Would you move out of the city?

Hi everyone,

Was just talking to my partner and we were discussing how in the future we would like a scenery change, move out of Sydney and to somewhere more relaxed and not so busy.

Also, with the roads (M5, M2, M4) getting so bad with traffic it makes getting to and from jobs for work ridiculously long, especially since most of our work in Inner/North Sydney! People tell me over and over, "but you make great money in the city"....So I am thinking after my apprenticeship finishes next year (and hopefully another course I'm going to start soon), I'm going to start looking for a place to rent & work up the coast towards QLD.

Just seeing whether there are any other people who have decided to get out of the big city and what their experiences were? I still believe it's a great place, but it's not for me!

Would love to move up towards Ballina/Lennox Heads etc but it might be too expensive for us yet.
 
Hi AT

Lennox............nice

we moved the family from Syd to the GC about 5 years ago coz life was just too fast in Syd

Now Lennox looks nice, But just so damn exxy

ta

rolf
 
Your right in saying that, it is so expensive around there. I really like the large acre stuff thats out the back of Ballina and etc too. Again, $$$!

Sydney is too fast paced.
 
Yeah, definitely. I only live close to the city cause I work here and I figure with petrol, tolls, time etc it's easily justified paying a lite extra to live here. but if i was to get a job out of the city, I'd take it and move for sure.
 
Hi andrew,

I have spent over a decade in the inner western suburb of marrickville.
But I'm making the move (hopefully) to the Greater Western Sydney.
I have always been a fan of public transport (no matter how much some people dislike the system). Housing Affordability is probably the main reason that is pushing me outwest, but... At the same time, I can drive to any of the surrounding western suburbs within minutes instead of 20mins-1hour here in the inner west. Yes, I can see how living outwest can never be as exciting and entertaining as living near the city, but at this stage of our young lives, we're more concentrated on working hard and building a more secure future for ourselves.
 
Building a secure future is a hugely important part in my life, one of the reasons I am looking into being an active investor. At the current time it's not like both me and my partner are on high wages, actually below average at the moment. So our careers arent going to hold us back moving, but in saying that - I'ld only move if we were to secure decent jobs in our planned destination.

Sydney has alot of offer us, but just not what we want.
 
I quit a boring Government job to move from Adelaide to rural SA in 2006. In hindsight, I should have stayed at work at least a year longer and saved up more first, but for quality of life, health, stress and general happiness it was all a win. Our main screwup was the business idea we were working on we thought would take 1 year to get it to early stages but in reality we are looking at more like 2-5 working fulltime to completion, but can't do it at all without an income - centerlink will pay a drug addict or unemployed single parent but won't pay a cent to someone who is working fulltime on a delayed payoff business, you need to be 100% self sufficient.

So we've digressed, started a different business for a little cash, had a baby or two (which is a massive time sink in itself), built an online passive income, and magically turned 1 house into 3 after much renovation (there went some more time) which will completely fund our lifestyle and evil plans and we can pick up from where we left off 3 years ago :D It takes a lot less effort and initial outlay to build a subsistence level passive income in the country than in the city.

I don't regret it but again, we could have done it a lot better. It'll all work out in the end.
 
I moved from Brisbane to Newman WA for work a year ago and love it. Sure there are a lot of bad things about leaving the city ie lack of services, expensive groceries, lack of quality produce, distance to anywhere else, lots of bogans etc but the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives (no traffic, much more social and friendly, community spirit, no stress, great outdoors right at your doorstep). My situation is slightly different in that housing, electricity, water etc is paid by the big fella and financially it is a great way to set yourself up for the future.

Lifestyle wise I seriously doubt I could ever move back to the city especially in regards to traffic and cost.
 
We have talked about trying to get a job in the mines, just to bring in some good money for a couple of years (if we could live with the work) then go out and get a place plus some investments.

From what I see, the benefits do outweigh the negatives...although, one of those big negatives is moving away from my nephew and neice!
 
I threw in Sydney for Canberra, and then the Husband and I threw in Canberra for the NSW south coast.
Glad I did the gradual step down - Canberra is slower and has less in terms of shopping (produce, specialty foods etc - although has gotten far better), Canberra - South Coast is a far bigger step than Sydney - Canberra, which makes me glad I made the smaller step first.

The biggest part is getting used to things being slower - it didn't help that I went from running over the harbour bridge to work which was a dealing room, to driving to work in an analytic role, to the office being at home/on the road outside of big cities where the day of the week really doesn't matter. (First one - big energy roles, second one low energy role, third one different type of energy all together).

