Naming your property

Our property came with a name in the original Real Estate advertisement. It wasn't anything fancy and was more of a descriptive word of the property to reel in us buyers!

I have recently read on the internet that having a name for your property adds value and gives it it's own identity. Neighbouring properties will call your property by its name. "Down at The Meadows", "old Jack from Clearview", "Bella Blu is selling of some bales".

So with all this time we have had during this extended settlement period, the name given to the property by the real estate agent just became old and boring to us. It's become like calling a Spotty dog, Spot. "Hidden Valley" was the name given but it's just not the name WE gave it.

Some ideas on how people name their properties:

*A non common surname

*A home town or farm from abroad

*An early childhood farm or camp memory

*A developed brand of their own company

*A combination of family names

*A favourite flora/fauna
*A catchy play on words "Ewesful Farm"

Just to name a few....

I think finally when we settle I will give our land a naming ceremony with its own bottle of champagne broken over the front gate (not serious, I couldn't waste good champagne!) And have a sign made for the front gate in the remaining time before we settle.
So our property name we have chosen is:

"Amaroo"
Aboriginal Meaning: beautiful place. 

Fatso - Our new stove

27th September 2015

Today I won this in auction on eBay, I am hoping to use it on our farm as part if our camp kitchen or outdoor fire on the deck. Just needs a flue kit and a bit of elbow grease!

5th October 2015

Managed to finally start grinding back the surface rust. The Potbelly is in relatively good shape for its age. Needs one section at the lower part of the fire bowl sealed. We "ummed" and "ahhed" over taking it apart to resurface the join but came to the conclusion that it may be warped. We will use stove putty instead and mix with black tint before setting.

I was hoping for a stainless flue but I have read that stainless rusts fairly quickly.

10th October 2015

I managed to acquire some Rubbedin stove putty in a 400g tub. I will put it aside until I get a piping bag to get the putty well into where the bowl and base have slightly separated.

However today we drilled out the old hinge pins in the front door, installed a new fire grate and fixed the Thermostat on the back. The grate cost $10 from the junkyard, a new Masport replacement was quoted at $75 so super happy with my find!

12th October 2015

My awesome hubby went and bought some rod to create a new pin hinge for the top door. He fixed it while I was at work so it was a pleasant surprise to come home to.

The new grate is in place, it's an old drain cover made from cast iron so hoping it can take the heat. The door lines up perfectly!

Now to sort the issue of the broken baffle! I found a neglected old stove at a junkyard similar to Fatso which still had the baffle in place. I don't see any fittings where a baffle could attach in my Fatso so may have to improvise!

Day trip 19th September 2015: Thanking the fellas!

19th September 2015

Spent today entirely in Wyangala, headed in through Goulburn,  Crookwell and Reids Flat, stunning views the entire way! A much shorter distance and a 3hr trip with one stop.

Main reason we headed up today was mainly to thank the neighbours for assisting us when we were stranded last weekend!

Neighbours Keith and Steve (Tiny) helped immensely so we took them up a carton of beer each and stopped for a chat. Turns out Tiny's Rodeo blew a head gasket. Feel bad but he said he could smell water in the cab for a while.

Tiny has a driveway 723m above sea level. It is steep and winding with breathtaking views. I was able to pat his goat who was super friendly, he enjoyed being scratched.

We shared a beer with Keith and had a chat for over an hour. He's a tonne of laughs!

Plenty of people around The Gap today camping and motorbiking.

Met with the local excavator to give us a quote on building a driveway,  we talked for over an hour as we found we had so much in common with him from working nearby to our hometown to jobs and people we know. He was hoping to bring his brother down next week to look as he specialises in gravel driveways. He pointed out a massive granite boulder he had previously drilled exploring for granite blocks for crushing.

Less sheep on the property today, barely counted 5. This is reflected in the height of the grass!

Had a good walk around where we were bogged last week looking for a missing wheel cap off the Patrol, no luck on the property.

We left at 430pm and noted how the mountains block out the afternoon sun, this is great for the hot summers they get up here. Winter will be another story but heating is so much easier than trying to cool down!

Day trip 11/9 & 12/9: Stuck for two days

11th September 2015
We have been in discussion with a Cabin builder to have a 20m2 cabin built with a 4.5m covered deck and open side deck. The price was right so we decided to make a trip to the property to pick some sites.

