Kazz

Thanks Melza, that certainly gives me more the think about. Yes, my main reason for considering going back is the pull of those family ties. I've been back a couple of times in the past few years, the last time on my own and it was so great to get quality time with them. But moving back is such a big move and not once I can afford to reverse in a hurry if it's the wrong decision. I am going to be joining yoga or pilates classes in the new year and I've just given up work to return to full time study, which will give me the chance to meet more people and hopefully make more friends. You're right, my parents won't be around forever, I guess that's part of it, I hate the thought of only seeing them a handful more times if I can only go back every few years. I try to look at it from every angle, but it's nice to have unbiased opinions, so thank you.

Thanks Blossom, that's my biggest worry. I'd hate to go through the upheaval to realise it was the wrong decision. A compromise would be to save as much as possible so I can afford to visit home more often I suppose. Not easy given the ever increasing cost of living in Australia.

We've been in Australia for 7 years, living both in WA and in regional NSW. We've loved it, it was hard initially to get settled in but we have made a nice life for ourselves. But, I've never stopped missing my family for a single day since we left the UK. I thought it would ease, but as my parents age, I feel horrid being so far away and miss them terribly. I've found making friends in Australia much harder than anticipated. We're a sociable couple and have met nice people, but there's a big leap from acquaintance to friend. The friends we have made have been English. I never wanted to be once of those Brits who surrounded myself with English only friends, so this was not by design. I think when amongst folk from home, we just get each other better. But with no family and limited friend network, life here can be very lonely, although it affects me more than my other half. We've been able to afford ourselves a lovely home on a few acres here, so moving back to our busy & crowded old home town would not be an option. We have been spoilt I know, but we do like the space of the country so would want to keep fields & rivers around us if we chose to move back. Unfortunately those areas don't offer the best work prospects. Much as I feel it would make my heart happier to be closer to my loved ones, we have to practical and look at the price of houses and lower earning potential in the UK. If we go back and can't get reasonable jobs, it'll be so tough resettling and it costs such a lot to move across the globe and we can't afford to pingpong.

Does anyone know how the Australian trade skills compare to the UK? My partner is an advanced rigger here in New South Wales. Looking at similar jobs being advertised in the UK, they call for at least an NVQ 3 certificate. How does the Australian qualification compare?

Hi Mat, Regarding work, it really depends on what you do. There's lots of medical, engineering, finance and mining jobs advertised regularly and a fair bit in the way of trade jobs, but the main sector here is retail & hospitality/tourism. It does seem to be a case of who you know rather than what you know, and that's tough when, like us, you're new to town and don't know anybody. My other half is in the mining oil/gas game, so he's got work, but I've found it tougher looking for admin positions. What line of work are you in? Kazz

Hi Mat, There's always plenty of nursing positions advertised on www.seek.com.au There's both a public and private hospital in Port Macquarie, so hopefully your fiance won't have any problems finding work. We left UK 5 years ago and initially moved to Perth, moving to Port area only a few months ago. We chose to live about 20 mins outside Port, near Wauchope, where we were able to buy a property on a few acres, something we couldn't have afforded to do in UK. Coming to Australia has been great for us, although obviously it's hard leaving friends & family behind, but it's a fabulous place for them to visit. Good luck with your move, hope all goes well for you. Kazz :biggrin:

Hi, hope you and all your stuff arrived in Port safely. We moved here a couple of months ago from Perth and are still finding boxes to unpack! What made you choose Port if you'd not been here before? It's difficult saying your goodbyes and trying to meet new people when you move. Hope you're settling in and enjoying life here. Good luck with your new adventure. Kazz :biggrin:

Just wanted to say hi. We moved from UK to Perth 5 years ago but have just uprooted ourselves again to move from WA to NSW mid-north coast, near Port Macquarie. We found ourselves a nice home, but it was hard leaving some great friends back WA. Hopefully we'll soon build new friendships here in NSW. We got PR a while back so now we've moved house we can start thinking about applying for our citizenship. :wink: