Bowen Family Wanted Down Under

What would you do if your partner

passionately believed a better life

was waiting on the other side of the world,

but you couldn't bear to leave loved ones behind?

How would you begin to decide between following their dream,

or seeing it disappear forever?

Rob Bowen's fixated on making a fresh start down under.

The passion I have for moving to Australia

is really very strong. I think Australia's got everything really.

But wife Amy doesn't share his Australian dream.

How can you be so obsessed with somewhere

that you've never actually been to?

So when a trial week in the country sees her faced with

an impossible choice...

I've got my husband.

And my family.

You have no idea.

No idea.

..will Rob's dream be over before it's begun?

If it doesn't go the way that I want it to, I'm going

to be absolutely gutted, I really am.

Australia's the number one choice

when Brits fantasise about a life on foreign shores.

The 140-year-old country's average of 300 days of sunshine a year -

and the laid-back lifestyle that affords -

are a huge draw for UK residents seeking a new beginning.

But it isn't always the promised land, and almost a third of those

making the move return home each year with their dreams in shreds.

Ahead of Rob Bowen lies just one week to discover

if Australia can live up to his expectations,

and persuade wife Amy the opportunities the country

offers are worth breaking close bonds at home.

Then the couple will face a decision which will

change their lives forever - whether to remain at home in the UK,

or leave loved ones behind for a new life, thousands of miles away.

Three flights and a full day in the air has seen Rob

and Amy travel 10,000 miles from Birmingham to Adelaide,

and they're pretty exhausted.

I'm feeling quite tired, I don't know about you.

Yeah, we left the house about 28 hours ago, so it's been a long time.

Despite the long trip Rob's ecstatic to be on

Australian soil for the first time.

I feel fantastic to finally be here to be honest.

I did joke with Amy that

when we landed I was going to go outside and kiss the tarmac.

But he's already anxious about what lies ahead.

I'm a little bit nervous about what's going to come out of this.

I've sort of taken it for granted that I'm going to

love the place, but it's not as clear-cut as that.

I think you've already made your mind up,

and you made it up a few years ago. I haven't.

But I'm just going to take in everything that I possibly can

to try and make a decision on what happens

with our lives next, I suppose.

Having finally reached Australia, Rob faces the biggest

challenge of his life in the next few days -

persuading his wife to move to the other side of the world.

The Bowens are from Wolverhampton.

They're Rob, Amy and their two dogs - Fletcher and Finnegan.

Rob lives and breathes one dream in life.

I've had the Australia dream for about...

probably about ten years now.

Rob's best friend travelled around Australia, and tales

on his return set in motion Rob's desire to move down under.

He did nothing but speak really, really highly of the country.

And I guess that kind of inspired me,

and ever since then, it's always been in the back of my mind.

The passion I have for moving to Australia is really very strong.

Having kind of good weather for a large portion of the year

just enables you to enhance your lifestyle so much more, really.

Rob investigated making the move some time ago,

but unable to secure a visa, his hopes were dashed.

But a visa could now be possible,

and having recently endured three major heart operations

in as many years,

Rob's ready to reconsider his Australian ambitions.

It makes you realise that life is fairly precious you know,

you never really know what's around the corner.

Now with a clean bill of health,

he's determined to make the most of life.

I personally want to live life the way I want to live it,

and that's a massive part of why I want to move to Australia.

But unfortunately, wife Amy doesn't share the desire to move down under.

How can you be so obsessed with somewhere

that you've never actually been to?

It's ludicrous. It's madness.

Ever since the couple met a few years ago,

the issue's been a constant thorn in Amy's side.

It comes up every day in conversation, at least once.

If not several times.

Yeah, I guess I'd call it a mild obsession.

And Rob's constant badgering has begun

to affect the couple's relationship.

I don't think anybody understands what it feels like to live

with somebody who actually, doesn't really want to be here.

I suppose it has put some pressure on us at times,

we've perhaps had a couple of fall-outs about it.

This isn't healthy, to have this all the time hanging over us

if we don't really know what direction we're going in,

because Australia is just there all of the time.

Having married last year,

Amy feels the issue needs to be put to bed, once and for all.

