Turner Wanted Down Under Revisited

Back in 2011, the Turner family from South Wales had to face

a heartbreaking dilemma.

Was the promise of a new life abroad worth

the price of leaving your child behind in the UK?

One year on, we'll find out how they made one of the toughest

decisions of their lives.

The Turners were caught between a new life in Australia and what it could cost them.

I'm hoping she'll decide to come with us. If not, we might have to stay.

And after a week of emotional highs and lows...

I don't know if they'll be able to persuade me.

..they faced a potentially heartbreaking choice.

We need to realise how difficult it'll be.

Sorry.

One year on, have they come any closer to a decision?

My heart and my stomach sort of jumps a bit

because I'm thinking, oh God, are you going to be able to get on that plane?

In 2011, the Turners spent a week sampling everyday

life in Australia for themselves.

At the end of it, they would have to decide

whether to make the move for good will stay in the UK.

Today, where catching up with them to find out what has happened

since we last met.

Their destination was the city of Perth in Western Australia.

And after 9,000 miles and 17 hours in the air, the reality of being so

far from home had left the Turners with mixed feelings about the week ahead.

I'm quite excited to see and do everything

because I haven't got a clue about Australia. It's a big experience

and will help me decide what is best for us all.

It was the longest 18 hours of my life. If I do stay home, I've got to travel all that time

-to see you and I hate flying as it is, so it just puts me off.

-That's fair enough.

I'd rather stay home and live there.

Right from the start it looked as if the Turners could be in for a bumpy ride.

Life in Australia felt a long way from their home in Swansea.

Simon and Trudy Turner lived with Trudy's 19-year-old daughter Kirsty

and their son Jacob, who was eight.

They had a happy life,

but for Simon it came at the price of working long hours running his own accountancy business

-and he was desperate for a better work/life balance.

-What I'm hoping for, rather than expecting,

is to work less hours and have more time for the family.

I've been on about it probably for five or six years.

Trudy at first didn't really say much. Now she's not quite as up for it as I am,

but getting there. She's willing to give it a go.

I'm sort of 50% if I want to go or don't want to go. I don't know what I want, really.

Cos I've never been there so I don't know what it's like.

I know he wants me to be happy, but he deserves as well

a life where he can be comfortable and not work all the hours.

And be with us.

Spending time together was important to the Turners

and they hoped Australia could offer a better family lifestyle,

but for Trudy and Kirsty that meant a painful decision.

I think Kirsty's sort of got an open mind. She'll have a look and see what she thinks.

If she meets people and meets friends, she'll be really happy,

but if she finds it more difficult, I think she'll want to come home.

Her dad is here, all her family and my family are here for her,

but she's always been my girl so I don't think I could leave her high and dry.

For student Kirsty it was almost an impossible choice.

Them moving there and my dad over here, it's kind of like choosing.

I feel like whether I stay here or whether I go there, I'm going to miss out on either one.

I don't know what the future holds, whether she'll come or not.

If she decides she really doesn't want to come, I have to think about whether I need to come back.

It was a potentially heartbreaking decision

for the Turners and one that affected the whole family.

I think it's going to knock us for six and we need to realise how difficult it's going to be.

Yeah.

You all right?

Sorry.

The Turners' base for the week was a four-bedroom home in the suburb of Karrinyup.

But no sooner had the kettle boiled than family worries bubbled to the surface.

I've never been so nervous in my life. This is basically going to decide whether I move or not.

Either I move here and build a life around them as well,

or I stay home and I don't have that reliance.

There's nothing in Australia that I feel has any benefit to me. I'm not looking for a bigger house.

It's not offering me my friends or my family or anything.

It's only offering me a better life for the children than we've got.

This week coming up, there'll be a lot of decisions made around whether it's the right move for us or not.

-We'll just wait and see.

-I think it's a matter of whether it's worth giving up

everything we've got for it, all our friends and family as well.

Back home, the Turners lived in a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Swansea.

It was Trudy's pride and joy and they believed it was worth around £130,000.

Combined with Simon's salary, they had a budget of between £280,000

and £340,000 to spend on a home Down Under - if they could find the right one.

My ideal house would be a four-bedroomed, open-spaced house,

hopefully with a little pool for Jacob,

in a quiet area.

The ideal house for me would have room for people to come and stay,

and for me it's got to be a fairly easy commute to work.

