Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Feb 21, 2009 9:37 pm Instead of hijacking pinkfairymagic's thread
https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=14121 I thought I'd start a new one about the location that we country dwellers reside in. Lets tell each other about the country towns or cities we live in, why we live there, and why we like it, or why maybe we don't. Were we born there and never left, did we move there for a treechange, did we chase employment, did we grow to like it after moving there in our formative years, did we run away from elsewhere, or what? What are the advantages of living in your area? What are the disadvantages? This is not a rivalry thing so let's keep it that way. We live in Morwell, population about 17000, located 150 km east of Melbourne. We live in a new estate on the edge of the town, 10km to the east is Traralgon (pop 25000), 10 km to the south is Churchill (5000) and 20 km to the west is Moe/Newborough (18000). It is an industrial area, mainly power stations. As a regional area we try to compete with the Bendigos and Ballarats of the world and fail miserably due to the inter-town rivalry which is both fierce and stupid. However we have most of the big-city facilities available to us and there's no reason to go to the Big Smoke to shop. Land is about $120000 for 900m2, maybe a bit more or less depending on town or location. It takes about 2 hours to drive to the middle of Melbourne, freeway most of the way, about the same time or less by train of which there are 18 per day each way (many commuters make the journey every day), we are only 1 hour from the snow, 1 hour from the beach, and 1.5 hours from the Gippsland Lakes. So the location is great and we are well connected in a transport sense, although several years ago we lost our Rex Airlines service to Albury/Canberra /Sydney. Unfortunately the weather is slightly cooler and more cloudy and windy than Melbournes. DW and I are both born and bred around here, when I left school decades ago there were jobs galore, but it's a bit different now. The towns around here are considered by outsiders as holes, especially Moe whose reputation has forever been tarnished by the Jayden Leskie case. The outsiders are probably right! Despite that I am defensive and proud of the area, stable employment has been the key, and I can't see us leaving any time soon. It's what you make of it. Re: Regional and Rural 2Feb 22, 2009 2:05 am Hey,
Unfortunately, I do not live in a rural area due to my choice of career; however, the area I have chosen to build in is basically a mix of country/suburban, so atleast I have what I'd like to consider the perfect balance. I haven't moved in yet, but I love the fact that being in a semi-rural area you have a sense of community. The fact that there's a local pub on just about every corner, and that just about everyone is down to earth. In terms of public transport, everything is pretty much sorted; however, my career choice again pretty much rules out the use of public transport. I'm a country boy at heart, and have been living in a suburban area all my life, but I absolutely hate it and cannot wait for my house to be built so I can live in the area that suits me perfectly. As OP stated, the weather is slightly cooler and greater winds, but I love it. I visit the area I'm building in every weekend, not to see the build progress (land hasn't even been released yet!) but to just get away from where I currently live. In terms of land pricing, it's pretty cheap considering we're only about 60KMs away from Melbourne CBD, my 609m^2 block was $128,000. Once the Monash is finished, it should only be a 50min travel from my house to work. I'm currently 40km's away from work, but the time travelled will be very similar, an extra 8mins or so I calculated it to be. It's all fun and games, but hopefully, it ends up actually being fun and games Cheers, bigred. Re: Regional and Rural 3Feb 22, 2009 8:52 am hi,
We're building at Regency Downs, 1hr west of Brisbane. Love the area, its just so quiet and peaceful. Can't wait for our house to be completed around Sept/Oct. Hasn't even started yet, plans still getting approved. I'm from a small country town 3hrs west of Brisbane called Chinchilla and never expected to move west again but i just can't wait to have more space. And a yard to be outdoors again. Building the Brampton 195 with Coral Homes Re: Regional and Rural 4Feb 22, 2009 10:28 am We are building in a new suburb, Forde, in the north of Canberra. We were drawn to Canberra as my wife grew up in Young (small country town) and craved living in a big city whilst I grew up in Sydney and have looooong wanted to live somewhere smaller. Hence Canberra is a good compromise for us both.
We also wanted somewhere that was good for raising children as we have a 2 year old son and 4 year old daughter and Canberra certainly provides that - lots of facilities for the kids; sporting, educational and arts. It is also very multicultural which is another plus. Our block of land is only 286m2 yet cost $163k (we would have loved a bigger block but had a relatively small budget). The land prices here have been artificially inflated by govt policy which (until recently) has seen only small parcels released despite large growth in population - rental here is insane! Despite the size of our block we have plenty of space around us including playareas for the kids, an off-leash dog park and a huge bushpark next door so we are well served in that respect. One of the reasons we chose Forde is that the developers, Delfin, seem to really focus on creating a community spirit (something sadly lacking in many areas of Sydney these days) which we believe to be a vital ingredient in raising kids. We hope they deliver! 'We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.' - Winston Churchill Re: Regional and Rural 5Feb 22, 2009 11:04 am I grew up on a dairy farm in Milawa, Victoria.. Population of about 500.
