Connor and King Family Wanted Down Under

Starting again on the other side of the world

is many people's idea of heaven,

but if your partner wasn't totally committed to the idea,

how far would YOU push your relationship

to make the dream come true?

Theatre nurse Neil dreams of a better life down under.

Earning more money, having a nice house,

not going to work in the frost and snow.

And finding the perfect home in Oz could persuade

partner Christopher to make the move with him.

Oh, no way, no way! Amazing!

I wouldn't mind washing the dishes for that view.

But if they can't make the money work...

It's nearly four times what we spend back home.

..will Neil's dream bite the dust?

It's not all a rosy picture that we hoped it would be.

With eight out of ten people living within 100km of its coast,

Australia has long been a promised land for British people

seeking a better life.

But not everyone finds the dream they were looking for

and almost a third return to the UK with their hopes dashed.

In the days ahead, Neil and Christopher

face a life-changing decision.

They'll have just one week to experience all Australia

has to offer before making a final choice

between a future in UK, or down under.

The couple's journey begins with over 20 hours in the air,

flying from Scotland via Dubai to Adelaide.

They've just touched down but the trip has already raised concerns for Christopher.

I'm definitely concerned about the travelling,

definitely for my family.

I think I would need to really think about getting Mum a flight

that doesn't have as many stopovers

and possibly somewhere they can stay over for a day or two

to soften the blow, because it is such a long, long journey.

Neil's less worried.

It's just all exciting to see what lies ahead in the next few days.

Erm, just to help make Christopher's mind up.

If the sun keep shining, I think, the task will be a lot easier

than what we thought it was.

-We'll see.

-We'll see.

Both have visited Adelaide before, but this time it's no holiday.

Neil has just one week to persuade Christopher their future life together lies in Australia.

Back in the UK, Neil Connor and Christopher King

live in a two-bedroomed apartment near Glasgow city centre.

Neil's a recently qualified nurse and Christopher's in banking.

Their busy careers seem to have taken over their lives.

We work to live.

We go to work. We come home from work.

There are times we just pass each other by.

I do quite a lot of overtime. I work shifts here, as well,

and sometimes I don't get home until late.

Neil starts early so he's sometimes in bed by the time I get home.

We don't see very much of each other during the week.

They both feel something's got to change.

I can't foresee us living like that for 30 years in Scotland.

For Neil, the answer's obvious.

Australia has always been my dream since I was a wee boy.

The dream began many years ago when Neil's aunt emigrated down under.

I was amazed there was this faraway, exotic place

that my aunt had upped sticks and disappeared to.

Then I had the chance to go on holiday to Australia

and I totally fell in love with it the moment I was there.

As the plane landed, I remember looking out thinking,

"It's as if I'm going home," when I'd never even set foot in the place.

The couple have been together for five years

and Neil's been clear about his intentions

to move down under from the start.

From the minute we first met Neil told me

exactly that his dream was Australia

and that I wasn't to do anything silly like fall in love with him.

Because I would just break his heart and run off into the sun.

But obviously, he couldn't keep his end of the bargain

so now I'm going to Australia and he has to come with me.

Neil passionately believes Australia could offer both him

and Christopher more than the UK.

We do want to have a better quality of life.

We want to have a nice home.

We want somewhere that our friends and family can come and stay.

It's always been Neil's dream because of the way of life,

the attitude in Australia is completely different.

We will be working hard to build a new life in the sun

but the biggest draw is the fact we can come home from work

and get to spend time with each other.

Neil's been working tirelessly to persuade Christopher

to share his dream, but with only limited success.

Over the time we've been together, it's became urgent,

but I think he's over 100% convinced

and I'm not as high a percentage, to be honest.

It was 0% in the early days

but over the years we've been together I've been slowly chipping away.

But moving to Australia with Neil would mean Christopher

leaving behind his mother, who depends on his support.

Four years ago, my mum fell down a flight of stairs

and banged her head and ever since that she's suffered from dizziness

and she doesn't really go out much by herself.

Since his mum's accident the family have relied heavily on Christopher

for support and the thought of leaving them weighs on his mind.

My mum calls me her rock.

I'm the one that drives so I take Mum to hospital appointments

and remind her she's got them.

