Sometimes we all need a new start, and as clichéd as it might sound, moving to the other side of the world may just be the change you need.

In theory, now couldn’t be a more perfect time to make the move to Australia. The country is crying out for skilled workers to join its ranks, especially in the manufacturing sector, which has been in constant decline over the past year. However, due in no small part to increasingly stringent visa criteria there has been a decline in the number of British people moving to Australia in the past year. According to the Office of National Statistics, 174,000 people left Britain to work abroad in the 12 months to March 2011, down from the previous years’ figure of 203,000. However, Australia did still top the poll of the most popular destinations, beating out the US and New Zealand to the number one spot.

Gareth Lucy, who moved to Sydney in March 2011, lists several pull factors that led him to take the plunge: “Great weather, the chance to live by the beach and the opportunity to see a part of the world I’d never seen before – how could I say no?” Nine months into his adventure, the lustre certainly hasn’t worn off: “It’s unreal to be able to travel to places like Hunters Valley, Melbourne and Cairns and see amazing places,” he says. Gareth advises anyone considering the move to be patient. “Get through the first three months, as they’re the hardest,” he says. “Moving your entire life to the other side of the world is tiring and stressful. Trying to find somewhere to live, finding your way around, getting your life set up again, starting a new job and meeting new people. At several times I wondered if I had made the right decision but when you finally find somewhere nice to live and you settle down then you won’t regret it.”

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