Its a friday morning and Chris was coming off night shift. I drove most of the way so he could snooze in the passenger seat. 

The sky was a brilliant blue and the fields were green from recent rain.

We pulled into the property driveway and Chris decided to take the wheel back.
It was the first trip for our new Nissan Patrol Cab Chassis ute. She was a brilliant white with colour coded tray and front bars.
There hadn't been rain in 2 weeks according to the Bureau of Meteorology and Google

We set off on the easement carefully avoiding our previous boghole which had drained and dried hard as concrete. We still steered around it and had a giggle about that day. The entry was a little sloshy under the wheel but the earth supported that car weel, we got through the worst of it and entered the open meadow. Chris headed for a bright green patch of pasture. The further we drove into the lush pasture the louder the "slosh" became under the tyres.

"Go faster" I yelled hoping to get momentum to make it  through the slosh but it just wasn't enough. Again, we were stuck. Stranded. Bogged!! We were so unprepared we didn't even have a shovel. Again we ran around looking for rocks and logs to pack under the wheels for traction. Nothing worked. The patrol just sunk right down the the diffs. Chris began digging with his hands but it was just useless.

"Lets go flag someone down". Chris reluctantly followed on the long walk back to the road. No one was around. Not a soul. I ended up calling Emergency 000 to get help as we had no phone service, in hope the Police or fire will dispatch a 4x4 to come help us out.

An hour went past and a blue ute finally appeared. I jumped onto the road and stopped the vehicle. "Booged?" he asked. "OMG yes!" I replied. "I've just got to go unload the ute and I'll be back, I'm 20 mins up the road". I had a thought to call emergency services back and cancel citing I found help, but 20 mins went past and the Ute never returned. An hour went past and not a soul was seen.

"I am going back to try something else" Chris said. We agreed that I'd keep an eye out for either the Police or the Not-so-good Samaritan.
Finally by 2:30pm, the Police Highway Patrol arrived, not the 4wd I had hoped. A lady officer began walking to the gate as I yelled out "Did you bring  shovel?". We had a laugh and she kindly made some phone calls for me to the local excavators. No answer, nothing. Not even the Tow company would come out! She was kind enough to offer me a ride to where ever I needed to go but there was no where to go, I needed the car out. The only other option was to the train station to go home and get our other car. Feeling defeated I was about to send her on her way when she flagged down the next 4wd to come along. She told him our predicament and he gladly obliged in helping us. The police woman left and I took a ride to where Chris was still trying to dig the car out of the field.

Steve aka "Tiny" was a large fella on his way home with a case of beer to watch the Friday Night Footy. We had a chat and a laugh when he started pulling out his recovery gear, he was careful to not get himself bogged.
He gave the car a good tug with his vehicle but a few attempts soon proved we were just too stuck. He asked for our Plan B and offered for us to stay at his house. We felt this was just so generous but declined and asked for  lift to town to the State Park where there was an abundance of overnight cabins for hire.
As we drove out of our property, his car started blowing steam from under the dash. We got to the road when we just had to stop. The car was just too hot! The next vehicle to pass was Tiny's neighbour, Keith. Keith pulled in and came to help also. Keith was a bigger fella than Tiny and was driving an older Nissan Patrol. He offered to try pull our Patrol out of the bog but Tiny told him he had given it all he could.
Keith towed Tiny's vehicle to a neighbouring Homestead with us inside then drove Tiny home. Keith so kindly took us to the State Park where he flagged down the caretaker who had already closed up shop for the night. Keith also offered his mobile for the night but we just couldn't accept such a kind gesture! We did manage to call our friends who were also 4x4 minded who immediately packed the car and came to the rescue, arriving later that night.

We managed to book a cabin and then parted ways with Keith, he left his phone numbers and headed on his way to the local club.

At 11pm, Johnny and Simone turned up with food, alcohol and everything John could think of the fix our situation.

We shared a few bevvies and ended up getting to bed about 2am.

At first light we were up and left the state park for the farm. 

To cut a long story short: the car was so bogged that all attempts to winch and snatch it out proved fruitless. Then I had this brilliant idea of driving to Bunnings Hardware and purchasing a tonne of Sleeper logs.

After a morning trip to Cowra Bunnings, Cowra McDonalds and making a heap of phone calls to relatives and bosses giving our inability to attend parties and work fue to our stranded situation we made our way back to the farm.

