By Mark Bosworth BBC News
Thousands of Britons emigrate to Australia every year in search of a better
life, but now more and more are deciding down under is not for them and
returning home. The same trend seems to be happening to Australians deserting
the UK. Why?
Despite a fierce sporting rivalry between the British nations - especially
England - and Australia, the countries enjoy very close ties. It's a bond
cemented by the thousands of Britons and Australians who travel to the other
side of the world in search of a new life.
For many, it's a dream come true to visit and eventually settle in a country
that's far away but also very familiar. Britons are attracted by the outdoor
lifestyle, sunshine and sense of space, while Australians are drawn to the
history, the adventure and the UK's proximity to the European mainland.
Many end up settling down in their new country but in recent years, for an
increasing number, it's not the one-way trip they had intended.
Despite Australia's booming economy, more than 7,000 British people left the
country for good in 2009-10 - the largest emigration recorded in recent memory
- according to figures from Australia's immigration department.
UK citizens permanently leaving Australia
Between 2005 and 2010, nearly 107,000 Britons settled in Australia but during
the same period more than 30,000 decided to permanently leave. And the feeling
appears to be mutual, with fewer Australians arriving in the UK.
The difficult economic situation in the UK goes some way to explain why fewer
Australians should be heading there, but it's more surprising that the expat
British should be leaving a booming country in exchange for one still
struggling to recover from a recession.
Chief among the reasons why the British are leaving include missing friends and
family, and lacking a real sense of belonging, says Prof Roger Burrows, a
sociologist from the University of York who has studied the phenomenon.
"The people who don't settle have always lived close to their friends and
family [in the UK] so any move comes as a shock.
"If they live in a bungalow in the suburbs of Adelaide, it gets lonely. There
isn't a culture of going for a drink after work and the TV is terrible."
Start Quote
Jono Coleman
When I was in London in July this year it was much cheaper to eat out than in
Sydney and Melbourne
Jono Coleman Radio DJ
Some people went to Australia for the heat but ended up hating the warmth, the
flies, and having to cover the kids in sun cream all the time, he says.
"It's not about living by the coast in the sun - it's about living in a dull
flat in suburbs that don't have any real infrastructure."
For some migrants, moving to Australia can be a source of sorrow and regret for
people for the rest of their lives, he says.
Not everyone leaves with bad memories though. Tom Armstrong, a 40-year-old
father-of-two, moved back to London this year after four happy years in Sydney,
because of a new job opportunity at his media company. But a big bonus was
being reunited with friends and family in the UK.
"We moved out to Australia because my wife wanted to be closer to her family,
and we had four fantastic years there. It was a wonderful lifestyle with
friendly people and a very high quality of life.
"If I could get all of my friends and family out there to live, and I had the
right job, then living in Australia would be a no-brainer."
Some British people complain about a lack of culture and history, he says, but
that depends where you live.
"Sydney and Melbourne are world-class cities with plenty of great things to see
and do, but outside the big urban areas life is definitely less colourful and
probably more of an acquired taste. The biggest drawbacks for Brits in my
opinion is the long distance from friends and family."
Martin Gilbert, 47, will move back to the UK with his English partner next year
after 24 years in Australia.
Why one Briton is leaving...
image of Martin Gilbert Martin Gilbert After 24 years down under
Australia has been good to me. Certainly I've had some good times here but
there is something fundamental and soulful missing here for me.
My parents are getting older. I miss seeing my friends' kids growing up but I
think it is the small day-to-day things you miss rather than major events.
Australia has become more and more expensive. In fact I think it is more
expensive than parts of the UK.
I think life in England is tougher and more competitive but that is a good
thing sometimes.
Here I feel like I'm on the outside looking in and don't really understand why.
I think people come to Australia expecting it to be England with sunshine. But
nobody is lounging in the sun, day in day out.
"Australia has been good to me. Certainly I've had some good times here but
there is something fundamental and soulful missing here for me."
Life in England is tougher and more competitive, he believes, and that's
something he has missed. Plus he hasn't been able to shake feeling like an
outsider, even after all this time, and Australia has become more expensive in
recent years.
It used to be that you could come to Australia from the UK for a cheaper
lifestyle, says radio DJ Jono Coleman, but no more.
"All of the basic commodities - bread, fruit, milk - are more expensive. When I
was in London in July this year it was much cheaper to eat out than in Sydney
and Melbourne.
"The cost of petrol has also risen. A friend of mine recently took his two
children to the cinema and it cost $85 - about 40 - just to see a movie.
"Many Brits came here expecting a land of milk and honey. If you had pounds you
were like the king of the castle but not anymore. Now they're saying: 'Hang on,
it's too expensive here.'"
Coleman falls into the "ping-pong Pom" category - he was born in the UK, raised
in Australia and then returned to London to host a radio breakfast show, only
to head down under again in 2007 to be near his very frail mother.
...and why Aussies are leaving the UK
image of Carol Driver Carol Driver Editor, TNT Magazine, London
While still coming in their droves, there's not much doubt there are fewer
Aussies than there used to be working during this time, or staying beyond their
temporary visa for employment.
The Australian economy is booming. Using their strong dollar to buy lots of
weak pounds, the Aussies no longer have quite so much need to work to pay their
way while they're over here and that means fewer travellers take temp jobs such
as pulling pints at the local pub.
Some of our readers have told us they wanted to stay in the UK at the end of
their two-year visa, but finding work was too difficult at a time of rising
unemployment.
Others cite limited career progression or low wages (one even suggested it was
a lack of good coffee!) coupled with expensive public transport and rising
house prices.
So for some, the lure of a growing economy, good job prospects and a decent
salary - not to mention guaranteed sunshine and beautiful beaches - back home
is too much to ignore, at least for the moment.
We know that the love affair between the UK and Australia is far from over.
It's an ongoing relationship which, like any relationship, has its ups and
downs. But we're both in it for the long haul.
Many other Australians have done the same thing as Coleman in the last few
years and headed home, but usually for economic reasons, citing fewer job
opportunities. More are also staying away - about 14,000 fewer Australians came
to the UK last year compared with 2005.
"For young Aussies, it will always be a rite of passage to travel to Britain on
a working holiday visa," says Carol Driver, editor of TNT - a free weekly
magazine aimed at Antipodeans in the UK. But fewer Australians are following
that well-trodden path from the southern hemisphere.
"The lure of a growing economy, good job prospects and a decent salary - not to
mention guaranteed sunshine and beautiful beaches - back home is too much to
ignore, at least for the moment."
Despite these recent trends, many restless young Britons and Australians will
continue to strike out for the other country in the years ahead.
Now in his fourth stint living in one of the two countries, Coleman says it's
hard to place one of them above the other. But for him, Australia just shades
it.
"If you're broke, where would you rather be? Sitting in a park in the rain in
London, or in a park in Sydney looking at the ocean?"