Bone Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

If all you wanted in life was to spend quality time with

the people you love, how far would you go to achieve your dream?

In 2014, the Bone family were considering swapping

their life in Scotland for a new start in Australia.

Today, one year on,

we'll find out if they've gone ahead with the life-changing move.

Back in 2014, the Bones were struggling to balance work

and family life.

Dad's not here when we come in from school.

Dad's not up when we leave for school in the morning.

They believed Australia could be the answer,

and a trial week down under didn't disappoint.

No way!

That's just amazing.

So, 12 months later, have the Bones made it

-to the other side of the world?

-What do we do now?

Is the dream over now, before it's even started?

In the last 20 years,

over 600,000 British citizens have moved to Australia.

They are drawn by the lure of the country's 10,500 beaches,

an average nine hours' sunshine every day

and the outdoor lifestyle that comes as a result.

On the surface, the Bone family had a comfortable life

in a beautiful part of the world.

But mum Sarah believed it came at a price

she was no longer willing to pay.

A year ago, the family spent a week experiencing everything Australia

could offer, before deciding whether to move there for good.

Today, we'll catch up with the family and find out where

in the world they now call home.

The Bones' trial week in Perth began with more than 10,000 miles

in the air, but they'd taken the 20-hour journey in their stride.

It's certainly better than we expected, I think.

The kids were great on it. So it's doable.

It was the family's first time on Australian soil

and they were raring to go.

Stepping out of the plane was really day one of our adventure

and our prospects of looking into options for a better life.

It just feels so exciting.

I just cannot wait to see what's on offer in Perth.

Ahead lay a week that could change the family's future forever.

In 2014, home for the Bones was the village of Ochiltree

in East Ayrshire, in Scotland.

Mum Sarah lived with Dad Max, Rhiannon, then 15, Cara,

who was aged nine, and Hayden, who was four.

We have a really comfortable life, financially.

Beautiful house, beautiful children.

It was a long was from the life Sarah once knew.

Having fallen pregnant with Rhiannon at 16, she found herself alone.

I had nowhere to stay, and I had to make an application as homeless

through the local authority.

To be a parent, a single parent,

at 16 and to be facing homelessness was pretty scary.

Determined to build a better future for herself and her daughter,

Sarah returned to education.

I really wanted to kind of show people that I had more in me.

So, whilst being in a hostel accommodation,

I started my degree

to turn my life about, for myself and my daughter.

It's only now that I'm older that I've seen how she struggled,

but she's done such an amazing job, because I never saw her struggles.

15 years on, life was very different.

With financial security, a loving husband and a home of her own,

everything looked perfect...

but it wasn't.

Dad's not here when we come in from school.

Dad's not up when we leave for school in the morning.

Max's job with a pizza company meant long and late shifts

away from the family.

Where we do spend time as a family, it's great.

We'll have a fantastic time, but it's few and far between.

I will get annoyed that Max is working,

and I know that it's not his fault, but it still becomes really

frustrating and it just starts a bit of tension,

and then usually ends up spiralling into something bigger than it was.

Max agreed things had to change.

We also want to have time at the end of a working day where you can

have your downtime, have your fun time.

For more than five years, both he and Sarah had felt Australia

could offer their family the ideal life.

Whether it be naively from watching Home And Away and Neighbours,

and things like that, as a young person, growing up,

you have these images, or a vision in your head.

It's something inside both of us that's just burning away,

and we just need to look at this seriously.

But Max also had concerns about moving his family to

the other side of the world.

I think it's a great idea. You know, the weather's great,

the lifestyle looks brilliant, but unless we can get out there

and get decent jobs, it would just be crazy for us to be that stupid.

Seeking the perfect family life,

the couple were pinning their hopes on a country they'd never visited.

This weekend in Perth is going to be huge for us.

It really is, for the dream, make or break.

If it doesn't work out, I think I'll be absolutely gutted.

The family spent their trial week

in Western Australia's capital city, Perth.

