James in devon Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 (edited) Hello all, I have been using this site for a while, especially to help plan our recent move back to the UK and thought that our experiences may help some, so here is our story. We moved to Oz in 2004, at that time my wife and I and a one-year old boy. I transferred with work and ended up in Ballarat, Vic. We then spent the next few years in Victoria and NSW, having two more children and getting citizenship, before ending up in Queensland near Rockhampton. I work in mining, so it was a very good time to be around and we did well, ending up with a lovely 1 acre block with a pool, 4wd, shed and the kids in private school. Basically we had everything that people want from life. We visited the UK in mid 2014 and happened to end up in a small fishing village in Cornwall renting a cottage. We were sitting around the kitchen table when the penny dropped. I looked up to my wife and said “Maybe we should come back” and she said “I’ve been thinking the same”. It was quite a revelation, as up to that point we couldn’t see past the life we had. I realised that something felt hollow about what we had and that it seemed like we had slipped into retirement in our early 40s. After that, it was just about the planning and mechanics. What we should sell and when, what the ideal date was, where would we live and work? I had no guarantee of getting a job in my field, but was sure something would come up and we had a fall back of buying an old cottage and doing it up, as we could just about cover the cash for that. We started to get the house ready for sale (boxing up non-essentials, filling and painting) and sold our 4x4 in November, buying a small runaround that we could sell quickly. In January I told my boss and, as I work for a multi-national, he asked if I would let them try and place me before looking for jobs. We had set a date around September 2015 as giving us enough time, being good for tax and trying to get the kids in close to the start of a school year (never a good time with the different calendars). The plan carried on and we watched the housing market, got new passports and prepared. In April, we got our house on sale. Around July I was offered a job with my current company which fitted my skills perfectly (albeit paying half of a similar role in Oz). An offer was made on the house and I bought tickets for 23rd September, booking the dog in for the same week (Jetpets - $4,400 Rockhampton to Heathrow). We sold our last few bits, negotiated with the company to help with relocation and then had a fraught few weeks organising. Not a few bottles of wine were required. This was the most stressful time. On Friday I finished work and the kids broke up. On the Monday, I dropped the dog at the airport and the removalists (Wridgways - $21,000 for a 40’) turned up. On Wednesday the container left and we flew out. On Thursday the dog arrived at LHR at around 06:00 and we arrived at 13:00. We drove to the animal reception and picked her straight up with no hassles. During that day, our house settled. I had arranged to start work in November, giving us time to organise ourselves. We stayed with my parents and found a house to buy and an off season holiday rental in Devon. Our container arrived on the 8th December and we finalised our house on the 11th, so had to pay a bit in holding costs. It’s hard to put how we are feeling down on paper. Australia is starting to look like a great time in our lives that we have moved on from. The kids have been up and down, especially when things were uncertain (extended stay with grandparents!), but we have been honest with them and now things are much better. They love the freedom of a small town with friends around the corner and everywhere within walking distance. Obviously it’s winter now, but Christmas was great, even with a house full of boxes. In hindsight, everything went right for us. The budget I did 18 months ago worked, even with the exchange rate. We won in some areas and lost in others. All in all, we feel at home. Older, wiser and with a perspective that enables us to appreciate things like deep mud, autumn colours, fresh winter days, the taste of cox’s apples and the breadth of culture. We went to Australia for a couple of years as an adventure and ended up staying for 11. For most of that time, a move back to the UK was unthinkable, but when the idea came, it seemed natural. We have drivers in common with many on here (ageing parents etc.), but feel that the time was right for us and the children, giving them time to settle into UK education before university. We’re sorting out photos to pick out and frame to remind us fondly of our wonderful life adventure. If anyone wants needs any more info to learn from our experiences, I’m more than happy to share. Sorry for the long post, I hope this has been of interest. James Edited January 11, 2016 by James in devon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Great post, great positive story. Off topic, but I'd love to know how you found living in Ballarat. I lived in country Victoria for a while but in a place that was far too small for us. Ballarat is a fairly big regional centre and within cooee of Melbourne for weekends - wondering what the life there is like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James in devon Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 Hi Marisa, Ballarat is a lovely town, with great food and a bit of culture. The weather is a bit of a problem, like Melbourne but more so, in that it can be 40+ in the morning, then switch to low 20's in the afternoon. Winters are long. That wouldn't be a problem if the houses were set up for it. There seems to be a sense of denial that it gets cold so you need insulation, double-glazing etc. We could be in Melbourne within an hour on a good day, and the Great Ocean Road within an hour and a half. Country Victoria is interesting though, with patches of poverty and under-education you wouldn't expect. Glad you liked my post. