Mt Oberon, Wilson's Promontory
Koonwarra Park Run
Making Gippsland the move to
WORDS: CHRISTIE NELSON
Many of us who have called Gippsland our home for so long, already know just how lucky we are to live here. We are surrounded by picturesque scenery, an abundance of primary producers, a good climate, quality schools and employment, room to move and an incredible sense of Family photowherever credit: Kate Lafferty 2021 community you may photography travel. Over the years, there have always been people selling up and making the sea or tree change out of suburbia however, since the pandemic reared its’ ugly head, the surge of ‘city folk’ to regional areas is unprecedented. The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for the June 2020 quarter show Melbourne had a net loss of approximately 6000 people to regional Victoria in just three months and I can attest to that firsthand in my industry.
We are welcoming so many new people into Gippsland who have predominantly been a mixture of young families with one or two parents working remotely or prepared to travel an hour to work on a regional road, to semi or full-time retirees making a gradual move to a quieter life. When I entered the real estate industry in the year 2000, the first question I used to get asked was, “What are the schools like around here?” and now it’s, “Is there a good NBN connection?” due the work-from-home culture that has emerged.
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There is no doubt that multiple lockdowns have been driving the property market in regional areas and buyers from the Metropolitan suburbs can generally sell their current property, move to the country and still have some change left over at the end. The fact that people have realised they can work off-site and create a lifestyle of fresh air, room to move for the family and enjoy a sense of community, has created a huge demand situation for country real estate. As little as two years ago, I never would have predicted that we would be selling homes via Facetime and Zoom inspections, sight unseen, like we have been over the last 18 months.
The major drawcards are the more relaxed lifestyle and the appeal of space and not having to share an adjoining wall with the neighbour’s property. The pandemic has allowed people to reassess what it is they need (or don’t need) in their lives and a lot of the clients I’ve dealt with are looking to reduce stress and have a better quality of life.
