Howes Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

In 2013, Dave Howes was hoping Australia would be

the paradise he remembered when he spent a week in a country on

a mission to persuade partner Laurra to make the move there for a good.

Today, two years after their trial week,

we'll find out what happened next.

A trip 12 years previously had seen Dave fall in love with Australia.

It was just unbelievable. I was living the dream, I really was.

He was determined to move his family there, but wife Laurra was nervous.

It terrifies me.

But if I don't go and have a look, then I'll never know.

A trial week down under saw the country fall short of his memories.

It's not right for us at all.

And Laurra faced with the reality of leaving her mother.

I'm considering taking her grandchildren

to the other side of the world.

So, two years on, have the family made the move?

For me, it was, "Could I? Couldn't I?"

Every year, around 34,000 Brits moved to Australia,

attracted by its mild climate and relaxed outdoor lifestyle.

But not everyone finds the promised land.

And over half return to the UK, some with their dreams shattered.

Two years ago, the Howes family set off on a journey that dad Dave

was hoping would change their futures forever.

Having fallen for Australia on a previous trip,

he was desperate to make a permanent move to the country.

All he had to do was persuade his wife, Laurra,

a life in the sun was worth giving up the close bonds she had at home.

Today, we'll discover

if the dream life Dave was chasing has become a reality.

The Howes' trial week started with more than 24 hours in the air.

And on landing in Brisbane,

Dave had already realised things weren't as before.

This trip has been SO difficult. Ten years ago, it was easy.

Just had myself to worry about. And now there's two kids...

And Laurra's not great at flying. So it's been an experience!

It's just a really hard trip to do with two small children.

-No.

-Yeah, but we made it!

-Dad!

-We've made it.

Dave was staying positive,

but Laurra wasn't sharing his enthusiasm.

It's such a huge ask to expect anybody to come that

distance on an aeroplane.

And the weather wasn't helping either.

Just for today.

There'll be sun tomorrow, I'm sure.

-That's lovely.

-THEY CHUCKLE

Dave really had his work cut out convincing

Laurra a life in Australia was a good idea.

In 2013, the Howes called Hereford, in the West Midlands, home.

Dave and Laurra lived with baby Carmen, then one,

and Jack, then aged five.

Dave had been fascinated by Australia after

a trip 12 years previously left him captivated.

When I think back to it, it still makes me smile now.

I didn't have to write a journal, because I remember every single day.

I can't remember last week, what I was doing at work,

but I can remember ten years ago.

It was a very exciting time in my life.

Wife Laurra had been living with his obsession ever since they met.

So I've always known that he's been a bit Aussie mad.

One of his cheesy chat-up lines was,

"One day I'll take you to Byron Bay,

"and they've got the most beautiful sunsets."

And then he'd show me the pictures, and they are beautiful.

Because I went alone, it'd be nice to share it with somebody,

and Laurra would be that person.

Hardly a day went by without Dave talking about emigrating.

I pester Laurra about Australia a lot.

I don't think I do, but I know I do. I want to get Laurra over there.

And I have been trying to for the past ten years.

But things have changed in the last decade.

When we go over, it's going to be as a family.

There'll be two little children. And we now look at things for them.

I know you know that, but when you went ten years ago,

-it was a lot different to what it is...

-Yeah, definitely.

Despite this, Dave was convinced Australia was the perfect place

to raise their family.

I think there's a better way of life.

For all of us, not just for the kids. I think for me and Laurra.

I know he wants the best for us, and I know that and I trust him,

so the thought of going...

It makes it easier, in a way, because I know that

he wouldn't do anything that would put us, as a family, at risk.

Laurra means a lot to me, and her thoughts,

if she is not happy over there, then us as a unit won't work.

And that's important to me. Because over here it does work.

So after ten years of constant nagging,

Laurra had agreed to give it a go.

I listen to Dave and think, "Well, maybe you're right.

"Maybe there is more for us over there." I don't know what...

what more is over there, but if I don't go and have a look,

then I'll never know.

But for both Laurra and Dave, leaving family would be difficult.

We see them all the time. We see my mum and dad all the time,

we see Dave's mum and dad all the time.

Laurra enjoyed a close relationship with her mum,

who was so upset she refused to discuss the move.

It is a big no for her, at the moment.

It's not something she wants to deal with. And I don't blame her.

