Crompton Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

After years spent working abroad,

you're more than happy to finally be back home.

Your partner, though, wants a new life

and already has a job offer on the other side of the world.

Would you sacrifice everything that keeps you content

to allow them to follow their dream?

In 2015, Gemma Crompton was struggling to make that decision.

Today, we'll find out what side of the world the family now call home.

In 2015, air-traffic controller Andrew Crompton believed

his family life really could take off in Australia.

This opportunity is once-in-a-lifetime.

But wife Gemma wasn't convinced about the merits of moving.

It's starting a new life. You know, everything is from scratch.

A trial week down under revealed some home truths.

That's insane.

So, one year on,

have the Cromptons made it to the other side of the world?

It was less than ideal but we knew there was no other way to do it.

Home to over a million expats,

Australia's long been the destination of choice

for British families on the move.

Promising average annual temperatures of 21 Celsius,

some of the best beaches on Earth

and a laid-back lifestyle, it's easy to see the attraction

for thousands who emigrate there every year.

But it isn't idyllic for everyone.

Almost half of those who move return home with their dream in tatters.

Former naval officer Gemma Crompton was used to navigating her way

through stormy situations.

But her most challenging journey ever was on the horizon.

While she was happy with a new career and life in the English countryside,

husband Andrew was convinced

his family would be better off living in Australia.

With a job offer already on the table,

Andrew had just one week

to steer Gemma towards the life he'd wanted for years.

One year ago, the Cromptons' first ever visit to Australia got underway

with just over 22 hours in the sky.

Touching down in Brisbane,

Andrew was full of anticipation for the week ahead.

It's really warm, I'm loving it.

So, yeah, can't wait to see where we get to go.

-It's better than England.

-It's better than England?

You're right, it's better than England.

In your five minutes' experience of Australia?!

And that's all it took.

Henry may have been on board already,

but Gemma was going to take more work, despite the sunshine.

It makes it a lot more appealing but

as far as moving my entire life here, then I'm still,

I still need to be convinced.

As they took their first steps into Brisbane,

Andrew knew where his family would spend the rest of their lives

was anything but certain.

When we first met them, the Crompton family - dad Andrew,

mum Gemma, Henry, then aged seven, and Matilda who was five,

lived in Fishbourne in County Durham.

Having met in the Royal Navy 16 years previously,

Andrew had stayed on dry land while Gemma sailed the world,

deployed to conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Andrew then became a civil air-traffic controller

and after several years at sea, Gemma retrained as a radiographer.

Right, so we're going to make chocolate brownies.

-Yay!

-Yay!

Mum to Henry and Matilda, Gemma loved being permanently on home turf.

But Andrew had other ideas.

Seeing an advert for air-traffic controllers in Brisbane had set him

thinking about a new life on the other side of the world.

He got in the car and said, "Australia are recruiting, do you want to move there?"

I said, I'm not going."

Despite Gemma's reluctance, Andrew went ahead and applied for the position.

Landing a job offer months later,

he was determined to put the country on Gemma's radar.

Everything about it just screams

this would be a great place to go to.

The opportunities for the children as they grow up

far outweigh the opportunities that are in the UK.

We are outdoors people and being in a climate like Australia,

that would afford us all the more opportunity to do that.

The only thing standing between Andrew and the life he wanted was Gemma.

Dedicated to her new career

and passionate about practising tae kwon do at her local club,

she was happy with life in the UK.

Convincing her to give it up would be a massive challenge.

I don't know if I could make the sacrifices.

I find it all very unsettling that I knew exactly where my life was going

and that I was going to work for promotion in the hospital I was in

and stay there until I retired.

Moving half a world away would also have meant

splitting Gemma from sister Joanne, who she saw every day.

She has been extremely emotional about it.

Out of everybody, she will be the one that's hard to leave.

-VOICE BREAKING:

-We're best friends.

The couple were at polar opposites

when it came to where they should be living.

But Andrew's job offer meant it was decision time.

In one week, Gemma would face an agonising choice

between the life she loved and the one her husband longed for.

This opportunity is once-in-a-lifetime.

