Robinson Wanted Down Under

Hello and welcome to Wanted Down Under,

the show that catapults a British family right across the other side of the world

to help them make the biggest decision of their life.

Steph Robinson has been dreaming of emigrating for years.

Husband Mark has not.

But, along with three-year-old Aussie, Steph's persuaded Mark

to put aside his reservations and take a look down under.

As a self-employed carpenter, Mark's business

-keeps him going day and night.

-The workload at home

is crackers at the minute.

I'm working seven days a week and most evenings as well.

Steph dreams of relaxing by the pool after a hard day's work.

Imagine every morning, doing me lengths in me own garden.

But are Australian houses to their taste?

The quickest way of doing a house up is to flatten it and start again.

And could they bear to leave Steph's three grown-up children behind?

It's gonna be really upsetting

as obviously I can't turn to my mum any more. I don't know what I'll do.

So will the Robinsons both decide

their future lies where they're Wanted Down Under?

For many Brits, the credit crunch is making Australia's relatively sunny economy look tempting.

And anyone who is under 45 and on the skills shortage list

can have their application processed more quickly.

Last year over 60 Brits a day made that leap,

but how tough was the decision,

and how carefully did they think it through?

We'll be following another 20 British families

as they explore whether to swap their lives in the UK

for a new life down under.

And, after one week, they will have to cast their votes.

Do they stay in the UK, or do they move to Australia?

Mark and Steph Robinson live in rural Northamptonshire

with three-year-old son Aussie. Yes, as in Australia.

Wonder if that was Steph's idea?

Steph spent her childhood in Australia, and dreams of returning.

My childhood was swimming, barbecues and beaches,

and all the outdoor life things which I absolutely loved.

But is she remembering it all with rose-tinted specs?

There was a dramatic and dangerous spider bite when she was younger,

so she knows it's not all sun, sea and sand out there.

It was a poisonous spider, I can't remember what sort,

but I still have the big scar on my knee.

A couple of years later,

I had a funnel-web spider that walked up my back.

The idea of emigrating came as a bit of a shock to husband Mark,

and he's not convinced.

If I don't want to go I shall have to say I don't want to go,

and we'll have to deal with the consequences.

He's running his own business as a self-employed carpenter.

It's pretty much constant.

You hardly ever get time to sit down and relax,

and when you do, you just fall straight asleep!

He's settled, and close to his parents, especially his dad,

who he works with regularly, so he'd have a lot to give up.

It is a real wrench. I'm an only child,

so obviously I'll be leaving my mother and father behind,

taking their only grandchild away from them.

But a move to Oz wouldn't be without heartache for Steph, either.

She has three older children who wouldn't be coming with them.

It feels like I will be tearing a chunk from my heart, I really will.

And when I think about, even now, when I think about

leaving them here, and being on the other side of the world,

it actually makes me feel quite sick to the stomach.

However, for Steph, there is a pull in the other direction.

Her dad, who she hasn't seen since she was 13,

still lives in Oz and she's dying to meet him.

In my trawl for information regarding emigrating to Australia, I actually found him.

And when I go over to Australia, we're actually going to have a reunion.

But if she can't persuade Mark, it could all end in tears.

There's no point doing it if one of us isn't happy

and getting into troubles later on.

Just end up with a manky relationship because one of us

weren't brave enough to speak up in the first place.

To help the Robinsons make the biggest decision of their lives,

we've offered them the ultimate challenge -

a trip to Sydney, Australia's biggest city.

We have three different lifestyles for the family to sample.

One in the country, one in the city and one on the coast.

Each with an offer of a job and a brand-new way of life for them to enjoy on their budget.

First, let's take a look at the country lifestyle.

The stunning landscape surrounding Sydney

will thrill anyone who loves the great outdoors.

With its exciting wildlife sanctuaries and endless parks,

this sure is the epitome of family fun.

The further inland you drive from the city,

the cheaper the properties become.