Because I'm considering taking her grandchildren to the other

side of the world, and then I think, "How selfish am I?"

If she thought something was going to hurt me,

she'd never even consider doing it.

Erm...

Yeah.

It was a massive ask for Laurra.

Could Dave persuade her a life down under was worth

the heartache of leaving behind the family she loves so dearly?

And ten years on, would Australia still be the utopia he remembered?

The Howes spent their trial week in Burleigh Heads,

a Gold Coast suburb an hour's drive from Brisbane's city centre.

It's a favourite spot for families,

with calm waters and sandy beaches.

Their temporary home was this modern beach-side apartment.

And straightaway, Laurra was impressed.

Oh, this is lovely. This is really nice.

Kids love it! Out here, the view...

You can see the sea.

But Laurra still needed persuading.

We need to find out if it is what Dave expected it to be.

For Laurra to want to move over here,

it's going to have to be pretty much perfect.

It's going to take... Something will have to blow me away, to live here.

Back in the UK, home for the Howes was this semidetached

Victorian house near the centre of Hereford.

We've been living here for six years,

and everything has happened here.

-We've had Jack, we've had Carmen, we got engaged...

-Yeah.

..married...

You put a lot of love into a home, I think. And this is our home.

And it has an awful lot of memories.

And that will be really difficult to leave.

If they did make the move,

Dave had high hopes for what their budget could get them.

We'll be looking at between 180,000 and 200,000.

I think Dave thinks that he might be able to get

a four-bedroom house with a pool.

And if that wasn't the case,

Dave was determined to keep the dream alive.

I'm sure there's a property,

in the whole of Australia, I'd find to keep the dream alive.

No, I believe somewhere over there is for us.

To give the Howes an idea of the Gold Coast property market,

we showed them three properties.

One on their budget,

a potential dream home, and one in between.

After seeing each of the houses, we revealed what they cost.

The search began in Reedy Creek, a southern suburb on the Gold Coast.

With schools, major shopping centres and restaurants,

it was perfect for young families like the Howes.

But Laurra spotted a problem straightaway.

-NEARBY TRAFFIC

-It's quite, erm...a noisy...

That's the main freeway, isn't it, to Brisbane?

-Yeah, it is noisy.

-Yeah.

-Looks a nice-looking property.

-Yeah, a nice-looking house.

The noisy motorway wasn't helping Dave's case.

So did this three-bedroom, two-bathroom house help make amends?

DAVE CHUCKLES

-It's an...open space.

-It is.

-But it's a bit small, isn't it?

-Yeah.

No.

And outside, things went from bad to worse.

Bit crazy out here!

That's some sort of foundations!

I don't think this is for us. This is tiny.

What a view, eh?

-Freeway.

-Yeah.

Was the Aussie dream fizzling out already?

Based on this property, erm...

This isn't going to work out to be a great day. Erm...

I just hope it gets better than this.

HE CHUCKLES

Would the price make a difference?

The house may not have been what they wanted,

but if it was within the family's £180,000 budget,

it might have been all they could afford.

So, what do you think this is worth?

I think it's 1,000.

Yes, me too.

Erm...it's... It's got to be under.

Got to be. I'm saying it's under.

-Freeway, no garden...

-A big rock.

If it's over-budget, then...

-Bad.

-Damn!

-THEY LAUGH

-Dream ends here.

-Taxi!

But it's...

-It's one house.

-It's one house.

-Yeah.

-171. Yeah.

-Yeah.

Is it 1,000?

-It's 171.

-Yeah.

That's only £9,000 under budget.

It is quite scary, actually, thinking about it now.

That is close to budget. And it's a bit of a...

Yeah, it's not right for us at all.

So, yeah, I think it's going to be a bit worrying,

the next ones we see.

It wasn't the start Dave had dreamed of.

If he was to win Laurra around, things had to improve.

Could the next house help his case?

It was in the suburb of Burleigh Heads, home to the

Gold Coast's best beaches, the area offered a small community feel.

Would this modern three-bedroom semi turn things around?

It's a very busy road, isn't it?

Oh, dear. Another busy road!

Yeah, it is busy.

But Dave was quick with the hard sell.

It's a nice feel, though, isn't it? Childcare across the road.

Do you like it? It's nice and big.

Things were looking up.

Plenty of space. Just needs changing to how we'd have it.

Laurra was making all the right noises about the interiors.

