Afanasiev Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

Convincing your partner to give up a life they love

for a new start on the other side of the world is never going to be easy.

And if your dream was based on a distant memory,

would you risk your whole future on it?

In 2011, the Afanasiev family spent a week in Sydney

to see if Australia could offer them a better life.

Today, we'll find out where they are now.

Tosh Afanasiev was desperate to return to the country he'd fallen in love with ten years ago.

I almost felt my business with Australia wasn't finished yet.

But his dream appeared out of reach.

It makes me a little bit nervous to think whether we can afford to live here at all.

And leaving family behind seemed unbearable.

Ike and Reuben know I would miss them more than I could ever say.

So, two years on, have the Afanasievs

made a new life for themselves down under?

Hopefully, we'll think, yeah, we made a really, really good decision.

Thanks to its 50,000 kilometres of coastline and sunny climate,

life in Australia has long been a favourite destination

for Brits dreaming of a new life abroad.

But it doesn't work for everyone,

and around 10,000 return home each year

with their dreams in ruins.

In 2011, the Afanasievs spent seven days

experiencing the reality of living in Australia.

At the end of it, they faced a life-changing decision -

whether their future lay in the UK or Australia.

Two years on, we'll catch up with the family

to find out what happened next.

Back in 2011, Louise and Tosh Afanasiev were living

in a three-bedroom semi just outside Newcastle with their two boys,

Reuben, who was four then, and Ike, who was two.

Tosh and Louise had both enjoyed the single life in Australia

in their early twenties.

I lived in Melbourne for a couple of years when I was younger - ten years ago.

I was there in the early '90s when I was 20.

But life was very different for me then.

I was single. I worked as a baker, so I worked through the night.

I had a really great time. I went with a friend who is Australian.

She was from Sydney.

What I saw was the potential for a really fantastic lifestyle.

When I left, I didn't feel,

"Oh, I could live here and I can't wait to go back."

I didn't feel that.

I almost felt, coming away, my business with Australia wasn't finished yet.

Several years later, they were happily married with a young family,

a lovely home and stable jobs.

But for at least one of them,

the idea of life down under was still very much alive.

The kids came into our lives and I suddenly wanted to share

what I feel about that place with them

and I wanted to show them a different life.

Tosh knew Louise didn't share his dream

and would need convincing it was the right move.

Louise has got very mixed feelings about the move.

It's not an outright no. If it was, there wouldn't be a discussion.

It all comes down to whether she wants to give up

what we've got here in order to achieve a how much better life?

For Louise, it wouldn't be a straightforward decision.

They'd be risking everything they'd worked hard to achieve.

If we move there, we're leaving behind family and friends.

We're taking Reuben out of a fantastic school

and a lovely house in a lovely neighbourhood.

Tosh has got a fantastic job as well.

It's leaving that behind, I think. That is the big thing.

And it wouldn't just be a lifestyle they'd be leaving behind.

A move would also mean saying a heartbreaking goodbye

to Louise's parents.

We live ten minutes from my parents who help us a great deal

with the children and childcare, even if it's just for an hour

or picking up from school and dropping off.

It's a big, big part of this decision.

I feel that it's probably the deciding factor, really,

when it comes down to it.

Yeah.

Basically, leaving them behind would be very, very hard.

If we decide to go.

For their trial week down under, the family travel to Sydney.

They've visited Australia before

but this was unlike any of their previous trips.

Landing in the early hours

brought home just how far they've come.

The trip over was quite long.

Considering how far it was, it wasn't bad, was it?

It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.

-We were really good.

-You were.

It was a short journey to their rental property,

but a long way from home in Newcastle.

The Afanasievs stayed in the beach town of Avalon,

north of central Sydney.

By the time they reached their base,

-they were eager to see what Australia had to offer.

-Wow!

Wow!

-Oh, wow.

-Look at this!

-This is beautiful.

This three-bedroom house was right next to the beach

with views to die for.

-It's amazing.

-Brilliant.

