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Why this young couple moved from the city to the mountains

When their dreams of achieving backyard bliss weren’t possible in Sydney, this couple decided to embrace a slower lifestyle in the Blue Mountains.

By Bek Day

2 December 2024

Quincy Lim and Krish Waje standing in front of a fence at their property in the Blue Mountains.
  • A growing number of young Australians are leaving the city, with internal migration from cities to regional areas 20 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the Regional Australia Institute
  • A young couple share why they made the move from Toongabbie in western Sydney to Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains

“It’s been about two weeks since we moved,” says Krish Waje, speaking from her newly purchased home in the Blue Mountains, “and already we can feel ourselves settling in and starting to unwind. We’re surrounded by trees and birds and we’re on a huge block so I can take my coffee outside in the mornings and just soak it up.” 

Krish and her partner, Quincy Lim, have long loved the Blue Mountains but hadn’t really considered moving there until recently. “We used to come up here hiking nearly every weekend but our home and families were in Sydney.” 

Krish and Quincy are part of a growing number of young Australians leaving the city for greener pastures. According to research from the Regional Australia Institute, internal migration from cities to regional areas is 20 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels. What’s more, after a lull in 2023, the first half of 2024 has seen renewed interest, a shift spearheaded by millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996), who are the largest cohort of regional movers. 

The couple had previously rented an apartment in Toongabbie, a 40-minute drive west of the Sydney CBD, from which Krish also ran her rapidly expanding refillable candle business, Lunaire. “As the business grew, the stock was piling up in our living room,” she says, “so we said, ‘You know what? We definitely need to get a bigger space.’ And that’s when we really started looking around to buy.”

Krish Waje pouring wax into refillable candle containers on a table. The couple now have enough space in their home for a dedicated candle area.

As soon as they began searching, the pair realised that Sydney’s prices were out of reach. “We knew we wanted to keep the business inside our home because renting a warehouse would have been an additional cost burden. So, we decided we needed a house. And there’s no way we could afford what we wanted in Sydney.” 

Soon, Krish and Quincy shifted their thinking to include the Blue Mountains. Krish had just made the decision to give up her office job in North Sydney and invest all her energy into the business. With no longer having to factor commute time into her day, the timing was perfect. The couple initially looked to the lower Blue Mountains, a little bit closer to the city. But after missing out on a few places that went for a substantial amount over the price guide, as well as seeing the number of other young couples battling it out at open homes, Krish and Quincy shifted gears and looked in the mid-mountains instead. And that’s where they found their perfect home, in Hazelbrook. 

“Along with looking for a place that would have enough bedrooms for us to have a dedicated candle area, the most important thing was land,” says Krish. “We found a beautiful large property – I was manifesting having a backyard and that’s become a reality.”

Quincy Lim and Krish Waje standing in the backyard of their Blue Mountains property. Krish and Quincy recently made the move from Toongabbie to Hazelbrook.

Post-move, Krish says one thing they wish they’d done differently was to plan the move more efficiently. “We didn’t realise how much stuff we had. We hired movers and halfway through the day they had to send out a second truck so it was a pretty expensive move, especially since the drive was more than an hour.” In hindsight, the couple think they should have hired a van for smaller things and left the larger furniture for the movers. 

While Krish is excited about what her new “slow” lifestyle offers, there are some adjustments to be made. “In Sydney we can be impatient, especially on the roads, so I’m adapting to the small-town vibes,” she says. “When I’m out getting groceries or having a meal, I’m conscious to make sure I say hello, make a good impression and start to get to know people.” And while they may be saving money on the daily commute to work, the couple weren’t expecting the variance in grocery prices. The local shop is only small and so the couple now know they need to pay more for the convenience of buying essentials around the corner when they don’t want to drive 30-minutes to a supermarket. 

 

Quincy Lim and Krish Waje standing on their balcony looking out to trees. The couple plan to grow their own fruits and vegetables.

But the spacious new property offers the couple a great way to minimise food costs. “One of our short-term goals is to grow fruits and vegetables and be more self-sustaining,” says Krish. “Quincy has already started—we had tonnes of soil delivered the other day. I’m excited to stop relying so much on supermarkets because everything’s getting pretty expensive. It will be a major cost-saver for us.” 

Krish is also learning to adapt to her new surroundings. “It’s typically an older demographic living out here and I’m on the younger side.” Before moving, she joined a local Facebook group and there had been a few questions from people considering a similar move, asking whether there was much of a social life. “A lot of the comments from locals basically said, ‘You’re not going to be out socialising on weeknights like you might in Sydney but if you love nature and you enjoy hiking then you’ll find your people.’ We love those things so now it’s just a matter of getting out there.”

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