We lived on 250 acres and it was both fun and very boring at times.. our cousins always loved visiting from the city (Melbourne) and we always loved visiting them down there. We sold the farm when I was 13 and moved to the big smoke (Wangaratta, population of 15,000). When I was 18 I moved to Melbourne (Chirnside Park). Could never move back to the country again. I enjoy the city facilities too much (especially going to watch my roo boys play at the dome or G). Currently building in Laurimar which is like a country town but only 30km from CBD. Re: Regional and Rural 6Feb 22, 2009 4:37 pm What an interesting topic, Eager
We live in Whyalla, population 23,000, part of the "iron triangle" of industrial towns Whyalla, Port Pirie, Port Augusta on the Eyre peninsula, SA, about 350 km or 4 hours drive from Adelaide. The steel industry (OneSteel, formerly run by BHP) is the main employer. I have been here for 25 years - OMG quarter of a century!! - moved here from Adelaide when I was 20, had a job at the hospital, was only going to stay for a year or 2 ... you can probably guess the rest...boy meets girl, falls in love, marries, has baby - been here ever since Huge building boom here on the back of the mining boom, market slowed down considerably now though - like everywhere I think with this global crisis. Re: Regional and Rural 8Feb 22, 2009 8:33 pm Maya_Papaya I'm looking forward to living in the middle of nowhere that but only 30 minutes to somewhere This seems to be common, living in the country but importantly still well connected to a big city. Isn't it amazing though that those who think a regional city is a busy place, look for a 5 acre block 10 minutes out of town? I'm looking forward to reading the posts of treechangers that were attracted by cheap land, if they regretted the move to the country or not. Re: Regional and Rural 9Feb 22, 2009 9:09 pm Great topic Eager
I was born in and have lived in Wodonga all my life. I absolutely love it here. Wodonga has a pop of about 35,000 ( l remember when l was a kid at how excited it was when we hit 10,000, lol). DH came from Scotland and after his family living in Sydney and various parts of Gippsland they eventually settled here (thank god! ) I love how it's not so small that everyone knows everyone's business and yet not so big so that community spirit is virtually non existent. It was a great place to grow up as a kid.....the Hume Weir and the Murray River close by, the ski-fields under 2 hours away, camping, fishing, horse riding, motorbike riding all could be done within a 5 minute drive. The things l didn't like were not having a McDonalds and all the other types of entertainment that is so abundantly available for teenagers in the city....oh! and of course, not being able to see many well known bands!! That was a huge one. The shopping has improved greatly as Albury-Wodonga has grown, though nowhere near the calibre of city shopping...which is the one thing l really dislike still about living here...If we had Melbourne shopping, this place would be almost perfect! lol Fortunately though, Melbourne is 2.5hrs drive away and we regularly do day trips/weekends away to Melbourne to watch AFL games, concerts and shopping for me of course Sydney is about a 5.5-6hr drive and it sucks...badly, l hate it and avoid driving to Sydney at all costs (all my Mums relo's are there). If l have to go to Sydney it's by plane, only 1hr or so to get there so it is quite handy. The other things l love about living here is the crisp fresh air, seeing a beautiful array fo stars every night, the quietness in general, all we here are crickets, lol. And no traffic hassles, for many years work was just a 5 min drive away.... But most importantly it's the people....l think country folk are far more laid back, less stressed and more friendly and courteous. Overall, it is a fantastic place to raise a family and although my kids may decide to move to the city when they are older (as many young adults do here), Wodonga will always be my home. Re: Regional and Rural 10Feb 22, 2009 9:13 pm Oh the stars are fabulous aren't they!