Having said that any time I think I'm missing out on something I can either schedule a weekend with friends in Sydney, or listen to the traffic reports. Either works a treat.
 
My biggest concern at the moment is whether I can secure a good job. I'll have my plumbing trade and hopefully a financial planning diploma...
 
Definitly an interesting combination thats for sure. I have been tossing up between an IT course and Financial Planning, but I figure I'm interested in investments and financial planning will help me too...Plus, I used to be really good at and enjoyed my advanced maths ;)
 
We have talked about trying to get a job in the mines, just to bring in some good money for a couple of years (if we could live with the work) then go out and get a place plus some investments.

From what I see, the benefits do outweigh the negatives...although, one of those big negatives is moving away from my nephew and neice!

I went to Mount Isa for a couple of years and did nothing but work my *** off, it was tough... but, I am SO glad I did it.
 
How did you get your way into it? I have had a look around and it seems like everyone is looking for people with experience. Did you drive machinery or did you have another role?

Would love some more info, cheers mate.
 
We lived at Boondal in Brisbane and when the wife got pregnant with our first six years ago,I didnt want to have the baby there.

So we purchased a small house across the road from our acreage land and moved out to have the baby,

At first work it was a pain as I had to drive three hours a day,but when I started working local everything changed.

I will never move back to the city,I actually hate going there now.

I still have that choice as we still have the house in there in case I needed or wanted to go back.

If you can afford to keep your house in the city,it makes the move easier,you dont feel so trapped.

You can always sell it at a later date.
 
Moving out

Hiya

I find it funny, this moving to escape the rat race; it's all relative i say,

for me, i moved from Singapore to Sydney to "slow down"; Singapore, now

that's what i called "fast paced".

cheers
 
Glad I did the gradual step down
this is a good point.

a lot of people come to newcastle and realise it's a real hidden secret. big enough to have everything that sydney has, but without the masses of people.

as someone said to me yesterday - you can go to the beach and actually get a park! the shopping is good, the restaurants are varied and first rate, we get most of the entertainment (plays, shows etc), there is good employment and health care, we have the beaches, lake, vineyards and mountains all within a short distance - and if there is really really something in sydney you want to go to, it's only a two hour train or drive away.
 
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I've loved Kingscliff to Yamba since I was a sprog. We used to surf down there a lot...camp in the dunes, never get hassled by anyone...beach breaks to ourselves. dolphins occassionally surfing the waves beside us. It was heaven. Kingscliff, Cabarita, Lennox, Pottsville, Angourie... bliss on a stick.

Doubt I'd enjoy it down there these days.
Have stayed at Cabarita several times in the alst few years, and I just don't resonate with the types moving into the area.

The towns are full of loud drunk or stoned dead heads on a Fri and Sat night.
And property owners are conspicuous by their absence.....just check out Salt on a Saturday morning. It's like a ghost town.
There's little to no commerce of any sort, unless you commute up to Tweed Heads.
Council is always cutting dirty deals with developers to change the town plan and carve up more of the tranquility. One day you think you've got a nice little corner of the world to yourself, next you've got a medium density townhouse development or retirement village.

It doesn't make for a great sense of community.
And eventually, to me, my neighbours are a more important consideration than the view.

If I was doing country, I'd rather do somewhere that every Tom Dick and Harry doesn't want a piece of.

Apart from that, I've seen a lot of city folk move to acreage only to tire of the mowing, yard work, isolation, and commuting within 2 years and want to return to the city. THing is, their acres haven't appreciated as much as the city, and they can't get back in at the same level.

And then others think they'll manage money wise, start a small business only to be working 60hrs+ for less than the award wage, and rarely get to the beach. Not a lot of fun at 40+.

IMHO, cityfolk should only move to the country if you don't need to make a living there.....and don't need to commute back to town.

And then I think many city people have no idea how small town small mindedness, politics, and frictions can arise. Say the wrong thing to someone, and soon you're shunned by half the town. Someone doesn't like the look of you, and same.

Community counts. So beware of the prevailing values of the community you choose to live in.
 
this is a good point.

a lot of people come to newcastle and realise it's a real hidden secret. big enough to have everything that sydney has, but without the masses of people.

a someone said to me yesterday - you can go to the beach and actually get a park! the shopping is good, the restaurants are varied and first rate, we get most of the entertainment (plays, shows etc), there is good employment and health care, we have the beaches, lake, vineyards and mountains all within a short distance - and if there is really really something in sydney you want to go to, it's only a two hour train or drive away.

That's a bit like us in Geelong (perhaps without the entertainment) - a hidden jewel, and < 1hr from Melbourne if we really need to go there.
 
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