Pugwall Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 I found this forum extremely helpful a few years ago when we first started thinking about 'upping sticks' and moving from Australia back to the UK. Just thought I'd post a quick reflection after coming back on here to read some of the posts after a very long time . We came to the UK in 2016 so have been based here for over three years now, with a couple of trips to Sydney in-between to see friends and family. I’ve been interested to read perspectives in relation to the incomes which one can achieve in the UK versus Australia. As a comparison, our annual household income is currently £90k+ here in the UK, whereas in Australia it was $230k+ (the currency conversion at the moment suggests £90k = $170k). We are doing broadly similar jobs, which clearly generate a lower income in this part of the UK but that simple metric isn’t sufficient to make any value judgement. During our six years in Sydney we lived in a freestanding house in Mcmahons Point with water views, and that wasn’t cheap. We enjoyed all the benefits of living in the heart of an amazing city, but we also 'enjoyed' all of the related costs. We now live in an old stone farmhouse in Cornwall, surrounded by open fields and grazing animals, and without wishing to state the bleeding obvious, the pace of life is slower, and the general cost of living here is significantly less than it was on the lower north shore of Sydney. If we had swapped like for like, leaving our busy lives in Sydney for living and working in central London, I am sure we would be still be earning (and spending) more. However, that wasn’t an option which featured on our radar, as we’d enjoyed that busy city life in London from 2002 to 2010, then Sydney from 2010 to 2016. We still love London (and many other cities) for regular visits and have lots of friends who couldn’t live without the cultural stimulation that goes hand in hand with the urban surroundings of any metropolis, but our hearts and minds feel very content in the UK countryside. We’re quite prepared to deal with the sometimes wild weather, so for us Cornwall manages to combine some of the best of what we enjoyed in Australia: an outdoors-oriented lifestyle, beautiful beaches and creeks, lots of surfing, sailing and watersports; with many of the best attributes of the UK – stunning countryside, great walking and open access to much of the countryside, wonderful village communities and a strong sense of pride in its history. At the same time, we love Australia, we became proud Aussie citizens, we’re glad to have Australian passports, and we’re captivated by its natural landscapes, the wildlife, the history and the exciting and diverse contemporary culture. We fully intend to spend time between the UK and Australia for the rest of our lives (although we're aware that external factors may force us to rethink this). At the moment, we feel that living and working in the UK with semi-regular trips to Australia in order to catch up with family and friends seems to be the way forward. As we get older, or if things change in a negative way for us here in the UK, we’d be very happy to live in Australia again, but it’s highly unlikely we’d want to live anywhere urban, even if Sydney is regularly hailed as the world’s most liveable city. We’re grateful and fortunate to be in a position where our skills and interests open up various options in front of us. I wish anyone who is thinking of making a move the best of luck, and encourage you to do whatever your heart is telling you. 18 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 What a lovely update - we stayed at McMahon Point when we visited Sydney and a fabulous location. Sounds like the move back has been all you've hoped for (Cornwall is a lovely part of the country). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Thanks for posting this update. We're in Devon, having moved from Sydney's Central Coast 16 months ago. Like you, we opted to choose somewhere relatively similar in terms of outdoors lifestyle, with surf beaches and beautiful landscapes around us. We live in a 200-year-old thatch and cob house with sloping floors and low ceilings. In Sydney, we were in an open-plan brick house with a pool ... It's been a tricky move with teenage children and the current lockdown hasn't helped but on the whole, we're enjoying life here. Cornwall is beautiful - my parents live there. It was just too far off the beaten track for us to consider a move there though. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 26 minutes ago, EvieV said: Thanks for posting this update. We're in Devon, having moved from Sydney's Central Coast 16 months ago. Like you, we opted to choose somewhere relatively similar in terms of outdoors lifestyle, with surf beaches and beautiful landscapes around us. We live in a 200-year-old thatch and cob house with sloping floors and low ceilings. In Sydney, we were in an open-plan brick house with a pool ... It's been a tricky move with teenage children and the current lockdown hasn't helped but on the whole, we're enjoying life here. Cornwall is beautiful - my parents live there. It was just too far off the beaten track for us to consider a move there though. Love them both evie - devon and cornwall . But if I had to choose , it has to be north devon . It's the extra 1 - 2 hrs drive from the west midlands to reach cornwall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 In saying that - if I wanted to live somewhere more urban in the south west - then it would be Exeter- nice place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwall Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) 47 minutes ago, EvieV said: Thanks for posting this update. We're in Devon, having moved from Sydney's Central Coast 16 