I think if we don't go now,

we never will go and I think if we didn't even attempt to go,

we'll regret it for the rest of our lives.

How do you choose between a life you love

and the man you love and what he wants from his life?

The Cromptons spent their trial week

in Queensland in the north-east of Australia.

Their temporary base was the suburb of Buddina,

just over 60 miles north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast.

Would their first glimpse of Aussie living be enough to get Gemma excited?

CHEERING

It's only got a pool.

Wow!

We've got our very own swimming pool!

This is unbelievable!

I didn't expect anything this amazing and grand

and just...luxurious.

Indoors, the main living area was an instant hit.

Oh, my goodness.

-This is amazing.

-Isn't it?

Oh, you can see the sea.

With the beach on their doorstep,

the family couldn't wait to feel the sand between their toes and Andrew was confident about the week ahead.

I think we've got out of the traps quite well.

After today I can't see us going too far backwards, I think.

It can only get better.

But despite her earlier enthusiasm,

Gemma was beginning to think about the decision she'd soon face.

Do I sacrifice their family and their relationships with their grandparents and my relationships

to come and live somewhere sunny, you know, is it that,

is it that shallow or is this really a better life for us?

And if the answer to that at the end of this week is yes,

the answer will be easy.

If I'm still on the fence at the end of the week, then...

it's going to be a much different question, I think.

Back in the UK,

home for the Cromptons was a modern four-bedroom detached house

in Fishbourne in County Durham.

Their budget for a property in Australia was around £300,000

if Andrew could convince Gemma to make the move.

I'm hoping that if we did go, the house would be less important

so it would be more of location, close to beaches, close to parks,

close to things that we can do.

We would love to have a pool and a large garden

with one of those shoe racks that rotate.

All right, don't push the boat out!

We showed the Cromptons three properties,

two on budget and a third which could have been their dream home.

The search began in Pelican Waters.

-Nice isn't the right word.

-Unbelievable.

Just minutes from the Sunshine Coast's beaches,

this location's wide range of sporting activities

should have appealed to the family, but was house on their wavelength?

-What do you think? I'm liking it. I'm liking it.

-So far, so good.

Wow!

-I love it.

-Look at this.

The modern interiors won Gemma over straightaway.

This is absolutely sensational.

-The open plan living.

-Yeah.

The large garden was a hit, too.

I love this outside space.

This is really the thing that gets me excited.

Moving back inside,

Andrew's chances of convincing Gemma to move seem to be on the up.

This is one of the big bedrooms.

I think I just spied a walk-in wardrobe.

Wow!

The master bedroom with en-suite was a definite hit.

-His and hers' sinks.

-That's what you've always wanted.

-I know.

-Apart from a walk-in wardrobe.

-I can have my untidy side.

And decent-sized bedrooms for the children went down well, too.

-Oh, I think this could be Tilda's room.

-Is this yours?

This is exactly what you need. It's not too big,

it's got great outside space.

Come on, you guys.

It's like a little maze, this house.

It looked like this was somewhere the Cromptons could be comfortable,

but was it affordable with their £300,000 budget?

-This is it, Tilda.

-Let's turn over.

-BOTH:

-Ooh!

So, pretty much top of our budget.

But doable.

Yeah, it is doable.

But, in my heart I was hoping it would be a bit more affordable,

which gave us a bit more kind of leeway.

Despite positive reactions, the cost had disappointed Gemma.

The next property would need to deliver what she wanted

at a price she was happy to pay

if Andrew was to persuade her to make a move.

To find out, the family travelled to Maleny,

a quaint town situated in the heart of the Sunshine Coast.

Let's have a look.

It's a little bit bold.

But I like the log burner.

I didn't even notice the log burner because the chair was in the way.

The kitchen had one very pleasing aspect.

My goodness.

So, this might change my view of this house.

It looked like Gemma could be coming round.

Yeah, if you just take out

the chairs and the pictures, then,

wow, it could be amazing, couldn't it?

The positive note continued upstairs.

Wow!

But the en-suite was a bit of a let-down.

Nice, but I think not quite in our taste.