-Do they have squatters' rights here?

But Louise was already having doubts

about whether they could afford a move.

I've got very mixed emotions about the week ahead

because you hear so many conflicting things

about how it's so expensive here now

and, you know, it's not what it was five years ago.

It's not so black and white.

Back in the UK, the Afanasievs lived in a three-bedroom semi

just outside Newcastle which they bought in 2010.

But they weren't short of a few ideas

when it came to their dream home in Australia.

My ideal house would be very open-plan.

We'd have a minimum of three bedrooms.

-Indoor-outdoor area.

-The usual cliches.

A nice pool.

Not much, really.

What we don't want to do is take a step back from where we are now.

It's got to be as good as or better than what we have already.

The family had a budget of around £300,000.

However, at the time, house prices in Sydney

were averaging nearly £400,000 -

double the price Tosh and Louise had seen ten years earlier.

Would they be able to afford their dream home?

To give them a taste of Sydney's housing market,

they viewed three different properties

based around their budget and what they wanted from a home.

Only after they'd seen each one

would we reveal to Louise and Tosh just how much they cost.

The first house was close to their rental property in Avalon, but on the high street.

Set right amongst the shops and cafes

and with popular beaches nearby, it could have offered Tosh and Louise

the cosmopolitan lifestyle they were after.

The two-bedroom flat would also provide a clue

as to how expensive Sydney can be.

A flat generally means one thing - stairs.

Was it worth the effort?

Come on, in we go.

Oh, look, there's a bathroom. It's nice and bright, isn't it?

-Shall we have a look? It's quite small.

-It is.

BIRD SQUAWKS

It's nice. Good-sized balcony.

-I like the fact that it's got the open top.

-Yeah, I really like that.

-Downstairs would be quite enclosed.

-You get loads of light.

I love the view. I really do.

When we can't afford to eat out, we can watch other people doing it.

It was time to check out the bedrooms.

-This is nice.

-Yeah, but, you know, there is the thing that

it's only got two bedrooms, which is fine for us,

but we are expecting my parents to come and visit.

-We would need...

-It wouldn't be a permanent place, really.

But it would be a landing pad just to get settled.

It's one of those things. We need to see how much this goes for.

It might be, this is it for us,

and if that is the case, that's part of the decision.

With just two bedrooms and no garden for the children,

Louise and Tosh saw the flat as a stepping stone to something bigger.

But was the price within their £300,000 budget?

It's not what I...

envisage us living in in Australia.

I understand what you're saying about it being a landing pad and stuff

but I don't also want to be moving around all the time.

Wow! £400,000.

Hmm. Yes, that's quite...

That's a lot.

This flat was well over their £300,000 budget

and it wasn't even somewhere they would want to buy.

Already Louise was having grave doubts.

From the size of this and everything, I know it's a central location,

but it makes me a bit nervous to think that

that's what we're starting off on

and whether we can afford to live here at all.

The second property was in the neighbourhood of Bilgola -

a quiet, leafy area, with beaches and parks nearby,

it could have been just right for a young family.

And as Tosh quickly spotted,

the couple would get more house for their money.

It looks like it's got amazing potential.

It looks quite big, actually.

I love the established trees and stuff. That's really good.

The three-bedroom house needed some work, but that didn't put them off.

Wow, look at this entrance.

-This could be amazing.

-This could be really cool.

I love this whole glass thing.

Wow.

Louise and Tosh could see some potential

and the views got them excited as well.

-Look at the view out there. That's amazing.

-It's priceless.

-The balcony's huge.

You can see the boats from up here.

However, Louise had one big problem.

Considering there's so much glass and window, I find it quite dark.

I know what you're saying, but I think, on a really hot day,

to have all this glass, if you couldn't sit anywhere without the sun

streaming in, it might be oppressive, so you'd probably be quite grateful.

It was a good point.

Unfortunately, the bedrooms didn't help sell this property either.

It's quite damp as well, I think.

Yeah. It smells a bit...

