A MOO-VE to the country has become more than just a lifestyle change and many city dwellers are heading rural to make some extra cash.
Record-high cattle prices across the nation this year have triggered a hobby farm boom in the southern Gold Coast region.
Ray White Murwillumbah real estate have sold about 30 rural properties in the Tweed/Caldera region over the past few months and agent Stewart Baericke said the interest was coming from the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Melbourne.
“Basically it’s the people doing the tree and lifestyle change but with the high cattle prices at the moment we have seen a re-occurring thinking pattern with many people looking to buy hobby farms,” he said.
“If you’ve got 30-40 head of cattle you can make a substantial profit at the moment – it’s good passive income on the side.
“People are also coming here because property near Byron is so expensive and they realise they can get a better deal buying in this region because they are only 30 minutes from Coolangatta.”
Mr Baericke said most people seeking the lifestyle change were looking for eight to 40ha lots
close to the city so they could continue travelling to work.
Mother-of-three Karen Andrews moved from Melbourne to her Chillingham property in December and said she was planning to be self-sufficient on her property.
“I grew up on a dairy farm in Springbrook and after moving all around the world I really needed to get back,” she said.
“I love this area, it’s nice and quiet and the soil is amazing – I knew as soon as I saw it that it was perfect.”
Mrs Andrews said she would be attending the local cattle sales in Murwillumbah in the next few weeks to buy some weaners.
“We are planning to buy cattle from the sales as babies and hand raise them then sell them on after two or so years to make a bit of a profit,” she said.
“The kids love it out here and are very excited about getting some horses and cattle.”
A local livestock agent said he believed the soaring cattle prices were a major contributing factor to the surging interest from city dwellers looking for a country change.
George and Fuhrman Murwillumbah agent Brent Casey said the people who had recently bought farms in the area were now contacting him to buy cattle.
“A lot of people are seeing the good cattle prices now and they are thinking it will pay their rates to run a few cattle in the paddock,” he said.
“They also keep the grass down and people are once again seeing them as a viable option to get a bit of money back from the land.”
Original Publish: http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/