Just over two years ago we packed up a truck and moved from the city to a little suburb on a hill in the country. We lived in a two-storey apartment in Tamarama within walking distance to three beaches {heck, we could SEE the beach from our balcony and dining room – you did have to crane your neck but real estates totally use that stuff as selling points! It HAD BEACH VIEWS!}. It was also a stones throw away from the best cafe in the world, M Deli Cafe for those playing at home. You have to try the oaty bites and vegetarian breakfast roll.
Our apartment was tiny. We didn’t know it when we were living in it though, because as far as apartments go it was positively huge. It had a backyard AND a balcony AND TWO bedrooms. I remember one Christmas having the whole extended family around, jam-packed into our living space, and my cousin {who lives out west on a large property} was having a panic attack at how small the space was and how many people we’d stuffed inside. It was normal for us. What was he talking about? We were near the beach! Our apartment was HUUUUGE.
But in reality it wasn’t. It was all we knew though.
Our beloved apartment fell ill though. It got concrete cancer. Yes, it’s a thing. Living so close to the beach has it’s downfalls {real estates don’t put that in their ads, do they?} and one of those things is concrete cancer {and backpackers camping outside your apartment and using your tap as a shower}. Our building was falling apart, and was going to cost a pretty BIG penny to fix it.
We knew our time was up. We wanted to expand our little family and we couldn’t fit anything else into our apartment, especially not a little person and all the things they need. BUT we knew we couldn’t afford to live in the east anymore, and we didn’t want to move away from the beach. The beach is our thing.
In March we took a trip up North for Hubby’s 40th to Kingscliff, and we fell in love. It felt like home. We returned back to Sydney, decided we wanted to move, and then Hubby put in for a transfer. Usually transfers take up to 6 years to happen but his was approved within 6 weeks. At the time I was working from home, with flexibility to move. Everything lined up beautifully.
We called a guy that had bought another apartment in our building and asked if he was interested in buying ours. He was, and it was sold within a few days. Again, everything lined up beautifully.
In late April we flew up the coast, kid-free, to buy a new home. Lucky for us the real estate market was at an all-time low so we found our dream home in our price bracket. We chose our suburb without having visited it before, but we just had a gut feeling that it was meant to be where we should live. I don’t even know how we came to that decision back then, but I’m a big believer in following your instincts and this was one time that it seemed to work.
I call it a sea change, but maybe it was a bit of a tree change. We live close to the beach, but not as close as we did when we were living in Tamarama. Instead of those beach glimpses, we wake up to this each morning. This is just this morning:
I knew it was going to be tough living without my family, who I’m really close to, but we had to make a decision for our little family. We moved up, Hubby started his job and loved it, I quit my job and loved it, we found Lacey a good preschool and then a good big school, I fell pregnant, we had room to store the baby {ha!}, and eventually my Ma followed us up, and then my little sister and her family too. We’re working on my brother and other sister now. We’ll make it happen!
We’ve made a beautiful group of friends, I really love our neighbours {they might not love how noisy we are though – yeah, sorry!}. It was the best decision for our family. I miss my brother and sister {and their partners}. I miss dumplings, and fun restaurants. I hate to admit it, but I miss hipsters. I miss being in the middle of the action. Finding art installments in weird places. I miss having more things to take photos of. I miss that stuff.
But when you weigh it all up, the sea change was awesome for us. And everything else is only a flight away.
Love this post Chantelle. We’ve moved a few times over the past 4 years but each house was within 30mins of each other. We almost did a big sea change last year and planned to move to a beachside rental up the Sunshine Coast – but work and life and opportunities and fate stepped in and it didn’t happen. I love where we live now – {in fact we’re building a new house in this suburb which should be ready next year} as it’s close to the city and the beach, but gives us a tree/forest feel too. The best of all worlds. One day, we might take the leap and head closer to the beach.
You have embraced your move so well and have the perfect mindset for a new change!
C x
I didn’t know you were building, that’s exciting. Was actually thinking of you lately, was thinking I’d love to get together 6 or 20 local girls who blog or run their own businesses and meet for brunch once a month – to inspire each other or something. Maybe start next year.
Something to think about anyway. xx
6 or so! Not 20!
3 years ago we left Sydney to move to the family farm that my husband grew up on. Its been quite an adventure for me (I’m a city girl at heart), but has been the best thing for our family. These days I can’t imagine life any other way, and like you, I’m working on getting my siblings and parents here too.
It’s interesting how quickly you can be accustomed to the slower pace, hey? Like now when I go to the City I can’t believe how quickly things more {and how grumpy people can seem!}.
