For Angela and Terry Oliveira and their young family, moving to the wide, open country and slopes of the Snowy Mountains from the Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla is the best thing they’ve ever done. Cooma has offered the tree-changers the best of lifestyles for all the family.
For Terry, a physiotherapist, and his eight-year-old daughter Summer, the ski slopes of nearby Jindabyne are a key attraction in the winter, while the whole family enjoy the opportunities for getting out on the mountain bikes in the off season, and the easy 1.5 hour drive to the Sapphire Coast for SUPing and body-boarding in the summer.
Angela Oliveira, nurse educator at Cooma Health Service, says the great outdoors are what enticed them to move, but the people in Cooma have made it feel like home.
“It’s a slower pace of life. People have the time, and they really care,” Angela says. “Cooma Hospital has been so supportive and it’s a great place to work.”
“Everyone knows each other,” Angela says. “Everyone helps each other, and management are really supportive.”
Angela and Terry both work at Cooma Hospital and Health Service and live just a short walk away on the same street. Eight-year-old Summer has made some really great friends at her new school and for two-year-old David, the good country life is probably all he will remember of his infant years.
Angela says they made the decision to move when she was on maternity leave with David and they’ve never looked back.
“I’d actually never heard of Cooma before we moved here,” Angela says. “I was more familiar with Jindabyne. But it was a strategic move – Cooma is central to Canberra, the mountains and the beach.”
Terry and Summer are keen snowboarders and Angela says her daughter is trying to teach her to snowboard but for now she’s focusing on her balance and fitness.
The family have a lot of outdoor equipment, mountains bikes and a couple of SUPs (stand up paddleboards), and Angela says it’s probably why they haven’t bought a house yet. They intend to though and say while they could probably never have afforded to buy a house in Sydney, it’s much more affordable in Cooma.
For now, they are out at every opportunity exploring the great outdoors, near and far – and loving every minute of it.