Cappleman 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.

But in 2009, that was what Alan Cappleman was hoping to do

when his family spent a week in Perth

to see if Australia could offer them a better life.

Today, we'll find out if the family have made it

to the other side of the world.

Six years ago, Alan Cappleman was hoping to

start a new life down under...

I would say I was 99.9% certain that I really want to go to Australia.

..but his wife, Louise, wasn't so sure.

..lose a lot by leaving, I think.

We'll just have to wait and see.

A trial week down under gave them a realistic taste of Aussie living.

If you're comparing them, we're better off in the UK.

So, did the family go ahead with the life-changing move?

"Oh, my God. Have I done the right thing?"

Every two and a half minutes,

someone arrives in Australia hoping to call it home,

with Indian, Chinese and British migrants topping the list.

Drawn by the lure of a famed outdoor lifestyle

and more than 10,000 beaches on which to enjoy it,

every day 23 British families jet off

in search of a new beginning under the sun.

In 2009, the Cappleman family spent seven days

experiencing the reality of living down under.

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

having to choose whether their future lay in the UK or Australia.

Six years after their trial week,

today we'll catch up with the family and find out what happened next.

The Capplemans' original trial week

began with a 21-hour journey to get to Perth.

It was a trip Alan had made 20 years previously,

but it was Louise and the children's first time down under.

The long flight hadn't fazed Alan.

Australia doesn't feel as far as I expected.

You know, it's... We had a good flight,

and I think that made a big difference.

Looking forward to bed, a cup of tea and the sun tomorrow morning.

-No rain.

-THEY CHUCKLE

Everyone was excited about the adventures that lay ahead,

but would Alan be able to persuade Louise

they could build a new life so far from home?

In 2009, Alan and Louise Cappleman lived in Newcastle

with Laurie, then aged five, Freya, then three,

and Ethan, who was one.

PE teacher Alan had become determined

to move his family to Australia after a chance encounter.

The reason I want to move to Australia is

cos I met a couple of Australian PE teachers a couple of years ago,

and they talked about how good the lifestyle was in Australia

compared to what it is here.

So, I hope the lifestyle and the standard of living in Australia

will be a great deal better than what it is here.

I would say I was 99.9% certain that I really want to go to Australia.

Unlike his wife, Alan already had family living in Melbourne.

It is a lot easier for me

because with my parents and family being across there

and what she's leaving behind.

Louise, however, didn't share her husband's passion.

She had a solid group of friends and a close family -

moving would've meant leaving them behind.

I see my mam everyday cos I drop the girls at school,

and she looks after Ethan in the morning.

And then we go to theirs on a Sunday -

the whole family goes for Sunday dinner.

Alan also had a son he'd be leaving.

Adam's 14 years of age.

At the moment, he's a two-minute drive away - it's easy to get to.

If he's any concerns,

he can always give me a ring, and I'm always there for him,

and I always will be there for him.

But he still thought the move could work out well.

Of course, in Australia, I'm hoping that I'll actually see more of him,

because when he comes over for the six-week summer holidays,

I've got him for six weeks

as opposed to six days throughout the year whenever that might be.

Starting a new life on the other side of the world takes confidence,

and Alan knew he had a lot of persuading to do

if he was to convince Louise to go.

Louise can be quite shy at times and not quite forceful like that,

so that's a concern that I would have for Louise.

If Alan hadn't said anything,

I think I'd be quite happy over here.

I've now really got to try and convince Louise

that Australia is the way forward.

While Alan was prepared to give up his job as a PE department head,

Louise worried it was a gamble.

The set-up over here is very good,

and most people, I think, would be very happy with it.

I've got a good job - I love my job -

so there is a bit of sacrifice,

but sometimes you take one step back to take two steps forward,

and that is one way that I'm looking at it.

I just don't want to go across there, though,

and have, like, not a nice...as nice a house,

cos we're going to lose a lot by leaving, I think.

We'll just have to wait and see.

With the skilled migrant visa cut-off age then 45,

43-year-old Alan knew time was of the essence.

By the time the visa process goes through, I'll be 44, nearly 45,

so it's probably my last opportunity to get out there.

But this decision was one the couple had to make together.

