EXCLUSIVE: Luke Tweddle returned to Surrey four months ago after enjoying three years living in different parts of Australia and he has now spoken about the biggest differences he discovered
Luke Tweddle is back in the UK (Image: Luke Tweddle)
A young man who is back the UK after three unforgettable years in Australia has revealed the one reason he would not return Down Under on a permanent basis. Luke Tweddle, who is from Surrey, spent time in Adelaide and Sydney before house-sharing in Perth with his girlfriend where he enjoyed considerably higher wages than in the UK — while also being within walking distance to sandy beaches.
However, the 26-year-old moved back home to England four months ago. Asked whether he would ever consider living in Australia permanently, he replied with one understandable reason for remaining in his home country. He explained: “The benefit for me of living in the UK is being back around friends and family. If you were asking me, which country do you prefer? Australia actually wins hands down, but being there long-term can start to feel isolating.” He added: “We don’t currently plan to move back to Australia, but would definitely love to visit again to see anywhere we missed off.”
Luke said he had been enjoying the UK again and that despite describing Australia as “amazing”, it had become “very normal” to him, and therefore being here has felt like a fresh start.
Being closer to friends and family has also been invaluable and although he could have become sponsored to stay in Australia when his visa expired after three years, he and his girlfriend were “fairly happy” to call time on a remarkable adventure.
What Luke’s noticed after three years away
And questioned whether anything surprised him about being back in the UK, he said there were “multiple things”. He explained: “Firstly the fact that literally nothing had changed. The fact that I could be away for so long and do and see so much, yet you return and people are still going to the exact same job as the day you left, was definitely a strange feeling. Also the UK felt very busy, and town centres felt noticeably run down compared to Australia.
“Transport prices as well have been another thing that’s surprised me. They’re so expensive. And being away, I missed being around friends and family and I especially missed out on big events [which] could be difficult.”
Luke used to spend just £5 a day to use trains in Perth, but he previously revealed on his YouTube channel that he would “genuinely never get over” how expensive pints of beer were. However, as for rent, food shops and coffee outings, he said prices were similar to what he was used to at home.
Three things he misses from Australia
Laughing, he said he missed Australian wages, which he said were much better than in the UK and in New Zealand where he briefly lived too during his travels. He previously calculated that an average worker in Australia could save around £12,000 more annually compared to here where the average monthly take-home salary is £2,500.
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Luke said he missed being surrounded by nature constantly and the beach on his doorstep was also something that now feels a long way away.
However, as for the comparisons that now stand out the most, he concluded: “Australia is very modern, clean and well kept whereas the UK feels a lot more rundown and neglected.
“Also the culture, I found Australian culture very positive and Aussies have tremendous love for their country. Whereas the UK typically has a much more negative, complaining type culture with not much positivity towards the country.”