A three-bedroom home in Sydney's outer suburbs,

an hour's commute from the city, will set you back around £250,000.

The job available here offers a salary of £35,000.

Graham Peters is the CEO.

We are looking for the next generation of builders,

and we have a strong belief about promoting from within.

Mark, we've had a good look through your CV,

and we have a lot of values in common.

When you get to Sydney, this is a serious offer, give me a call.

So that's the kind of lifestyle they can enjoy in the country.

Let's see what's possible in the city on their budget.

Sydney is a dynamic, cosmopolitan city,

and a great place to spend time outdoors,

look cool, or ride the famous ferries.

If you like hustle and bustle, this is the place for you.

Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia.

A one-bedroom apartment starts at £200,000.

But expect to pay around half-a-million pounds

or more for a family home in the city.

A job here will earn you a salary of around £30,000.

-Boss Luke Whittington tells us more.

-Staff are important in Living Space,

we offer them 10% of our company profits each year.

Our office is in North Sydney,

only 10 minutes from the city centre.

Mark, we're always looking for good-quality tradesman

with the right attitude, we're a growing company

with exciting times ahead. Give us a call when you get here.

It looks like their life could shape up pretty well in the city,

but what about a new life on the coast?

Sydney's beaches are an idyllic haven

for water and sun lovers alike.

The perfect place to workout or chill,

coastal living doesn't come cheap.

An average three-bedroom home would set you back around £350,000,

and living right by the sea could cost you a lot more.

As a carpenter, you could earn up to £30,000 a year,

and Paul Khouri runs a building company in the area.

We do new homes like this one behind me, and get busier each year.

We finish at about 4 o'clock, which gives us plenty of time

to head down to Sydney's beautiful beaches.

Mark, I'm also a carpenter,

and I'm always on the look-out for good quality craftsmen.

Make sure you look me up.

So there's the countryside of New South Wales,

offering the great outdoors and lots of family fun.

Or the vibrant city of Sydney and its iconic skyline.

Or the coast with its idyllic beaches and laid-back lifestyle.

So three very different possibilities for our family to try.

So which one did we decide would suit them best?

In the end, the Robinsons tried out the country option,

with its combination of outdoor lifestyle

and plenty of job opportunities for Mark.

After a 22-hour flight, it's straight into the rental car.

They're worn out by Aussie's antics on the plane journey,

which has brought home to them just how far away Australia is.

The flight was horrendous. It was just...packed and long.

I didn't think it was ever gonna end, with Aussie. He was a handful.

It was a nightmare. Glad to get it over with, really am.

But with so much to do in the week ahead,

what is Steph's first plan of action?

I'm just really worried

that it's the properties over here that he won't like.

So I'm really interested to see what the properties are like,

what we going to look at. I'm excited about that.

And most of all, I just want the week to give us

that little slice of Australian life, especially for Mark,

so that he can see what it could be like.

Standing here now, it does feel like you are the other side of the world.

Yeah, it's a very long way away.

It just doesn't seem real yet,

like I'm still looking at a post card or something.

It's absolutely enormous.

It looks a lot bigger in real life than it does on the telly.

What a trip, even for someone who hasn't got a little three-year-old.

It is one hell of a journey to make. It's the other side of the world.

It made it sink in, really.

It is actually the other side of the world, yeah.

They're staying in a modern apartment in McMahons Point,

a handy location for getting the best out of their week,

exploring what the Sydney area has to offer them.

The apartment has enough space for the three of them.

Two double bedrooms upstairs with a good-sized bathroom,

and comfortable living accommodation downstairs, with a balcony.

That's beautiful. Aussie, look, we can sit out there.

But it doesn't quite fit with their love of olde-worlde charm.

I couldn't see myself living in it.

It's far too modern. No character, for my taste.

But what it lacks in character

it makes up for in to-die-for Sydney harbour views.

You couldn't ask for a better view. It's lovely, yeah.

A little self-contained little flat.

The location is absolutely superb.

Beautiful, getting up to this every morning.