It's not just about me and my dreams and aspirations -

it's about what's going to be useful for the whole family,

and if that means that Louise doesn't want to go

-and we've had a good...

-Then that's it.

-LOUISE LAUGHS

-Then that's it.

-Then that's it.

-Yes.

The Capplemans spent their trial week in Perth.

They stayed in Carramar, a northern suburb an hour from the city

but just 15 minutes' drive to the beach.

Their home for the week was this four-bedroom house

with plenty of space for the children.

So, did it impress?

That's nice.

In terms of furniture, I think we'd quite easily fit into here.

It was a good start, and the bedrooms went down well, too.

It's a little bit bigger than what we've got back home.

It's a much bigger en-suite, isn't it?

Uh-huh. It's better than ours.

-Tiny little bit nicer than ours as well, isn't it?

-A lot nicer.

Alan knew he had a battle ahead

persuading Louise Perth was where they should call home.

What's really important is that we use this week

to try and convince you that Perth will be right

for all of us as a family.

Louise was keen to make up her own mind.

Yeah, I think this week's going to decide a lot of things, isn't it?

Whether we stay or go.

Absolutely.

In the UK, the Capplemans lived in a four-bedroom house

which they believed to be worth £245,000.

In Australia, they'd have a budget of £225,000 for a home.

We showed them three properties.

First was a four-bedroom house on the market

for £220,000 - well within their budget -

but did they like it?

In you go.

It's a nice room. It's a bit small.

-The master bedroom impressed...

-Quite big.

-..to begin with.

-It's bigger than ours, yeah.

-Nice size.

-It's nice.

-En-suite's not huge, though, is it?

-It'll do.

There's a walk-in wardrobe.

Louise wasn't showing much enthusiasm,

but the typically Australian open-plan living area

did hold more appeal.

-Oh, this is nice.

-Now, this is more like it, isn't it?

I like the space in here.

Space certainly wasn't an issue in this room.

There's enough room for the kids to play.

Big windows as well. A lot of light.

But there seemed to be a compromise in the other bedrooms.

This room's a little bit smaller than what I expected, to be honest.

Stepping outside, Alan could imagine himself right at home.

This is more like it.

Yeah, I can quite easily see myself on a Saturday afternoon

opening up a few glasses

-and a bit of a barbecue.

-You can cook.

-Yeah.

-And a pool was a hit, too.

-Fantastic.

This is about why you wanted to come to Australia.

The property had potential for Alan and Louise.

I think this is, like, fine for just us.

I think the good thing is that we could afford this.

-It's what we need...

-I totally agree.

..till you've got a job sorted and everything.

Moving on, we showed the family what they could achieve

if they stretched their budget.

Property two had four bedrooms and was valued at £310,000.

Depending on the couple's job prospects,

it could have been within reach.

Ooh, now, this looks nice, doesn't it?

-Nice and spacious.

-Nice size.

The en suite's quite nice. Nice big double shower there.

First impressions were good.

This cinema room would have been most film buffs' dream,

but it didn't do it for Alan.

One of the real ideas or reasons why you want to come to Australia

is for the outdoor stuff,

and I don't want them like in the UK,

sat in the house watching DVD after DVD and what have you.

Nice-size living room.

Louise loved the luxurious space and decor,

and Alan found something to keep him happy, too.

Oh, yes, the best room of the house so far, I would say.

But Louise had other ideas.

I would probably have a bigger kitchen.

With luxury additions and space to spare,

it was a lot of house for £310,000,

but just wasn't quite what Alan and Louise were looking for.

If you're going to stretch your budget...

then you want...you want big rooms,

and...we're yet to find one, really.

Did outdoors change their mind?

Beautiful pool, isn't it?

I preferred the other one.

This house wasn't the one for Louise.

Property three was on the market at £235,000 -

just slightly over the Capplemans' budget,

it did come with four bedrooms, a modern design and a pool,

but was this house the one to tempt Louise?

-Nice room.

-Not very big.

-It's not very big.

-It's all right.

-Plenty of light.

Too small again.

Were the bedrooms any better?

-It's quite a nice size.

-Nice size, yeah.

-Oh.

-Ooh, nice wardrobes for me.

-SHE GIGGLES

-And for me.

-There's a little drawer.

Aw, it's a nice bathroom.

-Probably the best one we've seen so far in the en-suite.

-That's nice.

The en-suite went down well,

but there was a small problem with the layout.

There's the bedrooms right at the front again.

It's a nice window, though. I like the archway.

It takes away a bit of privacy, though, doesn't it?

The large open-plan living area did tick some boxes.

It's nice and bright.

-Possibly the best we've seen so far, I think.

-It is.

This house's wooden floors and minimalist design

were doing the job.

It was looking more promising.

And on further viewing,

Alan decided there was more space than he'd originally thought.

The rooms are definitely bigger, aren't they, than the other two?

A little bit.

I think this is potentially the best inside rooms

that we've seen so far, yeah.

So, what about outside?

There's no grass, though.

No, but the kids will be happy in the swimming pool.

That's fantastic. Lovely little area for us.

You'd be happy with this?

Happy with this with a bit of grass in the garden.

Property three had been a hit.

It had been a mixed day on the property front.

Property one was within budget,

but though they liked the living space and outdoor area,

they'd have had to compromise with the small bedrooms.

Pricier property two had the wow factor

with a cinema room and gym,

but the pool didn't pass muster with Louise.

Property three was right on budget

and appeared to offer a good compromise

with its clean design, open spaces and spacious rooms.

So, when it came to property,

did the Capplemans vote home or away?

We've had a fantastic day, looked at three very nice houses.

In terms of value for money, we are going to vote for...

-ALL:

-Australia!

Despite some misgivings,

Aussie homes had Louise and Alan sold,

but a good job with good pay was going to be vital

if Alan was to achieve his dream life down under.

Back in the UK,

Alan was head of physical education at a Newcastle school.

I have a real passion for my job.

I have some great staff that work with me,

and the kids can be challenging at times,

but really quite receptive as well.

It's a fantastic job.

He earned around £43,000 a year,

and had good prospects for moving up the career ladder.

But he was willing to give all that up

for a better work-life balance in Australia.

One of the biggest problems is going from head of faculty

to perhaps taking a step or two down.

And my wife's biggest concern

is whether I'd manage to cope with that,

but don't see any reason why, within a couple of years,

I can't be trying to get back to the level of standard that I'm at

at the moment.

To check out his Perth work prospects,

Alan headed to Hale Grammar School.

With 1,000 pupils, it was much bigger than his school back home.

He met head of PE, Simon Young.

In Australia, sport's at the heart of education,

and Alan was keen to quiz Simon on its importance.

How much PE does each student have per week?

They do probably eight to ten hours per week.

Eight to ten hours a week? That's just absolutely amazing.

-Yeah.

-It's fantastic.

-A lot of that for us is culture.

The boys want to do it, so they're all pretty serious

-and competitive about their sports.

-Yeah?

As Simon and Alan got acquainted,

Louise was reflecting on what she'd seen so far,

and she wasn't sounding convinced.

Australia's a lot more spread out from what I've seen.

You have to get in the car to go everywhere.

She wouldn't have worked at first in Australia,

so could have been left looking after the children.

Alan's main argument is that it's a much better life for the kids,

which sort of makes me feel like I should come across.

But obviously, yeah, I've got my friends and family to think about,

so it's whether I can live over here...without them,

look after three kids on my own.

Back at the school, Alan was getting down to the nitty-gritty.

How much would he have earned down under?

In the UK, a PE teacher with responsibilities like myself

would take me up to, say, £43,000 - 86,000.

How does that compare with the Australian wages?

So, entry point would probably be 50, around 50,000.

-£25,000, yeah?

-Yeah.

So... And then probably climbing to 70,000, 75,000.

And then if you're in middle management, like me,

then you're looking at 75,000 plus.

Probably maxing at about....

Depends where you are,

but going to in excess of 100,000 - around that mark.

That meant a potential pay cut for Alan,

but Simon though he could forge a career down under.

From what I've seen,

he's a pretty enthusiastic and pretty motivated guy,

and I think he'd be a wonderful asset for any school,

in England or Australia.

I don't think Alan would have any trouble

adapting to the Australian way of life.