-And that balcony seems to have...

-Eroded.

-..rotted away.

It would cost a fortune to put it right.

The house was large and spacious but it needed a lot of work.

Did that mean it was affordable

or was the flat all they could get for their budget?

It was time to uncover the price.

-Shall we look?

-Go on, then.

Hmm. £450,000.

Add on the £100,000 for the renovation, so say £550,000.

But then, obviously, they might take offers.

They might, because of the state of it, they might be keen to shift it.

So you could end up paying £450,000 for it and then it would be...

-Then it's looking different.

-Yeah.

-Especially when you compare it to £400,000 for the flat.

-Then it's a different story.

-You get a lot of house.

Even if they could get £100,000 knocked off the price,

it was still over their budget of £300,000.

Were Tosh and Louise being unrealistic

about what they could afford?

Would the third property make things clearer?

Like the first, it was in Avalon,

but in a quieter, more residential area.

Architect-designed, with three bedrooms, gardens and a pool,

was this the dream house Louise is after?

I like it. Wow! This is nice, isn't it?

This is kind of what you think about, isn't it?

-This kind of open-plan thing.

-Loads of light. It's lovely and open.

-You couldn't get a better location.

-First impression, yeah, very nice.

Very nice.

There seemed to be few faults with this house.

-They're quite small, but then...

-They're not massive...

but I suppose the emphasis is not on sitting in your room.

This is good, isn't it?

Oh, yeah, look at that.

-That's really good. That's really handy, actually.

-Yeah.

-So you can have two or one.

-Very good.

With Louise prepared to overlook the smallish bedrooms,

all that was left was the back garden.

Look at that!

This is more us, it's more family.

It's got your outside area, both front and back, hasn't it?

Practically, for what we need now, this ticks all the boxes.

It's lovely. I love it.

I'm scared to know how much it's going to be.

It's probably going to be way out of our reach.

It's too perfect, isn't it?

This house had both Louise and Tosh excited

but they still didn't know the price.

It has everything they wanted from Australian living

but was it out of their reach?

-It was time to find out.

-This is going to be a jump

from the last one because the last one had a lot of work to be done.

This is going to be, I reckon, a big jump from that. Let's find out.

-Mmm!

-For what you get...

-We'll buy it!

For what you get, I mean, that, really...

I thought it was going to be a lot more.

That's... that's...

That's very reasonable. With the pool and...

It was a good price, but nearly £200,000 over their budget.

Were Tosh and Louise letting their excitement

overshadow the reality of what they could afford?

The first property was something Tosh and Louise

would only have considered renting for a short time.

The second property was too dark and needed too much work.

The last house was everything they'd hoped for

but was the most expensive and well above their budget.

So what was their verdict on property?

Could they see themselves giving up their house in Newcastle for an Aussie home?

OK, we've seen our three properties today.

It's been really interesting and I think it's time to vote.

ALL: Australia!

-AUSTRALIAN ACCENT:

-Australia!

It was a great start for Tosh. He was one step closer

to persuading Louise that Australia could be for them.

Everything would ride on the next few days.

Could Tosh earn enough to make Australia a reality

or would the move remain a pipe dream?

Back in the UK, Tosh worked as a computer software developer,

earning around £40,000 a year.

We've arranged for him to spend a day with a software design company

in the centre of Sydney.

Tosh was well aware the entire move was riding on what he'd find out.

Finding the right job is key for this move.

Back home we've got a good life, a lovely house, I've got a good job,

so we'd have to see quite a big improvement, erm, by moving here.

Louise worked part-time in a shop

but planned to be a stay-at-home mum in Australia

until the children settled.

She wanted to know if schools down under were as good as those back home.

With Ike in the care of a childminder,

she and Reuben went off to check out a local kindergarten, or kindy.

In you go. In you go. Come on.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-This is Reuben. I'm Louise. Nice to meet you.

-Reuben, is it?

-Yeah.

-Hello. You can come in

and have a little look around with the kids if you like.

