Settling in.

Well it's now our fourth full day in Tasmania and we certainly haven't wasted much time. We arrived into Hobart with just enough time to collect our car prior to the car removalists closing for the weekend and by Saturday night we had already driven down to Huonville and Glen Huon to get a feel for the area. We spent Sunday morning on Mount Wellington making snowmen and throwing snowballs in our first ever experience of snow.

My children and I on the windy peak of Mount Wellington. The temperature was 1c but the wind chill factor made it -7c. Deeper powdery snow in the sheltered folds of the mountain was a great playground and much warmer.

 Yesterday we drove northwest of Hobart to New Norfolk then over to beautiful Richmond to view a unique rental property. Richmond has a fantastic display of colonial architecture including Australia's oldest stone bridge and a good number of original georgian buildings.

This five bedroom 2 bathroom georgian house in Richmond was built in the 1800's as a public house and is a credit to its owners, but wasn't suited to our needs.

Today we returned to the Huon Valley to explore its northern areas and obtain further information from local real estate agents. While we've experienced the friendliness of New Norfolk, the historical beauty of Hobart and Richmond and have yet to explore the Sorell and Lauderdale areas, we're already finding ourselves drawn to the beautiful Huon Valley and its lush fields and character weatherboard houses.

A fairytale weatherboard home in Crabtree, Huon Valley.

A beautiful example of a Huon Valley weatherboard home in Huonville.

Clarity of purpose.

Many big events in our lives are the product of a culmination of smaller opportunities that we only identify as important with the clarity of hindsight, but how many of us are capable of knowing roughly what the next opportunity is going to be? My desparation to get to Tasmania arose from an a strong conviction that a move to Tasmania was going to occur, I just didn't know how. I also know that I'm destined to purchase a rural property in Tasmania that will be a very special place for others.

Increased desperation.

I can't remember exactly what first gave Nay and I the idea of looking further afield than Western Australia, but the seed had definitely been sown, and we found ouselves browsin the internet for larger homes in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania. By this time we'd determined that the property must be within an easy commute of work and it fast became apparent that Tasmania met all the requirements for what we were looking for. The only obstacle that stood in our way was obtaining employment in Tasmania, a state not particularly well known for great employment prospects.

Had everything in my life been going along smoothly in 2010 our dream of living in Tasmania may have remained just a dream that may have faded with time, but it was a year where trying to cope with an illness had left me unsettled and unhappy with my work/life balance. Around mid-year I applied for a transfer or demotion to one of our Tasmanian offices then unsuccessfully applied for one of many voluntary redundancy packages being offered at the time with a view to obtaining a new job in Tassie. About a month later the supervisor position in Hobart was advertised in the commonwealth government gazette and after interviews and a range of medical and physical tests I was promoted to the position.

A smaller footprint.

We built our current home about two hundred metres from the environmentally sensitive wetlands of Lake Joondalup and I had spent the three years prior to the build planning an environmentally sensitive and chemical-free garden that would have low water and maintenance needs and would be attractive to local wildlife. I also planned to grow small quantities of fruit and vegetables and to retain all green waste on the property.

Five years later all aims were achieved with great results: the gardens are full of honey eaters and slender tree frogs; the densely planted natives survive hot summers with occasional watering; a compost heap, compost bin and a silent shredder have ensured that all trimmings are returned as mulch or compost; and a large dead Grevillea oliveacia was recycled by native termites, a handy little animal that has been unfairly targetted as evil and overly destructive by the pest control industry.

I'm eager for a bigger project to provide large attractive areas for food and shelter for native animals as well as magical places for family and friends to rejuvenate body, mind and soul. I want formal garden rooms, cottage areas and secret places that feel like they're straight out of Middle Earth.

Only time will tell if it can be achieved in my life. Photos will be continually posted as the works begin.

Suburbia - too fast, too loud.

I've been asked why the idea of moving to a larger rural property had become so important? Secondary questions would often following regarding whether our reasons were realistic.

We lived in Karratha, a mining suport town in the northwest of Western Australia, from early 2004 to late 2006 and we found ourselves less tolerant of the increased pace, crowd, traffic and noise on our return to Perth. My thirty minute round trip commute I enjoyed in Karratha had been replaced by an hour and a half daily round trip from the northern suburbs of Perth to Fremantle. Since returning 5 years ago that commute has increased to a two hour round trip and is getting worse with every passing year.

Neigbourhood noises and activities that probably wouldn't worry the average suburbanite became frustrating and far too close for comfort. Some recent issues of poor health had also made me more aware of the importance of leading a more balanced and healthy lifestyle. We'd witnessed first hand, during our visits to Wooroloo, the ability for nature to rejuvenate the mind and soul.

A wider search.

The problem with searching for properties on the internet is the ability to easily stray from your original aim. In considering living in Wooroloo I had acknowledged that I would be faced with a three hour round trip commute to my workplace in Fremantle, an historic port city at the mouth of the Swan River. I offset that problem by telling myself that the second half of the journey home would be relaxing as I ascended into the beautiful bush setting of the Darling Scarp. In hindsight this was a poor and potentially dangerous theory given the distances, high speeds limits, failing light and fatigue.

A side effect of missing out on two homes we'd had our hearts set on was that we became increasingly eager to secure a larger property to the point that we became irrational. We began looking at towns nearby to Wooroloo and then gradually looked further afield as far as Toodyay, Northam and Chittering, all of which are at least a four hour round trip commute. We found many attractive properties in those areas but logic slowly returned  and we realised that we were unlikely to ever find a suitable property within a reasonable commute of Perth and within our price range.

Local options had disappeared but our desire for a country property persevered.

Scouring the shire.

Even prior to the sale of her grandparent's property, Nay and I had started casting an eye over Wooroloo for other properties in a more suitable price range. Making great use of the internet we found many attractive and characterful houses, yet few within our desired parameters of an acreage block, preferably cleared or park-cleared, with a comfortable house within our price range.

Months after widening our search we spotted a beautiful refurbished railway cottage in the centre of Wooroloo on two and a half acres with a few sheds and plenty room for chooks and energetic children. Unfortunately the property, Orchard Cottage, went under offer before we'd even had chance to view it.  Months later we received a call from the agent to say that Orchard Cottage was back on the market after the original offer fell through. We immediately arranged to meet the agent as soon as we could and fell in love with this wonderful property. A modern kitchen, character, warmth and unseen faeries in the garden made it a special place.

We left Orchard Cottage excited and within fifteen minutes we'd phoned the agent to discuss placing an offer to purchase subject to the sale of our own home. We met him in his office in nearby Mount Helena with great expectations but were disheartened with the news that another buyer had also submitted an offer that wasn't subject to sale of another property. The agent chose not to present our offer to the owner and Orchard Cottage was soon sold.

We were saddened but even more determined to find our own piece of rural paradise.