I think he's a PE teacher,

he obviously loves his sport, which we do,

so I have no doubt that he'd really enjoy his time over here.

Alan was feeling upbeat.

I think Simon's given me some good indications

that there will be work here,

although nothing can be confirmed at this stage,

and that my experiences, mainly athletics and football,

would certainly be welcomed in Australia and Western Australia.

And that's a nice thing to hear.

So, how did he vote?

I've had a fantastic morning.

My concerns about age

and a lack of experience in Australian football

and salaries have all been answered,

and for that reason, the country I'm going to vote for...

..is Australia.

For Alan, a major selling point of Australia

was the lifestyle it could offer.

With Louise still undecided,

the family headed off to explore Perth.

The city's home to 18 parkland areas

which meant there'd be plenty of options to soak up the sun

if the family made the move.

But unfortunately, the weather wasn't playing in Alan's favour.

The rain's coming! Let's go.

It wasn't the sunshine-filled day Alan had hoped for,

but that wasn't denting his enthusiasm.

Just like England.

Got to expect a bit of rain, can't we?

Colder than I thought it would be.

We should've brought some more jumpers for the kids.

Yeah, and I think I'll bring my rain jacket out next time, yeah.

It could have been another reason for Louise to stay at home,

but was she starting to see a brighter side to life down under?

The lifestyle in Australia is obviously

much better than over in England cos you can get out.

I mean, it's been raining, but it's not freezing -

you don't get that freezing cold wind that we get.

LAURIE SHOUTS INDISTINGUISHABLY Despite Alan's persistence,

Louise was determined to make up her own mind.

I think Alan's convinced I will vote to come here.

Erm... I'm still not sure.

I'll just have to ponder on that one,

but...I don't know - I'll have to see, I think.

So, when it came to Australian lifestyle,

how did they vote?

We've had a great day out.

Little bit cold, but also a little bit of sunshine,

so we've decided that the country we're going to vote for is...

Australia!

Leaving friends and family behind in the UK was a major fear for Louise.

To see how she could settle into a new social scene,

the family met up with David and Janet Green.

Teacher David had emigrated two years previously.

-So, we were out here 20 years ago...

-Right.

-..myself and Janet,

and I will always wanted to come back.

-I just thought it was fantastic here.

-Yeah?

It's just the lifestyle for the kids and that sort of thing.

Your situation just seems to be exactly the same as mine.

I was here 20 years ago in Melbourne,

and I loved it, wanted to come back,

and it just didn't happen for one reason or another.

While Alan and David chatted,

Louise wanted to know how quickly Janet has settled.

So, have you found you just fitted in all right over here or...?

-Erm, yeah. I mean, there's always an adjustment period...

-Yeah.

..and I do occasionally feel that I miss people back home,

but I think, generally, I think our way of life is a lot nicer.

We're a lot more relaxed,

we actually spend more family time together.

David meanwhile was reassuring Alan about his work prospects.

I dropped my resume off as a relief teacher.

It didn't take long after the first, probably about two or three weeks.

-Got some work, and it's amazing how quickly it picks up.

-Yeah?

And the good thing for us is that most of the relief coordinators

are always begging for good phys ed teachers.

It was good news, but Alan wasn't the one that needed convincing.

OK, guys, do you want to come over and get some food?

Ladies?

Janet explained to Louise

how she felt Australia had changed her children's lives.

Our two are just more active,

and it's just a really good opportunity for them

and a really good start, I think, to their lives.

If that wasn't enough to convince her,

the Green's children, Sam and Charlie, had a go themselves.

When we got here, the people who are our friends now,

kept on asking us to play with them

and sit next to them in class...

-On our first day.

-..on the first day,

and they were, like, really friendly.

Sam, Charlie, come on...!

They'd already made new friends, but had that converted Louise?

I think speaking to Janet's put my mind at rest about coming over

and not sort of being alone.

I think we would probably adapt quite well,

and it's obviously easy to meet people,

and everyone here seems really friendly.

I think once you do get to know people,

it's going to be easier to find the areas you want to be in,

find good schools...

..and just have...

Basically, have a lovely family life

cos you have more time to spend with the family,

and I think that's what we want.

Alan felt he'd done everything he could,

and now it was up to his wife.

