Region Riverina’s Erin Hee thoroughly enjoyed her time in Wagga, but is ready to leave. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
When I first moved to Wagga, I was really excited.
This town has been treating me really well, it’s full of great people, has wonderful cafes and offers a very comfortable lifestyle. But I feel my time here has run its course.
Associate Professor Larissa Bamberry recently told me why a lot of young people are leaving the Riverina. Her main reasons were problems with childcare, housing and career growth.
While childcare doesn’t impact me, I can definitely appreciate the housing challenges.
When I told a fellow Malaysian in Wagga that I was leaving, she wasn’t surprised.
“Yeah, young people like you prefer the city right?” she joked in Mandarin.
That’s only part of the truth. Here are five things that would make Wagga even better.
Affordable housing
On the story I did with Dr Bamberry, someone commented: “Housing availability and prices are ridiculous for a regional area.”
Another commenter wrote: “Housing costs are on par, western Sydney or the Illawarra.”
To think that average rent in this small country town is now $530 per week really blows my mind.
I’ve just managed to secure a fully-furnished room in Sydney’s Inner West, with bills and cleaning included in the price.
The rental cost is on par with Wagga – it really shouldn’t be that way.
Medical services
Sadly, medical services (or the lack thereof) in regional Australia isn’t something new.
From people needing to travel hours to see a specialist or even access hormone replacement therapy and abortion, rural people get the short end of the stick – even with nationwide reforms to healthcare such as the recent New Aged Care Act.
In fact, the new Griffith Base Hospital does not have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.
When I told my American veterinarian roommate this, she couldn’t believe it. She asked: “Are you talking about a human hospital?”
Better public transport system or parking
When I drove my roommate to the Riverina Day Surgery, I thought there would be parking – but there was a huge sign at the front of the private hospital saying: “Parking off Chaston Street.”
Next door was The Rural Lung Unit.
So, where was I supposed to park? I ended up finding parking five minutes away, but it was a hassle.
There’s no doubt Wagga is a car city. Driving is stressful for me, but there are definitely two things that would help: a better public transport network or parking.
More independent grocers
Wagga needs more independent grocers that are not part of large supermarket chains. When I was in Sydney, there were plenty to choose from – sometimes you’d even find two on the same street.
If I couldn’t find something I needed, I could just pop into another grocer across the street.
Admittedly, I haven’t been exploring Wagga as much as I should, but the few independent grocers (that I know of) are probably J Family and Wojia. I think the new Growers Hub is a great idea; I’ll come back to visit that.
There’s probably somewhere else I can go, but as a foreigner, I haven’t figured it out yet.
Career opportunities
Admittedly, I am very early into my career with a lot to figure out.
I know I like journalism, but I also know I like doing a wide range of other things.
“To an observer who hasn’t lived in Wagga long, there isn’t a wide variety of employers/employment streams despite Wagga having most services one needs,” a Facebook commenter wrote on one of my stories.
I guess you can’t beat big cities such as Melbourne and Sydney for the opportunities they offer – which is probably a reason a lot of students stay there after completing their tertiary studies.
Bottom line?
Wagga definitely has a lot to offer, but at the end of the day I am a city kid. I know many Wagga locals find themselves returning here after a stint away, just like city kids who move here temporarily yearn for the concrete jungles.
I’ll miss my time here though. Wagga will forever have a special place in my heart.
