For those who live on acreage...

[IndigoJ]

It's really interesting to read about how large some properties are! 200 acres... 22000 acres that's massive!
The property we're looking at is already fenced and has an electric gate, from the pics it doesnt have a driveway... just grass. The current owners obviously spent some thought and money into it, there would be nothing to do at all but move in, it's just a mater or figuring out if we want that much space and if we'd be up to it... being suburban people so far...
I just wonder if you'd know what was going on on your land on 3 acres, and if we'd get animals roaming...

Animals roaming? We have 3acres on fenced mowed land and I can see all of it. It's not really that big when you look at it. I can't see the other 3acres as its unslashed and overgrown.

[BJB]

It's really interesting to read about how large some properties are! 200 acres... 22000 acres that's massive!
The property we're looking at is already fenced and has an electric gate, from the pics it doesnt have a driveway... just grass. The current owners obviously spent some thought and money into it, there would be nothing to do at all but move in, it's just a mater or figuring out if we want that much space and if we'd be up to it... being suburban people so far...
I just wonder if you'd know what was going on on your land on 3 acres, and if we'd get animals roaming...

My husband and I moved onto this place six years ago from a capital city and now we say that we couldn't go back to house block. So I think it's what you get used to :-) we just love the space and ability to do our own thing. Mind you though, some of friends cannot picture themselves living where we are, so each to there own. Good luck with your decision!

[amyd]

If the driveway is just grass you'll need to think about access in wet weather when the track may not be passable to normal vehicles. Will depend on what sort of dirt you have and the rainfall and drainage.

[~BEXTER~]

I'm on 5 acres but I have cows on 2 of them, so I'm responsible for 3.

I've done the grass by foot a few times when my ride on is broken. I do it for 2 hours a day over 3 days. The edges I spray with poison or the cows get let out of the paddock. It's awesome for the kids, but during summer you need to cut the grass every 2 weeks. We get mice once or twice a year, crickets yearly (both inside) haven't seen a snake yet but have been told we gave red bellies somewhere(By the old Gardner) and of course we have plenty of huntsmen.

It's awesome for the kids, it's hard work, but I'm a single mum and manage.

[shani2]

We are currently looking at buying a property on 5 acres. I think it depends a lot on the type of land you have. Much of the property we are looking at is what you would consider unusable. Basically it slopes and is fairly rocky and has trees all around the bottom but the area around the house is cleared.

There would be minimal mowing in this place purely because of the area it is on, it's not overgrown with grass iykwim and the current owners put in some artificial lawn, so no maintenance!!

There will be a little upgrading necessary for puppy proofing fences but we will put a smaller fence closer to the house so we can always see the dog.

In regards to animals, there are kangaroos but that's not a problem. Don't know what else you would expect.

Other things I hadn't thought about were if the property is on septic and the upkeep of that. And rain water, does it have a big tank that would service all of your needs.

I know it's an essay but were just about to put an offer in so have been living this!! I'm so excited, can't wait for our kids to grow up in the semi rural lifestyle with room to explore and have fun!!

[Pina Colada]

We have 2.5 acres, fully fenced and mowed (no paddocks), with electric gates. Biggest maintenance issue is mowing. When we bought, the ride on mower was included with the property, so maybe see if that is an option. DH loves mowing so it is really no issue for us. Otherwise, we have a number of large gum trees so picking up sticks and branches can be a bit of a pain. Spraying weeds as well. A bit of a pain with electric gates is getting deliveries etc. But we have a dog so it is always closed, if you didn't then you could leave them open. If you aren't on town sewerage you will need to arrange and pay for septic tanks to be emptied.

We love acreage. We both grew up on farms, so town blocks don't appeal to us at all.

Eta - We love the animals. We have bird feeders and have galahs, rosellas, rainbow lorikeets, currawongs etc. We have bush turkeys and possums, and the occasional koala. Snakes can be an issue on some rural properties, you can install snake deterrents.

[IvyRain]

Haven't read all the replies but saw you mentioned the possibility of adding a granny flat - make sure you check with the local council to see if that's allowed. Some councils have some rules about acreage being primarily for farming land and get funny about extra dwellings.