One reason I'm going is I don't want to spend all my time in work.

We arranged for the Turners to get a taste of Perth's housing market.

We showed them three options, based upon what they wanted,

what they could afford and the real price of property Down Under.

Only after checking out each house did the family discover its price.

The search began north of the city in the suburb of Joondalup.

The three-bedroom house they came to see was a typical example of a modern Aussie home,

but would it appeal to Trudy and the rest of the family?

-It just reminds me of back home. It's big enough definitely for us.

-Definitely.

It's just if we've got people coming to stay, I don't know whether this sort of set-up is big enough.

We've got to provide for everyone as well.

-We don't want to be cramped for two weeks every few months.

-No.

The only thing missing is there's a pool, but it's very small.

-But it's not a deal breaker.

-No, it's just I know Jakey really wanted a pool. Would you be happy

-- with something little like that? - Yeah, a little bit.

-A little bit.

The first house left Jacob and Kirsty less than impressed.

And although it was a similar size to their UK home, it didn't offer the space Trudy wanted.

-Would finding out the price seal its fate?

-What do you reckon?

-I think it'll be 250.

-I think it's worth 240 English pounds.

-Thousand, obviously.

-£240,000, yeah. Jake?

- I think it's 250. - 250.

Ready, guys?

265.

I think it's overpriced.

I'm not surprised. It's just not a price I'd pay for a three-bedroom, one-bathroom with small rooms.

-I'd rather go further out for that bigger house that we wanted.

-Yeah.

-At the moment, this wouldn't sway me to come over here.

-No.

The first house may have been bang on budget,

but it didn't deliver enough fireworks for the Turners.

So would finding what they want mean a big jump in price?

Their second stop was a four-bedroom home on the outskirts of Joondalup.

Boasting a family-sized kitchen diner

and two living rooms, so plenty of space for everyone.

And with the beach and transport links close by,

it seemed to be rolling out the red carpet for the Turners.

As they say, the Queen has arrived at her mansion.

No, the outside was fantastic. When I arrived, I thought we'll never afford a house like that.

But now I wouldn't want to buy it.

Despite all its promise, the second home also failed to win Trudy over

even though it had the extra room she wanted.

But at least there was one feature to keep Jacob happy.

-This is nice. I like this.

-Yeah.

You've got a little pool there. A medium-sized pool.

-Unfortunately, the inside is nowhere near...

-What you wanted.

Although it offered more, the second home still

didn't deliver what the Turners were looking for.

And convincing Trudy and Kirsty to move Down Under

was starting to look like a very tough sell.

So, would the price change their minds?

-Ah!

-I think this...

-465.

-465 for you, Jake? That's not a bad guess, mate.

I'm going to say 475.

I'll say 480, but I don't think it's worth it.

If I really had to guess a value, I wouldn't guess more than about 440.

OK.

You ready, guys?

-400,000.

-So it's not that much. I was closer than any of you.

-And I said I wouldn't pay 430.

-I don't think I'd pay 400. I wouldn't buy it.

Both over-budget and underwhelming, the second house was another failure.

All Simon's hopes rested on the final stop of the day.

For their last visit, the Turners headed to the quiet suburb of Tapping.

Being an hour's commute from the city,

this four-bedroom house should have offered the Turners space and value.

But would they agree?

Ahh!

Looks like home.

I think Mam will like this room.

Oh, this really is nice.

And I love the en suite. The kitchen is really nice.

I wouldn't touch the kitchen. I wouldn't touch anything.

It's just like back home. Jacob seems excited. He can see something out there.

Lovely, lovely blue pool, isn't it?

It's exactly what we're looking for. Shall we go and check if the bedroom is going to be a downer?

-Yes.

-It seems too good to be true at the moment.

-It does, but you never know.

Jacob was won over by the pool and Trudy by the space.

But Kirsty was being very quiet.

-Oh, there's a second bathroom, too.

-This would be Kirsty's shower room.

This would be all for you.

-Would that swing it for you, Kirst?

-Mm.

All right, does it change your mind just a tiny bit?

-I told you like the houses here.

-Patio doors here to open up onto the pool.

-It'd be nice.

JACOB: You'd just want to dive in. TRUDY: Would be.

With everyone almost impressed, the Turners seem to have found their ideal home,

but would it fit within their £340,000 budget?

