How COVID-19 prompted this Queensland couple to realise their dream among the trees, near the beach

These ME customers have recently bought a fixer-upper in a tiny country town less than two hours from Brisbane. The couple had been looking to buy in regional Queensland for a lifestyle change for several years, and the pandemic nudged them into action. This is how they did it.

Some Australians dream of a sea change, others of a tree change. With the help of a home loan from ME, Adam Coles, 43, a public servant, and his partner Klaire, 38, a lawyer, have just bought a perfect mix.

Their new dream home in Cootharaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Cost is a huge open plan timber cabin nestled among 40-metre tall gum trees, within driving distance of Noosa Heads, consistently ranked in Australia’s top 10 best beaches.

Adam is commuting back and forth from Brisbane so he can renovate and refurbish the cabin. The plan is to move the whole family there eventually, depending on schooling options for their two children who are currently in primary school in Brisbane. Meanwhile, the Coles will keep paying off their mortgage on their small inner-city home in Annerley as they slowly transition to country life.

“During lockdown we weren’t allowed to leave our suburb. My parents live up on the Sunshine Coast and we couldn’t visit them. We couldn’t drive anywhere,” Adam tells ME.

“There was no room – we only have a little block with a tiny yard and we kept having to take the kids for a walk to the same park.

Because they had already done plenty of research before the pandemic, the Coles felt ready to buy right away. As soon as lockdown restrictions eased in Queensland and open house inspections resumed, they were able to buy quickly.

Adam, who grew up in a regional town in the Northern Territory, predicts regional buying will be a hot trend after COVID-19.

“The agents we talked to up there on the Sunshine Coast said the properties were moving a lot faster since the pandemic,” he says.

“People unaffected by COVID-19 will have money to spend because they saved during lockdown. They’ll realise they don’t need to be right in the city. And then maybe they’ll realise they don’t even need to be in the suburbs if there’s a decent school.”

How they did it: The appeal of Cootharaba

Cootharaba stood out to the couple because it is within half an hour of the beach at Noosa Heads, surrounded by beautiful native bush, and in driving distance of a train line to the city.

The Coles started their search by looking at anything within two hours’ drive of Brisbane where they could afford to get a decent-sized block. “We wanted a bit of land,” Adam says.

Their ideal location also had to be near other vibrant towns and a main regional hub with important amenities, like schools and supermarkets. Cootharaba is near Pomona and Boreen Point, so it fits the bill.

When train line upgrades are complete in a few years, the Coles will be able to drive to nearby Nambour (roughly 30 minutes) and then ride the train to Brisbane in about 45 minutes.

The biggest challenge – internet

Adam is a public servant and he expects to be able to continue working from home a couple of days a week indefinitely, even after COVID-19 ends. As a lawyer, Klaire is more tied to the city because she needs to see clients, but they both plan to work from home in Coothabara more and more over time.

So a good internet connection out in the bush is key.

“It’s the only difficulty we had,” Adam says. “There are massive gum trees around our house. We had trouble getting any internet at all. So that was a bit of a hiccup to start with.”

First, the Coles tried fixed wireless, but they couldn’t get a reliable 4G connection. Satellite broadband was the next option, but it was too expensive. They’ve settled on hotspotting their laptops to a smartphone with a signal amplifier and a generous data plan.

Surprisingly, the phone’s 4G connection is good enough for both Adam and Klaire to be on Zoom meetings at the same time. But it does drain their data quickly.

“We’re not watching a lot of Netflix or anything,” Adam says with a laugh. “We’ve been going to the Op shops and getting DVDs.”

The Coles’ advice for other regional buyers

1. Go for a weekend drive and don’t look at properties. Focus on getting a feel for the ‘vibe’ of the town instead.
2. Get the real estate agent to do the hard work for you. If you miss out on a property, tell the agent you’d like them to keep you in mind for similar properties. Sign up for their mailing list.
3. “It saves you time trawling through all the real estate websites,” Adam says.
4. Carefully research internet connections in the area.
5. Consider hidden setup costs, such as solar panels and water tanks.