No, it's a bit outdated, I think.

The house needed upgrading but the generous gardens did hit the mark.

It's all about this view, isn't it?

And Andrew was quick to spot something else.

Gem, it's a granny flat.

Oh, my goodness!

-Check it out!

-I just love this garden.

A studio cottage with its own kitchen and bathroom

could be the perfect home from home for visitors.

This is lovely.

Oh, yeah!

-Great fireplace as well.

-This is amazing.

-This is fabulous, isn't it?

And the property's half acre of gardens took Gemma's breath away.

I love this. I love this.

This is fabulous.

But was it somewhere they could afford to call home

with £300,000 to spend?

SHE WHISTLES

Whoa!

It was £35,000 over budget.

I mean, I love the garden, it's gorgeous, it's beautiful, but...

it doesn't tick all our boxes for that amount of money.

-It doesn't tick many of them, really.

-No.

The home hadn't offered enough to justify the price tag.

With one more property to go,

the family headed back to Pelican Waters.

Oh, my goodness, these are like...

-..palatial.

-Wow!

-I know.

Would this contemporary five-bedroom house in a private gated community

be an all-round winner?

Oh, yeah.

This is going to be a good one.

Inside didn't disappoint.

Oh, my goodness. Look at this.

-Wow!

-Wow!

It is, it's huge.

The house definitely wasn't run of the mill,

but would it be the one to convince Gemma to make the move?

Look at that kitchen.

I love how it all just opens out so your whole living area's just...

in and out at the same time.

It's amazing.

Outside had plenty to get excited about, too.

-A swimming pool!

-Massive!

Massive swimming pool. Not only that, there's a slide.

And you've got a garden on the side.

It was less roomy than the last one, but Gemma didn't mind.

The garden's gorgeous.

It's just so quiet.

-It is quiet, isn't it?

-I know.

Five bedrooms meant plenty of room for guests

and the enormous master bedroom with en-suite left Gemma speechless.

-This is my bedroom.

-It's just absolutely perfect, isn't it?

-It is, it is.

-Everything is really high-standard.

The house had sold itself to the whole family,

but with £300,000 to spend, could they afford it?

No!

Wow, that is even, it's way higher than we predicted.

Yeah, that is a lot more.

Yeah, that is colossally more money than we can afford.

At £151,000 over budget,

this house would be a stretch unless the couple could substantially

increase their earnings down under.

Property 1 had the space and gorgeous garden the couple wanted,

but Gemma needed more for their money.

Despite substantial grounds

and a granny flat, the interiors of Property 2

weren't quite to anyone's taste.

Complete with a pool,

Property 3 was everything the family wanted.

But at more than £150,000 over budget,

sadly, the price tag wasn't quite as agreeable.

So based on what they'd seen,

how did the family vote

when it came to choosing between property in Australia and the UK?

Australia.

Undecided.

Australia.

Why are you undecided, then?

I loved all the houses, they were all gorgeous,

but for the top of our budget,

we still didn't get exactly what we wanted.

I don't know that we can afford to have, you know,

a house that will meet our needs.

The Sunshine Coast's property prices had added to Gemma's doubts about

leaving the life she loved in the UK.

But the right work prospects down under could have helped Andrew's case.

Back in the UK, he was an air traffic controller at Durham Tees Valley Airport

and he'd already landed himself a job down under.

Tels mobile, you have the DME report back to us.

Air Service Australia have offered me a position where I would control

a Brisbane tower, and subject to successfully completing

a probationary period and training,

they would make my position permanent.

Gemma was working as a diagnostic radiographer in North Tees Hospital.

Passionate about her job, the thought of giving it up was devastating.

It's a really important part of my life.

And...

..I would find it really difficult to go.

To explore her work opportunities in Australia,

we arranged for Gemma to visit a private radiology clinic

where she met operations manager Trevor Gourlay.

-Hello, Gemma.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

-I'm Trevor, how are you?

-Very well, thanks.

After a quick tour of the facilities, Gemma quizzed Trevor

on her prospects.

Looking at my experience, would you consider me for a position here?