It would be tough for my family to cope with,

erm, not having me here.

I know that it terrifies him to think that we could abandon them

and if he's not here to give that support

that he loves to give them every day,

erm, he'd be so wracked with guilt.

Neil also has strong family ties.

My grandparents are my mum and dad.

My mum died when I was just a wee boy.

So my gran assumed that role as being our mum.

So they do mean the entire world to me.

But they've given their blessing for a move.

They're so supportive of it.

And the case is if I decide to go to Australia,

yes, they'll be happy for us.

The decision to go is far from made.

If Neil's to persuade Christopher to make the heartbreaking choice to leave his mum behind,

he knows there's a huge amount to achieve in the next week.

I would go and live in a tin shed.

If Christopher and I weren't together and I was single

then I would be in Australia yesterday.

There's a huge pressure on my shoulders.

I hope that I do love it as much as he tells me

I'm going to love it.

Erm, just because I know how much he wants to do it

and this is his lifelong dream.

Everything rests on the week ahead.

Can Neil and Christopher find the life they dream of,

or will the heartache of leaving family behind be too much to bear?

Their trial week will see the couple staying in Adelaide.

Ranked the most liveable city in Australia for the past three years,

it should be perfect for the lifestyle the couple seek.

Home for the week is a modern two-bedroomed apartment

in the heart of the city centre.

What are their first impressions?

-Wow!

-It's nice, isn't it?

It's ginormous compared to what you'd think it would be outside.

It actually identical to how we would probably have it.

-It's very much to our taste, isn't it?

-It is.

That looks like a bar.

Yep, it is indeed a bar.

Imagine here every white wine under the sun.

-Prosecco and Champagne.

-Prosecco and Champagne only.

The lanterns are like the ones we have just now.

-But you're lantern-crazy.

-I do like a lantern.

It looks like both Neil and Christopher are ready to move in.

-Oh!

-Oh, my God.

-A beautiful hotel bedroom, isn't it?

It's just like what we would want.

It's actually perfect.

-Where's the kitchen?

-Kitchen?

-Mm-hm.

-Let's go.

It doesn't take long before Christopher's finding fault.

-It just looks a bit clinical?

-Do you think so?

-For my taste.

It's fantastic, the stainless steel.

They've got the lifestyle pad for the week

but already Neil's thinking about what's at stake

over the next few days.

I think there's definitely nerves there somewhere thinking about

how things might not pan out the way that I dream and hope that they will.

It's all about convincing Christopher that we can afford to make the move.

The house is key for my family to come over

and being able to afford the house. It's money and family,

the main things that would tip it over to Australia for me.

There's a lot of weight on his shoulders. As much as I just say,

"Yeah, we're going to live in Adelaide",

he's the one that has to do the thinking.

This is where we will decide

whether we want to eventually move to Australia, or not.

This is a kind of deal-breaker. It's so important to get it right

and find out exactly what we need to find out.

Home for Neil and Christopher in the UK

is a two-bedroomed flat in Glasgow.

When it comes to a home down under,

they both know exactly what they want.

We do want a three-bedroomed to four-bedroomed house,

big enough for family to come over and big enough

so we don't fall on top of each other when family do come and visit.

Quite modern, we've even got it down to the colour.

We do want an aubergine house in Australia, or grey.

Grey and aubergine, not too much outdoor space.

You'll just have to cut the grass.

If it's covered in mono blocks, or slabs, that's perfect,

-with the occasional aloe vera plant.

-Yes.

Today we'll show Neil and Christopher three properties

based on what they think they can afford,

what they'd ideally like, and one in between.

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

First house is in the established beachside suburb of Marino,

around 12 miles southwest of Adelaide city centre.

Marino has plenty of cafes and restaurants

and is already home to some of Neil's relatives.

Will this recently renovated two-bedroomed house

get the day off to a flying start?

It does look lovely, but I don't think I'd like it here.

-No, too many creepy crawlies.

-Too much, yeah.

But it does have the aloe vera plant, Christopher.

Oh, a good-sized room.

-Oh, God, it's lovely.

-It's very bright.

That's a bedroom, I thought that'd be the living room.

-That's very nice.

-It's lovely.

It's just like how our bedroom would be at home.

