moshol

After living in Cooma for 18 months i'm shocked by how much I love it and how good it is to not live in Sydney. Cooma is awesome if you have young children- preschool is way cheaper than syd and it is easy to access childcare. The snow is a great bonus and it is close enough to put kids in ski school for the winter (if you are prepared to leave the house at 7 am for 10 consecutive sundays during the season). Internet shopping means you don't miss out on what is happening in city shops and Canberra isn't too far away. It helps if you still have family in Sydney or another city so you know there is an out if it starts to get boring- 5 days in Sydney and 15+ wasted hours on the M5, M2, Military road and Ryde road will have you keen to head back to the Monaro! I imagine it would be harder to integrate into the community if you don't have children. Playgroup etc is a great way to meet locals, many you will find are fairly new to the area too. Try to get a house with a view of the sunrise and moon rise in the distance, the colours here are magic! If you are after a good coffee/ snack try 'Kettle & Seed' mmmm or Café 40 and the Thai above the visitors centre is really good too (Pha's Thai).