Chris Baker, 25, left England last December to settle in Perth, Western Australia, a city to which his parents had retired a few months earlier.

Apart from joining his parents, he said that a key reason behind his decision to leave was the price of property in London and the cost of living in the capital.

He was earning £30,000 a year as an account manager for an advertising agency but did not fancy borrowing a huge sum for a tiny flat in a run-down area.

He was commuting every morning on overcrowded and unreliable London Underground trains, and had been unnerved by the Tube bombings.

Australia, with its sunny climate, low property prices and excellent career prospects, appeared to offer the perfect escape. It is a decision that he has not regretted.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1680432.ece