Shah/Lloyd Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

If you passionately believed your future lay abroad,

but your loved one disagreed,

how would you begin to persuade them to make the move?

In 2014, Aaron Shah was chasing a lifelong dream to live in Australia.

I've been dreaming about moving to Australia

for as long as I can remember.

Partner Amy was up for moving but...

Does it have to be as far as Australia?

You're talking the other side of the world.

A trial week down under saw her tempted.

We are here now, and it's gorgeous.

And, you know, he's right - it's a brilliant life.

But also the reality of moving hit home for Aaron.

I've suddenly started to think that maybe it's not what's best

for my family.

So one year on, where do the Shah-Lloyds now call home?

Life right now is great, fantastic.

-Yes!

-'Everything is settled.'

With an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius

and around 31,000 miles of coastline to enjoy the sunshine,

it's not hard to understand

why 34,000 UK residents make the move to Australia each year.

But a life down under isn't just about sea and sun,

and almost half return home.

Aaron Shah had been dreaming of a life

in Australia for more than 20 years

when in 2014,

he had his best shot ever

at making it happen.

Over the course of a week in Adelaide,

he was hoping to persuade partner Amy that

leaving everyone and everything she loved in the UK was

a sacrifice worth making for a better quality of life.

Today, one year on, we'll find out what happened next.

The Shah-Lloyd's trial week in Adelaide

began with 27 hours in the air.

A journey which had left Aaron shaken...

It was a bad flight. Very bad flight.

..but not stirred.

We've just done that 27-hour journey

and we've been here an hour and I'm already happy.

Amy wasn't quite sharing the enthusiasm.

I'm pretty sure that I won't do that journey ever again.

But Aaron was determined not to let anything spoil his moment.

I'm on Australian soil for the first time.

You know, 25, 30 years...

I'm excited. I'm really excited about the week ahead.

-We've had the same conversations over and over again.

-Yeah, it's...

You are saying it's the best place ever and I'm saying,

"Well, prove it to me."

-And we're here now, so we'll see, won't we?

-Yeah.

We'll see who's right and who's wrong.

Yeah, whatever, we'll see.

Aaron had his work cut out

if he was ever to convince Amy their future lay down under.

In 2014, home for the Shah-Lloyds was Rochdale,

in Greater Manchester.

Dad Aaron was living with partner Amy and Amelia,

who was then two years old.

Aaron had caught the Australia bug at a very young age.

Yeah, it came from as a young child.

I was five or six, waving bye to Nana at the airport,

crying my eyes out, because she was going to Australia for six months.

His nan's trips to visit relatives had sown the seeds of an obsession

that had lasted for decades.

She used to bring me back videos and I used to watch these videos

every day with fascination, thinking, "Wow, this is amazing!"

While the next 25 years had seen Aaron gain

a successful career, partner and daughter,

he had remained spellbound by the land he'd never visited.

The problem was that it's not changed as I got older.

The fascination has stayed the same.

While settling down had proved an initial distraction, it wasn't

long before Aaron's thoughts began drifting down under once more.

It all started when we'd had Amelia

and then Aaron started to really think,

like, where is best to live?

You know, we need to move from this area.

It's not going to offer Amelia anything.

The couple had both become disillusioned

about the future they faced where they were living.

I think one of the things for pushing it now is, obviously,

the decline in our area, isn't it?

With my car being stolen and the antisocial behaviour...

When we first moved here, it was a lovely street.

But it's changing every year.

So we really want to move, it's just where to go.

Aaron believed Australia was the answer.

But having lived on the same street all her life,

Amy wanted to stay closer to home and to her family.

I wouldn't change my childhood for anything.

I had a brilliant childhood. That's what I want for Amelia.

And I think if we went to Australia, we're taking that away from her.

For Aaron's sake, Amy had agreed to give down under a go.

I'm going to need quite a lot of convincing.

It's got to be something spectacular that when I get over there,

I just think, "This is where I want to live."

After a lifetime of dreaming,

Aaron's hopes are resting on just one week.

This week in Australia is one of the most crucial weeks of my life.