Home for the week was this modern three-bedroom house and,

as a first taste of Aussie living, it didn't disappoint.

Wow. This is fantastic. Stairs, double.

-This is gorgeous.

-Two storey.

-This is absolutely gorgeous.

The whole family could imagine chilling outdoors.

-This is a big space.

-There's the barbie. Fantastic. Aussie barbie.

But the realisation their dream could live or die over

the next week wasn't far from Sarah and Max's thoughts.

This week in Australia is make or break for us.

Our concerns are the financial aspects.

It's a huge, huge thing we're thinking of doing here.

Back in 2014, the Bones were living in a four-bedroom house

in the village of Ochiltree in East Ayrshire.

We have the dream house, and it's going to be really,

really hard to leave.

The family had a budget of £300,000 for a home in Australia

and a clear idea of what they'd like.

It would need to be four bedrooms.

Our kids would never cope, having to go back and share a bedroom.

I've got a bee in my bonnet about a pool.

That's the swinging point for my three children, to have a pool.

Even for me, the big one's the pool.

I'd love a pool.

I think if we somehow couldn't afford a four-bedroom house

or the dream property in a nice area, myself and Sarah would

really need to sit down and have a long, hard discussion about

whether it was actually worth moving to Australia or not.

To give the Bones an idea of what was on offer in Perth,

we showed them three properties.

Two on-budget, and one which could be their dream home.

The search began in Butler, a suburb 25 miles north of Perth.

Did this four-bedroom house get the day off on the right foot?

-It's darker than I thought.

-Oh, it is dark, isn't it?

-Quite small as well, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Really dingy and dark.

First impressions, wouldn't be

what I'd hoped to see in an Australian house.

It wasn't a great start. But spirits brightened with the kitchen.

What we have got through here? Oh. It's a kitchen. Ooh. Nice.

Oh, wow, right. OK.

But not for long.

I don't like the corrugated iron. That's a big bugbear.

Max was getting worried.

Yeah, this is quite... A wee bit concerning now

if this is the standard that is maybe the only option

for us in Australia.

That's isn't good enough.

Outdoors, though, the garden's dining area was a hit.

Oh, this is so nice.

-Nice, isn't it?

-So nice.

Oh. Do you feel the breeze?

I definitely see myself sitting at that with an orange

juice and a croissant in the morning, before work.

While the garden had the space the Bones were looking for,

the house's interior had left everyone underwhelmed.

And they worried their £300,000 budget may not even meet

the asking price.

I'm really nervous about turning this card over.

-If it's at the top of our budget... My stomach's turning.

-Me too.

-Right, Rhiannon.

-Ready?

-Fingers crossed, guys.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Wow. That's...

£267,000.

It may have been £33,000 below budget,

but that wasn't enough to impress Max.

That's extortionate.

-Extortionate.

-Yeah.

-Absolute rip-off!

Oh, no. That's really scary for where we go from here.

I feel really disappointed

and quite worried about what the rest of the day holds.

With their day off to such a disappointing start,

was Sarah and Max's vision of a life down under already in trouble?

Property number two was also in the Butler area.

This spacious four-bedroom home should have been just what

the family were after,

but did it impress enough to boost their morale?

-Oh, wow!

-ALL: Ooh!

Look what's in here, Hayden.

-Do you like this room?

-This is...

-lovely.

-This is lovely.

-This is really nice.

It was a much more promising start.

And the master bedroom didn't disappoint either.

-Oh, Sarah!

-There's walk-in wardrobes. Two!

-SHE GASPS

-We've got half each.

-Oh. Nice.

-What have we got here?

-Nice.

-Wow.

This is a huge space as well, isn't it?

Toilet.

-Double shower.

-Look at that!

Oh, this is... This is big!

This is the kind of bathroom that we would like to have.

This house seemed to be delivering on all fronts.

So nice.

-Look at this space.

-What?!

-Oh, wow!

-That's amazing.

-This is the dream.

This feels as if this could be the one.

-Oh, another bedroom.

-Ooh.

