Time for a tree change?
Is escaping the rat race and moving to the country a fast-track to a simpler, stress-free life? We spoke to one woman about the highlights and hiccups of her tree change from city to country.
You can do it with these simple tips
Every time you holiday in the country do you stroll past real estate windows and wonder what it might be like to give your life a rural makeover? For 58-year-old horticulturist Helena Law, a 90-minute commute through Sydney traffic each day was taking its toll when the possibility of such a tree change became a reality. “I felt worn out by the noise, light and crowds of the city and fantasised about moving away to enjoy greater peace and quiet and be closer to nature.” So in December 2017, when Law and her husband, Gerry, 62, discovered a wildflower farm up for sale near Milton, three hours south of Sydney, it was an opportunity they couldn’t resist.
“I was so excited. We had been to the farm while visiting relatives so I knew it was a stunning piece of land, backing on to Morton National Park with magnificent beaches only 15 minutes away. When we went to take another look, it was so beautiful and tranquil that within half an hour, I told the owner ‘We’ll buy it!’.”
Despite the snap decision, the finer details of the move from bustling Botany to their new life took six months. Finally, in June 2018, Law spent her first night in the main cottage on the property. There was no traffic to be heard, no noisy neighbours.
“Within days I could feel the stress of city life melting away,” Law remembers. “I went from
living on 540 square metres of land to having all this privacy on a 22 acre farm and the solitude and space felt incredibly liberating!
“I treasure the quiet here, which helps me sleep far more soundly,” she says. “I no longer need an alarm and I wake with energy when the sun rises.”
The time that Law once spent sitting in traffic jams is now time to, quite literally, stop and smell the roses. “I used to rush my breakfast and race out the door, now I take more time to savour meals al fresco. This morning I felt like Snow White when a small fairy wren hopped around my feet while I was enjoying a cup of tea.”
Blossoming career
As a result of the move, Law has traded her old career looking after other people’s gardens for one tending to her own at the Gooloo Creek Wildflower Farm, producing a range of native and South African flowers that are then sold to selected markets, florists and a local shop.
“Now all day I work among rows of beautiful flowers, including grevilleas, red and pink waratahs and king pink and white proteas,” she says. “Every time I look up from daily jobs such as watering, fertilising, mulching and weeding, in every direction I see breathtaking views of the pristine bush, the cows on the dairy farm next door and the beautiful escarpment.”
It’s a very satisfying but physically demanding lifestyle. “To tend the flowers, I’m always bending and stretching. Some days I walk over 30,000 steps. I no longer have to go swimming to exercise because I’m fitter than I’ve ever been.”
But Law’s tree change has had its fair share of challenges, too. “Nature can be beautiful but also brutal sometimes,” Law concedes. “Since moving here we’ve had a period of drought that unfortunately led us to lose about 500 flower heads and we’ve been forced to trial different methods to deal with a borer insect that gets into the bud of the flowers and turns them to dust.
“We’ve also had to learn how to back-burn for the fire season and I found that really very stressful. The first time we did it, an airborne ember flew into a hollow log. Hours later at night it caught alight and we heard it explode and then had to rush outside at 2am to put the fire out.”
Up to the challenge
Some of these hiccups have made the tree change very tight financially. “Luckily I had set aside some ‘safety money’ which has kept us afloat and we’re working on other income streams,”
Law says. “We are doing up a small cottage on the property as an Airbnb and my husband, an ex-events planner, is developing that side of the business because we have a lovely undercover outdoor venue for weddings and celebrations.”
Though making new friends can be one of the trickiest aspects of a tree change, Law has already made new connections. “Several days a week we sell flowers at the front gate of our property – we advertise it on Facebook and the locals come out in droves so that’s been a lovely way to tap in to the community,” she says.
“I’m also meeting people through relatives who live in the area. Friends from Sydney also love to come and stay in the cottage for the weekend, so we get lots of quality time with them. We’re certainly never lonely!”
Loving country living
Does she miss anything about city life? “Only that it’s easier to get Swiss Gruyere cheese there – otherwise this feels like living in paradise!” Law says of her tree change. “It’s so special to stand still and listen to the wind rustle through the leaves of the trees in our fruit orchard which grows lemons, and many kinds of oranges – including blood red, naval and Seville.
“At night I love to go outside and gaze at the sky because without the pollution, I can see endless stars in every direction. My only regret is that I didn’t make my tree change years ago when I was in my 20s!”
It’s important to do your research, know what you can compromise on and accept that it’s going to take time to adjust to a different pace, place and way of living. Caroline Cameron, director,
Sea Change Success