I wouldn't be a very good wife

if I didn't at least explore what you so badly, badly want.

I don't want it to be just my dream for me though -

I want it to be my dream for us.

I really believe that we would both have a better life there.

But Australia will have to deliver something

truly magical for Amy to leave her life in the UK.

She's always had a close relationship with her mum, one which

has only strengthened since her parent's divorce ten years ago.

She is my best friend.

She understands me better than I understand myself sometimes.

I don't think I've ever known anybody as close

to their mother as Amy is, and that's a fantastic thing.

She's always said, hasn't she, "Don't ever let me

"be a reason for you to stay,

"and whatever you do, I will support you", but I think perhaps

behind closed doors it's not quite as cut and dried as that.

You know, if we were to have a baby,

that would be quite hard for her to not be a part of.

I'm sorry.

Leaving would also mean an end to

Amy's daily visits to see her grandad.

An original Ten Pound Pom, he pulled out of emigrating at the last

minute, but believes that she should now make the move he didn't.

Amy though would struggle to put half a world between them.

I think I'm closer to my grandad now then what I ever have been.

Rob understands he'll be putting his wife in an impossible situation.

Sometimes I feel bad for how much pressure

I put on her to go ahead with this.

But I also kind of would be massively grateful to Amy to

give us that opportunity to better ourselves and better our lives.

But for his sake, she's determined to give it a go.

I will go. I will try it. I will have a completely open mind.

But if it's not right for me,

I can't move to the other side of the world for him.

Rob's dream life down under will live or die in the next seven days.

If we don't both fall in love with Australia

and see that it's worth all of the upheaval and the heartache,

then yeah, it absolutely could break that dream

that I've had for years, so it is massively important.

I am so scared that if we get back and it's not for me

and it doesn't feel right, that I have got to be the one to

say that it isn't going to happen, and he will be heartbroken.

Actually heartbroken.

The Bowens are spending their trial week in Adelaide,

capital of South Australia.

The green, lush city offers a bustling urban Mecca within

a serene setting.

And with almost 20 miles of sun-soaked beaches, it's a

firm favourite with Brits seeking a fresh start down under.

Home for the week is Brighton,

one of Adelaide's popular seaside suburbs.

Will their first taste of Aussie living

live up to Rob's expectations?

It's big.

It is. Open-plan.

Not much of a garden.

-It's certainly, um...

-It's a little bijou, isn't it?

..small! LAUGHS

The barbecue doesn't look in working order.

Yeah, I don't think you're going to be barbecuing on that!

No, I'm not going to be barbecuing on that, unfortunately.

Yeah, it certainly leaves a lot to be desired.

It's not the start Rob was hoping for,

but it hasn't dampened his spirits.

I'm still slightly in shock that we're actually here.

I've thought about it for so long that I still...

haven't got my head around the idea that we're actually here in Australia.

Although anxious, he's hoping that the country

will sell itself over the next week.

I suppose my main nervousness is around how Amy's going to

feel about it all, and I'm very aware

that I don't want to pressure her into anything,

I want her to see all the fantastic things it offers for herself.

I'm hoping that Australia will do the talking for me.

If Rob's got to sit down and try and talk me into coming then

I don't think, in my mind, it'd be the right thing to do.

Whether the country will meet Rob's expectations

and win Amy over will become clear over the next few days.

In the UK, both Amy and Rob

are content with their three-bedroom, semidetached home.

I love my house.

I think I fell in love with it quite soon after

we walked into the door.

I don't think either of us see it as a forever home by any means, but

I guess as our first home together I think it's done us pretty well.

So what would it take property-wise to tempt Amy down under?

Upstairs.

I don't think we've got a massive list of must-haves, have we?

-Um...

-An upstairs.

-Yeah, OK, an upstairs for you.

Swimming pool isn't quite a must-have, but it's pretty close.

-Within walking distance of a beach would be...

-Perfect, yeah.

-Fantastic, yeah.

-Yep.

Somewhere really nice for our family to stay.

Home is important to me, I take great pride in it.

And I think if it wasn't as much as what

I would hope it would be, I would find that really difficult.

