Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone can share their own experiences of moving to rural/acreage properties.

Whilst we would need to be within commute of work there are a few areas nearby offering nice houses on large land parcels (4,000 and up) which seem very affordable.

We value quiet and privacy but I guess I'm concerned about isolation and crime so something near a small village is what I'm wondering about. Somewhere to let dogs run free would be great too.

Keen to hear of anyone who's done it.

Cheers!

It's fine. In AU, many acreages are along highways or roads with less sense of community (but in a postcode naturally). A genuine village feel will be located around a genuine hub which will need to be sought and if it's commutable to city now very expensive as a result. Some acreage locations might be cheaper because a long way from city or slightly marginalised.

Thoroughly investigate the costs of electricity and water beforehand. The electricity company will connect you to the grid, but you have to pay for the poles, which can run $10,000 each. I would advise you to explore off-the-grid options.

For water, rainwater tanks are easy enough but you need to calculate what your usage is.

We lived on semi ( 6500m ). great to have the room and not worry about neighbours etc but lots of mowing to do in the summer, dead trees, weeds to deal with etc that can take up a lot of time at the weekends.

Also with our size, the neighbours were close enough for sound to carry. Parties can be common as everyone has them at their acerage mates.

We are renovating our house in Brissy with a view to selling it and moving down to Stanthorpe where we will be able to buy acreage, build our home and get shot of the mortgage. The land we're looking at has no power and is way too far to get mains electricity. Solar, wind turbines and batteries will come in at $35k less all the savings I can make by sourcing and building the system myself. Septic or water treatment likely about $15k. Another $15k for rainwater tanks. Then the build.

Can't answer any of your questions yet as we're at the start of our journey but you're welcome to stay in touch. We will be blogging our progress.

Good luck!

We're semi-rural, on a borderline acreage block, 1km from the centre of a largeish village that has all the usual facilities

Not all rural blocks are created equal - you get what you pay for. If the land is super cheap then it might not be very nice or in a good location or not have a view etc. Really nice rural land can cost nearly as much as really nice inner city suburbs

Electricity hook ups can cost a lot if far away from a source but modern solar, storage, wind, generator solutions are doing away with the need for utility electricity

Water can be got from bores and rainwater storage

Modern septic system are very good so sewerage is not a problem

Internet can be an issue but the NBN is helping to address this and for really remote, there are now the Skymuster Satellites

Mobile phone coverage should not be a problem, especially if using Telstra

We love where we live. It's so quiet and peaceful, the trees and with all the wildlife, like living in a zoo at times. The Kookaburras going off at 4am in the middle of summer can take some getting used to but now not an issue. The night sky can be incredible - we can often see the Milky Way

You need to be aware of the risk from bushfires. This is a real issue in rural Australia and not to be taken lightly. If one of those gets going it can literally destroy everything

If you live near a river or body of water, flooding can be an issue at times. Again need to be aware when looking at suitable properties

Have fun

Thanks, need to clarify - when I say affordable I mean compared to where we live. We'd be looking to spend well into 7 figures.

Done it , never again it's like a chain around your neck

The DH wanted to do this some time back - 40 acres at the Ar$e end of nowhere, build our own home and be self sufficient- just like the son who was a mile down a track off a dirt road 45 minutes from a hamlet with one convenience store and a petrol pump. I put my foot down - at our age you move towards services not away from them and my two non negotiables were an inside flush loo and broadband. Needless to say we didn't move, thank heavens and the son got totally burned out in a bushfire 8 months after the house he built (by himself) was finished and they had moved in. Canberra recently lost quite a few expensive acreage properties on its outskirts in a fast moving grassfire - having also lived through the Canberra fires and worked on Recovery in the Gippsland fires nothing would induce me to live in an area which could be at risk of fire.

not all acreage or rural is at extreme fire risk. Some areas are literally far more fire-prone than others based on topography and fuel load. You could be in the midst of cleared paddocks and be relatively safe. 7 figures is enough to be reasonably selective too.

I think that is what the 7 figure property owners just outside of Canberra thought earlier this year It probably never even crossed their minds and when I flew over the place a few weeks later you would have been hard pressed to see how it could have happened but it did. I'm still paranoid!

You should have written:
Done it , never again it was like a chain around my neck

It's no problem for me where I am and I'd rather live here than in legoland

Each to their own

yes you are. You could be hit by a bus tomorrow. Be paranoid about that.

It's the ostrich at the intersection! I've always been wary of buses!

We're thinking about buying a property in WAs southwest in a few years. I'm thinking maybe 3-5 acres around Harvey, where I can grow fruit and the boy can have a nice big shed for his cars. Harvey area is close enough to the facilities we would need in our 60s - hospitals, etc within an easy drive. For now, though Legoland it is for us. It's where the jobs are and until I've got enough cash to buy outright we'll be staying put.