In an age where many young Croats in Croatia are chasing opportunities abroad, one Croatian family from Geelong has turned the trend on its head – swapping Australia’s structured lifestyle for a slower, more fulfilling life on the Dalmatian coast.
Second-generation Australian Croats, Mirko (better known as Mick) and Anita Kuček, this week were featured in the online portal Promise.hr for their bold move back to Croatia with their three young children.
After selling their home and belongings in Geelong, they resettled on the island of Čiovo in late 2024 and haven’t looked back since, wrote Promise.hr reporter Damir Kramarić.
“When we told people we were moving to Croatia, they said we were crazy,” Mick told Promise.hr. “But I told them, ‘We’re not the crazy ones – you are, for thinking life in Australia is better than here.’”
For the Kučeks, the move wasn’t about escaping Australia, concluded Kramarić, it was about finding something more meaningful.
After initially living for a few months in Mirko’s parents’ hometown of Križevci in the country’s north, the young family made the move down south to Dalmatia.
They now run a thriving health food business on Čiovo’s waterfront in Trogir. Their stall, Bobičasto Açai Trogir, serves açai bowls – nutritious, berry-based meals popular in Brazil and Australia – bringing a taste of their former life to their new home.
The Perfect Opportunity
“We saw no one was selling açai here,” Mirko said in the article. “It was the perfect opportunity. Now both locals and tourists are coming to us on a daily basis.”
The couple’s three children – Kristian (12), Maja (11), and Mila (3) – have all adjusted quickly, rather quickly.
Kristian, an aspiring young footballer who played for the Croatian community backed North Geelong Warriors back in Australia, now plays for NK Slaven Trogir.
He recently completed a camp at legendary ‘Vatreni’ Ivan Rakitić’s newly launched Football Academy in Split.
Young Kristian’s dream is, according to the Promise.hr article, is to one day wear the famous Croatian national jersey.
Understandably, language was initially a hurdle at first, especially for the children, who were raised in an English-speaking environment.
However, with the help of online Croatian lessons from a tutor in Zadar, they’ve made fast progress. They will return to school in the historic core of Trogir this coming autumn.
The Kučeks are passionate about encouraging other Croatian diaspora families to return.
Mirko has shared many videos of Croatian coastal life on his Kucekscroatianjourney page on Instagram, where he’s quickly gained over 3,000 followers – mostly Croatians from Australia and the wider diaspora. His videos showcase everyday moments – coffee with neighbours, sunsets over the Adriatic, local markets etc and paint a different picture of life in Croatia.
Not perfect, but it’s real
“We’re trying to show people that you can live well here,” said his wife Anita. “It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s real. It’s community. It’s culture. It’s home.”
They have also credited the Croatian government for helping make their transition smoother. With assistance from the Central State Office for Croats Abroad and local officials, they were able to obtain all their necessary documents within a month of arrival and open their business shortly afterwards
Now, the Kučeks are planning on expanding their Croatian business empire.
They hope to open Bobičasto Açai locations all over the country, including Split, Zadar, and Zagreb over the next two years.
Their story reflects a quiet but growing movement – one where returning home is not a step backward, but a step towards wholeness.
As Mirko puts it: “Our parents left Croatia for a better life. We’ve come back for the same reason – only now, that better life is here.”
