Please don't shift Melbourne's problems to my country town


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Recently my husband had to have surgery. It was relatively routine, but the organisation that went into the drop-off, pick-up and child and work wrangling was challenging.


This is because we live a four-hour round trip from the hospital and the surgery ran many hours over initial estimates. Geelong is no longer an easy place in which to park and get around – the traffic is thick and you need to move your car regularly unless you know the spots to pick, which I don’t.


Driving home on dark and windy roads after a long day of waiting, with a groaning husband, made for a stressful and exhausting experience. But that’s the accepted drawback to living in a rural area – limited access to health care, most services and certain types of activities.


Shelley Beach in Apollo Bay.

Shelley Beach in Apollo Bay.


Photo: Richard Cornish

We choose to put up with the inconvenience because we value the lifestyle – the slower pace, the lack of traffic, the easy commute to work, the sense of community and the reduced pressure overall.


But it’s definitely not a lifestyle that would suit everyone, and encouraging excessive growth in these areas is not something that locals necessarily want – it changes the very fabric of the place where they live. We tolerate the inconveniences and lower incomes of country living in exchange for the tranquillity, space and time.


Article source: http://www.cinemablend.com/previews/1678910/mollys-game

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