When Sarah Ryan moved back to Quandialla, in Central West New South Wales, she knew she didn't want to spend her days out with the sheep on the farm.
Sarah grew up in the small community and — like many others — had moved away to the city.
"I ended up back home and married a man from down the road," she said.
"I didn't want to work on the land, I wasn't interested in the farm stuff when I was growing up.
"I was the kid who was inside making things, the creative kid who was inside painting and drawing and sewing."
Making candles
While raising a family on the 1,200-hectare property, Sarah had the idea of making her own candles.
"I went to a market here in Quandialla in 2011 and was looking at candles and thought it didn't look too hard," she said.
While her husband worked on the farm, Sarah started the journey into candle making.
"I had to teach myself how to make candles and there was a bit of trial and error.
"I didn't want to do the traditional glass jar for the candles, I wanted it to be a bit different by putting candles into tins with old-fashioned labels and fragrances added.
"It was initially going to be a hobby for friends, but people liked it and it took off."
Sarah admits she didn't have a business bone in her body but found women across the region who could offer advice on how to run a business from farms and isolated rural communities.
"I realised I could order materials online and get everything delivered to the local post office.
"As the business grew I had to move it out of the house and into a cottage on the farm."
Today her products are sold both online and by retailers across Australia.
Remote challenges
Running a business from a rural property has posed challenges.
Quandialla, nestled between Young and West Wyalong, was once a thriving town, like many rural communities.
When Sarah was growing up, there were more than 200 students attending the local school.
This year there were 19.
"Quandi is a lot quieter now, but it's still a great community with a bowling club, a pub and a post office," Sarah said.
She's a regular at the town's post office, making several trips a week to receive stock and send out thousands of candles each year to customers around the country.
"There are challenges to running a business from a farm — post is very expensive and it can push up the postage price.
"I have heavy boxes which often need posting and sometimes people can be put off by the delivery costs, but it is what it is out here.
"While we are lucky with internet here, we do get dropouts and there are certain parts of the cottage where we get a stronger signal."
'It's definitely doable'
Sarah hopes her experience of running a successful candle-making business from a farm might inspire others.
She says while it can be isolating working on the farm all day, it can be rewarding.
"If you're a creative person living in the bush, there are so many opportunities to live that way.
"Some people think if you aren't in the agricultural sector you won't be able to do what you do in the bush, but you can.
"It's definitely doable, I've been able to do my art living on a farm and there are lots of creative people you meet in country towns."