A British expat who has resided in Australia for three years has shared his experiences of unexpected hurdles, despite admitting it is the best country he’s ever lived in.

Luke Tweddle, a 25-year-old from Surrey, is currently living in Perth, having previously stayed in Sydney and Adelaide. He believes the benefits of life Down Under far surpass any drawbacks, but disclosed why he’s hesitant to pledge his long-term future there.

His reflections come a month after a tragic terror attack at Bondi Beach, where 15 people lost their lives. When questioned if he still felt as secure as before, Luke responded candidly.

Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “I would say for a short amount of time after the shooting it definitely had an impact. I had never had any issues or worries while walking around Australian cities as they are generally very safe from my experience.

“But definitely for a couple of days after that it was in the back of my mind. However, I do know that these things can happen all over and generally I do feel the threat to be considerably lower here in Australia maybe compared to somewhere like the UK.”

Luke, who runs his own YouTube channel, recently posted his “honest review” of life in Australia, providing three reasons for his impending return to the UK.

Missing friends and family

The primary reason for Luke’s decision to return was the distance from his loved ones. Initially, this wasn’t a problem for him as he was caught up in the thrill of the new experience.

However, he noticed a significant shift in his perspective by the third year, as he began to reflect more deeply on life.

He elaborated: “I think being away from friends and family for so long, once it’s been three years that’s when you start to feel it. The fact you haven’t been around friends and family for a very long time. You will only know the feeling if you’ve lived abroad for so long. It’s not really homesickness but more of an, ‘Oh I am starting to feel a bit disconnected from certain people because we’ve not interacted in about three and a half years.'”.

Isolation

Another factor was Australia’s geographical isolation. He found himself missing the proximity of England to Europe and the relative ease of transatlantic travel compared to the lengthy journey between the UK and Australia.

Changes in third year

His third observation highlighted the reality of residing in Australia during year three. Providing perspective, he explained: “As amazing as Australia is, you do get very used to the weather living here, and I know it’s easy to say the weather, the beaches, everything here is better, but when you actually live here long-term your realise the weather feels very normal every day. Realistically you only end up going to the beach once or twice a month.”

Nevertheless, Luke remained hugely enthusiastic about the nation, clarifying: “My overall view is there are very little negatives about Australia and a massive massive list of positives. So anyone looking to move to Australia, I would highly recommend it. It’s the best country I’ve ever lived and there’s nowhere else I would recommend more.

“I don’t think there’s many countries in the whole world where you can find so few negatives, from my experience at least.”

He outlined numerous advantages awaiting Brits who relocate Down Under.

Positives

Relocating to the opposite side of the globe during his early twenties has resulted in two significant lifestyle transformations for Luke. He revealed he had become considerably healthier and no longer yearned for big weekend nights out.

Secondly, his self-assurance has soared, and he believes he wouldn’t have experienced the same level of personal development had he remained in a single role back in Britain.

He described how relocating to Australia compelled him to seek various employment opportunities, forge new connections, and that substantial character development stemmed from having to relocate accommodation at a moment’s notice.

However, regarding the principal advantage of the move, he remarked: “Let’s get the most obvious point out of the way, that is the weather and the lifestyle here in Australia. It just goes without saying it is unbelievable. The lifestyle in Australia is genuinely better than anywhere I’ve been over the last couple of years.

“I love the early morning culture, getting out first thing in the morning, doing things before and after work.”

He highlighted the landscape and abundance of outdoor pursuits as amongst the finest aspects, before noting how Australian salaries are “by far the highest” in comparison to what he encountered both in Britain and during his brief stint in New Zealand.

Luke also praised the weekend pay rates as “very good” and emphasised that individuals received fair compensation for standard employment.

Another advantage is the local population, and drawing a comparison with the UK, he observed: “The biggest thing I will miss about Aussies and their culture is number one how unserious they take life. In the UK life feels very serious, everyone takes life too seriously in my opinion, Aussies living here are so chilled out.”

He continued to express that Australians take immense pride in their country and defend it at every turn.

This, he believed, was evident in the cleanliness of the country where littering and vandalism were seldom seen. Luke stated that the major cities were much “cleaner and safer” than those in the UK and as a result, when he does return to Britain, he will opt to reside in the countryside.

He also mentioned that simply journeying through various diverse parts of Australia has been a highlight, detailing how the hostels were excellent and the array of activities and sights was staggering.

Luke expressed his desire to revisit Australia one day and would “never say never” about potentially relocating back if he found himself “hating” life in the UK after a few years.