Dr Napthine said the move was for personal and professional reasons, having recently been appointed the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) board chair.

"We made the decision to move to Geelong very, very reluctantly because we absolutely love Port Fairy and the south-west," he said.

The couple is originally from Winchelsea and they have family in Geelong. He came here as a vet graduate in 1975 at the age of 22 and the couple have lived in the south-west all their married life.

One of their three sons, Jack, 46, who has a disability and they fostered when he was a child, lives in Geelong in a community residential unit.

"Jack's got a severe disability and with his health and welfare, while he's doing well he needs a little bit more support. He's got a few additional health challenges at the moment and that's one of the reasons, we need to be closer to him."

Dr Napthine said Geelong's proximity to Melbourne for meetings and interstate travel was another factor in the decision. He said it was an honour and privilege to be asked to be board chair and it was an area he'd been "absolutely passionate" about all his life.

The couple were house parents for the intellectually disabled in Hamilton 40 years ago where they met Jack, and Dr Napthine spent 15 years managing disability housing before entering parliament.

In the late '90s, he was the Community Services Minister, which included disability services and while Premier he signed up with then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard to establish the NDIS, securing its national headquarters to be based in Geelong.

The couple will build a home in Geelong and continue to commute between Port Fairy and Melbourne until their Port Fairy home sells.

"It was a difficult decision because Port Fairy and south-west Victoria are probably the best places in the world to live. It's just magnificent," Dr Napthine said.

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