“We were lucky enough to travel the world, we’ve seen 60 major cities, really, in the world but then we came home with what I thought at the time was a healthy deposit,” Mr Robertson said. 

“It was actually depressing because what we thought was substantial was actually nowhere near enough.

“I think while we were away, Melbourne (house prices) had really started to erupt like a volcano, so people were like, ‘Got to buy, got to buy, got to buy’; by the time we got back it was the tail end of that beast.”

After four years of trying to enter the city’s property market, the pair changed tack and moved to Wodonga, where Mrs Robertson had grown up, about three weeks ago.

A house sitting stint has given the couple, both aged in their 30s, some space to plan becoming home owners on the Border. 

And they’re crossing their fingers as entrants in a Porter Davis competition where a Victorian first home buyer will win a $170,000 deposit on one of the builder’s homes.

Open until June 30, the competition can be entered at richparentsyouneverhad.com.au.

Mr and Mrs Robertson, who work in sales and hairdressing respectively, found rent, groceries and bills ate up their earnings, making saving a deposit even harder.

“We kept on getting financial advice that was like, you need help, you need a gift,” Mrs Robertson said. 

“We don’t want to do that, we’re old enough to make our own choices and have our own mortgage. 

“It was really frustrating, we kept on going to different financial planners and banks and it was just not enough.”

Whereas Wodonga house prices were “chalk and cheese” compared with the million dollar Melbourne market.

“When you’re talking about $330,000 for a house and land package, you’re in a very good ball park,” Mr Robertson said.

Family ties and regional attractions made the Border appealing.

“We’ve both got very transferable jobs, it’s just a whole different lifestyle, which we’re three weeks in and it seems to be quite good,” Mrs Robertson said with a laugh. 

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