Yeah, I do like this.

But the noise outside was still a problem.

Apart from a big old lorry going by!

-Yeah.

-It spoils it.

The main bedroom did impress.

-Look in here!

-Ooh!

Ooh. An en-suite... Wow! This is a big room.

And Laurra seemed at home.

-This is more like it.

-Yeah, it is.

This is nice, isn't it?

It is nice. I like this.

But...

I couldn't see myself living here, at the moment. Erm...

TRAFFIC NOISE

A big old lorry going by.

This wouldn't make me move.

This property had the space Laurra wanted,

but the noise outside put her off.

And with only a small garden for the children,

it was another set-back for Dave.

It is nice, it's just...

There's not a lot of space out here, is there?

All was not be lost, though.

Oh, look down there. Look at this.

How nice is that?!

That was more like it.

The house was in a complex with a shared pool and barbecue area.

This is nice.

If you've got this sort of space and you don't mind having...

And it's safe, as well.

It'd be a nice place to meet other families,

kids to make more friends...

Although they'd both been excited by this property, Laurra

wasn't convinced it was worth moving halfway round the world for.

With a budget of £180,000,

was it somewhere they could actually afford?

So what do you reckon? Under or over?

-I think over.

-I think under.

-Under?

-OK. I think over.

-OK, so, are you ready, Jack?

THEY LAUGH

Come over here.

-Turn it over, then.

-Turn it over.

Go on.

-Oh. 205.

-205?

That was £25,000 over budget.

That's...

-That's a surprise.

-Why?

-Don't you think?

Yeah, I suppose, yeah.

I think that's about right, for here.

Yeah. I'd... Yeah.

-You wanted it...to be a lot more, didn't you?

-Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

But for Laurra, it wasn't about the cost.

It's just not singing and dancing for me. You know?

To move to the other side of the world...

it has to be singing and dancing.

After years of waiting, everything rested on the final property

if Dave was to have any chance of fulfilling his dream.

Last stop of the day was in the Gold Coast suburb of Currumbin,

a bustling beach-side village, perfect family living

52 miles south of Brisbane.

This four-bedroom traditional Queenslander house should've had the

space they were looking for, but was it enough to bring Laurra round?

Ooh, look at this one, Dad!

I like this!

The house needed work,

which wouldn't have been a problem for carpenter Dave.

But what did Laurra think of it?

I love it. I think...

-I mean, I like it.

-What?! What did you say?

No, I think it's really nice. It is really nice.

That was music to Dave's ears.

It does need a lot of work, but...

For something like this, it's worth it, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Nice to see you smile.

-THEY LAUGH

It looked like Laurra was coming round,

and Dave's dream was finally gaining traction.

But was the price within their £180,000 budget?

If not, Dave faced being right back at square one.

I'm hoping it's under, but I think it's going to be...slightly over.

-What do you think?

-Found it.

-Hold on, Jack.

-I think it's going to be over.

-You think it's going to be over?

I'm hoping it's going to be under!

It's not going to be over!

I don't want to turn it over!

Oh, gosh!

-240.

-240.

-That's not too bad, really.

It was way over budget, but Laurra had liked it so much,

she was already wondering if they could stretch their finances.

I don't know what I think now because I'm so...

I didn't think that we'd find anything that we'd like,

and now that we have, erm...

I don't know what to think any more.

-You didn't think we'd see this, did you?

-No.

-And now you have...

-Yeah.

And it throws everything upside down, I'm guessing.

Yeah. If we could afford this, then...

-Mm.

-Hm!

-Yeah.

The Howes had seen three very different properties.

While the first house was within budget, it was too small

and too close to the motorway.

While property number two had offered some appeal,

it hadn't been enough to win Laurra round.

And though over budget,

the third house had been a big hit.

And could've been affordable

if they found the right jobs.

So, when it came to properties, which way did the Howes vote?

We've had a great day, seen some amazing locations

and some interesting properties.

But now it is time to make the vote.

-Australia.

-Undecided.

What's going on?

I don't know. I don't know that I've seen enough today.

-No, that's fair enough.

-At least it's not UK.

Yeah, that's really good. Well done, babe.

For Laurra to vote undecided is a big thing.

It's been a positive start.

But not one that's going to make me move yet.

It was a better result than Dave had expected,

but he still had some way to go to convince Laurra

to commit to a new life in Australia.