It really is. 20 years of thoughts and dreams and ambitions.

And it's all going to culminate into this one week.

Amy knew what was at stake.

I do feel the pressure to try and make him happy, but, you know,

one of us is going to have to compromise...our feelings.

And that's just going to be quite a hard decision to make, really.

Aaron had just one week to persuade Amy Australia was the perfect place

to be, or his 25-year-old dream would be over for good.

The Shah-Lloyds spent their trial week in Adelaide.

And as they arrived at their temporary home,

Aaron was still pinching himself.

I still can't believe we're here yet. It's not sank in.

This two-bedroom character bungalow was the family's first taste

of Aussie living. So did it live up to Aaron's expectations?

-I like it, yeah. It's cool as well.

-Yeah.

-So far, so good.

-Good. Good.

That was just what Aaron needed to hear.

-It's a good base for the week, I think.

-Yeah.

He'd only been in Australia a few hours, but Aaron was already sold.

This is the place where I've always dreamt about being.

And I've got that instant feeling

that I don't want to leave Australia.

I feel a little bit under pressure because, obviously, Aaron is

so for the idea. But if I'm not happy, then I'm not happy.

He'll just have to...figure it out.

I don't know which way it's going to go, but I'm hoping for the best.

Aaron's dream of a life down under was stronger than ever, but unless

he could persuade Amy in the days ahead, it would all come to nothing.

Back in the UK, the Shah-Lloyds were living in a three-bedroom semi

in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

They had a budget of £250,000 for a home in Australia.

So, what was on their wish list?

-Back garden, front garden.

-Yeah.

-Swimming pool, Jacuzzi.

-SHE GIGGLES

And whether that's going to be the case is a different story.

I think one of the concerns would be that the budget isn't big enough.

Yeah. So it's about seeing if they can offer...

Seeing if they can offer a match to what we could get over here.

And if they can't, then obviously,

-we need to reconsider and look again at the UK.

-Mm.

To give the couple the chance to see just what their £250,000 budget

could buy them around Adelaide,

we showed them three houses,

based on what they wanted

and what they could afford.

The search began in the suburb of Hillcrest,

just a 15-minute trip from Adelaide's centre.

Did this three-bedroom new build get the day off to a good start?

-Oh.

-HE LAUGHS

-Very deceiving from outside.

-Yeah. It's a lot longer than I thought.

This is really nice. It's really bright.

First impressions were promising.

-I like this.

-Oh!

Our bedroom!

Oh, it is a good size, actually.

Could you picture yourself living here? In this house?

Well...

I've got the vibe so far.

-I've got a good feeling about it, yeah.

-I'll work with good vibe.

I can work with that.

It looked like Amy was coming round to Aussie-style living.

Whoa!

-Look how big this is.

-Yes.

-I like open-planned.

-I really like this room.

-Yeah.

This, for me, was what I wanted for us.

In Australia, this is what I was hoping for.

The house had been a big hit indoors,

and outside didn't disappoint either.

So imagine this on a nice day, a nice summer's day.

You know, if you think about Amelia coming out here in all this space

-to sort of run about and enjoy.

-Yeah.

It looked like Aaron was sold, but remembering how far

she was from Rochdale had brought Amy back down to earth with a bump.

It's just the distance that worries me.

The house is gorgeous, I could live in it.

Definitely.

It wasn't long before

an all-too-familiar argument kicked off.

I don't think you could get something like this in the UK.

You won't get this outdoor space, and this is what I want.

I'm not saying necessarily it has to be in the UK,

I'm just saying, does it have to be as far as Australia?

You're talking the other side of the world.

-Do you remember the flight?

-SHE LAUGHS

Can you imagine doing that a couple of times a year to visit family?

-You would do, you could do.

-Oh, no, I wouldn't. Oh, no.

Only one house viewed and Amy was already digging her heels in.

Would the price help bring her round?

The couple's budget was £250,000.

-OK?

-I'm nervous.

-Are we going to find out?

-You do it. Yes.

-BOTH:

-Ah!

That was just £1,000 over budget.

