The Good Oil: Living in Australia as an Expat

We’re planning on leaving Sydney in the next year or so, due to starting a family and needing a 4-bedroom house. But where to move to? The choice is overwhelming. In this series of posts, I explore a plethora of possible places – many of which we’ve visited – in an attempt to reach some sort of conclusion. Next up – Maleny.

Maleny is nestled within the beautiful hills of the Sunshine Coast hinterland in south-east Queensland.

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Maleny is about an hour’s drive north of Brisbane, and 30 minutes from the coast. This means it has access both to a major city, and to some beautiful beaches such as Caloundra, Maroochydore and Noosa. The views from Maleny and nearby roads are simply stunning, taking in vast swathes of rolling hills, the ocean, and the spectacular Glasshouse Mountains in the distance:

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Recently I’ve broken my habit of a morning walk on the beach, thanks to the combined hectic-ness of having a baby, writing a book, and preparing for a trip to the UK. However it’s such a beautiful morning today that I decided to renew my walking habit.

I find it’s so easy to get bogged down in negative aspects of day-to-day living and lose sight of what makes living here so great. Things I loved on my walk this morning:

• Beautiful blue skies
• Wide streets and open spaces
• Friendly cafe owners, shop owners, and locals saying hello to me as I walked past
• The stunningly beautiful beach
• Gently lapping waves in a deep turquoise sea
• The warm sunshine on my face
• The sounds and smells of nature
• Panoramic views of the ocean and bush from the headland
• People enjoying themselves on the beach and in the water

As I prepare to head off to England – which will, no doubt, be cold, wet, and dark! – I can honestly say that I am missing Australia already.