A holiday hotspot is no place for a ‘forever home’, no matter how spectacular the seaside surroundings.
That’s the conclusion Ingrid Kaineder came to when she left the New South Wales coastal town of Mollymook for the inland regional hub of Gunnedah.
“I was asked quite a lot why I would leave the beautiful South Coast. It’s a no brainer really – a country lifestyle, an awesome job, and a fantastic community,” Ingrid says.
Ingrid had spent ten years as a human resources adviser on projects in Western Australia, flying in and out of Mollymook – a picture-perfect town put on the map by local legendary surfer, Pam Burridge.
But as Ingrid’s son entered adulthood and Mollymook became more touristy, Ingrid felt the pull to find a true place to call home.
“Our street near the beach was filled with holiday rentals and we no longer had any real neighbours to speak of,” Ingrid says.
When a contact called with an offer to manage a business in Gunnedah, not too far from her sister’s place, Ingrid was sold.
“I was overwhelmed by Gunnedah’s community spirit. I would walk down the street, everyone would be smiling and say their hellos. I could also see that Gunnedah was evolving. It’s still evolving today,” Ingrid says.
In true, small-town style, a friend of a friend found her a house to buy.
“I was looking for a project, and he hit the nail on the head,” she laughs.
The icing on the cake was scoring a project-based role working on the Narrabri-to-Northstar section of the inland railway.
“I’m now looking for a piece of land to build my ‘forever home’ in Gunnedah,” Ingrid says.
