Cabin Build Pt5: Roof sheeting and strength

It has been a busy week preparing for this weekend. Ordering and taking deliveries at various outlets.
Big shout out to Stratco Campbelltown and Best Sheds Narellan for getting everything at short notice!

<strong>26th February 2016</strong>
We left of a friday afternoon, fully loaded as usual! It took 2 forklifts to put the roof sheeting on the Rodeo while Chris strapped the roof capping and flashings to the boat carrier on the camper.

We took a slow drive to the farm only stopping at McDonald's Suttons Forest for a bite to eat.

We arrived with minimal daylight and set up in ample time.

<strong>Saturday 27th February 2016</strong>
Up at 730am to coffee and making a start on the battens.

Roof sheeting started later in the day, dodging wind gusts to play it safe.

We had our first dinner in the house with just a partial roof which consisted of Chicken, Mayo and Lettuce rolls. Washed it down with a Somersby Pear Cider. Talking shit about the cabin name and other random stuff, we thought that the farm should be named "World's End" instead of "Amaroo", largely because; the property is beautiful and all but everytime we come here, something happens that we seem to attract either an unusual weather pattern or anything else that seem to make us think we cheated death! (Brown snakes, tornadoes, snow, getting bogged, severe heat, wolf spiders, giant rare huntmen spiders, golf ball sized hail, wasp stings and did I mention snakes?)
We watched the satellites and shooting stars pass over until about 930pm when it was time to head to Wyangala Waters for a well deserved shower!

We were all asleep by midnight!

<strong>Sunday 28th February 2016</strong>
Sleep in!!
Woke up at 830am which is something that never happens!
Back into roof sheeting by 930am and another hot day ensues!

Managed to get all the wall strapping on, the roof sheets of one side of the roof, all battens cut and ready to install.

It was a slow progress day but the heat was a struggle and safety first when handling 6m long sheets of corrugated steel in high wind gusts.
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We finished working at about 7pm but still had to pull 21 x 8m sheets of wall sheets off Juniors roof. Heavy as they were we were lucky the wind died down to allow the boys to safely relocate them.

We left the farm about 9pm and arrived at Goulburn at 1040pm. And in all the Km's we have clocked up on our travels, the wildlife we have dodged, the sleepy truck drivers we have avoided, it was while we were parked at a Service station when the damage happened. A P-Plater reversed into poor Junior while Johnny was refueling. Smashed his light bar across the top and luckily avoided a bump from the tow bar.

Arrived home at 1230am. Stuffed from a big weekend!
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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: