Sea Change

Moving is often cited as one of the most stressful life events. So, it was a pleasant surprise that my recent move from Sydney to Newcastle felt relatively low stress.

I made the decision in July of last year following my sister’s announcement that she was being transferred to the coastal city. I had been wanting to get out of Sydney for some time and it seemed like as good excuse as any to finally make a move.

If I be honest Newcastle wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it does feel like where I need to be at this point in time. I have only been here for 3 months and already it feels like home.

These are the biggest differences I have noticed between the two cities:

Sense of Community

I love Sydney and it served its purpose, however having spent my formative years in regional NSW I have long craved that sense of community, which just can’t be replicated in a big city. I know, I know Newcastle is a large city. But the thing is it feels like a large country town. People know each other, you run in to people you know down at the beach or at the shopping centre and neighbours talk to each other (ours actually mows our lawn for us)! He is doing it now as I type.

Friendly

Even though I understand the country custom of saying hello to strangers it still caught me off guard when I encountered it here. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it. I’ve had so many unexpected lovely conversations with people from all walks of life. The other day I stumbled in the coffee shop, actually I am not sure stumble is accurate, slightly lost my footing, and a young guy reached out for me and asked if I was OK. It reminded me of the time I fell flat on my face crossing a busy Sydney road and not one person asked if I needed assistance! The customer service here is also top notch, genuine friendliness and warmth that you see so rarely these days.

Relaxed

It may be the lack of traffic or all the free time people have from not sitting in traffic, but things are just so much more relaxed here. Cars stop when they hear a siren. In Sydney just before Christmas I got abused by someone for stopping when I heard a siren! Whatever the reason is there is a noticeable relaxed attitude that does wonders for my mindset. The only downside is that service does appear to also be a bit more relaxed. Clearly, I need to adjust my mindset a little more, my city impatience not working for me here.