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.

You seem well-rounded.

It was a good start, and opportunities could be plentiful

with a new public hospital being built on the Sunshine Coast.

One of the most advanced hospitals in the world, we're led to believe,

-and looking at somewhere of about 140 imaging staff, which...

-Wow.

That's really nice to know that there's going to be such demand for

my profession in the coming year.

With Andrew already having secured a job down under,

he went to explore educational options for Henry and Matilda.

They visited Sun Coast Christian College,

a popular private school where they met principal Mark Ash.

All right, so I gather you guys are ready for a bit of

-a look around the school?

-Yes.

While Henry and Matilda sat in on a lesson,

Andrew asked Mark about their potential Aussie schooling.

Matilda's just about to turn five

and in the UK she's been at school for a year, almost.

Coming to Australia,

I think we were concerned that she would resit a year.

In Queensland here there's a lot of flexibility given to schools around

starting age, so our head of primary would do an interview and then

in consultation with you determine whether it's best to start in prep,

year one, what's going to give her the best outcome.

It was welcome news.

Andrew was also keen to find out about their physical education.

What sort of sports programme do you have on a day to day,

-week to week basis?

-Primary kids are just midway through their first

season with touch, netball, volleyball, basketball.

Andrew was happy with what he'd heard and it sounded like

Henry and Matilda would have no problem fitting in.

So, what do you guys think of the school, then, today?

-I like it.

-You like it, you want to come here?

-I love it.

-You love it?

Back at the clinic,

Gemma was finding out about potential work hours.

Well, our MRI starts here at seven, goes through till nine every night.

-Right.

-We occasionally do Saturdays if the workload demands it.

And salary?

You'd probably start off at 90 to 100,000, you know,

it sort of gets up to about 115, I suppose.

That's unbelievable - that's more than double what I earn in the UK.

So, had Gemma heard enough to choose a career in Australia over the UK?

Australia!

Australia all the way.

Mind made up, Gemma was keen to share her news with Andrew

and find out how he'd got on at school.

Both of them thought it was brilliant.

Oh, that's great news.

So, how was your day? How did the job go?

My qualifications were really good.

I'd be quite desirable in Australia. And the best bit was

he said I would earn 115,000.

115,000?

-Yeah!

-That is mint.

-Yeah.

Gemma's vote for Australia was a step in the right direction

but there was still a long way to go before the move was a done deal.

A key part of Andrew's desire to emigrate was the lifestyle

he believed the country could offer.

So did a family day out

put him another step closer to achieving his goal?

Making the most of the fine weather,

the family headed east of Caloundra to enjoy a day at King's Beach.

It's going to be fun.

The children took to the lifestyle like ducks to water.

This is awesome.

Henry spotted an adventurous activity he'd like to try.

-Bungee jump.

-Do you fancy doing bungee jumping?

-Do you want to go on the jump?

It was the perfect way to burn off some energy.

OK, little man, move into the middle.

I'll tell you when to jump.

Could you get used to this, then?

Oh, yeah. It beats hanging out in Fishbourne in the rain!

That was music to Andrew's ears.

Andrew was delighted to finally experience Aussie living.

It's gone way past everything that I thought it would be.

And it looked like Gemma could be warming to the idea of

a life in the southern hemisphere.

It just really has opened my eyes to what kind of a life we can have.

The weather obviously is a huge bonus.

Still, she was mindful - sunshine wasn't everything.

It's starting a new life.

You know, everything is from scratch.

All too aware of Gemma's dilemma,

Andrew knew she held the key to the family's future.

She has the ultimate veto.

If she doesn't want to come, she doesn't have to come

and none of us will.

As the afternoon drew to a close,

Gemma pondered the reality of leaving her sister in the UK.

I don't know if I'm ready for that and I'm pretty sure she's not.

I mean, she's texted me every day that we've been here

and I just can't imagine having a life without her being in it.

So, based on lifestyle, did the family prefer Australia or the UK?

Australia!

I just loved how everything is just all so close to the beach as well

so you could have a really full day

without really getting bored of doing any activities.

