Corbett Wanted Down Under Revisited

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For nearly all families, the toughest part of moving abroad

is the pain it can cause to the people you love.

In 2010, the Corbett family faced a choice

that seems destined to end in heartbreak.

One year later, we caught up with them to find out

if it was the right one.

Surf-mad Scott dreamt of a life of sun and sea.

Jump in the water while they play on the beach,

then come and surf with them in the smaller waves.

Yeah, what a dream, what a wonderful lifestyle.

But wife Victoria couldn't bear to take the children away from their grandmother.

She was trying to be really strong and supportive,

but I know she's going to miss them terribly.

With the family's future hanging in the balance,

they needed to know if they really could give up everything for a new life in Australia.

It changes daily.

I just wish somebody could give me the right answers.

In 2010, Scott and Victoria Corbett faced a huge decision -

whether to leave their lives in the UK behind them

and make a new start in Australia.

Ahead was a week for them to sample every aspect of Aussie life.

But was the reality enough to convince them to make the move for good?

Scott and Victoria Corbett,

along with their two children, Mason and Indie, lived in Cwmcarn in South Wales.

They loved their home but Scott dreamt of a new life in Australia.

I guess everybody has a dream.

Some people have small dreams, some people have big dreams.

Mine has always been to live close to the beach.

In Australia, just everything seems to be outdoor living.

That's a massive, massive pull.

After nine years of renovating their Welsh home,

Victoria was willing to consider a new chapter in their life.

I always wanted a converted barn so we did my bit,

-and all throughout, Scott has wanted to live by the beach, do his thing.

-Yeah.

So we've done my dream, we've sort of got to do yours a bit now, haven't we?

Well, we can try it, see what happens.

The family had come close to moving six months earlier,

but tragedy stopped them in their tracks.

We had the visas, we'd spent all the money,

it was there in the passport.

The day it came through, that was the 9th of September,

and come the 4th of October, my dad passed away.

Sorry.

All of a sudden, the Australia dream was out the window

because I couldn't even think of it.

They'd put their house on the market,

but with the huge emotion they'd invested in it, Victoria was having doubts.

I'd keep saying to Scott, "We need to stop it, you know.

"We need to pull the plug a bit, stand back a bit.

"This home will be totally gone,

"and there won't be any coming back to that.

"OK, you can come back to Britain, but we're not going to get this again."

For Scott's parents,

losing Mason and Indie to Australia would have been devastating.

For Mason and Indie to not see their grandparents,

that's going to be dreadful.

Mason, in particular, he's... the apple of my father's eye.

They spend all of their time together when he's down. And...

..that's going to hurt them a hell of a lot. It really is.

If they moved, Victoria hoped her mum would be able to spend large parts of the year with them.

'She's like my best friend as much as anything.'

The thought of leaving her here

without my dad to sort of keep on the straight and narrow...

'She dotes on the grandkids. There are only two grandkids.

'The thought of doing that to her'

just rips my heart out cos it's really hard.

(Sorry.)

They were so close, but Scott and Victoria didn't know

if they could make that final step.

If I love Australia and Vic doesn't...um...

That'll be a choker, that'll be horrendous,

but if it's just one's person's dream, and not two people's dream, well, you can't do it.

You just can't do it.

Today, I'm 50-50.

Yesterday I was 95% certain.

Last week, I was about 100% certain we were doing the wrong thing.

So it changes. It changes daily.

Just wish somebody could give me the right answers.

The Corbetts spent their trial week in Adelaide.

Its small-town feel shouldn't have been too much of a culture shock

and surfing was easily accessible for Scott.

After exhausting 23 hours in transit,

the Corbett family had travelled over 10,500 thousand miles.

Scott and Victoria immediately got to grips with the currency.

The unfavourable exchange rate had them worried.

When we started looking, it was 2.4 to the pound.

-Last going, it was 1.6.

-Yeah.

-So you're talking about 100,000 plus...

It's more than that. It's 160,000.

Which is like a lifetime's worth of savings.

However, we're looking outside and it's the most gorgeous day I think we've ever seen, just about.

We're in Australia. Maybe that makes up for it. We'll see.

Scott was being positive,

but it could have made a massive difference to the lifestyle and the house they could afford.