So what do we think, then? What did you say it was?

-Judging on the last one, 320.

-You say 320.

I'll just go a little bit higher than you at 325, but I wouldn't say much more than that still.

-No, probably not.

-- What are you thinking, Jake? - 350.

- If you're right, you can keep it. - Yeah, that would be cool.

-Go on then, have a look.

-Jake, you can read it out. I'll just bring it out for you.

Ready? Jacob's excited. Can he live here? Can he not live here?

-He's thinking, "Can I have it?"

-Pull it out, Jake. Hold it up.

Oh! 350 - you're right!

Yeah!

I can't believe you were right, Jake.

-I could see myself settling in a house like this.

-I could see myself here.

-If I get the job offer.

-Kirst, would this be enough to sway you?

I don't know. I mean, I do like the houses and I do like the lifestyle of it,

but I just don't think it's me.

After looking at three different properties, the Turners had a clear idea of what Perth had to offer.

But was it enough to convince them to leave their home in the UK?

OK, that's the end of the housing day. We've seen three very nice, very different houses

and it's given us a very good idea of what we can expect from a house.

Based on the houses that we've seen today, our vote is going to be...

ALL: Australia!

That's a surprise!

Australia, Jake? And Kirsty.

-You prefer the houses over here, then?

-Yeah.

Even though I don't know whether I want to live here, the houses are still nicer here.

They've got massive gardens and pools, which is really nice.

And the houses are generally bigger and I'd have a bigger room,

so they always are going to be better than the UK ones anyway.

Back in the UK, Simon worked long hours running his own accountancy business,

earning around £50,000 a year.

Driving the move for him was the promise of a better work/life balance

in Australia, but he knew just how big a gamble he was taking.

A little bit apprehensive because it's not within my comfort zone that I'm used to,

but still looking forward to it. It's something different. Just see how it goes.

We arranged for him to meet with Bruce Fielding, a consultant at a large Perth accountancy firm,

to find out about working in the city.

While Simon was getting the lowdown on Aussie finance, Trudy, Jacob and Kirsty headed to Caversham Park

to meet some of the local wildlife.

Park ranger Geoff Cotterill was on hand to show them around.

How would you like to see some kangaroos?

If they made the move,

Trudy was keen to get involved with volunteer work

and the park could have been a way of meeting new people.

-If I wanted to come down here and volunteer, would that be something that you'd look at?

-Yeah, absolutely.

We have a volunteer programme at the park,

a lot to do with helping the public with directions around the park, taking photos.

Would this push you towards Oz?

It does appeal to me, it makes me interested, it makes me want to come here,

-so it does make me think...

-There's more to life in Oz.

-Yeah, there's more to life in Oz than just...

-Fashion.

-Just fashion.

This would be your thing. You could meet people and maybe after a year, you might think, "I've got friends.

"Maybe I could live here."

Trudy was working hard to sell the idea of life in Oz, but if Simon couldn't find the right job,

all their hopes would be in vain.

My first question is whether my skills and experience fit into the local market and the local economy.

Your experience suits the industries

that are going well here in Western Australia at the moment - engineering, construction.

So where would you see me pitched in the market?

-You'd be looking at something from.. anywhere from 90,000 per annum through to 150,000.

-OK.

So if you pitched yourself to start at the lower end of that range,

you've got plenty of scope to grow over the next two or three years as your experience grows.

If you can get a position with a company that's growing

and doing well, you've got a good chance to grow with them.

With the possibility of doubling his UK salary,

it was a great result for Simon and a future in Perth seemed a step closer.

I feel very positive about the possibilities of a role here in Perth.

My skills and experience seem to be a natural fit

and the salary levels are what I need them to be

for us to make a success of it, so I think it's going to be good.

All that was left was to vote.

Based upon what I've found out today and the conversations I've had and the work I've done

on whether I'm going to work in the UK or Australia, I'm going to vote for...

..Australia.

With the house they like in Oz at the top of their budget,

the Turner is needed to raise as much cash as possible.

We sent two estate agents round to the Turners' Swansea home

to see if they thought it was worth the £130,000 the family hoped for.

Good sized lounge.

Patio doors opening on to the balcony as well and views of the bay.

-It looks nicer than I thought.

-Yeah, it does.

Good sized second bedroom and definitely a boy's room.

