富勒顿（Melissa Carbonell Fullerton）于十年前从哥伦比亚移民到澳洲定居。在她决定与丈夫一起搬到莫宁顿半岛（Mornington Peninsula）之前，他们在生活多姿多采的墨尔本住了好几年。
除了希望可以置业之外，她表示：「我搬到那裏（莫宁顿半岛）是希望有一个彻底的变化。我们希望搬到一个更宁静、令人放松，而且令人远离城市繁嚣的地方。」
为何要移居乡郊地区？
移居乡郊地区的理由可以有很多，但事实上，房屋负担能力以及就业前景往往是移居乡郊的主要原因。在整个澳洲，偏远地区所需要的劳工更多。
澳洲定居委员会（Settlement Council of Australia）行政总裁特比 （Nick Tebbey）相信，在偏远地区生活有助促进社区。他说：「能够离开城市，与乡郊地区连接，到一个生活节奏慢一点、社区更加紧密的地方是有吸引力的，特别是对于那些来自类似地区的人。」
纵然如此，对于那些考虑到乡郊地区生活的人而言，地区的配套、基础设施以及社区服务等往往是令人却步的原因。
Rathamile Radebe helps prepare floats on Peel Street during the Tamworth Country Music Festival Cavalcade on January 28, 2017. Source: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Sometimes, moving to regional Australia might that you won't be surrounded by your community and your language anymore, but it doesn’t have to be the case.
All over the country, programs are created to attract migrants to regional areas. In Mingoola, New South Wales, African refugees have helped revigorate the ageing community.
In Pyramid Hill, north of Bendigo, the Filipino community is thriving; there’s even a Filipino grocery store in town. “People are so excited about how that has rejuvenated that community,” says Regional Australia Institute CEO Jack Archer.
Pyramid Hill, Victoria Source: Wikimedia/Mattinbgn (C.C. BY A 3.0)
Making the move
Moving from the city to the country is not always easy. “It was a shock at the beginning for me because I moved to Australia ten years ago and that was a big shock for me making friends and finding a job, etc,” says Carbonell Fullerton. “
“So moving to regional Victoria felt almost like migrating again. It was a bit hard to adjust to that again, but it wasn't as bad as I thought and it took me less time to get used to it. I had the language on my side now so it was easier for me to find a job and friends."
She’s now well settled on the Mornington Peninsula, with a home near the beach, a job at a local gardening magazine and a baby on the way.
If you’re thinking of making the big move, both Archer and Tebbey recommend that you do a lot of research to find the best area for you.
Get in touch with your local migrant centre to see if they can connect you to opportunities in regional areas. Once you've identified places that you are interested in, contact the local council and check if there's a migrant resource centre there.
And before to make any decision, Archer suggest you go for a visit. “Make a bit of a shortlist, talk to people and their networks, then make contact with local organisations and take a trip out there and talk to some people,” he says.
Rohingya refugee Kobir Ahmed working inside a grocery store. Source: ELIZABETH BAI/AFP/Getty Images
“I think you'll get a great response if you take the time to visit a community and talk to the locals and see what the opportunities might be. It's a really practical thing and like moving anywhere, it's better if you get a chance to have a look at the place and have a sense of what it might offer before you make the big decision to move."
