The bride, me and our brood are looking at moving to the Northern Rivers region this year and I'm looking for advice on areas to suss out. Main goal is to reduce our debt enough so that Lise doesn't have to work anymore. We have two and three year old boys and another fortnightly eleven year old lad from my practice marriage, whom we are hoping will choose to make the move with us, if not I guess it will be holidays.

We lead a pretty holistic lifestyle, no TV, gameboys and other such crap. A Montessori or Steiner education would be a preference, but not essential if the local public school is up to scratch. Lise has a backgound in Montessori based early childhood teaching so there is the scope for her to work in that enviroment if needs be, although we would rather she stay at home with the boys at least until they are both in full time school. Have a strong bent for growing our own produce, so a bit of land won't hurt.

I'm a booze (mainly boutique wines and top end spirits) merchant and realistically we'll need to be within striking distance of Cooly and the Goldy to have a sufficient customer base to make this viable, maybe an hour at the max. It currently takes me between one and two hours to get to work in the morning (only about 40k's!!!) now and I'm well jack of it.

I would envisage that I'd need to hit the Goldy maybe twice a week and Byron,Lennox, Ballina, maybe as far as Evans head one other day per week. We currently live at the North end of the Swan Valley and I usually travel about two hours for a surf once a week, so if I can cut that down to a half hour I can probably surf two to four times a week instead. Which would be pretty damn cool I must say

The main area that has caught our attention is around Murwillumbah, our budget is around the $300k mark, with a preference for at least a quarter acre and up to ten or so if predominantly a bush block. Any alternate suggestions or feedback on that area would be greatly appreciated.

Concerns are floods, fires and the associated insurance costs that go with that, although I strongly doubt that cost of living will be within cooee of living in WA. Price of fuel, especially in smaller towns like Murwillumbah will also be an issue as I will be doing alot of k's. At present I do 800 -1000k's a week around Perth/Mandurah and pay about $1.50 for diesel and about 80c for LPG. 800k's costs me about $120.00. Salary package is about 70-80k inclusive of fuel, current mortgate of 240k with collateral of maybe 130-140k above that. Ideally we'd like to get our mortgage down to a hunj or so.

So there ya go, fire away.

and thanks...

dont worry about fuel mate,i have found diesel prices to be very much the same everywhere, unlike unleaded(i drive about 1800ks a week). fires, well come on mate you want to live in the bush. floods well in the mountains there is always a chance. i would send a pm to asea as he is looking in the same areas as you for a while. i have also found that the smaller country schools are way better than our so called big brother city schools.

Not like you to be succint and to the point Chrispy

I guess what I was getting at with fires was that, is it like over here where you can't afford to fart whilst having a spliff for fear of the general environment exploding or is it reasonably mellow?

And as to floods, I honestly hadn't considered the mountains being an issue, I thought it'd be the low lying areas that'd be crap. Like the confluences of streams etc.

We don't get much rain over this way and if we do it's sucked down within 10mins. Hadn't even considered erosion issues etc.

Hmmmm....

^^^^smicko you might stay high and dry,yet you will not be driving to work.( you will be fine). and the spliff starting fires, not one off my idiot mountains mates has managed it yet,and they live on beans and weed seriously mate pm asea

Smicko,you are on the money with the new lifestyle your looking for and the area is amazing.
I wouldn't worry about fuel,fires, floods or schooling.

I think you should do some on the ground research and head over here with your wife,a week or two will give you a clear understanding and I'm sure you will tick all those boxes,surf wish well, you will be in heaven.

Boofy lives there so send him a PM,I live right in the guts of the GC and it would only take me 30 mins to get to Boofy land.

I think your on a winner.

consider renting for 6 months to kick off just to sus it out.

Smicko,
We moved from Sydney to Murwillumbah 10 years ago and dont have one regret we love the place we have a 10 and 8 yo and they are thriving its the perfect place to live smack between Cooly and Byron and with world heritage rainforest at your doorstep have PM you my numbers for any info you need we need more Kneelos up this way to keep the longboarders in check at LM
Cheers Boof
HELLO MAC

OH we have one traffic light in Murwillumbah its a biatch at peak hour

Yeah good move Mick - I won't be all that far behind you mate ..... it is God's country as someone has said ..... cannot wait personally 109%

OH Smicko 300 k you will struggle to get acerage we have a 1200 meter square block and have managed to fit 40 different fruit trees and bush foods,vegie gardens,6 chooks,1 duck,1 rabbit,1 mini fox terrier, 1 sacrificial snake cat,2 kids and a wife all within walking distance to the kids school and Main St Murwillumbah.

