How/when can I re-enter the country after my WHV ends?

I've had a look at a similar thread in this forum group, wondering how to get back into the UK after the WHV finishes...  What I don't quite understand is why there are no hard and fast re-entry rules - it's a hell of a long way from home for it to be left purely to the discretion of the passport control people! It would be terrible to get sent home when I genuinely am there to holiday.

My WHV ends in February 2010, and like many of us silly WH-makers I'm now in a relationship with a non-Australian in the UK.  I want to be able to re-enter the UK after my visa ends and when I return from catching up with people in Oz.  But, I can't get a clear picture of the proper way to do it - I've heard that you MUST wait 3 months before re-entering the UK, and I've also heard you can do it straight away.  I've heard that if you have a return flight and proof of funds, there's a good chance you'll be let in, but how much money do you need?  And would it work against you if your money was in a UK bank account, since there's no point transferring it all back to Oz when I'm intending to spend more time there. 

I'm also considering getting an Irish WHV soon (since my 12 month work allowance is up), would passport control view that favourably, since it shows I have somewhere nearby to work that is NOT the UK?  I know there are meant to be visa hotlines that people can call, but who can afford £1.50/min to ask all these little fiddly questions?  I wish they'd just write whatever it is they tell you on the phone on a website. 

I'm particularly interested to hear from people who have done the re-entry thing, or really anyone who can clarify things.

Thanks.

Hey God,

All the things you say are spot-on but at the end of the day it's all at the discretion of people at passport control. If they're having a shit day they can make your life hell.

i think if you do everything you're saying you'll be fine. But I wouldn't mention your relationship because that gives you plenty of motive to overstay your entry conditions. Having an Irish WHV will be a big help because it shows you have plans to move on. It might be worth your while even to have a flight booked (just buy a cheap £5 flight which you might never use) to Ireland which you can show passport control.

The other sneaky way to get back in the country is to come from ireland. So fly into Dublin first, then fly onto London. Don't ask me why, but with flights from Ireland they only check your boarding card at passport control (it's not like walking up to the desk, you just walk past someone who collects all the boarding passes) to check which flight you've got on - they're obiously not suspicious of people coming from Ireland. I know a couple of people who have done this without any problems.

Can I qualify all of this by saying you should only do this if you genuinely aren't going to breach your entry conditions. People who do make it a bloody lot harder for the rest of us who are doing the right thing. Not that they give a shit, I'm sure.