The couple would initially rent down under if Rob can persuade Amy

to make the move, and have a budget of £1,500 a month.

To show them what that could get them in Adelaide,

we've arranged for them to view three properties -

two close to their budget, and a third

which could be their dream home.

The day gets under way in Moana,

a costal suburb 24 miles south of the city.

With good transport links

and a beach literally at the back door, this four-bedroom,

two-storey property could be perfect for the couple.

Straight away, Amy's spellbound.

-I'm gobsmacked actually.

-Yeah.

-How close we are to the sea...

-Yeah.

Wow.

-Pool table.

-And a bar!

-Do you get that as part of the package?

SHE LAUGHS

Fantastic.

-It's quite the entrance room, isn't it, that?

-Yeah.

It's a promising start,

and Amy's caught a glimpse of something to please Rob.

-Oh, fantastic. I should have brought me swimming shorts.

-SHE LAUGHS

Oh, he's sold already.

The large, open living area has much more room than at home.

Wow.

-It's really spacious, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Feels really big in comparison to our house!

It does, it feels massive, yeah.

This is exactly what I, sort of, imagine life to be like out here.

This house could be helping Rob sell the dream,

a point he's quick to drive home.

-I don't want to overplay it, but this is kind of the dream really.

-SHE LAUGHS

I'm serious! I'm deadly serious. This is what I'm talking about.

The view upstairs has Amy entranced.

Oh, this is so gorgeous.

Wow, wow, wow.

-Oh, wow.

-This is the master bedroom.

And the walk in wardrobe, more importantly.

God, that is incredible.

HE LAUGHS

For an en-suite, that's quite a big en-suite, isn't it really?

And the property's got Rob feeling all paternal.

Imagine being able to bring up a child here,

and overlooking that beautiful view.

-Mmm, yeah.

-What more could you ask for?

It's been a great start for Rob,

but if the price for this palace is beyond the couple's £1,500

rental budget, he could be back at square one.

I think it's about £2,000.

English pounds. A month, to rent. Yeah.

I'm going to be optimistic and say £1,750 a month.

-All right, shall I deliver the bad news?

-Go on.

Let's have a look.

No!

Oh, my God!

Incredible.

That's well within budget.

That's a lot, lot, lot lower than what I thought.

-I am genuinely really shocked.

-I am, yeah.

We could comfortably afford to live here.

Yeah, unless I'm taking a big wage cut to come over here, then yeah.

Yeah, comfortably.

With the day off to a positive start,

the couple head on to view property number two.

It's located in the suburb of Marion.

Although not as close to the beach as Moana, it is nearer to the city,

meaning a shorter commute if the couple secure work there.

This four-bedroom, 1960s property has been given a modern makeover.

But will the meeting of old and new win Amy's approval?

-I don't like it on first impressions.

-Don't?

-No.

I don't like the entrance or any of...so far...

I don't know...

It's not English at all, is it?

No.

Maybe that's because it's Australian, Rob?

This is almost quite...Olde Worlde English actually, isn't it?

Make up your mind!

Don't you think? Like, almost like a sitting room, isn't it?

-Like a traditional English sitting room.

-No.

It doesn't have any...character, or...

-Oh, I think it does.

-It just looks to me like a box.

No, how can you say that?

With like, stone walls and loads of window space?

I don't see how you can say it's got no character,

it's got character...

-OK, not the character that I like.

-Yeah, it's different to your taste,

I guess - but I think it's got character.

This property's dividing opinion,

and the large modern kitchen doesn't impress Amy either.

-I don't know what to say. It doesn't go, for me.

-Yeah.

-I think it's a big space...

-This is really modern,

and the rest is, like...it just doesn't seem to work.

It is a big, dark space, I think.

The kitchen might be gloomy,

but Rob's determined to keep a sunny outlook.

The outside looks fantastic. Shall we have a look at the outside?

This is beautiful.

Don't you think?

Outside lies a perfect spot for entertaining,

and Rob's quick to resume the hard sell.

Just imagine, like, having friends over from the UK,

so you're having a barbie and having

all your beers in the fridge, and chilling on the table.

