Vlad Balashov fondly recalls the memories of his hometown Balashiha, near Moscow in Russia, where he spent his childhood when it was still a small town.
"My grandfather moved to Balashiha because the town's name sounds nearly the same as his surname. Everyone knew everyone there. My grandfather was a doctor and because of that if ever my bicycle broke down while I was out, the locals would call the ambulance to get it fixed," he says.
Decades later when Mr Balashov's sons moved out to live separately, he decided to leave the bustling south Sydney suburb for wilderness in the Blue Mountains National Park where he bought 47 hectares of land to build a new house.
"We bought the land in 2010 to build a house on the mountain top. It's a very nice view from up there but constructing the place didn't cost us as much as flattening the land did," he says laughing.
Australian Balashiha
It wasn't until after Mr Balashov and his wife started living on the property that they thought of giving the place a name.
"Every property there has a name. So we also had to decide a name for our place. Because of my memories of my hometown, we decided to name it Balakashikha," he told SBS Russian. "Now it's registered, you can find it on Google maps."
The property is located in Wombeyan Caves, approximately 100km west of Wollongong.
Balashiha, NSW. Photo: Vlad Balashov. Source: Supplied
Australian Balashiha is quite different from the Russian town where Mr Balashov lived during his younger years. The difference of elevation is 250 meters, one can see dozens of kangaroos from the bedroom and lyrebirds imitate the sound of Mr Balashov's chainsaw.
The property serves not only as the couple's residence but also as a place for wildlife rehabilitation and tourism.
But there are things that make this place somewhat similar to Balashiha in Russia -- a 1983 “Niva” ("Lada"), imported from the then USSR, a name sign in Russian gifted by friends and the snowy winters of the Blue Mountains.
Vlad Balashov and his 1983 Niva at Australian Balashiha. Source: Supplied
The couple has planted alleys of hundreds of native trees and all their guests have a chance to plant one as well. Mr Balashov counts famous Russian TV stars and well-known travellers among his guests who have planted trees at this property.
Australian Balashiha, in the Blue Mountains Source: Supplied
The community
Mr Balashov says even though he has to drive four kilometres to reach his nearest neighbour, living in Australian Balashiha he has developed a stronger connection with the community.
“This is a very interesting community here. We communicate with neighbours more than we used to while living in Sydney; going to the closest pub in 40 km from us or visiting each other, or helping each other with shopping with the closest supermarket 100 km away,” he says.
The property relies on solar electricity and rainwater with the couple spending a lot of time on wildlife rehabilitation, especially since the devastating bushfires last summer that destroyed parts of Balashiha, including Mr Balashov's beloved Niva, which he has since managed to restore.
Last summer's bushfires damaged parts of the property, including Mr Balashov' 1983 Niva. Source: Supplied
“Now, after the bushfires, many friends come to us for subbotnik (volunteer work) to plant trees, to restore the flora and fauna as many plants and many animals died. Before the bushfires dozens of kangaroos came to see us in the mornings, now there are far fewer of them here."
According to Wildlife land trust, the wildlife found on the property includes eastern grey kangaroos, koalas, red-necked and swamp wallabies and bare-nosed wombats. A wide variety of birds also live on the property including wedge-tailed eagles, gang-gang cockatoos and superb lyrebirds.
Mr Balashov's property has attracted plenty of interest from the media in Russia. Though he's not sure when the next phase of construction will begin to build a guest house on the property, he says he will definitely happen some day.
Kangaroos in Balashiha, NSW. Photo: Vlad Balashov. Source: Supplied
"We'll get on with it but when we have the money to do it. It's a little piece of Russia that we are creating here."
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