"We have been coming to Walcha for the last three years to go camping and bushwalking and love the area," said new proprietor Trish Carraro.

"For us, this has been a lifestyle move, not a business move, and if we can make an adequate income and put a little in the bank, we will be happy."

Ms Carraro and her partner Bill Duncan bought the business from Quinton and Karina Titmus who moved to Walcha in 2012 to take it over from Colin and Helene Jenkins.

The new owners are both from Newcastle, and while they have been dating for three years, as well as being the first time either of them has run a newsagency, it is the first time they have lived together.

"We had been thinking about selling our homes and moving in together for a while when I saw an ad for this business in Walcha, so I emailed Bill and told him it was what I wanted for Christmas," Ms Carraro laughed.

"Then when the Moonbi fires closed the local roads Bill was stuck in Uralla and he saw the business was still for sale. So we decided to buy it.

"I have seriously taken more time to decide to buy a pair of shoes.

"We are in it for the long haul as we love the town and it is where we both want to be."

Mr and Mrs Titmus said they wished the new owners all the best and wanted to thank the community for its overwhelming support during the last eight years.