I look back on that decision a lot a for sale sign can seem like fate. But financially it was reckless, particularly the retreat. We thought we were bulletproof together, and liked the idea of making something out of nothing. I prefer to act now, not yesterday, not tomorrow.

Have you always approached life like this, do you think? I am a bit reckless, I guess. This leap first and ask most of the questions later attitude. I’m interested in this philosophy of living (although perhaps it isn’t a philosophy for you). A lot of things happen in this memoir before you’re quite ready, but you jump at the chance anyhow. You’re not quite ready for your treechange, but seize the opportunity when it presents itself.

I was dedicated to the idea of living self-sufficiently, sustainably, privately.” It did feel like being on a conveyor belt in a rat race. On Sunday afternoon before work I felt really depressed about going back to the thoughtless life, in the sense of not being aware of what’s happening in the natural world, not having the mental space to think and daydream. After we moved, I’d go back to the city on Monday morning and going to work through all the construction, into an office building, felt like a bit of an assault. Though I soon came to resent having to commute, turn up to an office. So it was a parachute kind of jump, not a freefall. Initially when we moved we still had those lifelines, we were still working, commuting into the city. I wanted that to be my life, to not have to go back to the city. I’d been spending my weekends and holidays up the coast. But I had wanted to do it for a long time. Initially, did you feel as if you were abandoning a conventional, urban life? Was this a good feeling, terrifying, or a mix of both? It was good.

You and your partner made a bold step in leaving your lives in Brisbane behind in order to buy and commit to living on your property in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Remaking the Balance examines how our natural, economic and cultural systems might be refashioned post-pandemic: will it be a return to business as usual, or can we reinvent our relationship with all that is animal, vegetable and mineral to create a more sustainable future?Įdited by Ashley Hay, Remaking the Balance looks at how we can do more with what we have, and features leading writers and thinkers, including Gabrielle Chan, Clare Wright, Matthew Evans, Sophie Cunningham, Inga Simpson, John Kinsella, Declan Fry, plus and exclusive Q&A with Barbara Kingsolver.Author Inga Simpson. She has a PhD in creative writing from QUT, and has recently submitted a PhD in English literature at the University of Queensland. Inga Simpson is the author of Understory: A Life With Trees (Hachette, 2017), Where the Trees Were (Hachette, 2016), Nest (Hachette, 2014) and Mr Wigg (Hachette, 2013). Inga Simpson reads her fiction from Griffith Review 71.

Mr Wigg by Inga Simpson