-Green, my favourite colour.

-You're green-crazy!

Built in the '60s, the house layout is quite traditional,

but so far the interior design is meeting with approved.

-It's a good-sized kitchen.

-It's lovely.

-It very nice.

-I like the worktop.

-The breakfast bar. It's perfect.

So far, so good.

Back home the boys love to entertain

so where to arrange the tables and chairs is key.

-This is lovely.

-I don't know if we'd have this as a living room, as well.

It's bigger than up there, I'd rather have this as the living room.

Would you have that as a dining room?

We could have the wee table and chairs off the kitchen.

Glad that's sorted!

-There's rooms everywhere.

-Really.

-Ah, bathroom.

-That's a good size.

Shower and bath, it's cool.

This is another bedroom, it's an OK size.

-This means there's only two rooms.

-A-ha.

Oh, dear - with only two bedrooms, this house may be losing its appeal.

If this is the only other bedroom there is, it'll be difficult.

But perhaps with some forward planning...

It means we'd have to be stricter with the calendar for visitors.

"No, you can't come in January!"

Outside, the covered decking area is ideal for socialising.

-Oh, this is lovely.

-This is fantastic, isn't it?

-Mm-hm.

-You can see the sea view.

-Sea view, perfect.

-You can just imagine sat out here at night-time.

-Yeah.

-It'll be perfect.

-This is lovely.

It's all going so well, until...

I don't know too much about seeing other people's roofs.

I don't think there will be ever anyone on their roofs.

And things go from bad to worse...

That's too much there. I didn't realise that was all round there.

-Too much plant life?

-Yeah. Why would you have that?

It's Australia, Christopher! They do nature in a big way.

Imagine sitting out here when it gets dark and the mossies come out.

No, thanks.

This house may be falling short of Christopher's high expectations,

but with a budget of £300,000, is it somewhere they could afford anyway?

-All right, OK. Are you going to flip?

-My flip.

-You do it.

BOTH: Oh...

Over 300 but less than 310.

That's within our budget.

I think this house confirms to me that this is doable.

We could have a house in a place where we really want to live

and afford to live here. Yeah.

But Christopher's not convinced.

It doesn't have enough space for people to visit.

It's got two bedrooms just now,

with a dressing room which would easily be a temporary front bedroom.

At the moment people stay for one night,

but over here people would come here for months.

-Can you imagine working full-time and tripping over visitors?

-Mm.

-I think it's perfect.

-OK.

Looks like Neil's got a battle on his hands.

If he's to keep Christopher on-side,

the next house needs to offer more, much more.

Moving slightly closer to the city, this modern bungalow is in Hove,

a popular and lively area the couple had previously looked at online.

Will the reality be enough for Christopher?

This is like the houses we were looking at.

-It's the modern style we like.

-Big double garage, yeah.

And not too much grass.

-And only a few plants. That's ideal.

-Yeah.

That's a better start than the last house.

-The bedroom...

-Got the master bedroom straight away.

-Yeah.

Is that a walk-in wardrobe?

-Yes!

-That's a good size.

-The last house there were no wardrobes.

-Yeah.

And the en suite.

-Funky...

-That's beautiful.

-It's perfect.

That's only the first room, though.

Will the rest of the house live up to their expectations?

You see, this is ideal for when people come to visit.

Our bedroom is the other side, we've got our own bathroom,

-one walk-in wardrobe and then they've got this.

-That's true.

-It's like a visitors' wing.

-Built-in wardrobes, again.

It's a perfect size, it really is.

And things just keep getting better.

Oh... This is the houses we've seen.

Like open-plan living, just having all this in one big room.

-It's such a big size.

-Yeah, it's super.

-Imagine having people over, that big breakfast bar.

-Yeah.

It would be perfect.

This house is checking all the right boxes, until...

CARS PASS

The only thing is that road, that's really loud.

I suppose, we're what, five minutes from the beach.

That's Brighton Road, it's busy.

-We're going to hear traffic.

-It's very busy, though.

Sitting here just now, that would annoy me.

That is the only thing I can say about the house, is the road, nothing else...

Anywhere we are along the beach is within 200 metres of that road

because that road runs parallel to the beach.

We're going to hear that the whole length of the coast.

