{"id":1706,"date":"2026-07-04T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2026-07-03T01:02:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T15:02:30","slug":"a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/","title":{"rendered":"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier"},"content":{"rendered":"

The decision started as a whisper<\/strong> and grew into a plan sketched on the back of a school newsletter.
By spring, the family’s four bedrooms had been traded for a corridor<\/strong> that floats.
They wake to gulls and kettle steam, and their days now hinge on weather, locks, and the quiet space<\/strong> between towns. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

From goldfields to green waterways<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They grew up in Ballarat<\/strong>, where solid brick and long driveways mean you\u2019ve made it.
After a winter of rising bills and long commutes, the parents, Mia and Callum, looked at each other and said, \u201cWhat if our mortgage wasn\u2019t a thing<\/strong> anymore?\u201d
A month later, their deposit sat in a solicitor\u2019s account, and a 60\u2011foot narrowboat waited on a mooring<\/strong> many time zones away. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone thought we were running away<\/strong>,\u201d Mia says, laughing into a chipped enamel mug.
\u201cWe weren\u2019t running, we were moving toward something smaller<\/strong> and clearer.\u201d
Callum adds, \u201cI hadn\u2019t felt my shoulders drop that far in years<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Learning to live small, together<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The four of them stepped from 200 square meters into roughly thirty<\/strong>.
Every item that stayed had to earn its place<\/strong>.
They weighed the word \u201cessential\u201d more carefully than they ever weighed a sofa<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • A single cast\u2011iron pan<\/strong> that can do breakfast and stew <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Two baskets of books<\/strong>, traded often with towpath friends <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • A photo album and a box of kids\u2019 drawings<\/strong> <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • A collapsible desk and a stubborn little violin<\/strong> <\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    A wood stove became the glowing heart<\/strong> of the boat, and mornings formed a new routine around it.
    Condensation crept onto the windows in winter, a thin reminder<\/strong> that life afloat bites back if you ignore it.
    The composting toilet made everyone a minimalist<\/strong>, whether they were ready or not. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cWe learned to argue in whispers<\/strong>,\u201d Mia says, gesturing to the narrow corridor that doubles as a hallway and a playroom<\/strong>.
    \u201cThere\u2019s nowhere to storm off to, so you fix the thing in the time it takes to heat the kettle<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Money, freedom, and the maths<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They sold high and bought modest, swapping a sprawling roof for a long roofline<\/strong> with solar panels puckered like beetle backs<\/strong>.
    Mooring fees and maintenance don\u2019t come cheap, but they aren\u2019t the relentless drumbeat of a city mortgage<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Callum codes on a laptop that lives in a drawer<\/strong>, piggybacking off caf\u00e9 Wi\u2011Fi when clouds choke the solar<\/strong>.
    Mia picks up remote shifts for a regional publisher<\/strong>, deadlines drifting around lock times and the clunk of windlasses<\/strong>.
    They learned that freedom is not absence of cost; it\u2019s knowing every bill by its first<\/strong> name. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    School runs by towpath<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    School looks different when your classroom moves ten miles<\/strong> a week.
    The kids keep workbooks in a lidded crate<\/strong>, and every new town means a library card and questions about kingfishers<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They read fractions to the beat of an engine that sounds like a tired grandfather<\/strong>.
    Science comes as herons pause mid\u2011flight and damp rope leaves salt on their fingers<\/strong>.
    \u201cWe\u2019ve never seen them more curious<\/strong>,\u201d says Mia, \u201cor more covered in canal mud<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The rhythms of water<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Days start with mist and end with the hiss of a kettle turning water into comfort<\/strong>.
    Locks lend the hours a strange pulse, a slow\u2011motion choreography with paddles, gates, and the patience of strangers<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They met a painter who lives with a parrot that says \u201cmind the gap<\/strong>,\u201d and a retiree who bakes bread the color of late autumn<\/strong>.
    Towpaths deliver gossip the way suburbs deliver parcels<\/strong>, passed along in nods, waves, and tins of brownies<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Weather as roommate<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Summer means the roof becomes a deck<\/strong>, and dinner tastes like smoke and river air<\/strong>.
    Rain turns the boat into a tin drum<\/strong>, and everyone learns the difference between damp and wet<\/strong>.
    Wind pins them to a bank for three days, and routine tightens into something like discipline<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cOn land, I feared the forecast<\/strong>,\u201d Callum says.
    \u201cOut here, the weather is just another neighbour<\/strong> with moods you learn to read<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    What they didn\u2019t expect to miss<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They don\u2019t miss the spare room<\/strong>, but they miss throwing open the back door to a proper garden<\/strong>.
    They miss long baths, because baths eat space<\/strong> and water like a hungry god<\/strong>.
    Family visits now require calendars, train tickets, and an extra blanket<\/strong> wedged into the kid\u2019s bunk<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They learned to make celebrations sit on a tiny table<\/strong>, and to let birthdays sprawl across towpath grass<\/strong>.
    They discovered that smallness makes rituals brighter<\/strong>, each candle flame a little lighthouse<\/strong> in the cabin. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Why this still feels right<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Happiness arrived not as a boom but a slow tide<\/strong>, lifting everything by increments too small to measure day by day<\/strong>.
    \u201cPeace isn\u2019t a place; it\u2019s a change in pace<\/strong>,\u201d Mia says, wiping flour from a smiling cheek<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They left the certainty of a letterbox and gained the certainty of their own company<\/strong>.
    They swapped stairs for a gangplank and found that crossing it feels like stepping into a thinner, kinder world<\/strong>.
    What they know now is careful and simple<\/strong>: a place to tie up, a pot to stir, and four people who fit, snugly, inside the same story<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"class_list":["post-1706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"\nA family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier - The Ponds | Shopping Centre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier - The Ponds | Shopping Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Ponds | Shopping Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thepondsshoppingcentre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-04T02:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elliot Wainford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elliot Wainford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elliot Wainford\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\"},\"headline\":\"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T02:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":888,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Uncategorized\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/\",\"name\":\"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier - The Ponds | Shopping Centre\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T02:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg\",\"width\":1360,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Shop At The Ponds\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Ponds | Shopping Centre\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\",\"name\":\"Elliot Wainford\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Elliot Wainford\"},\"description\":\"Elliot Wainford is an economist specializing in consumer behavior, retail pricing dynamics, and local market ecosystems. He analyzes how small commercial hubs shape regional growth, employment, and household spending patterns. His work blends applied microeconomics with practical insights for merchants and community planners.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","og_url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/","og_site_name":"The Ponds | Shopping Centre","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thepondsshoppingcentre","article_published_time":"2026-07-04T02:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1360,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elliot Wainford","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elliot Wainford","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/"},"author":{"name":"Elliot Wainford","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755"},"headline":"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier","datePublished":"2026-07-04T02:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/"},"wordCount":888,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg","articleSection":["Uncategorized"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/","name":"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-04T02:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier-1706.jpg","width":1360,"height":768,"caption":"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-ballarat-sold-their-four-bedroom-house-to-move-onto-a-narrowboat-and-say-they-have-never-been-happier\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Shop At The Ponds","item":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A family from Ballarat sold their four bedroom house to move onto a narrowboat and say they have never been happier"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/","name":"The Ponds | Shopping Centre","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755","name":"Elliot Wainford","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","caption":"Elliot Wainford"},"description":"Elliot Wainford is an economist specializing in consumer behavior, retail pricing dynamics, and local market ecosystems. He analyzes how small commercial hubs shape regional growth, employment, and household spending patterns. His work blends applied microeconomics with practical insights for merchants and community planners.","sameAs":["https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1706"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1728,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions\/1728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}