A workplace in the country

I work in a pretty unique office. We're a book publisher, but we're not based in a big fancy office in Sydney or Melbourne, we don't have a receptionist, fancy water coolers, or a waiting area with plush lounges. Instead, our office is a cottage on a rural property in the village of Wollombi, NSW.

"What's a book publisher doing out there?" everyone always asks me. Indeed it was one of the first questions I asked my bosses and I think they are probably sick of hearing it! But their answer is simple, when you can run a publishing business from anywhere in the country why not do it in a beautiful place? Where instead of peering out the window at grey concrete buildings, lush green acreage with trees and birds and butterflies are in their place.

A liquid ambar in autumn

Wollombi is a quaint little country village with rolling green mountains draped in fog, tucked away valleys, dewy grass, wineries, metal rhinoceruses, pale blue and cream houses with wrap around verandahs, climbing vines, grazing horses and wooden bush furniture. Wombats grumble around, fat kookaburras dive for worms, black cockatoos squawk, rabbits hop into the bushes with their cute cotton tails, frill neck lizards bask on rocks, liquid ambars in a full sunset of colours, ozmanthuses that smell like a freshly opened packet of lollies, skinny gum trees with bark slouching off, water hens cluck about by the ponds. No wonder so many Sydneysiders have weekenders here!

However the downside of working in the middle of nowhere is that it does take a little longer to get to work, there are crappy, potholed roads to contend with and there's the possibility of a kangaroo bouncing out onto the road at any moment. We have to make our lunch everyday as there are no takeaway shops nearby - unless you want to fork out $14 for a tourist priced toasted sandwich from the village. The internet can be a bit slow and we experience the occasional black out. There's also a tendency for the roads and bridges to flood when hit with heavy rain but never mind we can always work from home! Which we do either once or twice a week anyway to save driving two hours every day 5 days a week. Visitors are rare, we get about one every 1-2 months and it's definitely a lot harder to network as there's not many journalists nearby to take out for coffee.

Nero, one of the office dogs

Another thing that's unique about our workplace is that we have three dogs, Nero, Winston and Big Ted roaming the office. They bark at couriers when you're on the phone, scratch at the door to be let in and out and make you play ball (or golf ball, or wine cork, or whatever Winston can find) when you're in the middle of something. We eat our lunch on the verandah whereby they attempt to engage us in a game of fetch with Winston commissioning the thrower and Nero waiting below to retrieve (and barking nonsensically). Big Ted just sits there eyes full of hope for any scrap of food like he's never been fed a day in his life!

This is my first full time workplace and I'm glad to have started off here. Being a small business they really look after you and it's a very hands on, multitasking job which means I've gained many skills. There are only three main office workers - myself, a special sales manager and an office administrator. An accountant comes in twice a week and our boss, the sales and marketing director, flits in and out. Not many offices can say they have dogs trotting around inside and red bellied black snakes on their door step - it's a unique workplace that's for sure and definitely never boring!