Hello Boofy and Happy New Year mate


lov from the mac machine kiss kiss

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62mac said...
Hello Boofy and Happy New Year mate


lov from the mac machine kiss kiss

HA Ha right back at you mate havent really surfed since Moreton but have big plans this year

Some here mate all this blood sweat and tears at the gym,is for a very good reason.

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62mac said...
Some here mate all this blood sweat and tears at the gym,is for a very good reason.

Dont do it mate you are born with a certain amount of heart beats dont use them up at the gym save them for surfing and making lurve

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boofy said...

62mac said...
Some here mate all this blood sweat and tears at the gym,is for a very good reason.

Dont do it mate you are born with a certain amount of heart beats dont use them up at the gym save them for surfing and making lurve

you sure your not studying to be a doctor boofy? your medical knowledge is 100% true i did forget you lived down there till asea was smicko should ask you

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chrispychru said...

boofy said...

62mac said...
Some here mate all this blood sweat and tears at the gym,is for a very good reason.

Dont do it mate you are born with a certain amount of heart beats dont use them up at the gym save them for surfing and making lurve

you sure your not studying to be a doctor boofy? your medical knowledge is 100% true i did forget you lived down there till asea was smicko should ask you

Hey Happy new year to you mate lets catch up for a surf soon Asea is the man he is a renowned property mogul in the area what he doesnt know about property in Murwillumbah isnt worth knowing

^^^he has just headed down to look at another house.
surf with ya anytime mr boofy
bit sad i missed out on playing with your new underwater toy. WHEN YOU WERE IN MY BACKYARD

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chrispychru said...
^^^he has just headed down to look at another house.
surf with ya anytime mr boofy
bit sad i missed out on playing with your new underwater toy. WHEN YOU WERE IN MY BACKYARD

He will ring me today for sure we went out to wavebreak in a 4 man tinny there was 6 of us towing me and my brotherinlaw in kayaks behind, the water police drove past slowed down shook their heads and took off if I ever capsize a boat I want my mask snorkel and flippers I dont want to be floating around out there like a fat dim sim in a life jacket

Thought about renting Scotty but geez I really HATE moving house.

I really can't believe the price of property over there. It's sooooooo cheap in comparison to here. Here's a few that've caught our eye, to put it in perspective we currently live 35k's from the city, 35k's from the coast on a poxy little 460sq block with a 4x2. And that's worth 380-400k!
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-murwillumbah-112652995
www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/uki/property-for-sale/uki-village-residence-stunning-mountain-views-walk-to-all/1010528307#
www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-byrrill+creek-112713799
www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-murwillumbah-112119807

It'll be at least April May before we even get over for a look as we'll have to find someone to take over my role at work here and settle them in. I broached the subject with work yesterday and they were a little unimpressed but I know they'll come around as I've been trying to find someone to handle the territory for a couple of years now without success. Baby steps....

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smicko said...
Thought about renting Scotty but geez I really HATE moving house.

I really can't believe the price of property over there. It's sooooooo cheap in comparison to here. Here's a few that've caught our eye, to put it in perspective we currently live 35k's from the city, 35k's from the coast on a poxy little 460sq block with a 4x2. And that's worth 380-400k!
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-murwillumbah-112652995
www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/uki/property-for-sale/uki-village-residence-stunning-mountain-views-walk-to-all/1010528307#
www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-byrrill+creek-112713799
www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-murwillumbah-112119807

It'll be at least April May before we even get over for a look as we'll have to find someone to take over my role at work here and settle them in. I broached the subject with work yesterday and they were a little unimpressed but I know they'll come around as I've been trying to find someone to handle the territory for a couple of years now without success. Baby steps....

Gee that acerage at Tweed Valley way is cheap smicko would have been aqround 450 k a year ago one thing you have to be careful of around here is a lot of the elevated land around here has been used for banana farming for years and has been pumped full of chemicals cheers Boof

What's the go with beach driving around there?
Is there anywhere you can pull up on the sand for a fish or paddle?

Sounds awesome smicko...we stayed in that area (Coolangatta & Byron) for a few weeks 4 years ago. So beautiful...we want to move to Ballina in a few years : )

You can beach drive in many parts of Northern NSW... Or at least you could like 10 years back...

Anyway, the reason I type is in regard to your first post smicko...

Smicko (and anyone else), for work, do what you are good at, and/or do what you like to do. But it also needs to have some finances attached, and preferably more than enough to get by, because you want extra money for toys, holidays, and probably retirement... and a nicer than average car, maybe...