-Right on the money.

-Yeah, definitely.

That's quite surprising, actually. I thought it'd be over.

-I'd be happy to pay that.

-Yeah, yeah.

-I'm chuffed to bits with that.

-Yeah, I'm happy with that.

I'm absolutely chuffed to bits.

-Cos I expected that to be a lot more...

-Yeah, I did.

..with this property.

Aaron's dream was perhaps back on track.

While Amelia was looked after by a childminder,

the couple continued their search.

Property number two was in Northgate,

just seven miles north of Adelaide.

The newly established suburb was proving popular with families.

This house was part of a secure small estate,

but did it win Amy over?

-Oooh!

-Wow.

-Wow, I love the kitchen.

-Very nice.

It looked like Aaron was in luck.

-I love this. It's really nice.

-Yeah. It is very nice.

A lot of light as well coming through, isn't there?

-Oh!

-Wow.

Look at this.

You could get some table and chairs out here.

I think this is nice.

Just to be able stand out here in the morning and...

Absolutely gorgeous.

Keep your fingers crossed it's in our budget and then...

-Yes!

-We'll take it, is that what you're saying?

-Possibly.

Aaron thought it was in the bag, but moving outdoors,

things soon hit a wall.

Or a fence.

I feel like I'm on a building site.

Like, when you're on a building site,

you have a lot of these metal fences.

That's what it feels like.

Aaron wasn't going to let a fence beat him.

The area... I mean, there was

-a lake that we passed on the way through.

-Mm-hm.

It looked absolutely gorgeous.

Whether it is here or in the UK, it's the area that we want.

-Yeah, we want a nice area.

-Can we afford a nice area in the UK?

I don't think we can afford this.

HE LAUGHS

Fencing aside, this house had impressed both Aaron and Amy.

But how close did it come to the their £250,000 budget?

-Do you want to do it?

-No, you do it. I don't want to see it.

-No way.

-That's fantastic.

At £12,500 over budget, Amy could have been put off, but...

It's starting to be less daunting.

If we can afford something this nice and this comfortable...

..then it can be possible.

Things were definitely looking up for Aaron.

The final property of the day was in the suburb of Clearview,

just a 15-minute drive from Adelaide's centre.

This spacious home should've had

everything the couple were looking for.

And Amelia had decided she didn't want to miss out either.

Wow. This hallway's fantastic.

First up was the master bedroom.

Wow.

-Do you like this room, Amelia?

-Oh, my word!

Look at the size of this en-suite. It's like another bedroom.

A sink each!

A sink EACH!

The kitchen was an eye-opener.

-Oooh...

-HE LAUGHS

Oh, it's got... Look at this kitchen.

Outside lay another impressive feature.

Look, it's got a pool!

HE LAUGHS

I am so excited about that.

Oh, look at this.

Hold Daddy's hand near this water.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-That's what we want, isn't it?

It's got your fences, though. Look at that.

-I don't mind the fences when there's a pool, though.

-Oh!

Of course not, Amy.

-This is the Australian dream.

-Yeah.

This is pretty much what you described.

-This is what I picture when I say...

-"I want to live in Australia."

..Australian dream. This is where I want us to be.

This house was everything Aaron had been dreaming of

and it looked like Amy had been swayed,

but was it somewhere they could have afforded to call home

with their £250,000 budget?

Realistically, there is no way it will be within budget.

-No.

-No.

-That's a good idea, thank you.

-Don't look.

-Turn it over now.

-I'll get your... I'll hear your impression.

-Are you ready?

Oh. OK.

It was £88,000 over budget, but...

It's nowhere near as bad as I thought.

No, that surprised me, that, actually. It shows you...

what kind of thing you could get for that sort of money.

-I'm quite excited about that.

-Mm, good.

It had been a potentially persuasive day on the property front.

Property one had been a hit with Aaron and Amy,

and within financial reach.

House number two had a great view upstairs,

but the one outside was

a turn-off for Amy.

And property number three was an Australian dream come true,

just with a price tag to match.

So, when it came to properties, did the couple choose home or away?