I’ve packed it up and moved across the country by myself several times now. It was always a bit frightening, but it’s always led me right to where I want to be.
Currently my husband and I live by the sea – six blocks from the Mississippi Sound in the Gulf of Mexico – and I absolutely love it. I love our terribly old, but charming, house with its incredible front porches, and I love being able to spend summer Saturdays on the beach with my husband, under the umbrella, a drink in one hand a book in the other. It is as close to perfect as I can think.
I only get to enjoy it on the weekends, though. I work out of town during the week because there’s not much available for me in our perfect spot…which means that if something doesn’t turn up by May, we’ll be looking to make a move to somewhere else. And that breaks my heart a little. I absolutely love where we are and want to stay there. *sigh*
I hope something pops up that is perfect for you. I hope it can be so!
Three years ago I moved from Melbourne to Kalgoorlie. The ultimate dusty tree change. I never thought I would live outside a major city, but I moved for work and I love it here. It’s so fun and life is easy, but I do miss friends and family and don’t love having to pay at least $600 for flights when I want to visit them!
How did I miss that big move? That’s huge. The races looked beautiful {just popped over and read it}. I find it hard to fork out that money for fares, and then accommodation… but I’m loving seeing Sydney as a tourist. Makes me really appreciate it.
Originally from Newcastle, I completely understand the beach views. Growing up on the beach, and most events gravitating around that peaceful and hypnotic playground, I think I always took it for granted. I finished uni about 4 years ago. My boyfriend finished too, and he was super clever so landed a graduate position in Gilgandra. 5 hours west. Farms. No beach. None. As permanency in teaching is golden and about as common as winning the lottery at the moment, we decided we’d take the plunge – move in together, and move away.
I can’t say I love it. I get horribly homesick all the time. It feels very isolated, and our friends and family rarely come to visit. I think perhaps because I’m constantly traveling back to get my salty-air, trend-setting, hipster, coffee, restaurant fixes.
We have made some wonderful friends. It isn’t home, though.
It sounds like an adventure though, and I guess as long as you know it’s not forever? My sister is a teacher and I remember her saying that once you get a permanent role it’s easier to move to other schools. Is that right?
I met my partner in September last year, we both lived in Adelaide at the time. Four months later he posted to Brisbane, and after doing it long distance for 4 months, I moved myself, my four children from a previous relationship and sold everything we owned except what I could fit in the car with myself and the kids! We moved to Brisbane into a home I’d applied for online and got, sight unseen! We knew nobody up here except my partner. In the 18 weeks we’ve been up here, he’s been away with work for the past 12 weeks and we’ve only seen him on weekends. But I haven’t regretted it for a SINGLE second 🙂
That’s awesome. I was thinking I was going to get to the end of your comment and you were going to say that it was a mistake, I love that it was the opposite. Yay for good changes. x
We’re spending Christmas & New Year in your neighbourhood this year Chantelle! We’ll have to do coffee
Oooh, are you doing Christmas at Kingscliff?
Yes, we are! Christmas with my husband’s whole family so we’re all meeting there from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane 🙂
Wow, I wonder if I could ever leave Sydney. We moved from Manly (the beach) to Waterloo and this has been a great change in terms of having a better social life, having all our friends around… We do miss the beach though and we know we will go back near the sea sooner or later.
But that wasn’t the big move for us. THE big move was to come from Dublin where we had just spent 3 years to Sydney without visiting prior.
We knew we would love it, everything lined up ideally as it did for you Chantelle. It was just meant to be.
Almost 4 years on and this is the best decision we’ve made. Sure it’s hard sometimes to live 27 hours from your friends and family. But we keep in touch all the time and we have a fantastic group of friends here too.
Sydney is our new home. We love it!
That’s an epic leap of faith, and I’m so glad it worked out. For me I think home is where my little family is. It just feels right.
And at least Waterloo isn’t too far from the beach {well as the crow flies, a little bit longer when you take into account the traffic}. x
I grew up moving between Brisbane, Adelaide and London. In the end I live by the beach on the northside of Brisbane. It’s a hard balance, I need to be near the beach but it’s also a long commute when I work in the city. In some ways we’d like to be on a bigger block but I don’t think we’d ever find a block we want as close to the beach. Then again, who knows! A valuer came to our rental recently so maybe we’ll have to move when our lease is up. I’d like to stay in my suburb if possible though, I really love it.
I didn’t realise that Brisbane wasn’t near the beach {only realised when I moved up here}. Hopefully they decide not to sell so you can stay. x
Love Kingscliff … it’s our getaway every year. Each year we go there we talk about moving there … we still haven’t. Thank you for living our dream and sharing it … makes me want to do it even more now!