I don't think really, now, it's about convincing Louise,

I think it's just going to be

a case of does Louise want to come over?

Does she want to make the move?

Does she want to commit herself

to leaving her family and friends behind?

If she can make that move,

then I think we'll be across here next year.

With houses, work and lifestyle all getting the thumbs up,

it was more important than ever for the potential finances to stack up.

Alan and Louise sat down to examine the detail.

We'd provided a comparison of costs between the UK and Australia.

-Life insurance...more expensive.

-More in Australia.

That's a bit of a surprise.

Whilst some things were less expensive...

There's a massive difference in the council tax there.

That's about a third of the cost of what we pay per year...

..the groceries weren't as cheap as they'd imagined.

More for food in Australia.

Everyone's got the perception that Australia's cheaper.

I don't think there's a great deal of difference.

I just think, from what we've seen,

the majority are pretty much the same as what we pay

and a few are more.

So, as your wage is going to be slightly lower to start with,

you might get up to what you're on now,

but you're going to start lower...

-Uh-huh.

-..so that's going to make a massive difference.

So, at the minute, we're better off,

plus we don't have to buy new cars, the cost of moving.

So, if you're looking, comparing them,

we're better off in the UK, financially...

-..I think.

-Yeah, I'm not going to disagree.

Hidden extras had meant the cost of an Australian life

would be higher than Alan had hoped,

so how did the couple vote?

Comparing prices over here and in the UK,

for the reality check, we're going to vote for...

-..UK.

-UK.

For Alan, the harsh reality of the financial facts was a blow.

I've been trying all week to convince Louise,

and I thought I'd more or less got there, until today.

Just when it appeared a move to Australia was a no-brainer,

the couple's potential finances had put a dent in Alan's dream,

but his biggest hurdle was yet to come.

The family sat down to watch messages

from loved ones back in the UK.

Hi, Alan and Louise, Laurie, Freya and Ethan.

Hope you're having a lovely time over there.

Louise, Alan and the kids are a very noisy family.

It's always chaos, but really good fun at the same time.

The two girls are...almost kamikaze.

They're...they're not like the other grandchildren -

they're very rough-and-tumble, their dad, being a PE teacher,

has brought them up to run, jump, skip and they're generally

fairly rowdy children, but they're good as gold, really.

He's a bit of a charmer, isn't he?

Yeah, he's a bit of a charmer

and a bit of a, shall we say, a bit of a Del boy.

THEY CHUCKLE

He tells you one thing but does another.

-But he's got a heart of gold. Yeah, he's a lovely person.

-Yeah.

Louise is a lovely person.

She's quite shy around people that she doesn't know.

She's very gentle, caring,

and shall do anything to help anybody out.

When she first told me about going to Australia,

I was quite excited for her,

cos a bit of us would absolutely love to go myself.

I understand their rationale, why they want to go to Australia -

it's because they want to have a better lifestyle for the children,

and she feels that she'll maybe get more from somewhere like Australia

than she would get from the UK.

They've been talking about going to Australia for a few years now.

At first, I wasn't sure it was a good idea,

mainly because she'd be away from all her family, her friends,

and she does get a lot of help from her family and friends.

It's a long way to travel,

but it's up to them to make their own minds up,

but, obviously, we would miss them very much.

From a selfish point of view,

I don't want them to go to Australia.

I'm very close to Louise and the children as well,

and, you know, I'll sort of miss having them around

and just being able to call in

-whenever I've got a spare five minutes...

-Coffee.

-..just for a quick coffee.

-I knew she was going to say that.

The first few months, we'd miss them at the table sort of thing.

You know, it would be quite a wrench.

I think it would be a strange thing to feel,

you know, the family unit had just suddenly shrunk so much.

I'll miss the girlie chats with Louise,

I'll miss the phone calls,

and obviously I'll miss the kids to bits.

My mam's kind of hoping they won't go.

I think she thinks they'll hopefully come back

and decide it's not for them,

cos I don't think she'd know what to do with herself

if they went over there.

You know, the children, it's sort of growing up...

you know, without us.

Sorry.

It's up setting my mam.

It's a difficult one, isn't it?

You know, and actually hearing them talk about you in that way...

