Bennett Family Wanted Down Under

If your family had been through more

tough times than most of us face

in a lifetime, a fresh start abroad

could seem like an appealing option.

But what if the country you're considering lies on the other side

of the world, you've never set foot there and your wife and son

don't share the dream?

Charlie Bennett believes Australia

could offer his family a happier future.

I'd quite happily go lock, stock

and pack up, wrap up and move tomorrow.

But wife Stephanie is far from convinced.

It'd be really tough being away from my mum, my dad.

And son Max isn't sure either.

A good bit is it's a new start and a lot has happened.

A bad thing would be leaving all of this behind.

So will a trial week down under be enough to get Charlie the fresh start

he dreams of or prove the grass isn't always greener elsewhere?

To pursue his dream, it does have to be what is right for the family.

Lining the southern hemisphere,

Australia is the second driest continent in the world.

Famed for its stunning landscape and year-round sunshine,

the country also boasts the world's 12th largest economy

and promises an excellent quality-of-life.

So it's no surprise it's been the number one destination

for British families on the move for the past 20 years.

Charlie and Stephanie Bennett have endured five challenging years.

Now, hoping the worst is behind them,

the family are focused on a fresh start and dad Charlie believes

the time is right to resurrect his long held dream to move to Australia.

Before that happens though, he'll have to convince his wife and a son

it's where their future lies.

The family's first-ever trip to Australia starts with 24 hours

on the go, flying from London to Brisbane via Singapore.

And when they finally touch down,

Charlie is already thinking about the miles they've covered.

Yeah, it has hit home how far away it actually is.

The travelling has taken a toll on the children.

-I think they're just sleepy.

-Tired...

-I think once

-they've been fed and watered...

-Yeah.

-..It will be all right.

Max has other ideas.

As soon as we've had food and something to drink, we'll crash.

We've not come here to sleep, you can sleep at home.

Having made it this far, Stephanie is focused on what she needs

to find out from the week ahead.

Is this really something realistic that I think I could do or,

you know, is the need to be around my friends and family

a bigger urgent than it is to come here?

The next seven days will show the family whether Australia

really is somewhere they could call home and give them

the fresh start Charlie so desperately wants

Meet the Bennett family.

They are Dad, Charlie, Mum, Stephanie, 14-year-old Stevie,

11-year-old Max, three-year-old Lola and baby Chloe.

Let's go see the duckies.

Charlie and Stephanie met working as holiday reps in Majorca

but it wasn't quite love at first sight.

Slowly over the weeks and the months of being together a lot...

-I ground you down.

-Yeah, you wore me down!

When the season ended, the pair returned to the UK

and soon after, Stephanie became pregnant with Stevie.

The couple set up home together and Max was born a few years later.

Life was good until Stephanie fell pregnant again five years ago

and their world was shattered

when a routine scan delivered devastating news.

I was just coming up 22 weeks

and was told that there was no heartbeat.

I was taken into be induced, to have the baby.

So, yeah. Yeah, definitely...

It was a heartbreaking time as the couple prepared to say goodbye

to their baby.

-You should never have to bury a child.

-No. Heartbroken.

So, that's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life

and that's handing that coffin over, so, at the funeral.

Grieving, Stephanie gave up work to concentrate on looking after

Stevie and Max, and Charlie worked round the clock as a carpenter

to keep the family afloat.

But the couple faced further turmoil when Charlie's dad was diagnosed

with leukaemia and his mum developed breast cancer.

And just to finish it off while I was pregnant with Lola,

-my dad had a heart attack.

-Yeah.

The birth of Lola provided much-needed joy but when Stephanie

fell pregnant again soon after, there was more heartache to come.

When we fell pregnant with Chloe, at her 20-week scan we found out

that her heart was completely different to how a heart should be.

So her two main arteries -

her pulmonary artery and her aorta were the wrong way round.

Baby Chloe was born prematurely and at just 19 days old,

underwent life saving surgery to rewire her heart.

