Why expat household who left Australia as soon as have determined to return once more

Scottish high school sweethearts Ruthie Ellis and John first backpacked around Australia in 2005 and had always dreamed of moving Down Under for good.

After they’d settled down, bought a house and had children back home in Dunbar, they felt that dream slipping away. So they decided to make it a reality and move. 

In September 2019 Ruthie, 37, was granted a visa with permanent residency as a midwife but couldn’t fly for three months as she was pregnant with their third child. 

After she gave birth, they bit the bullet and sold their house, packed their things and moved to Sydney in January 2020.

Unfortunately it was the ‘worst time’ to move. Most of the country was engulfed in flames from wild bushfires and the covid pandemic was just taking hold.

‘It was terrifying. The sky was black, there was smoke everywhere, then a few weeks later we started hearing about the illness overseas and I was like “Oh my god what is happening?”‘ she told FEMAIL.

Despite the beauty and relaxed lifestyle of Australia, the family moved back to Scotland in August 2021 – a move many are making due to the rising cost of living.

However, they’ve now returned – and stress the grass isn’t always greener overseas. 

Speaking to the family’s adventurous nature, Ruthie laughed and described themselves as ‘ping pongs’ because they’ve moved back and forth across the world. 

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.

‘The weather in Australia is absolutely brilliant, it’s lovely. We spend so much time outside whereas in Scotland you get into a bad habit of coming home from work and staying inside the house,’ she said. 

‘We don’t do that here – we’re always outside, at park or the beach, and we’re always looking for an activity to do together as a family. 

‘So it’s a huge change and we’re much more active over here, even just subconsciously.’ 

As for other cultural differences, Ruthie poked fun at the ‘strange’ habit Aussies have of not wearing shoes in public – particularly at the supermarket. Other than that, she absolutely loves it.

Before leaving Scotland family and friends questioned the decision to move overseas with a newborn. 

‘When I was pregnant people are like, “What are you doing? Why are you leaving?” And I said, “I’ll be fine, I’m really strong and resilient”,’ she said. 

But the move was far more challenging than expected. 

‘Homeschooling and feeding a newborn once the pandemic kicked I thought maybe I wasn’t as strong as I think,’ she said.

The harsh lockdown also took a toll on Ruthie’s mental health and at times she wished she could go back home. 

At the time their oldest daughter Brooke became very sick and was having a hard time at school so Ruthie pondered the idea of relocating. 

‘We put so much time, effort and money into the process of coming over to start with,’ she said. 

‘I eventually said to John, “I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to have to go home”. He was absolutely devastated. I felt like a failure because we made all these plans to start a new life and it was just a disaster. 

‘We did have some fun but it was a horrible time for everybody. Then it was really hard to make friends and there weren’t any mum and baby groups.’ 

So the family packed up and moved back to Scotland in August 2021. But it wasn’t the same.

The family struggled and were homeless for nine months due to the housing crisis at the time so they stayed with Ruthie’s sister. 

But it was a wise decision because Brooke, now 16, was diagnosed with epilepsy in January 2022. 

‘She was sitting on the sofa in my sister’s living room one Sunday morning. Then she went down to the side and I looked at her and said “Oh my god”. Her face was totally contorted. It was like an exorcism. She was going all blue in the face,’ Ruthie recalled. 

‘All of a sudden she started shaking which I now know we a tonic-clonic seizure. At the time I thought she was having a stroke. I thought she was going to die in my arms.’ 

The seizures occur randomly and Brooke has suffered minor injuries as a result because she has no control of when she’ll be hit again with another episode. 

Ruthie said she would just ‘drop’ without warning at any time, meaning planning holidays, outings or even going to school is terrifying. 

Now to stabilise it, all she can do is take dozens of tablets per week and will live epilepsy for the rest of her life. 

The 18 months following Brooke’s diagnosis were incredibly traumatic for the whole family, and Ruthie felt she would not have coped without the support of her family in Scotland.

Ruthie does not regret the decision to move back to Scotland, as it allowed them to get the care and support they needed for Brooke during that difficult time.

‘We were absolutely in the right place. Yes, it’s cost us a whole lot of money but I felt like it was meant to be. We couldn’t have gone through the trauma without family,’ she said.

The couple even purchased another property in Scotland which they still have today, but the downward spiral of Brooke’s condition lead Ruthie to consider moving to Australia again. 

‘She was spending all her time in her room and wasn’t having a good time at school – I hated seeing her like that. So I said to John that we should travel more and go back to Australia. He was thrilled because he was so upset to go home when we left,’ Ruthie said.

In December 2023 the couple decided to commit to the move back to Australia for a second time. 

They touched down on the Gold Coast two weeks ago and are settling in well with plans to explore other parts of the country.

Ruthie is also set to start work and so far the family have explored the entire eastern coast from Cairns to Sydney. 

At the moment the couple aren’t sure if they’ll remain Down Under ‘for good’ but it’s certainly a goal. 

‘I’ve learnt to never make assumptions. You don’t know what will happen,’ she said. 

‘I used to always be about being mortgage-free by 50 or having a big car, but in recent years our view on life has totally changed and what richness is.’ 

‘Richness now to us is experiences. That’s what I want life to be about. When you’ve been through trauma, you want to live.’ 

But Ruthie understands how things can change at any moment and their goal right now is to see as much of Australia as possible.

As for money, she hasn’t tallied up how much they’ve spent moving overseas twice but she estimates it to be around $50,000.

She urges those hoping to following in their footsteps to ‘grab the opportunity with both hands’. 

For this family-of-five, it’s been the adventure of a lifetime.