Weatherman Graham Creed went bush - here's his story

Then back in 2022 he gave us the news that he was going bush to become a full-time farmer.

In Weatherman Goes Bush, Creed reveals the unexpected joys and challenges of a rural tree change. He found the switch from reporting on the weather from a studio to being out in the elements every day an eye-opening experience.

Despite utilising his deep knowledge of the weather and climate to inform his farming choices - he joined the Bureau of Meteorology as a weather observer in 1986 - the realities of flash flooding, bushfires and drought presented unexpected challenges.

At his property Eagles Reach, he grows garlic, dabbles in floristry, and has become known to locals as the "honey man".

The search for his tree change property began in 2014. At first the Hunter Valley was in his sights... then one day Creed's partner Bridgit found an advertisement for a property outside Stroud, in the foothills of the Barrington Tops National Park. It was love at first sight.

And so the great tree change began - and with it came triumphs and challenges.

Mastering the use of a tractor... the controlled burn gone wrong... varroa mite... market stalls... raging floodwaters... and lots of fresh air.

Creed admits he entered the first year on the farm naively. "One trap we quickly fell into that we had said we would not allow to occur was working seven days a week on the farm."

He loves his new community where "everyone is happy to help and is usually up for a good chat".

But some things never change.

"My habit of checking the weather is still something I do every morning," Creed writes.

"Farmers always talk about the weather, and why not? It is a good introductory conversation, but it is also the lifeblood of their endeavours."

Indeed. Enter the weatherman.

Weatherman Goes Bush by Graham Creed (Allen & Unwin) RRP $34.99.