Part of the reason I came home was for work life balance.
In Sydney we both needed to work full time to make ends meat.
Our apartment cost us about £900 a month by now it'll probably be over £1100.
I had a fairly well paid job and there was always pressure to be in the office till late a lot of my colleagues were there till 8 or 9 at night. (I didn't which didn't go down too well)
We wanted to have kids but there's no maternity leave over there but in NSW you do get a small payout for having a child.
Most people save their holidays up for 2 or 3 years to have time off with a baby.
As soon as folk are pregnant they have to sort out childcare (its hard to find and you need to get back working quick)
We couldn't afford to buy anywhere in Sydney where we actually wanted to live.
Western suburbs were affordable but most of my workmates lived there and faced a 3 hour round trip on public transport everyday. That coupled with long hours made it a very long day.
(I used to ride my bike to work over the harbour bridge every morning loved it)
Back in the UK I can afford a nice house without living for the mortgage 2 cars, holidays etc and its all easier than in Sydney.
My wife had over a year off when our little lad was born and we were able then to afford for her to pack in work and start her own business part time which fits in round the little one.
If I ever went back to Oz permanently I'd steer clear of the big cities its just too much hassle having a life.
The only problem with going somewhere a bit country however is that wages aren't too good but house prices are still fairly expensive although nowhere near big city prices.
But work life balance is decent.
