From Lilyfield to Mystery Bay

As I walked around our empty Inner West apartment for the last time, I thought “shit, there’s no going back now!”. All our belongings had been packed and moved, the cat was already settling in with my in-laws at Tilba and we had finally found a suitable house to rent (finding somewhere to live was a story all its own!). Our new life was about to begin and there was no stopping us now.

The Dream

For the past two years my husband and I had dreamt about a sea change; the space, giving our future children an opportunity to grow up in a small close-knit community and maybe even be able to afford our own home.

This dream became more tangible when my husband was offered a job opportunity to work in Bega. As his family are mostly located between Tilba and Cobargo it seemed like a no brainer to move somewhere in that area.

After a number of rental opportunities fell through, it was pure luck we were able to find a perfectly suited house at nearby Mystery Bay, a beautiful beach-side hamlet surrounded by cosy beach houses.

However exciting and rare the opportunity we now had open to us was, the idea of moving away from my family and our friends in Sydney with a 5-week-old baby girl was incredibly daunting (to say the least!). We had become so accustomed to the convenience of living in inner Sydney; ten minutes from the city, food and wine delivery at nearly anytime of the day or night and being within walking distance of endless coffee shops, pubs and restaurants… how on earth would we survive?

Survive we did! We’ve quickly learned to get to cafés before 1:30pm for lunch and coffee, we spend our weekends going for walks to the beach and exploring the surrounding areas seeing the abundant wildlife (instead of lining up shoulder to shoulder for 30 minutes to get a seat at café) and who needs Uber Eats when you have Eastwood’s at Bermagui?!

A Culture-Lifestyle Shock

The culture shock of moving to the far South Coast has been more akin to a lifestyle shock, a reawakening. This move has made us both aware that we really needed to slow down and enjoy life in our beautiful surroundings and with our amazing baby girl. We’ve been gifted a chance to see life from a different perspective and have become increasingly aware of what is truly important in our lives. The longer we are away from the relentless pace and a superficiality of Sydney, the more clearly we can see. Down here, we really have had an opportunity to simply appreciate life. We have time with each other and for each other in a way we never had before.

As a new mum I was nervous. How I was going to go making new friends down here? Would I even fit in? However, every mum I have met through mother’s group, in a café, on a walk, in Woolies or through my husband’s work has been nothing short of warm, welcoming and supportive. I have been instantly added to Facebook groups and given great advice on where to go for playground for when my little bub is older. The general warmth I’ve felt from other mums and the support network I have experienced has been more generous than I could ever imagine.

At is stands, we’re a couple of months into this decision. It’s the second biggest one we’ve ever made behind becoming parents. We don’t know how this story will end, or if it will even work out down here. We really hope it does. Whatever the outcome, we’re enjoying every moment, the good

and the bad (believe me, there’s been challenges, oh! So many challenges!). I’m so proud that we’ve decided to give this life a go.

If I could go back in time to two months ago, I would give myself a big hug and say ‘It’s ok. I know you’re your tired, hormonal and moving is the pits, but you’re about to make the best decision of your life!’.

This article was written by Melanie Higman