Their home for the week was a two-bedroom apartment in Aldinga Beach.

Lovely. Nice and light, isn't it?

And everything rested on the next seven days.

Hopefully this week will cement it one way or the other,

whether we give it up as a dream that maybe isn't right,

isn't meant to be...

I don't think you can put your finger on it without seeing it

and feeling it and...

From a personal point of view, if I see it,

if I feel it, then, to me, that's going to be...enough.

But if they couldn't face the thought of leaving home

and the people they loved, they wouldn't be going anywhere.

Back in the UK, the Corbetts' house was on the top of a mountain in Gwent.

But it was more than just a home.

Victoria's parents has helped them to convert what was a ruined barn,

so their emotional investment ran far deeper than just bricks and mortar.

Mum and Dad were incredible. They just did so much here.

Just an incredible amount of work.

You look around the place and every single room,

every part of the garden, there's memories.

There's a huge amount of memories.

And the thought of leaving here and not having those memories...

is hard.

With so many memories of her father in the barn,

they'd never be able to replace it,

and any house in Australia would have a lot to live up to.

Victoria and Scott dreamt of building their own home in Australia.

They wanted to create the perfect place for their two young children, close to the sea.

But doing it within their £350,000 budget was going to be a real challenge.

So to help them see what might be possible,

we showed the family three self-built properties near the coast.

The first one was in Hallett Cove, 45 minutes from the city centre.

It had a stunning open-plan living area, three bedrooms,

extra space, and a pool.

With total costs of around £290,000,

it would have meant taking out a bigger mortgage to afford it.

-Wow.

-Look at this. Go on, then. That is one heck of a view.

-This is stunning, isn't it?

-Your smiley face!

-That's just gorgeous.

It's really lovely.

This is how I see us living - in open-plan like this.

-We can see the sea. We're virtually on the beach.

-Oh, look what I can see downstairs.

-Would you like a swimming pool in our house?

-Yeah.

-Like that one?

-Bigger, bigger, bigger.

-Indie wasn't won over by the pool.

And inside, the view from the bedroom didn't impress.

-It's a bit different to waking up to our view over Twmbarlwm.

-Yeah.

-No houses to see anywhere.

-Yeah.

Unfortunately, being in a popular area meant the houses were quite close together.

However, it was a house with plenty of space

that did have the potential for a granny flat for Victoria's mum.

I'm curious as to what's downstairs now.

-Oh, look at this.

-Wow. Now, there's a room.

Something like this would be ideal for Mum, cos she could have her own access.

Yeah.

-Shall we go and have a look in the garden?

-Yeah!

-Come on, then. Let's go and see that swimming pool.

-Yay!

Although they did see a lot of potential for the house,

Scott had his concerns.

The 290 bill is the part that I'm concerned about.

-That's nearly all of our budget and we haven't bought any land yet.

-Yeah.

-Lots of things to balance up.

-Lots of things to balance up.

Then it was onto the second house in the hunt for a cheaper build with more space.

It was an impressive four-bedroomed house in Aldinga Beach,

set on a new development.

Best of all, it was under budget at £280,000.

Come on, then.

Whilst a member of our team looked after a sleeping Indie,

the rest of the family explored.

Wow, I love these floor-to-ceiling windows. Look at that.

-They look well, don't they?

-That's great.

-They look really well.

-Where are we going?

They would have had enough rooms, but how did they feel about the open living space?

-Wow, this is what we are after, Scott.

-That does it.

And seeing we can afford it mortgage free...

The nicest thing about here for me is,

-like, the last property felt hemmed in.

-It was.

Yay. Indie woke up.

When Indie woke up, she was also excited by what she saw.

Look.

-Look out there!

-Do you want to go and see?

-Yeah!

Outside, the huge balcony overlooks projected scrubland

so the view would never be obstructed

and they wouldn't be looking straight at their neighbours.

-We can afford this.

-Without a mortgage.

-Yeah, liking this one.

-Liking this one.

Wonder what the next one's going to be like.

Could the third house convince them to finally give up the home they loved in Wales?

Located further south in Carrickalinga, and set close to the beach,

it was a converted cottage with a large garden and spa

and cost £370,000 to build.

-Go and have a look.

-Elephant! Elephant! Elephant!

