Meet the millennials moving home to the Mid North Coast

In the plastic world of made-for-television romcoms and Christmas specials, moving back home after living in the big smoke can be a charming and character-developing experience.

A less cheesy drama may paint returning - especially if it’s to live under a parent’s roof - as a sign of defeat.

So, what is the reality? The Mid North Coaster spoke to recently returned millennials about why they packed their bags and headed home.  

“We have a life again”: Realising he and his wife were “bound to be forever renters” after 23 years in Sydney, Adam* sold his plumbing business and relocated the family to his home town of Port Macquarie. 

• “[We wanted] to be closer to family, be able to afford a home and get a better work/life balance. In Sydney we both worked long hours with the kids in day care. But that was never sustainable.”

Adam’s family is now boarding with relatives with the goal of buying within a year. 

• “Living in Sydney, a simple thing like going to the beach costs you time and money and can be very frustrating. Here, you can park on the beach if you want.”

“I am incredibly lucky”: Jessica, a 34-year-old rehabilitation counsellor who grew up in Laurieton and attended university in Armidale, is sombre about the reality of home ownership on the Mid North Coast.

Though she missed home and loves being back, she now feels straddled with an “insane mortgage”. 

• “It is getting far too expensive to be able to afford a home. It feels that there are far too many investors who have flooded the market buying up multiple homes and have pushed out the younger generation.
  
  “I am incredibly lucky to have got into the housing market just before the prices went through the roof, otherwise we likely wouldn’t be able to afford one today.” 

A good home for two dogs: Lawyer Daisy, 33, is expecting her first baby in July. After finishing school in Port Macquarie, and a gap year in Germany, she lived in Sydney for 13 years.

• “Sydney was expensive - especially rent,” she said. “At uni it wouldn't have been possible without some help from my parents. But once I started working, being in the city also meant high earning potential, even though the cost of living was high.”

With friends returning to Port and ageing relatives, the move back made sense. Another major reason was her rescue kelpie Scout. 

• “Any time we'd take him out of the city - including up to Port where he had access to my parents’ huge yard, and we would run every morning on Lighthouse Beach - he was insanely happy. Then we started wanting a second dog and just thought our place in Sydney was too small.”

Vintage clothes, vintage towns: Bonnie, a 33-year-old small business owner, grew up in Lorne before moving to Sydney and then Newcastle, pursuing a passion for fashion and design. 

• “The creative scene [in Newcastle] seemed on my wavelength,” she said. 

After moving back to the family farm to prioritise her small business, she opened vintage and upcycled clothing shop Chosen Stranger in North Haven six months ago.

• “[The internet] has made it possible for people to move here and still work really diverse jobs,” she said. “I know that's the case for me and one of my sisters, who probably would have had to live in the city to follow our careers 10 or 20 years ago.”

While North Haven rent is cheaper than Sydney or Newcastle, Bonnie said day-to-day expenses are comparable. She budgets more now for fuel and car maintenance, but less for nightlife. 

While finding the move back “an adjustment”, Bonnie is glad to be closer to her family and says she is “curious and optimistic” about her future.

• “I think my lifestyle here has made me much more grounded and calm.”