That for me was my toughest moment of...

Cos I'm not saying a goodbye to another child.

Happily, Chloe's operation was a success and Charlie's parents

are doing well too.

Now, desperate for a fresh start,

Charlie thinks it's the perfect time to resurrect his childhood dream

of moving to the other side of the world.

Hello! Come in.

There's always been something about Australia for me.

Charlie's fascination was fuelled by family who had emigrated

but Stephanie has never seen the attraction.

When Charlie used to talk about Australia I used to just think,

"We're not going, I don't know why you're asking."

But emotionally exhausted and worn down from working seven days

a week, Charlie's convinced it is the right move.

I've heard that it's more family orientated so I'm hoping

that we do get a lot more time together as a family.

He believes the warm Australian weather would benefit baby Chloe's

recurring chest infections too.

We went on holiday and within a couple days of Chloe being

in the warmer climate, she was 100 times better.

Stephanie agrees some sunshine would be nice but Charlie still needs

to convince her living 9,000 miles away is an achievable dream.

It's the difference from working and trying to make ends meet

over here to over there.

There's no difference, just a long flight really.

It's a very long flight.

Like Mum, Max has mixed feelings about going so far from home.

The good bit is like, it's a new start and a lot has happened here.

The bad thing would be leaving all of this behind.

And having relied heavily on support of family and friends

to get through her darkest days,

Stephanie is torn about saying goodbye to the people she loves.

We are very close.

I speak to my mum probably everyday. Charlie's parents.

You know, I ring his mum, speak to his mum, speak to his sister.

-We are really close.

-Hm.

Max also frets about leaving his grandparents.

We just don't want to leave them. Well, I don't.

With tough times behind them,

the family now face a week that could

set them on the road to a happier future.

But Charlie knows he'll have his work cut out getting Stephanie

to sign up to his dream.

Even moving house is a big step so obviously, moving to the other

side of the world is a humungous step.

My heart says, "Oh, your family," and my head says,

"Think of the kids," so it's massive decisions to make.

For their trial week down under,

the family are visiting Brisbane in south-east Queensland.

It's one of the fastest-growing capital cities in the country

but will it offer the fresh start Charlie craves?

Their base for the week is a four-bedroom house in Bulimba -

a bustling suburb just 2.5 miles from the city centre.

But will their first taste of Australian living be enough to

get Stephanie excited?

Oh, wow, it's massive. I love open plan.

It's a decent start but Lola's not impressed.

-This is where we're going to be staying.

-Euh!

-"Euh?"

And Max isn't sure either.

You've got a massive living room but a small kitchen.

Stevie on the other hand, is happy with his temporary new home.

I would like to think that we could live here with this kind of house,

this kind of size house, anyway.

As the family settle in,

Stephanie is already contemplating how far she is from home.

I am someone that loves being in the company of my family and my friends

so, you know, ideally if I could just pick them all up

and moves them with me, it would be great.

But I know it's not going to happen.

Charlie's aware convincing Stephanie to make the move

won't be plain sailing.

She's got a million questions and until she's actually happy 100%

it's always going to be a hard battle for me.

The week ahead could give Stephanie the answer she needs, enabling

her to sign up to Charlie's vision for their future once and for all.

I want to make sure that he feels like I've made a real effort

to pursue his dream but it does have to be what is right for the family.

Back in the UK, home for the Bennetts is a three-bedroom semi

in Gravesend in Kent.

If they do relocate to the other side of the world, Stephanie knows

what kind of home would make her happy.

A beautiful view would be great

with a decent-sized garden

for the children to play.

I have to cook for six so it needs to be a decent kitchen or

something that hasn't got too much work to do to it.

With a maximum of £250,000 to spend, Charlie is easier to please.

Just somewhere where we can be comfortable and happy.

It'd be great if we could have a pool but it's not a necessity.

To find out what kind of house they could actually have in Australia,

today we'll show the family three properties - two on budget

and a third which could be their dream home.