One of the pluses is it's got three good sized bedrooms.

-She's nice, she is.

-She is very nice, Kirst.

The big plus for this property is obviously the fantastic sea view.

We'd recommend that this property is put on the market at 89,950

with offers at 80,000-plus being considered.

The rental value would be around £450 per month.

-That's not too bad.

-No.

We'd value this house at 85,950 with a quick sale of 80,000

and a rental figure of 450.

I'm surprised it was quite that low, but I'm not overly surprised the way the market's gone in recent years.

-To be honest, I wouldn't even sell it for 80,000 or 85,000.

-I'm not selling it for anything anyway.

-I want it as a pension.

-It won't deter our...

-Not at all.

-..deter us from moving at all if we wanted to, is it?

-No.

Faced with a big drop in value, Simon and Trudy were determined to stay positive.

But everything now hinged on the cost of living in Australia.

So the overall difference is about £45, £50 a week.

The weekly shop in Australia was more expensive. What about the other costs?

Coming to the monthly payments, council tax is...

-More expensive.

-Transport is going to be a lot cheaper because you're not travelling to Cardiff.

-Exactly.

-I always expected the cost of living to be higher.

-Yeah.

Based on the UK salary of 50,000, we come out at just over 300 a month...every month left

and the equivalent salary I've been told I can earn over here is around £90,000

which is...80% more again, but because of the extra cost of living

and the higher mortgage for the house that we want,

we're going to pretty much come out the same every month.

Financially, we'll just be the same. We're not moving to be better off.

-As long as we're not worse off.

-We're moving for a better lifestyle.

It looked as if the Turners would be no better or worse off

so how would this affect their vote?

So after considering the options on the cost of living in the UK

as opposed to the cost of living in Australia, we're going to vote for...

-..Australia.

-Australia.

Finances were crucial,

but Trudy's biggest concern was keeping the family together.

She had a lot of convincing still to do with Kirsty

and a girly day out gave them the opportunity for a heart-to-heart.

So being in the city centre here now,

would this persuade you to come out, whether it's now or in a couple of years?

Yeah, it has definitely persuaded me to come out.

I mean, I have to finish uni. I'm not going back home anyway, whether you live there or not.

So it has made me think about doing something with my career here.

Even if you didn't move now, maybe after the degree, where there are no jobs back home,

you could come out and make a life for yourself, come and stay with us,

get yourself a job that you've always wanted, good pay and meet some friends and have a good life.

-Yeah, it's made me think about it.

-Good. All we want you to do is to think about it.

with Kirsty coming round to the idea of Australia, Simon wanted

to show them what life could be like spending more time together outdoors,

which meant a 6am start for Aussie boot camp.

Three, two, one and go!

Kirsty's quite competitive in that little run.

- Awesome work, eh? Kirsty doesn't do running.

-She does a lot of sleeping.

-Maybe the change in climate might inspire her.

Compared to going to the gym back home, this is quite fun.

Going to the gym, you just go to work out, but here it's activities, it's more than just working out.

TRUDY: What did you like about it?

Running slow...

Would you get up to go to boot camp at the weekends?

It was a really good way of making friends and I enjoyed it.

It was good.

I don't know about the six o'clock starts, mind, but I reckon you get used to them, don't you?

The early morning start had gone down well,

but had it been enough to convince everyone that the Aussie lifestyle is for them?

The lifestyle that we've experienced here in Australia, compared to the UK, is a lot better,

generally because of the weather as well,

so our vote is going to be...

ALL: Australia!

-Everyone's Australia?

-Yeah, everybody's Australia.

I didn't expect that.

-Happy with that, Kirst?

-What?

-Do you think the lifestyle is better here?

-Yeah, it is better out here.

Everything's chilled, everything's relaxed.

-Which is what you like?

-Yeah.

It's going to be better for us.

We won't be spending nine months of the year stuck in front of the TV

with someone spending three hours a night in front of his computer because there's nothing else to do.

The vote for Perth's lifestyle was a big move towards Australia

but would seeing messages from home leave them right back where they started?

So we're going to have to watch the DVDs from all the family and friends now

and we've seen yourself and the children get upset with these things.

Should we let Jacob watch it? Kirsty is older.

I think Kirsty wants to watch it anyway and I think Jacob would feel really left out if he didn't.

