Erica Benz was born into an old-established, traditional family in Basel, Switzerland, where she grew up and was educated, gaining various diplomas. She and her Swiss husband Erwin had successful early careers in the workforce, but when Erwin suggested moving to a foreign country (a tradition in his family), she jumped at the idea. Within a year, they had moved to Sydney and soon bought a townhouse in the leafy Lower North Shore.
However, business life in Erwin’s computer field was then frustratingly behind that of Europe, and after two years, Erica saw her chance to suggest another change: trying a very different life in the fascinating Outback. After a learning year on a Warrego sheep station, they bought “La Mancha,” completing the radical transformation of their lives from the Swiss penthouse to a hot and dusty weatherboard dwelling with no electricity.
