Scottish family who ‘had enough’ of Australia less than two years after moving admit life back home is NOT what they expected: ‘It’s harder than leaving… I’m not sure where I fit in’
A Scottish mother who packed up her life to move to Australia with her husband and two children only to return home less than two years later is finding it difficult again.
Kimberley Lucas controversially admitted on social media in December that Australia was not what they had hoped for, saying it ‘isn’t for everyone’.
She was disappointed with the long hours expected of workers, the high costs of childcare, the distance from extended family and the difficulty of making friends. As a result, her relationship with her husband also suffered.
Now back home in Scotland, having once again improved their lives, the family is trying to find routine.
“Returning home from another country feels harder than leaving,” Kimberley wrote alongside one video of himself looking contemplatively into the distance.
‘The country where I once felt comfortable [Scotland] It feels strange to me now, but nothing has changed. I’m the one who has grown and experienced something different, and I’m not quite sure where I fit in.
“It’s been a month since we got that one-way ticket home, and I’d like to share the honesty of it, both the good and the hard.”
Kimberley said it’s easy for the “why did we do this?” regrets taking this on, but tries to focus on the clear reasons why they left Australia.
A Scottish mother who packed up her life to move to Australia with her husband and two children, only to return home less than two years later, is struggling again
‘Both countries are very different and both can offer things that the other cannot. The empty feeling is definitely something I didn’t expect to be as hard as it is now, but like anything… it takes time,” she continued.
After being bombarded with questions about why she ‘hated’ Australia, Kimberley said this was absolutely not the case and that she actually missed many aspects of life there.
‘It would be strange if we didn’t miss life by the beach, with sun 90 percent of the year and great coffee from 5am, BUT that’s not the full reality of living there as a young family and at this moment we make decisions that work for us and our children,” she explained.
“Support is something we need, and being at home means we can get it. Our children are happy. Our minds are happy, and while this may not be the ideal scenario for everyone, it works for us and for this time in our lives.”
Kimberley has not ruled out returning to Australia once the children are grown and the extended family support is no longer needed, and others have had similar experiences.
“I feel this, we are now considering moving back after six months at home in the UK – it just doesn’t feel right to be here anymore,” one woman wrote.
‘Feel your pain girl! I’ve been back for a year and I still feel the same! We are currently applying for permanent residency and moving – fingers crossed – next year,” said another.
Kimberley’s situation is becoming increasingly common, with the term ‘ping pong Poms’ coined to describe people from Britain bouncing between their homes and Australia, trying to get the best of both worlds.

In 2024, Scottish high school students Ruthie Ellis and John spoke to FEMAIL about their own experiences after leaving ‘terrible’ Australia after eighteen months… and returning two years later

Breathtaking beaches, remarkable landscapes and new places to explore appealed to the couple, who have been together for 21 years and have three children: Brooke, 16, Alfie, 11, Jonah, four.
In 2024, Scottish high school students Ruthie Ellis and John spoke to FEMAIL about their own experiences after leaving ‘terrible’ Australia after eighteen months… and returning two years later.
The couple first traveled to Australia in 2005 and dreamed of moving Down Under for good.
After settling down, buying a house and having children in Dunbar, they felt that dream slipping away, so they decided to take the plunge.
The warm weather, sunny beaches, remarkable landscapes and new places to explore appealed to the couple, who have been together for 21 years and have three children: Brooke, 16, Alfie, 11, Jonah, four.
After returning to Scotland during the Covid lockdowns in 2021, the family was back in Australia by December 2023.
‘I’ve learned never to make assumptions. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ruthie said.
‘It used to be about being mortgage-free at 50 or having a big car, but in recent years our view on life and what wealth is has completely changed.’
She calls on those hoping to follow in their footsteps to “grab the opportunity with both hands.”