South Aussies go global
SALIFE meets four adventurous South Australians who have followed their dream of creating a new life in Europe. There have been highs and lows along the way, but all agree it’s a gamble that has more than paid off.
Alexandra Palombi
41, lives in Languedoc, southwest France,
wedding photographer
How did you end up in rural France?
I met my husband Nick in 2014 through friends in Adelaide. He was working as a winemaker between France and Australia. I loved the idea of living and working overseas, and so I made the decision to move to France with Nick in 2017.
Nick had bought a winery in a 1000-year-old village in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains in Languedoc in 2010. It had been in the same family for four generations and was a working winery in the heart of the village. His dream was to transform this old village terrace into a functioning winery again. Upon seeing the house for the first time (it is a 17th-18th-century terrace), I went very quiet. I was shocked at how big a project it was.
By then we had our daughters Evelyn, who was two and a half, and Charlotte, five months. I remember the night we all arrived there from Australia. The old house had been shut up for years, cobwebs everywhere, and it was the biggest thunderstorm of the season. After arriving in Paris and driving 10 hours with two small children and a boxer dog, with our entire life packed into the car, Evelyn ran inside, slipped on the wet floorboards and screamed. We were all so tired – and the real “un-rose-coloured glasses” realisation set in.
Doubt, tears and many phone calls back to Australia followed the move initially – coming to France with zero support system and two small children, into a house with no comforts and old lath walls crumbling with centuries of dust, it was hard!
How are the renovations coming along now?
They are not! Think of a place that hadn’t been touched in nearly 80 years. We’ve torn down walls, stripped ceilings and removed layers of old wallpaper. We’re not living there at the moment; we’re renting an apartment nearby as we have also needed to put our energies into our careers.
We have been busy building up the winery brand, and my career here as a photographer.
We needed money desperately, so under pressure to survive and be creative, I wanted to establish something of my own. I had always loved photography, so I used my talents to get started.
Now, after nearly five years of photographing weddings, lifestyle brands and homes in France, I am becoming known in the industry for my creativity, passion and drive. I literally pinch myself sometimes while driving into a wedding location on the coast or in the Dordogne and think, “Wow, this is my life!”
We also literally started Domaine NJC, Nick’s wine label, from scratch. We like to remind people that we didn’t buy a château or a ready-made domaine with vineyards … we’ve both worked hard to create our work and life here.
How does living and working overseas change your perspective on life?
European life suits me very well. France makes it easy for families to live, buy homes and support each other, and the cost of living is low compared to Australia. The education system in France is different but excellent. Our girls are bilingual in French and English which is a massive life skill for them.
Any plans to move back to Adelaide?
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No, not at this stage, I have a booked-out wedding season for 2025, and 2026 looks excellent. I have also been announced as the first Australian photographer internationally based on Hello May magazine, I am over the moon. So, France is where our girls are being raised, and our businesses are flourishing.
Alexander Holland
42, lives in Berlin,
digital marketing/social media expert and DJ
What first took you overseas and when?
I moved to London in 2011. I was always a creative kid who was blessed to have been raised by parents who loved great music, film, and television, most of which came from the UK or America. I owed it to myself to find out firsthand where all of these influences had come from, and London seemed like a good start.
What work have you done since you’ve been living overseas?
In the UK, I worked in hospitality while picking up the occasional music composition job. I composed music for television and advertising in Australia, and I also used to DJ around Adelaide. I moved to Berlin in 2013 and got a job selling cruise ship tours for big ships carrying American passengers to St Petersburg.
I went from a junior sales role to eventually being the operations manager. I stayed there until Covid and the invasion of Ukraine dealt a fatal blow to the Russian cruise market. I now work in digital marketing/social media as an internal content producer at the Berlin Innovation Agency, an academy for the tech industry.
I also make a podcast called Don’t Praise The Machine with my mate John Maloney who’s a Melbourne-based barrister. We went to school together and there’s a fair amount of Australia and Adelaide-specific ’90s references that pop up regularly. We just celebrated our 200th episode.
How hard has it been to create a life in Berlin?
It was way easier to make friends and build a life in Berlin than London for me. I lived in two flats in the first few months in Berlin and the people I met at those places are my closest friends to this day.
I took German lessons on and off for four years, and am fluent now, and I recently passed what’s called the “B1 Language Test and German Citizenship” and will become a German citizen, which will be quite emotional.
Tell us about your lifestyle in Berlin.
I’m pretty clean-living now. I barely drink alcohol, I like early nights and early mornings, and I love running marathons. I took up running in 2017 after a string of bad hangovers and carrying a bit of weight. I now run consistently, alone or with an amazing run club here called Division BPM (very Berlin). I’m particularly interested in Berlin history, so I often wake up early on Saturday morning and run out somewhere that I’ve just read about.
I still DJ occasionally at a few clubs around Berlin playing house and disco. I get to play early morning gigs fresh as a daisy, to an energetic dancefloor who have already been at it all night. That is quite a room to walk into when you are freshly showered and sober.
What do you miss about SA?
Obviously, family and friends. But honestly, these days, it’s more the natural gifts that Adelaide offers that I connect with. The beach, the Hills, the incredible wildlife. When I’m back, I always go walking with Mum and my aunties at Morialta Falls, and I love to stop and look up. I also miss a shared cultural communication style and a deep sense of familiarity with a place. Despite having left 14 years ago, I am intrinsically and eternally Adelaidean. I’m descended from two sets of very Catholic grandparents who had nine and 11 children respectively, who in turn had families, which means I have a combined total of 51 first cousins. You read that right! As soon as the tyres hit the tarmac at Adelaide Airport, I am immediately surrounded by “a lot of love” and I never forget how lucky I am.
