Mills Wanted Down Under

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.

Jon Mills loves the idea of starting a new life Down Under

and would be fulfilling a lifelong dream to go there.

I honestly believe that I should be in Australia

and this is a place that I've always meant to be, as well.

His wife, Mandi, is reluctant to swap the certainties of her life

in the UK for an unknown future in Australia, but she's willing to put it to the test.

To come here is a really big deal, because it could change the rest of our lives.

Could this be Jon's only chance to convince Mandi that life in Oz would be better?

If Mandi did say no, that's it.

I will be devastated but it's got to be a joint decision.

Or will her close ties with home mean he has to bury his dreams for the sake of their family?

I would need a lot of convincing to want to make a whole new life here for me to give it a go, I think.

So, will the Mills end up where they're Wanted Down Under?

For many, Australia seems to promise a fantastic lifestyle.

And anyone who's under 45 with a skill that's in demand could head for a future life Down Under.

Last year, over 60 Brits a day jumped at the chance,

but how do you go about making such a tough decision?

We've given 20 more families the chance of a lifetime

to swap the UK for a future in the sun,

But after just one week, which way will they vote?

Stay in the UK or move to Australia?

Jon and Mandi Mills live in the town of Barrow-in-Furness, with their three children.

Eight-year-old Lily, Grace, who's six and 15-month-old Seth.

For years, Jon's big dream has been to live in Australia

and he was set to move there until he met Mandi and they started a family.

Certainly since I was 19 it's always been a passion of mine to go there and settle down.

It sounds like a fantastic place to live.

Mandi's never even left the UK, so the idea of emigrating

to the other side of the world is a massive undertaking for her.

I've lived in Barrow for 27 years, my whole life.

Never really ventured anywhere else.

You get small-town mentality, I think.

But she's determined to make a better life for their children.

I think with Barrow, when they've left school, they can go and work in the shipyard or there's the hospital

and then it's more or less supermarkets.

And I'd quite like to widen that field and give them more opportunity.

Although Lily and Grace seem more concerned about encountering the Aussie wildlife.

We know that there's koala bears.

We know that there's maybe snakes.

Spiders.

Lots of jellyfish.

Jon works in the shipbuilding industry as a quality control engineer.

But Mandi's worried that a move to Oz would mean a step backwards for him.

I think with what Jon does, he'd start at the bottom,

so I do think that he wouldn't have as much money.

I've come up through the ranks, from electrician up to an inspector

and I can't imagine anything stopping me making a step again over there.

Mandi is a stay at home mum and has a lot of support from her family, who she's extremely close to.

It's nice having my parents living over the road and my friend living just round the corner.

I think it will be hard for them to adjust, but it's a case of it's sort of my time now with my family

and I can't stick around in the same place forever just in case I upset people, I suppose.

Jon and Mandi haven't experienced anything like this before

and they're keen to see what Australia has to offer.

35 years I've lived here, so it's time for a change. Time to see the rest of the world.

It's just something different than living in Barrow for the rest of our lives.

I don't want to sit on my sofa, in Barrow, in 20 years' time and think why didn't we try something else?

Barrow isn't the be all and end all. It's a lovely place, but there are other places out there we can live.

I don't want to ever regret not trying it.

But Mandi's far from convinced and it could still end in tears for Jon.

We've got to make it as a family decision and yes, I will try to put pressure on Mandi, slightly,

to go, but there's no point in us making that huge financial commitment to go

if we're going to turn round and say, "No, I don't like it, I need to go back."

But we both have to decide.

I'm not going to be bullied into shifting my whole family

over to the other side of the world for Jon's dream.

Yeah, you are!

To help the Mills make the right decision, we offered them the ultimate challenge -

a trip to Adelaide in South Australia.

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.

With Belair National Park on your doorstep,

the Adelaide countryside is great for nature watching.

And if wine tasting whets your palate, you're just going to love it up in the Adelaide hills.

Country properties are cheaper than in the city.

Four-bedroom homes, like these, will cost up to £220,000.

A job at this ship construction company will earn you around £25,000 a year.

