From Beach Walk to Big Move: Maya and Eli’s Journey to Australia
Maya and Eli weren’t running away.
But after two years on the road, living out of their camper van and chasing wedding gigs across the U.S., something had shifted.
“We loved the freedom,” Maya says, curling her hands around a coffee mug. “But by the end, it didn’t feel like an adventure anymore. It felt… tense. Everything — the politics, the media, the conversations — had an edge to it.”
For Eli, it was more subtle. “We’d stop in the most beautiful places and still feel anxious,” he adds. “We were always plugged in — to the news, to social noise, to uncertainty.”
Then, a booking came in.
Australia.
It wasn’t their first thought — but it ended up changing everything.
The Beach Walk That Changed Everything
Maya had visited once before, years ago. She remembered eucalyptus trees, baristas who smiled, and a kind of stillness she hadn’t felt in a long time.
This time, Eli came with her. And within 72 hours of arriving, something shifted.
“We were just walking on the beach,” Maya recalls. “It was a Tuesday morning. We’d had good coffee. The sky was impossibly blue. And I remember Eli turning to me and going, ‘When do we move here?’”
It wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t dramatic.
>It was a quiet truth neither of them had said aloud before.
The moment coincided with mounting political division back home — and a growing sense that they wanted something different.
“Not easier,” Eli clarifies. “Just different. We wanted to feel like we could breathe again.”
Exploring the Possibility
Back in the U.S., that beachside moment didn’t lead to an overnight move — but it did start the conversation.
“Could we really do this? What would it take? Would we even be eligible?”
Like many Americans thinking about moving to Australia, their first steps weren’t dramatic. They started slow:
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Researching visas and timelines
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Looking into Australian states and lifestyle options
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Reading expat stories, blog posts, and Reddit threads
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Checking school systems, even though they didn’t have kids — “just in case”
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Comparing cost of living and healthcare options
“It wasn’t a grand plan at first,” Maya says. “It was more like, ‘Let’s just see where this leads.’”
Eventually, they reached out to Claymore Thistle.
Getting the Right Support
“We weren’t looking for someone to move our furniture,” Eli laughs. “We were looking for someone who could help us figure out what we didn’t even know to ask.”
At Claymore Thistle, we work with people just like Maya and Eli — Americans relocating to Australia, trying to get their heads around the paperwork, the lifestyle, and how it all fits together.
Instead of a checklist, we offer perspective.
We helped Maya and Eli:
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Explore which visas suited their circumstances
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Understand timelines and what needed to happen when
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Get a sense of which neighbourhoods might feel right based on how they lived
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Decide which parts of their relocation they wanted to DIY and which parts they didn’t
What About Their Stuff?
Once the move became real, the big question came up:
Maya and Eli went back and forth — like most of our clients. In the end, they chose to bring the furniture that meant something to them, and let go of the rest.
“I couldn’t imagine eating dinner at a plastic table for six months while waiting on a shipping container,” Maya says, grinning. “But I also didn’t want to re-buy everything from scratch.”
We helped them find the middle ground.
At Claymore Thistle, we arranged the international shipping for the furniture they chose to bring — then coordinated a long-term rental and hired essential items — bed, sofa, even cutlery — until their belongings arrived. Everything was set up before they walked in the door.
“There was even a welcome note and a bottle of wine on the table,” Maya recalls. “We didn’t feel like we were arriving at someone else’s place. We felt like we were coming home.”
Finding Their New Neighbourhood
Because Maya and Eli reached out before their move, we were able to help secure a long-term rental ahead of time — no Airbnbs or last-minute hotels.
“We didn’t want to lock in a lease we hadn’t seen,” Eli explains. “But we also didn’t want to burn money on a short stay.”
Claymore Thistle viewed homes on their behalf, sent videos, and handled communication with property managers. Once they chose their rental, we coordinated the move-in process from abroad.
“I was expecting to spend my first few weeks Googling where to buy sheets,” Maya laughs. “Instead, we were exploring markets and learning the bus routes.”
The Bigger Picture
Maya and Eli don’t have children — but we work with plenty of families who do. And one of the biggest shocks for newcomers is the Australian school catchment system.
We helped Maya and Eli consider areas that would work for now and later — just in case kids became part of their story down the track.
“It was actually comforting to know someone was thinking a few steps ahead,” Eli says. “I didn’t even know school zones could affect your home choice.”
For Americans relocating to Australia, things like healthcare, public transport systems, and banking can feel familiar and confusing at the same time.
It helps to have someone who knows how it works — and more importantly, how it feels to be doing it all at once.
Was It Worth It?
They say you know within the first six months.
But for Maya and Eli, the answer came sooner.
“I was sitting on our little patio with my coffee,” Maya says. “The magpies were singing and I’d just hung laundry in the sun. It was nothing special. But it felt like we’d made the right choice.”
Thinking of Making the Move?
Maya and Eli’s story is uniquely theirs.
But if you’re reading this, and you’ve had a similar beachside moment — or just a quiet feeling that life could be lighter— we’d be honoured to help.
At Claymore Thistle, we don’t just manage logistics.
We walk beside people making big life decisions — and help make them easier to live with.
“It wasn’t about escaping,” Eli adds. “It was about choosing the life we wanted next.”
Ready to Explore the Idea?
📞 Book a free call — no pressure, just guidance
📝 Download our Australia Cost of Living Checklist
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