-So how many children do you have?

-We have 29 a day.

-Are they here all day?

-Yep, from 9.00am until 3.00pm.

Being able to get Reuben and Ike into a decent school

would be crucial if the move was to become a reality.

-What are the fees?

-42 a day.

If you're coming for the three days, it's per day.

-And is there a waiting list?

-There sure is.

It's quite a high demand at the moment.

That would be my issue.

If we suddenly arrived, then we'd kind of have to put his name down

prior to us coming, wouldn't we?

Just calling and getting their name and saying, "We're going to

"be there June. Can we come in and see you? Will there be a spot?"

It seemed getting into a good school

could be just as hard as in the UK.

And the prospect of paying fees for schooling until the boys were six

would put even more pressure on their finances.

While Louise carried on with her fact-finding,

Tosh had arrived in the city and met with company director Michael Lam.

-Hi, Tosh. Nice to meet you. Welcome. Welcome to Sydney.

-Thank you.

The company developed a wide range of software so it should be a great

chance for Tosh to find out about the possibility of work in Sydney.

Could you see someone like me fitting into this company

and being a part of it?

Yeah, I think so.

I mean, your experience in the Australian marketplace would fit,

whether it's with our company or somewhere else.

Your experience would be probably relevant

to some of the big companies like the banks.

The banks are looking for a lot of...

staff in the development database

and they've got fairly large IT projects

so employability shouldn't be an issue

-if you were to come down to Australia.

-Brilliant.

That's good to hear.

That was promising news. Next up was the most important question.

So, with my skills and experience,

is there a sort of band you could give me

for working in Sydney, how much I could expect to earn?

I think, looking at your CV,

I'd say probably...

80,000 to 90,000 annual salary.

-Brilliant.

-And depending on the type of project,

-it could be slightly more with bonuses et cetera.

-Fantastic.

More good news. At nearly £60,000,

that was £20,000 more than Tosh was earning in the UK.

So how did Tosh vote on work in Australia versus his job back home?

I've met an employer today. I've had a little insight into how they work here in Australia

in my industry and now it's time to vote.

Australia!

It seems to me that I could earn quite well here.

In terms of actually seeing how far it will take us

with the cost of living, we've yet to look at that.

Whether it's going to support us in a way that we would like to live

and whether that will mean the improvement on our lifestyle in the UK

that we would need to come over here, we've still got to work out.

Tosh and Louise met up later and were keen to hear each other's news.

-Hiya. How did it go?

-Really good.

-How was kindy?

-The kindy was great. It's lovely. Rueben loved it.

He was just interacting with everybody.

Yeah, it was really nice. Really nice.

-Brilliant. I'm glad.

-How did work go?

-Work was really good.

He was impressed with the CV. He said I had the right balance of skills.

I also asked him, in Sydney, what kind of salary I could expect

and he said that with my skills and experience,

I'd be looking at between 80,000 and 90,000 a year to start.

-Brilliant.

-It's what we found when looking around.

-So that was really encouraging.

-Excellent. Yeah, that is good.

So we might be able to afford that house after all.

Maybe!

Tosh's earning potential was promising

but the family needed to be sure the finances of a move would work.

We sent round two estate agents to give us their opinion

on what their home in Newcastle could fetch.

They'd bought it in 2010 for £159,000

and had spent time modernising it.

It looks like it's been refurbished recently.

There's a new oven and hob. It's a good-sized space.

Third bedroom. Ike's room.

Perfectly chaotic. Ideal for a little boy.

Nice, large, open-plan dining room and lounge. Really nice.

-Really nice.

-Too right.

Great size second bedroom and a very lucky boy with all these toys.

A really pleasant three-bedroomed semi.

I'd be looking to put the property on the market at £189,950.

If they're looking for a quicker sale, probably closer to £175,000.

Wow, that's...

It's a fantastic little family home.

If I was to market the house, I'd market it at £185,000

and for a quick sale £179,950.

BOTH: Wow!

-It's not bad, is it?