-BOTH:

-Australia.

-Yay! High-five.

-I knew you'd choose Australia.

-Yeah. You can't not.

-No, the...

-You couldn't not vote for Australia today.

-No, the properties were just spot-on.

-Yeah.

Amy's first vote for Australia had taken Aaron a step closer

to realising the dream he'd had for decades,

but there was a long way to go yet.

Without the right job prospects, a life down under would have been

a complete nonstarter.

Back in the UK, Aaron had worked hard to build

a career in the prison service.

I love what I do. I love being a prison officer.

I love the variety of the job, the camaraderie that comes with it.

Amy had been working as a teaching assistant in the same primary school

for 14 years and was struggling with the thought of leaving.

They're like your second family.

And to think that you're never going to go back there

and do that job again, yeah, that's...

I think it'd be too hard.

To find out what opportunities might exist for them in Adelaide,

we arranged for Aaron and Amy to explore the local job market.

First up, Aaron met with Steve Mann,

general manager of Yatala Labour Prison

in the northern suburbs of Adelaide.

-Hi, Steve, I'm Aaron. Pleased to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you, mate.

-Thank you.

-Step this way.

Aaron wasted no time getting down to business.

What kind of opportunities are there at the moment for new

recruits into the prison system?

Well, South Australia is constantly looking

for more correctional officers.

Brilliant.

Aaron was off to a solid start.

Meanwhile, Amy was visiting Clapham Primary School,

where she met with Deputy Principal Danielle Chadwick

to get the lowdown on the Australian education system.

I work as a TA in the UK, which is a teaching assistant.

What's the equivalent, job wise, over here?

OK, in Australian schools, we call them school services officers.

SSO Level 1 works within the classroom

or with a small group of children. And then you would look at...

A Level 7 would be a business manager in a large high school.

It seemed like the right opportunities could exist

in Australia for both Aaron and Amy.

But would their earnings be up to scratch?

So, if I were to join the Australian prison service,

what kind of salary can I expect initially?

If you come in and apply to be a correctional officer,

you would come in at the 55 grand level.

That was around the same as Aaron was currently earning back home.

But would his UK experience take him even further up

the money ladder in Australia?

If there was a senior management position, well-qualified,

to apply for one of those, you would then come in at around 81k.

And over three years, that would go up to a little over 87k.

-OK, brilliant. Thank you.

-No worries.

It was great news for Aaron.

Were Amy's prospects as good?

So, what kind of salary would an SSO be expecting?

An SSO Level 1, on Tier 1, would be on about 42,000, just over that.

Yeah, that's interesting to know.

That was almost a third more than Amy was earning back home.

So how realistic were her chances of landing a job in Australia?

If you were to present on my doorstep and I saw that you

had these qualifications, of course I'd look at that pretty favourably.

-Yeah.

-OK, that's good to know.

-Yeah.

It had been a positive day on the work front,

but had that been enough to win Amy's vote?

Based on the jobs we've seen today, our vote goes to...

Australia.

Undecided.

Well, I'm undecided just because...

It was brilliant, I really liked what I saw,

but I'm just undecided on where I could go with it.

Plentiful opportunities just hadn't been enough to convince Amy a

career in Australia was worth giving up everything she had at home.

Aaron believes the country could be the perfect place

to raise Amelia.

So would a family day out in the Aussie sunshine be enough to bring

Amy back on board?

The family spent their day at Adelaide's Bonython Park.

-It's nice.

-Look!

It was a reminder for Aaron of just what was at stake this week.

THEY GIGGLE

This is the main part of the dream for my family.

This is what I would expect for Amelia.

And this is what I want for Amelia.

For him, the country had delivered on all fronts so far.

After 25 years of dreaming about coming to Australia

and visualising what the experience would bring,

it's more than lived up to what I expected.

It looked as though the day was bringing

Amy round to the potential of Aaron's dream.

I think today is probably the best day so far.

I understand what he's wanting for us now.

It's helped me come to realise that

this could be the right move for us.

But she was torn between granting Aaron's wish

and breaking close bonds at home.