Manager Marijan Glamocak tells us more.

This is a family-owned business.

My father started this in 1982.

Our normal working day starts at 7:30 and finishes at four.

Gives you plenty of time to see the rest of Adelaide.

Next time you're in Adelaide, Jon, come and visit us?

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.

With its festivals, museums and galleries,

Adelaide is a city of diverse culture

with plenty of entertainment, too, in the buzzing West End.

In the city suburbs, three-bedroom homes can be found for around £230,000.

A range of shopping experiences is close by, from the central malls and markets to hip local high streets.

Over in Port Adelaide, there's a salary of at least £28,000 on offer at a submarine construction company.

Here's quality control manager, David West, to tell us more.

I bet you're dying to see what goes on here so let me show you around.

Here we are in the control room of the submarine.

Working on this is a big undertaking and we're looking for somebody who's up to the challenge.

Come to wonderful Adelaide and work on these awesome stealthy machines.

It looks like their life could shape up pretty well in the city, but what about a new life on the coast?

The stunning unspoilt beaches of Adelaide will literally take your breath away.

To lap up coastal living to the max, a family home within

walking distance to the beach will set you back around £220,000.

A job at a local pleasure boat manufacturer will earn you a salary of up to £25,000.

Jason Sims is the general manager.

This is just a small part of our team here at Port River Marine.

They're all proud of what they do, including building a vessel

which took the 2008 Boat Of The Year award earlier this year.

Here's the vessel here.

It might be a little bit smaller scale than what you're used to,

but if you like what you see, pay us a visit.

So, there were three lifestyles on offer.

The country option where wages are lower, but so are property prices.

The city option where the salary is higher, but so is the property.

Or the coast option where Jon wouldn't earn as much,

but the lifestyle would be right up his street.

So three very different possibilities for our family to try.

So which one did we decide would suit them best?

We chose the city option for the Mills' week in Australia.

There's still a great deal for them to think about.

Jon's desperate for the family to up sticks and head out to a new life Down Under.

But in the week ahead, the only thing standing

between him and his ambition to move permanently, is Mandi.

After a gruelling 22-hour flight, it's not off to a great start.

These were all right. He wouldn't sleep while everyone else was trying to sleep,

so it was a nightmare.

We're filthy. We haven't washed for days.

The Mills are staying in a house in the suburb of Dulwich, right near the city and a great location

for exploring what Adelaide has to offer.

This traditional one-storey house has old world charm by the bucket load.

Ooh, very nice.

It's got three double bedrooms.

Oh, who'll be having this bedroom?

It's massive. We'll have that.

It's my room!

A large dining room and two living rooms.

This is pretty.

-There's even a jacuzzi in the bathroom.

-Bath. Yeah.

Or is it a swimming pool?

-Fantastic.

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

-It's all on one level, as well.

-Yeah.

It's weird not having stairs.

We'll miss stairs.

And to top it all, a decent sized garden for the kids to run around in.

-Wow. It's a parrot.

-Two of them.

So, how does Australia live up to Jon's expectations, so far?

Yes. Can't stop smiling, really. You know, it's good to be here.

For Mandi though, the enormity of what they're considering is beginning to hit home.

To come out here is a really big deal.

One, because it could change the rest of our lives,

so, you know, to make that journey, was massive,

especially as we've never been out of Barrow before.

So to make that huge journey was huge, but it is to do with the rest

of our lives, so it was a journey that needed to be made.

And Jon's aware that the week ahead holds a big challenge.

I'll try and do some persuading.

Stop the heartstrings being tugged from home.

Never. Never.

There's a lot to think about, but one thing that might persuade Mandi is the property and tomorrow,

they'll find out whether the houses here are enough to prise her away from home in Barrow.

Back in the northern shipbuilding town of Barrow-in-Furness,

the Mills family live in a three-bedroom terraced house, worth about £100,000.

They've set themselves a budget of about £170,000, including a mortgage.

That's around 350,000 Australian dollars, which may prove unrealistic for what they want.

