The Countrification of Us. Part 2.

So continues the story of our move to the country.

For those who missed part 1, it's here.

First impressions certainly last. I truly believe that being on the receiving end of such a warm welcome as our first impression was a major factor in our first week feeling magical, as we stayed in that beautiful farmhouse.

dining room to kitchen

lounge room

can I please keep this hallway?

study, Zac's bedroom behind

laundry, enormous!

front entrance

master bedroom

Zac's room

Liam & Megan were happy to share

even set up a baby's room, just in case we had a really young one

front door, doors on left lead to main bedroom

view from the doors to main bedroom

driveway

one of a family of 6, seen daily in the paddocks

remains of a frost

very sad to leave it

The farmhouse is on a 163 hectare block, owned by the company. It borders the road to the mine. I think the mines up here tend to buy the land immediately surrounding them to act as a buffer between them and the residential area. I think it's a great idea. And an even better one is that the land is open to tender, meaning people with horses or cattle can tender to use the land to graze their animals. What a great way for it to be looked after! The house will remain available for families just like us, who are relocating to work for the company.

It was for us, the perfect opportunity to slow down and think of it as a little holiday before we moved into the rental house. Poor hubster Ray had to start work on the Monday, so hasn't had a holiday yet.

From here we were less than a 5 minute drive to the shops. I find it amazing here that you are driving through town and all of a sudden you are surrounded by farms. The suburbs don't roll into each other like they do in the Illawarra (and most of suburbia) - you get past the last street of houses and WOW - open space like I've never seen before. Speed limits go seem to be either 50 or 100 km. 60 & 80 zones are short and only there as a wind up or wind down to the 100 km zones.

Over that first week, hubster went to work and the kids & I did a bit of exploring, just finding out where shops are & stuff. We found a park to play in, which the younger ones loved. We took it nice & slowly until our furniture started arrived at the rental house on Day 4.

So we travelled 30 minutes through those wide spaces, along the 100km zones, and finished 2 towns along, to where the rental house is, in the stock horse capital of Australia.

More about that in Part 3.

Karen xx