..makes things, you know, a little bit more difficult.

Yeah, that's going to be hard if we do come over.

Obviously going to be harder for me, I think, family and friends wise.

My mam's upset, like.

But, you know, your mam and dad, in a year or so's time,

won't need to work

and can quite easily come over

and spend longer periods of time over here.

I would like to think that in a year or two's time of being over here

then they would certainly start...

consider making the move themselves.

And I think that's perhaps a conversation

that we need to have with them when we go back to the UK.

It was almost time for

the Capplemans to make their final decision.

Hearing from friends and family had really hit home for Louise.

I think Alan will be worried

if it's changed my mind about staying here or going.

I think it probably has. I think I'm probably back to 50-50.

It means a lot to me,

and I think it would mean a lot to the kids.

But if Louise does say no, then...

..it's difficult. I really don't know.

Once we leave, and she goes back to the UK,

perhaps she might reconsider.

The Capplemans' week in Australia

had been a real mixture of highs and lows.

While properties had them sold...

I think this is, like, fine for just us.

-I mean, it's what we need.

-I totally agree.

..till you've got a job sorted and everything.

..and Alan had good job prospects...

..there will be work here,

and my experiences, mainly athletics and football,

would certainly be welcomed in Australia and Western Australia.

The cost of moving had proved more than he'd hoped for.

I just think from what we've seen, at the minute, we're better off,

plus we don't have to buy new cars, the cost of moving.

So, if you're looking, comparing them,

we're better off in the UK, financially.

No, I'm not going to disagree.

And for Louise, the thought of leaving her family

had proved problematic.

It's upsetting my mam.

It was time for the final vote.

We've had a fantastic week in Australia.

We've certainly been made very welcome.

The country that we have decided to vote for is...

-ALL:

-Australia!

On a temporary basis. For a month.

What made you make the decision? The final decision?

-Laurie wanted to stay here, I think.

-Right.

-But...

-No buts.

-..not forever.

-Right.

There's nothing much I can say, really.

After a week of ups and downs,

it looked like Louise had finally been won over

by Alan's dream of a new life down under.

So, six years after their trial week in Perth,

where did the Capplemans now call home?

It's October 2015, and Alan, Louise, Laurie, Freya and Ethan are in...

Australia.

Alan was delighted when their trial week worked wonders on Louise.

I think when Louise voted for Australia,

I was quite pleasantly surprised.

It was a lovely feeling.

The thought of definitely being able to go across.

Got used to the sunshine and the beach

and just being able to go out on a morning

not knowing it was going to pour with rain, and we really enjoyed it.

So, yeah, I think it did make me want to try it.

-No more from the top.

-Yeah.

But on returning to the UK, Alan feared Louise still had doubts

leaving him uncertain over

how binding her decision would prove to be.

I felt that Louise wasn't that confident

that she really wanted to go,

and I think a lot of the time

I was waiting for her at some point saying, "I'm not going to go,"

and I was sort of dreading that moment, if you like.

I think Alan was quite concerned that I wouldn't go,

and I think even once we got here,

I think he thought maybe I would change my mind

cos that first few months was quite hard.

But forging ahead,

the couple broke their big news to friends and family.

My parents, obviously, were disappointed,

and my sister and my friends...

Yay, that was good.

..because they all wanted us to stay.

It was hard, though. Like, obviously I miss them a lot.

It was difficult trying to tell Adam that we were moving to Australia.

You know, a 14-year-old,

it's difficult to say how they're going to respond,

but he was very positive.

You can't buy back those years,

and that was the real difficult thing for me.

THEY SCREAM

OK, Laurie.

The Capplemans' visa was granted at Easter in 2011.

For Louise, it was an apprehensive time.

I was excited, but obviously a little bit nervous for coming over,

but it's that whole leaving thing.

I think that last few weeks of leaving was really hard.

There was a lot of excitement on my behalf,

but I tried to keep my emotions quite calm

because, at that point,

I don't think Louise shared the full excitement that I did.

The move quickly gathered momentum when Alan landed a job,

not in Perth, where they'd spent their trial week,

but 2,000 miles away in Brisbane.

A lot of our planning was for Perth -

we went to Perth as part of the trial run.

