The Friendliest Town in NSW: Temora’s New Residents Find Their Bliss.

Two years ago, Sal Carrero and his wife Marilyn were looking for a better lifestyle, so they went to the Country Change Expo in Sydney.

Amongst all the stalls, a sign caught their eye, ‘Temora - the friendliest town in NSW.’ The couple hadn’t even heard of Temora before, but that sign described exactly what they were looking for. ‘We went to Temora and fell in love with the place,’ said Sal. ‘We have more friends here now, than what we had in 7 years on the Central Coast.’

Marilyn volunteers at the Temora Rural Museum, which is the main attraction at Temora’s vibrant new social heritage precinct, the Bundawarrah Centre. Describing the museum as a ‘marvellous, wonderful place with lots of different exhibitions on at different times,’ Marilyn gets a lot out of her volunteer work and meets so many wonderful people. However, it’s thanks to the generous work of volunteers like Marilyn, that the Rural Museum has so much to offer to Temora’s locals and visitors alike.

The business community in Temora is thriving, with a diverse range of professional services and a roaring retail precinct. However, in this digital age, the business and employment opportunities are endless. Sal is a marketing professional and CEO of a successful business, Client Connections, which he runs online. ‘We’re very fortunate that we have very, very high speed internet in Temora,’ said Sal. ‘Doing business here is a breeze.’

Sal has also had a first hand experience of the amazing medical facilities available in Temora, remarking that, ‘the hospital staff were absolutely fabulous.’ To his surprise, there was no need to travel to Wagga Wagga, as the facilities were far more substantial than he had expected in a smaller community like Temora. ‘We’re very fortunate to have such great facilities here, and it’s made me feel really comfortable about the area.’

Temora is just 80km north of Wagga Wagga and its domestic airport, and 210km north west of Canberra, while Melbourne and Sydney are just half a day’s drive away. Aside from its great location between major cities, the significantly more manageable mortgages are another one of Temora’s most appealing attractions. According to the 2016 Census, the median price for a 3-bedroom house is just $250,000. ’What you get for $300,000 in Temora, you definitely couldn’t get in Sydney or even the Central Coast anymore,’ said Marilyn, who insists she ‘really couldn’t go back.’

After living in the community since 2015, the Carerro’s are so glad they made the move, and their only regret is that they didn’t do it 20 years ago. ‘There is no way I could move back again,’ said Sal. ‘Even if I won the lottery, I would not go back again. The lifestyle here is just incredible’