Guest suzannah Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I'm moving my family - English husband, two boys born here in London - to Melbourne, where I'm from originally. I've been in London for over 10 years, and I must admit, I'm more nervous about the move than my husband. I know hardly anyone apart from my small family, and while I may be able to pick up a few old school friends, I'm not sure really. Anyone else out there have an australian wife/husband who's brought you back to Oz? Just wondering how other couples have found it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brummie39 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Hiya, brumie is my hubby and our child born in u.k, and me the Aussie, moved back to Melbourne oct 2010. I was in u.k for over 10 years too. I struggled being home and still am. It's not home to me any more, and hubby and child do not like it here at all. There are many reasons for this and not through lack of trying. We have decided to go back to our happy place (u.k). It is a lot of adjusting, and sometime the sun and beaches just are not enough to stay when your family is so unhappy. But everyone is different and your experience may be better than ours. I wish you and family all the best, and nothing is forever if you do t like it here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I lived in UK and then returned here when I was first married and was away about four years and I found it very different when I returned, however I soon slotted back into the life here and we have never left. We are both Brits though so we have the same background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchick Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Hi. I have moved from UK with my Aussie fiance. It's harder than I thought to make friends & settle down - world really is a big place!! Thank goodness for emails/cheap phone calls to UK/Skype! I don't think I could live in the UK again though, but I really miss the people back home (not the place!) I am going back to visit in a few months, so hoping that I can settle down a bit more after that & realise what I have here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennlx Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I'm exactly in the same boat - have been living in the UK for 10 years, have Irish/British husband, 1 son and pregnant with 2nd child. We're moving back in March 2012 and I am really, really apprehensive. I left Australia when I was 21 and just out of uni, so don't have much understanding of the "adult" Australian world and keep finding reasons for not going. The UK feels more like home than Australia now so I actually feel that I am moving to a new country (only visited twice in 10 years hasn't helped!). I am expecting it to be hard to make friends back in Australia and so will make as much of the expat community as I can! But, to be perfectly honest, we don't have a huge network of friends here either... We have a one year return flight, just in case, and we're there to sound it out. We don't feel we need to make a definite decision until our kids are in school but my oldest is only 16 months old so we have awhile to go yet! The biggest perk in returning for us is my family, as my husband's family all don't get on and are a bit of a nightmare (think Jeremy Kyle). We just know that we would really regret it if we didn't try, so we're going to do exactly that and roll with the punches... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Hi there,my OH is an aussie and we have been here with the kids for 2 1/2yrs.We are also returning[to ireland] in the next few months.My OH got back into the swing of things very quickly,reconnected with friends,made new ones etc..but he cannot wait to leave.He hates it here.What he struggles with most is peoples insular thinking and lack of stimulation.He reckons it would be ok to retire to.It all depends what you want from life I suppose.When you have been away so long it really is impossible to know how much you have changed until you get here.Some slot back in and others find they have moved on in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jtrd Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Wow, didn't realise there were others in the same situation. I'm the Aussie and came over to the UK in 1997, met my now husband went back to Aust with him, got married had a baby and I hated it back 'home' - everyone was the same as when I had left, I was different but they wanted me to be the same and it just didn't work for me at all. It was the square peg, round whole thing. We've now lived in the Uk for the past 10 years, had another baby (now have two Pozzies), have only been back twice and I did love it both times. My hubby has finally got his way and we are moving back to Australia. I know deep down that it is where I need to raise my children if I want the best possible future for them, I know it's best for my husband and I'm pretty sure it's not best for me but I'm okay with that. I did have one condition on the move back to Australia and that was that we could not go back to my home town to live - to me I would be trying to fit back into a role that doesn't fit me anymore and I didn't want us to try and shoehorn ourselves into other peoples lives - they've moved on and so have we in the last ten years. Family will still be family and friends will still be friends and even in another state we'll be a hell of a lot closer to them than we are now. Can't say the whole thing doesn't make me a bit uneasy though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennlx Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I'm also the same as jtrd - we have no intention of going back to my home town as nothing would depress me more. Better to start afresh together and have a new experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Really interesting thread and I am surprised how so many aussies once they have lived in the UK do not want to go back to Oz. It seems to me that some people are just born in the wrong Country, might start a thread on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I'll have been in the UK for 9 years to the day (+/- 24hours) when I fly back to Melbourne! Nervous as hell about it, but it's an adventure You're not alone being nervous - good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belaroy Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I