After years of renting in Sydney's Inner West, living in cockroach infested shoe-boxes, dealing with crazy neighbours and house hunting in an over-priced, over-populated city, I thought that negotiating a tree-change at 23-years-old would be a walk in the park.
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Little did I know that the rental market in the Southern Highlands was a whole different ballgame.
After more than two months of daily inspections, endless paperwork, applications, and online searches, my tabby-cat and I are still camping out at my parents house in Goulburn.
For a young person on an entry-level income there are limited options.
When you factor in a pet, you are left with even less.
Often walking into pet-friendly and affordable accommodation is like entering a smoker's lung - sagging, yellowed and threadbare with a severe case of rising damp.
I have spent many sleepless nights scrolling through the handful of properties available online, the harsh artificial glow from my phone straining my eyes as I hopelessly search for the prized words "pets on application".
Internet, heating, air-conditioning and gas are all dreams in the reality of renting on the lower end of the market.
The many emails, calls and messages I leave regarding available apartments are often left unanswered and submitted applications left unacknowledged.
The great Australian dream of owning a house with a backyard, veggie patch and a tyre-swing is far out on the horizon.
Juggling the high cost of rent and living expenses means saving money to buy a house seems almost impossible.
The alternate option, an hour long commute from Goulburn to the Bowral office, sounds fine in theory but it seems I'm not cut out for such a life.
The early start coupled with lack of sleep and a generally anxious disposition, when it comes to getting behind the wheel, means that I'm exhausted before my day even begins.
Many mornings I've had to pull in to the nearest Macca's for a coffee and a breath of fresh air to clear my head and avoid being on the front page of this very paper.
The allure of the picturesque landscape, food, wine and tranquility of the Southern Highlands has priced young people, seeking a tree-change, out of the region.
In the meantime, I will continue the search for a place to call home.
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