Who We Are

We’re super proud of our awesome community. 

We are a friendly bunch who give as much as they take  - which means a very diverse and experienced knowledge base. 

The person giving you advice may be one of our original members from our very first week  even.  

That knowledge is priceless. 

Moving home is hard - but you're not alone. We don’t just help you figure out the essentials, but the fun things too. 

After all the repatriation excitement wears off and reality sets in, we will be here to help you find your new peeps.

Have no  idea  how  to  move  home  after  being  a  long  term  Aussie  overseas?

Neither  did  our  founder LJ Ferrara,  who  was  then  living  in Hong Kong. 

A  few  years  back,  LJ found herself in the same position that many have been in before her. It was time to move home to Australia. LJ left Australia in 2001 with a cute boyfriend and excess luggage to work for a few years in London. In 2018 LJ finally  started the process of moving home, complete with hubby (yes, the same cute boyfriend), a Third Culture kid teenager, who was also an international boarding school kid  and a rescue  dog from Hong Kong called Lulu.  Combine  that  with  household items  and memories accumulated over nineteen years abroad, collected lovingly (often after a few little quibbles) through many countries and  it  is  a  daunting  task.

 Strangely enough, moving home was harder than moving to another country. For nearly four years, between three house moves, another country move, repatriating, re-discovering Australia, working, covid lockdowns and running a family, LJ Ferrara happily volunteered her time to help our members through a Facebook page. Only Aussie Expats with genuine ties to Australia,  are  admitted  to  the  group  and  she  maintains  this  even  now and  will  continue to  do  this  to  ensure  authenticity.  In fact, the first 9,000 members of the Facebook group  were all admitted by LJ,  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night. It has been a mammoth job helped mostly by her shocking sleeping habits. 

After suffering the repatriation blues, LJ started running events in Sydney and facilitating volunteer-led events around Australia, which are hugely popular and help returning Aussie Expats find people just like them to talk to and listen to. After doing this for many years with the Australian Association in Hong Kong, LJ loved welcoming new Aussies and connecting them with others and with tried and tested businesses. It was from here that the ‘Tried and Trusted’ ethos began and has been in place since the day Aussie Expats Coming Home was founded. 

It is LJ’s mantra that to  shout about successess  or  great experiences is  the  best  way  to  find  great businesses  and  support those that provide them.  One of the key lessons that LJ gained during her years overseas is the importance of sharing knowledge. She is a firm believer that there is no need to re-invent the wheel, especially not when you have made the huge decision to move home. Letting the experience of others guide and help you during one of the most stressful times in your  lives  can  only  be  a  blessing.

After  providing  thousands  with  help,  resources  and  referrals,  our  website came along in 2022 to fulfil the fast growing demand to have information all in one place.