I moved to Perth from a farm when i was 7 1/2 and had always wanted to return to live out of the city somewhere. If my health was better I'd love to be on at least 10 acres but it's not a consideration. Dh has always lived in cities/suburbia but shared my dream that one day we might move out of the city. He wasn't too sure about moving completely out of a town though. That was a bit too daunting for him to contemplate. We are only 25 mins or so from a large regional centre that has pretty much anything you've find in a decent suburban area. .............................................................................................. Well while we are tree changers our block certainly wasn't cheap. We missed that boat by about 2-3 years. No regrets yet, although we've only been here 13 months. We know that eventually our kids will leave and that it is probable they will have to move back to Perth for study but we won't be going back. Perhaps I should say no regrets about not living in the city anymore although I do get" the guilts" from time to time when I think of my Mum living there and caring for her MUM. ( I've no siblings) but that wasn't an expected event when we moved here 13 months ago. Mum has fabulous friends and luckily they are very supportive. Her twin visits most days and her other siblings from time to time so she isn't totally alone but I do feel bad that it has worked out this way. No enough to move back though! Blog http://wherethehearthis.blogspot.com/ Build https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=6634: Yard https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27687&p=378401#p378401 Re: Regional and Rural 11Feb 22, 2009 9:14 pm Quote: I love how it's not so small that everyone knows everyone's business and yet not so big so that community spirit is virtually non existent. Yes I have often thought that about liveing in a regional town, best of both worlds, also only 10 minutes to anywhere and in our case far enough from the city to have its own infrastructures- banking, shopping, branches of motor reg, centrelink etc. Re: Regional and Rural 12Feb 22, 2009 9:46 pm kexkez Oh the stars are fabulous aren't they! I moved to Perth from a farm when i was 7 1/2 and had always wanted to return to live out of the city somewhere. If my health was better I'd love to be on at least 10 acres but it's not a consideration. Dh has always lived in cities/suburbia but shared my dream that one day we might move out of the city. He wasn't too sure about moving completely out of a town though. That was a bit too daunting for him to contemplate. We are only 25 mins or so from a large regional centre that has pretty much anything you've find in a decent suburban area. .............................................................................................. Well while we are tree changers our block certainly wasn't cheap. We missed that boat by about 2-3 years. No regrets yet, although we've only been here 13 months. We know that eventually our kids will leave and that it is probable they will have to move back to Perth for study but we won't be going back. Perhaps I should say no regrets about not living in the city anymore although I do get" the guilts" from time to time when I think of my Mum living there and caring for her MUM. ( I've no siblings) but that wasn't an expected event when we moved here 13 months ago. Mum has fabulous friends and luckily they are very supportive. Her twin visits most days and her other siblings from time to time so she isn't totally alone but I do feel bad that it has worked out this way. No enough to move back though! Yup, l love the stars....most nights it seems that the Milky Way is right above our roof and only 50m away....it takes my breathe away every time. LOL, although l am in the country l cannot do the farm thing lol....that is just waaayyyy to country for me, lol....It is good that you are fairly close to a regional city....we have friends that live on a farm 25-30mins away from town. They love it, though they have to be super organised....there's no "honey, just ducking up to the shop to get an ice-cream, you want one" for them lol. Why is was your land so dear?.....Yackandandah (15mins drive away) is a bit like that....the prices of houses and land out there is obscene...l really don't get why. Cashing in on the treechange thing perhaps? Hmm, l can understand the guilt thing, being away from family....not me personally l am fortunate that Mum decided to stay here when her parents and siblings (8 of them) moved to Sydney. She did live in Sydney for awhile, but came back after a few years. And when Oma got sickand very fragile in her old age, l know Mum felt very guilty not being able to be there for her. My eldest brother moved to Sydney 10 years ago and has become a real city person (and not in a good way)....he keeps trying to get Mum to move back up there (only so they have a babysitter on tap ).Thankfully, Mum is stubborn and ain't going nowhere (not even "if they build me a mansion" she said).. Re: Regional and Rural 13Feb 22, 2009 10:21 pm this thread makes me want to move to the country "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." — Elizabeth Gilbert Living in our new house. Currently scaping the land. Re: Regional and Rural 14Feb 22, 2009 11:16 pm Land is dear because land and housing prices really boomed in much of WA a couple of years ago. This is close enough for people working in the closest large regional centre to commute.( regional centre is on the coast)