months ago. Like you, we opted to choose somewhere relatively similar in terms of outdoors lifestyle, with surf beaches and beautiful landscapes around us. We live in a 200-year-old thatch and cob house with sloping floors and low ceilings. In Sydney, we were in an open-plan brick house with a pool ... It's been a tricky move with teenage children and the current lockdown hasn't helped but on the whole, we're enjoying life here. Cornwall is beautiful - my parents live there. It was just too far off the beaten track for us to consider a move there though. That's great to hear you've also made the move from NSW to SW England, and so good to know that you feel like Devon offers some similarity to your Australian lifestyle. We certainly feel that way about Cornwall. We have been to Australia a couple of times to visit our friends and family since moving over here, but unfortunately the likelihood of us doing that again any time soon seems slim indeed. Curious to know; what are the things you miss most about life down under? Edited May 12, 2020 by Pugwall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea breeze Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) Hi haven’t posted on Poms for a lifetime! but was just looking due to the current Covid situation we also moved from Oz 5 years ago have lived in Cornwall for the last months absolutely love it here but do miss some things in Oz we ended up spending the last 3 years in Perth with my partner up the mines. I actually wanted to move over east coast but he had had enough... we are now seriously wondering if we may have to go back to Oz as the work situation is going to be awful and Oz usually bounces back quickly unlike the uk we are duel citizens too Edited May 13, 2020 by claireandluke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwall Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 19 hours ago, claireandluke said: Hi haven’t posted on Poms for a lifetime! but was just looking due to the current Covid situation we also moved from Oz 5 years ago have lived in Cornwall for the last months absolutely love it here but do miss some things in Oz we ended up spending the last 3 years in Perth with my partner up the mines. I actually wanted to move over east coast but he had had enough... we are now seriously wondering if we may have to go back to Oz as the work situation is going to be awful and Oz usually bounces back quickly unlike the uk we are duel citizens too That's the benefit of dual citizenship isn't it – the ability to choose between the two countries based on your current interests/requirements. And it entitles us to live in NZ if we wanted to – my sister lives in Auckland and when we've visited it does seem like a lovely place. Definitely feels very different to Australia though; mostly in a good way. I don't think we'll be upping sticks to move back to the southern hemisphere anytime soon, but never say never! I wish you all the best if you do decide to make the big move again. Whereabouts in Cornwall are you? I work in Falmouth, my wife works in Truro, and we live near Stithians Lake – which is far enough from everywhere to feel very remote, but still close to lots of facilities and great beaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home and Happy Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 On 13/05/2020 at 18:08, claireandluke said: Hi haven’t posted on Poms for a lifetime! but was just looking due to the current Covid situation we also moved from Oz 5 years ago have lived in Cornwall for the last months absolutely love it here but do miss some things in Oz we ended up spending the last 3 years in Perth with my partner up the mines. I actually wanted to move over east coast but he had had enough... we are now seriously wondering if we may have to go back to Oz as the work situation is going to be awful and Oz usually bounces back quickly unlike the uk we are duel citizens too The economy is not that great there or anywhere else for that matter. The only thing that will change will be you’ll be 20 or 30 grand poorer getting set up again and that’s assuming you get jobs. Ping ponging is very expensive. As the Americans say “do the math” first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 44 minutes ago, Home and Happy said: The economy is not that great there or anywhere else for that matter. The only thing that will change will be you’ll be 20 or 30 grand poorer getting set up again and that’s assuming you get jobs. Ping ponging is very expensive. As the Americans say “do the math” first. Not often I agree with you, Home and Happy, but in this case I do. One of the big problems is that once you've left a country, the longer you're away, the more you forget the bad memories, and the rosier the good memories become. So people start thinking of all the things they miss, and forget that they must have been pretty b***dy miserable to uproot their family and move back to the UK, especially considering how much money and effort probably went into moving to Australia in the first place. Ping ponging is fine for people with high-paying jobs or plenty savings, but otherwise it needs very careful thought indeed. