Tricky

We moved back last year after 8 years in Australia. We shipped half a container and a dog. Container was about $4,000 and the dog about $4,500. Was it the right choice? We will never know. But we moved so our daughter grew up around family and that part is working out well. We are enjoying it and in the process of buying a house. Managed to secure jobs very quickly. Earnings are on par with Aus for us but we actually find life more expensive here in general. Certain things are a bit more expensive but things like petrol and houses (south west) are far more. We came from Adelaide so houses were cheap compared. If you plan to arrive in August, which is also the month we arrived, you'll have a few weeks of good weather then you'll hit the winter. And it's 6 months here. Coming from winter in Aus to winter in the UK, it was a little depressing by the end of February but luckily got through it. All in all, I feel like I never went away for 8 years and it merely seems like a holiday, which is strange.

Never heard of this in my time in Adelaide. It's possible to get fleas even if you don't have a carpet. Are you sure they didn't mean termites? They are bugs that you need to be concerned about as they can eat away the timber structure of houses if they go unnoticed.

Sorry, I don't want to hijack this thread. We could be happy in both countries, however slightly favour the Ozzie way of life and weather. However then we have the family aspect here in the UK. Niether of us need to be with family and if it wasn't for our daughter we wouldn't have returned. But we wanted her to know the family. Now I suppose we have to decide if we feel that that aspect is more important to us than being in Australia where we may only see them once a year. The only real 'issue' we had was isolation but wasn't the reason we left. The reason for the return was for our daughter to be able to see family more often. And that's what is making our decision so difficult. We prefer aus but would feel a bit guilty her growing up so far away.

How long have you been back? When you say 'you've come from something better' can you explain what you mean. Why do you think that Melbourne is better (genuine question)? What was the reason for you return? Family? We returned back in August. It took me 3-4 months to actually adjust back to the UK having been away 7/8 years. When I got back everything felt cramped, small and a bit different. However now I'm just used to it and have adjusted. Personally I think it may take some people a while to adjust, hence why we couldn't just do a long 4-6 week holiday here to see if moving back was the right thing for us. Perhaps you will feel differently a few months down the track?

Oh only just seen this. We are happy but really miss Australia. However, we may just always be unsettled. We like both countries. Plus I've got a job offer back over there (also have a job here). Many people would love to have the choice we have but it's a tough one to make.

We decided in the January but didn't leave until August. In reality, the only things that are out of your control are if you're selling house/cars. Although both should go quick if priced competitively. Shipping can be arranged within days, flights can be booked at the last minute if needed. We brought a dog back with us, you just need to make sure that the rabies vaccination is done with enough time to go prior to leaving. We used Animal Travel based in Adelaide for the organisation of it all. One thing is, be sure you need/want to move. We've been back since August and just about to make the move back. And the dogs costs will be the most expensive part. D'oh. It's only money though, right? One thing I can say though is, don't stress, in reality it's pretty straight forward. Break it done into categories (shipping furniture/dog/flights) and it'll appear much easier. I stressed, in the end for no reason. It was seamless. Going back, I'm just going to chill. Good luck.

Having managed to get time over the weekend to sit and discuss, she is happy here but wasn't unhappy there. There's aspects of both countries she enjoys. She understands I feel a bit out of place, and also that we are better off financially over there. We both agree that the reason that we came back was family and our daughter to grow up with them, so we have some thinking to do. Ultimately though, I'd rather be in the place that my daughter will be happiest, so that's what we need to decide.

Hope everyone is getting along ok, it seems there are many people in the same boat. We've been back 6 months now. The wife is enjoying being back and my daughter enjoys seeing the family. We both got jobs within 4 weeks of returning which made life easier and removed some pressure however I'm still consulting for the company I worked for in Oz in my spare time so keeping busy. We've had an offer accepted on a house which is great... However, I have seemed to pick up the curse of the expat. I don't feel like I belong here. I don't hate it, it's fine, but I just feel like I've changed far too much and crave to be back in Oz. And this feeling is making me panic about the house purchase, locking us in. I thought it might just have been because of winter, but it's not that. It's the way of life. The reason we wanted to come back was being close to the family for our daughter and that has been great. She sees them all the time and looks forward to it. They also help out with childcare and occasional babysitting which we never had back in Oz. I should love it too. But I don't. However, it's not all about me, there's 3 of us and knowing that my daughter is creating memories and a bond with the family makes me happy. All I need to do is work incredibly hard and ship the family back over with us. That'd just solve everything!

Just down the road from us. Your journey sounds similar to ours, 7 years there and back to Dorset with our daughter. Living with the in-laws, although have an offer accepted on a property. Got jobs within weeks and didn't really mind the winter, the sun has been nice recently though. However, 6 months in and I'm getting itchy feet... Hmmmm.

£1300 a year?!!!! Jeez and I thought I was paying an excessive amount at £300 a year. Has it got a rear fog light? I know many Jap cars don't for some reason, my Mazda 6 didn't have one.

We used a company called Animal Travel in Adelaide (that's where we lived) who are a small company and were excellent. Came round to meet our dog first and we dealt with the same person the whole time.

