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Hi libbye, We’re returning because we want to, for me, the UK has always been home, and our move to Australia way back in 1990 was for me, “ a phase in life” . We recently spent six months living in the UK and loved it, and we were both really surprised by the changes , and most for the better too in our opinion. We will be living in a beautiful part of the UK, Derbyshire, the Peak District National Park. It’s stunning, if you like that sort of thing ,of which we do ! It’s no reflection on Australia at all, what you want in your 20’s is not always what you want when you are in your 50’s and 60’s.

Seven sleeps to go. We leave Australia June 2rd and we’re both really ready now to settle back home.

We’ve decided to sell all of our home things here, beds, washing machine, dining table etc etc etc ... will be easier to save and start new once we’re back. Taking sentimental things of course. And have asked for a quote to see how much it’ll be to ship our dog & kitten back with us. I’m not quite prepared to leave them, but if we have to, I’ll deal with it Hi Jackie, We sold a lot of stuff before we moved, and put the cash towards exporting our cat. Pets give you so much joy , you can’t put a price on it, we’d rather have no possessions as long as we have our cat. But I do understand that the cost for some families may be difficult.

Hi Jackie, We fly back to the UK in two weeks time, after 28 years in Perth and a few weeks in Queensland. We had a six month stint in the UK recently and loved every single minute. This time, we are not paying to transport all our “stuff” been there done that once, and it was a waste of time and money for us. And when you land it does not take long to get “ sorted” with things such as a GP, dentist, bank etc etc. I fully understand your delight, I am so excited I could turn myself inside out ! Good luck and enjoy your travels home.

Last year when we flew our cat over, we used JetPets and it was totally stress free for BOTH of us. It can turn into a complicated process if anything is missed, and involves a lot of work to ensure everything is 100% correct. For us, it was well worth paying JetPets do do absolutely everything from start to finish, and we even had a door to door service which was invaluable as we had more than enough on our plate coordinating selling our house, packing and moving.

On our very recent six month stay in the UK, we found it nearly impossible to find a reputable insurer that would accept our years of NCB, despite have written evidence from our Australian insurer, with a Australian driving licence. One very well known company quoted us 1,345.00 POUNDS !!! After hours of phoning numerous companies, the NFU (National Framers Union) willingly accepted our overseas NCB ( after a review by their head office) and gave us a normal price for car insurance. When we return to the UK next month, we’ll give the NFU all our insurance business. You will not find them listed on those comparison websites though, you need to contact them direct.

Hi IrishDigger, If you went back now, you would fall off your chair ! My husband said he would never never go back to the UK, ever, full stop. Well, after our six month stint there recently he was amazed at the changes. For us, the UK it is after 28 years here, we’re also looking forward to the opportunity to re visit Europe again.

Booked our flights yesterday, we fly back July 2nd

Hi Westy, We also have decided to go back to the UK and will fly within two or three weeks. Our recent six month stint in the UK, followed by a return here to Australia, albeit only a few weeks ! has really cemented our decision to go back to the UK. I was not keen to return here anyway, but my husband wanted to “try” another state, but realised very quickly it is not for us anymore. Luckily for us , our cat and goods are not yet shipped (we had both on hold in the UK) so they will be there as soon as we land back. We’ve had a great 28 years here, but as you get older, life changes, and you just want different things in life after a while. Hope your move goes well.

One more thing, have a look at CHOICE, they are the equivalent of Which ? in the UK. They have just done an assessment of Private Health Insurance funds, there has been a major overall of this activity recently and many changes have come into effect from April 1st.

Hi Jo, There are MANY private health funds over here, it can be a bit of a mine field.It pays to do your homework and get several quotes before committing to one, and it depends on your individual needs as well. I suggest you wait till you are here, talk to neighbour’s in the area where you are going to live for a while, and see what their experiences are like with their funds. Some states have “state specific” health insurance companies eg: HBF in WA for example. You say you are eligible for Medicare, then if so, that can be set up very quickly indeed.

Hi Jo, When we left the UK recently I looked at many travel insurance companies. I noticed that ”go walk about” offers one way travel insurance for those who are leaving the UK, and will cover you for a certain amount of time once landed in your new country, so that may be worth a look. Bear in mind, all Australian private heath funds have some “ waiting periods” that you have to serve for some conditions, especially if they are pre exisiting. I have no idea about your eligibility for Medicare on your visa, sorry. Good luck with your move

Hi, we’ve done this “big move” twice now, and about to do it again so can speak from experience. It depends on where / how you plan to spend your first few months whilst waiting for your own goods to arrive. If you are lucky enough to be able to stay with relatives, stay in a fully self contained apartment, or move into a furnished property before finding your own place, then yes ship your big items (note that bed / linen are different sizes here though) If not, then don’t ship any big items at all. Because as soon as you find a rental ( and majority are un furnished) you will need to buy beds and a couch and all that other day to day stuff as soon as you move in. It’s like setting up a home from scratch, think kettle, cutlery, pots and pans, towels, crockery..... and the list goes on. Those who have relatives to stay with for those first few months are very lucky indeed I wish you well with your move.

Hi Darley Dale, yes, we are now here BUT, not sure if we’ll stay. Got a lot to think about, our recent UK experience opened our eyes, in our opinion the UK has come on in leaps & bounds since we left in 1990. I’ll post again once we make a decision and yes we do have citizenship, got that in 1993.

Perthbum what you say is so true. Wanted Down Under never discuss’s the nitty gritty of life - all they discuss is a weekly shopping list and the price of Yorkshire Tea !!!

Hi Jade, I know EXACTLY how you feel and it’s not a nice position to be in, been there done that and there is no right or wrong answer. We came to Australia way back in 1990, stayed 28 years and throughout those 28 years I had many many episodes of wanting to go home. We left Australia last year, long story, and spent six months in the UK and LOVED every single minute, despite the weather ! I wanted to stay in the UK, husband did not, so back we came to Australia. But, now we’re back we’re both having second thoughts and are thinking of going back to the UK. Like you, there is a lot we like about life in the UK. If I could turn back the clock, I would have returned to the UK many years ago, we got caught up with work and a house, and time just went by really, that’s why 28 years just passed by. I missed family and regret not being there for my parents when they needed help ( do have other family members in UK) and due to the cost and getting time off from work, I could not afford to fly back that often at all. I do like Australia, I do, it’s just not for me anymore. As Quoll says, Australia is not for everyone and don’t feel bad because it’s not for you. I certainly don’t, we can’t all like the same things in life, gosh that would be very boring !!! i wish you well x

Hi Darley Dale, In my 28 years of living in Perth, WA I never came across anyone who had ever heard of Darley Dale ! Thank you for your reply, and I'll certainly be in touch once settled back in Australia. And I hope you get a speedy citizenship very soon. Kind regards.

Hi Darley Dale, Sorry, I can not offer any help with your questions, but your screen name got my attention immediately - are you a Darley Dale person ? I was born & bred in Darley Dale (long time ago) left the UK in 1990, lived in Perth, WA for 28 years. We are currently spending six months in Derbyshire catching up with relatives, we fly back to Australia next week - going to live on The Sunshine Coast for a change. Good luck with your plans and I hope you get to move very soon.