But Mark's got a lot on his mind, and is beginning to hope

there might be a brighter future for him here.

The workload at home is crackers at the minute.

I am working seven days a week and most evenings as well.

Maybe out here, there's not quite such a workload.

But Steph can't stop thinking about the impact a move

to Australia would have on her teenage daughter, Chloe.

It's really dawned on her that Mum

could actually go to the other side of the world.

I think she's really quite a bit scared

at the thought of me being so far away.

And Mark is already concerned for his parents,

who'd be losing the majority of their family.

Being the only child, Aussie the only grandchild,

it's still a big shock to them.

I think they're both of the opinion that if it's what we really want,

it's something we've got to go for.

And they're genuinely concerned that they might not find the kind of home

they'd like to live in, or could afford to buy.

I'm a bit worried about the houses here,

seeing on the internet and the research we have done.

Mark doesn't like them. There's very, very few houses.

I don't think I've found one that Mark says he actually likes.

Cos they do exist over here, lots of houses with character.

I've just got to prove it to Mark.

There's much to reflect on, and tomorrow they'll find out

whether property here will match up to their hopes and expectations.

In the UK, Steph and Mark live in a four-bedroom semidetached house in rural Northamptonshire,

worth about £220,000.

The Robinsons would love to be mortgage-free if they emigrate,

and be able to buy a property with a pool.

It's a tall order in Sydney.

For what the Robinsons are looking for, their budget of

between 130 and £180,000 is too tight for this part of the world,

especially if they want to be mortgage-free.

We've picked three properties to show them, based on the size

they want, but they'd have to get a mortgage to buy any of them.

Property one is in this quiet leafy suburb of St Ives, north of Sydney, and the estate agent's raring to go.

-Hello.

-Hi, welcome.

We got this house here. It's a two-bedroom home, asking 590,000,

with a lovely bush at the back.

A little bit of work to be done, but please, come and have a look.

Bit of work?! These two say they like older properties,

so perhaps the restoration job could be right up their street.

The estate agent's left them to it, and straight away they're picking holes in it.

Nice lounge(!) Nice fire.

I'd keep the cooker, though.

THEY LAUGH

Nice wooden door.

Nice wooden door!

Needs a bit of work.

-Just a little.

-You'd have to rip it apart and start again, wouldn't you?

For £290,000, this property has two bedrooms,

living area, bathroom and kitchen. But all need attention.

What's gone wrong? I think a lot gone wrong.

Even the wiring looks dodgy, to say the least.

There's more cupboard space than I've got at home.

Yeah, if you're a giraffe.

I don't think they're very impressed.

Shall we go and have a look at the garden?

-See if it's nicer than the house? AUSSIE:

-Yes!

-Yeah.

Exploring outside, they realise there's quite a lot to this place.

-Blimey!

-Wow!

This is all part of the garden, do you think? Hold on, Aussie.

Steph's worrying about the wildlife

and remembering her own close encounters with Aussie spiders.

I'd have therapy continuously, and I'd cope, I'd be all right.

Can you see something behind me? Sorry, he's pulling a face.

-I think he can see something.

-I just wondered where Aussie was.

Oh, I thought you saw a creature. Aussie!

Sorry. But your face, I thought there was a spider behind me.

Well, moving on, does this property have potential?

The quickest way of doing a house up is to flatten it

and start again, isn't it?

Mark, that's a bit drastic.

If it's 590, and you're saying

that it would need need gutting and restarting ...

It's an expensive plot of land.

-It is an expensive plot of land.

-About a quarter-of-a-million pounds

for a bit of land, which is a lot.

And then it'd cost you a heck of a lot

to get it to what you wanted it to be.

They're not convinced, are they?

Oh, well, on to property number two.

Hello. A little bit of a different house for you this time.

It's got four bedrooms, so another two bedrooms for you as well,

And a magnificent view over the street and the other houses.

-Have a wander through and see what you think.

-Cheers.