But I know what you mean, it is annoying.

At home they've whiled away hours looking at Aussie properties on the Internet,

but today is a reminder that nothing beats on-the-ground research.

This house has the four bedrooms the couple want,

but Neil and Christopher reckon it'll be way over

their £300,000 budget.

I'd say £430,000.

No! I'd say 400.

-400?

-Yeah.

The big reveal.

-Oh...

-404.

-That is £100,000...

-That much.

I'm a little disappointed that this house is the house

we've been looking at exactly to a tee

and the fact that the price is way over budget.

And the location, I didn't realise how narrow the plots would be.

-For me, this is where I thought it would be ideal to stay.

-Mm-hmm.

I just didn't realise how busy that road was going to be.

With two properties down, Neil's chances of convincing

Christopher to make the move to Adelaide aren't looking good.

Will the final property save the day?

This newly built five-bedroomed house is in Port Noarlunga,

an up-and-coming coastal suburb, alive with cafe culture,

restaurants and shopping.

45 minutes from the city centre, it should offer more value for money.

Will it be up to spec?

-Oh, my God.

-It's beautiful.

-Oh, my God.

It's a good start.

-Oh, it's a bedroom.

-It's a good size.

-It's beautiful. It really is.

-It's just amazing. Like it is, actually, amazing.

-It's gorgeous.

-It's like a five-star hotel.

-It's obviously brand new.

-A big power shower.

-Yeah.

Do you think this is the master bedroom or a spare bedroom?

-It's not huge.

-Yeah.

-This could be just like a guest room.

-It's just beautiful.

-Beautiful.

Neil admits to chasing a dream in Australia,

but could this house get Christopher carried away too?

Oh...no way!

No way.

THEY LAUGH

-This is beautiful.

-It's amazing.

I wouldn't mind washing the dishes for that view.

I think they like it.

-It's just...

-I'm liking.

It's actually beyond words.

-It's perfect.

-I'm actually getting a bit choked up.

I was teary-eyed in the kitchen.

That's quite a reaction, and with the balcony perfect for parties,

they could be reaching for the handkerchief yet.

That's amazing, isn't it?

It just opens this space right up out here.

It's like bringing the outdoors in.

And not a creepy-crawly in sight.

-Oh, my God.

-Our own barbie.

-A barbecue.

-That's spectacular.

Christopher's even planning the furniture again.

A big dining table here for outdoors

and then all that white rattan furniture we've seen in the shop.

When people say houses have the 'wow factor',

this most definitely has it.

With five bedrooms, this house has plenty of space for visiting family.

This is the master bedroom.

Look at that walk-in wardrobe.

That's bigger than our spare room back home.

Look at it all, the balcony, the dressing room,

the en-suite.

It's like out of this world. Now I've seen this.

I don't want to live in any other house.

-I want to stay here.

-It just makes the other houses look horrible, doesn't it?

Neil and Christopher might have found their dream house,

but will they be able to afford it?

Their budget is £300,000.

Well over £500,000, I'd say.

More than 500,000.

I think more 450, just because of how far away it is.

Every single bit of this house is perfect.

-It's exceptional.

-It's better than perfect.

-Yeah.

-It's better than we could ever imagine.

-I know.

Are you doing the honours?

-No way.

-421.

So that's £17,000 more than the house at Hove.

So it is.

That's £121,000 over budget.

If they were to take out a larger mortgage,

could it still be within reach?

Over 30 years, that's so doable.

Is it worth it?

Yeah. Does it give us the dream?

Is it the dream house?

-Yeah?

-If we bought a house like this we wouldn't have to move ever again.

Yeah.

We thought we knew when we arrived here where we wanted to live,

what our house was going to look like and how much

-we were going to pay, and this is just left field.

-This is just the one.

House-hunting has given the couple plenty of food for thought.

Property one was within their price range

but just not big enough to accommodate their needs.

The second house was nearly perfect, although £100,000 over budget

and too close to a busy road.

And property three was everything Neil has dreamt of

but the price could be a massive stretch.

Based on everything they've seen, will Neil and Christopher

choose property in the UK, or Australia?

Based on the houses we've seen today,

our vote is going to be...

BOTH: Australia!

