The contrast between the dazzling nightlights of Bangkok and Dubbo’s “ocean of stars” couldn’t be greater, but for Kullanee (Kelly) Sasavat, Dubbo has been a case of “opposites attract”.
“Being born and bred in Bangkok, a city of 11 million people, full of high-rise buildings”, Kelly says she has found Dubbo “fascinating”, with its “green open spaces with real nature, big blue skies and fresh air”.
And it was this contrast, Kelly says, that saw her jump at the chance to try something new.
“I was scared initially, but I thought to myself, life is short,” she says. “So, I asked myself, am I going to regret not taking the chance? And the answer was yes.
“So, I took the one-way road and got the ticket.”
Arriving first in Sydney in early 2022, Kelly says she travelled the country before landing on Dubbo.
“I went to Alice Springs, Darwin, Hobart and drove from Perth to Freemantle, Cottesloe, Margaret River and almost down to Denmark,” she says. “I also went to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and of course Dubbo.”
It was taking the airport bus into Dubbo on that first trip that proved pivotal in her decision, she says, with the driver being the founder of the See you in Dubbo Facebook page.
“I was like wow, you have moved from Sydney and moved here. Why Dubbo?
“And then Tsukasa told me about the group.”
A social group that connects and supports new and existing residents in Dubbo with over 2,100 members, Kelly says the See you in Dubbo group runs a series of regular social events including social soccer, pub trivia nights, walks, book club, meet and greet after work drinks and Friday night dinners.
Invited to join the group for jazz on the lawn on her first afternoon in Dubbo, Kelly says her mind was soon made up to make Dubbo home, also drawn by access to a good regional base hospital and airport.
Applying for jobs soon after, Kelly made the move to Dubbo five months later after landing a job in communications.
“One thing I discovered about the job market in a regional town is that the job market is more open to me,” she says.
With a role covering social media, press releases, visuals, blogs and newsletter content, Kelly hopes to stay in Dubbo “as long as the job takes me” saying Dubbo has been “so much more than expected”.
“Before I came here, people told me there would be not that much to do. But no, believe me there is.”
Citing art fairs, film festivals, outdoor concerts, farmer markets and picnics, among the many things to do in Dubbo, Kelly says she has also been struck by the “friendly community spirit”.
“Living in cities most of my life, the first time I came here and went to a takeaway restaurant, the customers started to talk to me, and I felt a little bit awkward as that would not happen to me in big cities.
“I have found Dubbo friendly. It has a friendly community spirit, and it is not difficult meeting people and making some new friends.”
Six months in, Kelly says she still marvels at her new life.
“Sometimes when my housemate and I came back home at night, I look up at the ocean of stars in the sky and my housemate, who is an Aussie from Newcastle, asks me what I am doing.
“But during the New Year holidays she went to Bangkok and now she understands me.”