-Oh, this is big as well, isn't it?

And Max was quick to spot something which indicated this

could've been the Bones' home from home.

This is clearly meant to be. This is our house.

That was a sign. It's meant to be.

BAGPIPES PLAY

Outside lay another surprise.

-Oh.

-Oh, that's amazing.

-It is amazing!

-This is lovely.

-This. You can imagine this.

-It's lovely.

This is the dream, isn't it?

Sitting with a glass of wine, having a chat about our day,

after school, everybody.

Just catching up and chilling.

I think this would be worth working really, really, really hard for.

Yeah.

The house seemed tailor-made for the family,

but was it somewhere they could afford to call home,

with their £300,000 budget?

I mean, for me, I'm feeling almost nervous

that it's beyond what we can afford.

Because this is the house I want. This is a house we want.

-Ready, Cara?

-The moment of truth.

-Oh!

-THE CHILDREN GASP

No way!

That's so surprising.

It was only £17,000 over budget.

As long as the job situation goes well,

wow! With a pool.

-That's amazing.

-That is amazing.

This house had knocked the family for six

and emotions were running high.

Me and my mum have came from a house that's like, you know, two bedrooms.

It wasn't very nice at all, and she's just done amazing.

It's just amazing. Wee Rhiannon's getting all emotional.

I just feel, like, so proud of my mum,

to have came to this place. Sorry.

It's just amazing.

Everyone had fallen for this house, but there was still

one more to see - the potential dream home we'd found them.

The final stop was in Quinns Rocks -

a popular residential suburb just a 30-minute commute

from Perth city centre.

This modern new build was just a stone's throw away from the beach,

but did it have the wow factor of property number two?

Oh, wow, this is nice.

-Oh, it's dead bright, isn't it?

-Isn't it?

That sounded promising.

Oh, this is huge.

-Whoa.

-Oh, wow.

-This is absolutely huge.

-Gorgeous.

What's in here?

SHE GASPS

No way!

SHE LAUGHS

-What?!

-Wow!

Look at the size!

This is a bedroom!

Sarah was bowled over,

and it wasn't long before Max had found his dream spot too.

-Oh, cool, there's another bed!

-It's incredible!

That's awesome, isn't it?

Aw, man.

I want this house. I just want this house.

Oh, wow.

-THEY GASP

-Whoa.

-Look at this area.

-Whoa.

Aw, wow. Big TV.

This house had surpassed everyone's expectations,

and outside was the icing on the cake.

No way!

SHE GASPS

Aw, yeah. You could relax in here, couldn't you?

Aw, yeah.

This is the dream, isn't it? Just to be able to sit out your back door

-and relax.

-Yep.

This property had delivered everything

the Bones could want from a dream home.

But how close did it come to their £300,000 budget?

Right, will we turn it over?

-How much?

-Ready...

-£392,000...

-£392,000.

-705.

-..705.

Wow.

It was £92,000 over budget, but...

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

..with the right jobs and salary down under,

this house could have been within reach.

But Rhiannon had her heart set on another home.

For us, as a family, the space in here is just too much

and over the other properties...

all was perfect.

The Bones' search for Perth property had brought mixed results.

House number one was under budget,

but the dark interiors didn't impress.

Property two had plenty of space and went down well with everyone.

And home number three really was a dream home,

but perhaps just too spacious for Rhiannon.

So when it came to the vote, did the Bones choose home or away?

What a wonderful day visiting the houses in Australia.

Now it's time to vote.

-Australia!

-Australia!

-Unsure?

-No way!

Wow.

The price of the properties compared to the house we have at home...

They're really expensive.

At least you never voted for UK.

-SHE LAUGHS

-That's positive.

The dream's not dead.

Sarah's undecided vote had surprised everyone.

Was she slowly realising Australia might not meet

her expectations?

It was Cara's tenth birthday, but any celebrations

would be short-lived unless Sarah and Max

found the right jobs down under.

Sarah was the main visa applicant.

Back in the UK, she was a qualified community worker.

