Summary

The author has relocated 1600 kilometers to a more natural and less populated area in the Far North of Australia, facing initial frustrations but ultimately finding inspiration and a sense of growth.

Abstract

The author, dissatisfied with urban expansion and environmental degradation, decided to move to a more serene and climate-resilient location near their childhood home in Far North Australia. Despite a challenging and disorganized moving process, the new environment, complete with lush landscapes and a house surrounded by nature, has rejuvenated the author's spirit and creative energy. The move, although fraught with obstacles, has been deemed worthwhile due to the tranquility and beauty of the new surroundings, which have already begun to positively influence the author's life and writing.

Opinions

The author regrets nothing about the move despite the difficulties, as the natural beauty and tranquility of the new location outweigh the frustrations.
The move was motivated by a desire to escape the negative effects of urbanization, such as increased traffic, roadkill, and deforestation.
Climate change considerations, specifically the likelihood of experiencing droughts, influenced the decision to relocate to an area with high rainfall.
The author values the advantages of working within the education department, which facilitated the move through a paid relocation.
Previous experiences with moving services were professional and efficient, setting a standard that the recent move did not meet.
The author is optimistic about the future, viewing the challenges faced during the move as an opportunity for personal growth.
The new home's connection to nature, including a garden, rainforest, and creek, is

When Past Experience Leads you Astray

Moving 1600 kilometres to paradise has had its price.

See that view in the photo above? I’m looking at it right now as I sit on my new front patio.

That’s why this horrendous experience makes me regret nothing!

This is not a tale of woe.

This is a tale of frustration that ends with warm air settling on my skin as the green brings me back to life.

On April 27, I published An Open Letter to Tea with Mother Nature Writers suspending submissions for the publication. I knew that moving 1600 kilometres North was not going to be a picnic, but I was not ready for the frustration and exhaustion that was coming. Let me explain.

Last year my partner and I decided that we had had enough of being in one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. An influx of humans was not something that filled my cup. If the growing had been botanical or biodiverse, I would have been happier.

Every day as I drove to work I saw new devastation: trees clear-felled for development, an increase in roadkill, more and more traffic on the roads even in the witching hour.

In the wet Summer and Spring, I also found myself delighting in my garden, despite the weeds, but ever fearful of the next inevitable drought.

Our research took us to the Far North of Australia, near where I spent most of my childhood years. Climate Change Science indicated that it was unlikely to experience drought, just cyclones, flooding and tropical disease. There’s always risk wherever you live. The only downside was the lack of cool weather, which I must admit, I enjoy.

After we had secured a strongly built property in a small locality wrapped in the mountain range that supports the World Heritage-listed Japoon National Park, we started to look for work.

Our new property is also in the area that boasts the highest rainfall in Australia. The running joke is that they don’t measure rainfall in millimetres or inches here, they measure in metres or feet.

The view from my new back door — Photo by Author

My partner applied for transfer with the Education department, while I explored options that might help me give more time to my writing.

Finally, I had a part-time job that would hopefully give me time to write. It is still with the education department, but that has advantages. On advantage is that they would pay for our relocation.

I have moved four times with Education departments and each time the experience has been reasonably positive and mostly smooth sailing. The removalists in the past have been professional and efficient.

We weren’t prepared, then, for the difficulties we were about to experience.

Once the dates were booked, we packed and cleaned as much as we could.

From the first moving date, things did not go as planned…

So, it wasn’t as simple as we thought it was going to be.

We left the “old house” in a mess and will have to return shortly to deep clean so that we can sell it.

My laptop stayed in its bag for a week because I literally couldn’t get to it, never mind having the headspace to actually get words on the page.

It hasn’t stopped raining since we got here which isn’t ideal for moving, but that’s why we’re here… sweet life falling from the sky.

We’ve unpacked about half the boxes so I allowed myself to sit down and tap the keys. I have a lot to catch up on!

That catching up won’t be too onerous. As I drove through stunning landscapes too and from work on Monday, I felt ALIVE and INSPIRED.

Glorious green, a new garden complete with remnant rainforest and our own section of a permanent creek and a house that is big enough for us to get out belongings that have spent too long hidden in our previous small house.

There’s more to do and I’m sure there’s other frustrations waiting but really, there’s nothing to regret, because an experience like that is just another form of growth.