It's important, because he's got to make a decision, we can't just show him the good stuff and not...

I did say that the other day.

I did say, "Is he just looking at the pool and thinking, 'I'm going to live here?'"

As much as it may upset him, we've got to let him make the full decision.

I'm not looking forward to this bit.

-Hi, everyone.

-Hi, gang.

-Hello, Simon, Trudy.

Simon, I'm very close to. He's my eldest.

He never moved away from Swansea until he was in the navy.

Trudy's a fun-loving person.

She always looks for the best in people.

Trudy as a sister is very caring, supportive.

She's always there for me.

As a daughter, Kirsty is very loving

She loves coming home on her breaks. It's nice to see her.

I think they're doing the right thing. If it was me,

looking back on my life, I would go straightaway.

Before, it was always in the future, but I don't know how I'll cope with it.

I know how I feel. I don't know how his mum feels.

I do know how she feels.

But...

It's a big wrench.

Hi, Kirsty. I hope you make the right decision which is to stay there.

I'll miss you very much and I love you.

If you want to come home, there's always a place here for you.

Whatever you decide, we'll back you all the way.

-Go for it, boy. You, Trudy, Kirsty and Jacob. If you like it out there, go for it.

-We love you lots.

Don't forget me, will you, please? I'm not going to forget you.

God bless you all! I'm so happy for you. Make a go of it, please.

Bye-bye, darling.

I do want them to go, but I'm going to miss them.

That was really sad.

-That was sad, wasn't it?

-Hmm.

That was tough. That was really hard.

-It was tough.

-It was tough.

-It was tougher than I thought it would be.

It's going to be a tough decision now.

Kirsty, whichever decision you make, it hasn't got to be your decision for ever.

Do you think you're going to lose support?

Um...

You're not going to lose support here.

It's not going to be any different to being over here, is it?

Hmm? You're going to get the same support.

Exactly the same support. No matter where we are, I'm always going to be there for you

whether it's the end of the phone, on the end of a plane. Christmas you can come and spend on the beach

and eye up all the talent.

-Hmm?

-There'll always be a room in the house for you wherever we are.

There'll always be a home here if we decide to come over here. Wherever we are, there's a home for you.

After a week to remember, it was time for the Turners to make

one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

And their experiences in Perth had left them with plenty to think about.

The week's been very, very tiring.

It's had its ups and downs, but overall, I think we've enjoyed it.

I really didn't think I was going to like it over here.

I was more or less going for Simon's sake.

At the beginning, I was so scared, if I didn't want to come here, that I was going to lose my mum.

I don't think I'm going to lose my mum any more.

I think I've put her mind at rest that I'm not going to abandon her to come over here.

I'll still be with her 100%. I'm always going to be her mother.

I'll always be there for her like I have the last 19 years.

The things we've done this week have reinforced the view that we're going to have...

I won't call it a better lifestyle. We enjoy our lifestyle back home.

We'll have a different lifestyle that will be of benefit as well.

We've only got one life and if I don't give it a chance, for me and Simon and for the kids,

then I'm going to really be missing out on something really good.

So had Trudy done enough to persuade Kirsty

or would Simon have to put his dreams on hold to keep the family together?

It was time to vote.

It's been a week of ups and downs, I'm hoping mostly ups.

I guess we'll find out in a few moments.

Based on our experiences of the past week, we've decided to vote for...

TRUDY AND SIMON: Australia.

Australia for you. We knew Kirsty was going to go UK.

What about you, Jake? It was Australia then, was it?

-Stay in Australia?

-Yeah?

Well done, boy.

Maybe in a couple of years' time?

-It's not that I'm not ruling out Australia...

-Yeah, I know.

But if I voted for now, to go back now, it would be Britain now.

-To go back to Britain now.

-But maybe in two years' time, the vote will be completely different.

I'd wait till I'd finished uni, then it might be Australia.

-I think that's the fairest thing we can ask for.

-I'm happy with that.

-Yeah?

-That's made me happy.

-That's made me happy.

-Cool.

After experiencing the highs and lows of life Down Under,

it looked like a move was on the cards.

But not for everyone. One year on, what happened next?

The Turner family are living in...

Swansea.

But that situation is all about to change

as they get ready to make the move to Australia for good.

When I first came back to the UK, I was waking up in the mornings

and thinking, Australia was nice.

