Alice Joyce (not her real name) lives more than 4000 kilometres away but still calls North-East Tasmania home.

She craves the unpretentiousness of the people and the way they care for each other in good times and bad.

"There's a certain sense of humility. No one cares where you went to school, the car you drive, or how much you earn (probably because they already know...)," she said.

"Nevertheless, it really doesn't matter."

But even though the district remains her calling, Ms Joyce has her reasons to keep distant.

At times, she has found herself nomadic; searching for a place to settle which lies in stark contrast to the traditional clanspeople of the area who as Lyndall Ryan described in her 1996 publication, The Aboriginal Tasmanians, did not need to move away: "Of all the people in Aboriginal Tasmania, the North-East people travelled least."

Alice is from a long line of Joyces synonymous with a region that was recognised for its agricultural potential by Surveyor James Scott during 1852-1853 when he was commissioned to inspect the possibility of a road from St Patricks River to Cape Portland.

Scott found rich red soils with the land selected in 1859 the first of Scott's New Country that would later be called Scottsdale in honour of his name.

Ms Joyce's childhood was defined by North-East sand and endless days of summer exploration without worry.

Alice and her brother would make their way to the beach, sometimes in a homemade billy cart, and return home when they were done.

"I fondly remember the freedom we had as young children.," she said.

"There were days spent with minimal supervision while dad was doing his stuff, and we just played for hours with other children at the seaside.

"I particularly loved taking my Barbie catamaran and Smurf breaker tube to the beach!"

Alice still finds joy reminiscing about family members who would leave their homes at Scottsdale and travel twenty minutes down the road to camp at Bridport Caravan Park for the summer.

"It was one of those local traditions, peculiar yet accepted, in the North-East," she said.

However, Ms Joyce admitted she did have a love-hate relationship with the region.

As a teenager and young woman, she could not wait to leave yet as she matured, she could not wait to return.

It is a typical Tasmanian narrative where many young adventurers head to the mainland or Europe or the US to fly the flag and experience what the world has to offer.

Some stay away, but many choose to return with the lure of raising a family in a safe community with an enviable lifestyle just too alluring to cash in for the big city lights.

And while returning to the North-East has become somewhat more difficult due to the change in the structure of the economy, doing just that lingers as a calling.

Traditional industries like forestry, which has experienced significant decline, and the expansion of the agricultural sector with new water infrastructure has resulted in larger farm holdings and a smaller number of owners, but the fondness remains.

"The memories I have of growing up there as a child are very special and dear to me," she said.

Then the dislike of the place as a teenager after I had experienced living in the "big smoke" of Hobart and Launceston and travelling overseas.

"Then moving away and appreciating from afar knowing that it will always be a place I will return to and be connected to."

Alice would return - as an early career teacher. The grounding proved invaluable for many educators like Ms Joyce who learned the importance of community to academic, arts, and sporting success.

She benefited from the experience and wisdom of mentor teachers who made homes across the North-East and committed to schools of the district.

"The fun and enjoyment and mischief with other young teachers and memorable times with the not so young teachers are never far from my mind...," she said.

"I will never forget beating around the bush looking for the long-lost town of Garibaldi.

"And our legendary colleague's absolute joy and excitement in sharing his love of the local history with underwhelmed younger teachers.

"The supporting worksheets, originally reproduced using a Gestetner, probably still exist to this day."

Sometimes in Ms Joyce's new "big smoke" she finds herself accidentally raising a single pointer finger off the steering wheel "ridiculously thinking that someone might recognise me".

But it is family and friends who do recognise her and call her back.

And even though she may not have spoken to them for 12 months they resume their conversations like they started yesterday.

She even misses the importance of picking the precise time to visit the supermarket to avoid lengthy catch-ups when in a hurry.

"There is some type of magnetic attraction to North-East Tasmania," she said.

"It's family, it's the beaches, it's the people, it's the community, it's special, and I still call it home."