Australian expats in London have been left horrifed by the most recent terrorist attack to strike the city, with some saying they are considering returning home while others say they are shaken but defiant.
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At least 29 people were injured after an improvised bomb exploded on a peak-hour train at Parsons Green station on Friday morning (London time) in what police say was the fifth terrorist attack in Britain this year.
Will Medcalf lives in Parsons Green, takes the Tube there daily and was at the station an hour before the bombing on his way to work.
He said the Parsons Green blast was the most alarming of recent terrorist attacks for most Australians in London.
The 27-year-old teacher from Trundle, NSW, said the parks and pubs of south-west London made Parsons Green a "popular Aussie suburb" - leaving the close-knit expat community there "rattled" after the attack.
It was a feeling becoming all too familiar for those living in the English capital, he said.
"When you see your phone having 15 messages, unfortunately a terror attack is the first thing that goes through your mind," Mr Medcalf said.
"With the London Aussie expat community being so well connected, you start to run through the list of friends that could be involved.
"It definitely has you second-guessing yourself a lot more."
After more than two years in London, Mr Medcalf said the string of attacks had left him "missing the safety" of Australia. But he said he would not change his routine.
Another Australian living in London said she was now seriously considering moving her family back to her home country.
Young mother Lucy Hinchliffe, from Ipswich, Queensland, said terrorists using cars to randomly attack pedestrians had left her fearful for the safety of her one-year-old daughter, Matilda.
"I always think, what would I do with her [if she's] in the pram and someone just careered off the road and tried to mow us down?" she said.
"It's not worth thinking about really, as I don't think there's much I could do ??? but it does play on your mind."
Married to a Londoner, Ms Hinchliffe said that after almost eight years living on-and-off in the city, she was "over London".
"I do genuinely feel quite unsafe when I go into the city now," she said. "You never know who you can trust."
She said the terrorists attacks - combined with "ludicrous" house prices and the high cost of living - meant her young family was considering moving to Australia.
"I genuinely breathe a sigh of relief every time I come home ... I feel safe there," she said.
Another Australian living in England, Tamsin Sawle, moved out of London to the countryside recently to avoid the stress of the city.
The Redcliffe, Queensland, woman said the bomb attack had hit home but life in the big smoke would continue.
"The [terrorist attack] was a bit shocking as it was on the line I would usually take and only one stop after my stop," she said.
"It's scary that [attacks] are happening more often now.
"[But] I don't think it affects people too much. No one changes their routine from what I know."
