The terms sea (moving to coastal areas) and tree (moving inland) change have become very popular in Australia to describe those from metropolitan cities seeking new life styles and opportunities within Regional Australia. We actually dislike the terms because (in our view) they deliver the wrong messages. However, we have used them because they are now so well established.
Sydney or the Bush
As summarised in the old Australian term "Sydney or the bush", tree and sea change are often presented as mutually exclusive permanent alternatives to metro living. They are also generally presented, to use an ugly modern phrase, as life style downsizing, returning to a simpler life.
The reality is that the process is far more complex than this. Here we can in fact distinguish a number of different groups with very different interests and needs.
At one end of the age spectrum we have the backpackers from Australia and overseas who want to experience Regional Australia and look for casual work to pay for travel and living costs. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, we have an increasing number of gray nomads exploring Regional Australia who are also willing to work (often for longer periods) to pay for travel and living costs.
Then there are an increasing number of young Australians taking jobs in Regional Australia as an interim measure because reasonable salaries combined with lower living costs allow them to save in a way no longer possible in the higher cost metro cities. Take, as an example, the young IT graduate who took a technical support role in a remote mining town at twice the salary he could have achieved in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Some of this group stay in Regional Australia because they fall in love with the life style, others return to their home metro city.
There are also an increasing number of families moving to Regional Australia because this allows them to buy their home or to achieve a better and safer educational environment for their children. Some move permanently, others plan to return to the metro cities once their children have reached a certain age.
Then there are those moving because they want a particular life style or to pursue particular interests.
Finally there are the retirees who move for both life style and cost reasons.
Understanding Your Own Needs
Within this varied mix, the key requirement in all cases is to understand your own needs and requirements, including any trade-offs that may need to be made.
Many tree and sea changers who thought they were making a permanent move have in fact returned to their home metro city after a period because they missed familiar things more than expected, because the new life style was less than expected, because the trade-offs were greater than expected or, simply, because their own needs changed.
So it is important to be clear on your needs. It is also important to properly investigate the area that you propose to move to. Both will increase your chances of getting the best result from the change.
Categories of Needs
While needs vary enormously, there are a number of common threads. These can be summarised as:
Partner issues. We put this one first because in the days of two working partners often pursuing different careers, it is absolutely critical that the interests of both are taken into account in the move. From our experience, partner conflicts are the single biggest reason why tree or sea change fails.
Life style. What are the things that you really enjoy doing? How do these fit with the localities of most interest to you?
Adaptability. Any move to a new community requires time and adaptability to fit in, to build new friendship links, to find people of common interests. It helps here if you are willing to join in, to participate in community activities. The problem can be most acute for retired couples because they lack the interaction associated with school and work.
Year round experience. We have put this one in because a lot of people move to an area or community that they have experienced during part of the year only. You need to look at life over the year as a whole. A seaside place can be very different in the middle of winter as compared to the peak summer holiday period.
Income. You have to have an income to support you whether through your retirement savings, employment or your own business.
Education. What education facilities do you require for you and your children?
Real estate. While real estate in Regional Australia is generally cheaper and better value for money than the metro equivalent, this is not always so. Further, people may overpay simply because prices seem lower than those that they are used too. So proper investigation is required.
Health facilities. Health facilities vary across Regional Australia. What are the health needs of you and your family now and in the future? How do these mesh with facilities in the localities of most interest to you?
Retirement facilities. Depending on your age, what facilities are available to provide support in retirement?
Moving Forward
These are not small issues. We hope that Regional Living Australia will help you work them through.
In addition to this site and the other links and ideas included, you might also like to visit:
yourseachange.com, an e-magazine on tree and sea change providing a variety of stories and ideas