After more hours of digging and individually lifting each wheel to fit the sleepers in place, the car was finally snatched free at 230pm that afternoon, 26hrs later.

Needless to say a few more bevvies were on the cards that night!

A huge thanks to our good friends, Johnny and Simone for coming to the rescue!

Day trip 3/8: Bringing down the family

3rd August 2015
A date was set!
Finally my brother and his beautiful family were able to come for a day trip to see our land purchase. They had seen photos and the oldest 2 children were super excited everytime we talked!

The day started at 6am when they arrived out the front of our house. We set off after some short conversation but chatted the whole way down via CB radio.

It was a cool August morning and the 2 youngest children, Twins Brock and Torey were recovering from recent colds.

No issues with access although found a soft spot along the path Chris chose. Phil had a 2wd vehicle which we left at the top.

We wondered around the property following the creek. Latisha wanted to catch a sheep so took off chasing them! Dayton followed and soon they were out of site! The rest of us made our way to the waterfall slowly.
Somehow Dayton and Latisha worked their way around us and met us head on.
They spent time exploring and taking pictures.

We made lunch off the tailgate of the Colorado and let the twins crawl around on their mat. Ham, pickles and tomato rolls.
A cold wind was blowing from the North to the south and dark clouds soon started arriving.
We packed up and headed out back to the cars. Dayton and I walked while everyone else rode in the Colorado. We took a detour to the dam wall and looked across the wntirety of the dam. It was 56% full but an astonishing amount of water.

Very long day, we arrived home at 9:30pm.

Day trip 18/7: Snow in the Central West!

In a freezing and wet week in July, the weather warnings rang out loud "...snow expected in Central West, Illawarra, South Coast etc..."

I eagerly woke many times through the night to see if snow had fallen onto our home in the Southern Highlands. It hadn't! But it did snow 30km's down the road and very heavily on the Central West Tablelands.

"Chris it has snowed on our property!" I cried after seeing pictures posted from Wyangala Waters on Facebook of knee deep in snow!
Needless to say, another day trip was on the horizon!
We rang the Real Estate to ask for permission to enter the land since we hadn't fully settled yet.
"Not a problem, don't get bogged they've had 100m of rain up there!"
Super excited we headed out at 6am Saturday morning for the 3hr drive to Wyangala. It was our dog, Rosie-Belles first time down there and she was just as excited!

Hot coffees in hand and a bag packed with some munchies for the road, we gazed over the fields of snow through the Southern Highlands and then again in another small town called Frogmore. It was a full coverage of snow and just beautiful!

We stopped and took photos while in the thickest oart we found then eagerly set off to see snow on our property.

I set the dashcam as we drove through the first gate. We were discussi g how much snow had melted and how the ground wasn't "boggy". All off a sudden the car visciously dropped to its left side and the engine cut out..... "Just like that....." Chris exclaimed as we realised we weren't going anywhere.
We both got out and I instantly started lookinh for rocks and logs to pack around the tyres for traction. Nothing worked. After an hour we realised our only way out was with a Iron Man winch that came with the car. We didn't even know if it worked!
Chris pulled it entirely out and managed to just  wrap it around a tree that by some chance was planted in the right spot 100 years ago!
Chris set the winch going and it was just relief to see it being dragged out of the mud, the poor tree creaking the entire time. It took 15 minutes but we got it out!

We decided to park the Colorado high and dry and walk the rest of the way.
We quickly realised if we had kept going by car we wouldn't have gotten much further!  There was so much water about from melting snow!

We followed the flowing creek to the waterfall where we were met with the most amazing display of bright green moss and 1000's litres water travelling over the falls. Well worth the effort!

Speaking to the locals, they have told us it was the first snowfall in 20 years and most likely won't be seen again for another 20!