-Yeah, this part of it is...

-This is lovely.

-Lovely.

But while everything in the garden's rosy...

-I do love this outside space.

-Yeah, it's gorgeous.

..Amy's just not sold on the interior.

The house itself could be beautiful, you know.

If it was decorated differently, more to our taste. Do you not think?

-No.

-I think it could, I think it could be lovely.

No, No, I don't. I think it's the house and that's it.

If that's your style, fine, but that's not me.

And the bedroom's decor doesn't help win her round.

It's quite dark here, isn't it?

Yeah. Really dark, really suppressive.

Rob's doing his best to stay upbeat.

-Nice walk-in wardrobe for you Amy.

-Yeah, but you'd need a torch.

HE LAUGHS

Wow, it's massive.

But Amy's mind's made up.

There's nothing in this house that's my taste, shall we say.

It's a beautiful house and they've clearly spent a lot of money

on it, but it's wasted on me, because I just don't like that sort of thing.

The dark design may mean that Rob's on a hiding to nothing with

this house, but is it somewhere the couple could call home

with their £1,500 a month rental budget?

What do you think?

Based on the last property, I think I'm going to say

probably about £1,800 a month.

I'm going to say...

-£1,700.

-OK.

Ready for this?

No way.

It's exactly the same as the last one.

It's well within reach, but Amy's not budging.

I think, even how much it is per month to rent,

it wouldn't swing it for me.

I'd be really fascinated to see to see what

we can get round here for a little bit more money, if we push

ourselves a bit more, or if we can earn a little bit more out here.

I dread to think!

THEY LAUGH

-You'll be wanting to move out here soon.

-Might get a butler. THEY LAUGH

Inspired by the price, if not the property,

the couple head off to what could be their dream home.

It's in Semaphore South,

a costal suburb 30 minutes drive from Adelaide city.

With the beach just a stone's throw away, and lively cafes within

walking distance, could this three-bedroom house

with its bright, modern design be the perfect pad?

Oh!

Wow... Oh!

This is immense.

(Wow.)

That sounds like a positive reaction.

This is incredible.

Don't even know where to start.

Kitchen's beautifully done, isn't it?

With large windows throughout, this house

is anything but dark and dingy.

-We've got a pool.

-Oh, no!

-That's a good pool as well.

-It's perfectly styled, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's gorgeous.

A styled, beautiful house - that's what it is.

But Amy's thinking practically.

-You see, it's like something out of a magazine.

-Hmm?

That would be really hard to maintain with...

We have two great big dogs that are going to come in from the beach

soaking wet and just slide along the tiles!

-Yeah.

-Do you know what I mean?

It's beautiful - but, yeah, there's things...

We could leave the dogs at home.

Yeah... No. That's not going to happen.

There's plenty of space for Amy's belongings.

-More storage than we would ever need I think.

-I wouldn't say that...

-Do you think?

-..we've got one, two, three, four...

I could fill those.

And the master bedroom impresses too.

The en-suite offers pure luxury.

Oh, my God, what even is that?

Look at the shower!

-I don't even know how that works.

-It's like a twin shower.

-This is absolutely beautiful.

-Wow, this is, ah...

Jacuzzi as well.

Wile the bedroom's balcony offers ocean views...

The view is not too bad either.

..It's not picture perfect for Amy.

There's two great big trees blocking

what you're paying all that money for.

They would do my head in.

I think you are being quite picky.

You might be right there, Rob.

This house could offer the couple luxury living,

even if trees spoil the view.

But will it be out of reach

of the couple's £1,500 monthly rental budget?

I think it's definitely going to be over two grand a month.

Yeah. I would say about £2,300. A month.

-Right then, shall we have a look what the damage is?

-Yep.

Dum-dum-duuummm... HE LAUGHS

No way.

I'm really shocked at that.

It could still be within the couple's reach,

but Amy's just not convinced.

It doesn't sway me at all though.

I'm just really taken aback that you could have

something as wow as this for £1,700 a month.

It hasn't made me think any differently about it though,

I still feel exactly the same as I did

before I knew how much it would cost to rent.