I love this job. I have worked in social care

and with people experiencing homelessness

or threatened with homelessness for ten years.

It was a job she knew the value of first hand.

If it hadn't been for supports and information that I had got

going through the homeless process, I would never have been able

to achieve what I've achieved today.

While Max enjoyed his job as area manager for a pizza chain,

the hours weren't ideal.

It's a lot of evening work and weekend work.

Again, there's a lot of early starts as well.

To check out Sarah's work opportunities in Perth,

we arranged for her to visit St Bartholomew's House -

a shelter looking after 600 people

at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

She was met by manager and expat Nina Crosland.

Welcome to St Bart's.

Sarah was keen to know if her qualifications from the UK

would be relevant down under.

I have a House SVQ 3 in Health and Social Care.

I have a PDA in Housing Law and Advice,

but my degree is in Business Studies,

so that's a worry - that my skills won't be able to transfer.

They change the jobs on the list of what they're actually looking for

at times, so, welfare worker, I believe, is on there.

So, I think, you know, you can really look to consider

whether that's something that you can fall under.

We've had a number of people come from the UK

and transition really easily.

That was encouraging news for Sarah.

Meanwhile, across town, Max was getting the low-down

on opportunities in the restaurant sector from Andrew Thomas...

-Come on in.

-That's great, thank you.

..operations director of a speciality coffee shop chain.

'How would somebody get into a business like this?'

Would they start at entry level, or...?

As I understand it, you kind of spent nine-odd years

-with a pizza business and five years as an area manager?

-Yeah.

The opportunity and the availability for those positions

definitely exists.

It looked like Max's experience would pay off,

but would his shift patterns be any better than at home?

Leaving at four, you know, half past four, five o'clock,

-no-one frowns upon that.

-Yeah.

-I see my kids in the morning

-and have dinner every night.

-That sounds great.

Early finishes meant Max would get more of the family time

he'd been missing out on.

But if a move was to work, salary for the couple would be key too.

Back at St Bart's, Sarah was finding out how much

she could earn in a year.

You can be considering something between 52,000

as a starting point, up to 57,000.

You could consider a team leader role or a coordinator position

which would take you up to roughly about...sort of

70,000.

That was a potential annual salary of almost £39,000 -

nearly double what Sarah was earning in the UK.

Very, very impressed, and it makes me very hopeful

of opportunities if I was to come over to Australia.

But Sarah knew unless Max got a positive result

on the earnings front, the move may never happen.

If he can't secure a good income or an increased salary,

or at least the same as what he does, then it's not an option.

So what were Max's prospects?

The base salary would probably be about 70,000 - 100,000,

plus superannuation on top of that,

so that would be somewhere in the region of about

£40,000 to £70,000.

OK. It's a good wage.

That compared favourably with Max's salary in the UK,

but he still had some concerns.

Very happy about it, but it's just the danger of, you know,

-that's what I COULD achieve.

-Yeah.

And it's whether or not... Again, moving over here first time,

whether I WOULD achieve that. It's a big risk...

-Big risk to take.

-..no matter what the situation is.

We roll the dice and we see what happens.

It's been a very important day for finding out about work prospects

and this is how we're going to vote.

-Undecided.

-Australia!

I love my job in the UK, but I just think there's so much more

opportunities for career progression,

-and the salary is much more for me, here in Australia.

-Yep.

I think there's a huge amount of possibilities here.

I just need to find out just a wee bit more.

Max was still playing the cautious card,

so would a rare family day out experiencing Australia's

great outdoors win him around?

The Bones visited Yanchep National Park -

the perfect place to get up close and personal

with some Australian wildlife.

Oh, koalas!

-Oh!

-Oh, wow, look.

Who's going to be first to see if we can see any?

Look!

Hayden, do you see it?

-Yes.

-Sleeping!

-Aww.

-How cute is that?

-Absolutely gorgeous.

It's sleeping.

SHE GASPS

It's awesome.

Mingling with the marsupials seemed to have cast a spell on Max.

