[Jan Fisher]

Have you ever considered moving to the country?

I grew up in country Victoria and now live in Melbourne, and quite often I get asked if I think it’s a good idea to move to the country and the answer I always give is yes and no.

It can be a good idea, but it can also be a very bad one.

All those things city people take for granted such as public transport, health options, choice of education and housing are in limited supply in the country or simply don’t exist.

Healthcare can be the biggest problem for ageing tree-changers. Getting a check-up with a specialist for my father meant a couple of hundred dollars in flights or a seven-hour drive.

Twice the doctor didn’t even have the courtesy of informing my father he wouldn’t be available and we just had to suck it up.

Yes, housing is cheaper, but the supply is limited and so are your choices. Fancy a low-maintenance apartment? Probably not available in almost every small country town.

People can be friendly, but they can also be closed off and unwelcoming. My mother wasn’t born in my hometown and it took her 20 years to be accepted.

My advice, move to a town with at least a hospital and a train line to the capital city.

Try and be involved in the community and don’t be offended if it takes a while for people to warm up.

Have you ever considered a tree change? What’s holding you back?

[Taragosun]

We did the “tree change” 9 years ago and have never looked back.
Yes, facilities are not necessarily as abundant or as timely as in the city but you learn to adapt.
We have a hospital, train service, public and private schools, quite a few medical practices and several dentists, physios, etc.
We have Coles, Woolworths and Aldi but only one Plaza type shopping centre. Main tenant is Coles, with Target and Millers for clothing plus the usual Chemist, hairdressers, nail salon, cafes, games stores, etc. But these shops change fairly regularly as the rent charged by the owner is very high and there is only so many residents, approx. 25,000.
There is a long main street of various shops, again which open and close regularly.
Property sales (of residential premises) are generally from $400K to less than $1m so it is attractive for retirees who can free up some of their capital from their Sydney properties, buy here and have free spending money.

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