When Linda Lockwood contemplated her new life by the water, she did so with a tinge of sadness for the home she was leaving behind. Gardening had been the thing she loved the most in her Forrest home, and describing it as “therapy” she loved nothing more than to potter about on a weekend, tending to the flowers and shrubs, and even mowing the lawn. “I thought I was really going to miss it,” she says, from the pretty balcony of her apartment at Aurora Residences.

To her surprise though, she has found herself loving her new life, and has taken to apartment living like the ducks have taken to the water that plays a major role in the vista that greets her every day. “My husband Neris always said he wanted to try apartment living,” she says “but I always resisted because I loved the garden. But I must say, I haven’t missed it at all.”

Linda and Neris bought the apartment off the plan and moved in around March this year along with their daughter Sarah. They were amongst the first residents of Aurora, and have now witnessed a full change of season at their new place. “It’s wonderful now that the weather is warming up, to open the bi-folds all the way and let the world in,” she says. The apartment faces north, and takes in breathless views of the lake and some of the northern shoreline. The Carillion is not only visible from the balcony but can be heard quite clearly when it chimes. “Living in Forrest, we could always hear the bells of St Christopher’s, so to be able to hear the Carillion is very comforting,” says Linda.

One of the benefits of apartment living for this family has been that they have been far more social in the way they interact with their neighbours.

“We loved the old neighbourhood, but living in a higher density precinct, we find that we have made friends quite quickly with many of the residents, and it seems to be more of a sociable way to live.”

Linda is enjoying taking the dog for a walk, doing ‘bridge to bridge’ at least once a week, and finds that she has much more time to do all those other things that gardening once stood in the way of.

Of course, she and the rest of the family are looking forward to more restaurants and cafés opening, and are loving the fact that they can invite friends over to enjoy the amenities.

“We’ve been to C Dine on a number of occasions, and when we invite friends to join us, we always have a pre-dinner drink on the balcony. Most of them just love the ease and convenience of being able to have a night out on your very doorstep,” says Linda.

Although the urban lifestyle is all around them, they are quick to point out that nature is definitely on their doorstep here as well. “If you go for a walk around the precinct, you find that you can actually see and hear the cows at Dairy Flat from the northern end of the boat harbour,” says daughter Sarah.

So what are the things Linda loves the most about her new life? “Well I had to buy new furniture when we moved in, and what girl doesn’t love to shop?,” she answers. “And I’m growing quite attached to the little ducks and other birds that paddle past. But I think it’s just beautiful to wake up to this view every morning. My parents live on the coast, and dad usually sends me a pic from his mobile phone of a lovely water view. I’ve started sending him some of my own.”