With housing pressures and living costs on the rise, many city dwellers are considering a move to regional Australia.

One woman now living in the New South Wales Hunter Valley has made the tree change, fulfilling her dream of operating a sanctuary for abused farm animals.

Spurred on by lifelong passion for animals

Debbie Pearce had always had a passion for animals and their welfare, but living in Sydney limited her opportunities to help.

"I was in the corporate world, but my lifelong ambition was to open a sanctuary for rescued farm animals," she said.

Ms Pearce said she had to learn how to care for the different animals when starting the sanctuary. ( ABC Newcastle: Robert Virtue )

Three years ago, Ms Pearce and her partner Jamie Bedford decided to make a change to their lifestyle.

They packed up their Sydney life and moved to the Hunter Valley to open a non-profit sanctuary for farm animals.

"We focus on rehabilitation here, and the animals have a forever home at the sanctuary," Ms Pearce said.

"I've always been involved in animal rescue through my life, but not to this degree.

"But now we're fully immersed in it, and it's just a wonderful thing to do — to really follow your passion.

"Life is short, so you just have to follow your dream."

Developing animal sanctuary a 'steep learning curve'

The sanctuary is for farm animals who have been neglected or abused. ( ABC Newcastle: Robert Virtue )

The property the couple bought is nestled in a quiet valley.

Tall trees cloaked in leaves of fiery autumn colours are dotted around the farm, while pigs, cows, ducks, goats, sheep and horses roam the paddocks.

"When we bought the property it needed quite a lot of care and maintenance," Ms Pearce said.

"In the first year, we just focussed on the infrastructure, so we replaced a lot of the fencing, we've built lots of shelters, we've done a lot of pasture management - so really brought the paddocks up to scratch.

"It was a year of, one, a very steep learning curve because we don't know anything about farming at all, and to just focus on all the infrastructure build first before we started really rescuing the animals.

"We took it slowly basically. We went species by species and just learned, spoke to our vet, who's been an enormous support for us.

"We learned what the animal needs to eat, what are the ailments it can suffer from, what can we actually treat, and when to call the vet."

Animals giving humans a 'profound experience'

Ms Pearce said all the animals on the property had a story — and often one which tugged at the heartstrings.

Edna the pig is aged 12 and is nicknamed the 'nana' of the farm. ( ABC Newcastle: Robert Virtue )

"We work with the RSPCA [and] animal protection agencies," she said.

"We also are alerted to an animal's plight by individuals that see an animal neglected in a paddock.

"One standout is obviously Edna, our nana pig. She's an elderly lady [and] probably about 12 or 13 now.

"She was rescued from a backyard in a Sydney suburb. She was kept in a 3m x 3m pen, knee-deep in mud and squalor.

"She lived there all her life, and then the owners upped and left her and abandoned her, basically."

Learning animals are more than food on a plate

Ms Pearce opened the sanctuary to visitors, so they could learn about agriculture and the care of animals.

"We allow people to come up, meet the animals, hear their stories, and really connect with these animals most only think about as food on their plates," she said.

"For most people, it's a profound experience to come to a sanctuary such as this.

"Most people don't have the opportunity to come face-to-face with a sheep, or a cow, or a pig — they're hidden away on farms or factory farms.

"To actually look into the eyes of a pig and just to see that they're a sensitive, living beings. It is a profound experience for many.

"While we can rescue a finite number of farmed animals, the biggest impact we're going to have on the world for animals is through education and building awareness amongst the general public.

"I feel so fulfilled here, and I'm so glad that we took the big step. It was a big, unknown step."