That's incredible.

It's just a different world. It's so cool.

This is incredible.

-BOTH:

-They're so cute!

It was a rare chance for the family to spend time together with Dad.

Having Max here is really strange for us, as a family.

Usually we tend to do things as a family of four

when Max is working.

So it's been really fantastic.

It had been a day of simple pleasures,

but it looked like it could have been a turning point for Max.

Today was great. Best day out I've had for a while.

I think it's still going to be a big risk coming out,

but seeing today...

I'm starting to feel as if the risk is definitely worthwhile.

To have that time, hopefully on a regular basis,

would be fantastic.

So, based on lifestyle,

did the family choose Australia or the UK?

What an amazing day here at the National Park

seeing the koalas and the kangaroos.

Now it's time to vote!

-ALL:

-Australia!

THEY LAUGH

Their time in Perth had shown Sarah and Max

Australia could offer the life they wanted.

Now they needed to see if they could afford it.

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

They began with the weekly grocery bill.

Milk's similar.

Almost double, in fact, more than double

for brown bread.

Ooh.

So, yoghurts we go through a lot of in the house.

It's over four times more expensive

for yoghurts.

So that works out £36.89 more expensive per week.

Uh-huh, yep.

And... Which, if we times that by four,

gives £147.56 per month more.

-But it doesn't seem unachievable.

-No.

And again, anybody that knows me back at home will know that

-I'm a bargain hunter.

-You like to cling to your bargains. Yeah.

-I would make it work.

-Yeah.

Sarah was undeterred, but the couple still had to tackle

the bigger outgoings.

They base their figures on the second property they'd seen.

Minus 1062.39.

Equals minus £192.39.

The family's mortgage payments would have been £200 a month higher

in Australia and would have meant more than doubling the length

of their mortgage term.

30 years, compared to 14 years in the UK.

-Yeah.

-That's...

-It's quite disappointing, isn't it?

-When you look at it.

-Very disappointing.

The couple would be spending £1,200 a year more.

Adding in their salaries, they would be better off in Australia...

Combined, £238 per month.

Which isn't a lot.

Actually, I feel pretty gutted.

..but not by much.

And they felt the increase wasn't worth having to extend

the term of their mortgage.

I feel quite flat just now and I just need time to...

..work this out.

-But at the moment, I feel quite deflated, actually.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So, after looking at the figures, it is time to vote.

-BOTH:

-UK.

I don't think I would ever want to go back to having a 30-year term

on our mortgage.

I think it's a no-brainer.

Financially, we're better off in the UK by a long shot.

A longer mortgage term meant more time together for the Bones

would come at a cost.

And there was the emotional cost of a move to consider too.

While Hayden was looked after by a childminder,

the rest of the family sat down to watch messages from home together.

Hello, Max and Sarah.

Hello, Rhiannon, Cara and Hayden.

A good dad, a good husband and a very good son.

Sarah's a very dedicated and committed member of staff,

-very enthusiastic.

-Really?!

-I love you guys, but, like...

-Yeah, me too, but no...

-But we're four.

-Yeah.

We're not designed to be a three.

I'm going to miss Sarah and the kids incredibly,

and I'm not saying I wouldn't miss Max, but...

We've been through a lot together.

I'm sitting here, I can feel myself welling up.

And I'm going to miss her incredibly. God.

There's the one part of you that's wishing them all the best

and obviously it's going to be a new life.

But it's going to be a new life for us as well.

-That's hard to take.

-My dad doesn't get upset.

No.

This is your home and...

Yeah, I don't think I would enjoy anything that I do as much

if you weren't there as well.

You're going to go to Australia and wish you all the very best...

Be delighted for you.

Oh, that was hard to see Papa upset, wasn't it?

Gee-whiz.

That was hard.

Certainly our intention isn't to hurt anybody.

That's the last thing we want to do in the world.

But watching that video,

you realise that you are hurting people.

It's going to be really, really hard to leave the people behind

that we care about.

