young_australian_family

I have lived in a number of different types of Australian towns - from tiny rural towns to inner city Melbourne - and they all have their virtues.

Now that I have a young family, Albury has been a sensible choice, as it has a good variety of professional employment opportunities, excellent schools and public facilities (parks, pools, bike trails, museums, libraries, universities/training), childcare options, and we could base ourselves close to the centre of town where we can walk everywhere, just run one car, and buy a house for a quarter of the price of the suburb we left in Melbourne (that was still 30-40mins out of the city!).

Nightlife is not strong, however, that scene isn't for everyone anyway.

Previously, we lived in a much smaller town, which was sweet & lovely, but we missed some of the modern conveniences such as consistent mobile coverage and broadband internet, as well as access to training and education for professional development, and a larger client base for our small businesses.

However, when you come to a bigger town, you are confronted with suburban life - kit homes, SUVs, more fashion conscious - and this can be a bit tiresome. But you can find your tribe! You just have to put yourself in a location where you are most likely to meet like minded people.

My advice to people seeking to move to Albury is to consider the older homes closer to town, unlike the city (where these would be the more expensive option) you can get a great priced home within walking distance to the centre of town and great public schools. Rent in closer to town, before you buy out in an estate and get isolated from the outset. Get to know the place and how you'll live here before you jump into the market.

There are many different types of people in Albury - from sports & fitness types, to arty/musician types, to professionals and blue collar workers - and like most Australians, are friendly and welcoming to new people. Like most towns I've lived in, people new to town are easier to connect with as their friendship circles are not fixed. It always takes time to find the people that you will gel with and an area in town where you think you can feel a part of the community.

Also, live in a small town before you move to a regional city. You learn a lot about the diversity of Australian culture that way, and it will detox you from your expectations of giant shopping centres and make you really appreciate the facilities in a regional city when you've gone without for a little while.

In leaving the city, you will lose access to some specialist services, and you will have less variety for entertainment. But how often do you really need to access those things?

For us, its been liberating to have all that commute time back into our day to spend with family, to exercise and look after our health, to have money in our pocket to enjoy little luxuries in life, to live our day to day life on foot, and (after life in a city apartment) to have land to grow veges and fruit trees, have chooks, and room for visitors. Its really the things you do every day that make the biggest difference to your quality of life.

On weekends we chill out! We're not consuming entertainment venues - although the art museum, library & many markets are great - we enjoy getting out camping, swimming in the river, cycling, snowfields in winter, and easy travel to Beechworth, Bright, Yackandandah, Corowa, Rutherglen, and other lovely local towns, Melbourne, Canberra & Sydney when we do feel the urge for an urban adventure.

We've lived in Albury a few years now, and we are very happy with our decision. But we also look forward to other chapters in our life where we pick another place to enjoy. For now, while the kids are at school, we'll enjoy the lifestyle and opportunities in Albury.