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 A very similar story to my own James - we spent five years in Perth, we were never homesick but then had an a-ha moment at Schiphol airport and as our son was in P5 it was a good time to plan a move back and pretty much 12 months to the day we were home for good (or at least for now!) We have been back over two years now and life is good - actually the same life we had before we left but now we appreciate it more, we had an itch that needed to be scratched but now we know life gets no better than this. My OH is a photographer and he took a series of photos especially for us to have framed & I bought a Wendy Binks original to frame, funny think is we have never got around to it, at least not yet! I hope your happiness continues as ours has, I now look back on our time in Australia with a sense of unreality - more like a place we went for a long holiday than a place we lived for 5 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Great post, very positive and I am glad it is working out so well for you. One thing I will say is the cost of the container, just wow. It's interesting that you say you had everything that people want from life, just lacking one important thing it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiffany Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Hi there, we are off to Cornwall for a few days in march ! We are just starting out on our journey starting with a seminar as we are not sure where to start ! Thank you for sharing your story I like to hear both sides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tea4too Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 A great post James. I found myself looking for the 'but....' and am so glad you didn't need one! MBTTUK can be as stressful as moving the other way and I am sure many will be encouraged by your own positive experience. Thanks for taking the time to share. T x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubter Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Hi James, Glad it's working out for you and your family and you made the right decision for you. I have been back 5 years now and I can't seem to let go. My family have moved on but for some reason I can't and constantly talk about going back. How do you completely move on as I can't seem too having returned to the UK due to homesickness? It's like living your life in limbo. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Good to hear it's worked out for you! I'd love to live in Cornwall but Cambridge is where it's all at for us and we are unlikely to ever sample other places! Ballarat hmm? I'm in Bendigo at the mo but we will be having a couple of nights in Ballarat today and tomorrow - it's the DH's home town and I don't think I would be as sanguine about living there as he has been about living in Cambridge! It always appears slightly bogan to me (but with Cambridge and Canberra as bases I think pretty much anywhere is going to be on the bogan side) and, oh yes, the weather!!!! I reckon it can be the coldest place in Aus but it'll probably fry my socks off today! Being back in Aus is very surreal - like I never left - but it does reinforce the better life we have at the moment in UK - there is just so much more to do and see within cooee! I asked my b-I-l in Bendigo yesterday what we shouldn't miss seeing whilst here in Bendigo and he just scratched his head and said "nothing really". I don't miss it when I'm not here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Really good post. Just curious.....but have you had any issues with the size of your furniture fitting in to your new home in the UK? We are using our UK furniture here but it all seems small because of the larger room sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Quiet jealous. I am a mining proffessional and would love to be in your shoes lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shak Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Good post,thanks for the update.i love reading about peoples move back as its quite reassuring for me and makes me look forward to going back even more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Really good post. Just curious.....but have you had any issues with the size of your furniture fitting in to your new home in the UK? We are using our UK furniture here but it all seems small because of the larger room sizes. We had to buy more furniture when we came back! Number of rooms is similar, but each room is massive in comparison to what we had in Sydney (but, being Northumberland, a whole lot cheaper). Mind you, we had to buy four wardrobes which we hadn't needed in Australia, or our old UK house, so that accounts for some of it. Lovely post, James. I'm glad you've settled back in happily. We're looking at possibly heading back to Aus for a few years to help boost the pension, but I know the UK is where I want to be eventually. I never