Mandy Habener is a young, vibrant professional who has only recently moved to East Gippsland after living in Melbourne for most of her life.
Through her work, Mandy was given an opportunity to relocate to East Gippsland to work at the AECOM Bairnsdale office, to further her career as a Professional Water Engineer.
The transition was relatively easy, as Mandy had a few contacts in the area through triathlons and work. On occasions, Mandy heads back down to the ‘big smoke’ to undertake project work and catch up with her Melbourne based colleagues. These visits enable her to revisit her old lifestyle but also return to East Gippsland for a calmer everyday life.
Mandy found her work environment very supportive which made the adjustment of moving from the city to the country much easier.
Mandy has a love for the outdoors and enjoys all of the activities that East Gippsland has to offer. From the beaches to the forests, she certainly makes use of the many features that the region has to offer.
The drive back to Melbourne is only 3.5 hours, which allows Mandy to return to Melbourne when necessary to visit family and friends. Her friends have also enjoyed the trips down to East Gippsland to enjoy weekends away.
One of the main benefits of working in East Gippsland for Mandy is that she is able to form close client relationships and work more directly with those clients to gain a better understanding of their systems and operations. “This office operates quite differently to others where I have worked in the past, through being here I’ve been given a number of opportunities which otherwise may have not come up. Working here has provided me with the ability to increase the depth of experience and step up and take some extra responsibility” said Mandy.
Outside of work, Mandy is a local athlete, training and competing in Triathlons. Since moving to East Gippsland she’s added Mountain Biking and Paddling to her growling list of outdoor interests. In the 4 months that Mandy has resided in East Gippsland she has discovered great food and coffee in many local cafes.
Overall, Mandy is enjoying the more relaxed lifestyle and the work that she’s been undertaking; she’s looking forward to some more summer sunshine and time in the outdoors. Mandy’s also a big fan of the reduced traffic, stating that: “I love being able to head out on a long bike ride without having to stop continuously at traffic lights.”