I feel quite guilty on Aaron,

but it's not just about Aaron's happiness,

it's got to be about my happiness as well.

All I can think about is family and leaving them,

so, yeah, it's really hard and...

The day had given Amy much to think about.

So did she choose a lifestyle in Australia or the UK?

Based on the lifestyle things we've seen today, our vote goes to...

Australia.

Australia.

AMY LAUGHS

Cheat! Cheat!

I can see why you like it out here, cos, you know,

I've just went and voted for Australia.

This is basically the reason why I want us to come out here.

This is it, really.

For Amelia's childhood or for the next 15 years or so,

it could just be magical for her.

-Giddy-up, Daddy! Go on.

-AMY CLICKS HER TONGUE

-No "giddy-up, Daddy".

-Yay!

-Giddy-up, Daddy!

-Daddy can't giddy-up.

With the Aussie lifestyle winning Amy over,

it looked like Aaron's dream was within reach.

But for his aspiration to become a reality,

the family finances needed to stack up.

The couple sat down to calculate

if they could afford to live down under.

We provided a comparison of costs between Australia and the UK

so they could do the sums.

First up, they tackled the weekly food bill.

Oh, coffee. You can't drink coffee no more.

-Wow, that is well expensive.

-It's nearly a £4 difference...

-I know.

-..in the coffee.

-Tuna.

That's so much cheaper.

We'll be £4.64 a week better off in Australia.

-That's like nearly £20 a month.

-Yeah.

It obviously shows that we'd be able

to maintain the same lifestyle we want.

Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves,

it's just the shopping. We have to look at other aspects.

Quite right, Amy.

Having added up all the outgoings, including mortgage, the couple

discovered they would be spending

almost £700 a month more in Australia.

But did their potential earnings down under help?

So altogether, per month, we would earn an extra £192.48.

So we would be...

£520 worse off.

Yeah, that's not good, is it?

The couple would've been over £6,000 a year worse off in Australia.

You've got this idea of coming here, living in a nice house,

-having a good job.

-Yeah.

-But we wouldn't be able to do that.

The figures show you.

But they were planning to move house in the UK,

so Aaron was quick to point out whichever side of the world

they ended up on, their monthly outgoings would see an increase.

We're not going to be any better off, no. It's going to be the same.

It'll be exactly the same, apart from we've got more

outdoor activities, a better lifestyle for what we get.

Aaron seemed convinced any downturn in finances would be a price

worth paying for a better lifestyle down under.

But had Amy seen any merit in his argument?

Based on the reality check that we've seen today,

our vote goes to...

-BOTH:

-Undecided.

-CONFUSED:

-OK...

-Why are you undecided then?

-It's just the property side of things.

-It's a shame cos I was happy with everything else.

-Yeah.

All the figures are all better, everything's better.

I know what you're saying, the jobs and everything

seemed better paid, etc,

but I don't want to come over here and just settle for something

when we could have, you know...

-We don't want to just settle in the UK either, do we?

-Well, no. No.

An undecided vote was a step in the wrong direction for Aaron,

and he still faced his biggest obstacle to a move.

Amy's fear about starting afresh in Australia had always been

the distance she'd be putting between friends and family.

So would hearing from loved ones be the final straw?

The family sat down to watch messages from home together.

Hello, Aaron...

-Nana!

-'..and Amy and Amelia.'

Yay!

-Hi, guys.

-Hi!

Hello to you all in Australia.

He is my number one, isn't he?

'Out of them all.'

-(You can't say that.)

-Oh, I can.

-You can't say that!

-Well, I am.

She was divine as a child and she is now, isn't she?

-She takes after her grandmother.

-Yes.

'Oh, she's the best.'

She's like a sister more than a friend.

Amelia is lovely. She's the cutest little girl in the world, I think.

I'd be gutted because I've got my own child on the way

and I want Amy to be involved in their life.

And now it's happening for me.

And Amy is going.

It's... You know, that's

the hardest thing, I think. Yeah.

There's nothing better than family, really.

When you just strip everything back, you know, of life...

And I think they've got to weigh up

how they feel about that.

