Toots

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.

No we didn't @Rallyman. Our house is as old as us. We built our house in Perth and renovated our house in Sydney so we just wanted an older house in an old area of town. It's a quiet area very close to the beach and the river. My husband had had enough of building.

I like Bendigo too but same as all inland places in Australia it's ............. too hot (for me) in the summer and a lot colder in the winter.

This is just my opinion but no, it is not enough reason to move back. It's up to you of course. You have your citizenship and if you feel you absolutely need to come to Australia just get on with it. You will probably receive all sorts of opinions on this forum. Just gave you mine.

Both our sons went through their school years in the public school system. Same as your two - went to year 12 no problem - both enjoyed school. That was well over 20 years ago when we didn't seem to hear so much about teachers leaving the profession. That seems to be problematic in many other countries too.

Animals are never as obnoxious as some people can be.

I've always had the greatest admiration for teachers and nurses. Those are two professions I just couldn't have chosen. Dealing with students and people day in day out. Give me animals any day.

It is reported on the news here that all is not going so well in Australian schools either. This is from the Australian Financial Review. There are many teachers leaving the profession as they are finding it hard to cope. The classrooms of Australian 15-year-olds are among the most disruptive and disorderly in the world; ranking at 69 out of 76 school systems. The same data shows that two in five students say their classmates don’t listen to what their teacher says, and almost half say there is noise and disorder in most or all lessons. The toll on staff is also clear. About one in four teachers find maintaining classroom discipline is difficult, and that intimidation and bullying are common in about one in three schools.

I don't know when you arrived but we first landed in Sydney in 1981. We were there for about 18 months then went to Perth. Our sons were born in Perth. We left Perth at the start of 1987 to return to Sydney until we retired 10 years ago when we then came to Tasmania.