Phil & Vikki Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Well after closer to 8 (than 7 years) in Sydney, our Australian journey has come to an end, at least for now. We say journey and not dream, as we do not see this as the end (full stop), we see it as something we need to do at this current time. We have decided that our life would be better in the UK, by family and friends. Just over a year ago, our eldest son decided he wanted to go back to the UK to live with grandparents. This was so that he could start high school with the rest of the year. We let him decide and fully supported he decision. This worked out really well and he has done great in school and scouts too. The overall idea behind this move was that we know the path our life as a family was going to take, so if we had him settled, that would be one pressure off the whole move back. The last few months have been a whirlwind and so busy. We have now booked the flights, notices have been given and are being worked and we are doing up our apartment like crazy as we intend to rent it out. With only weeks to go it is starting to feel real lol. We have our place back in the UK which we will be moving back into until we get our feet back on the ground and then go from there. It is not ideal as it is only a three bed detached and we need four bedrooms. However, it is paid off and rent free. So we will have to make do for the moment J We have decided to keep our Sydney apartment (just a few stops from the cbd) and will rent it out. We are currently doing it up now like crazy to get it ready to be rented out. With the downturn in the property market and may be wanting to come back in a few years, we have decided to keep it for now and see how renting goes. We have been able to save a years’ worth of rent to cover any time when it is not rented out. However, if things get too bad we will sell it on. It was a hard decision to keep and rent our apartment, as if we sold it; we would be able to get a very, very nice place in Kidderminster. However, we are trying to look at this long term. Our daughter will say bye to her old school on Tuesday, we fly on the Wednesday and she starts her new school the following Tuesday. No long 6 weeks holiday for her this year, as she will miss it in Australia and just miss it in the UK. She will be going to the same scout troop that her brother goes to and she is looking forward to starting both school and scouts. Our little boy will be going to the same day care that his elder brother and sister went to a few days a week. Then when we have jobs, he will go full-time. Phil will return back to Australia to sort out the final things and then come back to the UK in the near future. The only issues/concerns that we have are the fact that we are returning to no jobs, but hopefully we will be able to get something soon enough. We are going to use all our contacts and see how we get on. It would be nice to have a rest though for a few weeks. We have the shippers coming in next week and currently we are in sorting out “junk” that we do not want to pay to have rubbish shipped back again. Last weekend we spent Sunday sorting out boxes in the garage and throwing away things that we no longer needed or used. It feels good to do that now and then. We are not leaving because we “do not love Australia any more” we are leaving because it is right for us as a family now, right time and right situation. True, we wish we had a month or two more to get things totally sorted so we all could stay in the UK, but sometimes it does not work out like that. By no means do we “hate Australia”, in fact we are both leaving very good jobs and a great apartment that had doubled in value in the last 5 years. We like Australia very much and may return when the time is right, but we want to be in the UK now with aging family and friends we have known since we were young. We all see this as a big adventure and we are looking forward to it, possibly more so our eldest who is already there. True, it is a lot of pressure, but we see it as a new chapter. Sorry for it being long, but we just wanted to let anyone know (who is going back home) that this sort of thing does not always need to be seen as a downer, but it can also be an exciting opportunity. Hope that it helps a few with their move. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 What a lovely post! Very best of luck with the next stage of your journey. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 What a great post. You clearly have your heads screwed on, and are approaching it all with common sense. I must say I cringe every time I see someone talking about "the dream" because it implies Australia is some kind of paradise, which of course it isn't. It's just another developed country with good points and bad points. When you weigh the UK and Australia on the scales, they come out about even - it's never about which place is "better" , it's about which place suits you and your family, and that's different for everyone. Good luck with the new adventure. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 And what a situation to be in! A property in each country that leaves so many options open. Well done 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Like Marisawright says, it's about the balance on the scales. At one time Australia suited our family best, as it did yours. At a different time the UK suited us better. The scales just tip depending on what your family needs at the time. Our eldest girl must be about the same age as your son, if we'd moved back to England she'd have been due to start high school last September. As it was, we moved to Scotland where they go to high school slightly later, so she went into P7 and will start high school next week (eek!) with the friends she made in primary. Like you, the time was right for our family to make the move. It's a move forwards, not backwards, and I wish you every success with the move! We've never regretted moving to the UK for a second! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhian1 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Lovely post. When did u make the decision to move back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhian1 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Lovely post. When did u make the decision to move back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil & Vikki Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 Thanks for the replies and likes. Yes we believe that it is all about where is best for our family at this moment in time. Not hate or love the place, but where is going to work best. The hope is that with keeping the place we will have the option to return in the future, if we decide that the UK is not the right place for us all then.Been thinking about it for a bit now but only booked the flights a couple of weeks ago. So now we have the mad rush in doing the place up. Late nights with a roller in our hand lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolesmith Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Wow, all the best - hope your move goes smoothly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home and Happy Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Great story and a very good decision made by sounds of it. Good luck with the move home. Its good here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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