And just an Australian guy who I'd worked with in Newcastle

who'd gone back to Queensland

just Skyped me one day and said,

"Look, there's a vacancy over in Brisbane."

And we weren't even sure where Brisbane was at the time.

With the job and visa in the bag, the family were all set,

but when it came to selling their house,

Louise decided to hedge her bets.

I think Alan really wanted to sell and just go for it,

but I was bit more concerned that it wouldn't work,

so we just rented it out just in case we did come back,

so we had somewhere to come back to.

It was just the easy option, really, for me.

I thought if we sell and go, it's really hard to come back.

So, yeah, so that was a safety barrier

in case I wanted to come back,

even after two months, even, or three months.

In July 2011, the Capplemans touched down on Australian soil for good.

It was everything Alan had wanted,

but on his first morning in Brisbane,

he was the one with doubts.

I just went for a walk. I just wanted to get my bearings,

and I remember going to Kangaroo Point,

and I'd looked across... I think it was the Story Bridge,

looking at the city and thinking,

"Oh, my God. Have I done the right thing?"

It was the first time I felt so small in such a big...

What looked a big city,

and I think, for some reason,

it was then that the whole situation sort of hit me.

Louise still had her concerns, but was eager to get into a routine.

Yeah, obviously I had a few little doubts on the first few days,

but I think, like I say,

I was more just wanting to get settled in and unpack a little bit.

Starting his new job, Alan instantly felt at home.

I remember walking up to the school, the sun was shining,

there was nothing but blue sky

and seeing parrots flying around you and the palm trees,

and I thought, "This is just a beautiful start."

And then there were so many friendly Australians,

teachers who were coming up

and saying, "I really wish you the very best,"

and introducing themselves.

They were just so kind and helpful.

While he got to grips with his Aussie career,

Louise was left at home and began to feel isolated.

The first few weeks were really difficult

just being stuck in the house and not knowing anybody.

I did think about, "Oh, what have we done?"

Louise sort of hid her feelings

and didn't tell me, really, that it was so difficult,

those first couple of months, for her.

And I think it was quite easy for me

just to get carried away with all the positive things.

Loneliness and separation from family proved hard to handle.

You've come away from your family and your friends and it's like...

Someone described it as a grieving process,

the first few months of sort of not having people there.

Pasta, garlic bread, some good food.

OK, kids, come and get it.

I think, at that point,

where that element of stress was for Louise, that was...

Possibly, that was our lowest point.

Put your hand up if you want a sausage.

Things began to look up, though, when Laurie started school

and Louise began to mingle with parents at the school gate.

I just thought, "I'm going to go out for coffee

"with everyone who asks," and that's what I did

and I just made loads of friends and...

Yeah, it was much easier.

I think having younger kids, it does make it easier.

I know it's hard, but you do make a lot more friends.

Come on. I'll give you a thrashing, Ethan.

Moving from their initial rental property

into something more comfortable,

Louise finally began to feel at home in Australia.

Come on!

About six months after leaving, once we went to a nicer rental

and once I'd made friends at school, I think, at that point,

I thought, "Yeah, we've done the right thing."

Everything just seemed to get better and better.

I think, once we got that second house,

I could see Louise smiling a lot more.

She was a lot happier.

With a new bunch of friends and a house they were calling home,

the Capplemans were, at last, settled.

Or so they thought.

In January 2012, just as life seemed to have stabilised,

there was another upheaval in the offing.

Alan got the job up at Toowoomba.

So, of course, we had to go through the whole leaving thing again,

and I didn't want to come cos we'd just all got settled.

Alan had secured a job with better pay in the town of Toowoomba,

an hour and a half inland from Brisbane.

While it meant a permanent contract for him,

initially, Louise was reluctant.

I didn't really want to move again so soon after moving into Brisbane.

We'd just sort of settled down, the kids were all happy in school,

I had all my friends, and I didn't want to go.

I was just wanting him to commute up to Toowoomba.

But commuting was off the cards

once the couple took a closer look at the map.

We didn't realise it was that far.

Didn't realise it was up the mountain.

-THEY LAUGH

-We'd never have seen him.

The family discovered making friends was even harder second time around.

