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Not In My Backyard
episode • Insight • news and current affairs • 51m
episode • Insight • news and current affairs • 51m
I had long believed the story passed down from the baby boomers to my millennial generation: that if I worked hard, one day I would be able to purchase a home.
Perhaps, if I was lucky, that dwelling would be accompanied by a backyard, with dense turf and a clothesline that caught the afternoon sun for long enough to gently air dry my garments.
But as I aged, and worked, aged a little more and then worked even harder, it became clear that home ownership was a privilege increasingly reserved only for a fortunate few.
On a single income, it was unlikely I'd ever secure a freestanding home if I remained in Melbourne, where I'd lived most of my life.
Leaving my home for a fixer-upper
So I set out, well beyond suburban familiarity, in search of something I could afford.
One property within my budget made me shiver with both terror and delight.
The weatherboard cottage was located in Victoria's Goldfields and built circa 1910. Its facade wore the effects of more than a hundred years that had passed since then. Peeling paintwork and decaying fence pickets set realistic expectations for what lay beyond the threshold.
A hole in the main bedroom floor was something that could be remedied, and the hallway's menacing red hues would soon be met with a brush drenched in white.
Another room was a vibrant lime green. I could perhaps find a new use for the floral carpet if I was prepared to be creative.
Nicole's story raises questions about why 'affordable' housing is so difficult to obtain. Source: Supplied
I couldn't be sure, but I suspected this was the clothesline.
Could I really pull free of my city roots and go it alone, all in the pursuit of a home to call my own?
I had never expected to regularly crane my neck in awe of trees instead of skyscrapers. I feared the move would cost me far more than the mortgage. My strength would be tested, my identity challenged. And yet, if the pegs could hold on, perhaps I could too.
With trepidation and steady negotiation, the house became mine. But truly calling it home took time.
I faced a lot of self-doubt, mistakes, personal growth, periods of loneliness and eventual delight in finding community before it felt like I belonged.
Finding community and adapting to regional life
Building a community takes time and effort. I was bold in my search for friends, connecting with fellow local renovators on social media and inviting myself around to see their homes. I rented a desk in a co-working space so I could meet like-minded people.
Among the biggest challenges was finding suitable work. The ideal of moving regionally can be incredibly romantic, but employment opportunities aren't always as abundant as they are in major cities.
Nicole worried that moving to a country town would limit her chances of finding a partner. Source: Supplied
How the journey became a love story
Leaving the city also meant reducing my pool of potential partners.
Fortunately, a year into my regional life, I met a kind and handsome man called Sam who saw the ancient cottage for its potential, just as I had. He took to it with power tools, patience and love.
Soon, he and his small furry companion moved in with their belongings and never left. He proposed, one knee on the dusty unpolished floorboards, halfway through the restoration.
Sam and I married in the backyard in March 2023. The decision to move away from all that was familiar to me, just to secure a house I could afford, turned out to be the best decision I ever made.
It was so transformative that I wrote a book about the experience called . But I was also lucky that my story played out this way.
Although I made many sacrifices to secure the home, I also recognise how privileged I am to have been able to do it at all.
Affordable quality housing shouldn't be so difficult to obtain. A home is a stable foundation for a good life. I believe many young people will have to do what I did and move further out than they'd like if they want to buy a home.
I hope anyone who's prepared to take the leap and move from the city to the country finds it as rewarding as I have.
And for more stories head to – a new podcast series from SBS, hosted by Kumi Taguchi. From sex and relationships to health, wealth, and grief Insightful offers deeper dives into the lives and first person stories of former guests from the acclaimed TV show, Insight.
