Country road, take me home

(FOR A BREAKOUT) It’s just peachy in the country Movin’ to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches -First line in ‘Peaches’, released 1996 by The Presidents of the United States of America. Also titled ‘Peaches’ is Justin Bieber’s ode to different regions of the US including Georgia which is famous for its peaches. take mehome

Have you lived in a regional community all your life? Did you decide to move to a region over the past year?

Are you hoping to move to a regional location sometime soon?

Around eight million people live outside our capital cities, and the Australian economy is largely driven by its regions. They supply much of the necessities of everyday life—from the food we eat to the energy that runs our households and industries.

Recognising this, the Australian Government’s Regions 2030 figured significant investments across the key areas of jobs and economic development, infrastructure, health, education and communications on its agenda.

What people are seeing in regional centres today is mostly well-connected, welcoming and sustainable communities where housing is often more affordable and better quality than same-priced houses in a city.

Certainly, we’ve left behind the days of STD phone calls and poor television out in the country. Now we have many free ways to communicate, like WhatsApp, Skype and FaceTime, and ample to watch with Netflix, Stan and the like.

There’s not much difference between city and country dwellers in terms of access to information, television channels and communication in general.

And a general consensus on the ten best things about country living: peace and quiet; open space; you can see stars; friendly neighbours; safe environment; fresh air; no traffic; slower pace; pets, livestock, gardens, paddocks, orchards; and raising kids who learn about life, know how to live off the land and how to make things from scratch.

There has been huge population growth in the regions over the past year. According to the ABS, almost 64,000 residents migrated from metropolitan urban areas to the regions between January and September last year. More than 10,000 departed the capital cities in the December quarter.

There has been concern expressed over the sustainable expansion of regional areas. Is there a danger, with a growing population and their wants and needs, that regional centres lose the very character that made them attractive in the first place?

Many are suggesting that regional town appeal will continue past this year as Australians are attracted to improved work-life balance, lower living costs, access to open spaces, nature, and a slower pace of life. When it comes to planning for growth, developers, planners and local authorities will need to carefully consider the existing heritage, character and special features of country towns and villages to retain their appeal and uniqueness.

Fortunately, experts are looking into how these towns and villages may be able to retain these as they evolve to meet the needs of newcomers. There is a realisation that they should not be replicas of fringe suburbs of our cities. Developers and planners risk facing local community backlash if they deliver things badly. Nobody wants to lose the essence of what makes those towns so attractive in the first place.

Early community consultation, employment creation for locals, diversity of housing and creating walkable neighbourhoods that provide good opportunities for social connection are among the recommendations.

Weather we are talking about accommodating sea-changers or tree-changers, the regional centres with their country towns and existing communities should retain their attraction and the desirable features that brought them to our attention.

IT’S JUST PEACHY IN THE COUNTRY

Movin’ to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches!

First line in ‘Peaches’, released 1996 by The Presidents of the United States of America. Also titled ‘Peaches’ is Justin Bieber’s ode to different regions of the US including Georgia which is famous for its peaches.