Courtney Murray
26, lives in Cologne,
dancer with Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Were you always focused on becoming a dancer?
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to perform in musicals, and I worked so hard through my childhood to achieve this. From the age of three I attended the Barbara Jayne Dance Centre. I always wanted to be on stage.
I continued training in musical theatre and dance when I finished my schooling at St Ignatius’ College, earning a full scholarship to Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance in Melbourne.
After graduating, I booked some smaller roles like dancing for Tones and I at the AFL grand final, performing on The Footy Show and I was in the principal cast at Expo 2020 in Dubai, as well as teaching musical theatre and dance to younger students.
I booked my first professional musical in 2022 which was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne and the Capitol Theatre in Sydney.
What made you decide to move to Europe?
After years of performing across Malaysia, the UAE and the UK, I set my sights on a lifelong dream: to be part of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. I auditioned in both Australia and London, reaching the final rounds each time – proof that the dream was within reach.
When the opportunity arose to audition for the German production, I flew to Hamburg in August of 2023, driven by determination and hope. Out of thousands of performers from across Europe and the UK, only four ensemble roles were available – I was beyond thrilled and humbled to be chosen. I’m now performing in the electrifying German production in beautiful Köln (Cologne). Dreams do come true with persistence, passion and an open mind.
Tell us about what that role entails.
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I perform six days a week in eight shows in one of the best musicals in the world, while getting to learn an entirely new culture, language and environment.
When I auditioned for this role, I had to learn to sing the songs in German, because the show is half German, half English. I did a crash course in German and it’s going well. I know the basics after living here for six months, but it has been a very steep learning curve.
What do you love about where you live?
I feel incredibly grateful, privileged and honoured to be living this experience. Living and working in Cologne has added another layer of inspiration. The city’s central location makes it a perfect gateway to explore Europe, but what truly sets it apart is the Cologne Cathedral. Steeped in history and architectural grandeur, it stands as a striking, almost mysterious symbol of the city’s heritage.
What’s next on the cards for you career-wise?
My current contract with Moulin Rouge is 18 months, once this ends, I will be looking at more musicals that I have dreamt of doing. The Greatest Showman musical is in the works and that would be great, another would be Burlesque the musical and some more classics like Singin’ In The Rain, Crazy for You, Anything Goes and more!
What do you miss about home?
Beyond my family and friends, I miss my fiancé David Duketis. He is currently in the Australian touring production of Beauty and The Beast. We aim to see each other every four months. He proposed in Nice, France, last July and we are getting married this November in Adelaide.
There have definitely been moments where the distance from home, the challenges of living in a new country, and the pressure of this career have felt overwhelming. But I remind myself that this is a season of my life I’ll never get back – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I worked incredibly hard for. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.
Simon Bajada
48, lives in Stockholm,
food and travel writer and photographer
How did you end up in Stockholm?
I used to live in the Swiss Alps, as a ski bum in winter in my 20s. My friends and I made a lot of Nordic friends, so one summer a couple of mates and I drove up to Copenhagen and Stockholm once the ski resort closed. The beauty of the Nordic summer beckoned me to return, so after the following ski season I returned to Stockholm with a visa to work in a kitchen.
My first job as a cook overseas was in Stockholm in 2004 at the Lydmar Hotel. I met my wife in Stockholm and we moved to Australia for several years before returning to live in Sweden in 2012. I live here with my wife Linda and our sons Max and Leon.
Tell us about your work and how your career has evolved.
My work has evolved very organically. My first job out of school was peeling potatoes at Paul’s Seafood on the Norwood Parade. I learnt a lot from the old Greek man about simplicity in cooking. I then had a brief stint at Ruby’s Cafe on Rundle Street, which introduced me to Asian-fusion food.
I travelled a lot, then returned to Adelaide to study International Hotel Management in the late ’90s, but in my stage placements I realised hotels weren’t for me. I was drawn to food culture. This led me to become a cook (we got a diploma of Le Cordon Bleu in the course). I then moved to Melbourne in the early 2000s where I cooked in a restaurant called Dutton’s that had a focus on Northern Italian cuisine. I then moved overseas again to the Alps.
Was there a “big break” moment for you?
Whilst living in Melbourne I became a food stylist, cooking for advertising and cookbooks. I had always loved photography, but was a little daunted by its technical aspects. However, after years styling with Australia’s best food photographers, I overcame this and picked up the camera. I started photography in Australia but used the move to Sweden to make a fresh start in this field.
The timing was right when we moved, there was a lot of interest in Scandinavia at the time. I photographed a story for Feast magazine about Copenhagen and went on to photograph my own books, as well as Monocle’s Guide to Stockholm and many other Nordic stories.
I had an idea to compile a bunch of recipes from Nordic chefs to make a book and Hardie Grant Publishing in Melbourne liked the idea, but suggested I write the recipes instead.
That lead me to authoring The New Nordic cookbook in 2015 and my following cookbooks were Nordic Light (2016), Baltic (2019) and Malta: Mediterranean Recipes From The Islands in 2023.
Being in Europe with this career has meant I have been able to access and experience many different food cultures.
What do you love about living abroad?
I have come to understand that I like discovery. Visiting new places and cultures and being in Europe facilitates that.
What are you working on now?
I just handed in my fifth cookbook with Hardie Grant which will be out in 2026, which focuses on northern Italian food. I also have plans to travel to the Faroe Islands to photograph the food there.
What do you miss about SA?
The people, the climate and the beaches. There are so many great things about SA. I really appreciate that I have a great group of friends who I can catch up with whenever I’m home – it’s easy, I feel comfortable.
This article first appeared in the August 2025 issue of SALIFE magazine.
