There is no doubt Camperdown is the perfect place for Simon and Alison Buccheri.
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The couple moved to the town three years ago, a step that has brought them closer to their families and furthered their careers.
Mr Buccheri, a finance manager at Corangamite Shire Council, and Mrs Buccheri, a speech therapist at Colac Hospital, have family in Werribee and Portland.
After driving for hours back to their home in Swan Hill one night, the couple agreed they needed to move closer to their families.
“We got back really late and said we’re sick of doing these long drives but we want to keep the lifestyle. So we got Google maps up and looked into where halfway between Werribee and Portland was,” Mr Buccheri said.
“We had a light bulb moment and agreed we wanted to move.”
Mrs Buccheri said Camperdown was exactly halfway between the destinations.
“When a job for Simon and myself came up in the district, it was just perfect,” she said.
Living in Melbourne was never an option for the pair. Mr Buccheri had left the city after finishing university and working for four years and had no intention of going back.
“You’re just a number (in Melbourne)... no one knows you personally,” he said.
“We have friends that we go back and visit in Werribee where the houses are wall to wall but they don’t know their neighbours. They have no sense of community.”
Mr Buccheri said small favours like a Camperdown neighbour collecting their mail while on holidays was great.
“It’s just a nice feeling. You don’t get that in Melbourne,” he said.
His wife agreed they were living the dream.
“Living here is a combination of lifestyle, being close to family and friends and building our career,” Mrs Buccheri said.
The couple said they made friends easily in the town and agreed there were similar people around their age to connect with.
“In Camperdown there is a lot of young professionals. Young people get out and do things and get involved and the locals are pretty accepting of new people,” Mr Buccheri said.
On the weekends they participate in a range of social activities including netball, tennis and lawn bowls.
“We do some great walks up Mount Leura,” Mr Buccheri said.
The couple don’t have children but said Camperdown was an ideal place to start a family.
“You have the services, the schools, the health centre,” Mr Buccheri said.
They said they have no regrets about settling down in Camperdown. “Having done what we have done now, we would definitely make the move again,” Mr Buccheri said.
And the best part?
“There’s no traffic lights in Camperdown,” Mrs Buccheri enthused.
rhoulihan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
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