As a young couple from Sydney, Tobias and Amy Lehmann had travelled the world and enjoyed all the finer things in life. However, they knew they would have to look further afield if they wanted to live a certain lifestyle once they started a family. Self-proclaimed ‘foodies,’ they decided to relocate to the heartland of Australian agriculture - the Greater Hume. They bought their own little farm in Walla Walla, and now the Lehmann’s have two young children, Violet and Horatio, who love to help their parents tend to the animals.

‘A lot of our friends in Sydney didn’t believe we’d actually do it,’ said Tobias, who has kept his full-time Sydney-based job in addition to running the farm with Amy. ‘They all thought it was just our little pipe dream,’ added Amy. ‘So when we did move, it was a bit of a shock for them.’ Although Tobias usually works from home, he travels into Sydney for work at least once a week. The Greater Hume Shire is ideally located for those who travel to the city on a regular basis, with easy access to the main railway line between Melbourne and Sydney, and Albury Airport just a 30-minute drive away. ‘The lower cost of living here means the regular commute is quite affordable,’ said Tobias.

Being an easy half hour drive from Albury also means the Lehmann’s have access to all the big city services and facilities, but the area is also home to some of the Riverina’s top attractions. There’s Holbrook with its fascinating history around Submarines, the breathtaking Woomargama National Park, and Morgan’s Lookout in Culcairn, just to name a few. Walla Walla even has an excellent boarding school, among many other educational facilities from Early-Years Child Care, through to a great selection of nearby universities.

Going from a desk job to running a farm, Amy now has a much more active lifestyle and has noticed a huge increase in her fitness and overall wellbeing. ‘I’ve never been stronger - it’s amazing,’ said Amy. Little Violet and Horatio are also benefiting from the country change, and according to Tobias, ’Violet loves getting up in the morning, putting her little boots on and going to see her chickens. Living on the farm has giving her a huge amount of confidence that I don’t think she would have had if we stayed in the city.’ The family has also made some great friends, and feel that they’ve really been welcomed into an amazing little community. ‘Our neighbours are wonderful,’ said Amy. ‘I think we could grow old here.’

Greater Hume is famous for its fresh produce, and the Lehmann’s West Walla Farm is part of an emerging boutique farming industry. While much of the delicious local faire eventually finds its way to tables around Australia, living in Greater Hume means it’s easy to cut out the middleman and enjoy farm-fresh food and locally-produced wines. Come and find out why life is so great in Greater Hume - you certainly won’t go hungry!