After the last timber-built place, Mark should be happier

with this solid-brick house. But there's less garden here.

It would cost them about £340,000.

Yeah, different to the last place. Straight away it looks

as though it's got a bit more character.

-Yeah.

-Oh, and a wood burner.

That looks more like it, doesn't it?

So they've got one little bedroom downstairs, then.

Let's see upstairs.

-They're off to a good start.

-What's round here?

Ah, kitchen. How strange coming up a floor to find the kitchen.

It's a bit odd, isn't it?

But it doesn't take Steph long to spot some problems.

It's different to find the kitchen on the first level, for a start.

One of the bedrooms being downstairs is strange, isn't it?

You don't really find that in the UK, do you?

It seems Steph likes a traditional layout, then.

It's OK. It's a bit small, really.

And another little bedroom, by the looks of it.

It's a tiny little room. It is quite small, isn't it?

It's so cluttered, isn't it?

So they want big rooms...

The bathroom.

It's so small, isn't it?

Bath's titchy, isn't it?

..and a big bathroom.

That might rule out quite a lot of houses in their price range.

There's decking out the back.

I suppose this is lovely in the middle of summer, on a nice day.

-Nice, isn't it?

-Do you like it?

-Really?

-A bit '70s inside, but we can change that.

It's a lot better than the last one, isn't it? Solid, brick-built.

Mark seems keen, but Steph's finding things to object to.

Not a lot of garden here, some decking.

Not a lot of room for Aussie to play, as young as he is.

What a shame. The first time Mark shows enthusiasm,

Steph doesn't agree.

It certainly hasn't made me think, "Yes, this takes all my boxes."

That might not be possible.

No, it might not be, Steph. We'll see if we can get closer

to what you want with property number three.

-Hi. Hello, I'm Nikki.

-Hi.

-Hi.

The estate agent gives them a quick rundown of what's on offer.

Come and have a look. It's on 930 square metres of land.

It's a really big block.

Straight into the national park, so you've got the bush there too.

There's three bedrooms and a pool,

and it's about 30 minutes from the city, and from the beach.

Go and have a look and then come back out and tell me what you think.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

Wow. This is different.

It's a lovely sized room, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It immediately lifts their spirits, and they're quick to spot

the biggest selling point, the all-important swimming pool.

-Pool down there as well.

-Oh, wow. Wowee!

Gosh! That looks gorgeous, doesn't it?

This is a nice size.

We could do a lot with this, we could make this nice.

This is lovely.

-This is quite big.

-It is.

Again, such a small bath, isn't it?

It's almost like a child's bath, that's what it looks like to me!

Well, there had to be something wrong.

But if the bathroom's the only let down, we are doing well.

This could be nice, it seems a nice, bright room.

Mark, you know how much I love swimming.

Imagine every morning... in the summer, obviously...

doing me lengths in me own garden.

Outside, the pool's making Steph dream of how her life could be here.

Nice bit of land, and the pool!

This is what I seriously would love.

I so want a pool.

I do.

I bet you'd say, "Too much to keep,

"too expensive." It's big!

The estate agent's hoping to capitalise on Steph's enthusiasm.

-What did you think?

-It's huge.

It's bigger than what we've looked at so far.

It's a big property and it looks like a big plot of land as well.

You could also extend the sun room part out,

you know bring it to where the garden is. There's lots you can do.

-You could go on top.

-Yeah.

You need obviously approval to do that,

but it's families with children that live here.

So you'll make friends, he'll get some little mates to play with.

-You know, it's a good area.

-So the price was...?

It's in the 700s. It's going to auction on 23rd.

We will look at offers prior.

You are probably looking at the mid-seven mark, something like that.

If they both worked here and could stretch to a mortgage

of £150,000, they could afford this house,

which will probably fetch around £350,000 at auction.

But wisely, Steph's taking a reality check.

I don't know what you think, but I think probably it would be a bit pricey to start off with.

-Yeah.