That is gorgeous.

If there were however many boxes to tick, I think that's just ticked every box.

Outside, there was no pool or protected scrubland,

-but the location certainly won them over.

-Look at that.

There's a footpath literally next door to the house which takes you down to the beach.

What more can you ask for?

The beach being so close certainly impressed Scott,

but did the bedrooms keep up the high standard?

-This is good.

-This is nice.

The only downside of these bedrooms, I guess, at the minute, is,

compared to the other properties, they are smaller.

The overall size of the house was also a problem.

One of our big things is having Mum to stay for big chunks of the year and to be close.

I think that would be an issue if we were on top of each other, wouldn't it?

It's a three-bed house.

We've got a lot to way up.

The Corbett family saw three different options.

With the first house, the neighbours were too close.

But they really fell for the large plot and living area of the second.

Property three was hugely impressive, but the lack of room was a big concern.

So after seeing what they could build for themselves in Australia,

it was time to make up their minds.

Could they really bear to give up the home that meant so much to them

for a fresh start Down Under?

It's going to be really difficult to consider leaving the barn back home.

But...

basing our decision on what we've seen today, we going to choose...

-Australia!

-Australia!

SHE GIGGLES

-That was yours too.

-Yeah! Yeah! We like Australian houses.

By being able to imagine leaving their home they'd overcome a massive hurdle.

Scott's dream was a huge step closer.

To afford their ideal home and lifestyle,

everything now depended on Scott being able to get the right job.

Back in the UK, he was head of the art department at Cwmcarn High School.

Having worked hard to get the position,

he was daunted by the thought of starting all over again.

I've set the department up as I want to set the department up.

If I move to Australia,

then I'm guessing there has to be a drop in salary.

There has to be a situation where I'm not the main man

and I'm having to be told, "This is how we do it."

We arranged for him to try out teaching at Christies Beach High School

where he met with art teacher Sean McGovern and deputy principal Sharon Goldman.

With his family's future in the balance,

the pressure was on Scott to make a good impression.

I want you to create some sort of portrait using mixed media.

I'm not going to talk a lot this afternoon.

What I'm going to do is come round and try to help you in what you're doing.

Victoria planned to be a full-time mum

and she wanted to explore activities for her and the children,

so she took them to an art class.

Oh, hello. And who have we got here?

If we do move over, my number one priority is the kids.

They've got to be happy, they've got to be settled

so they can form friendships, and I can form friendships as well.

Cos at the end of the day, a two and a three-year-old can only have

so much stimulating conversation with me.

So I've got to keep myself sane as well.

There was plenty for the children, but Victoria was struggling.

There's something missing at the minute.

I'm just hoping we do find the lifestyle that we want,

cos if it doesn't...

then I'm not sure that this is going to be the right thing to do.

Adelaide hadn't yet won her over

and there was still the heartache of leaving her mum to deal with.

You know, I see my mum three times a week.

And she does loads with the kids... God. Sorry.

She's going to miss them massively.

She was virtually in tears before we left.

She was trying to be really strong and supportive,

but I know she's going to miss them terribly.

The thought of leaving her mum was giving Victoria serious doubts.

Now the pressure was all on Scott to prove this move was worth making.

Thanks very much for that.

At the school, he was having a better day.

The children were inspired, along with deputy principal Sharon.

-That's fantastic.

-They were great, Sharon.

We gave them a five-minute break and some of them just worked through.

They didn't stop working. That made me smile.

-That was one of the nicest bits that I saw.

-That's fabulous.

Scott was aiming to work as a relief or supply teacher when they first moved.

But he needed to know he could earn enough to support his family.

-If you're doing relief work, it's about 330 a day.

-OK.

Of course, that's a daily rate, so it's how many days you work.

That would be about £200.

If I'm only getting a days work per week...£200 doesn't really cut it.

But if I'm working everyday, that sounds like a good amount of money.

That was around £40,000 a year but only if he worked full-time,

which could not be guaranteed as a supply teacher.

-Great to meet you, Scott.

-Cheers.

-Thanks very much for running my lesson.

-Thank you.

The entire move depended on Scott's job prospects.

So how did he vote?

Based on today, my decision is...

Australia.