Only after they've seen each one will they find out its value.

The search gets underway in Coomera.

30 minutes north of Brisbane

and 30 minutes south of the Gold Coast beaches, this area

boasts excellent local amenities

and promises excellent value for money when it comes to property.

Ah, here we are then.

But will this spacious family home be worth moving for?

-It's a real showroom.

-So far so good.

And it doesn't take long for

Stephanie to spot something she'd love.

Ah, perfect! Walk-in wardrobe.

The master bedroom is modern and spacious.

Yeah, it is set out nice, isn't it?

And the en-suite appeals to Stephanie.

Nice bathroom. It's lovely.

Hopefully the rest of the house will be as promising.

Oh, wow.

The kitchen/living area has a typically Australian layout.

-Nice open area, isn't it?

-It's beautiful.

-Very you.

-It's very me.

CHARLIE CHUCKLES

-What do you think our boys?

-I like it.

-An additional family area goes down well too.

-This is the games room!

-This is nice. This could be your watching TV room, Lola.

-Yeah.

With five bedrooms, Stevie and Max could say goodbye to sharing.

And although they're not as big as their rooms back home,

Stephanie sees plenty of potential.

See, if you had like, a room that was like a gaming room,

you wouldn't need all that extra space.

This could literally just to be to chill, to sleep in.

The remaining bedrooms look good too

and even without checking out the small garden, Charlie seems sold.

-It is a nice gaffe, it isn't?

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

But before Charlie gets too carried away,

the family need to find out how much this house costs.

-How much do you reckon this is worth?

-200.

Judging by this, back home it would be about 300,000 to 350,000.

The family's budget is £250,000.

Go on, turn it over, mate.

That's just £3,000 over budget.

Really?!

-I'm well shocked at that, if I'm honest.

-Shut up. That's...

..nothing, it is it really, for what this is.

-I've got to admit, that really has...

-It's really shocked me.

It's shocked me and all.

Because that's only 25, 30,000 more than a house in the UK.

And for the area and a whole layout...

-It's a beautiful peaceful area.

-Yeah. Minus a swimming pool and all.

-This isn't far off of a dream home.

-No.

The day couldn't have started much better for Charlie and there's

still two more properties to view.

It's nice around here.

The next is in Forest Lake -

a family friendly suburb just 12 miles from central Brisbane.

With schools and recreation facilities on the doorstep,

it could be the perfect area for the Bennetts.

But will the house be what they want?

Still struggling with the time difference from the UK, Lola

is fast asleep by the time they park up.

-Are both the girls asleep?

-Yeah.

Do yous want to stay in here with the girls just in case they wake up?

Just for a minute.

The boys look after Lola while Charlie and Stephanie

check out the house.

-Inside it's spacious and bright.

-It's a nice big room.

-Yeah.

It's a nice-sized front room, isn't it?

-It's a little bit more like a room at home, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Not sure if that's good or bad.

Meanwhile, Charlie points out an advantage in the master bedroom.

-A walk-in wardrobe.

-That's another nice size room.

-But the en-suite isn't as appealing.

-It needs updating.

-Yeah.

-But that's not the end of the world.

-There's quite a bit to do in there.

Moving on, Charlie admits this house isn't as impressive as the last one.

Definitely would be a project, like the one we live in at home.

I'm not up for a project.

This house isn't helping Charlie's argument for moving.

Although the size of the house is nice, for me

it needs too much doing to it.

The kitchen is probably the best room so far.

The kitchen is probably the best room.

But even then, it's not my style of kitchen.

The interiors just aren't working for Stephanie.

This is no living area, is it?

-Buh!

-Bah!

It might not be what she wants but with five bedrooms,

this house definitely has the space the family need.

They're all good size bedrooms.

SHE GURGLES

-Really are.

-Are you growling? Do you not like it?

Sounds like Chloe's on Mum's side.

But when they step out into the garden, things look more promising.

It's cool. It's a lot of space.

