Two humans, two goats, a Sharpei and a great view: meet my fellow Tree Changer Kylie!
Embarking on this blogging adventure has highlighted I have many Tree Changers in my circle of friends – the majority of them being people from my childhood and teenage years.
I’m not sure it’s entirely a coincidence. I was in Scouts with some of them as a kid which may have something to do with it, giving us all a taste of how good it is to be outdoors in nature.
Growing up in the very inner suburbs of Sydney with people living on top of each other was probably another influence for many of us!
Connecting with these friends through the blog has reinforced there are many ‘younger’ people Tree Changing and also doing it a little differently.
So I thought it would be interesting to share their stories too, to show the many ways people are making the move.
The first person to graciously share their Tree Change story is my high school friend Kylie.
Meet Kylie
Stokers Siding, near Murwillumbah, NSW.
Who do you share your Tree Change with?
My partner Ben, ChopSuey the Sharpei, and goats Ringo and Xena.
What do you do in your day job?
I’m an Early Childhood teacher – a TAFE teacher.
Well, our story is a little different – we first moved to the coast (Hastings Point) making a Sea Change in 2013 and then to Stokers Siding in October 2015 – our Tree Change.
Why did you make your Tree Change?
We were living in Kingsgrove in Sydney in 2012 when we had a little road trip to friends at Pottsville, NSW. I was like: we could live here.
Our reasons were financial, due to the crap pay of early childhood teachers and the cost of living in Sydney. I’m also a snob – if I am going to live in Sydney, then I need to LIVE in Sydney (not 20kms away).
My partner Ben and I had lots of discussion about if we should go, when etc. We had lots of concerns – his job in the finance sector, he was halfway through a double degree, and we had my Dad living with us and so on.
After months and months of thinking about it, we applied for jobs and then on the 2nd of February 2013, I was driving out of Sydney as I had a job.
We were Sea Changers first, and then the Tree Change came in October 2015. We wanted space and to buy land near the ocean was still very expensive, so after a compromise – putting in the swimming pool – we moved to our small acreage.
How did you decide where to move to?
Well, the first move was easy – we found a fabulous small village on the coast!
The Tree Change was due to us needing somewhere to live that was bigger than our little rented townhouse, shared with Dad and Chop.
But like Sydney, house prices had started to soar – everyone had the same idea to move north! We could not afford to stay near the beach. We had an offer accepted on a property that we thought was great. Then it fell through. We didn’t think about Stokers Siding until the agent worked his magic! This is how we made Stokers Siding home.
What surprised you most about making a Tree Change?
How much you need to learn, such as managing our own water and septic.
The local thing: many local people are not happy about Sydney folk moving up.
And yes things move very slow here – sometimes a little too slow!
What are the best things about being a Tree Changer?
My pool and view… every day feels like a holiday, and this can make it hard to keep up on the maintenance of the land! And clean air and access to great local produce.
Any downsides to being a Tree Changer?
Lantana (weeds). No Uber. No public transport (when you want to head to the pub) or home delivery of food and power blackouts.
Any advice you’d give to anyone contemplating a Tree Change?
Do it! Learn to love thy neighbour. Live on your land for at least a year before making any decision on renovations, adding or demolishing buildings or clearing the land, and what you want to grow or which animals you want to keep. Get to know a good plumber and sparky.
Anything else you’d like people to know?
We won’t be moving back to Sydney!
If you have a question for Kylie, leave a comment below!
And if you’d like to share your Tree Change story here, get in touch.
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