I'm surprising myself there, I'm really surprisingly myself

because I've been thinking all day, "Is it, is it?

"Should I, should I?" My school back home is...

I'm set up there. I know how everything works.

I think it's probably time to step out of the comfort zone.

It was vital Scott and Victoria

found out if the Aussie lifestyle really could make up for the heartache of leaving home.

As a family, they love to spend time by the sea.

It also meant Scott could fulfil his passion for surfing.

We arranged for him to meet Teale Vanner, a professional surfer and instructor.

-How are you?

-Hiya. All right? Vic.

-Try and get out there, get you suited up,

get you nice and warm. I guess the conditions aren't too cold for you guys.

We'll go surfing, so that should be fun.

The weather may have reminded them of a good old British summer

but it would take more than a little rain to scare off the Corbetts.

Getting past the breaking waves was a challenge

but it didn't take Scott long to get out and show his skills.

Teale was the professional,

but Scott managed to hold his own.

Well, kind of.

Victoria's priority was a brighter future for Mason and Indie.

But the situation on that day felt a little too familiar.

It's just like being in Porthcawl.

It's a typical sort of... Welsh weekend, really.

Raining, blue kids.

Not much different to back home, really.

And it was making the tough decision Victoria faced even harder.

I suppose you've got to balance it out, really,

and figure out whether taking away grandparents

for big chunks of the year and taking away the friends they've grown up with...

whether that balances against the lifestyle that Scott and I

think would be really, really beneficial for the kids.

It is the scales that we've got to balance and got to get sorted.

Eventually it was time for Scott and Teale to come ashore.

So how did the surfing compare to Scott's expectations?

Wonderful. Yeah, lovely morning. But, um...

if you're going to ask me, going to ask me the question,

"Do you want to live just there?"

Then it's going to be a really short answer. "Yes!"

And there was one thing that truly impressed Scott and gave him hope for the future.

I must have seen...

15 people far older than myself

still surfing and still ripping.

Still ripping on the waves, which was wonderful.

So, I mean, if we do emigrate,

then I guess I've got a lot of years ahead of me, surfing...

in lovely places like this,

being able to jump on the beach with the little ones.

What a dream. What a wonderful, what a wonderful lifestyle. Just, yeah, fantastic.

After a cold, damp morning the Corbett family needed

to decide if their dream lifestyle really was in South Australia.

It was time to vote.

Based on my experience, so far, I'm going to vote...

..Australia! No-brainer!

And we're going to vote...

-Australia! What about you two?

-Australia!

-What about you, Ind?

-Britain!

-Britain! Indie's a bit cold and wet.

Back in the UK, the Corbetts' home was on the market for £430,000.

They've poured their hearts and souls

into renovating the old barn,

so it was essential that the sale of it

would provide a solid foundation for their dream life in Australia.

It very much depends on what mortgage you want to have and how much we can afford.

If there is a fantastic plot, then we'd be reasonably happy

to put some sort of money into a mortgage, rather than go mortgage-free.

But, in an ideal world,

any money that I then earn is pocket money to have a wonderful lifestyle

out there, which, at the end of the day, is what is part of the dream.

If they did move, Scott would become a supply teacher,

whilst Victoria settled in Mason and Indie.

But if they couldn't support their ideal lifestyle,

they would have lost everything they've worked so hard to build in the UK.

To help them see if they could afford a future in Australia,

we prepared a comparison of living costs in the UK versus those down under.

-That's a lot more, isn't it?

-Mm.

It's surprising that fruit is more expensive, isn't it?

Yes. Pretty much all more expensive, isn't it?

-That's a big surprise, isn't it?

-Mm.

-Ooh, yogurts are loads cheaper.

The lovely thing is, is the property that I liked...

Number 2, the second one.

..the second one, the monthly repayments would be £30.

We could deal with £30, couldn't we?

Salary, that's the important one, isn't it?

That's £250 down on what we get in the UK

and our groceries are £135 more expensive.

That's a lot.

The big issue was where they stood with a tiny mortgage on the second house, in Aldinga,

compared with £650 a month for the first property.

-So, we'd be plus £148...

-..better off...

-..in Aldinga.

-Yeah.

-But that's without a mortgage.

-Yeah.

-Oh, we'll be way down.