Finding the right work prospects was going to be key

if Dave was ever to turn his dream life down under into a reality.

Back in the UK, he ran his own carpentry business.

It's taken five years to build.

My clientele is very good, and it keeps on building.

It'd be hard to leave my business, because I've put so much time

and effort into it,

and I really have put in some long hours to get where I am.

Laurra was working part-time as a receptionist

and ran a small cake-making business from home.

All being well, I'd want to continue doing this. And, erm...

..and make cakes over there.

I'd want to work for myself, but ultimately,

I'd want everything to go right for the children first.

My dreams of a job would come second to them.

We're going for a better lifestyle for more time with the children,

to do more things with the children, erm...

and if it's Australia that has those opportunities,

then I'd be silly not to take them up.

While the children were looked after by a childminder,

Dave and Laurra set off to explore their work opportunities.

Dave met up with John from the Master Builders Association

to find out if his skills would transfer down under.

With carpenters coming here from England, especially, even if

you've got a City & Guilds licence or qualification,

it's actually not recognised here, regretfully.

You need to get a skills assessment done.

It was a big blow for Dave.

And as the main breadwinner, it meant a possible set-back.

Were Laurra's prospects any better?

She visited a local cake-making company,

where she met manager Andi.

-Thank you.

-On the Gold Coast, there's a lot of weddings.

So wedding cakes is definitely a good place to start.

But then everybody has got children who want birthday

cakes for their children. So it's...

I think it's one of those businesses

-there's room for everybody.

-OK. Lovely.

It was encouraging news for Laurra.

Meanwhile, Dave had met local builder Shaun to get

the lowdown on working in Australia.

About the sort of money over here...

Would you have any idea of how much I could earn if I come over?

It depends what you get into.

If you went and worked for someone, you'd probably earn around

50,000 a year, average.

If I was sort of self-employed, working for myself,

would there be any difference?

Yes. There's the potential to earn a lot more.

You can earn up to 150,000 if you work hard.

Laurra was keen to find out how much dough there might be in cakes!

If you were to start it as a business,

what would your potential earnings be?

Most cake decorators working from home,

I would say, probably charge about 25 an hour.

However, if you were running a business from a business premises,

you'd have to take into account your overheads and things like that,

-so you should be charging more along the 50 an hour.

-OK.

Dave had discovered working for someone else in Australia

would give him a salary of £46,000 a year.

And he knew that wouldn't be enough to get the lifestyle he wanted.

If I take it on the 46,000,

it means Laurra is going to have to get a decent-paid job as well.

Because on that money, I know we couldn't survive.

After waiting ten years, was Dave's dream a lost cause?

It was time to vote.

OK, after seeing our work opportunities here in Australia,

our vote goes to...

-Undecided.

-Australia.

Why have you gone undecided?

With a bit more research, maybe it would've been Australia, but...

I need a bit more time to check out pay and...

You can't just get over here and start working.

But, you - Australia - what's going on?

There's more opportunity down here in regards to the clients.

It's such a long coastal area that it...

There's so much more work available. So, yeah.

-So that's an Australia and a...

-No, that's...

-..maybe, so...

-OK, OK. Calm down.

-..that's pretty good.

Calm down, calm down.

Dave may have been worried about work prospects,

but Laurra's vote for Australia meant his hopes of a life

down under were still very much alive.

Next it was time to find out if they could afford it.

While Jack and Carmen took a nap,

Dave and Laurra get to grips with the figures.

To see how their finances would work,

we'd provided a breakdown of living costs in the UK and Australia.

First up, the weekly food shop.

Everything seems to be just that little bit more, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-Nappies?

-That's a big difference.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

£5 more.

So what did the weekly shop add up to?

£56 more...to do your shop here than it is back home.

Yeah.

It was a big jump for the shopping bill.

Basing their sums on the traditional Queenslander property

which Laurra loved,

the couple would've faced a mortgage increase of more than

£400 per month in Australia.

Then there were the other household outgoings.

The electricity. Wow!

-Mm.

-£60 back home, £188 here.

So where did their calculations leave them?

£192.34 worse off in Australia than in the UK.

That was just over £2,000 a year.

-So...

-That's me working full-time.

I want to work, but I also want some time with the children.

With the children, yeah.

It is quite worrying, really.

-It's one of those things, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Sorry.