Did you think I was going to go Australia?

-Yeah, after seeing this house I knew Australia was the way to go.

-Yeah.

-I was the same.

-This is the place to be.

-That's it, no need to go home, this is the house for us.

-Yeah.

Christopher's vote for Australia is great news for Neil's hopes

of a better life down under, but it's based on a dream home

and lifestyle that will require substantial funding.

So it's now more important than ever to secure good jobs in Adelaide.

In the UK the couple both work incredibly hard

to pay for the lifestyle they enjoy.

Neil's a recently qualified theatre nurse at Glasgow's Royal infirmary.

Because I am the main visa applicant, we'll be looking at my job as a priority.

The thought of not having the same job when I get to Adelaide is quite scary.

The role I have just now is the job I love.

The greatest reward about being a nurse is the things you do for your patient are totally priceless.

I think it's nice that you make a difference to people's lives.

Hopefully I'd look for an identical post.

If that's not the case, the fact is I've got a degree in nursing

so I should be a nurse anywhere.

I can't say, "Oh, I've only worked here."

I'm equipped to do a job

and if it means taking any job as long as it was a nurse, I'd be happy.

If it pays the bills, Christopher will be happy too.

Christopher has spent five years working his way up through

the ranks to become team manager in a large bank's contact centre.

I really enjoy my job here. I love being a team manager.

I'm quite a people person, I like people managing.

I've put a lot of time and effort in it and put myself out of my comfort zone at times

to get where I am and what I've achieved.

I think giving that up will be tough because I'll need to start from the beginning again.

To find out if Adelaide can offer the earning power the boys need

to afford their dream house, they're off to explore the local job market.

Looking at houses is great but today is where we actually find out, can we afford the houses?

For Christopher, the reality of money was always going to be

the make or break for us coming to Australia.

If today doesn't prove to be as positive as I'd hoped,

then I think it will create a more difficult situation.

Christopher's meeting with Cheryl Gaston,

a senior manager at one of Australia's biggest banks.

Could he get a job at his current level?

We've got an external role at the moment but it isn't a team manager,

it's what we call a lending manager.

It will be one of our senior lending roles.

Meanwhile, Neil's at a medical centre to meet theatre consultant Ben Lockwood.

As a newly qualified nurse, he needs to know about options for graduates.

We may take on a graduate for a teachable P programme,

so it's transition to professional practice programme

that gives them two six-month placements.

Following that year, if they're successful in getting employment

ongoing in the operating theatres,

they would identify an area that they enjoy.

It might be they like anaesthetics, it may be they like scrubs scouts.

Sounds encouraging for Neil.

Back at the bank, will Cheryl have positive news for Christopher

on a senior manager job?

It is quite rare that we do recruit externally for those roles.

We really try to progress people through their career within.

That's not what Christopher wanted to hear.

Promoting from within the company means

he may initially have to take a step back in his career in Australia.

I think that was my main consideration,

would it be the same position I go into, or would I start down

at a low level and work my way up again?

We do have a scale and sort of early or new recruits

that don't know anything about any lending etc,

-they start around the 52, 53,000 mark.

-OK.

But you would come in with experience, so I would think

-you would start at around the 62 to 67 mark...

-OK.

-..would be the salary range that would be available.

-OK.

Then they would put super on top of that.

Even with a step back,

Christopher could earn almost £20,000 more than at home.

Back in his suit, Neil's meeting with Lydia Dennett,

the Chief Nurse of South Australia,

to find out if job opportunities exist for him.

What opportunities are there for someone like myself

coming as a registered nurse from Scotland to Adelaide?

Are there posts available?

At the moment we don't have an acute shortage and so really

it's quite competitive in terms of seeking and obtaining a position.

That's a big blow for Neil.

But could his theatre skills make a difference?

In relation to your field of work

and your area of specialisation, that being theatre nursing

and in particular orthopaedic procedural nursing,

it does give you an advantage in terms of that competition

that there might be at the moment for positions.

-That's very good.

-Mmm.

That's much more positive and Neil's keen to find out the answer

to that all-important question.

What kind of salary could I expect at my current level of training?

You would be in a starting position of around about

-55,000 Australian dollars.

-OK.

