The couple who purchased a rural retreat after one inspection

After spending 14 years in the US, Canberra-born Olympia Yarger was keen to show her American husband Eric and their two kids a taste of life in rural Australia.

“The idea of moving to Cooma has been on our minds since returning home in 2014,” Yarger says.  

“It is a great town; close to the beach, the snow and Canberra, so location-wise we always knew we’d like to end up nearby. 

“We also knew we wanted to live off-grid on a big property and when COVID hit Canberra in March, it confirmed that this was definitely what we wanted to do.”

After meeting and connecting with real estate agent Shannon Fergusson of McGrath in 2018, the couple almost purchased a property that was destroyed in the recent bushfires. 

“We were devastated, but by that stage Shannon had a real understanding of what we were looking for. Add that to his local knowledge and understanding of the Cooma area and it made the whole experience very easy.

“Strangely enough our new home is across the road from Shannon, which says a lot about our relationship.”

The four-bedroom, two-bathroom property on just over 40 hectares was exactly what the family wanted. They only viewed it once before putting in an offer in May.

“It is in a stunning location with views across the back verandah to the beautiful Monaro Valley and Snowy Mountains. The Cooma Creek runs through the front of the property and at night-time we can look up and see the Milky Way in all its glory.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to force many people to work from home, the idea of living rurally became even more appealing.

“Eric works in software for SAP and had been travelling a lot for work. Prior to COVID we imagined that he would need to commute to and from the new house. However, with the great connectivity in Cooma, he is able to work from home full-time,” Yarger says. 

“It is quite the revelation for him as he can be in virtual meetings all morning then go out into the paddock to plant trees during his lunch break.”

For Yarger, the chief executive of waste management infrastructure organisation Goterra, she still has a daily commute to Canberra. Eldest son Clancy, who’s in his last year of high school, joins her for the ride.

“It’s only an hour in the car each way, which many people think is too long but I would sit on trains and in Ubers to get across Sydney in rush-hour traffic to a meeting for an hour – and no one blinked an eye! It’s just about shifting your mindset,” she says.

Eight-year-old daughter Charlotte is revelling in her new rural life in Cooma. She attends the local primary school and spends her leisure time riding her horse or walking her whippet around the property to hunt for rabbits.

“We used to have to run Charlotte around after school for horse riding, now everything is in our back yard. We have so much space and freedom yet we are still only 12 kilometres to Cooma for school and dance classes,” Yarger says. 

“As much as I love Canberra and all the great things about city life, the move to Cooma was perfect for the whole family. Especially now in 2020 and the strange new world we find ourselves in.” 

The former hay-making property was already set up for an off-grid life with solar panels and battery storage. The couple are planning ways to make their new home even more environmentally-friendly.

“We will put in composting toilets and geothermal flooring and we have begun rearranging the paddocks to support biodiversity,” Yarger says. 

“There’s lots we could do and so much potential here, but equally we could just leave it. 

“It’s a big and exciting project and we have only been in for a few weeks; there’s still boxes to unpack yet.”

This is part of a series looking at how Australians bought their homes. For more advice, read Domain’s ultimate guide to buying your first home.