But we need to think of what's best for the family of five.

I think we've got to do what's best for us as family, but...

obviously there's more than five of us in our family.

Sorry.

Their week had shown the Bones that a move

to the other side of the world

would come with a heavy financial and emotional burden.

Had they been persuaded that was a price worth paying

for a new life down under?

It's been a roller-coaster week. It's been ups and downs,

so much information.

The financial aspect is concerning, but if you take the risk

and it works out, the rewards are huge.

But if it doesn't work out...

Big risk.

I feel...

..probably more confused now than what I felt before I came out.

It's been much more difficult making the decision for today

than I would ever have thought.

It's been a roller-coaster of a week.

Now it's time for the final vote.

Australia!

Hayden!

-Hayden! What's happened to you?

-Undecided!

Do you want to stay at the beach or do you want to stay at home?

-I don't know.

-You don't know?

THEY LAUGH

It's Australia!

I thought you were undecided.

-Me too.

-I changed two seconds ago because I turned round

and saw you and Hayden and Cara and the sea.

I was the same. Do you know, standing on the beach,

I thought, you know, "Life's short.

"Life is short. Why not take the risk?"

-I want to go tomorrow!

-THEY LAUGH

I don't want to go home!

It had been a life-changing week for the Bones,

and it looked like they were all set to take the leap

and start afresh on the other side of the world.

So, one year later, on which side of the world are the Bones living?

It's April 2015 and the Bones are living in...

..East Ayrshire in Scotland.

But not for much longer.

From the moment they returned home,

the family were itching to get back down under.

I arrived back and I thought, "No, I want to go back to Australia."

The second I landed at the airport, I was convinced.

I absolutely loved it.

Their time in Australia

saw the country capture Sarah and Max's hearts.

The trial week was amazing,

much better than I would even have thought.

We were able to see what Australia really had to offer.

"We could actually be living this" - it was a scary thought,

but, God, it was exciting. It was so exciting.

It gave us the drive to come back and say, "Yep, that's what we want.

"Let's go for it."

The couple have been convinced the country could give them

the normal family life they've been craving.

The lifestyle in Australia far surpassed the life

we have here in Ochiltree at the moment.

You kind of lose track of where you're going here.

We're coming and going and working different shifts,

but then, when you take time and go out of that situation,

you realise how good it is.

And Australia seemed to have had a transformational effect

on Rhiannon, Cara and Hayden too.

You just saw them thriving and changing as young people

and becoming excited at the prospect of living in a new country.

I just loved everything about Australia.

The beaches were amazing, the people were just so, so friendly.

It was really fun and it was great to be outdoors a lot,

and the weather was nice and hot.

You don't need to bring a jumper or jackets

cos you know it's not going to rain.

It was like a light switch going on.

It was a completely different set of kids and you suddenly realise,

just looking at them, how happy they can be.

On their return, there was just one negative to consider.

The thought of a 30-year mortgage

just wasn't really appealing, to be honest.

At that point, there was a bit of me...my stomach was churning,

thinking, "I don't think we can do this."

The finances definitely made us think long and hard

about whether we could make the trip or not.

But Sarah and Max weren't going to let budgets beat them

and decided to plough ahead and make the move.

We've decided, hands down, that it's definitely worth taking the risk.

We might have a 30-year mortgage at first,

but we'll just work hard and try to get that down as fast as we can.

I work really hard, Max works really hard. We could make this work.

I'd rather go there and absolutely wing it for a few years

than stay here.

The couple prepared to apply for a visa

and had settled on Perth as their destination,

having been smitten by the city during their trial week.

We had fallen in love with the place.

We were adamant that was the only place we wanted to go.

But when they discovered Sarah's job as a community worker

was no longer on the wanted list for Perth,

their plans were thrown into jeopardy.

It was quite a depressing moment.

We were just like, "Right, OK, so what do we do now?"

With Perth out of the picture,

the couple found Sarah's job was on the skills shortage list

for the Canberra area and started the application process,

only to be stopped in their tracks again.