Oh yes, I remember that you getaway that each year. It’s the best, isn’t it?
I haven’t made a big move, but I have just started to renovate our townhouse and its making me love it even more.
That’s exciting. We’re just starting to plan to make some big changes here. I can’t wait to turn it into a house I really, really love!
Your view is stunning Chantelle, simply stunning. I made a tree change then just recently moved back to the city. There’s so much I miss about the country, but there’s so much i love about being back in the big smoke. I’ve kept a block of land in a tiny country town so my options are open 😉
Ha, I love that you’re keeping your options open. 🙂 I’d love to do a bit of both.
Love hearing your story Chantelle. And how’s about everyone following you up there! Ha! How funny. You trend setters. I grew up in the country, went to boarding school and uni in the big smoke, was always – ALWAYS – going to live in the city, in the action, no intentions of returning home, or of living rurally again really. Enter farmer boy, studying ag science at uni. We finish uni. I follow farmer boy to the bush. Find myself not working in commercial studio spaces like I’d planned (I did photography at uni), but rather working at the local stock and station agents, treading the boards at the monthly cattle sales, learning more than I never needed to about embryo transfers and semen samples and growing some pretty bloody good cattle with farmer boy…and LOVING it. Fast forward again and we’ve worked up north for awhile, jackarooing and governessing on outback stations, and managed big beef properties in South Australia. Then, for the same reasons as your family, we made the decision to leave the land, for farmer boy to get a ‘real job’, unfortunately it’s the way agriculture looks these days. We had a baby. We moved home. Still rural (living on my family’s farm), and still in the ag industry (working in agribusiness finance) but we’re no longer farming ‘on the land’ ourselves. We’ve come full circle. It’s a nice feeling, I can’t imagine raising our baby blossom anywhere else.
That is full circle. What a rich life you’ve already had. I really love your story. xx
We used to go to Hastings Point all the time as kids, when my grandparents would go up there in the winter. I love that part of the world, and would move in a heartbeat.
We recently caravan-ed there and that part of the world is beautiful, and exists at a really nice pace. I need to go back and enjoy it more. x
a wonderful story, of faith, trust and bravery! Yeh ! I truly believe that when things feel right, and when they truly are meant to be, everything will fall into place with relative ease. And yes, we are allowed to miss what we left behind, that is just natural (I know I will miss the wonderful small community here in the bush when I move to a busy seaside town soon – but the sea is also where I want to be) The beauty is that we can visit our friends/family from where we came, and we can also make new friends in our new place – so our life can only be enriched 🙂 Thanks for sharing Chantelle x
That’s so true Carolyn. I’m so excited about your big sea change. x
As you know, we made a big move to Dubai. I’d never set foot in the Middle East until my husband and I arrived with 4 suitcases and three kids and attempted to make this place our home. It was the best move we’ve ever made. We’re so happy as a family, we’ve made some wonderful friends, met some incredible people and had amazing adventures that we could never have dreamt of when we lived in Sydney.
It won’t be our home forever, but for now we love it.
You know we were *this close* to moving to Kingscliff a few years ago. We’ve had many holidays up that way – Cabarita, Kingscliff, Brunswick Heads, New Brighton. It’s my most favourite part of the world.
Oh and I miss dumplings too. The one thing we can’t get (well good ones anyway). And I REALLY miss sushi, the stuff here is crap. To make up for it we have fabulous falafels and delicious bhajis. x
Dang! I would have loved if we were neighbours! There’s a good chance we’re going to Dubai soon. Excited about that and will most definitely be picking your brain. x
My husband’s work brought us to Darwin from Sydney, after moving every two years for sixteen years! I really miss everything about the city. One day I would like to choose where we live and really make a life for ourselves. Sometimes I slip into the mindset of ‘one day when we move…’ and I need to remind myself that life is for living…in the here and now. The here part just happens to be remote, isolated Darwin!
It is hard to be present and just focus on where you are now, but a bit of dreaming never hurt anyone, right?
Yep we made a ” tree change” 13 years ago almost.. My babies were 2,6, and 8.. We moved from the city to the Countey town where I was born…. It’s a bitter sweet move.. We love our country living… We love where we live and it was the best place ever to being up our babies… But we missed out on birthdays and special events and we miss our family and friends.. But we love what we have! So I say Bittersweet….. But I wouldn’t change it so therefore it’s a good move… X
Yeah, I think you have to weigh it up – and there’s always things that you miss and people too… xx
So stoked you’re happy with your sea change! We were supposed to move to Kingscliff after V was born last year! Trav owned a unit there and we were all set to move in and renovate it whilst I was on Mat leave. Unfortunately we had to sell the unit (long story) so our plans were put on hold as I was due to go back to working in the city after V was born. Now, with no city job, I won’t have to commute so it’s back on the cards! Probably not until mid next-year but I can’t wait to be close to the beach!!!! It’s such a gorgeous part of the world, I can’t imagine it’d ever be a bad decision living in such a pretty spot! Thanks for sharing xx
Ummm…. I think this is information that you should have shared with me earlier! So excited about this.