I do understand that what you say is absolutely valid, that it's...

As beautiful as it is, it's not entirely practical for us,

I suppose.

Rob and Amy's hunt for a possible home has shown just how

far their money could stretch in Adelaide.

Property one was a hit,

and somewhere the couple could both imagine as home.

Property number two had a gorgeous garden,

but it's gloomy interior just didn't impress.

And though the final house was a show-stopper,

the thought of paw prints on the patio was a turnoff for Amy.

So, have Aussie homes helped or hindered Rob's wish

for a new life down under?

Based on the properties that we've seen today around Adelaide,

our vote is going to go to...

-Australia.

-Australia.

Good choice.

That was a bit of a no-brainer, really!

It was, really, it was. I think it's got to be

the easiest vote we're going to have this week, I'd like to think.

Yeah, I've been pleasant...

-well, more than pleasantly surprised by what we can afford.

-Yeah.

It would be stupid for me to not vote for Australia, I think, so...

A vote for Australia from Amy is a step in the right direction for Rob

but there's still a long way to go if he's to convince her to make the move.

Finding the right career prospects could help.

Rob's the main visa applicant.

Back in the UK, he works in telecommunications.

I work as part of a sales team, effectively.

I do kind of network designs and customer workshops.

Amy's a beauty therapist.

I love my job, I love it.

I used to work for the bank when I left school initially and I hated it.

Rob's hoping to find a role similar to his current one down under.

I love my job and I don't really see myself doing anything

massively different in the future, to be honest.

I see myself within the same industry doing a similar type of role.

And while Amy does enjoy her job, she's not so keen on the late nights

and weekend working so is looking for something more nine-to-five.

For me, a move to Australia is about us having a better quality of life,

-more time together as a family.

-Yeah.

As the main breadwinner, a move would hinge on Rob finding a well-paid job.

If we were to go over there and find out that we were going to be

financially less well-off, then it would make it very difficult

for us to justify moving over there, erm...

It would be a no.

It would make it difficult.

With Rob's hopes riding on the day the couple set out

to explore what work options Adelaide has to offer.

First up, Rob meets with expat Declan O'Callaghan,

managing director of a telecommunications company.

He's keen to discover if the world of telecoms is different down under.

Technology's the same, so whether you're deploying something

highly sophisticated or something simple you'll be doing

exactly the same thing from the UK as what you would be doing here.

I think all of your skills will be transferable over.

Do you think that there's potential for me to find work out here?

We're always looking to recruit great people

and I think your skill sets and what you're bringing to Australia...

-I'd love to have a further conversation with you.

-Brilliant, that's great to hear.

It's sounding promising for Rob.

Across town, Amy's meeting Tania Walsh,

managing director of an Adelaide-based beauty products company.

-Hi, I'm Amy.

-Hi.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, welcome.

Amy's keen to explore other options in the beauty business

which would give her more regular hours.

A customer service role, I can see you would fit in perfectly -

a) Because you've had previous customer service experience

in both, you know, the banking sector and in beauty therapy.

That sounds great.

Her skills could be a plus - and the hours?

We work in extended days, so it's eight o'clock in the morning till five-thirty of the evening.

Everyone has a Friday off.

Fantastic, that sounds...that sounds really good, getting a Friday and Saturday off!

It could be the perfect role for Amy, but would an opening exist?

There is going to be quite dramatic expansion within the company

so there would be opportunities for roles coming up that suit you

so we'd love you to put forward an application.

Fantastic, thank you.

It's proved a promising visit for Amy.

Back with Declan, Rob's talking money.

Someone with your skill set and attributes in our organisation

would be about the 110 to 120,000 mark.

120,000 Australian dollars equates to approximately £65,500.

That sounds like a little bit of a drop on what I'm currently earning in the UK.

In fact, Rob would earn almost £10,000 a year less in Adelaide.

His dream could be slipping from his grasp -

could Amy's salary help out?

On average, our customer service representatives earn around 50,000 dollars a year plus their super.

Wow, that's... that's quite impressive.

That's over £27,000 per year -

almost double what Amy currently earns in the UK.

