So four years ago he bought a small farm in the tiny township of Marshdale, near Dungog, with his wife Dominique and quit his masters in philosophy.

With a Bachelor of Philosophy behind him he was sure small-scale farming was his destiny.

And he was right. Although his farm isn’t what you’d expect. It’s dominated by flowers.

Mr Christie, 30, has half an acre of traditional crops set among beds of annual and perennial plants.  

In the next eight weeks he will sell more than 1500 bouquets through a flower subscription he started with his wife and another friend in spring last year. 

Customers collect their bouquets from a pick-up point in Dungog or Newcastle each week after they subscribe. 

Mr Christie cannot believe the rising demand for fresh flowers and said the venture was helping to pay the bills while he established another small-scale venture that is close to his heart – fruit and vegetable crops.

“People really like having flowers each week and they like that we are growing them ourselves,” Mr Christie said.

“We pick them the day we deliver them, or the day before, so they are very fresh when they get them.”

His wife’s knowledge of floristry has helped the pair achieve their dream. 

Mr Christie grew up in Newcastle but said life in the city never suited him and he always dreamed of working on the land.

He wanted to create a farm that respected the land and the environment so they don’t use any machinery, except a rotary hoe, and they tend to all of the crops by hand like farmers did in days gone by.

“I never think about going back, it’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it,” he said. 

“I wanted to do it in a way we could try to be sustainable and in a way that was healthy for the environment. 

“Farming this way is one of the ways we can positively interact with our environment. There’s so many opportunities for that in small-scale agriculture.”