Calm the farm Chantelle!
Yes we’re a bit excited! Just gotta get through this last summer in the suburbs and then it’s beach time, all the time!
You live in a beautiful part of the world! I’m glad you’ve all settled in so well. It seems like it was meant to be. We moved back to my home town, even though I swore I would never be one of ‘those’ people who did that! We have a beautiful big back yard with birds and wildlife, wonderful neighbours and a beautiful community. I wouldn’t change it for the world (unless I could transport all my family and friends to a little town in Tuscany!).
That sounds beautiful. I’ve seen photos on Facebook and it looks perfect. xx
I moved from Oklahoma to Newcastle 22 & 1/2 years ago…….I was only staying 6 months 🙂
Yeah, I think you’re staying now. 😛
I can so see why you love it up that way. I am a Melbourne girl but 13 years ago my Mum moved to Brunswick Heads. I was up there with my 8 year old last month and actually visited Kingscliff for the first time, it’s a gorgeous part of the world. My sister got back from Mums today and we were saying how the minute you get to Northern NSW you just feel different, the pace is slower and you just em to breath better. I would move up there tomorrow if I could convince hubby. Very envious of your sea change.
I love life changey stories. It always takes a leap of faith to just hope things will be better than what you left behind. You know, I am not sure I have read a story yet of people who said they left the city and it was the wrong thing to do.
My canadian born (but Aussie-living) husband and I moved and lived in Canada for two years with our two small children. After a few -25 winters, we decided Brisbane was indeed home and moved back last year. Love this Aussie lifestyle! You don’t realise how much we take the outdoors for granted until you are stuck inside for months on end! We now have a fully grassed backyard with back door open for the kids to run in and out…love these simple things!
Ahhhh yes, I see a lot of concrete cancer in older buildings. When I first heard the term, I was like, nooooo surely not? haha. Such a funny term! Kingscliff is a gorgeous part of the world! My bestie lives near Tweed Heads!
I’ve done a massive move from Russia to NZ and then to Perth and just about to move to Melbourne in a few weeks! Cannot seem to keep still 😉
I made a big move when I was preggers with my first out of the city. I miss it, everything about it but I know it was just right for my life as a single entity (as in no baby attached). It’s taken me a while to warm up to my new home but I know it’s perfectly right for my life now as a wife and mother. Children, family: it’s supposed to change you and it wouldn’t be right to continue as before including small apartment living in the city. It’s take courage however but mostly I reckon big leaps bring big rewards x
Love it. We decided on an area as well before we moved up and like you, I just had a gut instinct. Friends say to me that we had a tree change but we are 15 minutes to the closest beach whereas we used to have to travel over 30 minutes to the beach.
We must meet up one day.
We are currently in the process of boxing up our home in Utah, USA to move to Sydney. I’m thrilled about making this move, but my emotions are a roller coaster right now! I’m starting to panic about how far we’ll be from family. We’re selling off most everything, so I’m coming to terms with my connection to things. I’m worried about exchanging our sweet little bungalow with the backyard garden for a tiny little apartment. And I’m excited to live in a place where I won’t need a car! And I’m really really really worried over all the stories I hear about you guys’ spiders!
Hi Chantelle, stumbled across this article as I was googling families making sea changes! We are just about to make ours and pack up from Sydney and move to New Zealand. It is such a big adjustment for adults and kids and like you we have close family here so I think that will be what we miss the most. It is nice to hear of other families doing a smiliar thing and knowing it is the right decision for your family. You have obviously been there a while now and settled in nicely. Hopefully ours will be a smooth transition too. I am just documenting it myself on a blog so I can process all the changes and keep a record of our journey. Thanks for all your top stories and tips 🙂
Hi Chantelle, stumbled across this article as I was googling families making sea changes! Everything you have written makes sense to me! Now to convince my husband of the what I’ve been feeling for the last 2 years. He uses the reason that he doesn’t want to feel like a quitter for leaving his job. We have three boys 8,5 & 3 and I feel now is the time to make the move. Kingscliff is where I want to be. Any pearls of wisdom you may have will certainly be welcome.