It would be sad because we're nudging 80.

And will we ever go?

It's like taking part of you away.

Definitely.

Isn't it?

-CHOKED UP:

-If he goes and I never see him again...

I'm not 21.

We hope you make the right decision

'and we will miss you.'

If you think that's going to be a better life for all of you,

then you have my blessing.

Don't forget how proud we are of you

and how much we love you and Amelia.

And God bless.

-I had it all sewn, really, before watching that.

-I know you did.

And then you watch it and you see, like, my mum

and nana are in there...

Now I don't...I don't know.

I don't know what I'd be able to do now.

That's my argument from the beginning. You know?

It's fantastic here. I'd love to live here.

If we could bring everyone here to live with us, I'd come tomorrow.

I know, but it's not been your dream for 25 years, though, has it?

So it's a bit different.

No, but I'm now sharing it with you, aren't I?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Aaron's long-held dream was hanging in the balance as the couple

faced the biggest decision of their lives.

It's always been that I want to stay in Australia, I want to live

in Australia, and that's never changed until today.

Amy was wavering between turning her partner's dream into a reality

and leaving loved ones behind.

There's just no words to how I feel at the moment

because I'm still...torn.

It has been a decision that's been coming for 20-plus years.

It's something that I've wanted to do, I want to achieve, and...

I still don't know yet.

At the end of the day, it's his dream that I'll be squashing

if I decide not to come.

After decades of dreaming, where Aaron would spend his future

with his family hinged on one final moment.

-Australia.

-England.

I knew you'd vote for Australia.

-Yeah, it was difficult. It was like, literally...

-Me!

..I was sat here thinking about which one I'm going to vote for.

-Hm.

-I didn't know.

Literally, till the last second I voted, I was on the edge.

-It was like, "I don't know."

-Yeah.

Cos I can see that from this week,

I can see what you were trying to do.

Yeah, we've given it our best shot, so I think it is over,

but I am glad that we did it.

And I am glad we experienced it.

It had looked like the end of the road for Aaron's lifelong

vision to live in Australia.

While Amy had seen some advantages in a life down under,

for her, the pull of home had been just too strong.

So a year on from their trial week, is it still the UK

Aaron and Amy are calling home?

It is October 2015 and the Shah-Lloyd's,

plus new arrival Abel, are living in...

..Rochdale, in the UK.

The couple's trial week in Australia had shown Aaron

the country was everything he'd been dreaming of.

20 years plus I've been waiting to go to Australia,

and it delivered in all fronts. It made things harder for me

because it just made me want to be there more.

While their time done under had seen Amy almost won round...

I was changing my mind.

I mean, I was thinking,

"Brilliant lifestyle, lovely areas,

"gorgeous weather, what, you know, what more could you want?"

For her, the sacrifice of leaving loved ones was too much to bear.

I think the point when I changed my mind was probably

when we watched the video of home.

To be honest, I was sort of a little bit myself like,

"Oh, God, my family, my friends, what am I going to...

"Which way do I vote?"

Then I realised that all along, what I was thinking was right.

I did feel really guilty on Aaron.

At that point, I felt there was nothing more I can do now

and that's it, I need to accept it and, you know,

I need to respect Amy's decision.

With Aaron's dream dashed,

the family flew home to Rochdale to break the news.

When we returned, I had to tell my mum and my gran, my brothers

and my sisters that, obviously, we're not going to make the move.

And it was difficult because they'd been really supportive.

Knowing how much the move meant to him,

Aaron's family were disappointed.

And even Gran had changed her tune.

They'll regret it.

I still wish they'd decided to take it.

-Then I could come over again.

-LAUGHTER

What can you see here?

Aaron and Amy settled back into life in the UK.

But just weeks later, Aaron got the surprise of his life.

Amy seemed to switch, and she changed her mind.

It was a gradual thing, so it weren't just something I said,

"Right, yeah, we'll go."

The dream was reignited,

but Aaron knew he had to take a softly-softly approach.

I could see Amy was coming round and it was important that

I didn't say, "Let's do it now, today, let's go."