I spoke to Simon about it, and he kept asking me,

is it for you, did you really like it?

And I said, yeah, I'm thinking about it a lot when I've come home.

And we just went from there, then.

And then it was telling friends

and family that we had booked the date, and that was really hard.

It started to get scary then.

Because before, it was a case of me wanting to go

and it's easy to want to go when people aren't sure.

But all of a sudden, when people say they do want to go,

then you've actually got to do it.

Talking about something is easier than going ahead and doing it.

We are just realising now, over the last couple of weeks

that are left, how much people think of us, how much family think of us.

It's... I think that has made it harder.

But for Trudy, the hardest person to leave behind was always going

to be her daughter, Kirsty.

I was worried about her reaction.

But when I eventually rang and told her, she was OK about it.

There wasn't any tears or anything.

But I don't think it really sunk in until she came home and seen the boxes.

We did put the option to her to do her final year in Australia,

so she could make friends while she was on the course.

-Which I thought would have been better for her.

-I thought...

But it's her choice, and she chose to stay here for the year.

And her dad has said as well, I'm here for you,

and our family and best friends have all said, here are our numbers, if you need us.

It's still hard, even though she is 20. It's still hard to leave her home.

I think the day that we have to go and say goodbye for now,

I think I'll be crying at the airport.

I think I'll be crying, probably.

There's no doubt the family will face some heartbreaking goodbyes,

but at least for now, they have plenty of other things on their minds to distract them.

It's been a tough few days, hasn't it?

Just making sure everything is done, everything is flat-packed,

all the furniture has been taken apart.

Where not just putting it in the container, we are flat-packing it

to make sure we can fit it all in.

I think one of the reasons we are taking so much with us is to have the familiarity.

So I can bring my home.

-I'm bringing my home to my new home.

-Yes.

Because we've got to try and remember that even though it is our home,

it's not. Our home is us, all of us as a family.

As it's getting closer now, it's getting more and more real.

And sometimes, if I really think about it,

my heart and my stomach sort of jumps a bit, because I'm thinking,

oh God, are you going to be able to get on that plane?

After months of planning and organising, it's the morning

of the big day as the Turners start the journey to their new lives.

But Trudy is still trying to come to terms with everything

they are leaving behind.

Today, we are moving to Australia.

Just sitting in a hotel room, ready to go.

It's a happy day and it's a sad day. So...

Coming up last night was really, really bad.

Leaving everybody at home was really bad. Worse than I have ever thought.

Worst thing I have ever done in my life.

Trudy is a little bit upset, because we didn't see Kirsty.

She is finding that really difficult. Which is understandable, I guess.

I said, you can still come if you want tomorrow, mind. We can just

click off the ticket and you can come.

She said, no, Mam, I've finished my final year now and I'll be all right.

And I found it really hard in the car, turning around to wave goodbye.

She looked teary, and I was crying, and it was really hard.

It was really tough... saying goodbye to my sister.

I think at the moment, it's still quite raw, leaving everybody,

leaving Kirsty, leaving our family, leaving our friends.

I think we're still sort of struggling with that a little bit.

I think that is going to take a bit of time for us to get over.

I've just got to remember, really, as I'm going, why I'm really going.

I said to Jacob the other, are you excited? Because Jacob has been really excited all along.

He said, are we going to the park again with the pulley where we pull each other up and down?

I said we can do that every night.

I'm really excited to go to Australia so I can play football all the time.

I still think it's going to be a great opportunity for both

myself and Trudy and Jake and Kirsty, when she comes over.

And as they arrive at the airport, it's the moment of truth.

It's a bit of a cut-off, if you want. Because that's when we get on the plane.

But then, 2:45 local time on Thursday is

when we get off the plane again and that's when our lives start again.

Time to go, girls and boys.

It's now or never, because we've got to go through the departure security.

Bags are checked in, so we may as well go and see what happens, I think.

It's now or never, and at the end of the day,

we're getting older now, so we thought give it a go,

and if it doesn't work,

we can always come back.

But there is no going back quite yet.

The Turners are finally on the plane that will take them

to their new life halfway around the world.

It's three months later when we catch up with the Turners.

When they first arrived in Perth, they had the support of Trudy's

aunt and uncle, who they stayed with while they found their feet.

But Trudy has still found it hard to cope

with the reality of leaving Kirsty behind.