And it was all free, really, it was a really good.

I had a great day. Did you have a great day?

Yeah.

With another vote for Australia,

it looked like Andrew was inching closer to achieving the life he wanted for his family.

But would the finances down under stack up?

We'd prepared a comparison of costs with the UK.

First up, a look at the weekly grocery bill.

Brown sauce is, like, way more expensive.

We'll have to get our own... source our own supply!

Bananas are a lot more expensive.

-Yeah, they are, which is surprising, really.

-And potatoes.

Most of it is slightly more expensive, I would say.

A quick tot-up of the figures

revealed they'd be paying almost £80 more every month down under.

-Not too bad, though.

-No.

-Could have been worse.

-Happy days.

Encouraged, the couple moved on to the bigger monthly bills.

The mortgage here based on the first house we viewed is 1507.33.

Childcare is a lot more.

Because obviously we won't have our family.

And then private school fees per month for both kids, 436.13.

1326.69 more expensive per month.

-Yeah.

-Wowsers.

It was a considerable hit, but Gemma had the potential

to almost double her salary in Australia.

7654.

And that's per month.

When the couple subtracted their outgoings,

they discovered they'd actually be £1,300 better off each month.

That's £16,000 a year.

SHE GASPS

That's insane.

It looked like there was only one way this vote could go.

Australia.

Australia!

So, you're happy with that, then?

I'm happy with an extra 16 grand a year.

I'd be insane to vote anything else based on finances.

So far, Gemma had discovered

the work, lifestyle and financial opportunities Australia could offer

were hard to argue with.

But a move wasn't in the bag just yet.

It was now time for her to confront the reality of leaving loved ones.

The family sat down to watch a DVD of messages from home.

So, do you think you're happy to watch that

even though it might make you sad?

-It won't make me sad.

-It won't make you sad? OK.

-So, are you sure?

-Yeah.

-OK, should we watch it, then?

Yeah.

Hi!

Hi, Gemma, Andy, Henry, Matilda.

Hi, kids. This is your Nana.

-Hi.

-Hi, Gemma, Andy, Matilda and Henry.

My son, wonderful boy.

Just like his father!

My relationship with my sister is she's my best friend.

We're there for each other, we're on the phone a lot of the time.

She's a very outgoing girl.

She's a very loving girl. I'm very proud of her.

Two lovely kids. Very well brought up, very well-behaved.

It'll bring them on leaps and bounds down under.

I ain't going to last forever.

She's hopefully going to live a lot longer than I will now

and I want what's best for them.

Well, it's going to break my heart.

There will be a huge hole in my life if the grandchildren go.

Whatever you do, you have our full backing and our full support.

I love you all very much.

I hope you make the right decision for yourselves.

Love you both and adore my grandchildren. Bye.

I'm gutted that you're going to be across the world.

But I know you're only on the other end of a phone and I know

we'll still stay in touch and still be close.

I'm very proud of you.

All right?

I knew Joanne was going to be the hard one.

She's just such a huge part of our life and I need her, I need her.

So, it will be hard to leave.

Are you worried about me?

No. I'm OK.

Hearing messages from home was particularly tough for Gemma.

Would the thought of how much they'd be missed in the UK mean Andrew's dream's about to run aground?

With the job offer already on the table,

Gemma knew he was more determined than ever to make the move.

He's already here, he's made this move in his head and his heart.

This week has just cemented 100%

that this is the right place for us to be.

Henry was convinced, too.

I think it would be quite nice being here for a long time,

being in the sunshine.

I don't like being in the rain.

But with the final decision approaching,

Andrew was still unsure what life his wife would choose.

If she votes yes, that will be fantastic,

we would make a brilliant life here.

If she decides that it's just not what she wants, then OK,

I'll have to console myself to that fact.

It's totally emotional.

My head is in Australia now,

my heart is just still attached and I can't really explain it,

I just feel sad when I think about leaving home.

Whatever Gemma decided next would change the family's path forever.

Had the week done enough to convince her to follow Andrew's dream?

So, after a trial week in Australia, we're ready to make our final vote.