-Yeah. We'd be minus £472 down.

-That's a big chunk, isn't it?

-Yeah.

HE SIGHS

-That cuts down on our options, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-That cuts them right down.

So, thinking we'd have lots of money to play with

if we didn't have a mortgage out here isn't really the case, is it?

That's sobering, that's really sobering.

Because instead of bringing the best part of 680,000,

690,000 with us, we're bringing, like, 450,000.

And...

..you can't do that without something financially hurting.

We can't say we're going to move around the world if it's not right.

And it looks like that's a big blow to our Aussie dream at the minute.

If they couldn't afford the life they dreamt of

would it change everything?

How did they vote on the cost of living?

Based on those financial decisions, our decision is going to be...

-..UK.

-UK.

If the Corbetts did move, their financial future seemed bleak.

Is the dream slipping from their grasp?

With the week coming to an end

had the Corbetts made up their minds

or would messages from home leave their plans in disarray?

Scott and Victoria wanted to avoid

upsetting the children, so they stayed outside with a minder

whilst Mum and Dad watched a DVD from friends and family.

Hi, Scott. Hi, Vic.

Hi, Vic. Hi, Scott.

'Scott, my brother,'

he's a very warm, affectionate person. Um...

We've always had a really lovely, close relationship.

'Everybody loves him.'

Everybody's always expounded what a smashing guy he is.

'He comes over that way, in everything that he does.'

'Since they've been married, I couldn't have asked'

for a better son-in-law.

He's done everything for Victoria,

he's the most brilliant father

to the kids, they idolise him.

-That's nice.

-'And, um, yeah...'

I've been very lucky.

'Very lucky.'

'I don't want them to go.'

My heart tells me, "No, they shouldn't be going."

But my head tells me, "Yes, they should be trying it,

"because that's what they want."

'We are absolutely devastated. Um, it's a long way. It's too far away.'

Um, and I worry, most of all, for my parents.

'Um, with their grandchildren, because they're still very small.'

Um, and, you know, we will miss them.

'What I'll miss is...'

just seeing those blue eyes of Mason's and Indie's smile.

Yeah.

And I need them.

'And there's absolutely a massive, selfish part of me

'that hopes that they come back and say,'

"Well, we've tried it, it's fantastic but we're staying here...

"on the Welsh mountain."

I mean, I can't even think about them

getting on a plane at Heathrow or Gatwick, wherever it might be and...

just waving bye.

'Bye-bye!'

If I didn't have the contact with Victoria and Scott and the children...

..needless to say,

(I'd miss them.)

Um, will we miss you?

Like the air I breathe, as you know.

'Um... Yeah. Love you.'

See you soon. Bye.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-It's hard, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It brings a lump to your throat, straight away, thinking that...

Just seeing their faces, not even thinking. Just seeing their faces.

-I'm going to be upset.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

Something in my eye, I think. I think it was a fly, I'm not sure.

Yeah.

At the end of an emotional week

it was time to make the biggest decision of their lives.

The Corbetts had a lot to consider.

They'd found they wouldn't need a mortgage for their dream home.

Scott surprised himself by choosing teaching in Australia.

Australia!

But worries mounted

when they found out they'd only just be able to pay their bills.

Seeing messages from home reinforced the reality of what they'd be giving up.

They'd come close to making the move before Victoria's dad died

but leaving her mum would take every ounce of faith she has in Scott's dream.

Now it was the moment of truth.

We've had a wonderful week in Australia,

we've found out some really, really, really useful information.

It's going to be a really, really tough decision

but, based on what we've seen, we're going to vote...

-..Australia!

-Australia!

-Australia!

-I didn't think you were going to! I think you were going to have a wobble.

-No. No wobbles.

No wobbles.

Am I amazed that we're both thinking Australia? Er, no.

It's... I'm guessing that it's always been at the back of my mind,

even though I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat and it's really...

I'm just excited that we're both thinking the same thing.

It really has given us the opportunity to figure out

whether this is the right decision

and I really do think it is the right decision for our family.

It's going to be hard... but I think it'll be good.

-Definitely.

-Definitely the right thing to do.

-Yeah!

After experiencing their week down under

the Corbetts voted for a future in Australia.

