Wanted Down Under Revisited

An updated look at families previously featured on Wanted Down Under. Paula Jones had struggled to make ends meet ever since becoming a single mum and, despite going back to university, had no choice but to rely on the state for support. Desperate to provide a better future for her children and escape the benefits trap, Paula was considering a fresh start with her family in Australia. But while son Luke was up for a move, daughter Kacey wasn't convinced that what the country had to offer was worth sacrificing the close relationship she had with her dad.

On their first trip down under in 2015, the family spent a week in Adelaide. Did the financial reality of life in Australia live up to Paula's hopes and persuade Kacey to make the move? One year on, we find out where the Joneses are now.

In 2014, James Cornish was working around a hundred hours a week as a pub landlord. With his wife Lisa teaching accountancy at colleges across the country, the couple were missing out on quality time with their sons Sami and Luis.

Desperate to address their work-life balance, Lisa believed they could turn their lives around in Australia. However, emigrating would come at a huge price as James's daughter from a previous relationship would be left behind in the UK. Even if the family could persuade Lauryn to visit regularly, James faced the prospect of being separated from her for most of the year.

A trial week in Melbourne gave the whole family a chance to witness how much their lives could be transformed down under - and Lauryn agreed she would happily call the country her second home. Two years on, have the Cornish family called time on their busy life in the UK and moved to the other side of the world, or has the reality of James being so far from his daughter pulled the plug on their Australian dream?

Greg Wallen fell in love with New Zealand while travelling in the country as a backpacker. On returning to the UK, he was just months from making a permanent return down under when a dabble in online dating saw him meet the love of his life, Jenni. Three years later the couple were married and living in Sheffield, and Greg was a loving stepfather to three-year-old Evie. But his dream of living the Kiwi lifestyle hadn't disappeared, leaving Jenni faced with a massive decision.

When the family spent a trial week in Auckland in 2015, Greg was hoping it would be enough to persuade Jenni to buy into his dream. So one year on, what side of the world do the family now call home?

Back in 2012, the Fitzpatrick family experienced a trial week in Auckland. After years spent dreaming about emigrating, prison officer Billy was hoping the trip would show his wife Beth that the country offered a better future for their two young sons. But used to life in the Scottish village where she had grown up, Beth wasn't willing to jump into relocating to a country she had never even visited without careful consideration, especially as it would mean cutting close ties to her mum.

When New Zealand's properties failed to impress her, Billy's chances of pursuing the dream life he wanted looked shaky. But after witnessing how much the lifestyle would suit her sons, things started to turn around, and Billy was delighted when, at the end of the week, the whole family voted to make the country their home. Four years on, we find out which side of the world the family call home.