-Australia!

-Australia!

Really?

-Good news.

-Yeah, I think so.

I mean, there's always going to be,

it's going to be an emotional roller-coaster,

it's going to be hard to leave,

but this is definitely the right place to raise our kids.

I might be a bit crazy on the transition but let's go for it.

-You guys happy with that?

-Right, guys, let's go.

It was a really tough decision for Gemma, but after much deliberating,

Andrew had finally got the all-clear

to start his new job as an air traffic controller down under.

One year on, it's time to find out

if the family's journey of a lifetime had taken off.

It's April 2016

and the Cromptons are living in Queensland, Australia.

When they all chose to move down under at the end of their trial week

Andrew felt all his dreams had come true.

I was really made up. I always thought we'd make that decision

and I believed that Gem would

come round to the idea that Australia was a better life for us,

but when everybody voted

and everybody at the same time shouted out, "Australia"

it was, I thought, "It's going to happen, we're going to move"

and that's everything I wanted.

MATILDA SQUEALS

Their week in Australia had convinced Gemma

a move was worth the sacrifice of breaking close ties to home.

There wasn't really anything holding me back except leaving my family.

Everything else was better here and I didn't expect that.

With their minds made up, she began putting the wheels in motion

before they even landed back in the UK.

I started making lists and I think that made Andy very uneasy,

just how manic I was going to get as soon as we hit UK soil.

I think he started to see what he'd let himself in for.

Breaking the news to family wasn't as painful as they'd anticipated.

I think they all secretly, whether they voiced it or not,

were expecting us to go back and say we were going to go to Australia.

Andrew had already been given a start date in October

for his new job, so there was no time to lose.

We arrived back in April in 2015 and we left on the 30th of September.

I think that was the hardest thing, having the finish line,

so we had to fit everything in before that

and that was the trickiest bit.

It was full throttle, making sure that we had everything in place.

Andrew had already secured a temporary visa

because of his job offer,

but Gemma was keen to put things on a more permanent basis.

I didn't want to move across the world on a temporary anything,

so I realised that my job would get us a permanent visa.

Gemma's visa came through within three months.

Then, I was just hit with this

"Wow, this is real, we are really going to Australia."

It was exciting that it was happening and we could have this new life

but then it was like a real bold underline,

"You are leaving everything behind."

The couple began the mammoth task of packing up their lives in the UK.

We had to empty our loft, which I'm sure everyone can understand

what an epic job that is.

But there were some things they were determined not to get rid of.

We knew that if we were coming,

there was no way we were leaving our dogs behind and that was really

tough, to get your dogs into Australia, it's no mean feat.

Find a stick. Here's one.

With such a quick turnaround, before they knew it, it was time to go.

I get emotional just thinking about saying goodbye.

It was an emotional time for Gemma,

particularly saying goodbye to her sister

and I think they were putting it off until that very last moment.

I knew that was going to be the hard one for me and it really was awful.

But when departure day dawned, it was time to dry the tears.

It was more of a release, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

-It had finally arrived and we were embarking on the adventure.

Once we got on the plane,

that bit was done and it was all exciting from there on,

and every time we got a step closer to Australia,

we were kind of pinching ourselves thinking, "We're doing this, we're really moving to Australia."

The Cromptons touched down in Brisbane

at the end of September 2015,

less than six months after their trial week

and moved into their new home on the Sunshine Coast.

We looked on the internet,

we found some houses that were in our price range

and we decided that this was the house we wanted,

this was the wow house.

It was a great start to their new life.

It was so impressive. The sun was shining,

the garden was all in full flower.

We got into the house and it was just gorgeous.

It was a lovely time. It was like being on holiday

but then knowing that we were here to live.

Their house is in Buderim,

a picturesque township overlooking Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

This area is just fabulous.

It's a mountain with rainforests and what a place to live.

It's just sensational.

This is our open plan living area.

It's really nice and bright.

This was exactly what we wanted from a house in Australia.

We all get to stay together, even when somebody's cooking dinner. It's ideal.

But it's not perfect in every aspect.

We've got a beautiful view but the kitchen is just tiny.