-Nice area for the girls to play...

-Yeah.

..and trees for Max to climb.

Yeah, definitely set Max up climbing the trees.

But it's not long before Stephanie spots something she'd definitely

do away with.

Probably keep the chicken though.

THEY CHUCKLE

Roast.

Despite the big garden,

when they move back inside, Stephanie admits that this isn't somewhere

she'd move to the other side of the world for.

I mean, there's good points of the house.

But those things don't outweigh for me the amount of decorating

-and new bathrooms.

-Yeah.

The couple are still curious to see what a house like this really costs

and whether their £250,000 budget would fit the bill.

-Shall we look?

-Yes.

-That's £10,000 over budget.

-Huh.

It's just a little bit more than the last one.

You've got the extra space, you've got the extra land...

-But.

-..but with what we'd have to spend on doing the work

that's going to put us top end or just over budget.

And I don't like it enough to want to do that.

-Yeah, definitely wouldn't push the budget for it.

-No.

After a positive start, this house has dented Charlie's chances of

-convincing Stephanie to make the move.

-Right, come on.

Hopefully the last property of the day will get things back on track.

-GPS:

-Turn right and then turn left at the roundabout.

It's situated in Moggill, a recently

developed suburb built on old farmlands.

Only 15 minutes west of Brisbane,

the area is popular with families seeking value for money.

But will this single-storey house be the Bennett's dream home?

The children opt to stay in the car while Charlie and Stephanie

go to find out.

-Nice big door.

-Yeah. You'd struggle to open it though.

And the entrance isn't the only thing on the large side.

-That's a big kitchen.

-Yeah. That's a proper kitchen.

With six mouths to cook for, Stephanie should be very happy here.

Little old me would get lost in this big kitchen.

-It's lovely.

-Yes, it is 100% lovely.

And the modern open-plan living area is to Stephanie's taste too.

-Yeah, it's good. Not too big but...

-Big enough.

It wasn't a must-have but this house even has its own pool

and the garden is big enough for everyone.

-It's a nice size garden as well, isn't it?

-Yes. It's lovely.

Stephanie can see herself living somewhere like this.

-Watching the kids being able to play in the garden.

-Chaise longue!

Book. Perfect.

And the positive reactions continue inside.

Oh, wow. I wouldn't mind waking up looking out there.

-Yeah, it is a nice view, isn't it?

-Sun shining.

The en-suite is worth looking at too.

-Blimey, it's massive.

-Yeah.

With his and hers sinks, there's little room for improvement here.

How the other half live.

HE CHUCKLES

The house has four decent-sized double bedrooms

and a second living area appeals to Stephanie too.

This could be like, the kids little entertainment area.

Now they're getting that much older,

they start having their friends around a bit more.

-They wouldn't be able to do that at home...

-No.

..cos they've just got their bedroom.

Typically Australian in its layout,

Charlie is impressed with the size of this property.

This is probably about three times the floor space of our house.

-What, of our house? I know.

-All on one level.

On the whole, it's a big thumbs up.

-I think this just pips the first one.

-Just?!

-Yeah.

-It's amazing.

All Stephanie and Charlie need to do now is find out how much

the dream house would cost.

This one is going to be miles in front of all the others cost-wise.

-Cos this is the two of them together.

-Yeah.

The couple's budget is £250,000.

Ready?

-That's £89,000 over budget.

-Really?!

-No way.

-That's a whole lot of house for 340 grand.

-That's amazing.

You're talking 20% deposit, you're talking 150 grand, which

potentially we'd have that in equity out of our house.

-All day long, this is 500,000 back home...easy.

-Yeah. Well, more.

Despite its considerable asking price, house hunting for

the Bennetts has ended on a high.

Property one only had a small garden

but the spacious interiors the family need.

And discovering it was almost bang on budget was a real bonus.

Property two had the bigger garden Stephanie wanted

but the dated interiors did little to impress.

But the final property proved to be a real gem.