-No, it's... That's how it is. Figures don't lie.

After ten years of hoping, the hard reality of money risked

destroying Dave's dream of a better life for his family down under.

-BOTH:

-UK.

-Sorry.

-I've got the same.

There's no point coming if you're going to be worse off, really.

The finances had been a huge disappointment,

but Dave wasn't giving up on his dream just yet.

I hope it isn't a dream killer.

I'm hoping I can maybe look at the figures a bit more

and be able to come over here to work like back home.

Come here for the lifestyle.

High on the couple's wish list was time outdoors with the children.

So if Brisbane could offer a lifestyle they'd enjoy,

it could've meant a step in the right direction for Dave.

With Jack a big fan of animals and nature,

the Howes visited a local wildlife sanctuary.

It was a taste of what they could've done on a regular basis,

and it's going down well with Laurra.

Oh, he's lovely. You can't deny that's...

He's so sweet! It's just lovely, yeah.

Being in a place like this does make me feel different about moving here.

Because Jack is enjoying it so much. And Carmen. And she's...

She's loving interacting with the animals.

It's a lot different now to ten years ago, obviously,

because I was a single man. But seeing stuff like this

really does bring back how good Australia is.

After sampling just a little of what was on offer,

had everyone been convinced by the Australian lifestyle?

After an amazing family day today, it's time for us to make our vote.

You ready?

-DAVE AND LAURRA:

-Australia!

Oh, little man! You've gone UK?

Why have you picked home?

Because we would miss all our friends.

-We'd miss all our friends?

-Yes.

-Would you miss Nanny and Grandad?

-Everybody.

-Everybody.

I knew she'd vote Australia today,

but I still know that it's going to take so much for Laurra to

want to come because of the family, and how close she is.

Laurra's second vote for Australia had been a boost for Dave,

but there was one hurdle left to overcome.

And he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Laurra had always been clear leaving family and friends behind

would be a massive wrench.

And her mum was dead set against the move.

So what did messages from loved ones back home

mean for Dave's dream?

The couple settled down to watch a DVD of friends and family at home.

-ALL:

-Hi!

-Hi, love.

-Hiya, Laurra! All right?

Hi, Laurra. Hi, Dave. My babies - Jack and Carmen.

Hello, everybody.

Hello, everybody.

-Hi, Laurra.

-Hiya, Laurra, David, Jack...

-And Carmen.

-Carmen.

Oh, they're a lovely little family. Very hard-working.

David is a lovely lad.

Dave's always been the same, hasn't he?

Perfect gentleman, sort of thing. Isn't he?

Well, to me, Laurra is my little girl.

Although she is 28, or whatever it is, she is still my little girl.

Stunning. Erm...

Gosh, you're making me cry!

Just a beautiful girl.

And we'll miss her if she goes.

The children are...

well, they're everything to us, really, aren't they?

Not being able to touch them, hug them, that would be the hardest.

My initial feeling was...fantastic.

If I'd had my time again, I'd do it.

I wouldn't hesitate.

I think it's an amazing opportunity.

Then my reservations started to creep in,

because obviously it would break my sister's heart.

We are close. I'm quite close to David.

He's always been there, as a brother. I'm getting choked up!

Erm... I can't. I'm gone.

I didn't think I was going to cry!

-Well, it is the grandkids.

-Yeah.

You know, because we do see them a lot.

Well, you can tell, we are a close family. So, yeah, it would be hard.

I just hope that you make the right decision for yourselves.

Erm...and I'll support you 100% in whatever decision that is.

Wholeheartedly.

We're all going to miss you, of course we will.

But you must follow your dreams.

And just stay safe and be happy.

I really can't believe that you're thinking of leaving us all

and going to Australia.

Erm...

I shall miss you all very much.

I hope that you don't go, or decide to stay.

Erm...

Just...

But if you do, then we'll support you in whatever you decide.

But I hope you come back.

And I love you all.

I would be devastated if he went,

but if it's your dream,

and it's what you really want to do, then...

..we'd deal with it.

So good luck. And have a good time.

-Not easy, is it?

-No.

This is an idea of what it would be like if we said goodbye to them.

And that's why I am upset.

Seeing my family as emotional as they were,

it does make me think how special our family are back home.

Messages from loved ones at home had been a poignant reminder

of everything the Howes stood to lose.

