Let the children run free
Family joys in swapping city life for rural bliss, writes Louise Richardson
About three years ago, when the swift growth of Albany got too exhausting for them, Jarrad and Dorota Seers decided to up sticks and move further north with their two girls Ayva, now 5, and Aria, 7. “We’d always imagined our children having a quiet, happy childhood in the country, so we made it happen,” says Jarrad, a software developer.
The property they found couldn’t have been more perfect. The large 18.956sq m piece of land is just 15 minutes from Wellsford and the house, built in the 1980s, had loads of room.
Jarrad says the place appealed especially to keen equestrian Dorota because it has a barn with a high stud, designed to accommodate a horse float, and there’s also a tack room.
The single-storey brick and tile house itself is an all-day sun-trap with around 250sq m of living space. It’s all very easy-care, especially since Jarrad and Dorota installed engineered laminate throughout.
“We have it everywhere, even in the bedrooms, because I have allergies, and we’ve been very impressed with its durability,” says Jarrad.
The layout of the house is simple, with either three bedrooms and an office, or four bedrooms without.
The kitchen, dining and living are open-plan and Jarrad says that cooking is a pleasant experience with such lovely views to enjoy.
A double garage with internal access also houses the laundry and provides extra play space for the girls on rainy days, while the vast patio is the place to be when the sun shines.
The Seers are happy to talk to an interested buyer about leaving most of the furniture including the shelving in the office, which looks built-in but isn’t.
“We brought it here and it fitted perfectly with about a millimetre to spare,” says Jarrad.
He says his favourite thing about the property is its low maintenance.
“I spend just an hour every fortnight mowing the lawns, and the trees and shrubs are all easy-care.”
While most people wouldn’t regard a country property as being a lock-up-and-leave proposition, this one really is. “Dorota and the girls and I love taking our tents and going camping on the spur of the moment, and we’ve had no problems at all.”
Keen anglers will welcome the fact that there are two boat ramps nearby and a number of wellknown fishing spots.
With massive road developments taking place in the area, access north or south is going to become a lot easier still.
As it is, Jarrad commuted to and from Newmarket during the family’s first year here and it was about an hour each way, depending on traffic.
“With the Waterview Tunnel access to the airport is a whole lot easier too,” he says.
“Again it does depend on traffic but I can generally do it in one hour and 15 minutes.”
The Seers are on the move again, with some regrets. They’ve made good friends and the convenience of having the school bus stop at the gate can’t be beaten.
“I’ve got a new business in Brisbane and I’ve been going back and forth for a while now,” says Jarrad.
“In the end we’ve decided that we should all move over because it will make life easier, but we know we’ll probably never find such a fantastic property again.”