That's a base salary and that would rise

through an annual increment

to just under 75,000 Australian dollars

at year ten.

That sounds absolutely fabulous, Lydia. That's great.

That over £10,000 more than Neil gets in the UK

but only if, and it's a big if, he can find a job.

So having heard everything that's on offer today, will

their combined news be enough for the couple to green light the dream?

Based on today's work experience,

we are going to vote...

-Australia!

-Undecided.

Undecided means it might have been bad?

Although I'd be doing a job similar, I wouldn't be a team manager.

I think, that just...

Although in the past we spoke about it and I said

-"I don't know, I wouldn't mind going back," I don't think I could.

-No.

Mmm, so we need to find you a different job.

-Yeah, we'll look at other banks, possibly.

-OK.

-Yeah.

That's fine, that's doable.

With mixed news on the job front, and Christopher voting undecided,

Neil's dream of a future in Australia could be in serious trouble.

For the couple, a potential move down under has always

been about the lifestyle the country could offer.

Could a day of exploring those opportunities be enough

to get the dream back on track?

Outside work, the couple's lives revolve around entertaining at home.

We've arranged two activities they could enjoy on a regular weekend.

First, it's a visit to a farmers' market

in the historic town of Willunga.

-A bucket of flowers.

-It's only eight dollars.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Eight dollars.

-Cheers.

We've got some Funky Goat, which is a French-style goat's cheese.

-Why is it funky?

-It gets this funky rind

-and as it ages it gets some really funky flavours.

-Oh, really?

That's OK. I thought it was a song and dance.

Next stop is in the nearby region of McLaren Vale,

where the self-confessed foodies join one of David Arbon's cheesemaking classes.

Today it's mozzarella.

Neil loves baking, but this is a first for both of them.

Now you need to glove up.

Put it in for a minute and then we'll take it out

-and you'll try it and see how well it stretches.

-OK.

When it comes out, if it's hot, pick it up.

If your hands get too hot,

hand it onto your partner and put your hands in that cold water there.

OK.

It's like The Generation Game.

It's so hot.

Not going to win any prizes, but could this be a new hobby for Neil?

I don't think it would replace cake-making at all.

I've still got a sweet tooth.

Cake will always take pride over cheese.

Maybe it's just too cheesy for Neil.

He does think today has helped to win Christopher around, though.

I think Christopher has thoroughly enjoyed today.

I think it all contributes

to tricking him into coming to live in Australia with me.

Yeah, he's had a ball as much as I have,

and I'm sure that he can see himself coming here again

and spending time in the sunshine.

Cooking done, and the boys get to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

Can you imagine if we were having people over on that deck

on the house in Port Noarlunga, having home-made pizza and halloumi.

Cooking the halloumi on the barbecue.

On the barbecue outside, yeah. It would all fall into place.

It would.

-We could get a stone oven put in.

-A stone oven.

-To cook pizza.

-Yeah.

Today's been made to order for the boys

but has it been enough to convince Christopher the Aussie lifestyle

is worth leaving the UK for?

Based on today we are going to vote for...

-Australia.

-Australia.

That's a good decision.

I think we've had a fabulous day out today.

The cheesemaking, the weather...

Back home we go to the market and it rains.

It's all hustle, bustle. It's so much more relaxed over here.

I can see us coming out on a Saturday morning,

getting things in for a party, having people over at night.

It's textbook for what I'd look to be doing every weekend here in Adelaide.

Back home, the couple love nothing more than a house full of guests.

Tonight's a rare opportunity to entertain Neil's relatives

and friends made on previous visits down under.

This is the ideal of our life in Australia.

Just having people you love so close by.

Just having people here eating and drinking in our own home

-is just perfect.

-It's what we love.

We just love to have people over, feed them and have some drinks.

One of the massive aspects of coming to live in Adelaide

is to have a home where we've got space to have our loved ones over.

We thrive on having people at the door.

Yeah, it's just the perfect dream for us.

Neil's hoping the night will work magic

when it comes to persuading Christopher to move,

and he could be right.

It's so important, having Neil's family here.

It gives us that network of family and friends

so you don't feel so isolated being so far away from family back home.

Neil's aunt and uncle made the move down under when he was just a boy.

