Written by RRR Network Regional Ambassador Toyah McCarthy
When Anika’s family decided to make the move from Brisbane to Karratha, it all happened fast, just five weeks from decision to departure. At first, she was hesitant uprooting the kids, leaving behind family, and stepping away from everything familiar felt overwhelming.
However, this wasn’t Anika’s first time moving having experienced living overseas for a couple of years in Kuala Lumpur as a highschooler and then time spent living in Cairns and then Brisbane. But once they arrived in Karratha, within a week Anika said “we knew we should’ve done this sooner.” City life for Anikka and her family was a constant revolving door of sitting in traffic, multiple school drop off’s, waiting for weekend for doing the fun things with family outings happening too infrequently as they needed to be scheduled in.
“We were burning out and just wanted to have a more relaxed and intentional lifestyle. My husband had a few friends from work that had moved to Karratha and had all suggested it would be great for us if we could get the opportunity”.
Now, two years on, Anikka can’t imagine being anywhere else. “This is our home for as long as my husband has work,” she says. “Living here has shown us that regional life is where we’re meant to be. I love that everything in town feels 5 mins away if that. And the best part is the impromptu catch ups with friends and family outings. The luxury of just being able to decide to do the fun stuff even on a school night because you know you’re not going to have to rush home before the traffic starts or anything like that. It’s a slower pace but a more fulfilling one!”
Moving from her hometown has had its challenges like being further from ageing family members but the unexpected gift has been the sense of community. “I’ve felt more support here than I ever did in Brisbane. It really is a village here. Life in the city always” felt like we were chasing our tale and getting nowhere we were so booked out and rigid. Now there’s space to breathe.”
Moving regional has also shifted her thoughts on work and family life: “My perspective has changed to realise that there is an option to really make your lifestyle work for you, however that looks. Especially while my kids are still at school and growing up way too fast – we’re not getting this time back. I feel so lucky we have this opportunity to be around more, be present more, have more time together to do all the fun stuff. Our only regret is not doing this sooner”
Working remotely has added to the balance, giving her the flexibility and presence she craved when life in the city felt like a constant hustle.
She balances remote working part-time for an east coast company alongside her new photography business Mini Moments Pilbara Photography which is fuelling her creativity and using her photography genes to capture people against the beautiful Pilbara scenery. “I spend 3 days a week in my membership admin role, then 2 days a week working on my photography business, of course always dabbling away at it though in the evenings and weekends as is the way with most small businesses. But I love it so it never feels like a chore”. Anika has always loved photography to capture memories and after her friend gave her a gentle nudge, she too the leap and kicked off her business which celebrated its first year recently.
Anikka’s story is one of courage, change, and discovering that sometimes, the scariest leaps lead to the most grounded lives. She says to other women who may be considering a similar move, to “Absolutely give it a go. It doesn’t have to be forever if you find it’s not for you – but the amount of people I have met here that came with a plan to stay 2 years, 3 years etc and are now on their 10th year says a lot! You’ll always regret the risks you didn’t take”.