Canberra had kindly taken it off their list as well.

It was like, "Oh, OK, what do we do?"

Was the dream over now before it's even started?

At that stage, we were thinking,

"Is this somebody telling us that it's not going to happen?"

More research left them with just two choices.

Darwin and Tasmania.

Darwin seemed the best option.

While they weren't initially bowled over by the city...

My gut reaction was, "We're not going to Darwin.

"It's full of crocodiles, it's too warm, it's too expensive,

"it's too far away from everywhere."

The couple were eventually won round.

You start to do some research

and you think, "Wow, this place is actually really, really nice,"

and job opportunities were fantastic.

At the moment, I'd say it's the best place in Australia to get a job,

the fastest-growing economy.

Sarah's already inspired by the possibility

of new challenges on the work front there.

To work with Aborigines and people that are isolated

within their own community so, in that aspect, it really excites me.

With a new hometown finally agreed,

Max and Sarah started again with the paperwork.

It's a long, drawn-out process, an expensive process -

emotionally draining, as well.

You need to be 100%, because the process

is so difficult that it would probably put you off.

I think people expected us to decide we were going to Australia in May

or June and be away in July or August

and it's certainly not like that.

But they stayed the course and

almost a year after their trial week, their tenacity paid off.

The visa was awarded on Friday the 13th of March,

which was a bit scary.

I was thinking, "I hope this isn't an omen!"

Getting the visas, Friday the 13th or not, was just amazing.

It was just almost months and months and months down the line,

then finally you just have the tick to say, "Yep, you're in."

In just seven weeks,

the family will be jetting off for their new life, and Cara can't wait.

When my mum and dad told me about going to Australia,

it was really exciting.

I'd rather have that kind of lifestyle

than this lifestyle, out in the rain.

And while Hayden had voted undecided after the trial week,

he's since come round to the idea.

Over the past two months...

He's changed.

He's changed and even in the car,

"How many weeks is it till we're going to Australia?

"I'm going to miss my nana and papa when we go,

"but can I have a pool party for my next party?"

I like going swimming cos you don't need to go for a bath in Australia.

You can just go and you can just jump in the pool.

Sarah knows the move

won't be quite as simple for Rhiannon, though.

She's leaving her dad and his family as well.

The thought of even leaving them, it breaks my heart.

I just try not to think about it.

I know it's going to be really, really hard for the next few months,

but I think at the back of my mind, I know it's going to be worth it.

We've all had moments where we've had our doubts, you know,

we've just had to talk it through and support each other,

but we're all on the same hymn sheet here.

We're all definitely wanting to move to Australia.

And having Darwin as their destination has brought a benefit.

There is actually six families

that are all arriving within six weeks of each other in Darwin,

so that was a real reassurance to me.

There's Scottish, English, Irish families,

so we're all going to be in the same situation.

Moving to Darwin now, for us, is exciting.

We're all ready to embrace it.

The family have spent the last few months

packing up their lives in the UK.

Their appearance on Wanted Down Under

provided some unexpected help when it came to selling their house.

Somebody knocked our door, we had no idea who he was

and he just said, "Hi, I'm Ian from down the road.

"I saw your programme on television

"and just wanted to ask are you moving to Australia?"

They had seen it on the TV and they loved it,

I think his wife had fell in love

and he had been sent round to ask the question.

We had a quick chat, started the full process and then,

a couple of months down the line,

we'd signed off on the house. It was sold.

We would never have imagined it and still we're sitting there,

thinking, "Did that really happen?"

That was one huge big worry off us and then, at that stage,

we could start to plan the shipping, the flights

and actually have a proper timescale to do things.

Taking leave of the home they've loved has been a piece of cake.

I've felt nothing.

I've actually felt nothing,

which shows that it doesn't really mean anything.

It's just a house, that's all it is.

I think all of our dreams are elsewhere.

We're just biding our time in here

until we can move to where we want to be.

But breaking the news they were moving to loved ones

was more emotionally challenging, especially for Max.