-Yeah!

-I want to live in England.

-SOBS

-Oh, sweetheart.

-I want to live in England.

-We do.

-We do.

-You miss your house?

-Yeah!

Oh, Reuben!

It's all right. We're going back there next week, aren't we?

We're going back there.

Do you just get a bit homesick, seeing your house on TV?

Yeah.

Don't worry, Reuben.

Reuben was upset by seeing his house and toys,

but Mum and Dad were more than happy with those valuations.

Next they had to see how far their money would go.

We prepared a breakdown of their living costs in Australia compared

to the UK to see if emigrating could really be possible.

Oh! So that was the flat.

We pretty much, erm, weren't that...

Monthly repayments.

We couldn't make that payment.

We'd be paying 3,730.

That is what I earn at the moment a month

-in the UK after tax.

-Yeah.

So we couldn't do that. And that's the cheapest of the three

even though it's not the one we'd really go for.

It wasn't looking good.

On their current income, the move would be a non-starter.

How do things add up based on Tosh's Aussie salary?

Right...

x 12.

40.

So that means we are £3,712

worse off a year, here.

So the question is...

But that's with the massive £3,735 mortgage.

-That's not what we'd be jumping into so...

-It is very doable.

I think it's doable.

It's not a case of sell your house and move into a mansion

but it is a case of sell your house where we live

and move into a house here.

It's more positive than I thought it was going to be.

I'm really quite encouraged. I was expecting a much more grim picture.

The Afanasievs thought they could make the move but only if they

bought a house much smaller than the one they'd fallen for.

Did that mean their plans were over

or would they consider giving up their dream home?

We've done the reality check.

We've found some interesting facts and figures. Now it's time to vote.

-Australia.

-Australia!

-Brilliant.

-We'll be a little bit worse off

but not as worse off as I thought and I think what you get

in surroundings and environment makes up for that loss of money.

The things you have to buy are more expensive

-and the things you get for free are just much better, I think.

-Yeah.

Louise and Tosh had both spent time in Australia,

but that was before they met or had Reuben and Ike.

So as parents, they were keen to see what Oz could offer

in terms of a family day out.

As Reuben loved animals, they headed off to the world-famous Taronga Zoo.

That is a kangaroo.

Her name is Khobar, and she is a Western Grey kangaroo.

Ah, look, she's giving him a cuddle.

Khobar seem to be doing a great job selling Australia to the boys,

and there were plenty of other cute animals to keep them happy.

-I've got here very a special animal. What is it?

-Koala bear!

-A koala.

Are you ready? Here we go.

I can...

Isn't she lovely?

TOSH: Her claws are really impressive, aren't they?

-You're pretty lucky.

-Definitely. Not many people get to do this.

After the zoo, the family spend time together on a nearby beach.

It had been an enjoyable day out.

But how would they vote on the lifestyle down under?

We've been to the zoo today, for our family activity.

So now it's time to vote.

TOSH AND LOUISE: Australia!

-Australia again?

-I'm just trying to keep you happy.

No, yeah, we had great morning. The zoo was amazing.

-There's definitely more for families, I think.

-Yeah.

Another vote for Australia was another step towards Tosh's dream.

But for Louise, the day had reminded her of her family back home.

I haven't forgotten about not having my parents here, which...

..you know, is...and still is the issue for me.

Now it's the only issue,

whereas before, it was the big issue, plus there were other things.

But now that's the only thing.

For Louise, leaving loved ones behind in the UK

was always going to be the toughest obstacle to moving.

When I do stop to think about it, I do get quite upset.

Especially now, knowing a little bit more

about how I feel about Australia, it's even more upsetting.

We haven't even got the DVD on yet and I'm welling up!

Watching messages from home would be emotional,

but Tosh and Louise chose to watch the DVD with their children.

Hello, Louise, Tosh and the boys, Ike and Reuben.

Lou's my soulmate, actually. We go back to school days.

-I'll miss her terribly.

-She's just a lovely daughter.

