I swapped the big city for a tiny community in the middle of nowhere. Rent is $60 a month – but the supermarket is a 5-hour round trip.

Sun, 10/01/2023 - 09:49

Sally Millar swapped the big city grind in Sydney, Australia for life in a tiny remote community.
She now pays about $60 a month in rent and makes more money than she did in the city.
But living a five-hour round trip from the nearest supermarket has its drawbacks.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Sally Millar about her experience moving from her city life to a remote corner of the Australian outback. The following account has been edited for length and clarity.

I'd been living in a tiny, one-bedroom flat in a busy suburb of Sydney for 10 years. I was just like anybody else, reasonably comfortable but working hard to pay my rent working in children's entertainment.