But once home, were they able to make that big leap

and uproot their lives?

One year on and we caught up with the Corbetts

and found they were living in...

..Australia.

Scott, Victoria, Mason and Indie are back in sunny Adelaide.

They made the move eight months ago

and have bought a three-bedroom house

in the suburb of Christies Beach.

It's on the coast, 40 minutes south of the city centre

in an up-and-coming area.

During their trial week

they were both wary of giving up the home they loved in Wales.

So what convinced them to emigrate?

When I got back, my immediate thoughts were,

"I just need to move to Australia."

I think we both did, but I, for sure, did.

It just felt so right.

You could see the lifestyle that we could achieve,

and it just felt like, we've got to give it a go.

At that point, we decided,

"Right, let's just do it."

And I had to get my mind into the thought of,

"This is what we're doing, now is the time to look forward."

There's no point looking back and dwelling on things,

cos that's just going to make me miserable,

just move forward, and make it the best it can possibly be.

Leaving their home, and life, in Wales, was easier than they thought.

We've been out here eight months, and that's gone really quickly.

We came out at the beginning of January,

and within three or four weeks we'd found the house,

and it all just slotted in.

We just felt really comfortable in this area,

and thought, "Just go for it.

"There's no point half-living it, if we're going to do it.

"Let's just do it properly,

"and give ourselves the best chance of settling in

"and the best chance of really living the life."

With their UK house sold, they seem to have found the ideal location.

It's just a beautiful place.

The park is two minutes down the road, the school just a couple of minutes' walk,

so we've actually situated ourselves in a really nice area,

for the way we are, and the way we live.

The big difference for us is we've bought this house outright with no mortgage,

and financially that has made an easy transition for us.

We were looking to build, originally,

but didn't see how we'd get anywhere near to the actual lifestyle we wanted,

but this house, it's pretty much on the money,

allowing us to put our stamp on the place.

We've got a small upstairs deck,

we'd like to extend that to a massive deck,

downstairs is open to the elements, we'd like to glaze that in,

to make it a downstairs living area,

so that we can literally open all of the doors,

the inside goes out and the outside comes in, so to speak,

we need to build a garage,

we've probably got about £60,000 worth of ideas in our minds

but we've got about 6,000 pennies to spend on it!

The thought of leaving behind those she loved in the UK

was very difficult for Victoria.

But she managed to overcome the emotional pain.

Missing family hasn't really been an issue because you can talk

face-to-face on the computer,

and it's ideal, cos you don't actually feel like you're missing out on something.

The kids get a certificate in swimming, and they can go on the computer and show

Nanny, or Grandma and Grandpa,

and it's great.

For her, the biggest heartache was leaving her mum behind.

So how has she dealt with it.

We got here in the January, Mum came out in the March,

she was here until the end of August,

so I didn't miss her,

cos she's been here most of the time!

We've had a couple of weeks. Scott's mum and dad arrive tomorrow.

With Scott and Victoria having coped so well with emigrating,

its made the move easier for the children.

They have settled in so well,

totally hit the floor running.

Yeah, they haven't had any issues at all, and absolutely love it.

They're happy that the sun's shining and they get to play outside, life is good as far as they're concerned.

And what do the children like so much about their new life?

Playing, and going down the beach and surf and bodyboard.

I splash the sea, but not surf.

We went on a lifeboat,

and we saw whales' tails sticking out of the water!

And we saw sea lions!

You get up, the sun is shining,

you look out the window and see the beach,

and you just smile, and think, "Brilliant."

It's perfect, isn't it? It's great.

It's just all slotted together. It was meant to be.

It's just been easy.

Once they decided to make the move, the idea was that Scott would get teaching work

while Victoria stayed at home until the children were settled.

Determined to make the move work,

Scott didn't leave anything to chance.

Before we emigrated, I emailed about ten different schools

in the local area, and as it turned out,

when I got here,

my paperwork arrived on a Tuesday, they phoned me on the Friday,

and said, "There's a job on Monday if you'd like it."

So obviously I jumped straight in, and said, "Yes, please."

My job here at the minute is half art, half PE.

It's a great mix for me cos it's what I've done pretty much all through my teaching career.

He's been working as a supply teacher but that has its benefits.

You do get paid more over here.