We do have our moments,

but we get on better now than when she was in her teens.

Well, you know, one part of your heart drops,

the other one thinks, "Well, they know what they're doing."

Even Newcastle feels like the other end of the world.

It is going to be quite upsetting, thinking that, actually,

to go and see Tosh and Lou is going to be quite a big haul

to get the five of us out there.

I know you're in Australia now and you're trying to decide

whether to stay or not or whether to go, but the last thing

I want is you to worry about what's going to happen to us.

I would prefer you to think about your life.

We have had our life.

And if you're happy and you think it's going to be a better life

for the boys, you've got our blessing.

And we hope that you'll really enjoy it.

We wouldn't stand in your way, you know that.

We would miss you, but if you want to go, you go. It's your life.

And we want you to do well.

I'm behind you, absolutely behind you.

But I have to say that I'll miss you guys so much.

Don't worry about me. Just do whatever you want to do.

Follow your instincts, as you always have.

And you've pretty well always been right. So carry on.

Ike and Reuben know I would miss them more than I could ever say.

But they know I'm always here.

I don't want them not to decide to go because of me.

I would like you to make your mind up what you want to do.

And know that Grandma's here for you always.

Ah...

Taking them away from their grandparents is probably...

is the biggest thing. That's kind of...

I've sort of thought about a lot recently.

It's their world, you know, the boys are their world, and they see them all the time.

I think, am I being selfish taking them away when, you know...?

Maybe I am, I don't know. Maybe... You know.

I think, erm... Yeah, I mean, what I wouldn't want to do

is push Louise into a decision that was too painful, you know, to make.

I can have perfectly understand why someone might see

that living somewhere else would be better for them

but still decide not to because of not wanting to leave people who are close to them.

I can understand that happening.

It was an emotional end to their week,

and Tosh and Louise had plenty to think about.

Louise has always had more doubts than me about coming here.

Her reaction to seeing friends and family back home, er,

it wasn't a surprise at all.

It made me feel really emotional.

And it was my reality check, because that's always been the big thing that, you know,

that's made me very sort of against the decision.

Whether watching those messages will actually pull her back the other way,

I don't know. And if that's the case, then that's the case. I wouldn't want to force that.

If that's the case, I wouldn't want to force it anyway, because we wouldn't be happy here then.

When it comes to the final vote with Louise, I don't know. Who knows?

So did they choose a future in Australia?

Or had the heartache of seeing loved ones made leaving the UK unthinkable?

We've come to the end of a fantastic week here in Australia.

We've seem some fantastic houses, some great sights,

some great beaches.

We've had a great time. And now it's time for the final vote.

LOUISE AND TOSH: Australia!

-You voted for it as well?!

-Fantastic!

Why did you vote Australia?

Cos it's hotter than the UK.

Cos it's hotter, OK!

Overall, I just think the feel...

it feels like a better place for us to live.

I think it's more geared for the way we want to live.

-And I think we could have a better life here.

-Yeah. I agree.

It's been a real surprise.

On the plane here, I didn't think that I'd be voting...now...

that I'd be voting Australia.

I thought I would be voting the UK.

I thought you might do a bit of a... middle-of-the-road thing.

-No, I'm so far the other way.

-Brilliant! Brilliant!

-I don't do anything by halves.

-No, no. It's true.

-Ever.

After facing up to the emotional and financial costs, it looked like

Louise had been won over by Tosh's dream of a new life down under.

So two years after their trial week in Sydney, where do the Afanasievs call home now?

It's 2013, and the Afanasievs are living in...

you've guessed it - Australia!

When we caught up with them, they'd been in the country for just over six months

and had friends round for a barbecue.

But when they returned from their trial week two years previously,

there was some uncertainty

whether they'd actually go ahead with the move.

After we did our trip to Australia in 2011, we went back to the UK.

And it was a really interesting time, actually,

because there was a lot of reflection, and us thinking about

-what we'd seen, and I think Lou went through a few swings, didn't you?

