Hello,
This is such an interesting thread. I guess I come at it from the other side, in that I'm a dual Brit/Australian national - born in the UK, grew up in Melbourne and then came over here in 2006, when I met my scottish husband. When I came over, I was in a bit of a rut, it was easier for me to come to the UK than for him to go to Australia and it was all an adventure. we lived in central london, i had a great job and 2 fantastic years of discovering and enjoying life in the UK. we then decided to have children, moved to sussex and we've since had dd who is 5 and ds who is 3.
Since having children, I have really struggled with being here. those great job opportunities were no longer available to me because i couldn't work the hours and couldn't find the childcare to fit around a 5-hour daily round-trip to London. After working part-time, working from home and starting my own business, I've recently gone back to working in london, but my heart just isn't in it.
I'm lucky that I have one sister here, though she doesn't have children and is more settled. i see her maybe 4 times a year. All the rest of my family is in Australia. My mum had cancer last year and that really tipped the balance for me. She's in remission now, but I feel that if I don't go back soon, I will miss the chance to spend time with her, and for my children to get to know her.
I have made some friends, and we live in a lovely town. DH is close to his parents and has a sister and nephews here. But after nearly ten years, I just want to go home, and the UK still doesn't feel like home. I know australia has some flaws and things which will annoy me terribly - and when we last visited in 2012, I came away a bit shaken at how much it had changed.
But as my circumstances here have changed, and the opportunities which attracted me have disappeared, the prospect of spending time with my family, in the sunshine and with friends who just 'get' me becomes increasingly attractive. I've tried to get my mum to move over here (she's british), but she doesn't want to - and the cancer has made it impossible.
It's a bad time of year for aussie expats in the UK, and I always feel homesick at christmas and in january - when the short days, cold weather and absence of family combine to exacerbate how I feel. But this year feels different. previously, I could always imagine things getting better, but now I just see more of the same slog, and feeling lonelier and more depressed.
DH has the chance of a secondment through his work to Australia, and I might be able to do the same. It would be a big upheaval for the children, though deep down, I know once I get home, I won't want to come back to the UK.
Is this how people who made the change in the other direction felt? I so miss those hot mornings, magpies warbling, waiting for the cool change to come through, the smell of rain on hot ground and the sense of space and light. But most of all, I miss being with my family and for all that I love our town, I want my children to experience the culture and environment I grew up in.