-It would be something I would definitely want to aim for,

definitely this kind of size and with the pool would just be perfect, as far as I was concerned.

But it might be a bit expensive to start with.

We might need to work our way up to this kind of price range.

It's certainly bigger than the first one we looked at.

I think the second one as well.

You can certainly see yourself living here as a family, yes.

I like the way it's leafy and quiet, and yeah, family orientated.

That's what it says to me, anyway.

So we've shown them a variety of properties.

The first one was timber built and needed quite a lot of TLC,

but came with a huge plot.

The second upside-down house was at least built of solid bricks,

and property three was close to a dream house for Steph,

but, realistically, out of reach price wise.

So which way will they vote?

Do they prefer a property in the UK, or in Australia?

Right, we've looked at three properties so far.

All very different.

We've gone from kind of bad to really nice,

and I think my vote for the properties would be...

Australia.

And my vote would be...

UK properties.

Well, that's just great(!)

The kind of heritage home Mark would prefer doesn't come cheap.

So if he's to be convinced that a move down under is a good idea,

he'll have to find the right job.

Day two and it's time for Mark to put work

as a carpenter down under to the test.

If he's to be convinced of any move,

it's crucial that potential work is on a par with his job in the UK.

-Hello.

-My name's Bob, I'm the project manager for the job.

-How are you going? Are you enjoying Australia?

-Yeah, lovely.

-I see you're making the most of the hot weather.

-Gorgeous, isn't it?

While Mark receives his instructions,

Steph's mulling over the biggest decision of their life

while taking Aussie to Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

Back at the coalface, Mark meets his workmates.

-This is Luke.

-Hi, Mark. How's it going?

-All right, you?

-Good thanks, mate.

-And Bruno.

-Hello, Mark.

-I'll leave you to it.

And with property prices in the Sydney area so high,

could Mark find a job that allows him

enough family time and pays the mortgage?

How many hours do you work a week?

We work a 40-hour week, so we do eight hours a day, five days a week,

with the opportunities to work overtime.

What's the pay like?

-Pretty good, actually, 80,000 all up in a complete package, I guess.

-Right, yeah.

80,000 in about £39,000, depending on exchange rates.

How does that relate to back at home, in the UK?

Yeah, it's pretty much the same.

OK, Mark. We're ready to take these windows out now,

-so do you want to pull those screws out?

-Yeah, sure.

The salary's been a welcome surprise for Mark, and a 40-hour week

would feel like a permanent holiday.

Just give it a few more taps, Mark.

All the advantages with none of the hassle. Things are looking up.

Back at the zoo,

Steph takes a deep breath and confronts her biggest fear,

something she'd have to crack if she was to move to Australia.

-Hiya.

-Hello. Are you Steph?

-Yes, nice to meet you.

I'm Gabriel, one of the spider keepers here at Taronga Zoo.

We meet lots of people like you that all have these big fears

of spiders that all started when they were kids.

Yes, I have actually passed out in the past.

But I have had some treatment in the UK.

By the end of it, I could actually catch a spider,

which is amazing for me. So just a little house spider,

I can put something over it, bit of paper,

catch it and put it outside.

I think we should go out back and get a little bit deeper

-into your fear of spiders.

-OK.

MUSIC: "Boris The Spider" by The Who

# Now he's up above my head

# Hanging by a little thread

# Boris the spider. #

-Would you like to meet some of our little friends from the zoo?

-OK.

-... BLEEP!

-There she is!

-Not going to be running around homes, is it?

One that might really give you the creeps is probably the huntsman spider.

Lots of people are scared of them.

Even people that, as I said before,

-are completely comfortable with other spiders.

-Why?

Because they are larger and hairier.

That is disgusting.

That's not going to be running around houses,

surely to God, it is not?

That's really disgusting.

She can't get out. She's nice and secure, nice and safe.

That gives me the real creeps, that does.

You can do it. You really can do it.

Just think positive.

That's it. That's good.

I can't cope with those walking round the house.