believed I would be saying that, but there is so much to appreciate about being here. It just took me a while to realise it! Good luck for your future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryPoos Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 What a really lovely post James. I too have decided to move back to the UK after over eight years out here. It was no big drama making the decision, it just feels the right time both in my heart and mind. I move back towards the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James in devon Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 Really good post. Just curious.....but have you had any issues with the size of your furniture fitting in to your new home in the UK? We are using our UK furniture here but it all seems small because of the larger room sizes. Yes, it is certainly a bit of an issue. The fridge looks out of place, but luckily fits. We had a big corner sofa and have had to convert it to straight and have had a few other minor problems, but we were lucky to be in a position to get a double garage for the outdoor furniture, bbq, surfboards etc. etc. etc. We had no idea when we left what house we would end up in, so that part was impossible to plan. The bedrooms were the opposite problem, as we had walk in robes, but an order from Ikea later and all is good. That's the other big difference (certainly for country Australia) - here we can get pretty much anything online delivered fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James in devon Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 I'm glad this post was so well received. I wanted to make the effort to come on here because too often when things go OK, we just move on to the next thing. It's the crises and disasters that motivate people to post (with good reason). I did forget to add one piece of information, which was that we also got a mortgage in that time. We were certainly up against it with Christmas and container approaching, but it is possible. Nationwide did not require to see a first payslip (contract was good enough) and because we had kept a bank account registered at my parent's address this conformed to their residence requirements. These rules can and do change all the time, but we didn't even have to compromise on our preferred provider. All the best with those of you going through similar issues. You never know what is the "best" thing to do (especially with children involved), but sometimes you know what is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehouse Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Fantastic post – really enjoyed reading your thoughts and perspective on the move you've made! My wife and I are relocating to the UK after six brilliant years in Australia; I hope we can be as positive as you sound about everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 We had to buy more furniture when we came back! Number of rooms is similar, but each room is massive in comparison to what we had in Sydney (but, being Northumberland, a whole lot cheaper). Mind you, we had to buy four wardrobes which we hadn't needed in Australia, or our old UK house, so that accounts for some of it. Yes, same. Our rooms here are noticeably bigger than in our Brisbane house, especially the bedrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alansgirlfriend Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Excellent post James. We too are returning to the UK after 6 years in Perth. I've really struggled for the past year and so looking forward to our move back now that I have finally decided where I want to be. It was so refreshing to read your positive post. I'm glad it all worked out for you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) Hi James, Glad it's working out for you and your family and you made the right decision for you. I have been back 5 years now and I can't seem to let go. My family have moved on but for some reason I can't and constantly talk about going back.How do you completely move on as I can't seem too having returned to the UK due to homesickness? It's like living your life in limbo. Gary Gary, your post got a bit lost in all the discussions about furniture! Just to clarify, you're saying that you moved back to the UK because you were homesick. You've regretted it ever since and want to go back to Australia, but your family don't want to? You say you're living your life in limbo, but it doesn't sound like it to me. You'd be in limbo if you weren't sure whether you were going back or not - but that's not the case, is it? If you haven't managed to persuade your family to change their minds in five years, you're not going to, are you? So you're not really in limbo, because you know exactly where you stand - it's accepting that fact that's the difficult bit. Maybe some counselling would help? Edited January 17, 2016 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubter Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Gary, your post got a bit lost in all the discussions about furniture! Just to clarify, you're saying that you moved back to the UK because you were homesick. You've regretted it ever since and want to go back to Australia, but your family don't want to? You say you're living your life in limbo, but it doesn't sound like it to me. You'd be in limbo if you weren't sure whether you were going back or not - but that's not the case, is it? If you haven't managed to persuade your family to change their minds in five