A British woman who swapped the UK for sunny Sydney nearly 30 years ago has revealed why she now prefers life in England…and has set up home in the country’s wettest city.
There’s been an exodus of Brits moving to the warmer climates of Dubai and Australia in recent years – but Lisa York, 52, has travelled in the opposite direction, saying she’s tried the expat dream overseas but now prefers life in the down-to-earth northern city that’s become her home.
Originally from Weymouth, Dorset, Lisa first moved to Sydney as a teenager after growing restless with small-town living.
Yet, three decades on, she’s decamped – with her four children and husband Benjamin – to Lancaster, ranked the second-rainiest in the UK after Glasgow.
And while she’s settled back in perfectly, enjoying the quieter and more affordable way of life she’s found, Lisa says there is just one thing she prefers about living Down Under – the country’s healthcare system.
She says the system offered to Australians is superior to the NHS, particularly for older people, and that would be the main reason for upping sticks once more.
Telling the Daily Mail how she first fell out of love with life in England, Lisa said: ‘Weymouth felt very small, even growing up. So, when I was 19, I pulled on a backpack and went through Southeast Asia to Australia.
‘I got a job in a bar named Norton Bills… and then this gorgeous Australian walked in.’
What came next was a whirlwind romance – abruptly cut short when Lisa’s visa expired, forcing her to return to Weymouth where she settled for another 13 years after meeting and marrying her now ex-husband.
Bring on the rain! The York family decided that life in England was a better option after years of living in much sunnier destinations across South East Asia and Australia (Pictured: Lisa and Benjamin York with their four children)
After moving to Australia, the family settled in Canberra before relocating to Sydney…but Lancaster is better for their family, says Lisa (Lisa pictured with her four children outside the Sydney Opera House)
In an extraordinary twist, she received an unexpected email just months into their separation – sent by the very man she had enjoyed a brief romance with when she was a teen in Sydney.
After reconnecting, and falling head-over-heels, the pair married in their mid thirties and went on to have four children together, who are now aged 11 to 16.
With her Aussie-born husband, Benjamin, 53, serving as a Navy Captain, the family spent years relocating living in different continents – and say northern England has wooed them with its friendliness and reasonable house prices.
Recalling each relocation, Lisa said: ‘First I moved to Sydney, then, as we started having children, we moved to a different part of the city.
‘We moved to Bristol for a year, then to London for another two years, then we moved back to Australia.
‘We went to Canberra, had three years there, then from Canberra we moved to Sydney for two years, then to Phnom Penh in Cambodia for another three. From there, we moved here to Lancaster.’
How did the small northern city win her over? Lisa’s interest in Lancaster began with a three-day wedding celebration in the area.
When her sister-in-law, who had recently moved to the city sent her a house listing, the couple were instantly swayed by how far their money could stretch. And in 2023, the family made the move – based on exactly that.
Their home cost £390,000 in Lancaster; a similar house in Richmond, South West London, where they’d hoped to move to, would cost a princely £1.2 million.
She said of the place they snapped up: ‘We bought a very nice house, pretty modest. It’s just like a Victorian three-bed semi, but it’s got a converted attic and a converted basement. When we looked at that link, we thought: “That’s very affordable.”‘
The York family had initially hoped to move to South West London but found properties were in excess of £1million for the roomy house they’d need with four children
The family later settled in Phnom Penh in Cambodia for three years while Benjamin completed a posting. From there, they made the decision to move to Lancaster
Lisa’s husband is currently on sabbatical and will return to Sydney in nine months, though the rest of the family plans to remain in Lancashire aside from a summer visit to see dad Down Under.
Affordability aside, Lisa – who runs an online business, Lisa-York, which helps small companies sell their products – says she was also drawn in by the area’s strong sense of community and culture.
She explained: ‘They’re lovely people up here, really friendly. People always say hello and pass the time of day with you. The neighbours, who welcomed us, are really nice.’
She also appreciates something she missed while abroad: British humour.
Lisa said: ‘I feel when I’m in the UK, people get me. I say stuff and people laugh, whereas sometimes in Australia, they don’t. They have still got great humour.’
Surprisingly, the mum-of-four even prefers the weather in England, adding: ‘I like the seasons here, they’re more noticeable. I love the change and variety in the weather.
Brit Lisa says the only reason she’d consider a move back to Australia might be the better healthcare system she says people Down Under enjoy. Right: Lisa and Benjamin pictured in the English countryside
‘I don’t know, after a while, when you wake up in Sydney you’re like: “Oh, it’s sunny.”‘
Of course, not everything has been easy, with Lisa having to do the international move solo with four kids while her husband finished his posting in Cambodia, an experience she described as being ‘a lot.’
In a perfect world, Lisa says she’d combine the best of all three countries: ‘I’ll take Sydney Harbour and the beaches, but a bit of Lancaster weather, British culture, and the tropical pools of Cambodia.’
As for long-term plans, Lisa and her husband hope to relocate to Kingston, London, after the children finish higher education, before retiring back to Australia for its healthcare system.
She said: ‘We’re going to sell this place and use the exact amount of money to buy a two bedroom, much smaller place in Kingston. We want to go back to Kingston, because our hearts are there, and we’ll stay there for probably a decade.’
In terms of opting for more beneficial healthcare, she said: ‘I’m a big fan of the NHS. I like that we do have free health care here. But we’re going to go back to Australia, because we want sun on our skin and their healthcare there is second to none.
‘A lot of their healthcare is privatised – but that doesn’t mean to say people have to pay for it.’
She continued: ‘Every single thing you have medically is itemised. A visit to the GP has a code… a scan has a code… and they allot an amount of money to each code. You can also go to any surgery, wherever you like.’
‘Australia is a much richer country – they have had a lot of money. The hospitals there are beautiful, the schools are beautiful, the roads are beautiful. The rail network is really cheap. It works really well.’
As for now, Lancaster feels right though, with Lisa adding: ‘We like change. And after moving so many times, we know that if we don’t like something, we’ll just change it again.’
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