The cost of living is more, but you get paid more in the first instance.

If I get a promotion,

which might be happening shortly,

I have my fingers crossed,

in the UK, for being Head of Department I would have got paid

about £40,000.

For the same job over here, it's going to be more like

£55,000, £56,000 a year.

That's a fair increase.

That's over a quarter.

And even the teaching style in Australia seems to be

to Scott's liking.

A question lots of people ask me is,

"Is teaching in the UK the same as in Australia?"

Over here I'm very new within the school.

Everything is new, the system, the kids, the staff,

and what you have to realise is

things are more laid back over here.

Students have a different approach.

But if you have the same expectations then students will come close to it,

wherever they come from.

For Scott, the move was always driven by his desire to live a better lifestyle with his family.

My dream before we came was to maybe come home from work,

grab my board, and with the kids down on the beach with my wife,

they'd already be in the water playing.

It happens, and it probably happens two or three nights a week.

We come down the beach and just play,

in and out the water, digging holes,

bodyboarding, splashing.

Spending time together as a family is just wonderful.

It's what Australia meant for us.

It's just perfect.

This is definitely what we were hoping to achieve in terms of lifestyle.

Just about!

You don't have to think, "The weather forecast is nice this weekend,

"we can make use of that one day",

because it's just lovely all the time, which is great.

It's got a beautiful summer. Spring and autumn is gorgeous.

It's just beautiful.

Having dreamt of making this move for over 20 years,

how has finally emigrating affected Scott?

Scott's reaction to moving to Australia has been really lovely,

inasmuch as he is a lot more chilled out, relaxed,

and he just really enjoys doing what he's doing right now,

it's just being Dad, cos he just thrives on that.

I just enjoy being, a lot more.

There's so many things that I think you could accustomed to or take for granted,

for example,

the other evening I jump on my skateboard and go across

to the esplanade,

and watch the sun go down,

and you'll see a pod of dolphins

literally going across the water.

It's just unbelievable.

The other night as I was paddling back out,

there was another guy surfing in,

with literally a dolphin surfing next to him,

coming through the waves,

I'm watching him, watching the dolphin, watching the waves, it's just incredible.

But you always think, maybe there is more to life.

And as it turns out, there is.

More to life than staying in a settled, safe place.

Scott seems to have realised his hopes but for Victoria,

Australia was always going to be a bigger challenge.

Since the death of her father

she's struggled with the thought of leaving her mum on the other side of the world.

She's my best friend, as much as anything.

The thought of leaving her here without my dad to sort of...

keep her on the straight and narrow.

She dotes on her grandkids, they're her only two grandkids,

and the thought of doing that to her

just rips my heart out, it's really hard.

So how has she handled the move now that it has happened?

Emotionally I think I've coped quite well with the actual moving here,

inasmuch as before we left, Mum had already booked her flight,

so I knew that there was a definite amount of time before I'd see her again,

cos obviously with Dad, I'm missing him,

and it being a very definite never going to see him again,

the thought of doing that for a long period of time with Mum, was hard,

but knowing that it was only going to be a few months

and she was going to be out here for a long period of time,

that made life so much easier,

and also now Mum has been out here, she absolutely loved it,

so much so that we've put plans in to put the granny annexe in the garden,

so she's going to spend six months of the year out here, back and forth.

I think that makes me feel much better,

that I know that she thinks we're doing the right thing as well,

and she thinks we're doing it so well that she's going to join us.

In fact, since the visit, her mum has applied for a visa

to move down under for good.

Meaning Victoria's big problem about moving could soon be over.

For the fairytale ending Scott just needs to persuade his parents

to emigrate as well.

It seems he might have that opportunity today.

Mum and Dad are dropping in this morning, from Wales.

So we're here to meet them. It's about 6:45am.

We're all excited about seeing Grandma and Grandpa.

It's been eight months since we've seen my parents.

Everybody's going to be a bit excited, emotional, teary, I'd imagine.

Mace is worried he's going to be squeezed a bit.

A good morning. Nice morning.

With such strong family ties

sometimes the other side of the world doesn't seem so far away.

For the Corbetts, it looks as if their Australian dream

has come true.

And with the possibility of Mum joining them

there could be an even better future ahead for the whole family.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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