Ah Jeff Corbett... yet another short sighted, one-sided column from 'the Hunter's most provocative columnist'! Stay in the city mate, you're the sort of person that those living in the 'bush' don't need in their community. I was born and bred in Newcastle, and it will always be my home. However, I work in a very specialised field, so had to leave town (family, friends, and all the comforts of home) for inland Australia. Shows how much you know about living in a 'small' inland town - yes, it was difficult fitting in, I still get homesick (even after living here for a number of years), BUT this community is vibrant, caring, ethnically diverse (probably moreso than the one in which you live), there are an abundance of quality cultural activities (unlike Newcastle, we even have a nationally award winning museum!) My hours are good, it takes me five minutes to get to work, my pay is no less than what it was working in the big city, etc. etc. Need I go on?! You talk of narrow-mindedness & conservatism... take a look within your own community! Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Does your city have any bookshops? Perhaps you should avail yourself of some literature... or better still, get in the car and drive inland... you might be surprised!

I have an unusual situation, my other half is Englsih, I am Australian, so we spend half our time in Australia, half in England. Whilst not a 'treechange' or 'seachange' we have, on a number of occassions, made the big move to a new place, new jobs, new house, new friends and a new start (twice in 5 years!). We find that its all in the attitude. When we live in England we could sit and complain, and be disheartened with the miserable weather, the busy roads, the cost of living, the football hooligans, and lack of feeling safe in public etc. When in Australia we could moan about the tyrrany of distance, the lack of access to Europe and holiday destinations, mosquito's, sunburn, .... But wouldn't that be over looking whats great about these places... We have friends who have moved one way or the other and spend all their time complaining about whats wrong with their new home, sooner or later they return to their old place. We find that we LOVE everywhere we live, because each has benefits (and downfalls). Where else but Australia could you go to the opera house, sit out until midnight on a balmy night with a glass of Hunter shiraz, ski in the snow in October and be on the beach the following weekend, sailing on the harbour, the blue mtns, beaches, the lifestyle, the bush - we love it! But then in England there is the history, the proximity to European weekends away, the culture, the castles, (I would be remiss not to mention my girlfriends favourite passtime - The SHOPPING), the springtime flowers, the friends we met and the languages we can now speak (we each speak enough Spanish and French to get by) Jeff, its all in the attitude and what you are looking for - if you are looking for something to compain about, then you'll find it. If you wake up every morning and look foor the positives, then you'll find many more of them than negatives! My only regret is waiting until I was in my 20's to make my first move to the UK. And my partners regret is that she waited so long for us to move back to Australia!! No doubt we'll be off again soon - we love both our countries and find it hard to settle because of what we LOVE, not because of what we DISLIKE. So, instead of moving up country Jeff, why not join us on the next flight to Europe??

There is a lot of appeal in a tree change, but there are also a lot of reasons that most people live in urban centres.

Hi Jeff, do you ever tire of people who only read what they want to read in your articles and then reply accordingly? they write in a tirade about short sightedness, unbalanced articles, glass houses etc. i suppose they can find whatever they are looking for in an article.

Crikey ~ you've hit a nerve with this, Jeff. Who would have thought? I am a city dweller, and enjoy and appreciate the facilities, services and 'connectedness' of urban life. All of my grandparents were primary producers in the Hunter, so I have a reasonable perspective on rural life. In fact, I plan to buy a small farm ~ as a weekender. But I wouldn't live out of town permanently, because I would spend half my life coming back into town, to shop, access healthcare, entertainment, education etc. There is a reason that young people have flocked to urban centres for decades, and it's the same reason that people choose to live at Fletcher rather than Cams Wharf : people have a strong fundamental desire to be connected to other people, to vibrancy, to growth and progress. They need to be somewhere that works, logistically, day to day. A treechange sounds romantic, but the reality is less thrilling. Like owning a Ferrari as your only mode of transport : great fun until you go shopping, or collect the kids, or go over a speed hump, or buy a surfboard, or get a dog, or.........

Interesting in that a growing number of Newcastle and surrounding residents would consider themselves to be sea/tree changers; coming from Sydney and other larger cities. There's pros and cons to any moves either way - I've moved to a bigger city and while I like the growth in options I get from this, there are the downsides (like the traffic!).

We enjoy living a rural lifestyle and the need to travel for medical expertise is a draw back.We have been at the Calvary Mater again looking for some response from radiotherapy treatment with five machines in use and a sixth to be comissioned soon (no money at present) there is a large crowd in the waiting area but no familar faces.In the corridor we saw a likeable young man from home who has down syndrome he enquired the purpose of our visit, he then knelt down on his knees, put a hand on each side of the wheel chair and said "if you die mate i will miss you" very frank and very touching.

Interesting topic, but it confuses me as to how some take exception to everything you write. I have half contemplated the seachange / treechange on occasions, but ultimately am tied to cities in my current line of work. Like abundance I suspect I would get bored with the small town existence, the need to drive everywhere and of course the separation from family and friends. Fortunately I have access to weekenders on the coast and in the bush so I can have my cake and eat it too.

maybe 'boat people' are just looking for a sea/tree change.

I've always dreamed of a tree or sea change - however I am realistic enough to know that it would require a huge effort on my part to adapt, get to know new people, join clubs etc. I also realise that sometimes dreams should always be dreams. Besides I can't afford a sea change - I don't have a few spare million to buy the cute cottage by the beach, or remotely close to the beach. Living in Newcastle is hardly a sea/tree change, however it kind of was for me. I moved from Sydney, where I could never have afforded to buy where I would want to live (close to the beach) with parkland nearby. Yet here I live a 15 minute flat bicycle ride/ 10 minute drive to the beach - with no parking problems!! I live close to bushland - Blackbutt and Glenrock are also very close by. We have far more artists living here per capita than anywhere in Australia. Culture abounds.... although I can't say I quite understand the worshipping of the Knights by this newspaper. We have a fantastic conservatorium that puts on great concerts.... innovative theatre and live music venues are everywhere. Being an artist and involved in community run art groups, that does make me proud to live in Newcastle. And now I have a gorgeous son that can become a nipper if he so wishes!!