So with more time off and a large uplift in salary,

could Amy be beginning to see the appeal in emigrating?

I would go as far as to say I'm gobsmacked.

It sounds perfect, almost too good to be true.

It's not been such a positive day for Rob, though.

I guess I feel slightly deflated.

I'd want to be coming over here with a pay rise if I'm entirely honest,

rather than what we've just talked about which is effectively a pay reduction.

So it's not been exactly the sort of answer I was looking for today.

So will their day discovering Adelaide's employment opportunities

see the couple choose the UK or Australia?

So based on what we've done today with our work opportunities in Australia,

the country that we're going to go for is...

Undecided.

-I know you're not going to be very happy with that...

-You cop-out!

-I have very solid reasons for it.

-OK?

I think, based on the conversations I've had today,

the particular opportunity... He's a fantastic guy, but

I don't think his business is large enough to pay me the sort of money that I want.

For me, the work opportunities that I would have out here,

even though it wouldn't be what would get us out here in the first place,

are actually really exciting. So, for me...

Australia.

A day exploring work options has seen the tables turned.

While Amy's excited about her potential career down under,

it may now be Rob who's beginning to question if a move would actually be

in the couple's best interests.

So will a chilled-out day Aussie-style help remind him why he's had this long-held dream?

A popular weekend pastime for young couples in Adelaide is to visit one of the area's vineyards.

So Rob and Amy head to a local winery to enjoy a tour -

and a tipple or two.

After a look around in the sunshine,

Helen's on hand to give the couple a taste of the local vintage.

-Here we go, enjoy.

-Thank you.

-Bottoms up.

-Yeah.

-You can taste the nice citrus sort of characters...

-Very fresh.

-Yeah, exactly.

It's a lovely little wine.

You sure you don't want to spit it out?

No, I'll keep it, thanks!

Quite right, Amy!

-I'm intrigued by the label on that one.

-These are all dogs that are

from people on our mailing list and every year we change the label so...

-Oh, that's such a lovely thing to see!

-Yeah.

-Can we get on the mailing list and send ours?

-Yes, of course, if you've got a dog, yeah!

Yeah, we've got two. Helen, thank you so much for that, we really enjoyed it.

-Can we please have a bottle of the rose, please?

-Certainly.

With Amy in a mellow mood, Rob seizes the opportunity to ask

what she makes of Australia so far.

Surprisingly good.

I was hoping that as part of my grand master plan

that it wouldn't actually go this well so far.

Everything feels quite familiar, almost, and quite comfortable.

Literally from the first moment we got here I just felt like,

-it just feels right, you know.

-Mm-hmm.

-Everything feels right.

-It's everything that you wanted it to be.

-Yeah, so far it is, yeah.

I see that, I see how happy you are here and...

-Yeah.

-You feel it too?

-Erm, I feel the pressure!

Today's been a taste of what life down under could be like and Rob's definitely sold.

This to me is exactly what the Australian dream is all about, you know.

It's about spending your spare time in a beautiful place like this.

This is exactly what I want.

I knew he would get here and he would love everything about Australia,

there would be nothing that could possibly deter him from wanting to live here.

Choosing Australia in both votes so far, Amy has seen the country's appeal -

meaning she's now beginning to wrestle with the thought of leaving the UK.

All of this is so incredible but without your family I just...

I don't know if I could do it.

Yeah, I wanted to come and have reasons to say no -

that it wasn't right for us, it wasn't right for me -

but actually I'm here and I don't feel that way.

So will Amy's vote keep Rob's dream moving in the right direction?

Based on the lifestyle activities that we've enjoyed today,

our vote goes to...

-Australia.

-Australia.

It's fantastic to see that you're seeing the same things that I'm seeing

and that you understand that we could be really happy here.

Yeah, yeah, I do

and what we've done today has proved how much more we can do with life

instead of in the UK, you know? Yeah, from that point of view

I think it was always going to be Australia.

With a clean sweep of votes for Australia from Amy so far,

Rob's hopes for a life down under could be within reach -

but the finances will need to stack up.

Although they'd rent in Adelaide, the couple would sell their house

in the UK to help fund a move.