We're showing the Mills three properties,

all slightly over their initial budget and, to afford any of them, they would need a mortgage.

The first house is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom property, close to the city centre.

It also has the all-important swimming pool, but at 490,000,

or approximately £240,000, they'd really have to stretch themselves.

It's a nice house, eh?

Oh, yes!

-That's big enough, isn't it?

-It's lovely.

-Some cooking done on there.

-Ah, this is pretty, isn't it?

-It's nice.

-Got wardrobes, fitted wardrobes.

-Lot of storage.

-Very nice.

-I do like this bathroom.

-White room?

-Yeah.

Somewhere for me to relax, love, after a hard day's work.

-Yeah. You could make it into a family room, couldn't you?

-No.

-You could have a sofa.

-It's a pool table room.

You could have it as a dining room, as well.

No. You can have it as a pool table room.

Apart from arguing about the use of the room, Jon and Mandi seem to be really impressed by this house.

But is that the same for young Seth, too?

-Like it?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Do you give it the thumbs up?

-Yes.

-Come on, then.

That's lucky, then. Now, how about the outside space?

Nice big outside patio area.

It's freezing!

Look, there's a little area here, Jon.

-To sit on.

-You'll be able to sunbathe - topless!

Please, Jon, this is a family show.

Jon already feels at home but is the feeling mutual?

I like the privacy and the pool, obviously. Kids really wanted a pool.

Nothing like what we've got at home.

I like it. I do.

It's the quintessential Australian house, innit, when you think of Australia?

Pools. Party area. Big rooms.

The house appears to be ideal for them, but it's at the very top of their budget.

I think it's worth it. It's just whether we can stretch that far.

-Yeah.

-I mean, I'd like to think we could,

even if we have to save up in England for a bit longer.

But it is only three bedroom,

which means the kids would be sharing.

It's got a pool. Did I mention the pool?

But not if you're bankrupt?

You could always go swimming. You don't have to go out.

I think it's brilliant. Certainly, if we can stretch to 490, then.

-490. That's about...

-250,000 UK. It's a big stretch, but...

-It is a big stretch.

-Yeah.

There's trouble with them sharing, aren't there?

-It's an issue.

-Yeah, it is an issue.

It's a very big issue.

Although Jon and Mandi like this house, they would need a huge mortgage and it seems such a shame

to come all the way to Australia and still have your children sharing a bedroom.

So, with this in mind, the second house they're going to view hopefully has everything.

It has four bedrooms and a pool, but with an asking price of

420,000, or £205,000, it's much closer to their original budget.

-Nice, isn't it?

-This is nice.

Oh, this is nice.

Nice, isn't it? Nice little table and chairs.

Open plan. Yeah.

-Another living area.

-This is nice.

-This IS nice.

-You don't have to have it as a dining room. You could have it as a...

-Pool room!

-Pool room.

Playroom. Computer room. Study.

Nice try, Jon, but very quickly, they discover that sometimes,

having so many bedrooms can mean just one thing.

Quite cosy though, isn't it?

-First impressions, it's nice.

-Really small baths.

Really small for you.

-Shall we try and find your room, Grace?

-Yeah.

-It's smaller than the others.

I don't know. It's small, boxy.

Once you've wardrobes, drawers and a bed, you'll find there won't be a lot of room.

But Jon, as ever, is the eternal optimist and he doesn't give up without a fight.

A single bed will take it to the end, you've got storage there.

There's plenty of room on this side.

I think you'll find it'd be crowded. Really crowded.

Where would you put a bed in this room?

-You couldn't put...

-Across ways.

I think it's small. I think it's a lot small.

The house with all its problems does offer a few benefits.

-Got a nice view, haven't they?

-Nice to wake up to that every day.

Something to look at, isn't it?

Well, this is a nice area.

-Beautiful view, again.

-Yeah.

-It's nice. Nice and quiet, as well.

-It's the same from inside!

-Yeah.

-It's just that you're outside. Oh, and there's a pool.

Look at that, Lily. Nice pool.

A little bar area. A little seating area.

