Paulette wasn’t looking for a new home when she first visited Oak Tree Darling Heights. She was looking for one for her brother.

At the time, Paulette was living in Kearneys Spring, while her brother was still in Melbourne and considering a move north. He’d asked Paulette to do some reconnaissance for him.

That search brought her to Oak Tree.

Her brother knew what he wanted – an open-plan home with an outlook and a sense of space around him. At Darling Heights, Paulette was shown a villa she thought fitted the brief perfectly.

She showed her brother around by video. His verdict? “Yes, that looks absolutely wonderful.”

Job done.

Except Paulette had started looking around with slightly different eyes.

“I said, ‘This is really nice. I wouldn’t mind living here also.'”

The Village Manager told her she thought she had just the place. Paulette went to see it.

“I looked at it, walked around it. Yep, this was for me.”

An unexpected change of plans.

Paulette hadn’t been planning another move. After living in different parts of Australia, including Melbourne, she’d returned to Queensland following the death of her husband, ready for a warmer climate.

Her Kearneys Spring unit sat at the back of a small complex built into a hillside, and Paulette had begun to feel enclosed. At Darling Heights, she found the sense of space she’d been missing. Her villa offered open-plan living and an outlook across the valley that immediately appealed.

“It was just a lovely feeling,” she says. “To be able to be in the unit, look out the window and see the valley down below.”

The home also worked for the way she already lived. With three bedrooms, Paulette wasn’t facing a major downsize or having to rethink everything she owned.

Once she’d seen the villa, she didn’t spend too long wondering what to do next. Paulette went home and put her unit on the market.

When moving day came, everything simply fitted into her new home. Settling into village life proved just as easy. A resident living opposite came over to introduce herself and became someone Paulette could turn to with questions, while the Village Manager was always available to help.

“Nothing was too hard,” Paulette says.

Together again in Toowoomba

Paulette’s brother was eventually able to make the move from Melbourne, staying with Paulette for a fortnight before settling into the Darling Heights villa she’d originally found for him.

“So we are both here and both very happy,” Paulette says.

Their sister also lives in Toowoomba. After years spent living in different parts of the country, the siblings now have the pleasure of being close to one another again.

And that plays out in all sorts of everyday ways. Paulette’s sister is chief dog-sitter when Paulette travels, while Paulette happily returns the favour when her sister needs someone to look after her dog.

Her brother sometimes joins Paulette on her travels too, including trips with fellow Darling Heights resident Stenna. There are more adventures planned with family and friends.

“We always have something to look forward to,” Paulette says.

Meet Chester and Kai

Of course, no account of Paulette’s home life would be complete without Chester and Kai. Chester is her 16-year-old Poodle, while Kai is a 6-year-old Shih Tzu, Maltese and Jack Russell cross with plenty of personality.

The pair still accompany Paulette on trips to the park for a walk. These days, Chester doesn’t always make it the whole way under his own steam. If he gets tired, Paulette simply pops him into the basket of her three-wheel walker.

“He’s happy to just sit there and look around,” she says.

Back at Darling Heights, Chester and Kai are very much part of Paulette’s home life. The village has its own dog park too, alongside a vegetable garden and gazebo where residents can get together in the afternoon.

There’s also a community centre with regular activities, while the village bus heads out once a month for lunch at different cafés.

But Paulette is equally content spending time at home.

“It’s up to you whether you want to go or whether you don’t want to go,” she says.

A place to come home to

Paulette still enjoys getting away. She travels with family and friends and likes having the next adventure in the diary. But she also likes knowing there’s a quiet, secure home waiting for her when she returns.

Day to day, Paulette appreciates the practical side of village life too. If something needs attention in her villa, she simply puts in a maintenance request and it’s taken care of. The village gardens are looked after, although residents can still enjoy doing some gardening themselves if they choose.

For Paulette, it adds up to a home that suits the way she likes to live – with fewer everyday jobs to worry about and more time for family, friends, travel or simply being at home with Chester and Kai.

It’s a home she never set out to find. She was only supposed to be looking for her brother, after all.

To find out more about what living looks like at Oak Tree Retirement Villages, visit oaktreegroup.com.au or call 1300 367 155.