A content creator has spoken candidly about her decision to leave Australia and return to Britain. Ellie McClean, originally from Birmingham, relocated to Australia two-and-a-half years ago, living across Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.
The Pull of Home
Despite feeling "a lot safer" Down Under compared to back home, the 28-year-old maintains that nothing can substitute being close to loved ones. "I am excited to leave Australia, I feel like it's so not normalised for people to want to leave," she revealed on her TikTok page. "When you tell people that you're wanting to leave, they're like, 'Why?'. You either have to pick the lifestyle and the weather or your friends and family and I just think there's no competition for me."
When Ellie first made the move to Australia, she was certain she would settle there permanently. However, after more than two years living on the other side of the world, she found herself longing for the familiar comforts of her Birmingham home.
Realising What Matters
"After two and a half years of living here, what I've realised since being here is that what means most to me is the little things. I've missed three years of birthdays, little celebrations, dog walks, cups of tea, Sunday roasts, you miss so much that you take for granted when you're at home. And you have to move away sometimes to realise what you've got."
Speaking about what she's most looking forward to upon returning home, Ellie said: "I'm ready for England, I'm ready for the cold weather, I'm ready for the Percy Pigs, I'm ready for real fish and chips, actual chippy chips, English tele, to hear English accents."
However, despite her excitement about returning to the UK following redundancy from her role as an influencer marketer, Ellie recognises it will be difficult to bid farewell to many aspects of Australian living.
What She'll Miss
Australia remains amongst the most popular destinations for British expatriates, attracting thousands each year with its warm weather, stunning beaches, vibrant cities, excellent healthcare system, and job opportunities. For Ellie, one of the most challenging aspects of leaving will be residing mere minutes from the shore.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with my free time because I feel like I spend so much of it at the beach," she explained. "And life in general, kangaroos, palm trees, Chemist (Australia's largest pharmacy retailer Chemist Warehouse), food courts in supermarkets, Yo-Chi, coffee in Australia is [also] a million times better than in the UK."
No Plans to Return
Could she envisage making the move back to Australia in the future? Ellie revealed: "I'm travelling for six months before heading home indefinitely. I've got no plans to move back but I would 100 per cent recommend others to live there and try it out. It's been such an amazing experience living here but there's no place like home."