-Plenty of drinks round the side. It's lovely.

-Jacuzzi, isn't it?

But has it won Mandi over?

We're coming from little pokey rooms to a house with little pokey rooms...

The rest of the house is quite nice.

I think the rooms are a decent size.

It's a nice living area, but I don't know. It's just I haven't got a feel for it.

I'm not a great lover. There you go! I'm being a horrible person.

-If you don't like it, you don't like it.

-No, I don't.

Sorry. I just don't. It's just a bit...

-Yeah...

-Look at the pool.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Look at the pool.

The pool's not enough.

We're not going to live in the pool.

-We've got a bar.

-No. It's just not what I was after.

-No?

-No.

Well, we tried, but it seems for the Mills that size DOES matter, and in order to afford

a larger, four-bedroom property, they'd have to make some compromises.

For this reason, our next house, set in the rural area of Coromandel Valley, doesn't have a pool,

but it does have four good-sized bedrooms,

and at 440,000, that's just over £215,000.

It's still above their budget.

Leafy. Come on.

Oh, it's massive. Look at that.

-Look at this, Grace.

-That's nice.

-That's lovely.

Carpet. Nice plush carpet.

-I like the different levels.

-There's the mother-in-law.

THEY LAUGH

-I like it. I like it a lot.

-Oh, I like this.

-It's massive. It's not, like, too big, is it? Just like home. It's lovely.

-Oh, it is. I like it.

I can see myself here.

-Big area.

-I wouldn't know what to do with a big kitchen. I'd have to cook.

-It's nice and cosy.

-Got loads of storage.

-Plenty of storage. Oh, Lily, this is nice.

Think you might have picked your room too early. This is your room, Grace. Like it?

-It's big. It's lovely.

-You can get a double bed in here. Grace might not have this room.

We could have this room.

Hold your horses. You haven't seen the master bedroom yet.

-This is more like it.

-Very nice.

-That's lovely.

-Plenty of room. En-suite bathroom.

-Yeah, with a shower.

-With a shower?

-Yeah.

-Oh, lovely.

-Very nice.

-Yeah.

Let's look at this...outside area. That's beautiful.

I wouldn't go that far, Jon(!)

There's no swimming pool. This is a nice little grassed area.

Just enough space. Not too much grass.

-This is beautiful, Grace. Do you like it?

-Yeah.

-Do you really like it?

-I love it.

Even the lack of pool hasn't put them off, but there's always a drawback.

The only concern I've got is, it's quite far out. It's isolating.

-You'd have to drive. You'd have to drive to most places.

-Yeah.

Which would be a problem as Mandi hasn't passed her test yet.

For me, that's the only downside, cos it is beautiful.

-It's absolutely gorgeous.

-Like it. I like this house a lot, actually.

-Could see myself living in this house.

-It's still a lot of money, but you do get a lot for your money.

I do like this one better.

Got to say, I do like this one better!

We've shown the Mills three properties, all of which would be a stretch, financially.

House number one was tastefully decorated,

but came with only three bedrooms and was on the market for £240,000.

Property two had four bedrooms, all a tad on the small side, but was cheaper at £205,000.

They loved the third house, but would the £215,000 price tag be worth it,

if they'd feel isolated living there?

So how will they vote on property?

UK or Australia?

We've looked at lots of properties today.

They've all been in beautiful areas and don't really compare to houses at home,

so there is really only one choice...

ALL: Australia!

Well, four out of five isn't bad.

Even Mandi preferred the houses in Australia compared to back home.

But, to make a move, Jon would have to guarantee a secure job which paid enough to fund a new lifestyle.

Back home in his current job, Jon started off as an apprentice marine electrician

and has spent the last few years working his way up to a more senior role.

He earns a salary of just over £30,000.

He's concerned that, in Australia, this may all change.

One of the big sacrifices is not getting a position that I'm used to doing at the moment.

It's starting again at the bottom and working my way up.

There will be a financial sacrifice, so I may be spending longer hours at work in the first few years.

Day two, and he's off to road test a job with a company

who builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Australian Navy.