It's a little quieter

and it's really difficult to sort of break in.

It was a much longer process than what it was in Brisbane.

But with Toowoomba elevated nearly 2,500 feet above sea level,

one positive is the cooler climate the city enjoys.

I think the best thing about Toowoomba is the fresh air.

It's beautiful.

Um, and the fact that you get some hot days,

but in the evenings, it cools down,

so you don't always get that humidity.

Louise, however, has been missing Brisbane's buzz.

There's not much going on. It's a country town.

Everyone knows everybody, which is nice,

but there's just not the opportunity to do things at weekends.

You're a long way from the coast.

You're a long way from everything else, really.

While their setting may not be everything they wanted,

the Capplemans' move to Toowoomba has delivered their dream home.

-So, this is the living room.

-We spend most nights in here.

The kids come in. We'll sit and watch TV after dinner.

It's a nice little room. A lot of windows.

You get a lot of light in here through the day.

Really like the house we're in now.

It just has such a lovely feel to it.

So, this is the master bedroom.

And this is probably twice as big as the one we had back in England.

One of the best things about Australia is the big wardrobe.

In the UK, we had a tiny little wardrobe.

It was probably about this big.

This is my room.

I like it because, in England,

I had to share a room with my sister.

This is the kitchen.

This is where I do most of the cooking.

I do most of the cooking.

No, I do the cooking and Alan does the dishwasher

and presses the button.

This is my bedroom. I like my bedroom because it's pink.

And I have to share with Ethan because he broke his bed.

I like sharing with Freya and the dogs.

OK, the swimming pool.

It's what Louise really wanted when we were in the UK.

She said she would move provided she got a swimming pool,

so this was probably the main selling point of the house.

I'm very happy with the house.

You know, there's nothing I would criticise about it.

Besides gaining the perfect home,

Alan's also been delighted with his job as head of department.

OK, so, we're just going to work round in a circle passing the ball.

A little bit of dribbling. Off we go. Good.

I love my job here.

It's so different in the UK,

where you seem to spend most of your time -

about 80% of your time, anyway -

outside in the cold, wintry and wet conditions,

whereas, over here,

the biggest barrier you've got, really, is trying to fight the sun.

Nice and controlled.

Laurie, Freya and Ethan have become fair dinkum little Aussies.

The girls completely changed their accents,

I think from starting school.

About three months, it took for them to become Australian...

-SHE LAUGHS

-..which is cute.

I'm quite glad that I live in Australia

because I'm not a cold fan,

but I like hot more, and I don't like to be cold.

I like Toowoomba cos it has running races.

I love Toowoomba because everything to do is really fun

and the houses are pretty.

Oh, well done.

The whole family love the active lifestyle Australia has delivered.

There's a huge difference in terms of lifestyle here

compared to the UK.

You know, I can quite easily finish work four o'clock,

come back and play with the kids in the back garden,

whether it's in the swimming pool or on the trampoline.

We can do things. There's a lot more outdoor living.

The girls do dance. Ethan does soccer.

We've done Oztag, cheerleading,

we've done gymnastics, athletics.

A lot of different sports, really.

Got it, guys? Straight through the middle.

Excellent. Whoa!

After uprooting twice,

the family have some more upheaval ahead, though.

Another new job for Alan means they'll soon be on the move again,

this time to the Gold Coast.

We now know exactly where we want to be.

If we'd come straight from England to Toowoomba,

I think we'd be happy in Toowoomba,

but because we've experienced the coast,

the coastal area and the city, we know where we want to live.

We're hoping to make the move in three or four weeks' time.

This will be the last move. We can't move again.

So, despite not yet having reached their final destination,

do the Capplemans feel they've made the right move?

We've been in Australia for five and a half years now

and the next five...

If the next five and a half years are just as good

as these five and a half, we'll be very happy.

-What was the best thing you did today?

-Um, the park.

I think, for the kids and for the lifestyle,

I think it is probably the right move.

-Probably?

-Probably.

THEY LAUGH

Four years after they left the UK,

the Capplemans really do seem to be living the dream life in Australia.

We hope what will hopefully be their last move for a while goes well,

and wish Alan, Louise, Laurie, Freya and Ethan

all the very best for the future.