Some places stay with you long after you leave.

For Siobhan Vantyghem, Greater Hume Shire was one of those places.

Originally from Ireland, Siobhan met her Canadian husband while living overseas. After a few years together, they packed their bags, set their sights on Australia and began the kind of adventure many young travellers dream about.

They did not arrive with a five-year plan. They did not know they would one day return with children, businesses and a life built around the very place they had once passed through as backpackers.

But within two weeks of arriving in Australia, they applied for farm work in southern NSW.

“We came here within two weeks of being in Australia, and we spent 18 months out of our two years here in this area,” Siobhan said.

It was meant to be temporary. Instead, Greater Hume quietly got under their skin.

The couple found themselves surrounded by wide-open spaces, farming landscapes and people who made them feel welcome. For Siobhan, who grew up on a dairy farm in Ireland, and her husband, who grew up on a tobacco farm in Canada, there was something familiar about the rhythm of rural life.

There was also something new.

“I think what it was is there was a beautiful sense of space here,” Siobhan said. “There’s a beautiful, calm presence and the community was extremely welcoming.”

Years later, after returning overseas, that feeling was still there.

Today, Siobhan and her family live in Little Billabong, about 20 kilometres north of Holbrook. What was once a stop on their travels has become the place they now call home.

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A life built with many moving parts

Like many regional families, Siobhan and her husband do not live a quiet one-dimensional version of country life. Their days are full.

Her husband runs a farm contracting business and spends his days working on the land, while Siobhan works full-time at Jayfields Nursery, where plants are grown for farms and environmental plantings across the region. She has also launched Rural Wise Marketing, a business focused on supporting rural and regional businesses. “Getting into the tourism and the economic development within this area, just trying to give back to the community.”

Together, they are raising two young children, building businesses and contributing to the community that first welcomed them years ago.

It is busy, but it is also deeply connected to the kind of life they wanted.

Greater Hume did not just offer her family somewhere to live. It gave them a network, a sense of stability and the confidence to build something of their own.

“The opportunities and the support that you get in a place like Greater Hume and Holbrook has been absolutely amazing to us,” she said.

For Siobhan, regional life has not meant narrowing her ambitions. It has opened new doors.

She believes there is room in Greater Hume for people, not only those connected directly to agriculture.

“There’s huge opportunities for any industry around here,” she said. “It’s just knowing how to connect it and put it together.”

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A regional shire with room to grow

Greater Hume Shire sits in southern NSW, just above Albury and within reach of Wagga Wagga, the ACT, the Snowy Valleys and the Murray region.

It is made up of towns, villages and rural communities, including Holbrook, Henty, Jindera, Culcairn, Walla Walla and smaller localities such as Little Billabong.

For people considering a move, the region offers the kind of balance many families, professionals and business owners are searching for: space without isolation, community without losing access to services, and a rural lifestyle that still connects to larger regional centres.

There are local employment pathways, small business opportunities, agricultural enterprises, schools, childcare services and community networks. There is also the practical benefit of being close to Albury and Wagga Wagga for work, study, healthcare, shopping and travel.

For Siobhan’s family, that balance matters.

“In Holbrook, for example, they’re 40 minutes from Albury, they’re an hour from Wagga Wagga,” she said. “There’s plenty of choice and options for all varieties of people.”

It means they can enjoy the feeling of rural life while still having access to what they need as their children grow.
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Raising children with people who know their names

For Siobhan, one of the most meaningful parts of living in Greater Hume has been watching her children become part of the local community.

Her daughter attends school in Holbrook, while her son goes to daycare locally. As a parent, Siobhan says the services have been important, but the people within those services have mattered even more.

“The services that we have available to us here have been amazing,” she said. “But not only the services, the people in the services.”

In a smaller community, children are not just numbers in a system. They are known. Their milestones are noticed. Their relationships with educators, carers and other families become part of the fabric of everyday life.

For Siobhan, seeing her daughter build those bonds has been a powerful reminder that they made the right decision.

“To see her form those attachments with primary givers in there has been absolutely so beneficial to not only my life but to hers,” she said.

It is the kind of detail that can be hard to measure, but easy to feel.

The comfort of familiar faces. The reassurance of trusted people. The sense that your children are growing up surrounded by adults who care.

“Raising children in a rural setting like this has been absolutely amazing for my life and for their life,” Siobhan said.

The landscape becomes part of the story

Outside of work, school and business, the family makes the most of the natural beauty around them.

There are local walking trails, Woomargama National Park, rivers, Lake Hume and the Murray all within reach. The region offers the kind of outdoor life that becomes part of a family’s weekly rhythm - hiking, canoeing, exploring, watching the seasons change and giving children room to move.

The place they chose twice

For anyone thinking about making a Country Change, Siobhan’s advice is gentle but clear.

“Reach out,” she said. “There’s plenty of support around. You’re not alone if you’re thinking of doing it.”

And after travelling, leaving, returning and building a life in Greater Hume, her final reflection says it all.

“If you’re thinking of doing it, do it,” Siobhan said. “For someone who’s travelled quite a bit, this is one place that I found home and that I will call home for the rest of my life.”