Toots

You are going to get a lot of differing opinions. Australia is huge with quite large variations weather wise. I've been in Australia for over 4 decades and have found I prefer a cooler climate. I'm in Tasamania now after living in Sydney for a long time and Perth for not such a long time. No doubt about it, Australia is expensive especially housing. The length of holidays never bothered me as when I left the UK we had 2 weeks annual leave back then. Where are you thinking of coming to in Australia?

I've just given my sister the good news!

Yes I had to get stocked up with cold weather gear for the winters here in Tassie. My sister brought over some lovely wool jumpers from Scotland. She has one more week here. Hope the Scottish weather is kind to her when she gets home.

The winters in Sydney never bothered me at all. Sure you got cold days but the whole time I lived there I never needed an overcoat. I used to wait at the train station going to work and I'd be surrounded by other females dressed in thick winter coats, boots, scarves and gloves. I honestly never felt it cold enough. I used to look forward to staying with friends in Blackheath (Blue Montains) during winter for a dose of real wintery weather. Loved it! It also helps if you ensure your house is well insulated. Most of the houses are not built to a decent standard. Never could understand why they aren't.

I thought Sydney and Melbourne people were very smartly and fashionably dressed going to work and on a night out.

I think Qld weather is at its best in the winter months. Lovely sunny days not as much rain. The summers are far too hot, wet and humid for me.

That's a fair review of what you have observed. Hoons are noisy, and very annoying but bottle throwing is just plain dangerous. I stopped noticing fashion years ago and I was never a great follower of fashion anyway. Hope you remembered to apply plenty of 30+ sunscreen!

I never gave it a second thought once I was an Australian citizen. It was just common sense to apply for an Australian passport especially if I was going to travel. Not so urgent if you're not planning to travel out of the country for a while.

I don't know about most other countries but Dual nationals traveling to the United States are required to enter and depart the U.S. using their U.S. passport

I know it's cooler in the SW but I would still choose Oct, Nov, Dec. Jan, Feb and March is the hottest time of the year but you may prefer the heat.

I am confused too. The OP says she wants to work even casually but that is a no no on a visitor visa. The partner visa makes much more sense.

Certainly very easy to move between 2 countries with your 2 passports if you have the cash and a lot of it.

I have just read all of the OP's comments started years ago and yes, I think you are correct. He/she just mentions grandparents. Until I read those older comments I just assumed there were other family members. That's the problem with having 2 passports. You will always be wondering if the grass is greeener.

@empire it's still not clear who in your family want to return to Australia. Is it only your grandparents who you live with or other family members? I think it would a huge upheaval and a very expensive move for your grandparents at their age. I honestly think life would be better for them in the UK and probably for you too as you really aren't keen on returning.

Hobart is now expensive to buy and rent. Average property prices over the last year range from $860,000 for houses to $807,500 for units. Houses in Hobart rent out for $585 PW units rent for $527 PW. Burnie will be a lot cheaper depending on the area. I live in Devonport. Burnie real estate: https://www.realestate.com.au/buy/in-burnie,+tas+7320/list-1

When you talk about "we" and other family members, is that you and your partner and children or your parents and yourself? If it's you and your parents and you are not keen on coming here perhaps they could come and you stay where you are happier. The cost of living in Australia is high and rentals are very hard to find. Even here in Tasmania, a decent rental at an affordable price is very rare and the cost of buying a house here has doubled in the last 10 years. With regard to public transport, it depends where you live. The big cities will have fairly good public transport but not so much in regional areas. I think it all depends where you live in the UK and here. Some lovely areas and some real dumps. Difficult to compare the two countries. The politicians here are probably much the same as the ones in the UK. Not much to write home about with regard to all of them. I have no complaints about the health service here but that could depend on the area. Good luck with your decision!

I really enjoy 4 distinct seasons. We have had a lovely warm summer though a bit dry. Now it's becoming more mellow now that autumn has arrived. Winter we usually have frosty early mornings with chilly sunny days or lashing rain and gale force winds. Whatever is thrown at us we cope just fine.

The top 10 warmest winters on record for the UK include 2024, 2022, 2020, 2016 and 2014, and the top 10 wettest 2024, 2020, 2016 and 2014 – so very mild winters also show a tendency to be very wet.

.................... or Sri Lanka.

I think @Blue Manna is a bit younger than us and I hope he does manage to live in both countries but as you get older all that travelling (for me anyway) would do my head in, never mind the two houses and all that entails. My sister has only 3 weeks left of her time here and I will miss her terribly. We have looked at me going over to the UK at some time but like you, I have so much happening here plus horses and our dog I can't drum up any enthusiasm for a lengthy visit. We may meet half way and have a holiday ......... probably to break her journey the next time she comes here.

I used fine fly nets over the pram when my sons were babies ................... in WA not Scotland.

That is one thing I didn't get used to when we lived in Perth. The bluddy flies. Persistent and so very annoying.

It's now autumn. We have had a lovely summer of clear, sunny warm day. Not much rain - a few thunderstorms and heavy rain two or three times lasting overnight. The hottest day was 28C.

Yes they have them in Dubai but I'd never use one. I watched a "gentleman" hack and spit into one of them.

Are you bringing your horses to Australia? Will cost many, many thousands of $$. I knew people in Sydney who kept their horses at livery stables around the city but again it was VERY expensive to keep them there.