-It's absolutely disgusting.

-You're doing great.

I don't like that. I don't like that at all.

These, they can bite. It would be less than a bee sting equivalent.

-Right.

-Not much at all.

-They're in people's houses, aren't they?

-They can be.

They love to come into your home and eat

mosquitoes and flies, and those sorts of things.

In reality, these spiders aren't very common.

I try and find them all the time to get some for our collection.

When you're actually looking for them, they're a bit tricky to find.

And when you're not, they'll find you.

THEY LAUGH

It's enough to put me off coming to Australia, these things.

They're what nightmares are made of for me. Their looks and everything.

The fat body, the long legs with hairs on it,

those things at the front, whatever that is,

is absolutely disgusting, and that's what I dream about.

Probably one of Australia's most famous spiders,

-the Sydney funnel-web?

-OK.

It might look scary,

there she is there.

You're probably particularly worried about these sort of very venomous spiders

because you've got your son Aussie with you.

These spiders are exactly the same as all the other ones.

They only ever bite you in defence.

Do you want to pick up this container with the funnel-web?

-OK, I'll try.

-Fantastic. You're doing great.

That is one ugly spider, isn't it?

Just like you did with your little friend in the jar,

try to do the same thing with this.

Gradually keep up your exposure to them,

and make sure that you don't bring back

-any of those old memories.

-OK.

-Just keep working at it

-nice and slowly. Shall we pop her away now?

-Yeah.

-You've done great!

Urgh. I'm with Steph, I can't bear spiders.

Back at work, Mark's getting a grilling.

So what was the appeal for you to come over to Australia?

Steph was brought up here.

She came out when she was about three, brought up up in Brisbane

and then moved down to Sydney.

She went back in her teens and she's always wanted to come back.

You're obviously not Australian.

You sound like you're from back home to me, are you?

Yeah. I'm originally from north London

but I've come over here from Hertfordshire, Potters Bar.

Oh, right, yeah. What's it like, actually living here?

I live up in the northern beaches

in a beachfront apartment, which is glorious.

Every morning when I leave to go to work,

you just see the ocean, I have to pinch myself.

Anything you really miss about back home?

Not really, no. Just probably Match Of The Day!

Mark seems almost at home swapping yarns with the boys,

but with so much riding on his work experience, Steph's feeling nervous.

I'm just hoping that the work comes up

with a positive Australian vote, really, because that's one

of the most important things.

If Mark isn't convinced on the work side of things,

isn't convinced that he can earn enough

or whether he can work for himself eventually,

and all those things that Mark'll be wondering,

I'm just hoping that it comes up with a positive result for me.

We'll see how he gets on.

I'm not sure what to expect, really.

So after a hard day's work, it's time for Mark to vote.

Does he prefer his job at home, or could he see himself working here?

I've just spent the afternoon meeting some local builders

and having a look at the job they are working on.

After talking to them about the hours and the pay,

my vote for work is...

Australia.

I can earn the same amount of money

that I'd earn in the UK working for myself, without any hassle,

just working for somebody else, turn up nine-to-five,

do the job and go home and enjoy myself. It seems a whole lot better.

Wow! Could the tables be turning?

Mark's won over by the attractive work conditions in Sydney,

but will Steph be able to overcome her fear of spiders now that she's seen what's out there?

Mark and Steph Robinson from Northamptonshire are split on where to spend their future.

Steph's convinced that moving to Australia is the key to a better life for them.

My childhood was swimming,

barbecues and beaches, all the outdoor life things which I absolutely loved.

But Mark is not so sure.

If I don't want to go, I shall have to say I don't want to go,

and we'll have to deal with the consequences.

With the future of their very relationship at stake,

Steph's determined to bring Mark around to her way of thinking. But it hasn't been easy.

Property in Oz has been disappointing and expensive.

Yes, so if it's 590, and you're saying it'd need

-gutting and restarting...

-It's an expensive plot of land.

It is an expensive plot of land.

