In this month’s Your Town column Move To More blogger and Eugowra local, Cassie Gates, chats with Tahleesha Beer about her life in the beautiful border town city of Mildura.

What’s your Mildura story Tahleesha?

I’m born and bred in Mildura! I did go away for a few years to live in Melbourne, but I really didn’t enjoy the city life so I packed up and went back home. It’s a slower pace but with huge opportunities available job-wise. I also love how friendly Mildura is. It is a great place to bring up kids.

Let’s get straight to it: what is life REALLY like in Mildura?
We have a great life in Mildura. Both my hubbie, Josh and I work full time, so our weekdays are pretty packed. Josh is in the building business, and I am a jobs facilitator. Monday-Tuesdays is sport for the kids, Thursday is my sports day and come the weekend we are mostly out on the river water-skiing or out riding the motorbikes in the country. Mildura is great for having the hussle-bussle of town but we can get out to some amazing country and do the outdoor activities we love with only a 5-minute drive away. We’re spoilt for choice with so many great restaurants and pubs in town and so many great vineyards surrounding us.

What do you do for fun?
Like I was saying before water-skiing during the warmer weather. We do a lot of camping and fishing along the river through the cooler months and the great thing is we are only 5 minutes from home, so it’s easy to duck back home for a sneaky quick shower! We do manage to spend time at the local wineries with friends with a lot of them having restaurants and cafes attached to them. I’ve put my hand up to play netball this season, not sure why, but I’ll give it a go!

You are a bit of a motor-head, what is that scene like? It’s incredible here for motorsport, especially during Easter, with the Sprint cars at Timmis Speedway. That brings over 40,000 people to town. Also at Easter, on the water, we have the Ski races, Mildura 100. Which is incredible although it does mean we can’t go out on the river with all of that going on.

Is there an arts scene in Mildura?
Mildura has really vibrant arts scene with a mix of modern and indigenous artists showcased. There is the Mildura Arts Centre and Rio Vista Historic House which are well worth a visit. Art isn’t my thing although, I do like catching local live music at the local bars or wineries from time to time. The Office Wine Bar is a beautiful place to go, and they usually have gigs on a Friday night, I highly recommend that one!

Is Mildura easy to get to if you don’t drive?
There are buses throughout town and on to the major centres that run daily and the latest big thing for town is Bonza is now flying here! We can now get direct flights to the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne, which is great! So cheap compared to before having to go via Melbourne. No trains though, and I don’t think they will ever come back.

What is the housing situation like?
Mildura is booming! The population is increasing by 4000 people a year! There is a bit of a housing shortage because of the influx of people. Rent and house prices are rising considerably, but I suppose in comparison to Melbourne prices are still quite reasonable. My husband Josh is in the home building game, Ultimate Building Solutions, and their business is booked well in advance for new builds.

Are jobs easy to come by in Mildura?
Our largest employment industry is the healthcare sector, followed by agriculture and fishing. construction, education and retail round out the top 5 industries here. There are so many great opportunities available here, but we just need the people. Mildura does in fact have the second highest youth unemployment rate in the state with 12.5%, which is something we are working hard to reduce.

Can you get in to see a doctor?
Like many country towns it is tricky to get in to see a doctor but we do have access to online doctors who can help with prescriptions. There is a major hospital in town which does have a maternity ward. Specialists do come to town, there are long wait times though. If you aren’t prepared to wait for the services most people go to Adelaide or Melbourne which isn’t too far away.

Here’s your time to pitch! If you had to give someone one reason to move to Mildura, what would it be?
Lifestyle is the biggest thing! There are so many opportunities for work and for fun here and you get to live in an affordable, welcoming community. Everything is so close and convenient, we love it!