Our story

Four people. A fresh start.

We ran a restaurant for seven years, grew our own vegetables for two years, and then decided: we are starting over. In Australia.

Our family
The short version

Why Australia?

We have lived in Byron Bay before. That is where Christian did his chef training, that is where what "right" feels like became something we could put a finger on. After seven years of restaurant in Essen, a torn-down vegetable field and the question "If not now, when?", we booked the flights.

Flights are booked. We go on 23 June 2026. Christian flies alone first, the family follows in July. No safety net, three to four months of buffer. That is exactly as it sounds.

How it came to this

Two moments without which none of this would be happening

We met around ten years ago, a few months before Christian left for his chef training in Australia. Lucy decided on the spot to come along, and the one planned semester turned into two. Without that one spontaneous decision there would be no relationship, no kids, and nothing of what you are reading right now.

The actual decision to emigrate landed in early September 2025. The second self-sufficiency field had to be torn down, and in the background the question of whether the restaurant should continue had been running for a while. Both lines came together on the same day. Not one after the other, at the same time. Close the restaurant, go back to Australia, with the kids this time.

The full story: From the vegetable garden to Australia →

The family

Who is behind Wildgewachsen?

Christian
Chef · Restaurant owner · Filmmaker
Trained chef, seven years running his own restaurant (die farm, Essen, Germany). Did his chef training in Australia. Surfer when the waves are right. Stands in front of the camera and talks about how it is, not how it should be.
Lucy
Interior architect · Master's student · Co-host
Studying interior architecture and spatial design (Master's). Graduation July 2026. Has Byron Bay architecture projects on her radar. Active in front of the camera, keeps everything running while Christian plans.
Joris
6 years old
Will start school in Australia. Picking up English playfully and finding the whole idea brilliant. Asks the hard questions adults do not dare to. Has become noticeably more clingy lately, but is excited for the adventure.
Linnea
2 years old
Still too young to understand what is happening, but big enough to spread good mood everywhere. Actively included even if she does not notice yet.
The channel

Why we are documenting this

We document this for ourselves, our family, and because we believe that other people are going through the same thing right now. The same questions, the same fears, the same spreadsheets at three in the morning. If our experience helps anyone make a better decision, then it has been worth it.

Chef training completed in Australia 7 years of restaurant ownership PTE test passed Skill Assessment passed Migration agent retained Tourist visa in preparation 186 visa: sponsor search ongoing Flights booked

A note on the path: We're entering on a tourist visa (eVisitor 651) and looking for a 186 sponsor only after we arrive. If no sponsor is in place within three months, we fly back. It's a deliberate bet, not a recommendation. Why we're taking this path anyway.

Topic anchors

What we document here

Costs

Cost of moving to Australia 2026

What a family of four actually needs. Flights, visa, insurance, the first months on the ground. With real numbers, not estimates from the internet.

With kids

Moving to Australia with kids

Preparation, language, school, goodbye. What worked for us and what we underestimated.

Our journey

From the vegetable garden to Australia

How we went from running a restaurant, through two torn-down self-sufficiency fields, to emigrating. The full story.