Why move from the UK to Australia? Because…why not?

Revealing to family and friends our plans of emigrating to Australia, the first question we were asked by so many was ‘Why Australia?’ We have so many different reasons and it hasn’t been the easiest question to answer. So here are our top three…

1. Completed it mate
   My husband and I, like many other millennials, did everything in life the way we ‘thought’ we should. We went to uni at 18, we moved out of our parents’ homes to rent our own as soon as we could afford it, we got married at 24 and 27, bought a house and we had our kids straight after.
   
   By the age of 34, I was a Deputy Headteacher and my husband had just changed careers, after completing a degree with the Open University. We had both achieved everything we had always set out to but still have a lifetime ahead of us to do considerably more…so why stop and settle there? Unfortunately, the first time we looked into moving to the other side of the world, Covid hit and all doors (and other countries) literally closed.
   
   We plodded on with life but there was still that niggle at the back of our minds. Thanks to my mammoth debts, the next time we seriously looked into an adventure down under, I had 34p in my bank and needed about another £10k to even attempt a move to Australia.
   
   Back to the drawing board. By January 2024, with Chris’ 40th looming, debts paid off and a healthy amount of money in the savings account (squirrelled away for our dream trip to New York!) we were finally in the ‘right’ place to have a proper pop at a life which could offer us something different.
   
   New York was shelved and the dream of moving to Australia seemed a little bit more achievable.
   
2. Balance
   We have always been grafters, sometimes to the detriment of our physical and mental health and we have both struggled to maintain a healthy work-life balance in the UK. Those fears of not being the best at what we do, of letting people down and the ‘need’ to do more than our employers actually expect of us.
   
   By the time the evenings and weekends hit, we are absolutely knackered and other than taxiing our kids around to all of their sports and hobbies, we don’t have much time as a family to do much else. The endless months of winter and crap weather in the UK do not help and we both feel like we could do more and do better in a place like Australia, where this is part of the culture and where the sun actually shines for more than a few days a year!
   
   We are under no illusions that Australia is going to provide a magic wand (if we are even successful in obtaining a visa) and fix this for us…but we would really like to try! We follow so many like-minded people on social media who have achieved a lot more of a balance, because of what is on offer right on their doorsteps.
   
3. The Offspring
   Not the American punk rock band, but our very own little darlings.
   
   Most parents strive to offer their children more than what they had growing up. We know that we have pretty much accomplished this and our kids live a very comfortable and privileged life. However, we want to show them that there is more to life than Coventry, grey skies and brutalist architecture. Don’t get me wrong, we are proud Coventrians.
   
   Sky blues through and through. But there is more out there…and we want to show our kids that they can grab it with both hands. We want to spend time outdoors, exploring and having adventures. We want to provide them with as many activities and hobbies as they can squeeze in and live more active lifestyles.
   
   Again, we know that Australia isn’t going to be a cure for the gaming pandemic which currently exists in our house, but with 139 days of average sunshine in Perth- we can certainly try!