They think it's worth around £140,000.

To see if their valuation's correct, we sent round two local estate agents.

-Right, shall we get this over and done with?

-Let's do it.

It's a nice spacious lounge

and features a bay fronted window which is nice, it opens the room up a little bit more.

The rear living room is of quite a good size

and I can see that certain work has been carried out here.

Right, we're in the kitchen now and the first thing I notice

is that it is quite small, typical of this period of house.

Nice sized family bathroom,

looks as though it's been replaced in the last few years.

Well we're now in the master bedroom

and, again, this has been decorated to a good standard...

-It looks really small!

-..looks very appealing.

Office room here, quite nice.

Room redecorated, they've kept it in line with the characteristics

of the property - a nice room.

If you're looking to market this property today, I would be looking to market it at

between £152-160,000.

If they're looking for a quick sale then we're looking at £132,000.

If we were to market the house we would initially offer it for sale

at a figure of 165

and if a quick sale is required we'd expect a figure of 160.

I'm really pleasantly surprised, to be fair, that we could be looking at

maybe as much as, kind of, even 25 grand more than we expected, maybe.

It's certainly a lot more money than I think we both thought that it was worth.

-Really positive.

-Yeah.

They're encouraging valuations,

but what about the cost of living in Australia versus the UK?

-Shall we have a look then?

-Yeah, let's.

I'll let you do the honours, I think.

We've prepared a comparison of costs, beginning with the weekly grocery shop.

To be honest, I'm quite surprised by some of these .

-To be fair, steak - I think we've already kind of seen that, haven't we?

-Yeah.

I mean, the meat out here seems to be quite a lot cheaper, so that one doesn't surprise me

but things like fruit juice...

Wine is more expensive,

-peppers, salad and stuff is more expensive.

-Yeah.

Gosh, what's that one? That's so much cheaper. Rice is a lot cheaper.

So how does the weekly shopping bill add up?

£12.99...

-Worse off.

-Worse off per week, yeah.

-So what's that times four?

-£51.96.

-Per month.

-Yeah.

That's peanuts.

An extra £50 per month for food hasn't put Rob off,

but how do the bigger numbers add up?

The couple currently pay a mortgage of £685 a month in the UK.

Basing their sums on the rent for the first house they viewed,

their monthly property costs down under would more than double.

-So, difference is minus 745.

-OK.

-That's quite a big difference.

HE LAUGHS It ain't half.

Taking on board all the other Australian outgoings,

the couple would be spending £152 more per month down under -

a deficit of around £2,000 a year.

But Amy's salary would receive a healthy boost in Australia

and paying less tax would actually see Rob's increase too.

I mean, the big one there is you, isn't it? That's a

massive difference between the UK number and the Aussie number.

Yeah.

So taking salaries into account,

would the couple be better off down under?

We would be better off by £1,343...

-Yep.

-..and 38 pence.

-Per month.

-Yep.

Moving could see their bank balance increase by £16,000 a year.

HE WHISTLES What do you think?

-It's in black and white.

-It is, yeah.

I'm really quite shocked at that, actually, cos it all looks

a lot better than I could have ever imagined, to be honest.

The figures sort of speak for themselves, don't they?

It's good, I can go shopping!

And that should aid Rob's case even further.

Based upon the cost of living in Australia,

our vote goes to...

-Australia.

-Australia.

-That was pretty easy, wasn't it, to be honest.

-Yeah, yeah.

-The money pretty much speaks for itself really, I think.

-Yeah.

And there's enough money left over for us to do things like the nice holidays,

flights home, perhaps, as and when we want / need to.

-Yeah.

-So, yeah, another Australia vote.

-Consistent.

All week, Amy's been won round by the opportunities Australia could offer

but Rob's about to face his biggest obstacle -

the thought of Amy leaving her close family at home.

Will hearing from them prove a final fatal setback for his plans?

We've put together a DVD of messages to let the couple hear how

family and friends are feeling back in the UK.

I'm not looking forward to this at all.

I know, this is got to be the hardest part of it all, I think, hasn't it?

-Yeah. Right.

