jasepom

as long as you are sure it's want you want. i came back last year and am really regretting it now. Did you come back for a holiday ?

I can tell you from experience that plenty of poms have rose tints on when it comes to Uk. Yes it's great to be able to come back for a holiday to get your fix, but reality is reality, and it hits you sooner or later. I love both UK and Australia but give me a "Castle" in Australia to call home rather than a run-down terrace. Things to consider when moving back :- 1) Where will I live/rent 2) Will all my funiture fit 3) Buying winter wardrobe 4) Packing BBQ away for most of the year :-)

Hi mate, we came back after 5 years in Oz and regretting it now. We are now returning to the luck country in a few weeks. I would seriously think carefully coming back so soon though. Of course your wife's feeling homesick, it's only natural being so far away from home. Six months is not long enough to settle anywhere, and would try to make her in some way feel better about living there. Perhaps take her away on a spa weekend or stay overnight in the city. Melbourne is a fantastic place to live and if you have good jobs all the better. Hope you make the right decision.

I think being here for a holiday can also be misleading, as you have plenty of money in your pocket, and you travel round visiting relies and friends and they are all pleased to see you. It's also summer and you have beer gardens and quant villages to explore. It's very different to working and actually living in the UK, when there are considerable differences in lifestyle. As people have mentioned, how many "normal" working people in the uk would be able to buy a detached house with a pool/hotub. I don't blame people for coming back, but it must be strange for those that have spent years away. I don't want to spend my retirement in a cold country, but that's just me.

Hi Jago, I've had an almost identical experience. We moved back to the UK after over 4 years in Melbourne. Had our own house built in the hills, had great jobs and everything was going well until I decided I wanted to return to "home" to England. Well that has turned out to have been the wost decision ever. The euphoria of living in my country of birth lasted about five minutes. I then came to realise England is crowded and depressing and not a place to raise a family. We now live in a terraced instead of a 4 bedroom detached house in Oz and everything seems backward (reverse culture shock). People are ok but there's nothing to do here that does not either cost a fortune or require stress of travelling somewhere. Living in Oz was far too comfortable to the extent that we probably did get bored with it. Substitue that for freezing weather for 7 months when it is too cold to enjoy anything so you have to spend all the time indoors. So, we've decided to bite the bullet and go back. Sure it's expensive but I'm happy to sacrifice a flash car for a few years to afford it. Anyone can have a second chance at a country and I'm determined to make it work this time. If you think back to when you were in Melbourne, think about what you didn't like. If you can appreciate the place for what it has to offer, then go for it. :-)