With its enormous modern kitchen and spacious garden,

complete with pool, it was the ultimate dream house.

Even being nearly £90,000 over budget didn't put Charlie off.

So how will the family vote

when it comes to choosing between property in Australia and the UK?

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

-Australia.

-Australia.

-Not sure.

-What are you not sure about?

-There's nice houses here and there's nice houses in England.

-Right, OK.

That's a fair comment. I've chosen Australia cos of what I've

saying today, I think there's a lot better value for money

-than money what it is in the UK.

-Yeah, I agree.

-Cool, right.

-Come on then, let's go.

-It's getting cold.

-Cold.

Sold on Australian property,

Charlie and Stephanie's week is off to a good start,

but Charlie knows if he can't secure well-paid work in Australia,

his chances of getting the dream house they've fallen for

will be virtually non-existent.

Back in the UK, Charlie's a carpenter.

As the main breadwinner, he often works seven days a week,

but having done his own research online,

he's confident he can find a job

that can give him more family time down under.

Ideally, what I'm looking for is minimal hours and lots of money.

Stephanie combines looking after the children

with balloon decoration for parties and events

and plans to do the same down under.

Everyone always wants a party

and a lot of children want their faces painted,

so I'm sure there'll be extra space for me.

But ultimately, she knows it's Charlie's job that really counts.

It has to be that he finds that work,

otherwise we won't be staying in Australia at all.

While the children are looked after by a childminder,

Charlie looks forward to finding out

about his work opportunities in Brisbane.

He'll tell us whether or not we're going to be able to achieve

the lifestyle that we want to achieve, what we're hoping for.

We've arranged for Charlie to meet Scott Hutchinson,

chairman of one of Australia's

largest privately-owned building companies.

-Hi, Charlie. How are you?

-Hello.

-Scott.

-Charlie. How do you do?

-Grab a seat.

-Cheers.

The company employs over 1,300 staff,

and Charlie wastes no time seeing if there's room for someone like him.

I run my own firm, I've got eight chippies that work under me.

What are the opportunities for me?

There's definitely, if you've run a bunch of guys,

-there's opportunity here.

-Yeah.

You'll get a leading handle on a foreman's job

with a subcontractor first so that you can learn the ropes.

-Yeah.

-And then do what you want.

Sounds like Charlie could hit the ground running.

Hopefully Stephanie's prospects will be just as promising.

To find out, we've arranged for her to visit Balloons Galore in Brisbane

for a chat with owner, Gunter Blum.

-Hi.

-Morning, hi. Gunter.

I'm Steph. How are you?

Situated in Toowong, close to central Brisbane,

Gunter enjoys a steady stream of customers.

-My emphasis is on balloon bouquet deliveries...

-Yeah.

..and, of course, decorating.

It's familiar territory for Stephanie,

and Gunter's happy to show her around.

Meanwhile, back at the building firm, Charlie's ready to talk money.

If I did start out coming over here

and then applying for a job with yourselves, working at site,

what would be the hourly rate roughly?

The guys on site might be earning 80 to 100

and the guy in charge might be 100 to 130.

Right. Cool.

£40,000 to £50,000 is similar to Charlie's earnings back home,

but once he learns the ropes,

he could be looking at around £62,000.

But would he still be working around the clock to achieve it?

-We try to have a site working five days...

-Yeah.

-..but invariably, it stretches to six.

-Yeah.

-Very rarely seven.

In fact, it's capped at a 58-hour week.

-So you can't do no more than 58 hours?

-No, you can't.

-I like this place already.

-THEY LAUGH

Sounds like Charlie's found the ideal place to work.

All in all, it's been a very encouraging meeting.

I'm quite certain that from what he's said, salary wise there,

and the opportunities for me to work my way up,

I'm quite confident that it'll work.

Back at the balloon shop, Stephanie's gleaning some tips from Gunter

on setting up her own small company.

-You'd need to register a business.

-Yeah.

I would do some research in what's in the area.