Our dog travelled in July. Not one company that we contacted (including Jetpets) mentioned this to us. A bit of heat would be welcome after hours in a plane hold surely lol. Rabies and a health check was all that was needed for our dog. Cost about $3,500 for a small dog. Ours took about 48 hours to get to London as there is a required time for a rest stop.

You sound very similar to us. We arrived in Aus with very little and made a good life for ourselves and bought a house together. Once we had our daughter feelings changed. We also had friends but never felt like we belonged. We've been back nearly 6 months now and are happy being back and don't regret it one bit. Sure the weather isn't as good, but summer isn't far away. The trouble is, I don't think you'll truly know how you feel without actually moving back, as a holiday is just that, but hopefully you'll get a good idea. All the best with the decision making.

How’s your UK credit rating? They do credit checks nowadays we found. Rental prices are quite high in our area so we decided not to rent and buy. We could have found somewhere in a couple of days though, it all depends on the area though.

We came back with our daughter and dog in August after 8 years. Reasons were mainly down to bring far away from family and our daughter and family not having that closeness, and the feeling of isolation living in Adelaide, which is a personal feeling, but I love the fact Europe is so close together and so much to see. I miss Australia, but I think really the only thing I truly miss is the weather. If the climates were the same, I'd choose the UK everytime. And that for me is enough to make me happy here. Yes the weather is a bit dodgy for a third of the year, but meh. It's weather. But life is short and you have to be where your happy. I'm not ruling out moving back in 5 years, but it'd be to a different city for a new adventure.

Nobody gets put on the electoral roll to vote, it's merely a necessary step to obtain credit.

I know this is a bit off the topic of tea/coffee, but yes you can of you have an address. We were moving to the in-laws so we could use that address. Only issue is its canvasing from Aug to Dec so we won't be added until December 3rd, we applied mid July.

Oh I didn't expect people to focus on the coffee comment, I don't even drink it! Thanks for the info on mortgages. We spoke with 2 different independent advisors and both said similar but we might try another soon and have another go.

After 8 years living in Australia, we've just hit 3 months back in the UK. The move seemed easy, however I'd estimate that from commencing the move from Australia until we will be in a similar position here, I'd estimate it'd be about a 14-18 month process. For us at least. We sold our Aus house, cars, sold some stuff, shipped some stuff, shipped a dog, stayed in an Airbnb for 6 weeks prior to departure and finally shipped ourselves. The reason for moving back was mainly family, however slightly work related. My profession wasn't recognised quite as professional in Australia than it is in the UK which always meant I would always be restricted at how far I could progress. Having been back 3 months, we've gone through the process of getting set-up with phone numbers, purchased new cars, got jobs, but that's about it. One thing that we have found difficult is having no credit rating. We had to buy our cars cash and we have been advised that we really should wait until Dec/Jan until looking for a mortgage to make sure we exist on credit agencies, finally appear on the electoral roll (even though we applied to go back on in July!), and will have enough payslips. So for now it's being shacked up with the in-laws. Apart from the financial side things are fine. Work is fine, and it's great to be back in a more responsible role however I forgot that the Brits actually work! Weather hasn't been that bad, not as bad as we remembered. It's never going to be like back in Aus though. Still, hasn't stopped us doing anything. Looking forward to a cold Christmas. Having family near is great, our daughter enjoys seeing everyone in person rather than on the iPad screen. Hopefully once we've managed to find a house we will feel completely settled, although the house buying process is one thing we're not looking forward to here. Lots of talk about Brexit on the TV and radio, but who knows what will happen. If it gets really bad, we can dust off our Aussie passports and jump on a plane back. Strangely I didn't realise how isolated I felt from the rest of the world in Australia until I got back to the UK. It's as though you live in a far away bubble when you're there and now it's back to being exposed to the whole world again. Hard to explain. It is nice being able to head to different towns and cities each weekend and not have a choice of 2 shopping malls within an hour's drive, but that was down to location, not the country's fault. All in all, it's not a lot better, it's not a lot worse. It's a bit different, but it's fine. We're happy we made the move, happy with life and that's all that matters I suppose. Can't get a decent coffee anywhere though....

We recently paid $4500 with animal travel for a small dog. They were great. They weren't the cheapest quote but we were most happy with them whilst getting information

We found Qatar the cheapest when booking one way at $2400 for two adults and a child. They fly to/from Perth don't they?

We have used Animal Travel in Adelaide. Had great service this end, our dog is currently on his final flight from Dubai to London as we speak so fingers crossed he arrives ok.

We are moving back to the South West too, house sold and currently packing. Temp accommodation for 6 weeks the fly late August. I’m sure the excitement will kick in when the stress of packing has gone.

Just an FYI. Just spoke to them as we haven’t had our URN through yet after applying 6th June. The woman says they have a backlog and are as of today up to the 21st May. So it appears they are taking a month or so at the moment.

Ok thanks for that tip! All of my attachments will be under 1mb, the biggest being about 650kb, the others about 200kb and one 66kb so hoping that they will be fine. There's only the form and 4 enclosures.