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 On 12/05/2020 at 13:53, Pugwall said: That's great to hear you've also made the move from NSW to SW England, and so good to know that you feel like Devon offers some similarity to your Australian lifestyle. We certainly feel that way about Cornwall. We have been to Australia a couple of times to visit our friends and family since moving over here, but unfortunately the likelihood of us doing that again any time soon seems slim indeed. Curious to know; what are the things you miss most about life down under? I miss swimming in the warm ocean! I've only swum twice here in the last 18 months and to be honest, I wouldn't be going anywhere near the beaches at the moment - what I've seen on social media of crowds stacked up so close together on a tiny stretch of beach looks just horrendous. Coincidentally, my husband and children are back in Australia now. They're on day 3 of a 14-day mandatory quarantine in a Sydney hotel but we decided it was worth the effort as it's been such a miserable 3 months here in the UK and with the kids not going back to school till September, why not?! Moving just before a global pandemic has unfortunately not benefited our family at all, especially when they see the life they left behind in Australia has been barely affected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 On 12/05/2020 at 13:35, bunbury61 said: In saying that - if I wanted to live somewhere more urban in the south west - then it would be Exeter- nice place We're actually just a couple of miles out of Exeter so we can escape via the M5 or airport (when it's open!). Some of the villages here are very insular, we've found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwall Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 54 minutes ago, EvieV said: I miss swimming in the warm ocean! I've only swum twice here in the last 18 months and to be honest, I wouldn't be going anywhere near the beaches at the moment - what I've seen on social media of crowds stacked up so close together on a tiny stretch of beach looks just horrendous. Coincidentally, my husband and children are back in Australia now. They're on day 3 of a 14-day mandatory quarantine in a Sydney hotel but we decided it was worth the effort as it's been such a miserable 3 months here in the UK and with the kids not going back to school till September, why not?! Moving just before a global pandemic has unfortunately not benefited our family at all, especially when they see the life they left behind in Australia has been barely affected. I've been swimming every day since lockdown, but its not exactly warm we're lucky to be surrounded by creeks and beaches, so with a bit of planning its easy to head somewhere with hardly any people! Are your family just there for a visit or are you thinking of 'ping-ponging' back over there?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 13 hours ago, EvieV said: I miss swimming in the warm ocean! I've only swum twice here in the last 18 months and to be honest, I wouldn't be going anywhere near the beaches at the moment - what I've seen on social media of crowds stacked up so close together on a tiny stretch of beach looks just horrendous. Coincidentally, my husband and children are back in Australia now. They're on day 3 of a 14-day mandatory quarantine in a Sydney hotel but we decided it was worth the effort as it's bYeseen such a miserable 3 months here in the UK and with the kids not going back to school till September, why not?! Moving just before a global pandemic has unfortunately not benefited our family at all, especially when they see the life they left behind in Australia has been barely affected. Yes it's a difficult time to be making the move back to Australia. You went back to the UK not long ago. What made you change your mind and decide to return to Australia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 19 hours ago, Pugwall said: I've been swimming every day since lockdown, but its not exactly warm we're lucky to be surrounded by creeks and beaches, so with a bit of planning its easy to head somewhere with hardly any people! Are your family just there for a visit or are you thinking of 'ping-ponging' back over there?! Unfortunately my favourite dog-walking beach is only accessible from Exmouth where all the problems have been so we've been sticking to local woodlands lately, although we may venture to Dartmoor soon to explore some creeks. The family are just visiting although I expect my 13-year-old surfer son won't want to return after 2 months in Sydney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 7 hours ago, Toots said: Yes it's a difficult time to be making the move back to Australia. You went back to the UK not long ago. What made you change your mind and decide to return to Australia? They've just gone back for a holiday. My husband has a lot of clients in SE Asia so he's able to work in a better timezone, my son (Year Eight) isn't going back to school till September so is on his 3rd month of home-schooling, and my daughter (Year 11) has finished school, her GCSEs having been cancelled. Makes so much sense for them to be returning and staying with their Aussie family for 2 months in a considerably more Covid-safe country. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 20 hours ago, Pugwall said: I've been swimming every day since lockdown, but its not exactly warm we're lucky to be surrounded by creeks and beaches, so with a bit of planning its easy to head somewhere with hardly any people! Are your family just there for a visit or are you thinking of 'ping-ponging' back over there?! My parents are on the Helford River which is beautiful and so quiet outside of school holidays! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwall Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 1 minute ago, EvieV said: My parents are on the Helford River which is beautiful and so quiet outside of school holidays! One of the best swimming spots in Cornwall I used to live in Port Navas on the Helford, it is lovely round there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 3 hours ago, Pugwall said: One of the best swimming spots in Cornwall I used to live in Port Navas on the Helford, it is lovely round there! Know it well. We holidayed at Calamansac for years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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