-We'll do it together.

Hiya, Amy. Hiya, Rob.

Hello, you two.

-Hi, guys.

-Hi, Rob. Hi, Amy.

Hey, guys. Hope you've had a fantastic week. Greg?

Nah, I'm just not talking till he comes back.

Ha! I'm only joking. Guys, I hope you had a really, really good week.

Hi, Rob. Hi, Amy.

Rob's a great character, Rob's my older brother from another mother.

Best mate, great laugh, great fun.

Amy would do anything for you.

She's a nice girl, she's my best friend, Amy - without a doubt.

I don't want to say that loosely, she is.

She's my everything and

she breathes in and I breathe out.

They will be so sorely missed, should they decide to go

and live in Australia.

I really would miss her. She has been a godsend to me.

We won't try and stop you going

but when it actually comes to the

put-to, it's a different kettle of fish.

And, erm...

Our relationship goes beyond mother and daughter,

she's my best friend.

If it is that you decide to go, we'll miss you terribly - there's no doubt about that.

If what you've seen is what you want and it's right for you both,

grasp it with both hands and we both wish you both the best of luck.

We look forward to seeing you when you come home.

And I'll be at the airport, way before I should,

to get you back home.

-Are you all right?

-Yeah.

That was really hard.

I've never seen your mum like that, either.

It's tough to see, really tough.

This is what I've been worried about all week.

No matter how great things have been,

this is just always what's been in the background for me.

Yeah, it does put some perspective on it, I suppose.

With Amy consistently voting for Australia,

it had looked like she'd been won over by the idea of starting a new life down under.

But with messages from home proving heartbreaking for both her and Rob,

will the couple now decide the emotional cost of a move is just too high a price to pay?

He's dreamt of the country for a decade and from the second he touched down

Rob seemed convinced Australia's where he should be.

At times I suppose it's kind of bordered on a little bit of an obsession in the past

and I think coming here has arguably made that even worse.

I think from the moment I landed I felt like I was at home.

Time spent in Adelaide has also showed Amy

there's some merit to the dream life Rob's been chasing for so long.

This week's been lots of highs, more highs than I expected, actually.

I've come here and I've felt really at home.

But thoughts of family in the UK have threatened to overshadow any upsides.

The last couple of days, I suppose,

the doubts and the worries about family have started to creep in.

And if things happen back home, I don't know, heaven forbid,

someone was in a car accident or...

you're not there, you're a long way away.

The couple are about to decide where they'll spend the rest of their lives

and Rob's pinning his hopes on Amy thinking Australia's the answer.

I'm genuinely not too sure which way it's going to go.

If it doesn't go the way that I want it to I'm going to be absolutely gutted, I really am.

I only came here because...

because I love Rob so much and...

It would have been so much easier if I hadn't seen it.

I think, deep down, she knows that whatever she decides

somebody's going to end up getting hurt.

I feel like I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders right now.

I've got my husband...

and my family. You have no idea.

No idea.

So has Amy seen enough to grant her husband's wish of a life in Australia,

or will the pull of family see Rob's decade of dreaming dashed?

We've had a fantastic week in Adelaide,

so based on all of that our vote for the week goes to...

Australia.

Such a cop-out.

You are, such a hypocrite!

-I know. I always...

-Hyp-o-crite.

-I always said I wouldn't do this.

-You always said you wouldn't do this.

I genuinely, I can't call it either way.

I think you're a massive cop-out but I understand what you're saying.

Perhaps we do need to take that little bit more time to think about what we want to do -

or, that you do.

Could we do six months of the year in the UK

and six months of the year in Australia?

Cost us a fortune.

And you know what we've said all along -

no matter what happens, as long as we're together it doesn't matter.

(Come here.)

-Together for ever.

-Together for ever.

-What a week!

-What a week. Can't believe you bottled it at the end.

Despite the country living up to his expectations and best efforts,

it seems Rob's still some way off persuading Amy to leave the UK and her family.

His dream of life in Australia may be over for now,

but who knows - at some point in the future,

the Bowens could yet be packing for a move down under.

Wherever their future lies, we hope it's a happy one.