As the end of their week approached, the couple had plenty of time

to think before they made their final decision.

Dave had been dreaming of a life in down under for a decade.

We've had a great time, seen some great properties, locations...

We had great time on the beach the other day.

I actually think Laurra hasn't thought about home

too much this week.

In the morning, I've been waking up and thinking,

"Maybe this is a good move. Maybe it is the right place to be."

But the thought of leaving family had left the Howes torn.

Seeing the videos of family back home really made me think,

"Am I doing the right thing?"

I don't know, I'm still really confused on...

..the UK and...

All I know is that, in the UK, I've got my family.

I still think we could have an amazing life over here,

but the family would be a massive, massive issue for us both.

But definitely for Laurra.

Without her family, she's still struggling.

And you could see that.

It was a huge moment for Dave.

Ten years of dreaming rested on the final turn of the cards.

-Australia.

-UK.

-It's family. I'm sorry.

-I know.

-I just...

-I don't think I could be that far.

-I know.

-You enjoyed yourself, didn't you?

-We did.

-If the family were living over here...

-Yes.

-You'd live here then, wouldn't you?

-Yes!

Well done.

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

it appeared for her the pull of home was just too strong to resist.

So, two years after their trial week on the Gold Coast,

is it still the West Midlands the family calls home?

It's November 2015 and the Howes are living in...

the UK.

But not for long.

At the end of the trial week, Laurra's fear of disappointing

her family meant she couldn't commit to a move down under.

It was...

I can't say yes, because I don't want to upset my family

and Dave's family.

I don't want to jump into it and say, "Yeah, I'll do it."

And then turn round and say, "Oh, actually, no, I don't."

So that would upset him, then.

I didn't want to hurt Dave and I don't want to hurt my family.

But while the vote wasn't what Dave had hoped for, he did have an

inkling the week down under had begun to work some magic on Laurra.

Burleigh Heads was definitely where Laurra enjoyed the most.

And I think at the end of the week, we kind of nailed it.

Even though she showed the British flag, I think,

in her head, it definitely put doubts.

The couple stayed on in Australia for a fortnight,

living with family friends.

We stayed with Lynn and Danny, Dave's mum and dad's friends.

It was just perfect.

Familiar faces made a big difference to Laurra's perspective on a move.

You could see that if you lived there and you lived near them,

you'd have people around you, wouldn't you?

And their family as well.

That, for me, made me feel better.

It was great and I could see Laurra getting really into it then.

Living a typical Aussie family life for a fortnight gave them

both the opportunity to ponder more on the decision they'd made.

You could see how they lived.

They went off to work and seeing what the kids had done...

You could see how we perhaps could be in the future.

It was just so much fun. It was really good.

It couldn't have been any better. It was absolutely perfect.

The extra two weeks made me think about it more.

Not necessarily change my mind but brought me round

to a different way of thinking.

On the long journey home,

Laurra continued to question the choice she had made.

You have 26 hours and you've just then got time to think.

And for me, it was, "Could I? Couldn't I? No. I can."

It was just a battle of could I and would I?

Once back in the UK,

Laurra initially kept her new-found feelings to herself,

but on the quiet started researching a possible move.

I was just having a look for myself, looking at houses,

what we could afford, if he could get a job,

if I could get a job, what the visas are like.

I want to do all that first before I said, "Yeah, I want to go."

Cos I don't want to get his hopes up.

I caught her one day just checking out jobs in Australia.

I said, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing. Just checking out jobs in Australia.

"There's a couple of jobs here for carpenters and builders."

I was like, "Oh, right, OK. OK."

Once her change of heart had been rumbled,

Laurra finally felt able to admit she was ready to take the plunge.

We'd been home a few weeks and then I started to think, "This is crazy.

"Why don't we just go and enjoy it for a few years and just enjoy..."

-An adventure.

-Yeah.

Laurra and Dave took the bull by the horns

and put their house on the market.

That was the biggest decision.

Cos it was our home. But it was time.

You know, that was the biggest decision to make.

-So we made that decision...

-That's the first step, we thought.

-Yeah.

But the process didn't go entirely to plan.

It's old and...

We're like, "Yes, OK. This is it now. Ready to go."

And the woman who bought it pulled out at the last minute.

It's like a wrench, it is.

It's like a wrench and you just think, "Oh! Why?!"

-It wasn't meant to be.

