The number of people moving from the city or major urban centres to smaller country towns, coastal communities and regional areas is becoming one of the biggest cultural changes this country is experiencing at the moment.

People are wishing to simplify their lives and move away from the “economic growth at all costs” vision of Australia and live a more authentic life. Sure the majority of Australians wish to continue to climb the economic ladder, but nearly a quarter of the population is going against that trend by downshifting, seachanging or treechanging. My Partner and I are just a couple of those people, as we Treechanged in 2005 to The Preston Valley, just 35 Kays south east of Bunbury in WA.

A quieter life, simple as that. We wanted to achieve a work life balance and moving to a regional area has allowed us to do it. Having lived in the city and major urban areas all my life, it was nice to be able to enjoy the change of seasons, grow our own food, live a little quieter and be closer to the natural environment. In a way, it’s like turning the volume down on economic consumerism and turn up the volume on nature.

And we see nature in all it’s glory out here, with regular visits by Emu’s and Kangaroos, numerous species of birds, the cows from over the fence come to say hi and there’s also the spectacular sunsets and sunrises, the brilliant full moon, the clear night skies and the extremes of weather.

Living in suburbia you tend to get a little insulated, stuck inside a house behind security screens and bolted doors, with the air-conditioning up high, watching some TV show filled with commercials telling you how life could be much better if you had a bigger car.

Instead we now find ourselves outside, cooking on the Barbie enjoying a glass of red wine, watching the Guinea Fowl chase the magpies and having a great conversation.

These are the other reasons why we Treechanged.

There are a surprising large number of people doing the seachange and treechange thing. Figures from the Australia Institute show that 23% of Australian’s have downshifted in some way over the last 10 years.

Couples in their 30 to 60’s are making the change to live a more authentic life, free of the stresses of the city. However they’re not completely opting out, both or one partner may commute to the nearest urban centre for full time work or study.

Family’s are making the change, wishing to bring their kids up away from the major influences of a consumer society.

There’s the belief that to make the seachange you have to be wealthy, but it’s proven to be not the case, with average people and families selling up in the city and shifting to quieter country regions. And they’re people from all professions, boxing coaches, school teachers, nurses, Call centre workers, miners, advertising professionals, editors and writers to name a few.

Fed up with trying to keep up with the Jones’s, the seachanger and treechanger are opting for a simpler, more authentic way of life away from a overtly consumerist, environmentally damaging lifestyle. Clive Hamilton from the Australia Institute summed it up in his Book “Affluenza”.

Affluenza pulls no punches, claiming our whole society is addicted to overconsumption. It tracks how much Australians overwork, the growing mountains of stuff we throw out, the drugs we take to ‘self-medicate' and the real meaning of ‘choice'. Fortunately there is a cure. More and more Australians are deciding to ignore the big advertisers, reduce their consumer spending and recapture their time for the things that really matter.

In the South West of Western Australia, the ‘’change’ is sweeping to all areas. A lot of the main areas are within an hour’s drive of a major regional centre like Bunbury, Busselton or Margaret River as people still need to commute for work.

Growth areas include Argyle, Donnybrook, Lowden, Ferguson Valley, Brookhampton, Collie, Balingup, Bridgetown, Nannup, Boyanup, Harvey, Augusta, Capel and Busselton. In fact the entire south west is experiencing the change. Even areas like York, Toodyay and Northam are becoming popular, as some people are now being priced out of the South West Region.

While a lot of these people may work in places like Bunbury, they choose to shop locally, with a strong desire to support the local community. Someone living in on 5 acres is Yabberup, just east of Donnybrook, is more likely to buy Olive Oil from the small olive oil producer across the road than buy a more recognised brand at the supermarket.

I know personally a lot of treechangers who will go out of their way and are willing to pay more for good quality local products and services than get them in the city. I personally will buy cheese from a local dairy than buy a national brand from a big supermarket chain.

The Annual Balingup Small Farm Field Day is a perfect example of targeting the ‘changers’, with an attendance of over 15,000 people in 2006, up by several thousand the previous year with people driving all the way from Perth just for the day.

Businesses that can directly benefit include, local wineries, Olive oil producers, local food producers, artists and artisans, bakeries, small engine and machinery stores and service centres, real estate agents, builders, rain water tank companies, businesses promoting environmentally friendly products, Solar Hot water companies, fencing contractors, dam builders and liners, contractors including slashing, mowing, stock agistment, restaurants, nurseries and that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

Just putting an ad in the trades and services directory in the local newspaper isn’t enough anymore. Different and varied ways of letting people know what you’ve got to offer are becoming essential if you want to enjoy the benefits of the treechanging customer.

As treechangers, we speak from personal experience about what is needed and could be suggested in trying to attract new customers, because when you’re new to an area you need lots of goods and services and you want to use local people. If you can’t find them, you’ll end up going to biggest regional centre or the city in order to get what you need.

For instance instead of targeting people once they moved down here, why not let them know about you before they move!

Treechanging is about becoming part of community and injecting social and economic benefits at a local level where everyone hopefully benefits.

For some idea sharing on how you can promote your business differently, just send us an email or give us a call. We’re happy to have a chat anytime.