You don't want to be out on the sticks, so to speak.

-We have two hours travelling to get into the city...

-Yeah.

-..so those sorts of...

-Yeah.

-Where your clients are.

-Yeah, of course.

And getting the word out.

Stephanie also wants to find out about

the cost of balloon bouquets locally.

For a typical sort of cluster of three

sort of what prices are those sorts of things.

They go from about 11 to 15

-depending on what's in the bouquet.

-Yeah.

Ranging from £5 to £8, Stephanie looks encouraged.

That's really helps today. Thank you.

It's been an insightful day,

and when the couple reunite, Charlie's eager to tell Stephanie

he could be earning around £62,000 long term.

The wages are definitely achievable,

and it's a flat 58-hour week maximum.

So, yeah, extremely happy.

So, has the day done enough to convince Charlie and Stephanie

to choose work in Australia over the UK?

Based on today's job experiences,

our vote goes to...

-..Australia.

-Australia.

It's ticked all the boxes today.

Everything that I wanted to find out

-and the answers that I wanted, I got.

-Yeah, me too.

Happy with her job opportunities down under,

Stephanie's second vote for Australia

is a step in the right direction for Charlie,

who's thrilled at the possibility

of finally being able to work less and play more.

So, will taste of the Aussie lifestyle

the family could enjoy in the future

be enough to bring even Max onside?

Taking advantage of being together,

the family head to Bellingham Maze fun park on the Sunshine Coast.

-Oh.

-Sounds good.

The main attraction is a huge star-shaped hedge maze

made from over 1,000 lilly pillies, one of the area's favourite plants.

Oh, where are yous going? They're going that way. Right.

It doesn't take Stephanie long to lose her bearings.

Where exactly are we going to?

You're trying to get to there, I think. The middle, isn't it?

I feel like we're going round in circles.

The family make their way to the middle,

but Max has gone AWOL.

Let's see if we can see Maxie, hey?

Max, you're going the wrong way.

Back together, the family try out the smaller mazes.

-Ah!

-Steph, this is definitely a maze for you.

CHARLIE GIGGLES

It's not long before they lose Max for the second time.

-I reckon he's somewhere he shouldn't be.

-Yeah.

Mum might be right.

But despite messing about, Max admits he's worried about

what days like today could really mean.

I would miss my mates because, like, we've got memories,

and, like, my mum's mum, I'm used to seeing her nearly everyday

and staying with her as well.

But I guess I won't be able to do that when I'm here.

Charlie knows Max is struggling

with the prospect of being so far from home,

but he's hoping today will go some way towards

persuading him it's a good move.

I mean, kids are kids -

they'll always make friends, and they'll always adapt -

but it's obviously just trying to keep him in a happy mood

to get him here.

After a busy morning, the family sit down to recharge their batteries.

-So, Lola, are you having fun today?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

What about you, boys?

I really like how friendly and approachable people are here.

-How are you finding it so far?

-I really like it. I love it.

-I'm worried about missing people.

-Yeah.

-I think...

-Definitely brings that to home, being out here.

-Yeah.

How far away it actually is.

Yeah, all right.

The day's rounded off with a game of mini golf.

It's coming back. Oh!

And Charlie admits the lifestyle's everything he wants for his family.

Wahey!

I'd quite happily go lock, stock and pack up, wrap up and move tomorrow.

I can't get that round now.

-Can I move the rock?

-No.

But their earlier conversation is playing on Stephanie's mind.

What if we wasn't to go home now? How would I feel?

And that is quite tough to think about,

leaving my family and my friends.

I'm losing.

No, it is a big deal for me.

-She's only done it.

-Yes!

Where the family will eventually call home looks far from certain,

but it's time to find out if the day's done enough

to make everyone fall for the Australian lifestyle.

Australia.

-LOLA GIGGLES

-Why are you undecided again?

Because we can have good family days out in England.

Right, all right. Yeah, fair enough.

Why did you go for Australia?