-Yeah.

There were times when Lou was very much, "No, we've got to do it."

And there were times where she was more like, "Oh, I'm not sure now."

Yeah, I sort of wavered a bit.

For all I knew that eventually we would come,

and I knew that we all wanted to do it, I did keep wavering,

because, obviously, we have quite a good network of friends over there.

The more we were sort of settling into that sort of lifestyle

and that routine of the boys being at school and nursery,

and then you got offered the job pretty quickly, didn't you?

Yeah, I got offered a job with sponsorship that would bring us over quickly.

Tosh was offered a role with a software consultancy in Perth, Western Australia.

Emigrating had suddenly become very real.

But the idea didn't go well with everyone in the family.

I remember telling the boys that I'd been offered a job in Australia,

and that meant we could move there if we wanted to.

-And Reuben initially was really upset.

-Yeah, he started crying.

-He really didn't want to do it,

-even though he'd loved Australia.

-And he kept saying to us,

"Are we taking things with us? Can I take my toys?

-"Can I take my bed?" Wasn't he?

-Yeah.

-I said, "Look, we're just going to take everything.

"Everything is going to come from our house here,

"and we're going to take it over there, and everything will be the same.

"But we'll just be somewhere else." And he was like, "Oh, OK."

With Reuben on board, Tosh and Louise finally plunged ahead with plans

to move lock, stock and barrel to the other side of the world.

But not before an emotional tour of the UK to say goodbye to loved ones.

We travelled round and saw various people.

We went down to the southwest and caught up with some friends

and saw my sister and saw my parents, things like that.

And then we had a big knees-up, didn't we, in Newcastle?

-Why am I getting upset?

-I don't know.

Saying farewell to her parents had always been Louise's biggest concern about moving.

And when it came to leaving friends and family behind,

the experience was a huge wrench.

I didn't cope well, saying my goodbyes in the UK.

It was very, very emotional. It was just goodbye after goodbye after goodbye.

And it was really sad. Just cos you don't know when you'll see them again.

I remember getting quite sad as we took off.

It's not easy saying goodbye to your family, it's not...to move away,

even if you don't see them that often,

but we'd see Lou's parents every day.

So I think for her, yeah, that's a big factor.

It's when the plane leaves the ground, you know, then that's it,

we don't live in England any more. We live in Australia. We've left.

We've gone. You know, it was really sad.

The Afanasievs touched down in Perth in November 2012.

My job brought us over here.

They paid for a visa for me,

so I had a couple of weeks off, and then I started work.

Tosh's new job helped him get settled straightaway.

'I'm very busy with that, so I have, you know,'

I've got an automatic circle of workmates and I'm very busy,

so I've instantly felt very integrated.

Lou's had to work much harder, I think,

at integrating herself into the community.

But she's done a really great job of that.

Louise has also taken on a new role.

Since the boys started school,

I've been volunteering at school, making myself known at the school.

And as a result of that, I'm on the supply list at school.

And last week, I did my first paid day's work. So it's really good.

You know, once Ike starts full-time school next year,

I'd quite like to, you know, sort of pick up where I left off in the UK

with a job in a school

and get back into the classroom and do that again.

Maybe not on a full-time, five days a week, full-time, you know,

so I've still got some time for the boys,

but that's the kind of way I'd see it going for me.

Looks like Louise is beginning to feel as settled in as Tosh.

I feel very comfortable here.

I feel that I felt that quite quickly,

much quicker than I thought I would.

So has leaving their UK life behind being worth the emotional upheaval?

Everything including the accommodation is just

that little bit more expensive than I think we had expected. Erm...

but then, having said that, you know,

just cos it's expensive doesn't mean it's not good value.

-We have a really comfortable, really nice life.

-Yeah.

-I'm certainly not disappointed...

-No.

-..by what we've got.

I think it's everything you could want, moving,

in terms of the space, and the neighbourhood is really good.

It's handy for the city, it's good for shops and all that sort of stuff.