-No, it wasn't meant to be.

-It wasn't the right time.

-No.

-That's how we see it.

The loss of a close friend made them

more determined than ever to make the move.

It really hit home...how...

..how sad life can be. How short life can be.

Cos, unfortunately, he was only young.

So it really kind of hit home.

If we were to do something, just do it now.

What you do take from it is that you live every moment

and you grasp every single second.

Enjoy every moment.

Not wanting to delay, the couple put their house back on the market.

While signed up to the move,

Laurra's only committing to an initial

four-year trial run down under.

If you're just going over there for four years, that's not a lifetime.

That's how I look at it. We'll go there.

And we're going to have our adventure as a family,

and then we'll come back here.

-That's how I see it.

-Yeah.

You might see it differently. That's how I see it.

I think we need to be there for a certain amount of time

to give it a go.

And hopefully, when we get around the four years,

she's made a good career over there and enjoying it,

and the kids are loving it, and they're settled,

it's going to be a little bit harder to come home.

Over the last two years,

Laurra's love of baking has turned into a full-time occupation.

I decided to take the plunge and I got myself a shop.

Now it's a proper business,

so it's something that I want to take forward wherever I go.

Demand for her cake creations has risen so fast

the Australian move will have to wait for at least a year.

I'm busy throughout next year with weddings, and then...

And that's my business and I don't want to jeopardise that,

so I think give us 12 months.

It gives us some time to put more money into savings as well.

-Well, that's it.

-Be a bit more comfortable.

-When we get over there.

But Laurra's plan for work in Australia is now anything

but half-baked.

I hope that I can take this over there. I hope that...

that they feel that the standard is good enough

and they'd appreciate what I'm about.

I'd like to see Laurra's business really boom over there.

I'd like to concentrate more on that than myself, really.

-So I can kind of retire early.

-THEY LAUGH

The move may be some way off,

but attention has already turned to dealing with more emotional matters.

It'd be so tough leaving my family, because we are close.

So it would be very tough. And I...

I'd miss them loads.

They don't really want to talk about it.

We do drop subtle hints.

I've only brought it up with my mum the past few months that I'm...

That I've changed my mind. But we don't really talk about it.

The thought of separating Jack and Carmen from their grandparents

is weighing heavily on the couple's shoulders.

It's probably the worst feeling I have.

Because of the fact they are so close to both sets,

equally as close to both sets, and they see them equally as much.

They get spoiled absolutely rotten. They love it.

They love seeing their grandparents.

I know that and I feel so bad...taking that away.

-There's always going to be guilt, isn't there, because...

-Oh, yeah.

..you know, this is your decision.

That you're moving them somewhere else.

Jack is in two minds about living on the other side of the world.

One day he'll say, "Yeah, I really want to go."

And the next he'll say, "Nope. I've got football."

And, "I want to go and watch Chelsea."

I'll miss...

my dog. And I'll miss...

my friends.

But I'll be happy there.

But Carmen has proved open to persuasion.

Being daddy's little girl, she kind of listens to everything I say.

I have said to her, "Would you like to go over to Australia?"

And, "Yeah."

Because it would be fun.

With just a year to go, Mum and Dad are cautiously optimistic.

I have days where...

..I am really excited. I think, "Wow, I really want this to happen."

And I think Laurra feels it as well.

I can see myself in that area by Currumbin.

I don't want to let myself think about it too much in that way.

Cos I always think I'm going to jinx it.

If I get too excited about something by focusing on it,

then I'm going to jinx it and it's not going to happen.

Though it's been his dream all along,

Dave's hoping the move will benefit Jack and Carmen most.

We want it all for the kids.

I really want them to blossom over there.

Make friends very easily, I hope.

And just do really well at school.

14 years after the trip that inspired him,

Dave can't wait to be down under once more.

In three years' time, I'd like to be settled in a nice, decent house.

I'd like to think I would...maybe be working, possibly for myself.

I'd like to think Laurra's found a place, she's working close,

and the kids are settled at school.

That would sound a really nice place to be.

Sitting down with a load of friends, kids enjoying themselves,

in nice little place, with a cold one.

That'd be great.

It may have been a long time coming,

but Laurra's change of heart means Dave's dream

of a life in Australia with his family is finally within reach.

We hope the move goes smoothly and that the Howes go on to have

a successful and happy future together down under.