And confronted with the heartache

she'd inflict on her older children,

Steph's resolve is tested to the limit.

Knowing she's on the other side of the world

would be the hardest thing any of us have had to deal with.

While Mark has enjoyed some aspects of Australia,

the fact remains that he'd be giving up a lot to come out for good.

If Steph is to convince him, she'll need to make sure he feels at home,

and what better way than by meeting new friends?

We've organised for him to meet an expat from Scotland

who's part of a huge team of volunteers, restoring a late-19th-century tall ship.

How many volunteers do you have?

Probably all up, I think there's about 800, or 600 or 700,

-something like that.

-Wow!

-I might be totally wrong there.

So have you made some friends doing this?

Yes, it's a huge mix.

There's a dentist, there's a pharmacist, there's an accountant.

And these are just the guys working on the engineering side of things.

If we take a walk down here, I'll show you ...

Martin shows Mark the ropes.

That's just a pile of ropes to the uninitiated.

It's a pile of ropes to me, cos I'm an engineer.

You've got three masts, all the different yardarms.

Each rope does something up in the rigging. You've got to know exactly

where it is without shaking it and looking up to see where it goes.

You've just got to go, "I'm going there!"

Luckily, you can do it at ground level, and not up there.

Martin recounts his own experience of emigrating to Australia nearly 20 years ago.

It's almost a mirror of what you're doing, because my wife's Australian.

-Oh, right.

-She's lived in the UK for 20 years

and decided we'd have a change of life.

I think, out of all the immigrants and people that come out,

after about two years, they always want to go back to the UK

just to see if the reasons why they first came out are still valid.

Their first thought on hitting the UK is,

"What the heck am I doing back here?" And they come straight back again.

So are the Australians an easy bunch of people to make friends with?

-One thing you've got to watch is when they stop swearing at you, or calling you a pommy

-BLEEP.

-Then they don't like you.

-Right.

-If they call you pommy

-BLEEP

-or insult you, that's a sign of friendship!

I need to convince my husband that Australia's a good place to come to,

so what would you say to someone like Mark who needs convincing?

Have a look at the blue sky. There's no rain.

I think the biggest fault that people do

is that they compare it with where they've come from.

Don't. Just accept it as a totally new country,

a new experience, and you will love it.

But the point is, will Mark love it?

How will he vote on the all-important subject of friendship?

After looking round the boat this morning with Martin and his restoration project,

I think my choice for making friends would be...

Australia.

And mine...

Australia, too.

I think I chose Australia because Martin seemed really friendly.

Seems you can get involved in things like this really easily over here.

I'd like to say thank you very much, Martin, for the work

you've done on my husband today.

It's been fantastic, worth every minute!

Throughout the week, Mark has seen plenty to interest him in Australia.

But he's still undecided. These messages from loved ones

back home might just focus his mind either way.

Here it comes, Aussie. Ready?

Hi Mum, hi Matt, hi Aussie.

I'm gonna miss you loads if you do this. Hopefully you will.

You need to do this. It'll be the best life you'll ever have.

Aussie would be loving it every day.

You can't not like her, and I will really miss her heaps.

-She's just like a sunshine, isn't she?

-Yeah, a little sunshine.

I lived with Mum and Mark

for about two years, so I kind of watched them evolve together.

It's great to see them so happy.

She's just always there for you and she's always making sure you're OK.

The concern would be Mark, really,

because of his business with his dad, and his mum.

I think he's going to need a lot more convincing than Steph.

So it may cause conflict between them if one really wants to go

and the other doesn't. I don't know how they'd work around that.

I think the most difficult thing for Steph moving out to Australia

would be leaving her two sons and daughter behind.

They mean an awful lot to her. She is very close to them,

having not seen her parents for many, many years.

I don't think Steph realises how difficult it's going to be

when she has to leave the three children.

She's burying it under the carpet.

It's going to be upsetting.

Obviously I can't just phone my mum, because she's far away.

