PIANGIL resident Jeanette Young loves living in small towns so much she’s moved to the country twice over.
The musician and disability professional grew up in Dean’s Marsh in south-western Victoria before moving to Melbourne for work.
Later returning home to raise her children, she then moved to Melbourne once again for work.
Looking for a new adventure, she returned to small-town life after seeing an advertisement for the sale of a church property in Piangil, which has a population of just more than 300 people.
She hasn’t looked back since.
A survey recently conducted by University of Melbourne researchers confirmed what Ms Young and many of her rural counterparts already knew: Australians who live in towns of less than 1000 residents or rural locations have significantly higher levels of life satisfaction than those living in major cities
“Job opportunities were maybe better down there but I can transfer the skills that I have to this area, which I have done,” Ms Young said.
Ms Young said if she had her time back again, she’d think twice about relocating her children to the city.
“When my children moved, they said ‘mum we really miss that netball and football, that sporting community’,” she recalled.
“In the country too you have netball and the football together, so the girls play netball and the boys play footy, you’ve got a committee of both and it’s like an amazing, huge family atmosphere.
“That’s not so in the city, and I found the sporting side of things was so much more competitive and not quite as friendly.”
It was this sense of community — along with decreased stress levels and less traffic — that made Ms Young prefer her experiences in small towns over those in the big city.
For more on this story pick up a copy of today’s Guardian (Friday July 17)