Some people here do the FIFO thing for up north, there's a worsley mine not that far away. Some workers live here for it. It's close enough to perth ( only 2 1/2-3 hours ) and mid way to some of the loveliest sw beach, surf, winery holiday spots. BUT 3 years ago we could have bought the same amount of land for about 1/4the price. Of course it wasn't available but 1/2 acres were. Re: Regional and Rural 15Feb 28, 2009 8:35 am I grew up and was born in sydney around blacktown,riverstone,st marys penrith area.moved to qld beaudesert around 6 years ago now brought a place on 14 acres before selling and buying 5 acres in gatton about 1 hour form brisbane we moved into our house 9 months ago now.and are now busy doing all the other things tiles gardening etc. We loved it has we are in between toowoomba and ispwich which isgreat about 30 minutes away.we do go towards brisbane for work buy have company ute so no problems with petrol etc.I have not been able to find a job close to home yet still looking. finished building 40 square home on 5 acres with perry homes.working on the landscaping just finished pool deck with ://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=2217 Re: Regional and Rural 16Jan 28, 2012 11:36 am Hmm a bit dead in here but here goes.. I have moved to the Eyre Peninsula after taking a graduate position and have been here for almost a year now. My partner followed me shortly after. We came here with the attitude of 'see how it goes'. It's certainly beautiful country here, close to the national parks, awesome fishing and the stunning beaches. My partner has taken to it like a duck to water, I have always admired his enthusiasm but i'm not sure if i love the social context of the place just yet. There are a few land releases just outside of town 1 or 2ha blocks are common and can be snapped up for a decent price. I'm hesitating purchasing one because i am constantly hearing 'don't buy now, the economy will fail'... but if i look at local industry, mining should be starting up in the next few years. What to do.. What to do.. Jan 2012 the research starts. To build or not to build, that is the question. Re: Regional and Rural 17Jan 30, 2012 11:09 am I'm currently living in Tamworth (pop. 50,000), I grew up between here and Gunnedah (pop. 10,000), but moved to Sydney after finishing school for study etc. It didn't take me long to get home sick, so now I'm back again. Tamworth is still a rural city, but we have plans to move further out of town. I'm sick of being able to hear my neighbours talking in their kitchen while I'm trying to have a sleep in in my bed! Currently we're on approx. 900m2 with a 28sq house, however the plan is to move about half an hour outside of Dubbo where DH's parents live and build a 40sq house on 12 acres. I can't wait for the space, but I'm worried that I'll start getting home sick again by moving away from my family. I'm very family orientated, so that always plays a large part in what I do. Re: Regional and Rural 18Jan 30, 2012 12:31 pm We live about 47 km south of the Brisbane CBD, and about 25 mins away from the closest decent sized shopping centre, at Jimboomba (Pop 7000) on just a 1 acre block. There are shops in Jimboomba close enough to go for a drive to get things when we want them, but not too many shops. All the people around are on at least an acre so we know we will not get built out unlike the 2 new places nearby that have the UDLA developing the area (Flagstone & Yarrabilla). It is close enough to Brisbane for me to commute there and back for my job, but part of that is because I am on shift work so I do 5 days work, then have 5 days off etc, so less travelling overall and more time to enjoy at home. We originally decided to live there because we saw the prices were comparable with halfway in to the CBD, but instead of getting a small amount of land could have an acre for the same money for just adding 20 or so mins a day to my drive to work. It was mainly the commutting that made me worried about moving there but it has not turned out that bad. We enjoy the fact we can see the stars at night real clear as other people have said, and even though it annoys us that sometimes the Kangas come as close as on the Alfresco, it is nice that they do come that close without us feeding them or anything. The other wildlife is good too even though sometimes like now the darn frogs get so loud. It is also having a good bit of area for the kids to run around in, and that the nieghbours can't hear you sneeze, but that you can just hang over the fence and have a chat. If I was to win Lotto, I would build with a different builder, now to win lotto Re: Regional and Rural 19Jan 30, 2012 8:42 pm Hi, we live on 10 acres in Lake Clifton. About 45km south of Mandurah. Love it down here. Both dh and i both grew up in Perth, but moved to mandurah when we got married [about 18 yo]. We first started looking at some acreages about a year after we married and looked at 5 acres in chittering, but thought that $40,000 was too much if only we knew how prices would go........ anyway, we kept on the lookout but as dh has work in mandurah we wanted to get somewhere that he didnt have to leave his job. so when this property came up we jumped at it. not sure of the population of lake clifton, but would say it wouldnt be much over 2000-3000. but its still close enough to mandurah for work and now that freeway is extended, it is a really easy journey to anyway. i love all the seasons down here. i didnt realize how 'fake' the cities are, especially at night. when there is no moon out, the place is pitch black and the stars are incredible. we love having a few sheep. the kids love it. they play footy and cricket and can kick or hit the ball as hard as they like and not worry about it going over next doors fence. coles deliver down here so i dont need to worry about 'having' to go into town to shop. there is a school bus about 8 km's up the road that takes the kids to school. i could never move back to surburbia. we have said that if we were to ever sell from here, we wouldnt buy anything under 10 acres - we would just feel to hemmed in. Re: Regional and Rural 20Jan 31, 2012 6:52 am we love the freedom of acreage not having to be close to our neighbours like in sydney it is great really.our neighbours are a long away away which I love thought when we lived on 14 acreages our nearest neighbour was 800 acres away. finished building 40 square home on 5 acres with perry homes.working on the landscaping just finished pool deck with ://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=2217 Hi Renee, Boundaries in NSW are generally shown on Deposited Plans. When they put boundaries into SIX Maps from these plans, there are various reasons that these often do… 1 2090 I recently went through a similar renovation and move scenario when updating our family home. We also swapped some rooms around and tackled a major… 2 11711 Hey. Head to a metal and decide on which profile you will use first. Profiles with larger corrugations can greatly change the appearance of the color in different… 0 3718 |