Getting bogged - Dash Cam

The Recovery

Waterfall in full flow

Day trip 27/6/2015: Our first day trip

27th June 2015
Today we packed a lunch and a picnic blanket and headed out for a day trip and a good hike around the perimeter of the block.
The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun shon down on the last of the overnight frost.
We drove straight down the centre of the valley and parked the car on a huge flat boulder that overlooked the top of the waterfall.
We set off on foot and climbed down the boulders that ran alongside the waterfall. It was running....somewhat....trickling perhaps? The sound of water running was still amazing and exciting!
The Valley was spectacular, like a little grotto with green grass, mossy boulders, foilage and serene. Not a sound besides the trickle of a running creek. We studied everything, in full awe of the atmosphere. We didn't see the Valley when we originally inspected the property so everything we were seeing was brand new to us.
Giant boulders hang at the top of the ridges while a creek cuts straight through the centre and travels to the west.
We followed a sheep trail out of the valley noting an abundance of the noxious weed Wild Blackberries. We travelled further north west on the property up and out of the valley.
It was much drier down this section, with a small pine plantation and towering gum trees. Wallabys roamed here and were not perplexed about our presence. After reaching the NW post we followed it up the steep hill to the north east, the highest point of the property.
Chris and I climbed the small boulders admiring the Kurrajongs growing between. The small pines and gums opened out into a clearing as we continued to climb North East.
The car seemed smaller than a matchbox from where we stood. The ground around us an emerald green speckled with randomly placed granite. We stood 450m high at the NE boundary and could see the south boundary. We just stood silent taking it all in.
Another 200m walk up the hill over the boundary line would give us the views over the Wyangala Dam.
Feeling a bit hungry we started to head downhill to the creek to make our way back to the car.
The otherside of the creek was abundant with Acacia trees ready to break out in Winter flower. Passing more kurranjongs we found yet another creek.
We noted a few trees down on the fence lines and planned how we would manage to clear the deadwood.
Back at the car, we ate ham and pickles on sandwiches. Enjoyed a muffin and a drink as we listened to the water trickling past.
With full bellies we drove up the the South East point of the property. Crossed the creek and dodged the boulders. It was a brilliant green from the water flowing through and found many sheep residing in this area.
We noticed a 20m section of fence down, well worn from the conditions. Closer inspection showed posts that were simply aged but otherwise the wires were still in great condition.
At 2pm we noticed the winter sun was already disappearing behind the western mountain so we decided to head home.
The road home was abundant with Kangaroos, casually grazing and not concerned about passing vehicles.
Very happy with our land purchase!

Settlement Process & it's set backs!

16th June 2015
We paid our deposit. We held that cheque like nothing was more important. We had to run through storming rain to get to our conveyancers office and all I could think about was keeping that piece of paper dry!!

We only had to pay 10% but many banks recommend up to 50% deposit when mortgaging a property. Another reason an equity loan was the right choice for us!

We put an offer on our property on the 19th May 2015. Today we still haven't settled and it is the 13th September 2015! We are ok that the settlement is taking longer than expected, however an end date would be fabulous! 

We have what is called an "Auto Consol" attached to one of the parcels of land we are purchasing. We are purchasing 2 lots, and the front lot creates a boundary between another 2 lots of land so makes the subdivision process longer!
Initially the vendors solicitor wanted us to settle on one title and give us the other title 6 months down the track (called a sunset period). We were not comfortable with this because while they hold the title they can still take out a mortgage on that property. So we entered a clause in the contract that settlement will take 6 weeks or may be extended if the Land Registration takes longer than the 6 week period, so no costs will be incurred to either party.

We are fortunate that the vendors allow us to go onto the property as needed. For day trips, quotes, choosing a home site or just to see it.

You know you have bought the right block when its all you think about and you just want to be there! When you gaze at photos, or google the address or make a point of talking about it to everyone who will listen! I reckon I have driven all my friends crazy!

THURSDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2015

We may have a settlement date....

I received an email today from my conveyancer giving me the date for settlement. 28th of August 2015. 

It couldn't come soon enough!

I put in for Leave at work for that weekend to enjoy a 5 day camping and riding escape!

Update

28th of August came and went. The surveying is taking longer than expected and could possibly be another month!!

I put an application into the council to register for a legitimate address instead of a Lot title. This is for insurance purposes.

Spent my 5 days off spring cleaning my house but most importantly we picked out a cabin we both love!!

30th September 2015

Still no sign of settlement. Getting very frustrated with the whole situation. Im tired and probably overthing the situation. 

I rang my solicitor today and got the usual reply of "we are still waiting to hear from the vendors solicitor". So I sent an email back ventung my frustrations. We are blind and feel taken advantage of

Questions on our minds:

*How much longer?

*Have someone taken our deposit and run?

*Should we seek further legal advice?

*Should we back out and write off our losses?

*Why can't they just give us a date?