-Just really enjoyed it today.

-Good.

Yeah, I picked Australia.

Loved today, loved seeing everyone out

being together as a family.

Happy days.

The week has shown Charlie and Stephanie

the potential for a fresh start down under,

but they still need to explore

whether moving to the other side of the world is an affordable option.

Part of that depends on what they could sell their house for in the UK.

They believe it's worth around £220,000.

We've arranged for valuations from two estate agents

to see if they're right.

It's our house.

This is a good-sized family room.

Nice space for relaxing and dining in.

A little bit busy,

and I'd probably advise just to declutter a little.

Good-sized bathroom, interesting wallpaper.

-THEY GIGGLE

-'Very funky.'

This is obviously the boys' room.

Again, it's a nice size,

plenty of room for playing and sleeping.

-A good-sized bedroom.

-Mummy's room.

Limited storage space. The baby's cot.

Overall, a good size.

In the current market, I would value the property at £230,000.

For a quick sale, I would value the property at £210,000.

I would value the property in the current market at £210,000,

and for a quick sale, in the region of £200,000.

I'm shocked at the quick sale price of 200 to 210.

So... But, yeah, 230 top end is...

-Just highlights, for me, how much we've got to do.

-Yeah.

While the children play outside,

Charlie and Stephanie sit down to work out

what living in Australia is likely to cost.

-Let's have a look at these figures, eh?

-Yep.

Let's get my calculator out.

To help, we've provided some financial facts,

starting with the weekly food bill.

Meat - it looks like it's a massive jump, isn't it, in costs?

Some of the food's cheaper, isn't it?

Washing powder, fabric softener, cereal - it's good.

-Milk's kind of like-for-like.

-Yeah.

Charlie works out the overall cost.

-99.98.

-It's less.

Their weekly shop will cost almost £5 less in Australia.

Encouraged, the couple move on to the bigger monthly bills,

basing their potential mortgage figures

on the first property they viewed.

We should have a good deposit for a mortgage.

-And we should have a little bit left in as well...

-Mm.

..so that's going to help us.

We're better off council tax wise.

We've got more transport and fuel,

-but we know fuel's cheaper here than at home.

-Yeah.

-Payments on the cars will be less.

-Yeah.

-Electric's less.

-Yeah.

Charlie adds up the figures

to see exactly how much they'd spend in Australia every month.

That's a total of 3,078.56.

So living costs...

-it's about £220 a month more.

-Mm-hm.

But shall we have a look at the wages and that...

-Yeah.

-..and see?

The couple work out their potential joint income in Australia

compared to the UK.

3,428.86.

So we're actually worse off from home.

It's £71 a month on income.

It's not good news,

but when Charlie takes away their monthly spend,

he's relieved to discover

they'd still have money leftover every month.

We've got £350 a month left in the bank.

-Certainly looks good on paper at the moment.

-Mm.

It's a good result,

as Charlie realises the fresh start he wants

would be affordable in Australia.

So will their findings see them choose finances at home or away?

So, based on our reality check, our vote goes to...

-Australia.

-Australia.

That's cool.

If I'm honest, it works out better than I thought it was going to.

Yeah.

Realising they can afford the life he wants

is a weight off Charlie's mind.

Stephanie's biggest concern

has always been leaving family and friends,

and as the Bennetts get together to watch messages from home,

Charlie knows this could be the obstacle

that leaves his dream blowing in the wind.

All right, we're just going to watch some messages from home from friends

-and... Yeah? So...

-Are you all right?

-Are yous all right watching them?

-Want to watch them?

-Yeah.

Come on, then.

Watch them.

Hi, Bennett family. I hope you've had a great week there in Australia.

Hello, Lola and...

-..Chloe.

-THEY LAUGH

Hi, Bennett gang.

-Hope you're having a fantastic time in Australia.

-Yeah!

So, we've got Stevie and Max.

Stevie's quite quiet, quite reserved.

Max is a bit of a Jack the lad like his dad.

