Sorry to hear that, I was going of information that I'd seen on the government website. That sounds terrible for the individuals and families involved that can't get back home safely.

I think the Covid-19 issue excuses this one 100% if true. All the things that the Aussies like when they live here: travelling around UK, weekends and holidays in so many different continental European countries, the kids making new friends at school, experiencing Brit culture like pubs, bars, restaurants - they've all gone. Instead they've been stuck at home in an unfamiliar environment with little to do and home educating kids in a curriculum that's entirely new to them.

Have said it countless times before, but anybody swapping Australia for the M62 corridor towns of England needs their heads examining.

Because most of us live in those towns, we are pretty immune to seeing the obvious, which is that the vast majority are absolute sh!+holes and don't even even have a half decent climate to make up for it.

Coming from Sydney and the like is a massive downgrade - Its little wonder that homesickness is so prevalent.

I was told six weeks ago that his family had gone back to Aus, couldn’t settle here.
Widdop probably seeing the season out.

The grass is always greener. Surely the high salaries they are paid would compensate them for living in the ghettos of Grappenhall and Appleton. Winters can be grim, but Aussie winters aren't particularly nice especially in the south and we have had decent weather since April.

I have great sympathy for the Widdop family. No one could plan for what has happenned. You know hardly anyone, you & kids can't go out etc.etc. ... a terrible time to move to another Country. Most people/everyone would struggle in these circumstances.

Sydney or Stockton Heath??

I think it's fair to say that we can have just as bad weather in our summers as the Aussie's get in their winters. Let's face it ,in the rugby league heartlands of the UK , most of our summers are washouts. On my 3 visits to Perth in Aussie winter time i have been pleasantly surprised with the weather.

Stockton Heath I work in Manchester and it's far handier

A lot have opted for SH over Sydney over the years.

This. It's much harder to make it work in a strange country with family since Covid19 broke out.

Something like 50% of Brits who emigrate to Australia return within the first few years and in a rugby context, John Bateman has chosen to return quite soon so certainly the grass isn't always greener.

It is something that seems to happen more with the modern player though; many of our overseas signings of the 80s and 90s were here for 5 years or more. I don't think the weather was any more tropical back then, or Bridge Foot resembled Sydney Harbour more closely but I might be wrong.