We Chose Raleigh. Then We Fought for It. Now It’s Home.
Hi, we’re Caroline (Caz for short) and Craig Makepeace — and if you want the short version: we’re two Australians who fell so completely in love with Raleigh that we spent 17 years fighting to live here permanently.
Not metaphorically. Literally fighting — visa applications, green card processes, bureaucracy, proving our worth and contribution, the works. In 2020, the U.S. Government granted us Green Cards for extraordinary ability in the field of travel media. A legit title, we promise.
And the first thing we did? Come straight back to Raleigh.
Because honestly? We’ve lived in five countries. Traveled through more than 50. We could have lived anywhere — including on the beach in Australia. We chose here.
That’s not a marketing line. That’s just the truth.
How It Started
We first arrived in Raleigh in 2004. Caroline had joined a teacher recruitment program based out of Chapel Hill — we were randomly placed here, which still feels like the universe doing us a favor. Craig had come from playing professional Rugby League back in Sydney. Within weeks, we both knew this city was something different.
There was something about the energy, the people, the pace of life — the way Raleigh felt like a big city that hadn’t lost its soul yet.
We didn’t stay that first time. Life pulled us in other directions — a full seven years of traveling the world full-time with our two daughters, Kalyra and Savannah. Fifty-plus countries. Five countries lived in. A nomadic life that was extraordinary and exhausting in equal measure.
But Raleigh kept pulling us back.
In 2019, we finally planted roots here permanently. And in 2020 — in the depths of a very strange year — we launched This Is Raleigh, because we wanted the world to know what we knew: this place is something special.
Caroline is now a proud U.S. citizen. Craig’s citizenship is on its way. After everything we did to get here, that means more than we can properly say.
What We Do
This Is Raleigh is a local lifestyle and media platform — but it’s also genuinely just us sharing a city we love with people who want to love it too.
We cover things to do, places to eat and drink, events, neighborhoods, weekend getaways, and what it’s actually like to live here. We write neighborhood guides for people considering a move. We help newcomers find their feet. We champion local businesses and the entrepreneurs building this community.
Every month, more than 110,000 people visit this site. Our email community has grown to 12,000+ subscribers — local residents, relocators, visitors, and people across the Triangle who trust us to point them somewhere good.
We’re also regulars on G105 Radio (iHeart Media) — our weekly “Whaddup Raleigh!” segment covers the weekend’s best events. And our podcast goes deeper — interviews with local leaders, entrepreneurs, and community voices. (Yes, including the former Prime Minister of Australia. And the Australian Ambassador to the U.S. We contain multitudes.)
We host monthly community meetups — because good content is great, but actual human connection is better.
The Story Behind the Credibility
Before This Is Raleigh, there was Y Travel Blog — which we co-founded in 2010 and built into one of the world’s most recognized travel platforms.
Over 15 years, it’s been featured by Lonely Planet, Forbes, Travel & Leisure, The Today Show, Fox Business News, CNN, Business Insider, and more. We’ve partnered with brands like Ford, Nissan, Canon, Airbnb, Qantas, Hilton, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Tourism Australia, and dozens of international tourism and state boards. We’ve been invited to the White House as top digital travel influencers (and then they gave us the green cards). We’ve been keynote speakers at travel conferences around the world.
We traveled for seven years full time with our two daughters (they’re now 18 and 14 and we still travel with them, but Caroline retired from homeschooling!) And we still run our travel media platform, so if you’re planning a trip to anywhere, we’ve thousands of tips, destinations guides, and ideas for you!
We mention all of this not to show off, but because it explains why what we do here works. We’ve spent 15+ years developing a trained eye for great experiences, a storytelling voice people trust, and an ability to make people feel somewhere before they even arrive.
We bring all of that here. To this city. For you.
What You’ll Find Here
Whether you’re a longtime local who wants to stay in the know, someone who just moved here and is still figuring out where to get a decent coffee, or a visitor planning a trip — this site is built for you.
You’ll find personal reviews of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and breweries. Deep-dive neighborhood guides. Event roundups. Relocation advice from people who’ve actually done it. Weekend getaway inspiration. And the occasional strong opinion about why Wrightsville Beach is worth every bit of the drive.
We’re not a faceless content machine. You’ll see us out there, actually doing the things we write about. Craig’s a licensed and insured drone pilot, which means we get angles on this city nobody else does. And if you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you’ll see we really do live this life.
Why Raleigh?
People ask us this all the time. “Of everywhere you’ve been — why Raleigh?“
Because it’s genuinely one of the best places in the world to live. We have the data from 50+ countries to back that up. Four seasons without the extremes. Two hours to the coast, four to the mountains. A food scene that punches well above its weight. A community that’s welcoming to everyone, including two Australians who just really, really wanted to stay.
The quality of life here is real. The warmth is real. The opportunity is real.
We fought 17 years for the right to call this city home.
Come see what all the fuss is about.
Our Raleigh Favorites (Because You’ll Ask)
Caroline loves: Fount Coffee in Morrisville and Press Coffee & Crepe in Downtown for proper Aussie-worthy coffee — Sixty Vines at North Hills, Rosewater Kitchen, and Figulina — RBF Authentic Champagne Bar in Cary when it’s time to celebrate — Bond Brothers for the best beer — and Lake Johnson for a walk that fixes almost everything.
Craig loves: Jubala on Hillsborough St — Big Ed’s for breakfast, any BBQ joint for lunch, Stanbury for dinner — Watts & Ward and Hibernian Pub (for former-Dublin-home connection) — Trophy and Crank Arm for beer — and North Person Street for the industrial cool-meets-neighborhood-gem vibe.
Both of us: Wrightsville Beach. Every time. It’s so much like our Australian home.
— Caroline & Craig 🇦🇺 → 🇺🇸
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