It's going to be really sad. I can't just go round for a chat

or Sunday dinner any more, because she'll be miles away.

When Steph came into work one day and said that she'd found her dad

over the internet, and she'd been looking for years,

I got a goose-flesh feeling and I actually cried, because I could see

that, for her, that's just everything, her life is complete.

I've known Aussie all his life. I was there when Mum was in labour.

Fell in love with him soon as I saw him. I'll miss him loads and loads.

Probably miss her nagging at me, keeping me in line and that.

It'll take a bit of getting used to.

There's loads I will miss.

Just her presence and just a simple phone call during the evening.

I know it can still happen but,

in reality, knowing that she's on the other side of the world

would be the hardest thing I think any of us have had to deal with.

We've all been through so much in the past few years.

I don't know what I'll do, I suppose I'll have to turn to my brothers now,

-it's going to be upsetting.

-Obviously, you'll be dearly missed.

You're following your heart and your dreams,

that's the most important thing. It takes a lot of courage to do that.

I really admire that in you.

Mum, don't look back, and stay there.

I'm going to come and see you and hopefully move there one day.

I love you all to bits, more than anything. Love you all. Bye-bye.

-AUSSIE:

-I want another one!

It's just, you know,

Chloe, when she says... Chloe's still quite young.

I can't talk. I'm sorry.

At the end of their week in Sydney, are Steph and Mark any closer to a decision?

High on Steph's list of reasons for coming are her childhood memories of growing up in Australia.

My childhood was swimming,

barbecues and beaches, and all the outdoor life things,

which I absolutely loved.

But was it all she remembered?

Sydney is so much more built-up than it was when I left.

And I've been quite shocked at that,

with the vast change in 30-odd years.

Mark's looking for a dramatic change in his workload.

It's pretty much constant.

You hardly ever get time to sit down and relax,

and when you do sit down and relax, you just fall straight asleep!

But has his week in Australia helped Mark reach a decision?

I've come and I've looked, and I've liked.

I think it's made it even harder now.

Steph was longing to show Mark the dream properties Australia has to offer.

Shall we look at the garden?

-See if it is nicer than the house? OZZIE:

-Yes!

-Yeah?

But realistically, their budget limits their ability to buy their dream home.

Might need to work our way up to this kind of price range.

And will Steph's fear of spiders stop her coming at all?

Absolutely disgusting.

-You're doing great.

-I don't like that.

It's enough to put me off coming to Australia, these things.

Has seeing their friends and family

at home reminded them of what Aussie is going to miss?

They're much older than him, but they're his brothers and sisters

and he cares about them a lot.

He'll go from having lots of brothers and sisters

to being an only child, sort of thing.

So are they any closer to a mutual agreement?

Worst-case scenario is that I love it and want to come here, and Mark does not.

If he's willing to give it a go, it'll be because he wants

to try and give it a go, not just for me.

I'm pretty sure of that.

You wouldn't do it just for me, would you?

-No.

-No, see? He's not that nice.

Well, it's crunch time. Which way are they going to vote?

To stay in the UK, or move to Australia?

I vote for...

Australia.

And my vote...

UK.

-Why?

-Sorry.

-Wrong vote.

So they're leaving Sydney still at loggerheads.

But there's one last journey they have to make.

We are moving up to Brisbane, where I'll reunite with my dad

after 35 years, so I'm really excited about that.

I'm a little bit apprehensive because he's somebody that I don't know.

Don't know what to expect, whether I'll like him, or he'll like me.

But I'm really looking forward to it, and that's one of the major things for coming over here.

A new father-in-law for me!

Yeah!

Yeah. Um... It's going to be rather odd.

They did manage to meet up,

spend a bit of time together and re-establish family ties.

Well, I can't work out what the Robinsons are going to do.

I mean, Mark wasn't always impressed with everything he saw in Australia,

and was really torn with the idea of leaving loved ones behind.

While Steph, on the other hand, is completely sold on the idea

of moving where they're Wanted Down Under.

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