Telling my mum and dad was by far the worst part

of the full process of getting to Australia.

I think he held it together when he was telling them

and then the minute he got in the car, the reality hurt.

I drove home and just broke down in the car.

I just could not stop crying for about two hours.

It was a really, really bad day. It wasn't a nice day for me.

Max was so upset, Sarah feared the worst.

For me, that was worrying - that he maybe thought this wasn't

worth the risk and it was maybe going to affect his decision

not to move to Australia.

If I was unsure about the decision, I wouldn't have told my mum and dad.

Having to leave them behind must be really difficult,

and I'll never be able to understand how he must feel.

That's where I have it quite easy,

that I don't have a mum or a dad to say bye to.

The decision was right and it still is right.

There's nothing changed about that,

but just the realisation that you're hurting people, oh, it's horrible.

The Bones are shipping their possessions down under

and plan to rent initially,

but hope to secure a home of their own as soon as possible.

The cost of renting in Darwin is off the charts. It's so expensive.

We're just looking at it as a three-month plan just now -

go short-term lease and we'll just see what happens.

When it comes to work,

Max and Sarah have been busy applying for jobs online,

but feel their chances will improve once they set foot in Australia.

I think a lot of people could secure from the UK

if they have specialised trades, like electricians

and things like that,

but in community work, it's much, much harder.

Sarah's taken on extra work over the past year

to up her employability down under.

The idea behind that was to gain more experience so it gives me

more opportunities, hopefully, on arrival to Australia.

The job market is buoyant in Darwin, there is a lot of jobs.

Max, meanwhile,

is hoping to secure a more 9-5 position in Darwin.

Anything in the retail sector,

the hours are going to be more suitable for family life.

I'm very open to doing it.

We get there, get face-to-face in interviews

and then, fingers crossed, everything works for us!

With the city they'll be heading to having changed twice,

Sarah feels the search for schools

is a job best tackled on the ground as well.

I think, until we're there, you get a feel for a place,

you go and visit a school, you take the kids to see that area,

have a look at night - we can't do any of that until we're there

so we have nothing in place for accommodation,

nothing in place for schools and no jobs, so it's dead exciting!

Absolutely!

With less than two months before they leave Scotland,

plans are in progress for a very special send-off.

Saying goodbye is going to be awful.

We have a party planned for the 20th of June.

It's going to be Australia and Scotland-themed,

so there'll be blow-up crocodiles, we've got kangaroo meatballs

and just loads and loads of different things -

Scottish songs, Australian songs.

It's just a last chance to have a few drinks,

have a bit of fun, take loads of pictures

and create loads of memories and to kind of leave on a high.

But the party's not everyone's idea of a fond farewell.

Max's mum and dad have told us that they are not coming.

They just don't feel that they can cope with that just now.

I completely understand that.

I think our goodbye to Mum and Dad's going to be a more private affair.

That day is going to be a difficult, difficult one,

when we say our final goodbyes.

So as the move fast approaches, are there any last minute nerves?

I had about a two-week spell where I was doubting everything.

I was loving Scotland.

The sun was out, everything was great and, "Why are we doing this?"

And then you just have a wee reality check,

going, "Yeah, but Australia's really good as well."

The only wobble that I've had was the day that I told my boss.

I wish I could just take my job

and all the young people that I work with to Australia.

Despite everything and everyone they'll be leaving behind,

the family can't wait to start their new life down under.

I am absolutely pumped. I am absolutely buzzing about it.

I cannot wait.

I've been excited from the minute that we arrived in Australia

all the way through the process.

Everything's going to change,

but the fact that it's changing in a new country is just so exciting.

I'm just really, really looking to embrace the challenges ahead.

To be really content and happy and rocking our sun tans!

Just having fun and just enjoying life because, by God,

it goes in fast!

After a frantic year, it looks like the Bones are nearly all set

to jet off on their biggest adventure yet.

We hope the move goes smoothly and that life in Darwin

delivers the family the time together they've been craving.