Our MOVE TO MORE content showcases personal perspectives as we think hearing from people who’ve made the move themselves helps you get a real sense of what’s involved in making the move, and understanding why people are so happy they made it.
Here at Regional Australia Institute, we love a good chat, and we love meeting good people who’ve moved to the regions…so we pulled these things together to create the YOU MOVED WHERE?! podcast!
Launching this week, YOU MOVED WHERE?! is an eight-episode podcast hosted by Bec Bignell that shares stories from everyday Australians who’ve made the move from big, capital cities, setting sail for new horizons in regional Australia.
Just like when your mate moves to a place you’ve never heard of, and openly shares anecdotes about their adventures, YOU MOVED WHERE?! is a friendly resource that reveals invaluable, first-hand insights from people who’ve left their lives in the city to further their careers and enjoy the lifestyle benefits that come with regional living.
Each episode features an in-depth interview exploring why different people made the move, the unique challenges they encountered, and the many upsides associated with life out of the fast lane.
The series aims to destigmatise making an unconventional move and shine light on the benefits of life outside the capital cities, uncovering some of the unknown facts about life in regional Australia, and dispelling many a myth along the way.
The thought of picking up and moving can be very daunting but there’s nothing more reassuring than hearing from people who’ve been through the process to give a full, unfiltered picture of what making the move can look like.
And host Bec Bignell is no stranger to this experience herself …
When Hollywood draws you home!
A filmmaker and media professional, Bec grew up on a farm in WA and moved to Sydney to further her career in Film and TV.
“Like many country kids at the time, my ambition in the arts and the world of film and TV projected me from the wide-open spaces of small-town Kojonup to the hustle bustle of big city life so I could tap into opportunities that weren’t within reach from the comfort of the rolling paddocks and red dirt.
Landing in the lively suburb of Surry Hills, on the other side of the Nullarbor, with so many people moving at a pace I was totally unfamiliar with was a massive shock for a country girl who still thought escalators were a novelty.
I was way out of my depth and the transition was brutal. I remember being awestruck by the culture, the colour and the electric vibe – all the while feeling terrified and ever ready to jump on the next flight home.
However, I drew on the country girl grit – dug my feet in and gave it a crack. I threw myself into the whole gamut of experience and I came to really love it. The yearning to go home came up from time to time and the draw of the bush never truly left but I was so settled among the tall buildings and buzz of city life that I didn’t consider ever going back.”
However, the COVID pandemic, as it did for many people, turned things upside for Bec and she suddenly found herself back in her old regional stomping ground.
“In 2020 I was offered an amazing opportunity on an exciting feature film project filming back in my beloved Great Southern backyard. I was pregnant with my first child who came into the world via Albany Hospital and with border closures and a new kind of ‘COVID mindset’ about taking things as they come, myself and my husband James (a city boy from Bronte Beach) grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and embraced the change.
While I didn’t set out for a full circle moment, I quickly found myself sinking back into the things I love about country life – the community, the simplicity, the space, the solitude.
Today it’s a different story out in the sticks – there’s opportunities and access that didn’t exist when I grew up. There’s experiences and expertise, and new ways of working that has connected small towns and makes it totally possible to implant big careers and high hopes.
YOU MOVED WHERE?! will hopefully provide nuggets of wisdom that nudge you to explore the incredible life that regional Australia has to offer.”
An experience for your ears!
In this first series you’ll hear real stories from families who have relocated, fashion start-ups, taking over the local pub and making it as an actor from a remote tiny town.
An unfiltered exploration of the transition – not intended to romanticise the ‘great move’ but delving into all the parts of the process through other people’s points of view so we can learn about their experience, their regional community and their new life.
YOU MOVED WHERE?! might just convince you that you can still live the life you love if you take the leap and leave the city…
PODCAST CREDITS:
Host – Bec Bignell
Bec is a filmmaker and media professional with a genuine passion for regional Australia. Having grown up on a farm in WA, Bec has spent a considerable part of her career promoting regional Australia and the interesting and innovative people who live and work there.
Producer – Grace Rouvray
Grace hails from the regional town of Albury Wodonga and has collated an eclectic resume in the entertainment industry across writing, blogging, acting, comedy, post production, casting and most recently a Graduate Diploma in Radio + Podcast at AFTRS.
Executive Producer – Regional Australia Institute
The nation’s first and only independent think tank dedicated to building robust regional economies and a better quality of life in our regional towns and cities. We are a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation that undertakes research to stimulate and activate our rural and regional communities.
Executive Producer – Redhanded
A full service, communications agency and is the leader in communicating with Regional and Rural Australians.
PODCAST GUESTS:
LUKE PROUT – Publican, Tamworth, NSW
EMILY RIGGS – Fashion Designer, Burra, SA
ELLIE BIGWOOD – HSEQ Officer, Pardoo, WA
DANIEL FLETCHER – Public Servant, Dalby, QLD
AUNTY YVONNE GREEN – Ngadju Elder, Esperance, WA
MATT YOUNG – Actor, Blackall, QLD
JACINTA REDDAN – CEO Advance Cairns, Cairns, QLD
GIAAN ROONEY – Olympian/TV Presenter, Clunes, NSW
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