But I like the view from down here.

The view is exceptional.

It's nice to sit and eat your dinner here looking out at that.

The master bedroom's got a pleasing outlook, too.

We've got beautiful views out into the forest.

It's nice and big and spacious and we've got a walk-in wardrobe,

which was one of my tick lists.

Again, though, it does have a downside.

It's right on the living room and when your children get up at 5am,

it's less than ideal.

Henry and Matilda are happy with their lot.

This is my bedroom.

My bed has got a slide.

It was important for us to bring, like, the beds and the furniture

just to give the kids as much continuity as they could from home.

This is my bedroom.

I've got a bunk bed so when people come to stay,

they can sleep, and Tink, she sleeps on the end there.

The room's a bit dark but it's close to the man cave,

so that's why I picked it.

This is the man cave.

We've got a TV up here and there's a nice view of all the house.

Me and Daddy like to hang out up here sometimes.

We thought it would be great but to be honest it's so hot up here.

We could live without it, I think.

What?!

Maybe not, Mum!

The house is situated right in the middle of a forest.

It's gorgeous, isn't it?

We get...the Australian king parrots come and land and we can feed them

and, you know, that's so different from pigeons at home and sparrows.

It's ideal for the dogs.

We've got a bit of a grass area, so they can just have a run.

We can leave them out here when we're at work.

We're very in love with our dogs.

It was important that they were happy here.

With Andrew starting his work just a couple of weeks after arriving back

in Australia, the family were jet-propelled into life down under.

So, we had to get the kids set up in school, set up bank accounts,

set up Medicare accounts,

so we expected to arrive and have 18 days lying in the sun

and what happened was

we spent 18 days sitting in offices around the Sunshine Coast

waiting for pieces of paper.

-And then I flew to Melbourne for...

-Three months.

-Three months, yeah.

So that was pretty tough.

With Andrew off training, Gemma was left flying solo.

But unfortunately, her settling-in period

was about hit some turbulence.

Having decided to rent out their home in the UK rather than sell it,

Gemma was devastated to receive some very unsettling news

from the other side of the world.

The tenants we had in our home took out identity theft in our name.

We were getting bills dropping in to family

where we'd had our mail redirected

saying that we were owing £1,000 on credit cards and store cards.

You hear about it happening. You don't expect it to happen to you.

The stress of knowing I had criminals living in my home,

I found that really, really emotional.

More than 1000 miles away from Andrew, Gemma felt very alone.

It was really hard trying to set up a new life here with all of that going on in the UK

and not really having a support network to help me.

At times, Andrew feared the worst.

Every day was kind of like maybe Gem will turn round and go,

"Do you know what? It's too hard. I can't do it,"

and we'd have to go home.

Eventually, the situation was resolved,

the tenants evicted and the debt cleared.

The Cromptons got on with establishing their new lives in Australia,

but being away from his family for long periods

began to tell on Andrew.

And I only got back for a couple of weekends through that entire time

and that was hard.

Being separated from Henry and Matilda was especially difficult.

I hadn't been away from the children

for more than a couple of nights here or there.

It was hard not to have that physical contact with them,

giving them a hug when they felt bad

or sharing their successes at school or their new friends.

It was less than ideal but we knew there was no other way to do it.

It was a challenging time for the couple, but it didn't put them off.

On the really bad days I was like,

"Well, on a good note, at least I'm in Australia."

The children have adapted well to life down under.

They are always outside. They love school. They've got new friends.

They love the lifestyle that it affords them. You know,

every day when they're not at school,

we're out and about doing something.

I like living here because there's more sunshine,

so I get more time to play out.

I think moving to Australia was a good idea.

After about three weeks, Henry said,

"Thank you, Mammy, for bringing us to Australia. I love my new life."

And I was like...

"Oh! We made the right choice!"

And Mum and Dad feel very at home, too.

Everybody's really friendly.

You walk past people on the street and they say, "hi".

I was really moved by just how welcoming everybody was.

It's been fabulous.

Andrew's now in the final stages of his training.