Their strong relationship helped them settle in the early days

and they think Neil and Christopher have what it takes

to support each other should they decide to emigrate.

They are a good couple and complement each other.

-Definitely?

-Definitely.

I think when it comes to emigrating, that's a very strong component.

Just being with my aunt and uncle is that link to home.

Not having my grandparents here and my brother and my aunts,

having them is that total comfort blanket, I think.

But while a move would bring Neil closer to his family,

it would put 12,000 miles between Christopher

and the people he loves back in the UK.

The thing is, your family's not going to change.

Your feelings for your family

and the love you have are not going to change.

It's just going to be that you don't see them so often.

It's sad we can't have them here.

Neil could be a step closer to getting Christopher

to commit to Australia.

But convincing him they can afford the lifestyle they want

will depend on getting the right price for their home in the UK.

The couple think their Glasgow property is worth around £80,000,

so we've sent two estate agents to find out.

Good, well-proportioned apartment.

Beautifully presented, very nicely furnished.

Tree-lined aspects to the front.

-Very nice.

-It looks OK, doesn't it?

Nice, bright kitchen.

The original units could possibly do with an upgrade

to match the rest of the property.

This is a lovely room. Very, very well decorated, very modern.

The only thing I would say was more storage space.

Good-sized second double.

Again, pleasant aspects and, again, very well dressed.

Beautifully presented two-bedroom apartment.

Very convenient for the city centre.

I would expect the value in this current market

to be in the order of £90-92,000.

For a relatively quick sale,

you're looking in the order of £85-86,000.

I would value this property at £80,000

with a force sale of £72,500.

I like the first guy better!

Mixed valuations, but the boys seem happy.

Time to tackle the bigger money issues.

We've provided a comparison of the cost of living in the UK

versus Australia.

First up - the weekly shop.

£5 for apples? OK, we'll stop eating apples, it's fine.

-I can happily miss that.

-Dessert is cheaper.

That's a win-win situation.

-Onions.

-Onions.

-Onions are cheaper.

-Pasta's cheaper.

-Pears cheaper. Some things are actually quite cheaper.

What about lamb? What is lamb?

-Lamb's more expensive.

-More expensive as well.

So we have to give up apples from our diet,

choose between lamb or beef.

Tough decisions for a pair of food lovers,

but how will this impact on their overall food bill?

So that's £220 a month...

-Mmm-hmm.

-..more on food. That's quite a lot.

-Yeah.

And that's before going out to eat or anything like that.

Over £2,500 more each year on food alone is a significant hike.

Basing their figures on their dream property,

the bigger costs of living could prove a struggle too.

So the mortgage payment of property three would be £2,600.

Which is almost £2,500 more than what we pay at the moment.

That's an enormous hike in mortgage repayments.

But the couple's income

could potentially be nearly £30,000 higher in Australia.

Will the extra earnings mean they can afford the house

and lifestyle they crave?

So in Australia, per month, we're worse off by £584.

-That's a big deal.

-Mmm-hmm.

It's a devastating result, but will it be a deal-breaker

as they choose between finances in Australia or the UK?

So based on working out the figures for living in Australia,

our vote's going to be...

BOTH: ..undecided.

-You're undecided?

-Yeah.

-All right.

-It's a big deal.

And I'm selling the dream to you every day

about affordability and dream houses and it's not...

Not as pretty as it looked?

I think those figures have taken the shine off it.

-Really?

-Yeah.

I got a bit carried away with the dream house.

-Hmm.

-So it's not nice.

No, it was a reality check, wasn't it?

Yeah...

The harsh reality of the living costs

has put Neil's dream in real danger.

And for Christopher, there's still one more hurdle to overcome -

the thought of leaving his mum, who relies on him so much.

Will watching messages from friends and family in the UK be too much

for him and put a halt to any plans for a future life in Australia?

BOTH: Hi, Christopher and Neil!

Hope you've had a good time in Australia.

-We've missed you.

-Hi, son, how are you doing?

Hi, Neil, Christopher, how are you doing?

Neil's the best guy ever. He would do anything for you

and totally looks out for you

-and he's always there.

-Neil's very close to us

because we brought him up

and he treats us as his own parents

and he loves us and we love him as much as he loves us.

