THANUJA Vanderhoek still remembers sitting in peak hour traffic in Sydney for her 90-minute commute to work, twice a week.
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The osteopath had to criss-cross the city to access a second clinic she ran on those days.
"The buzz on your system in just getting from Point A to Point B means you're constantly on alert," she said.
When Dr Vanderhoek left her two multi-disciplinary practices in Sydney to go out on her own in Albury a decade ago, she was cautiously optimistic.
Together with her husband and two children, aged 3 and 5 then, Dr Vanderhoek wanted to put down roots in a regional city after studying and working in Sydney for 15 years.
Originally from Finley, Dr Vanderhoek gained a grant from the Rural Doctors Network to move to the country.
"Basically I wanted to start a practice that would offer a similar service to those in the city," Dr Vanderhoek said.
"There was a gap in the country where different modalities were offered under the one roof."
The newest three recruits have relocated from Melbourne, reflecting a broader migration trend on the Border in recent years.
A net 43,000 Australians moved to regional areas from capital cities in 2020, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed mid-2021. After Queensland, the regional areas of Victoria (13,400) and NSW (12,700) had the next largest net gains.
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Osteopath Aleasha Ball moved to the Border last October when Melbourne was in a lockdown owing to the global pandemic.
Having grown up at The Rock, Ms Ball had been isolated from her Riverina family for two years amid COVID-19 restrictions.
"I planned to move back after I did my course at RMIT - Bundoora but I loved Melbourne," she said.
"Then COVID made it hard because I couldn't see my family at Wagga; my Nan is 90."
Having applied for a staggering 16 rental properties due to unprecedented demand, Ms Ball landed a place in North Albury.
"The cost of living is cheaper," Ms Ball said.
"With fuel prices up, it's also cheaper to see my family at Wagga while living in Albury."
Originally from the Riverina, osteopath Shelby Perram relocated to Albury from Melbourne 18 months ago.
When the global pandemic hit, she went home to Narrandera to continue her studies online through RMIT.
After doing her work placement at Inspire Health Albury, she got a job with them in February 2021.
"There's a lot more hands-on experience sooner here," she said.
"There is a better work-life balance when you're not working across two clinics, for example."
Born-and-bred Melbourne exercise physiologist Kara Dunster joined the team this month.
Specialising in exercise to treat chronic pain, Ms Dunster would deal in a wide range of complex health conditions and ages working in the regional clinic.
"Networking in a smaller city is awesome too," she said.
"People are super friendly in Albury; in Melbourne everyone is on a mission."
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