It was really hard just...

just leaving Kirsty, upset me the first week.

I cried a couple of evenings, on the side.

I sat on the bench at one of the shopping centres,

after we had been into the shops, and I said,

I don't like nothing here, and everything is really expensive,

and I think we've made the wrong decision.

And that's the way I felt that day.

But as time went by and the days went by and we started settling in,

getting the house ready, getting Jacob ready to go to school,

and finding our way round and going out every weekend,

we just started settling in slowly.

I think the biggest difference between Trudy

and I is that Trudy has had a lot more time

to think about missing her friends and her family back home.

I've managed to get into a routine quicker.

I've had more to occupy my mind during the course of a day.

I think Trudy has struggled at times.

Part of me still felt when I came out here, that I wasn't coming for good.

Maybe because Simon wanted to go, and I liked Australia,

but I thought that in my head it was more, I'll try it for a year

and then I'll probably go home.

But I'm coming round to thinking, well, I'll try it for a year,

but I think I'll try it for another year.

After the emotional highs and lows of their first few weeks,

things have started to settle now they have moved into their own

rental property in the suburb of Mindarie.

We were very lucky, we didn't have to go searching for houses.

My aunt had a friend who was looking to break her lease,

and she asked us if we'd be interested.

So we came down and had a look, and I, well, this is great for us.

Plenty of room and a pool.

So we basically signed everything, paid the bond

and moved in two weeks ago.

We wanted the four bedrooms, because it's important to us

that people who want to come and visit have somewhere to stay.

Jacob's only criterion was to have a pool.

We have managed to do that for him. It ticks all the boxes for us, to be honest.

So, despite the pain of leaving one family member behind,

the Turners have found a great house to rent and a good school for Jacob.

Things started to come together when Simon was offered an accounting job

with a mining company within just two weeks of arriving.

Finding a job pretty quickly meant that I was back in a routine that I was familiar with.

It was a big thing for me to be able to settle quickly here.

I was back into the swing of what I was doing back home.

I'm enjoying the new position.

More than anything, because it's an industry I'm not used to.

Mining is obviously something that is not big in the UK any more,

but it's massive here.

I think it's going to be quite strong for years to come.

Simon's job has been crucial in helping everyone

settle into their Aussie new life.

And with future work prospects looking positive,

the family are beginning to see the benefits of the move.

Simon has had a lot more time to spend with Jacob since we came over here.

He goes out in the evenings, plays football before it gets dark

if he is home in time.

We go out every weekend, we travel around the beaches.

It's just the weather is just always so nice.

I think the football has helped Jacob settle into his life here.

But I think it's an overall thing with school, friends,

football, family.

I think it all just goes into one.

So far, the whole family have warmed to their new lives,

but there's still just one thing missing.

I think Kirsty will come and try and stay for a year.

Whether she'll like it or not, I don't know.

But I think a year is a long time to stay somewhere and I think

if I can settle within 11 weeks or so, then she could do too.

I do hope Kirsty comes, for Kirsty's sake more than anything.

I have brought her up as my own since she was four years old.

So I do hope she comes over.

So are you looking forward to coming out at Christmas?

I can't wait. I can't wait for Christmas time.

I'm so, I'm like, I'm ecstatic about Christmas time.

I know it sounds silly, but I can't wait to have my Christmas meal.

And seeing family. Because I haven't seen anyone for like, ages, since...

I can't even remember.

I think that you're going to go home in January

and I think you're going to say to your friends, I really want to go back.

That's what I think, I could be wrong. But I'm hoping that.

To me, you are home.

So wherever you are, will always be my home.

Well, I told you that before we came here, didn't I?

That we are a unit, the four of us.

Wherever we are together is our home,

not just the bricks that hold the home together.

It's us that make the unit.

Have a good day.

Trudy and Simon are still hopeful Kirsty will come out

to join them when she finishes university,

and that, in the future, they can be a family again.

Now that Simon has a permanent job coming up and we have that stability,

I'm very confident that we will be staying in Australia for definite.

I would only ever go home now to visit the family and my friends.

Otherwise, I won't be going home to live any more.

So, after plenty of soul-searching,

the Turners are settling into their new lives in Perth.

Despite leaving Kirsty at home,

they are happy they made the right decision for the whole family.

We wish them lots of luck in the future.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd