Researching Weekends Away!

Murphy didn't strike...I was not shortlisted for the Hamilton job, so off the hook there..phewww...Having decided that perhaps Hamilton is a little far from Melbourne I started looking for new locations.  Queue..my Mum!  She had heard that there was a lot of infrastructure going on in Maryborough so I started researching and came up with the fact it had close to 8000 residents, size I'm looking for, tick, at least 5 pubs, big tick, and was only 2.5 hours from Melbourne, all looking good so far, so why are there no jobs being advertised for such a progressive town I wonder?

I decided it was time to start proper investigations so I packed the trolley dolly case and set off for this progressive country town only to find it was nothing like I expected!  Within 5 minutes my sister and I knew this was not the place to relocate to, a small gathering of shops, most of the pubs had closed down and it appears that a whole load of factories are being built there, so not the type of progressive town I'm looking for!  I am now kicking myself that I didn't go to my first choice which is still Horsham so I am determined that Horsham will be next weeks country visit and I hope that it will be exactly what I'm looking for otherwise it's back to the drawing board!

Cardboard boxes in the Country!

ok...so I've bitten the bullet and applied for a job in the country and of course after I lodge the application and share my news with the family, they say, oh but it would be much better if you relocated to Horsham and not Hamilton! 

Is Murphy now going to strike and firstly grant me an interview and secondly offer me the job..lol...

Thinking I had now better do some further research into rental properties in Hamilton just in case, I went onto my usual site www.realestate.com.au, put in my criteria and hit search expecting to see about 50 properties at least, up comes 1 single solitary property...aggghhhh....rather ironically it appears that even if I do get a job in Hamilton I may be living in a cardboard box as there are very few rental properties in my price range. 

Ultimately, like my family,  I think Horsham would be the preferred location and is the better deal rental wise etc, so in a way I hope I don't hear from the Hamilton job, as face it, like most people my preference would be to unpack those cardboard boxes as opposed to living in them!

Small World...Big State!!!

So its meant to be a small world, right?...lol...well not when it comes to deciding where to move too, all of sudden it becomes very large and I guess if you consider that the State of Victoria is bigger than the whole of the United Kingdom then it makes sense that I'm struggling to decide where to start looking. Actually that's not quite true, after spending time in the Grampians region,

I am drawn to that area but even that is a mammoth area with so many potential towns and I also need to keep in mind where the work is or will be in the future so am also casting the net alot wider and seeing what is out there in other far flung locations but I have no doubt that regardless of what I find, I will veer back in the Grampians direction. There are many factors to consider as well, my preference for part time work due to my fulltime study load, the fact I want more "me" time, but enough income to still enjoy life and a town that is large enough to have a social life but not too large so I am no longer anonymous..and the icing on the cake would be a hot country guy!!!..ok, time to snap out of fantasy mode and start being productive, country towns, jobs and men don't just find themselves!

Community

When I think about why I would want to upsticks from the city and move to the country, the one word that always comes to mind is "community".  I always had this idealistic view of living in a community like the tv soap, Coronation Street, so when I moved to the UK I thought I would finally have that local pub culture where I could turn up, prop at the bar and make loads of friends.

Well that idealistic view of life in the UK was far from reality especially in London where you were lucky if you knew your upstairs neighbour!  In complete contrast to the UK and Melbourne, in the few months that I have been spending the odd weekend in Stawell I already know well over 50 people!  I am of course lucky that I had my sister running the pub so anyone to do with the Publican is welcomed with almost celebrity like status, (perhaps i've now had my 15 minutes of fame!), but even still, the community spirit that is inherent in country towns is something to be valued and admired and for that reason, I think that country living would never be quite as lonely as city living!

City Girl!

I am a City girl through and through, so why now am I leaning towards abandoning the stilettos and city streets with all its fabulous bars and restaurants for a life in the country?

To be clear, I don't mean just green fields and no other people for miles, i am talking suburban country with neighbours and shops and of course the country pubs, but why would I give up a life in the city for a small town!

Put into the mix the fact that for the last 12 months I have lived in Melbourne Central and for the 11 years prior was living in Central London, the mecca of fabulous culture and the arts, and the magnificence that is Europe on my doorstep, are you now wondering if I need therapy!  

Perhaps this will be my therapy, discovering my reasons why I think this change may suit me or not.

This is not just something I'm considering on a whim, for the past 5 months I have been spending a lot of time in the country town of Stawell as my sister was the local Publican, needless to say I now know a lot of people in Stawell from perching myself at the bar with my vodka, lime and sodas, plus pulling the odd pot or two! 

So the first question is, can I go from being an anonymous figure in the city to someone who will be gossiped about constantly, as they love to do in small towns (yes I know I only visit the country but I have already heard a few rumours about myself..lol)