Something had changed in my head.

'I just felt like I might as well, you know, give this a try

'and see how it works.'

It was the first time she'd really said,

"Right, OK, we'll give it a try."

'One of my colleagues from work

'actually lived in Australia for a year.

'And she would just say, "Give it a try.

' "You can always come back." '

That's funny - it's something I had been saying to her for years.

If Aaron's saying something to me, I'm like,

"No, I'll do it in my own time."

If someone else is saying it, it's different.

The couple set about preparing for the move

and quickly put their house up for sale.

Aaron couldn't quite believe his dream was within grasp.

It was like, "Hang on a minute, this is actually going to happen."

I did get really excited about it once I made the decision.

Aaron couldn't wait to break the good news to his family.

They understand why I want to make that move

and they've wanted me to do it, so, yeah, they were excited for me.

But knowing how much the change of plans would upset her family,

Amy proceeded with caution.

I didn't really want to do that until it was absolutely set,

until we knew we could get visas,

till we'd applied for jobs and things like that.

Aaron excitedly started putting plans into place.

'So one of the first things I wanted to do is ensure that

'I have something to go to job wise.'

'Aaron was actually planning to go over first.

'He said, "I'll go over furs and set up." '

I was on the phone to visas, I was on the phone to estate agents,

everything, putting things in motion to make that move.

So for me, it was, "Oh, yeah, absolutely, we're going."

And that was the decision made. And I thought in my head,

"In another five to six months, that's where I'm going to be."

But in April 2014, everything ground to a halt

when Amy discovered she was pregnant.

When I found out I was pregnant,

I went through quite a few different emotions of like...

"Yeah, but if I have my child in Australia,

"then no-one is going to be there for the birth."

Amy decided any move would have to be put on hold

until after the couple's baby had arrived,

and all-too-familiar arguments started again.

When you have a new baby, you want your mum and your family there.

You don't want just to be with a new baby all by yourself.

But they could've come out, couldn't they?

They could've come out for two or three months.

-Not necessarily.

-All the way through.

And they could've been there for three months, every day.

But I've told you, Aaron, people have a life.

They can't just put their life on hold to come

and stay with us for three months.

They can't do that.

Although excited about their new arrival,

Aaron was disappointed their departure was no longer imminent.

The move at that point is, "We are expecting baby, yay,

"but we are not going to Australia."

Amy was point blank, we were not going until the baby's born.

That period was difficult considering that we were moving,

then not, then moving, then not.

Baby Abel arrived in January 2015.

'He's just a little bundle of joy, really.'

'He's fantastic. He's absolutely brilliant.'

And big sister Amelia took to her new brother straightaway.

'As soon as she saw her little brother, she fell in love with him.'

She hugs him, everything.

She wakes him up every morning saying,

"Good morning, gorgeous boy."

-Yeah, she does, yeah.

-And kisses him.

Aaron was anxious to set the wheels back in motion for his family's

move, but Abel's arrival caused Amy to have another change of heart.

Cos we had Amelia over here

and I've seen that the relationship with my mum and your mum

-and, you know, your nan, she's really close to them all.

-Yeah.

And I just feel a little bit sad for Abel.

If we went, he wouldn't have that.

He wouldn't have the closeness and the, you know,

the bond that they have.

Aaron was fighting a losing battle.

There is not much I could do to change Amy's mind there,

so the move was put on hold.

Everyday life in Rochdale took over.

'Life just snowballed and we just got on with it.

'When you've got a new baby, you don't have time to think

'about anything else, you don't even have time to sleep.

'Amelia has grown up a lot, obviously.

'She's got a new baby brother, she's started school.

'So life for Amelia has just been busy.'

A change of job kept Aaron occupied.

I got a new job at Manchester Airport,

which was a new challenge

and, you know, an exciting new role for me as well.

And a development in my professional career.

And the Australian dream slowly faded.

'It sort of just became something that got put on the sideline.'

And then we just never really picked it back up again.

A glimmer of hope for Aaron did arrive,

though, in the form of a job offer from the Met,

which could have been to a ticket to a job down under.

