A woman has recounted how the pressures of a high-stress job led her to a transformative decision: at 59, she relocated to Bali with minimal resources to start anew.
Kellie, now 64, dedicated 17 years to a private pathology firm and served as a Covid frontline worker before making the life-changing move to Sanur nearly five years ago, relying solely on her superannuation savings.
Currently, she enjoys a fulfilling life with her husband, Darius, whom she met in the bustling tourist destination. Together, they engage in artistic pursuits, with Kellie creating and selling her paintings.
Originally from Darwin, Kellie experienced life in Canberra, Sydney, and Singapore during her childhood, accompanying her father, a navy officer, before settling on the Central Coast as a young adult.
Kellie told the YouTube channel, Sanur Diaries, she was a single mum for most of her adult life and said that it was a challenging time for her.
“I raised my daughter alone from when she was just four weeks old, without any family nearby to help, and struggled to find adequate childcare,” she explained.
“For a time, I had to rely on the single parent pension,” she added.
It all turned out well though, with her daughter becoming an award-winning writer.
A woman has shared how a demanding, high-pressure job triggered a change in mindset that led her to move to Bali at 59 with almost nothing, before rebuilding her life
However, Kellie said she made the decision to move after reaching breaking point during the pandemic despite having only visited Bali once before.
‘I was one of those people who would never go to Bali, but I went in 2018 and thought “now I know why people go, it’s a great place”,’ she said.
‘I thought I’d like to live there one day and then during Covid, I just had enough and went, “it’s now or never”.
‘I sold most of my stuff, and was fortunate to have a friend who had a friend who lived in Bali.’
The move to Sanur wasn’t easy though, with Kellie revealing she actually quarantined in Jakarta when she first arrived in the country.
‘After my quarantine in Jakarta for five days, I went to Seminyak where I quarantined for a further 14 days,’ she said.
‘I then stayed at a hotel in Legian for a month just to see where I wanted to be before I went to Sanur and thought “oh, this place is great”.’
Kellie said she was scared at first, but received plenty of help along the way.
The couple live in a big Indonesian-style house within walking distance of cafes, supermarkets, and a fruit shop
‘Like I said, I only knew one person here, but I was fortunate enough to get connections with other Australian girls here who were great for me,’ she said.
‘They took me places, showed me around, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.’
Once settled, she said she had the intention of just living a nice and happy little life when a chance encounter through a mutual friend led to her meeting the love of her life.
‘I met Darius through a mutual friend and then I met him again at a venue where we were watching a band,’ she said.
‘We’ve been together ever since.’
The couple live in a big Indonesian-style house within walking distance of cafes, supermarkets, and a fruit shop, and Kellie demonstrated it was possible to enjoy life in Bali on a smaller budget.
She said her rent was 45million Rupiah a year, which she paid upfront for five years, securing the property until around 2032.
She also paid about $50 a month for electricity.
While hot water is available, Kellie said she doesn’t use it because water is already warm enough and it’s a good way to save money
Her home also includes a basic kitchen, a cheapish swimming pool and a western-style toilet.
While hot water is available, Kellie said she doesn’t use it because water is already warm enough and it’s a good way to save money.
Cheap places like Kellie’s may seem hard to come by, but she said they were available in many parts of Bali.
‘You’ve just got to know where to look, do your homework and dig deeper,’ Kellie said.
‘You can’t just sort of lob up here and expect to get everything you want in one go.’
Kellie is just three years away from being entitled to the age pension in Australia, but Services Australia states she must be living in the country when applying and must have been living there for the past two years.
However, she said she was willing to forfeit her pension to remain in Sanur, although that wasn’t the plan at the start.
‘I was just going to live on that frugally until pension time and then go back to Australia,’ she said.
‘I was fortunate enough to get an inheritance from my mother and while it’s not a huge inheritance, I can cope as I have a budget that I stick to.
‘My husband works too and looks after himself.’
She also said that she wasn’t worried because she was always able to return to Australia when out of money.
