Temora: A place where people and businesses thrive

How a move to the country could be the best decision for your future

Renowned nationally as the friendliest town in NSW, Temora is also a place where you can thrive.It has all the perks of country living. No long commutes, asupportive and welcoming community, medical services and great schools. And you don’t have to be a millionaire to own a home. But Temora offers much more. Just ask recent country changer, Tony Watts.

In 2015, Tony and his wife Emily wanted to discover what was on offer in regional New South Wales. Emily was used to smaller towns growing up in the USA, and Tony was sick of the hustle and bustle of Sydney. Plus, they were struggling financially to get ahead.Tony had visited Temora, which is just over 400kms from Sydney,on work trips in the past and was impressed by its vibrantand clean main street. The enthusiasm at Temora’s stand at one of the Country Change expos was contagious. Two weeks later the family visited Temora and started planning their move.Tony, Emily and their 6 year old daughter Abby were apprehensive about leaving older daughter Jess and Tony’s elderly parents in Sydney. But a quieter lifestyle was calling them, and with Sydney only being a day trip away, regular visits have been possible. FaceTime calls have helped too!

Tony is thrilled with the country change: “We have found living here the best decision we have made. Our expectations have been exceeded in so many ways. The lifestyle is so much better for us and we have much more time to do everything. I walk to and from work which takes 15 to 20 mins each way. When I walk in the mornings a lot of the kids are walking or riding their scooters /bikes to school which reminded of what it was like when I was growing up in Sydney. Everyone has time to really enjoy the important things in life because they are not taking forever to get home from work due to traffic jams etc. I often joke when I go to Wagga how heavy the traffic is and how many traffic lights there are compared to Temora which has 3 roundabouts! Abby is currently playing soccer and has participated in basketball, little athletics, swimming and wants to have a go at tennis in the spring. We have a world class aeroplane museum, a fantastic rural museum, 2 supermarkets, 3 petrol stations, 3 schools, preschools, picture theatre, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, ovals, playgrounds, putt-putt golf, great cafes, shops and restaurants to mention a few. We even have running water and the internet!  Financially we are much better off. Our 4 bedroom house cost $272,000 which would get you a brick wall in Sydney! The costs of travel is much less as everything most of the time is 5 minutes away.”

But it isn’t only people who are thriving in Temora – businesses are too.

Thanks to an active council dedicated to economic growth, local businesses are thriving including Kindly Darling. Co-founded by locals Alison Swanston and Libby Mullavey, Kindly Darling is a one-stop-shop for the most sustainable fashion labels on the market, aiming to reverse the current wardrobe crisis that’s killing the planet, without compromising on current trends. Kindly Darling hasa hugely successful online store, along with a physical shop in town.

Both Alison and Libby have lived in big cities in Australia and abroad, but have chosen to set up their business and raise young families in Temora, as Alison explains:

‍“Having both lived in big cities in both Australia and overseas - we cannot stress enough how moving back to country living has given us a better quality of life. Our lifestyle has a perfect blend of family, friends, and business.We could not imagine raising our families anywhere else - Temora is such a family friendly town with so many children’s activities and opportunities that rival that of our city counterparts. Plus, you cannot put a price tag on wide open spaces, fresh air and the ability for our children to connect with nature on a day-to-day basis. The cost of living makes it possible for us to offer so many more opportunities including educational and many overseas travel adventures.”

Setting up Kindly Darling in Temora has meant less competitionand cheaper set-up costs compared with larger cities. They’re also grateful for all the home-town encouragement, stating the Temora community has been pivotal in their success, with Libby stating:

‍“That is one of the beautiful things about living in Temora, the camaraderie and support makes you feel like you can take on the world!! CraigSinclair (the economic Development Manager at Temora Council) is always there to chat and provides us advice and education in business.

We cannot think of anything that has been a challenge in opening in a country town. With the internet we feel that any business can thrive and be as successful as their urban counterparts. All businesses have challenges when first opening, but opening in a small town has no bigger challenges if you are open to adapt and grow with your customers’ needs and wants - and utilise the internet and social media to their full potential.”

‍Alison and Libby encourage others living in the city, who dream of starting a business but finding it too daunting and expensive to start, to consider a country change to Temora, as Alison said: “DO IT! make the move!! Temora is very supportive of emerging businesses with a very active council that assists businesses with free courses, information nights and will go out of their way to educate and inspire."