MissMissingEurope

Hi it sounds like you have a wonderful lifestyle in the UK! It's all of these kind of experiences i'd love my kids to have. If you don't mind me asking, where are you living? I would very much like to live somewhere close to London but I don't know if we can afford it..

I see what you're saying.. I know that they could end up wanting to move back here one day (and being able to as dual citizens) but I feel like it might be less likely if they have grown up in the UK.. there is no way of knowing of course. I just don't want to end up like some of the older people i've met here who deeply regret not moving back then their kids were young.

Where do you live, just out of curiosity?

I do have family come here to visit every year. Family and friends isn't actually a main reason for wanting to go back, it will just be a bonus really.

Yes I did and I have family and friends living in a few different countries in Europe. I miss being able to go and visit them. I can't afford to from Perth, especially with 2 kids.. it would cost just as much to move back so that's what i'd like to do!

Yes, I have also lived in Melbourne and Cairns.. we have considered Hobart or Canberra but they are even further away from Europe than Perth is so i'm not sure i'd be able to settle there either as it's the isolation from Europe that really bothers me about living here the most.

We would definitely move somewhere totally new for the adventure Honestly, if we had the money I would happily jump on a plane tomorrow. We have a LOT of saving to do before this becomes a realistic option for us but i'm sure we will get there one day (hopefully in the next 2.5 years, by which time I can get long service leave which will help a lot).

It's people who have only been here on a holiday or working holiday.. totally different scenario to living here for 8 years!

It's both actually. Many of the UK-based people who say that to me have actually been to Australia. As for people in Perth, it's not so much Australians but other Brits who have moved here. I find that most of them love Perth and would never consider moving back in a million years!

Hi everyone, i'm a new member on here but a long-time reader of the MBTTUK forum! I've been in Perth for 8 years now with my husband and have 2 kids who are 4 and 1. We are all dual UK/Aus citizens. We have been considering moving back for years now and have pretty much decided that we will do it, but it will take us a couple of years to organise everything and save up enough money to do it. We have already ping-ponged once over 10 years ago so we are aware that both places have their pros and cons and we aren't looking at the UK through rose-tinted glasses/with a grass is greener outlook. Reasons for moving back: wanting to be closer to friends and family, boredom with Perth, not liking the isolation, hating suburbia, bored of the samey weather and lack of distinct seasons, missing Europe (oh so much! I have NEVER stopped missing Europe since we arrived here) and the ability to travel cheaply, wanting our kids to grow up being able to experience all the Europe has to offer instead of living in the insular bubble that is Perth. We aren't sure where in the UK we will move back to yet. I feel that if we are going to move back, we need to do it soon because if we stay here too long we will get "stuck" here.. our kids will become proper aussies, they will attend high school then probably uni in oz, may settle and have kids here and then it will be so hard to move back! At least if we move soon and it doesn't work out, we can always come back before the kids start high school (though i doubt we would do that). I have met elderly British people here who long to go back to the UK but are stuck here because they have kids and grandkids here. I just cannot see myself living here into old age. The thing is, whenever I mention this plan to anyone (family included), I get really negative reactions and people telling me that it would be a terrible mistake to move our kids away from this place that apparently is "the best place in the world to raise kids". They make out like the UK is some third world country that's a terrible place for families and it really makes me worry that they are right and we are going to make a terrible mistake. They also comment on how awful the UK weather and act like we would be crazy to go back to it but honestly, i''m bored of the Perth weather.. i'm sure i'll miss the heat but weather is not everything. Because of the negative reactions, sometimes I feel like giving up on the dream of going back and just accepting that the best thing for our kids is just to stay here, even if we don't want to. Then again, I don't want to look back in 10 or 20 years and think "what if?" I guess i'm just looking for some reassurance from someone.. did you move with young kids and find that it was actually ok? Do your kids have a good quality of life in the UK? Has anyone had similar negative reactions from people?