I'll miss him.

I would really miss him if he did go away for good.

You don't realise that until you get a bit older with each other.

-He's a great brother.

-He's a diamond.

-He's a diamond.

-His mother would be proud of him today.

He did well.

Christopher had been a real rock

and he knows exactly when I'm up and when I'm down

and he'll come and say, "Right, come on, we'll do this."

Usually it's a meal with me. I love food!

He takes care of her.

Especially when she's feeling down - he'll come over

and maybe just make her feel like herself again.

It'll be really hard to say goodbye to them both.

As I said, they're such a huge part of my life.

I know it's what he wants and I know...

I'd want him to be with Neil and be together and be happy

and if that makes them happy,

-I'm all for that.

-Neil, we'll miss you if you decide to stay there.

..and you know I'll miss you so much.

I just hope you have a good life

and if that's what you want, then fair enough.

That's horrible, isn't it?

Oh, yeah, that was tough.

-"Your mum would be proud."

-I know.

The killer.

But we always knew that was going to be hard.

We knew that was going to be the toughest part,

-to see them.

-You don't realise how tough it can be, though.

-I know. "I won't cry."

-It's a lot tougher than you think.

Yeah.

Just seeing them talking about their feelings for you,

cos it's not something you speak about...

-I know.

-..that often, especially not with friends.

More with family, but...

..not with friends like that.

You realise what a big part of their lives that we are.

Mmm-hmm.

Yeah.

Watching messages from friends and family

was always going to be hard, especially for Christopher.

As their trial week draws to a close,

the couple now know exactly what they stand to gain or lose,

making their approaching decision even harder.

The last week has given Neil a chance to show Christopher

what life in Adelaide could be like.

The dream house got things off to a flying start.

I'm actually getting a bit choked up at how beautiful it is.

I was teary-eyed at the kitchen!

But news that Christopher might have to take a step back in his career wasn't so welcome.

Although the past we've spoke about it and I said

I wouldn't mind going back, I don't think I could.

While the Aussie lifestyle went down well,

the cost of making the move came as a real shock.

The mortgage payment on property three would be £2,600, which is

almost 2,500 more than what we pay at the moment.

So will the trip have done enough to convince Christopher to leave his mum back in the UK,

and move to the other side of the world in pursuit of Neil's dream?

It's been a total emotional roller coaster this week,

from the highs of seeing the house

and then the lows of seeing friends and family so far away.

So at the moment I'm still feeling a bit apprehensive

and not 100% persuaded to move here.

Neil's having a last-minute crisis of conscience.

Sometimes seeing Christopher upset is the worst aspect of all.

To know that I'm the motivator, that's bringing this into his world.

If we hadn't met or we weren't together

then he would never have contemplated upping sticks

and leaving his family to come to the other side of the world.

And Christopher's aware of the impact his final decision

could have on Neil.

Definitely worries me that Neil's dreams could potentially be shattered

if at the end of the day I decide it would be better staying in the UK.

We wouldn't be living the dream that he's been dreaming since he was so young.

I think this week was always going to be make or break,

it was the opportunity for us

to actually understand if we could take the move or not.

It's been my dream for so long to come and live here -

from the moment we landed I felt like I was coming home.

I think I know that this is where I want to spend the rest of my life.

It would be such a big change, life-changing decision,

and we just need to make sure that it's the right one.

It's a decision that can't be put off any longer.

BOTH: Australia!

I sold it?

-Thought it was going to be a bit touch and go for a moment there.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Seeing my mum and my brother on camera, though how hard it was -

I think my mum looked great and my brother has obviously been great with her this week, so...

-Yeah, without you.

-..that kind of reassured me a little bit.

-I think there's been more positives than negatives this week.

-Definitely.

And I think that's why my vote's been Australia.

I think it's awesome. My dream is coming to reality,

and having Christopher sharing it with me is just the best news ever.

-I took a leaf out of your book. Take a risk.

-Throw caution to the wind!

Neil's persistence has paid off.

Throughout the week he's helped Christopher

overcome his employment and property fears, but more than that,

he's helped him realise others CAN support his mum when he's not there.

Together, their hard work and determination will help them achieve the life they want down under -

and in that, we wish them all the luck in the world.