have been in the UK for 11 years, when I moved here I was 25 and it was just me and my suitcase. I had already met my now Wife. Now we have been Married for 7 years with 2 lovely kids. I got quite down last year due to the poor summer and longer dark winter we had. Normally I enjoyed the winters as although it was cold it was generally bright and sunny but it seems to be getting darker all the time and it broke my hear to see my boy not being able to go outside and ride his bike etc and seeing him almost glued to the TV a lot. Then came the budget cuts and the Goverment tearing up my pension that I have been paying a lot into and no pay rise for at least 2 years. Everything is going up in price and My Wife having to work on my days off so we don't see each other as a family as often as we would like/want and still jsut keeping our heads above water. Don't get me wrong we do ok but not as well as I expect for the effort and sacrifices we make. I never made any real friends over here and we don't really see my Wifes friends much so its just our little Family really. I got so nervous about moving back as its not just me I have to think about, it's the Wife and kids before me now. But I can get 5 years career break from work so we are heading back to give it a go for 5 years and to see what happens. I am fully aware that I may not even like it when we go back, but what have we got to lose ?? At least we would have tried. Funnily enough I don't want to go back to my home town either. I know it won't be the same and when all the welcome homes are finished everyone will go back to their own lives. I am looking forward to seeing the kids being able to play outside most of the time rather like today it chucking it down and cold out so sat inside playing toys. England has been good to me and I think we have done pretty good for ourselves but I really can't see as good a future for the kids than what I would like them to have. They will struggle to get into Uni and if they did they would be saddled by huge debts etc etc. I'm sure a lot of people are the same. If you don't try you won't ever know ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I think it makes sense not to go back to the same town that you left because things are never quite what you remember and besides that it is good to start anew and make new friends. Those of you with youngsters I am sure will be fine because it seems relatively easy to make friends within school and kinder communities. It is possibly a bit harder if you have no kids and don't particularly want to socialise with your workmates outside of work. Ok if you are into a sport though. So much seems to be luck - who you happen to meet and where you happen to live, doesn't it? Guess this goes for all countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TessD Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 So much that has been written is just how I am feeling! I'm the Aussie and OH is a Brit. I left Melbourne when I was 14 (late 40s now) and have hankered after "home" ever since. After 26 years following OH round, he's in the R.N., it's now my turn and he's going to follow me back to Oz. Each time I've been back to visit that pull seems to get stronger, most of me can't wait to go home but part of me feels that UK is home too. A lifetime of family and friends are here and only good memories over there of a very happy childhood and carefree way of life. I know we will make a success of things there, used to moving and living abroad etc, just got to expect that it will take time for us to adjust to a different way of doing things. I just can't help feeling worried though. OH not worried at all (apart from exchange rate!), he's excited and up for the challenge as he has no pre-conceived ideas about Oz and looking forward to getting stuck in. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catlover1 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Hi there, my OH is an Aussie and I am originally from outside Dublin but spent 20 years in South London and absolutely loved it although the OH always toyed with the idea of coming back to Oz. And TBH I was also growing tired of the daily grind of living in London. So in Nov 2011 we took the plunge and moved to the Southern Highlands in NSW which is about 1 1/2 hours from Sydney. I am the eldest of 5 with all my family in Ireland and my good friends in the UK and at first I found it incredibly hard to settle. Although, now I am starting to really enjoy being in Oz. I have applied to go and do my old job which is policing and although London is one of the most amazing cities in the world to live in I think Melbourne could definitely give it a run for its money. The key is to accept that you are here and not keep comparing Oz to the UK which I did ALL the time when I got here but tend to do this less and less. Australia is a truly beautiful country and I still have to pinch myself when I see some of the birds in our back garden. We have kept our place in the uk as we may retire back that way when we are older so my only advice would be if you do have a house there keep it and rent it out as I know once you have moved countries it can be quite tricky to get a mortgage when you don't live in the same country! I still love England and still miss is but I am here now and making the most of it. It does take time to settle though and you just have to be patient with it all. I think too having kids is a great way of meeting other people by the sounds of it from other users who have moved here with kids. Best of luck, Marie :biggrin: All the best with the move. I'm moving my family - English husband, two boys born here in London - to Melbourne, where I'm from originally. I've been in London for over 10 years, and I must admit, I'm more nervous about the move than my husband. I know hardly anyone apart from my small family, and while I may be able to pick up a few old school friends, I'm not sure really. Anyone else out there have an australian wife/husband who's brought you back to Oz? Just wondering how other couples have found it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sustain Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 You might find it useful getting in touch with old girls association of your old school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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