I always wanted to continue to be in air traffic control

but I'd have probably come and been a bin man or anything, really.

The fact that I could come and continue a job that I love

was a bonus.

It's taken a bit of getting used to, though.

Brisbane Airport is completely different to the airport I used to control at Durham Tees Valley.

The number of aeroplanes, the amount of passengers,

just the scale of the airport itself,

everything's different. There's an awful lot of mental discipline to

unlearn the way you've done things historically, to then

start doing it the way you're meant to do it in the new way.

Getting to work's a lot different as well.

My commute in England was 20 to 25 minutes at worst,

whereas here, at best it's 65 minutes.

Now... That's hard. It makes an early start

a really, very early start.

On the flipside of that coin, when I'm not at work,

I'm exactly where I want to be, on the Sunshine Coast.

Gemma's recently started work, too.

Having moved into the private sector,

she finds working as a radiographer down under a lot less stressful

than in the UK.

We have a lot more space between our patients,

so there's more time to really build up a rapport with your patients

and look after them. So I do enjoy that, that's nice.

Everybody here is really happy in their job.

There's a much calmer working environment

than I've ever been used to.

And it's not just Gemma reaping the benefits of her new job.

Where I work is actually only ten minutes' drive from my home.

It tends to be eight till five, Monday to Friday,

which fits really well with the children going to after-school care.

I'm at work when they're at school.

There's no more me going out to work when they're going to bed

and then being asleep all day when they're home,

so we have much better family time, much better balance.

That's not the only bonus, either.

I'm earning more now in Australia doing three days a week

than I did in the UK working four days a week, so it's no comparison.

Overall, Gemma's very content with her lot.

I always had big aspirations when I was in the UK

for what I wanted to do.

I think those have changed, actually, with my move to Australia.

But in terms of career ladder climbing,

I think I'm just going to enjoy my life on the coast.

The family have already had plenty of visitors.

First out was Andrew's mum.

She arrived two months in and stayed right through Christmas

and New Year and during that time Andy's sister flew in

and then my mum arrived three weeks ago.

So, we've had a lot of visitors.

-We haven't had much time on our own, really.

-No.

If you're achin' for some bacon.

LAUGHTER

Life's been so busy, there's scarcely time to be homesick.

But the distance from home did hit hard when Gemma missed an important

family occasion back in the UK.

Joanne got married a month ago

and I couldn't be there because I'm here, so...

nothing will ever give me that back

and I feel awful because that was my choice to come.

She may not have been able to be there in person,

but thanks to modern technology,

Gemma still played a part in the big day.

I watched her put her dress on and I watched her get her hair done

and just before she walked down the aisle

it was just me and her talking.

That was amazing that you can do that in this day and age

and that really does make the distance less, and it does help.

So far, Australia's surpassed all of the couple's expectations.

You can't even get anywhere close to living in the UK as we live here.

Our spare time as a family's exceptional now.

We're never in. So, we spend a lot of time at the beach.

That is never going to get old for us. We go swimming in the river

and the dogs are swimming alongside us and that's great fun.

Everything we do here is as a family.

It's a lovely lifestyle.

Even your worst day here is just amazing.

That sounds cheesy but it is.

They've no doubt they made the right move.

With all the emotional ups and downs we've had since we moved to

Australia, there's not a moment where I've regretted my decision.

We've been in Australia six months now and I can honestly say every day

I've woken up and thought, "Thank goodness we made the choice to come."

They really are living the dream.

I didn't even know my life could ever be this good,

so we're kind of creating a new bar for the dream and

it's much higher than it used to be.

I will always be English and British but Australia is my home.

I'm just so grateful that we did this for our children because

their life will be so much better here than

it ever would have been in the UK.

Everything about who we are

fits perfectly with what Australia has to offer

and I can't ever see us going back.

We love Australia.

It's just the most amazing place and I'm so grateful that they let us in!

Life has really taken off for the Cromptons down under

and despite Gemma's initial reservations,

it looks like she's more than happy to have made the move.

We wish her, Andrew, Henry and Matilda a long and happy future

living the dream on Australia's Sunshine Coast.