Go west, young family
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More city families are swapping their increasingly hectic urban lives for a move to rural communities, new research shows. But the popular view that baby boomers are cashing in their super funds and heading to the bush to retire is 'a myth', with parents more often looking to spend more time with their children out of 'the rat race', a study by a Charles Sturt University researcher has found.Sociologist, Dr Angela Regusa, who conducted the study, found a large number of professionals were taking advantage of increasingly 'portable' careers to move to the country. Her research also found professionals and families with young children often became 'tree-changers' but such a move was not generally popular for blue-collar workers.
"I wanted to dispel some of the myths about tree-changers - I was sceptical tree-changers even existed; what everybody wants is a peaceful, happy lifestyle," Dr Regusa said.
She had found people in their 40s were most likely to make the change, but city-dwellers who did so could range in age from 25 to 70. Country Change project co-ordinator, Tracy Valenzisi, who has helped many people move to rural communities, also finds the stories of 'cashed-up baby boomers' moving out of the big smoke to be wide of the mark.
"We conduct online polls and we have found the average age of people who move to the country is in the 39 to 49 range," she said. Ms Valenzisi said many people sought the change from city to rural living to be able to spend more time with their children, and were encouraged to do this as regional centres increased their promotion of country life.
The Country Week Expo, staged at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney each August and each September in Brisbane, provides a forum for rural communities to promote themselves to city residents. It attracted more than 50 exhibitors to the Sydney expo in August.
Dr Regusa also found media reports often focused on the negatives of country life, leaving many people often sceptical about such a move. Making people more at ease about their decision is now a message being promoted by regional councils. In Dubbo, the city council is promoting the extra time families have to spend together.
Council spokeswoman, Josie Hand, said parents often got home from work earlier than before and were able to spend more time with their children. "We are also fielding inquiries from young professionals, those with families, and pensioners, so it's not limited to one sector."
Oberon Council economic development officer, Mike Massey, disagreed with the findings about blue-collar workers.
"As we are reasonably close to Sydney, people of all walks of life, including blue-collar workers, are moving out to rural communities," he said. "People in the city are finding mortgage repayments tough at the moment and are seeking a way out. We are promoting ourselves as the solution to their problems."
Article by Richard Fox at The Land.