Red Rose Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 What are your memories like of that very first day being home getting off that plane knowing you had returned home for good after what may have been a long journey being in Australia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Red Rose said: What are your memories like of that very first day being home getting off that plane knowing you had returned home for good after what may have been a long journey being in Australia? Relief. Calm. Peace. Occasional feeling of ‘ should I have tried harder or tried somewhere else in Australia ‘ but knowing I had definitely done the right thing. 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Similar to Amber Snowball. Relief, calm and peace. I will never forget how the man at Edinburgh airport, on explaining that we'd move back for good, looked at our (expired) UK passports, made a little joke about us needing to get them renewed, and then said "Welcome Home". It was the best feeling in the world, and almost 2 years on, having gone through quite a time separating from my husband, I am still 100% sure that we did the right thing. This is home, and I love it! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s713 Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 We had a lot of family and friends waiting for us at the airport with 'welcome home' balloons etc. so it was an awesome occasion. Straight to my Mum's for M&S pork pies, proper ham butties and a few cans of John Smiths. Perfect. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 2 hours ago, s713 said: We had a lot of family and friends waiting for us at the airport with 'welcome home' balloons etc. so it was an awesome occasion. Straight to my Mum's for M&S pork pies, proper ham butties and a few cans of John Smiths. Perfect. Nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Whilst I haven't returned "for good", every time I flew over the channel and landed at Heathrow there was an overwhelming sense of relief, belonging and, as has been said. peace. Just like a pair of old slippers - bedraggled but perfectly fitting. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Arrived home ( back to Uk ) 2 hours ago. Seeing my oldest Daughter, Mum, Dad and Step dad at the airport was the second best feeling in the world ( after giving birth to my children) I’m at present sat in my new house with a glass of wine and candles burn.......... I feel amazing. Only been here 2 hrs but I’m home [emoji16][emoji16] 18 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinker78 Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I filled in the immigration cards, not sure why, possibly due to tiredness and jetlag, and when I gave them to the passport person she was like 'you don't need these- you're home'. it was immense. I had not been to the UK for over 3 years, and had been living in Australia for 9. The first day felt surreal indeed. I don't think we did much. Everything seemed so small and busy and it took a while to adjust. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronsDad Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 One of my first thoughts was "I need to buy an umbrella!". Genuinely it was a mixed feeling. We would happily have stayed in Australia if returning to the UK wasn't an option, and we were so upset leaving friends and family there (my wife is Australian). There was still a raw feeling of departure when we landed in Glasgow. Gradually, over the next few days when the sun shone a bit and the lush, beautiful, green landscape appeared out of the jet lag haze, the butterflies in the belly were hard to contain. It is a very lucky (and maybes also a bit unlucky) situation to be in, having two places that you feel at home. I have to say, though, Glasgow is definitely No 1 Home. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helz980 Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 I’ve been back since April 2015. I remember posting in here about so unhappy in Oz. I remember getting on that plane with my 3 year old daughter, I had 2 bags & no money but the sense of relief was immense. When I landed at Newcastle my mam & dad were there & as we travelled back to the hills of Northumberland I knew I’d made the right decision. 4 years on I’m now divorced (ex still lives in oz) sold my old house & live in a lush cottage which looks out onto the hills, I’ve got a fantastic job & my daughter is doing well at school. I run ultra marathons now & am always outside doing something. I don’t ever have regrets for moving to Oz in the first place but I don’t regret leaving either. 15 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 6 hours ago, Helz980 said: I’ve been back since April 2015. I remember posting in here about so unhappy in Oz. I remember getting on that plane with my 3 year old daughter, I had 2 bags & no money but the sense of relief was immense. When I landed at Newcastle my mam & dad were there & as we travelled back to the hills of Northumberland I knew I’d made the right decision. 