Hi all!
I can finally share some MASSIVE family news I’ve been keeping secret for the longest time. No, I am not pregnant. When I said I was one and done, I meant it! I am here to announce that my husband, daughter and myself are moving from Melbourne to Queensland! If you live outside of Australia, this is about a 3-4 hour flight between states. I am going to talk about why, when and how we are moving. I’ll also touch on our jobs and extended families. There is much to cover, so let’s get into it!
Our family embroidery hoop was made by this seller on Etsy.
WHY ARE WE MOVING?
My husband and I have always wanted to live up north. We have been talking about it since the moment we got together nine years ago. In Melbourne, the weather is very up and down. You could experience a freezing day in summer or multiple seasons in just a few hours. There is no consistency. In short, if you suffer from seasonal affective disorder (which we both do), Melbourne is not an ideal place to live. Not only that, we’ve never felt particularly connected to our city. It has more of a fast-paced, arts and culture vibe with no real access to nature, unless you drive an hour or two out of town. In 2020, my husband faced multiple health issues (that are still ongoing) and we decided it would be best to finally stop talking about our lifelong dream and start making it a reality. Living in a warmer climate all year round was the perfect remedy for our mental health issues and his physical ones. Plus, the area we wanted to move to was all sand, sea and tropical greenery. It promised a much more relaxed, slower-paced lifestyle that we had been yearning for, for so long. We would be able to spend our lives in a beautiful place and go on amazing adventures. Our daughter could enjoy a very outdoorsy, different childhood to the ones we had growing up. However, 2020 came with a global pandemic and our plans were put on hold. Until now. Our house sold last month, we bought a new one, the borders re-opened and finally, it’s happening for us!
I want to add that I am in no way hating on Melbourne. I’ve lived there my whole life and there are many things about it that I will miss. I just don’t believe it’s the right place for us.
WHEN ARE WE MOVING?
The settlement date for our house is the beginning of April, so as of today, we have a couple of weeks to finishing packing and get out. Unfortunately, our new home will not be ready until early May, so we will be staying in a serviced apartment nearby while we wait. This will give us a chance to get our furniture installed and explore the area/our surroundings. Our daughter is already enrolled in a wonderful daycare.
HOW ARE WE MOVING?
My husband and I recently brought a new car in 2021, so I will be driving it up north and he will be flying with our daughter and her grandfather. My trip will take at least three days, so I’m going to document it along the way and write up a post of all the sights/food/adventures that come with the journey. A removalist van will be taking all our possessions up there and placing them in storage until it’s time to move into the new house.
WHAT ABOUT WORK?
Here is the biggest blessing of them all. The pandemic has proven that it’s not a strange concept to work from home. My husband and I were lucky enough to be able to keep our jobs and do them remotely. It’s very comforting to have that source of income behind us and we acknowledge our privilege.
WHAT ABOUT THE FAMILY YOU’RE LEAVING BEHIND?
Obviously moving comes with sacrifices. Both of our families live in Melbourne and not too far from one another. Abigail is the only grandchild on both sides, so it was hard breaking the news to them, knowing they wouldn’t be able to see her as often. All we can do is fly down when we can, make our home available for visitors and FaceTime frequently. We know it’s painful, particularly for the grandparents of Abigail (our parents) but we also don’t want to spend the rest of our lives being unhappy, just to keep everybody else happy. That’s not a good message to send to our child. At least when we do see one another, it will be quality time. I’m proud of us for making this happen and I know they are too.
Thank you so much for reading! If you have any other questions, let me know down below. I cannot wait to share more from our new home.
Peace & Love xoxo
Congratulations on your new home! So exciting!
Thank you so much!! Very excited 😁
How exciting! Congratulations! I hope you enjoy getting ready. 😀
Thank you so much! Very excited 🙂
😀 I’m looking forward to reading all about it.
<3 <3 <3
So happy for you all. My eldest daughter did the same move over a year ago for the same reasons Bought a house on line and are happy. Her and her partner and dogs live on the Gold Coast. My husband and I drove up in February to see them and to see them happy it brought peace to me and my husband. We miss them terribly but they are happy. It is a big step to make but you have a whole life ahead and your family is your first priority. It is a very different style of living but you must do what makes you happy. Exactly where are you going?
Thank you so much 🙂 I’m so glad to hear your daughter and her family are happy. It’s tough because our families are very sad and I feel bad letting them down but like you said, you have to do what makes you happy. We are moving to Hervey Bay!