I've always wanted to join the police.

It's always been an ambition of mine.

See you later.

-Bye. See you.

-Bye.

We sort of said, "Right, what we'll do is,

"I'll go and join the police,

"I'll do a year or two, and then we'll...

"Maybe I could transfer as a police officer and go to Australia."

Cos I know that's something that's been done in the past.

So that was the plan.

But his plans bit the dust for a third time when the couple were

faced with the financial reality of relocating to London.

In some respects, it was more difficult than moving to

Australia because, affordability wise, it's really difficult.

Amy and Aaron considered every option to try and make it work.

We thought Aaron could go down by himself and commute.

But moving to London by himself would have meant Aaron

missing out on family life.

I would have been away Monday to Friday.

And Amelia was due to start school.

I would've missed Amelia starting school.

I would've missed the first four to six months of Abel's life.

'There was a lot that I was going to be missing out on.'

Having weighed up the options,

the couple decided it just wasn't worth the sacrifice.

I was disappointed that we weren't moving to London for Aaron,

because I knew that he wanted to be in the police.

It was a really difficult decision to make,

but, you know, my family had to come first.

Some good news at work did help take the sting out of the tail, though.

Aaron received a promotion to security manager at the airport.

That was the thing that was a saving grace,

cos I had another opportunity, an option there.

It made the decision a bit easier for me.

With his promotion, Aaron felt the time had come to settle down

and enjoy life in the UK.

At that point, it was a case of, "Look, let's just calm down.

"Let's just sit and just relax."

Life right now is great, fantastic.

You know, the kids are great and everything is settled.

I am happy in my job.

The couple are preparing for a move,

only this time it's just five miles down the road.

-Wow.

-That looks the biggest

-house in the whole wide world!

-Yeah?

With their house sold,

they bought a new build close to where Aaron spent his childhood.

-I grew up in Littleborough.

-Yeah.

So, you know, it does have some sentimental value to me.

Plus my nana is there as well, so it just seemed like a good fit.

And it is not too far from my family either.

So it's got everything we want, really,

-in, like, a family home.

-The surrounding area is beautiful.

Yeah, it's really nice.

You've got all views of the hills and, you know, nice walks.

Moving day is not too far away.

Hopefully, it'll be end of April that we'll be able to be

in a position to move in.

And Amy's full of the nesting spirit.

I'm really excited. I just want to move now.

I want to go and start somewhere new.

Stop, Mum! It's mine now.

But in the back of his mind, Aaron knows putting down roots

could mean putting an end to his lifelong dream.

'I think, moving into the new house here is like putting an anchor down.

'And that's maybe why I'm...'

Ermmm...

Because it is that big move, big step.

'And it's really making a statement that we will stay in the UK.'

I've got Abel. You know, Amelia is growing up.

I've got, you know, a good job that I enjoy doing.

It's...it's sort of...

The pros and the cons what they were a year ago are different

because of those situations and scenarios.

So it doesn't hurt as much, but the feeling doesn't go way.

It's not gone away.

It's still the same as what it was when I was a kid.

I still want to go and if Amy said, "Let's go,"

I would still look at going tomorrow.

I can't think about it yet, there's too much going on.

I don't want to throw, like, something else that big

into my life because I just think my head'll explode. So...

I'll never say never to Australia, I just feel like not right now.

'I don't think I will ever give up on the Australian dream.

'It's been there that long, I just feel like it's a part of me now.

'I can't see Aaron ever letting it go cos he's obsessed.'

I feel tired answering the same question over and over

again about Australia with Aaron cos it's the same conversation.

'I don't think he'll ever let it go.

'And I think it is just going to be a constant thing.'

So I don't think I'll ever give up on it.

I might learn to live with that churning inside

and deal with that, but I don't think it will ever go away.

I think it'll be there forever.

Although he came tantalisingly close to achieving it for a while,

it looks like Aaron's dream of a life down under

will remain just that for the time being.

Their upcoming move may not see the family

travelling as far as Aaron would like, but we hope it goes well

and wish the family all the very best for the future.