The family swapping their Bristol home for Sydney

A Bristol family is getting ready to swap their home in Sneyd Park for a house in Sydney for three months.

Martin Brown, 49, and his partner Elaine, 48, read a story in the Evening Post about Libby Abadee who grew up in Bristol but now lives in Australia.

She was keen to swap her dream home, complete with swimming pool, for a family home in Bristol so that she and her husband Phil and their three children – Jack, 10, Gracie, eight, and Emily, two, could spend time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Libby, 38, originally wanted to swap homes for a year and was inundated with inquiries from interested couples.

Martin, who runs his own executive recruitment agency, said: "We saw the article in February when there was snow on the ground here and kept it.

"A few months after that we got in touch with Libby and it sounded like we were a good match.

"We are going in four weeks' time – it will be a bit of an adventure.

"Elaine and I both run our own businesses which are quieter over the winter months so it is an ideal time to do it."

The families decided to swap for three months to avoid the red tape that goes with longer stays.

Martin and Elaine, who runs an event management company, are taking their three-year-old twins Heidi and Jamie.

Martin said: "They keep talking about kangaroos and koala bears. They are really looking forward to going to Australia."

The couple, who have been together for 10 years, are planning a romantic beach wedding while they are there.

The family can hardly wait. Summer temperatures in Sydney usually hover around 35C (95F).

They will be swapping their detached home in Knoll Hill for a four-bed house in the Sydney suburb of Thornleigh, 25 minutes from Sydney Opera House and 35 minutes from Bondi Beach.

Libby, who went to The Red Maids' School, was backpacking in Australia 13 years ago when she met her husband Phil, now 49, who owns a freight business.

The Abadees are hoping for snow when they come to Bristol.

Libby said: "We are now counting down to our Bristol adventure. It's less than a month to go and we are all very excited."

She chose Martin and his family because their home was close to Clifton and Redland where her relatives live.

Libby said: "I had to compromise my original plan of trying to get a swap for a year because it became apparent very quickly that people just couldn't get visas for that long.

"In terms of getting ready for the family, we are making a huge effort to make our house totally ready for the twins.

"I really hope they have as much fun in our house and city over the summer as we do. And I hope we get enough snow to make a snowman!"