A copy of the email I sent tonight:

(Solicitors name) is there any way we can make them give us a firm date for settlement? 

I think it is very unprofessional on their behalf to leave it so long over the settlement date when they originally hoped for a 6 week settlement it has now been at least a 10 week settlement. It is very disheartening to see a lot of other properties come on the market and sold  in this time we have been waiting for the seller to get their act together.

I remember we made a joke in the first meeting about this property when I was hoping to have it by the June long weekend and my husband said maybe by the October long weekend. It was a joke then that we chuckled over but now this weekend IS the October Long weekend and we have no idea whats happening. It is completely unfair how long we have been strung along! Is there anything we can legally do to push this along, we know it is no fault of yours.  

We are both getting frustrated!

Will see what pans out from this. I am getting prepared to ring the solicitors for the seller myself and unleash my vent! Just so frustrating! 

2nd October 2015

Received a phone call today that the land is finally registered! Settlement is looking to be on the 16th October at this stage. Not holding my breath but the registration was always going to be the longest process. Now to wait for the final price we need to lay for settlement!

Unfortunately my solicitor told me she is seeing so many properties come on the market without being aubdivided first. Probably a "Buyer beware" catch to the sale, we are patient but the sellers put the property on the market almost a year ago and have had all that time to get the land subdivided before a sale was made.

13th October 2015

Finally recieved the email with a final figure to pay out for settlement! It is great news! We are settling on the 16th October 2015!

16th October 2015

No settlement happened. The cheques didn't arrive in time. Rescheduled for Monday 19th October.

19th October 2015

No settlement happened. The deeds for the land weren't at the bank branch where settlement was to take place. Rescheduled for Tuesday 20th October.

20th October 2015

Settled! 

Will take 2 weeks to gave the deeds registered in our name then put into legal storage.

Searching for the perfect rural escape!

Years and years of looking at rural properties, gazing out the windows on country drives and feeling jealous of friends beautiful land holdings, it gave me so much inspiration in what to look for in the perfect rural escape. It seems there is very little information out there on those who purchase small holdings as a means of escape and not for Small or Hobby Farming.

My prerequisites:

• Good elevated shed/home sites
• Dam or Permanent creek essential
• Hidden from the road
• Shed preferred but not essential
• Fences and gates
• No easements or access running through
• Not able to see neighbors
• Fertile soil for a fruit orchard
• Character
• 4x4 and motorbike fun with some challenging terrain
• Within 3hrs from home.

These were a few of my prerequisites. After missing out on a 40 acre block in Crookwell some years back, then a 43 acre block in the Hunter Valley, we went to the bank to see what we could do to purchase exactly what we wanted without a big debt.
After much research an equity loan was perfect for us, and it even dropped the Home mortgage interest rate by 0.50%.
We finally had a budget!

There had been a few NSW properties that had kept popping up in my searches. One 40 acre property in Mudgee, a 300 acre property in Taylors Flat and a 130 acre property in Wyangala. I rang all 3 Real Estate agents however all 3 had offers accepted. I was bummed! All new search results returned nothing that fit what we wanted.
That afternoon, the Real Estate agent for Wyangala rang and said new properties were on the Market around Wyangala Dam. I booked an immediate appointment for the next day!

May 18 2015
We met the Agent "Chris" in Wyangala and he handed me 5 brochures of the properties we were looking at. One was the original property I inquired about. "The sale fell through" rung through my ears like it was a dream! Really? The beautiful bouldery valley with it's own waterfall?
He showed us through the first 2 but my mind was just on that one property. "Hidden Valley" was the 3rd property he showed us, and it was breathtaking! Open landscape with views to the McDonald Ranges. Private secluded with 6 seasonal creeks, a dam and its own waterfall that flowed into a Hidden Valley. Boulders scattered around the edges, luscious green grass and beautiful mature gum trees scattered throughout. The agent showed us the boundaries through binoculars. We were sold. It was just beautiful!

He showed us through the next 2 properties, one was a shearing shed and the other was a 92 acre bouldery hill! Our "Hidden Valley" was just outstanding from the rest.
We started talking offers and he said it had "activity" since the sale fell through Friday. An Indian solar company was hoping to purchase the land for setting up a 10 year solar project. I couldn't comprehend how anyone could do that to the landscape. We matched the offer the solar company put forward and the vendors accepted.

May 19: Property purchased!

See the views from the highest point of our property: