Londonpom Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Hi all, newbie on this so go easy on me! I'm in the process of visa application and really love Bright with family/friends down in Frankston area. I have been in London since birth so used to city life but long for the hills or waterside. I have 2 young children that love the outdoors. Has anyone from a city made the move to such a rural environment and dealt ok with the emotional uplift??, specifically Bright that still has a large tourism trade. I worry I could feel quite insular if I rush such a decision. The other option is to buy Frankston area where I know I have good support and transport links and enjoy my holiday time in Bright. I am an outdoor man at heart; biking, distance running etc and can quickly set up clubs and contribute to the community in my line of work. I will either rent both UK property/Oz house or sell straight up and buy outright in Oz as gaining a mortgage could prove difficult with just UK based income for a few years (I intend to travel to UK 3-4 time per year for my work). Has anyone had this specific experience (town v rural) and lived to tell the tale?! Regrets, reflections, errors, enlightenment even??? Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 My DH always had a hankering for Bright as a young chap (bush walking etc) and I knew it was one of his "maybe in the future" kind of places because there were no real employment opportunities for us there when we needed to work. We visited many times and I reckon it would be wrist slitting country for me there after about 3 weeks. Too cold for me too. So what will your OH feel about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 My oh and I used to go to Bright a lot and even though I like it I would not live there. Why, well its small and its very touristy. Lots of tourists etc. The community is good though, one of my friends lives there and has done for a long long time but then her family live there tool. Its sort of end of the line. For a young family if you want country and town I would choose Wangaratta, not far from Bright and Myrtleford, not far from Yarrawonga and the Murray River. Its on the Hume Freeway so easy to get down to Melbourne. Also I would look at Albury Wodonga as its also not far to Bright and all the other lovely towns around. However you have everything there. Bright has lots of old families ie been around the area for yonks. Then there are the retired lot who retire there for a quiet life. Then there are the tourist people who run the businesses to service the ski season and the other seasonal things that are on. If work is not an issue the country has a lot to offer a family but be aware that the children usually move to the big smoke for university, tafe and work once they grow up as there is limited work in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Bright would be nice for anyone who is comfortable living a rural life. The people there would be used to newcomers - the very successful Bright Brewery is owned by 2 people who used to work in IT software in Melbourne I think. The ski resorts are a short drive and the area is stunning in summer. If you have been in London all your life and fancy a change - then why not? Having said that I reckon that the areas around Frankston are semi-rural and might offer you a great combination of the convenience of a nearby major city with rural living. Personally having lived in London for 20 years, Bright would have been too rural for me to live. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eera Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 My Husband is a native of Bright, beautiful place but a couple of downsides: the major one is that if you're not in the tourist trade or a logger, there's not a lot of available jobs and you are a relatively long way from any substantial town, from memory Albury/Wodonga is probably the nearest. Another major one is it burns, my god does it burn. I think its slogan should be "A beautiful place when it's not on fire". The OH lived through four of five major fires in the area, the last huge one there burned down our wedding venue 6 weeks before our wedding. That was good fun. On the plus side you have some of the best outdoors areas that Victoria on your doorstep. I love that the local school still has its swimming carnival in a dammed off section of the Ovens River. I adore Mt buffalo though the Chalet has been closed for a number of years I've looked at moving there as it is stunning, but the downsides of lack of jobs and huge regular bushfires outweigh any benefit that has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 (edited) Yep been there in bush fire could not see hand in front of face for the smoke. That is when you really feel shut in in Bright. Living in country Aus is nothing like living in country UK Dust storms are another trouble not so much in the area under discussion but where there are wheat fields there are dust storms. Another where you cannot see hand in front of face. Edited December 8, 2015 by Petals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Beautiful though it is, I wouldn't live there, either. Albury, the Wang or even Yarrawonga would be better. I rather like Yarrawonga, seems to have a lot of community spirit and if you are a golfer it would be heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I would caution against moving to such a rural location, even if you think you're a countryman at heart. I don't think you can underestimate the value of having family and friends within reach - if not for you, for your partner. Remember you will suddenly be cut off from all your friends and family and will be starting all over again - it's one of the biggest reasons why migrants don't settle in Australia, so it's an important consideration. Also, you don't mention skiing or snow sports as a hobby, so I wonder why you'd go to a place where that's the biggest drawcard for most people. I'd have thought a better choice would be the Grampian Mountains, where there's a lot less snow so you can run or bike most of the year. The Grampians area also has the benefit of being closer to Melbourne to visit family and friends (or for them to visit you). It has its own major city centre in Ballarat too, with restaurants, cafes, theatre, services etc. Then you've got the wineries, and (unlike Bright), you're less than two hours from the beach. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/australiaandpacific/australia/10808671/Grampians-National-Park-Australia-mountains-hiking-and-emus.html http://theclimbingcyclist.com/a-weekend-of-cycling-in-the-grampians/ http://www.visitmelbourne.com/Regions/Grampians/Destinations/Halls-Gap.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada2Australia Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 This area looks VERY similar to the Shuswap area of British Columbia. Picturesque valley-bottom village with large pseudo-mountains covered in forest and constant wild forest fires; just lacking the lakes though. I will have to check it out one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eera Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 It's got a really interesting gold mining history; basically the entire valley floor was dredged up and processed for gold, the dredge (or one of them) is still on a lake at a far end of the valley. My OH's parents had a few acres that was formally the site of a Chinese diggers' camp, there was a graveyard in his back yard that he was forever wanting to dig up as a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy1986 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Bright is a lovely town, but its far out! Have you tried looking for something closer to Melbourne? I live in a small town, amongst the forest in the Daylesford/Trentham area, plenty of hiking/mountain biking up here, theres a lake nearby for boating, and its only 15 minutes to Bacchus Marsh/Ballan then a 35 minute express vline to Melbourne. You can have the best of both worlds, country living and city working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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