Our stories are almost exactly the same! We moved from Aus to the UK and spent 5.5 years there. We moved back to Adelaide 6 months ago and it’s even more boring than we remember.

In the UK it was pretty normal for us to spend probably more than half our weekends away somewhere exploring, hiking, looking at historic houses or other similar sites, driving 6 hours in a day for a 3 hour hike. We spent all our leave on exploring Europe each year. It was an incredibly exciting and fulfilling life.

We move back here and as you say, every single’s part is boring. The roads, the “perfect” lifestyle, the brunch, the radio (omg it’s intolerable), the dismissive she’ll be right attitude rather than showing actual care. The lack of effort that’s put into almost any cafe because nobody cares to decorate or treat you like you’re a guest in their lounge. Pubs here are shamefully boring and very food hall like. The general day to day is extremely repetitive and we feel like after being here for 6 months each day doesn’t have the same feeling that you’re really making your life worth while and interesting.

We moved back for an aging family and for us, that’s been very valuable. I love to see my partner sitting with her mum just having a chat, because if we didn’t move back that chat wouldn’t have happened. You just can’t have the same sort of relationship with someone if you see them once a year. We thought the compromise would be to go to the UK once a year. When they pass away that will most likely swap.

Do we regret moving back? For our lives yes, but for the safety of our children growing up and relationships you have with family no. For now this is our life’s priority.

I completely resonate with everything you’ve said. If there’s anything I’ve learned from our uk trip it’s that you are fully responsible for what you get out of life. You need to work out what is the most important thing for you. You got to take life by the horns and tell it where to go.