years, you're not going to, are you? So you're not really in limbo, because you know exactly where you stand - it's accepting that fact that's the difficult bit. Maybe some counselling would help? Thanks for the counselling advice Marisawright :smile: Maybe limbo was the wrong choice of words but I am unsure whether I am going back or not as I can't seem to accept the fact like you said. As long as I have a visa I will still like to go back even if the wife is not keen to do it again at the moment. That doesn't mean I am going to do a runner if she doesn't agree as I accept that.My point was what makes people totally put Australia behind them. I miss aspects of Australia like I missed aspects of Uk, pros and cons for both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Maybe limbo was the wrong choice of words but I am unsure whether I am going back or not ...As long as I have a visa I will still like to go back even if the wife is not keen to do it again at the moment. I suppose that was my point - you say she's not keen to do it again "at the moment". Is that really the case? Maybe you should sit down and have a heart-to-heart about it. Sometimes partners think it's kind to keep saying "maybe" so as not to destroy your dreams, when in fact they have absolutely no intention of going, ever. Ask her to be honest then at least you'll know where you stand, and that might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthwin Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 I'm glad this post was so well received. I wanted to make the effort to come on here because too often when things go OK, we just move on to the next thing. It's the crises and disasters that motivate people to post (with good reason). I did forget to add one piece of information, which was that we also got a mortgage in that time. We were certainly up against it with Christmas and container approaching, but it is possible. Nationwide did not require to see a first payslip (contract was good enough) and because we had kept a bank account registered at my parent's address this conformed to their residence requirements. These rules can and do change all the time, but we didn't even have to compromise on our preferred provider. All the best with those of you going through similar issues. You never know what is the "best" thing to do (especially with children involved), but sometimes you know what is right. such a great positive post James, glad you gave settled in nicely. i am interested in the bit about nationwide. We still had bank accounts here ( but Bank if Scotland) but they won't entertain the idea of giving us a mortgage until we have 6 months current banking history ( this month!, time flies) so I researched a few others and Nationwide looked good. Our kids have their trust funds there ( the ones set up by the uk labour government long ago, but since scrapped) but we don't have anything and no branches near by, did you do everything in branch or online? My hubby has been working 6 months now but I wanted to see more than one bank. Was it straightforward, dependant in your deposit etc? We still have most of our money in Oz but moving it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James in devon Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Hi Ruth, We didn't have our accounts with Nationwide. My wife did, but that wasn't sufficient for the mortgage, even though we'd had a fair amount in it from a house sale which we'd had a previous mortgage from Nationwide. None of that mattered or qualified. It was the fact we'd kept open a joint account with Halifax with a couple of hundred pounds in for the time we were away that allowed us to conform, so they don't care if the accounts are with them. The address it is registered to has to be within a list, but I used my parents address which was fine. We did it all in branch, as the clock was ticking on getting a place before our stuff arrived, so we had about 7 weeks. I wanted to clear any issues up straight away, but they will all do it online - effectively over the phone for a morning. One thing which could have been a problem was the money laundering regulations. We had to show evidence for all transactions in our bank account over about $1000, so that included private car sales, a ride-on lawnmower etc. Make sure you keep any receipts/bills of sale for this purpose. Most of our cash was from a house sale, but the smaller stuff still mattered. We did talk to HSBC and Halifax and they couldn't see any issues, but Nationwide had the package which suited us. I don't think any of it was dependent on the deposit, just on their current policy. The consultant we had was fantastic, but was surprised that we conformed. We had also got on the Electoral Roll a year ago, which would have helped with credit checks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthwin Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Thanks for the info, that's great. We arn't sure exactly where we want to buy yet so will hold off, but now that our stuff is on its way it would be good to find something in the next two months. We we didn't know we still had our account here, it was when we went yo open new ones that they said ' oh you still have an account' it only had a penny in it! I was still registered on electoral roll from years ago, changed the address when we first hit here too do all that helps I guess. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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