And then we have Lola, who's a tomboy,

and of course you've got lovely Chloe

that's just starting to come into her own really.

Steph's always spoken about moving to Australia,

it's always been something in the pipeline.

After going through everything with Chloe,

I think it made them realise that

they need to put themselves first and do something for themselves.

The most I'll miss about Charlie and Steph is having them as friends

because you cannot take away a good friend,

you know, that's grown over years and years,

and I'd just prefer that he'd stay.

I'll miss them very much.

-Oh, no!

-Oh, bless her.

This is your time, your choice, and you've got to live the dream.

You've got to do what yous want to do.

Go and live your dreams,

because life is far too short to have regrets,

and you, as a family, deserve it more than anybody.

I hope that you do take the opportunity

to really listen to what's in your heart,

and whatever that's telling you, go with that.

Make the decisions that are right for you.

Losing you to Australia would be hugely impactful on my life

and to not have you in my life on an everyday basis

is going just be awful. You really need to think about

if this is the right thing for you guys as a family.

I've absolutely no question in my mind

that you will make the right decision for you guys

because you always put each other first,

so good luck with the decision.

How do you feel?

Oh, God, Sophie's just done me.

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

-Bless her.

-Blimey.

With the distance from home

having played on Stephanie's mind throughout the week,

hearing from loved ones has hit hard.

As the family prepare to make the biggest decision of their lives,

will everything they've discovered they could have in Australia

be enough to justify the emotional turmoil

of leaving the ones they love at home?

When the Bennetts arrived in Australia a week ago,

it was to find out if Charlie's dream of emigrating

could give them all a happier future.

To come out and actually get the quality of life that we've wanted...

..it'd be brilliant.

Despite reservations about moving to the other side of the world,

the experience has shown Stephanie

the country could offer a new beginning.

To get a fresh start

after the kind of stressful few years that we've had

would be amazing.

It would be a lovely way to kind of start again.

Not forget, but just to kind of start again.

Having seen what their life could be like,

the week's made Charlie even more passionate about making the move.

All it's done for me is just cross the T's and dot the I's.

It's ticked every single box that I needed it to tick.

Every result that I needed it to give, it has give me.

So, to me, it's just made me more confident

in trying to make the move.

Stevie can see the benefits too.

I've really enjoyed it. Yeah, it's been really good.

I've really enjoyed the weather and going out.

But Max still worries about missing friends and family.

I don't know what I'm going to vote.

Let's just put it like this - I'm not decided.

And ultimately, as much as Stephanie can see

the potential for a brighter future,

she's still conflicted at the thought of

living on the other side of the world from loved ones back home.

Gutting.

It'll be really tough.

Really tough being away from my mum, my dad.

You know, and you can be right in so many ways,

making the decisions for you and your family,

but your extended family, you know, is something that always pays.

So it's really hard.

The week's been Charlie's best chance to show the family

Australia could give them the fresh start they so desperately deserve,

but has it done enough to make his dream come true?

Our overall vote goes to...

-..Australia.

-Australia.

-Undecided.

STEPHANIE LAUGHS

-Why are you undecided?

-It just...

-Thinking about how far away...

-LOLA:

-Mummy!

It's just something that I just can't quite deal with at the minute.

I did think that'd be the main thing.

I know it's a big step, so, yeah, I get it, you know?

What about you? Why are you still undecided?

You've been undecided all week.

-You just don't know, do you, mate?

-No.

It's all right.

-You up for it?

-Yep.

-Yeah? Why?

Erm...

I just seem to enjoy it more over here.

I just seem to have more fun,

and it seems, it's like you can do more things out here,

you have more family time instead of being inside.

-Yeah.

-You can get out.

-Yeah, it's true.

It looks like Charlie still has some work to do

if he's to convince Stephanie and Max

the fresh start they could have in Australia is a dream worth chasing.

Wherever the Bennetts go on to call home,

we hope their future will be filled with the happiness they deserve.