In mid-January 2017, Nicolette Quinn and her husband sat down in their South African house and agreed they were both looking for adventure and a change. By July that year, Tasmania was home.

Those who make the move to Tasmania, do so for different reasons. For the Quinns it was two words that drove their decision – simplicity and adventure. They have found both in Tasmania, Australia’s island state. Nicolette’s accounting skills and work experience allowed her to obtain a state sponsored skilled migration visa and within a few months, the couple relocated to Taroona, Tasmania.

“We only decided that we were looking for an adventure in January and here we are,” explains Nicolette. “It wasn’t really something that pushed us but rather something that pulled us.”

Nicolette brings a swag of skills with her to Tasmania. Her experience includes leading financial management and strategy, and investment analysis. As a Chartered Accountant, CFA Charterholder and with a Bachelor of Business Science (Finance Honours) from the University of Cape Town, the new local comes highly skilled.

Nicolette is passionate about new ideas, which has seen the launch of her Tasmanian based business Savvy CFO, a financial management service for small businesses, where she gets to work with Tasmanian entrepreneurs and owner-managed businesses every day.

“I don’t like to advertise myself an accountant. I far prefer the forward looking part of business,” explains Nicolette. “I help small business owners to understand what’s happening with the numbers.”

Nicolette is settling into Tasmanian life well as her husband moves between South Africa and Australia, wrapping up business offshore. The qualified yoga teacher and trail runner is finding a welcome balance between setting up her new business and enjoying the adventure and simplicity sought here.

“We’ve recently been exploring Mount Field [National Park], which was absolutely beautiful,” says Nicolette, “and everyone has been so welcoming. My neighbours arrive with herbs from the garden to cook with and bottles of wine. The community seems very intact here and the locals have made us feel instantly at home.”

Are you interested in making the move? Make It Tasmania.

Find out more about Savvy CFO

For information on starting a business in Tasmania look through our stories or visit Business Tasmania

For information about skilled migration to Tasmania visit Migration Tasmania