For Bill and his wife Shona, moving to Maroochy Shores wasn’t a decision made overnight. In fact, their introduction to the Hometown Australia community began well before they even considered calling it home.
“We used to drive past” Bill recalls, “in the early days the nearby café was advertising a five-dollar breakfast, so I said to Shona, ‘Let’s check it out.”
They did check it out and soon found themselves returning for breakfast regularly. “When we started coming regularly, the locals would ask us, ‘Do you live here?’ because we were here more often than they were”, laughs Bill.
With friends already living in the community, when the time eventually came for Bill and Shona to downsize from their local home, Maroochy Shores felt like the natural choice. “We thought there was no better place to move to,” he says. “Five years since we made the move permanent, we’re still happy to have made the decision to make Maroochy Shores home”.
At 77, Bill describes himself as “very active” and life at Maroochy Shores gives him plenty of opportunities to keep it that way. For him, one of the greatest benefits of community living is the range of activities and amenities available, along with the chance to connect with other residents.
“We’ve got a community centre here where we do a lot of activities” he says. There are regular social occasions, including Happy Hours, as well as the community bus that takes residents out each month and residents volunteer to help with organising the outings.
Bill and Shona still visit the local cafe where it all began.
Bill also makes good use of the community’s swimming pool, even when the weather is a bit cooler. “I’m pretty much the only one using it at the moment,” he jokes. “I get myself warmed up in the gym and then I just dive straight in.”
Come Summer however, he says there will be plenty more people around the pool, with children and grandchildren visiting residents and enjoying the amenities too.
Bill is equally enthusiastic about keeping moving on dry land. He walks and rides his bike regularly too.
Five years after making the move, Bill and Shona are equally happy with the home they chose. Their two-bedroom home features two ensuites and a covered rear porch which Bill says is his favourite place to enjoy the warmer months.
They have also watched the value of their home increase since they purchased it, another welcome benefit of their decision to make the move. And because they are living in a land lease community, Bill and Shona will retain 100% of their capital gains as a cash profit when they sell their home.
But it is clear that for Bill, the real value of life at Maroochy Shores goes well beyond the home itself. It’s hearing Shona and a friend playing their ukuleles nearby when he visits the café. It’s seeing all the familiar faces around the community, enjoying happy hour, going for a walk or taking a daily dip in the pool. “There are a lot of happy people walking around,” he says.
Five years after downsizing, he and Shona have found a home and a community where they can stay active, connected and enjoy life of their terms. As Bill simply puts it “We are very happy.”