Why this couple left Sydney behind to build a sustainable life in the Blue Mountains

In our Buyer Diary series, you meet recent first-home buyers, next-home buyers and investors from around the country and discover how they made their property purchase.

After years of living and growing up in western Sydney, Krish Waje, 27, and her partner, Quincy Lim, made a pivotal decision. They would trade in the hubbub of western Sydney – the cafes, the restaurants, the buzz – for a more sedate and sustainable life in the Blue Mountains.

After a few short months of house hunting, the pair found a property in Hazelbrook that ticked multiple boxes: land to grow their own food, close proximity to the area’s bushwalking trails and enough space to accommodate their refillable candle business, Lunaire, and its inventory.

We spoke to Waje about the transition from city to mountain living.

What made you start property hunting in the Blue Mountains?

Quincy and I were renting an apartment in Toongabbie, in western Sydney, for about three years, and it worked really well for us at the time.

We had three bedrooms, and one of them was dedicated to running the business, but it naturally got to a stage where we had stock in the living room, and we thought, “Okay, it’s time to look for a bigger space.”

It also felt like the right point in our lives to buy a property together and upsize, but Sydney is so expensive, so we knew we had to look beyond the city. We also wanted land so we could live sustainably and grow our own fruit and vegetables.

We used to spend our weekends hiking in the Blue Mountains, so this area really appealed to us.

What was your budget, and did you stick to it?

Our initial budget was just under $1 million.

At first we were looking in the lower Blue Mountains, partly because it was closer to Sydney and partly because there were listings under that mark. But what we quickly found was that homes kept selling above the guide, and the places that were in our range didn’t really draw us in.

So we had to stretch both our budget and our search area, and we ended up purchasing in the middle mountain area.

In the end, the property cost a little more than $1 million.

How long were you house-hunting for?

All up, it was only about four to five months. We missed out on a house that we really liked, which made us keen to secure this one.

What attracted you to this house?

The property itself backs onto bushland, so it has that feeling of being surrounded by nature straight away. It was very quiet and very peaceful.

Most homes in the Blue Mountains are older and have that cute cottage feel, but this one was a bit different because it was just over 10 years old, so it still felt modern. You can have both: modern living and sustainability.

How did you save for a deposit?

We were very lucky in the sense that we both already had properties before getting together.

I had bought my own apartment in Seven Hills in my early 20s, which was a huge achievement for me, and I’ve kept that as a rental.

Quincy also had his own property, and in the year before we bought this house, he made the decision to sell his place so we could put that money towards buying together.

On top of that, we’d both been saving. I started working when I was 14 years and nine months old, and I’ve basically been saving my whole life, so we put our savings together.

How is your lifestyle different these days?

It’s a 180-degree change. There’s no Uber Eats here; there’s no nightlife like there was in Sydney. We have a garden and we spend most of our time out in nature. Our garden has started to grow quite a lot, so when I cook dinner, most of the veggies are from what we have grown.

It’s a very different, slower way of living, and I’m so, so happy here.