4 years on I’m now divorced (ex still lives in oz) sold my old house & live in a lush cottage which looks out onto the hills, I’ve got a fantastic job & my daughter is doing well at school. I run ultra marathons now & am always outside doing something. I don’t ever have regrets for moving to Oz in the first place but I don’t regret leaving either. Hi Helz! I remember your dilemma - golly has it been 4 years already! Good to know that things are going great for you, you deserve it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaN Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 After 18 years in Oz, I’ve been back in London for 17 days. So far so good. I was here for 2 months March/April 2019 so returning for good so soon after has made it easier. My first feeling when I landed was ‘what the hell have I done’, my second was ‘I’ll go back if I don’t settle’, my third was ‘I’m home’ 13 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada2Australia Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 So happy to read all these wonderful stories about being home for good. Congrats to you all and best of luck on your journeys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Ferguson Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 On 22/07/2019 at 16:49, CameronsDad said: One of my first thoughts was "I need to buy an umbrella!". Genuinely it was a mixed feeling. We would happily have stayed in Australia if returning to the UK wasn't an option, and we were so upset leaving friends and family there (my wife is Australian). There was still a raw feeling of departure when we landed in Glasgow. Gradually, over the next few days when the sun shone a bit and the lush, beautiful, green landscape appeared out of the jet lag haze, the butterflies in the belly were hard to contain. It is a very lucky (and maybes also a bit unlucky) situation to be in, having two places that you feel at home. I have to say, though, Glasgow is definitely No 1 Home. I think you express how I anticipate feeling should myself and partner return. There is a possibility my husband may be offered worked back in the uk (I would need to remain in Oz for the time being). Both our kids would remain as the youngest (18 year old) is moving interstate to study and the oldest (22 year old) is finishing post grad study and will most likely moved interstate for work. So we would be without them wherever we are. However I’m very conflicted about how I feel about a possible return for us both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home and Happy Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 On 19/06/2019 at 04:33, Red Rose said: What are your memories like of that very first day being home getting off that plane knowing you had returned home for good after what may have been a long journey being in Australia? Elation, a sense of release, the feeling of freedom, belonging, warmth, familiarity, feeling of returning to civilisation /the centre of everything, knowing we will never be stuck in a suburb all our lives...oh my goodness, there were so many feelings happening all at once. When we passed through the UK passport check, we told them we had come home for good after being away for many years, and we got our passports checked and handed back to us with a big smile and a nice “welcome home” from the immigration officer. That felt so good I will never forget that moment. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 5 hours ago, Home and Happy said: Elation, a sense of release, the feeling of freedom, belonging, warmth, familiarity, feeling of returning to civilisation /the centre of everything, knowing we will never be stuck in a suburb all our lives...oh my goodness, there were so many feelings happening all at once. When we passed through the UK passport check, we told them we had come home for good after being away for many years, and we got our passports checked and handed back to us with a big smile and a nice “welcome home” from the immigration officer. That felt so good I will never forget that moment. Looking forward to that day. I think I will literally kiss the floor once we land. I don't care who sees me, or laughs or shakes their head. LOL 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 30 minutes ago, Vickie78 said: Looking forward to that day. I think I will literally kiss the floor once we land. I don't care who sees me, or laughs or shakes their head. LOL You seem to be a very positive person Vickie so I'm sure you'll get on fine once back in the UK. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 7 minutes ago, Toots said: You seem to be a very positive person Vickie so I'm sure you'll get on fine once back in the UK. Good luck! I try to be, but do have some bad days (who doesn't) but the prospect of being home soon, is definitely helping Thank you x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootsie Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Oh dear I felt absolute regret before the plane had even landed, and I lasted three months, before hot footing it back home to Oz. Home is where the heart is after all My love affair with Australia has never waned, and simply grows stronger each passing year. But good luck to those returning to the UK, hope it all works out for you, and you settle in well. . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 I think also it depends what you left behind when you went to Australia. We had moved around the UK a fair bit after I left my childhood home in London and we didn’t have a huge circle of friends and acquaintances so for us, although it was hard starting in a new country, it was probably a bit easier than if we had lived in the same place for many years. We were also young and had 2 babies which made it easy to find new friends over here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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