-It's absolutely brilliant.

-But it is difficult. It's really difficult...

leaving your family.

And you've just got to be positive and make the most of it

and remember why we came and remember all the positive things

and not dwell on the negative, you know.

Cos you could come here and you could be down on this and down on that

and negative about everything and, "Ooh, nothing's the same,"

but we haven't made that commitment

both financially and emotionally to not...

to just come here and be negative and be miserable.

The couple sold the family home in the UK

and are currently renting a property in the suburb of Warwick.

I think, when we get to know the area better and get more established,

then I think we'd probably like to buy, but I think we're quite happy renting for now.

Two months after their arrival,

the family's new home was already welcoming visitors from the UK.

My parents came out to see us in January. They stayed for six weeks.

And it was great for the boys to see them,

and they were there for their first day of school.

And that was really good. And yeah, it was great.

We had a really lovely time.

But it was harder saying goodbye to them when they left here

than it was saying goodbye to them when we left them in England.

And we didn't know when they were going to be coming again.

Reuben, who's turned six, and Ike, who is now four,

have taken to Australia like ducks to water - quite literally!

Since we got here, the kids are much better at getting stuck into things.

Their swimming has come on loads -

having a pool in the back garden is amazing,

because it's just brought their confidence up loads.

It's like, I can't believe the sunshine.

I don't really like going in the shade,

unless it's a boiling hot day and I'm really hot.

But then you've also got some water to chill out in and get cool.

I think the quality of life here for children is much healthier.

Just they're outdoors more, they're running around more.

They're having a great time.

In England, it's like raining all the time,

and you can't really go to the beach.

And you can't really go outside and play in the garden.

But while he's not missing the British weather,

the UK's often in Reuben's thoughts for another reason.

You know, Reuben, every now and then, will have a little cry and go,

"Oh, I miss Grandma and Grandad." You know, if he speaks to them, or if we start talking about them,

he'll get upset and say that he misses them.

I sometimes joke with them,

in the summer, when they were whingeing about the hot... "It's too hot, it's too hot!"

I'd say, "Let's go back to England!"

They're like, "No! No, I don't want to go back there!"

Tosh was always aware making the move down under

would be a massive gamble.

Moving here as a family was something that had taken...effectively,

it'd be 14 years since I'd first come here.

There was pressure on me when I first came here -

this had better be good, because I've pushed for it all these years.

So I feel really pleased that we've done it.

I feel that we can see already that it was a good thing as far as the kids go.

I think it's a good thing as far as we go.

And I do feel, yeah, I do feel quite relieved that it's all going so well.

And although she may miss her parents back home,

Louise is happy she's made the right decision.

I am glad that Tosh went on at us for years and years and years

about Australia, because I would never have made the move

if he hadn't have been the driving...

the driving force behind it, I would never have instigated

a move over here.

But I'm really glad he did and I think it's kind of...

It's sort of a new beginning, isn't it? It's sort of woken us all up.

In the space of a year, the Afanasievs have completely transformed their lives.

And for them, there's no looking back.

I just feel that we're going to live a - hopefully -

live a longer, healthier existence in the lovely sunshine.

And when I'm, like, an old woman, sitting by the pool out there, you know,

hopefully we'll think, yeah, all those years ago, we made a really, really good decision.

A lot of things in the world can change, and a lot of things

in your life can change, but there's certain things that stay the same.

And I think the fact that we've changed our setting completely

but still we're together as a family

shows the kids what's really important.

And the couple have some words of advice for anyone

considering the life-changing choice they faced.

I think if people are considering coming,

if anyone's in that... should I or shouldn't I,

it's definitely worth doing

and finding out for sure rather than wondering.

Do it. Do it.

It's an adventure, you know. Life's about adventure.

ALL: Cheers!

Cheers, guys.

The Afanasievs are living proof that facing difficult decisions

and working through hard times can turn out for the best.

They now have the life they dreamed of,

and the whole family is loving it down under.

We wish them all the best.