog a couple of hours early the next morning after he landed - he was none the worse - cost around $4000 (he is quite big). Good luck with your choice

Hi 10 years ago we went and looked at the unit and moved in the the next day but after that our experience was that there was always many people going to each house viewing and making applications so you have to get in quick and maybe paying up front might help and forming a good relationship with the agents. I doubt if you will get a 3 month lease .... but you could always get a 6 month and then if you cant get work there and get work in Brisbane just commute for the balance of the time - its not ideal - it can be a long commute (although not too bad if you find work in North Brisbane) but definitely doable. Try Emerald Springs in Mooloolaba - it is a nice complex and usually had quite a few up for rent. Good luck - it is the most beautiful place

To answer your question - for me no! We came back for same reasons - to spend time with family - we liked life in Brisbane but my husband had started to miss a few things about the UK (even though he initially didn't go back to visit for 7 years) Any we ummed and ahhed and finally made the decision to go back and from day 1 (or even before we left) I knew it was the wrong decision - temporary is all v. well but it costs a lot to move everything over, emotionally its draining to set everything up again in the UK, as you say where you live depends on how often you'll see your friends and family and there are not many of mine that I have seen more more than when I came over for my annual visit. My OH would be happy to stay here so now there's another dimension which I hadn't thought would happen. We will go back but it has cost us a lot and saying goodbye to everyone a second time is also hard. One thing it has done is got it out of my system - I absolutely know I don't want to live in the UK and do want to live in Brisbane (which I wasn't 100% sure of before) and I guess many ping pongers have to go through this rather than just making a decision based on other people's experiences. Nothing is forever but I regret leaving my job - I may get my job back there and slot back in as if I had never left - I may not. Its all very uncertain and I can't wait to get back and find out ! Also the winter hit me hard - it wasn't that bad - weather wise - to be honest where we are but so dark - not enough light - not enough sun - not enough blue skies and not enough warmth - things aren't so bad now its summer - in fact today has been the most beautiful day and sitting outside in the sun reminded me that we pretty much did that every day in Qld !! Don't take it for granted - remember the reasons you went to Aus in the first place. Ask yourself this - would you rather your OH was homesick in Aus or you were homesick in UK because it sounds like it could well come to that - on the other hand - it may help him to see that Aus is the place for you all. If only we had a crystal ball ............ Good luck with the decision - how about sending him off on a 2 month sabbatical to London and seeing how he goes !!

If anyone is interested please PM me - we are open to offers.

The trouble with going back in Summer is that you will love it all as it is lovely int he summer - long light nights, beautiful countryside and France will be lovely too. You need to have a holiday in the winter because those short dark days are totally different then and that is the bit that people (well me anyway) forget ! Have a great holiday and who knows maybe it will settle things for you the opposite way - in a good way - I hope so

Stepping stones - from the start of your journey to the end - one at a time - I think it would be fairly normal to feel like that especially as you have kids with you. Choose the school, then the house and then the job - good luck and expect the odd wobble - I am sure there are a lot of people on here who have felt it too.

Hi If anyone is looking for a cheap reliable car with plenty of room inside and a tow bar, please pm me as we will be soon be putting this vehicle up for sale - we have had it 5 years. It is a 2007 model. PM me if you would like more info. Cheers Kev

Hi We are doing up an Aussie car and need to bring some parts to the UK from Brisbane - if you have some space in your container and you are coming in to the South East of England imminently and would be interested in helping us out, please pm me. or if you have any advice of the best way to ship them that would be appreciated too. Thanks for reading my post.

Yes be assured there are others in similar situation - you are not alone - I am one of them If you can visit the UK twice a year I think you would find you would spend good quality time with the kids and the months in between would go by fast enough - you might even find yourself starting to enjoy them if you are not constantly thinking about how you shouldn't have gone and left your kids -if my husband was the driving force to me staying I would make that a condition even though it is quite expensive - what value do you put on your mental health? Then you could maybe go on a few years more and see where your husband's career takes him and review things again after that. Also your kids could change their minds - especially if they see you are having fun ! They are only young - we all made our decisions to move to Aus much later on in life. You definitely don't want this to be the cause of a marriage breakdown - as you say the kids won't understand that and if your husband is your soulmate then you would miss him more if you moved back to the UK than you miss your kids when living in Aus. I feel for you - hope things come right

I don't think they'd do it that often ........ maybe once a year - maybe twice - yes you can do it but how often do you do it ! A weekend visit to Port Douglas or Sydney would be just as fun

Yes definitely better for me - I love the sunny days - I love sitting outside - windows open - wearing t shirts and shorts, beautiful beaches in close proximity, sitting outside at restaurants late into the evening still nice and warm; the streets seem to be much cleaner less rubbish around, I love the sound of the birds (though I must admit that took me a few years to get used to - at first I thought they were a bit brash compared to UK. The kids had (IMHO) as good an education as in the UK. The only downside for me was/is the distance from my family and that is a big -ve but regular holidays to visit and Skype chats compensate for that and we all get used to living apart. I like the work ethic, the standard of technology and the standard of living and sometimes you can forget you are in Aus when you have the same cereals in the supermarkets, same sweets, same beers. A big YES from me

I live in Kent - it is pretty windy which means the wind chill factor takes the temp (how it feels) down and a coat has been needed since October last year - although we have had had one nice day where we even had a bbq and sat outside and obviously a coat was not needed for that. Now I accept that I am a woos after 9 years of living in a beautiful hot climate and that I still need to do some acclimatising but I can assure you I have been needing a coat since October and that adds to my regret at coming back

yes me too - a nice beer and bbq after work sitting outside looking at the sunny sky I have now been wearing a winter coat for 7 months and yes it looks lovely outside (because really the winter hasnt been too bad ie not too much rain) but it is soooooooooo cold - it gives me a shock everytime I go outside expecting it to be as warm as it looks. I must say I do like these nice light nights though - still light well after 8pm

Hi has anyone stored their car for a few months in Brisbane - secure and under cover ? (Wasn't sure which section to put this under!) Would be grateful if anyone can recommend a place.

We used Jetpets from Brisbane to Heathrow - they were highly efficient, friendly and reassuring and our pooch arrived happy as always when we went to collect him from Heathrow (on Thai airlines) - would highly recommend their services. I think it is going to cost almost double to go back the other way from Heathrow to Brisbane when that happens - partly the flight is more expensive and partly the quarrantine costs

I feel for you - I am in the middle part of that scenario - scared to make the decision to return to Aus (though I REALLY want to) in case it is the wrong one (though I don't think it is - I think this trip has reiterated to me that I don't want to live in UK and I do want to live in a sunny climate - 7 months of winter is too long for me ..... As someone else said my head is in a twizzle !

Just wondering who sends the certified copy - the dog owner or the vet ? I hadn't heard that bit before ........