And has come to meet quality control manager, David West...

-Hello, Jon. How are you?

-Hi, David. You all right?

-Yeah. Good.

..who offers him a tour around the site.

While Jon explores his job prospects, Mandi and the kids have a look around

to see if Adelaide has enough to offer them.

It was Jon's dream to come to Australia.

He's always wanted to move to Australia, always wanted to start a life in Australia,

even before he met me, so opportunity came along and here we are.

It might be Jon's dream but the decision to move would be a joint one.

Is Mandi really prepared to give up her life in the UK?

If Jon came back from work and said, "This is it, I really want to do this, I love it, let's do it,"

we'd have to do a lot of talking. I couldn't just move here just because Jon enjoys the work,

which sounds selfish, possibly, on my part, but yeah, I'd need a little bit more

than just Jon enjoying his work, to be honest, because there's more of us in the family than just Jon.

OK. Well, my department...

Back at work, Jon's finding out about the differences between his job in the UK and here in Australia.

Here's the control room. As you can see, it's in the middle of the maintenance activity,

so there's a fair bit of equipment removed. Periscopes, consoles are out getting maintained.

How do you see the transition being from the UK to Australia?

OK. Well, my understanding of how things are done in the UK is that it's a very similar approach

to how it's done in Australia, the way we build submarines and the way we maintain them.

-I think you'll fit in well and I think the transition will be very easy for you.

-Good.

But his biggest concern is whether he'd have to start at a lower level, which would mean a drop in salary.

If Jon could get a role comparable to his in the UK, it could be all systems go.

In my department, there's a number of avenues that you could explore.

-Yep.

-So there's plenty of work and plenty of security.

-Excellent. That's one of the things I was worried about most.

-OK. Good.

That's a relief.

David's arranged for Jon to meet up with an ex-colleague from a shipyard in Barrow.

Can he reassure Jon that moving his family here would be a safe bet?

-Hey, mate. You all right?

-How you doing?

-All right, mate.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-Good to see you.

-They've been looking after you?

-Yeah.

You've been here for five years. So, obviously, you've settled in now.

You'll meet lots of people through the school with the kids.

Once the kids start doing sport activities, stuff like that. It's life-changing,

moving from Barrow, where it's...

freezing cold and dark when you go to work and dark when you come home.

It's nothing like in the UK.

Generally, you just spend most of your time round people's houses, having barbecues in the back yards,

you'll go to the beach with the kids or you'll go for a picnic or just watch the sunset.

-There's plenty of time to do that, as well?

-Oh, yeah. Yeah. This is a huge change for you, mate.

-I have to get going, anyway, so see you later.

-Catch up.

-Yeah.

Mandi, on the other hand, is not so sure.

With no ready-made social life, it would be a huge change from what she's used to at home.

Family's really important to me, I think.

To have that little group of people you really trust and know,

and just somebody to fall back on and be there for you when you're really low and need somebody.

And I think that it could be quite isolating, here, for me.

Children obviously make friends at school. Jon'll make friends at work.

I'll be left with, well, me.

I would need a lot of convincing to want to make a whole new life here.

A lot of convincing... on Jon's part, for me to give it a go, I think.

So Jon has a big task ahead of him, but having spent a positive day at work, things are looking good.

My main concern was coming in at a lower level than what I'm used to, working in the UK.

Over here, David certainly gave the impression that the work was very similar,

and they do have a similar level that I'm doing now.

It's just a matter of learning systems, processes and standards, so I've got no worries any more.

-And how would he fit in?

-Oh, that won't be a problem at all.

We've got a number of lads over here from the UK, and so we're used to the UK guys and they're used to us.

They get used to us pretty quickly, so there'll be no problem there.

The transition will be short and easy and, yes, I reckon he'd fit in just fine.

That all sounds great, and with a salary similar to what he earns in the UK, how will Jon vote?

So, people seem really friendly. Building submarines - that's very similar to what I'm doing at home.

Basically, there's only one choice...

Australia!

While the rest of the world begins to slow down, the Australian economy remains pretty strong

and the skills shortage is still very much in evidence.

But what's driving it?

The Australian mining companies are digging for copper, uranium, iron ore and zinc.

There is a massive demand

for Australian minerals by the world, particularly by China,

so the opportunities available in Australia are enormous.

And it's not just miners that stand to benefit from the boom.

In the cities of Australia, there is, of course,

big growth in the support industries for mining.

What we're saying to people is, is that now we are really recruiting around the world to get IT people,

engineers, mechanics, chefs, police officers, nurses,

to provide the support for this mining expansion,

-so what we're seeing is the lowest unemployment ever, highest number of people in a job.

-Crikey!

With unemployment at around 4%, maybe we should all move over there!

Australia is very much a migrant nation.

We're the most migrant nation in the world and people have come here to be part of Australia's development,

so people have got get up and go, come to Australia and be part of something really exciting,

but also, having a great lifestyle for themselves and their kids.

Jon and Mandi Mills are divided in their views about a move down under.

Jon is adamant that Australia could offer them a brilliant new life.

Certainly, since I was 19, it's always been a passion of mine to go there and settle down.

But Mandi's not sure she's ready to move away from the friends and family she's so close to in the UK.

It's nice having my parents living over the road

and my friend living round the corner and it'll really upset me. It'll be heart-wrenching to leave.

Jon's challenge has been to win Mandi over to his way of thinking, but it hasn't been easy...

-This is Seth's room.

-Different.

We're coming from little pokey rooms to a house with little pokey rooms...

The rest of the house is quite nice.

-If you don't like it, you don't like it.

-No. I don't. Sorry. I just don't.

..and striking the right balance is a definite struggle.

I don't want to push her, cos if I push her and she doesn't like it, it's just going to turn so nasty,

and that's one thing I want to avoid.

Will hearing messages from friends and family back home make the decision to move even harder?

That was horrible.

Australia - the land of sun and surf.

Well, not today, it isn't.

Unfortunately for Jon, Adelaide, situated in the driest state, in the driest inhabited country on Earth,

is suffering one of its coldest and wettest Augusts on record,

and convincing Mandi to move on a day like today may be a tall order.

So maybe Jon can work on the kids.

They're off to Gumeracha Toy Factory, home to the world's biggest rocking horse,

where maybe they can escape the worst of the weather.

-Go up the stairs.

-Cold...

It's like being in England.

SHE LAUGHS

It's just a bit cold and damp at the moment.

Yeah. We really weren't expecting it to be like this,

but we're all right. The rain might hold off.

It might stop. You never know.

It is a bit of a reality check, that it's not all roses and sunny over here.

And, you know, Adelaide's meant to be one of the driest states, and today's just proved it wrong.

Do I detect a bit of doubt creeping in there, Jon?

Shall we go to the horse? Yeah?

Eventually the skies do brighten and so does Jon's outlook.

All the way.

I never thought I'd see kangaroos as soft and as gentle as this.

I always assumed that they were fairly wild animals

that run wild all the time. Just to see them like this

is really nice and for the girls to feed them...

I don't think they realise it yet, but it's a dream come true for them.

You know, feeding kangaroos in Australia...

doesn't get any cooler, does it?

I think Jon loves it.

I think Jon really, really enjoys anything to do with Australia.

I think you could have took him anywhere and he'd have loved it,

cos he really wants to live here and I don't think that

anything will put him off, to be honest.

I like the lifestyle. Certainly

all the people that I've spoke to have always pushed the lifestyle.

So no guessing how Jon feels.

But are they starting to be of the same opinion?

I'm thinking that she's liking it a lot more.

I think she's softening to the "moving to Australia" thing.

I'd like to think that, anyway.

Everything I know, everything familiar, is back in England.

It's just a case of...

struggling with my head and my heart, I think, more than anything.

I'm not trying to push her in any way, but obviously, I'm

still trying my best to subtly say, Mandi, this is nice.

You know, we can do this.

I'm missing my mum and dad, a lot.

If I came back to England and said

that I wanted to make a life in Australia, they'd be devastated.

So that's another thing that chokes me up a little bit.

Family's really important to me.

Hello!

It's trying to keep everybody happy, but also in the best interests

of us and our little family, so it's just for Jon.

Jon wanted to change.

Jon wanted a new start, so I said we'd go and give it a go.

And I'd give it my best shot and that's all I can do.

At the end of the day, all I can do is give it my best shot.

Jon is understanding when it comes to Mandi's point of view.

It's got to be a joint decision,

otherwise, it's on the other side of the world

and to be stuck somewhere where you have no friends

and you don't even want to be is just too much.

It's got to be her decision to want to come.

My main goal is to keep the family together and happy.

And if it means that I don't get to fulfil my dream then I'm

going to have to live with it.

The day at the toy factory has given the Mills some quality outdoor life

that they say they want more of, but also, a lot to think about.

So how will they vote on lifestyle?

The weather's been quite comparable to the UK with sun and showers.

We've enjoyed feeding the kangaroos and the other animals.

So our vote today's going to be...

-UK!

-Australia.

-Australia!

As their week in Adelaide comes to

an end, has Mandi been won over by what Australia has to offer?

I've actually found Australia to be not actually what I was expecting.

I think it was slightly better than what I was expecting.

To be honest, I think I was naive in thinking that Australia

would be England, but warmer, but it's really not, at all.

It's nothing like England.

It feels a bit friendlier than a city you'd get at home.

More people chat and talk to you!

At the end of the day, I know she's had the taste.

I think it's just a matter of time, now.

I'd like to think it was a matter of time before she decided, yeah,

it's the place I want to be.

As regards to a future life in Australia, my heart is saying

go home, because everything you know is there. It's comfortable there.

Friends and family are there.

My head is saying stay in Australia, cos it's a new opportunity.

A new life. New beginning.

But my heart's slightly ruling at the moment, I'm afraid.

But yeah, there's definitely a pull for both.

But I think that my heartstrings

pull a little bit more than my head, to be honest!

If Mandi did say no, that's it, definitely not,

I would be sort of devastated.

Despite Mandi's doubts, Jon remains convinced that Australia

could offer the best possible future for the family.

But will he be quite so sure when he hears from loved ones back home?

'Hello, Jon...

'and Mandi.

'Lily. Grace. And Seth.

'If you do stay in Australia, we want you to take the best shot at it.

'Make it the best shot you possible can.'

'I hope everything goes fine for you. I miss you very much.'

'Jon's brilliant. I'm so proud of him. He didn't have

'the best start in life and it's wonderful.

'He's a smashing lad. He gets on with people.

'He's very studious. And he's a good craftsman.'

'Oh, Mandi's smashing.

'She's absolutely brilliant.

'She's a good girl. You know, I'd be totally lost if she decides to go.'

'Both our mums were dinner ladies

'in work together, and we used to go to Mandi's house for lunch and

'sometimes we used to jig school

'because our mums were at work and we used to stay at Mandi's house.'

'On Christmas day, or over Christmas they'd look after me very well.

'They'd even give me a taxi home if I'd drunk too much.

'Lily, Gracie and Seth. Like all grandparents,

'I think they're the best thing since sliced bread.

'It would be quite a thing, for them not to be there.

'It'd break my heart, to be honest.'

'I think, when they go away, they're going to get homesick,

'and that's going to be the crucial point for them.'

'I understand Mandi's...

'reluctance and hesitation about leaving Barrow.

'It's a big step for her.

'It's a big step for them all.

'If you don't take a step, you're never going to find out

'what's further along the path for you.'

'I mean, Jon'll be at work and the kids'll adapt fine.

'I think it'll be a great life for them, but I worry if Mandi,

'with being at home with the kids, I worry if she gets isolated.

'If they're not there...

'..it'll be like a bereavement.'

'I can't just, "Oh, I'll just go see the girls..."

'It'll just seem such a dramatic change.'

'Also, I'll miss them when the kids are in a school play

'and they come and ask me to go.

'I'll miss them there, too.'

My family is my family. That's what I do.

That's what I'm about. It's my family.

To be without them, doesn't bear thinking about.

'Mandi, I'm really going to miss you if you go and live in Australia,

'but enough of my selfish needs and wants.

'If you decide to stay in Australia, I'm 100% behind you.'

'Well, it's me again.

'I hope you've seen plenty of sights in Australia.

'I've missed you and I hope to see you soon.'

'Life, for me... will be entirely different,

'but if that's what it takes for you to be happy...

'..that's what matters.

'I can't say anything else.'

That was horrible, wasn't it?

Your mum was obviously devastated

just at the thought of us not being in close proximity to her.

Cos when my mum's chicks fell out the nest,

they only fell slightly out the nest.

They didn't fly the nest... quite.

How selfish is your mum?

I know. She's horrible, isn't she?

A horrible woman.

I'll be devastated but you'll be happy.

I feel guilty.

I feel really awful for...putting them through that, I suppose.

I didn't expect anything less than there to be a lot of tears

and a lot of upset at this point.

Grace, it's all right.

If we weren't crying, I'd think there was something wrong, you know?

It's natural to miss them...

..but I still believe that being in Australia is the right thing for us.

It's been a challenging week for the Mills family, who are

thinking of starting a new life

many thousands of miles away from their home in Cumbria.

When they've left school, they can go work in the shipyard,

or the hospital, and I'd quite like to widen that field

and give them more opportunity.

The trip's fulfilled Jon's hopes that Oz could provide

them with a better life.

I don't think they realise yet - it's a dream come true for them.

Feeding kangaroos in Australia - doesn't get any cooler, does it?

But he hasn't had the best of luck.

Even the normally reliable Aussie weather has been against him.

It is a bit of a reality check. It's not all roses and sunny over here.

After a lot of searching, they found a property

Mandi felt she could call home.

-I like it. I like it a lot.

-Oh, I like this.

I could see myself living in this house.

But with her heartstrings being tugged from the other side

of the world, persuading Mandi to move was always going to be tricky.

I'm missing my mum and dad. If I came back to England and said

that I wanted to make a life in Australia, they'd be devastated.

The Mills are now in a difficult situation.

Can Jon accept his life in the UK isn't that bad,

or will Mandi acknowledge the possibility of a future beyond home?

It's crunch time.

How will they vote overall? To move to Australia, or to stay in the UK?

We've had a wonderful week in Australia, where we tasted

the lifestyle, seen plenty of people and tasted the work, as well.

The Mills family vote for Australian life and living is...

-UK.

-Australia!

-UK!

Oh, dear, it's a very mixed vote and as the Mills pack to leave for home,

it's time to reflect on the painful reality of a family split

on this massive decision.

I'm going to be devastated to go back to the UK, to be honest.

It's a beautiful place and I've got good friends there,

got good work colleagues, but...

I honestly believe that I should be in Australia and this is a place

that I've always meant to be, as well.

I like the people. I like the place.

I like the country. And it was a dream come true coming here.

With the girls,

I think that this has been a really good experience for them.

But saying that, Barrow's...

that's their life, that's what they know, that's where they live.

They don't really know much else outside of

that sort of life, that community.

It's a bit heart-wrenching to think

that my dream's here and yet I'm in the UK.

But until Mandi makes that decision, I'm going to have to live with it.

I think he'll be disappointed,

but I don't think it'll actually change anything.

It's not as if we've got an horrendous life at home

and everything's going wrong at home and this is our only escape route.

It's not a case of that. It was his dream.

Well, it is his dream, his big dream.

But, I'm going to sound really awful when I say this,

I'm not going to feel guilty, though, because we're a family and you can't.

Your dreams have got to start together really, haven't they?

And not just one person.

Australia's where I want to be and that's where I want to end up.

I could see she had serious doubts to start off with

and throughout the week it was practically impossible

to convince Mandi that moving to Australia was for her.

But Jon, well, he still harbours a dream that one day he'll come

where he's Wanted Down Under.

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