Ruth1

Yep!! Got a job offer so just submitting the paperwork now. Think id spent too long thinking about it and spending time worrying about every little thing that I just have to see for myself

I am so very sorry to hear about this. Its comforting to hear other people having the same thoughts and in a similar situation.. My mum also died last year, out of the blue, at a young age and with no health conditions, and it led me to have the same thoughts about moving. Id been thinking about it for 15 years or so but always made excuses not to. If Im being honest, leaving her was one of my excuses, and I was too scared of change from my comfortable life, but as you say these things put a new perspective on life. I keep thinking that my mum would have wanted me to go for it as Im sure yours would have. She never even made it to retirement age, so I now think that my well paid job, nice house and pension in the UK isnt the be all and end all-life is for living. And as you say whats the worst that can happen, we move back and all thats lost is some money. Anyway, hope you dont mind me adding my experience but its good to know there are others in similar situations. Like you I am early 40s so its definitely a now or never aituation. Eek! x

There isnt much good news regarding finances lately, but I was contacted last week by a shipping company I had spoke to at the start of my journey to say that shipping costs have come down and they quoted me about £2500 less than my original enquiry about 4 months ago. Looks like container rates are pretty much at prepandemic levels although no doubt the costs for the removals people at either end remain high. Anyone else seeing lower quotes. I had all but decided not to bother shipping my furniture but might think again now..

Its natural to feel guilt but there is probably no need. Kids at that are are extremely resilient and catch up very quickly, and this is likely to be a huge adventure and learning experience for them..

Haha, what you are forgetting is the being late for work cos you have to defrost your car, going to and from work in the pitch black for at least 2 months, skidding on black ice, being held up due to a serious accident on an otherwise safe road. All things I have had to contend with this week. Snow is a giant pain unless you can stay inside and just watch it out the window

I honestly think its quite normal to feel that way at first. I remember having similar thoughts after I arrived for my 2 year stay-thinking how quickly can I get back, missing home etc. However that only lasted a few weeks and I remember looking back at those times when I was having to leave, thinking-what was I thinking as I was desperate to stay at that point. So yes, it does take time to settle and its natural to miss the comfort of home. However only you know what is right for you. Perhaps give yourself a timeframe to see how you feel and come back at the end of that if you still havent settled, but one thats long enough to give it a good go and to make sure you dont regret not giving it more of a shot, which I suspect you might if you came back straight away. As am aside, I am working in the NHS and it is collapsing around us... even in the short time since you left in Oct it feels lke it has fallen off a cliff and is not really functioning. Its on the news most days in terms of escalating waits, unsafe conditions etc so coming back to an NHS job may be much worse than the one you left..

You are absolutely not wrong.. we live in Cheshire East and our fairly standard 4 bed has been classified as band G (not sure how?) And we pay £3300 per year at the 2022 rates, so more than your table.. The govt has also lifted restrictions so now they can increase that by 5% every year Bins are collected every 2 weeks and I dont see much more benefit than that. Most of it apparently goes on social care and paying for the council. Honestly its one of the reasons Im moving as we soon wont be able to afford to live in our own house!.. Cheshire is fairly standard-not one of the more expensive councils.

Haha, yes that is a downside but they are only out for the summer months despite it being warm all year round. The first year I was bitten to death and then my body seemed to get used to it and after that hardly got bit at all

I think it would boil down to what you are looking for in the move. Yes you may get paid more in Melbourne but house prices and cost of living are quite a bit higher so it will likely negate the higher salary. Therefore start from what you are looking for.. People move to Melbourne for a vibrant city-it's arguably better for culture, diversity and events than Brisbane. The city itself is always described as more European feeling than others. If you are after what we Brits think of as an Aussie lifestyle then Brisbane is likely to be more for you. It has a more relaxed pace of life, better surrounding beaches, hotter weather (Melbournes weather, whilst probably still better than the UK, is not what people imagine of Australia-it can be rainy, cloudy and colder much more often), so all in all, Brisbane and Melbourne will give you pretty different things from your move, so dont just follow the money unless you have no preference otherwise

There isnt really a proper beach in and around Brisbane at all to be honest. If you need to be in the city then perhaps South Bank which has the (fabulous) made made beach with loads of restaurants, bbqs etc. Otherwise, have you considered the North end of the Gold Coast? You can commute to Brisbane from the GC but its a city in itself with loads of job opportunities, stunning beaches galore. Even though there is no beaches as such in Brisbane itself IMO it beats Melbourne hands down, but I am biased and I am sure others may disagree.. Certainly the QLD beaches are way better that the ones surrounding Melbourne once you get to them

I am a book lover and usually buy 2-3 new books per month in the UK. I was really shocked however to see the prices of books in Aus when I was doing a bit of research and it made me think I either need to stock up before I come, or cut down. Am I missing any hidden secret cheap places to buy books in Aus (new not used)

Maybe have a look at Port Macquarie in NSW as an option aswell. I am biased as I am hopefully heading that way next year myself, but it seems to be the perfect coastal location us Brits dream of and is expanding massively as lots of people moving there from Sydney for cheaper prices and a sea change, so lots of opportunities in teaching I imagine..

Not quite Stoke-bit further up in Cheshire but family all from Stoke. How are you finding life in Port Macquarie? Probably moving over there myself in the next year or so

I am so sorry that you feel this way. Just a couple of thoughts about your situation. As the above poster said, do you think that if you hadnt been brave and made the move then you would have similar remorse and regret about not taking a chance? I know several people who thought about going to Aus but never did and live with deep regret. As for the regret about cousins etc, without sounding harsh, as children get older the relationships with cousins and aunties etc often drift anyway and they end up being like extended family/aquaintainces in a lot of cases. Grandparents are obviously different, but what about the strong relationships your kids have made in Aus that they wouldnt have had otherwise. As for the feeling that everyone is doing great in the UK-well hopefully they are, but clearly your MIL is only going to give you the positives and whilst on paper going to uni and travel is a great success, are they all completely happy with no problems? are there issues you arent hearing about as usually people dont discuss the bad stuff in families. As a healthcare professional I know that there is a mental health epidemic amongst young ppl in the UK at the moment. And at the same time do you not think that people look at your life with envy and think how lucky you all are without realizing the sadness you feel. As for the air bnbs - of course they are going to post pictures of the pretty bits - same as Aus bnbs would post pics of the beach or the bush, but I can promise you that a lot of the UK is run down, litter strewn and decaying. I think you are looking at it through rose tinted glasses perhaps? At the end of the day, only you know how you feel and maybe it really was the wrong choice to move to Aus but alternatively, do you think the issue could be internal dissatisfaction maybe.. are there courses or career moves youd love to take, trips youd love to do or maybe even some therapy to give some personal sense of wellbeing and satisfaction?

Great. Thats good to know, thanks!