Mass Shire Exodus to Bali: Child-Free Flee the Children, Parents Flee the Peak Prices

Chris T Tide | Foreign Correspondent | Sutherland Shire Gazette

19 September 2025

Airports across Sydney are clogged with one unmistakable demographic this week: Shire residents executing the most synchronised migration since the annual whale run. The final week of Term has seen a full-blown exodus to Bali, with locals splitting neatly into two warring tribes.

On one side: the child-free couples, fleeing the Shire in a desperate bid to dodge school holiday chaos, loudly insisting they “just need some peace by the infinity pool without being splashed.” On the other: families who’ve wangled principal-approved leave for their children, skipping the official break to dodge October’s peak airfare robbery. “It’s not wagging if the school says yes,” one mum explained, while dragging three Jetstar carry-ons stuffed with Panadol and Paddle Pops.

Bali itself has reportedly buckled under the influx. Seminyak bars sound like Northies on a Friday night, while Ubud yoga retreats now run on Cronulla time. One Miranda woman took things further, spending her “relaxing week” bulk-purchasing teak furniture and resin Buddhas. She’s currently shipping home an entire container to “decorate the duplex” or, failing that, flog off at summer markets under the brand ‘Shire Chic Bali’.

Economists are calling it “the most predictable surge in Shire GDP since scented candles.” Meanwhile, locals left behind are bracing for Instagram feeds clogged with cocktails, sunset photos, and declarations of spiritual awakening that suspiciously align with happy hour.

As one traveller texted from Kuta: “We came here to escape the chaos of the Shire… only to discover the entire Shire came with us.”