Consultants consistently report that the outdoors plays a central role in the lives of those working in Australia and people spend most of their spare time outside; perhaps running, exploring the Bush or indulging in the most Australian of activities: "throwing a shrimp on the barbie".

As Packham points out, there are 11 months of good weather a year to be enjoyed and "if it's 30 degrees and the sun is shining, there are very few people who want to sit in and watch TV".

Packham's contemporary at Michael Page in Sydney, Andrew Pownall, came back to the UK in 2004 and misses the lifestyle.

"The outdoors lifestyle was fantastic," he says. "I used to play golf all the time but since I've been back I can probably count on two hands the total number of times I have played."

There's even a choice of climates for prospective ex-pats, as RCSA chair Julia Mills explains. "One of the great things about the recruitment industry is that it is well-represented all over the country, from capital cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, through to regional towns in the country or on the coast," she says.

"Those looking for tropical weather and mild winters where the mercury hovers around 25 degrees can aim for Townsville, Cairns or Darwin," Mills adds. "Or if they are after hot summers and cooler winters, cities such as Melbourne and Adelaide are great."

Pay is comparable to the UK but tends to go a lot further, according to Paul Simms, currently manager of Hudson Accounting and Finance in Sydney.

"The most noticeable thing is the cost of living is so much cheaper," he says. "Living pretty much in the best part of Sydney, yes you pay top dollar for the luxury, but it's still affordable; you just couldn't do this in London, for example."

But candidates who want the Home & Away dream of life on the beach with little or no work involved are going to be disappointed. While Australian recruiters play hard, they work hard too.

Currently Australian unemployment sits at 4.3% and the population is only around 21 million in total. This means you're going to have to fight for clients just like in the UK, where unemployment is at 5.4% in a population of more than 60 million. You'll also get less holiday as standard, as Australians get 20 days, compared to 24 days in the UK.

"It is a myth that people think Australians are so relaxed and laid back that they just want to rush off home early to catch some surf — really it's just like any other busy city," Wheeldon says.

"People work normal hours and put in the hard yards where needed — the difference being that unlike people from the UK they value the work-life balance, so you would not catch people working weekends or until late at night unless absolutely necessary."

However, Peter de Boer, general manager at Hudson in Greater Western Sydney, says he found a culture of longer working hours in Australia than in the UK.

"For me a typical working day is 7.45am to 7pm," he said. "Standard office hours are generally at least 8.30-5.30."