City stilettos no match for lure of Longreach

Little did Sydney dietician Michelle Sonego know that a brief stint in Longreach would blossom into a whole new lifestyle and career.
Born and raised in Sydney, the self-described ‘true city girl’, who graduated with Honours in Dietetics from the University of Sydney in 2005, was lured to Longreach by a taste for adventure and the promise of a great professional career.
“I was sitting on the beach reading The Australian newspaper and saw the ad for a Longreach dietician,” Michelle recalls.
“It sounded like exactly what I wanted, and I didn’t even know where Longreach was!” she laughed.
“I was really attracted to the rural sole practitioner position because it had all aspects of dietetics from inpatients, outpatients, health promotion and food service. I decided then and there that was the job I wanted, despite being given other job offers.”
Michelle started work in Longreach in January 2006, became the Allied Health Team Leader in December 2007, and in her own words, “is not looking to leave anytime soon!”
“It was the best decision I ever made. I’ve grown professionally, I find the work rewarding and enjoyable, and my personal and social life is rich.”
“Working bush as a sole practicing dietician for the district has allowed me to develop professionally very quickly. The variety and responsibility I enjoy, plus my new friends and the lovely, hot Longreach sun, makes it easy to stay here.”
So how did a former city girl Michelle survive so far from her family and friends – not to mention the shopping and soy lattes?
“Homesickness was definitely hard for me, as I had never lived outside of Sydney or away from my family,” Michelle confesses.
“However in Longreach, you can’t help but make new friends. Living in the nursing quarters for the first 12 months meant I was never short of a social life.
“As a hobby I started up my own after-hour’s private dietetic practice at the local Longreach gym. I also still teach body pump classes there, which never in my wildest dream would I ever thought I would do. But that’s the great thing about country life; there is so much opportunity to diversify.”
“I also met my now husband – captain of a local rugby union team – who helped take away my Sydney blues very quickly!”
“The other biggest challenge was to find a new hobby now that my old one of shopping was no longer available. I’ve discovered the joys of online shopping.”
“You can get anything online so my love for high heels still blossoms out in Longreach but I now have to Scotch guard them against red dirt, not the rain.”
Story supplied by Queensland Health, May 2010.