I would prefer to surf, ride motorbikes, SUP down winders, surf in the Maldives... etc, as opposed to work... However I'm reasonably good at my job, and actually don't really mind doing it... I guess you need to make some concessions... For example, I enjoy what I can do with the financial reward... so I find work rewarding... Pretty basic really... I'm also trying to say, aim higher than $80k per year... Do you run your own business, or are you an employee...? There are more risks with running your own business, but possibly 3-4 out 5 times, it will be far more rewarding both in terms of satisfaction, flexibility, and financial reward...

Perhaps look at expanding into Brisbane and Sunny Coast... so many options...

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smicko said...
What's the go with beach driving around there?
Is there anywhere you can pull up on the sand for a fish or paddle?

Smicko there is not much beach driving left around here anymore to many fwits ripping the dunes apart but an hour south at sth Ballina 30 ks beach driving to be had we go there a fair bit you can pick a stretch of beach there in winter surf and catch tailor and whiting all day. Then there is the option of Straddy,Moreton and Fraser 2 -4 hours away which I would be happy to show you around if you ever settle here

$300k budget sounds tight... Plus you cop agent fees on your current one, plus a little stamp duty on the new one, plus moving costs of probably $7.5k... not sure... Maybe $5k... Plus you might see something you really want that is $365k... Before you know it, you can easily be $100k over where you initially wanted to be...

^^^Enough with the red thumbs Dickwad, if you want to say something say it.

Grom the $300k figure is pretty loose, we'd be happy to go a hunj either way from there, and would be perfectly content with something like this http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-byrrill+creek-112713799 and just whack an extra room or two on.

I have been self employed the last few years but in March last year I went over to salary with the main client I have been contracting to. I've taken quite a hit in income to do so, with the view to building a national company over the next ten or so years and I have no doubt I'll be looked after.

I'm good at my job too, I'd just rather work a thirty hour week than sixty. I'm sure I'll have my ring hanging out for the first year or two whilst I build a client base and sales team but then it gets easier. The plan is definately to expand along the Queensland coast. We have exclusivity on some of the best booze in the world, the sort of stuff that sommeliers get all moist about, one of our wines just picked up Wine Spectators gong for best value wine of the year, another touted by the Masters of Wine Assoc as one of Australia's top five Shiraz. It's just a matter of building the relationship and then it pretty much takes care of itself. We already have Sydney/Newcastle covered, currently trying to get Melbourne sorted and I'll set up QLD. That's the plan at any rate.

Our idea of a holiday is a tent or swags in a full bush camp, our honeymoon was a month swagging it from Exmouth to Perth fishing, surfing, snorkelling and hiking. I drive an old Landrover that I do most work on myself, it's a bit rough around the edges but mechanically perfect and runs at 8-9lt/100k's, can't ever see myself getting rid of it. It does the job and if you gave me a new 200 series tomorrow I'd flog it the next day and put the coin on the mortgage. Boat trips etc really don't interest me much. I've got my little twin hull, outboard and leccy that'll be perfect for chasing fish in the rivers with the boys, anything bigger would be a pain in the arse.

Our end goal is to be pretty much self sufficient, hence the appeal of properties like that one above. We is pretty simple folk and certainly not driven by the dollar.

We've been discussing it further this morning and Lise is keen on keeping hold of this joint here and renting it, so we probably will end up renting over there to start with at least. Have to agree it makes sense.

I don't mind getting the odd red!
I was half arrogant, and talking about money... fairly common for some people to find that to be mildly offensive!

i gave you a red grom man. it was not about money. your just a condescending knob sometimes. i think your plans are great. yet sometimes life gives you jokers instead of aces. be humble my friend and enjoy what you have

Jokers instead of Aces! That's brilliant Chrispy!

Yes, I agree, I'm not humble enough... I didn't mean it badly... But I re-read it a bit later, and even I thought I was a tosser! Sorry!

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Simondo said...
You can beach drive in many parts of Northern NSW... Or at least you could like 10 years back...

Anyway, the reason I type is in regard to your first post smicko...

Smicko (and anyone else), for work, do what you are good at, and/or do what you like to do. But it also needs to have some finances attached, and preferably more than enough to get by, because you want extra money for toys, holidays, and probably retirement... and a nicer than average car, maybe...

I would prefer to surf, ride motorbikes, SUP down winders, surf in the Maldives... etc, as opposed to work... However I'm reasonably good at my job, and actually don't really mind doing it... I guess you need to make some concessions... For example, I enjoy what I can do with the financial reward... so I find work rewarding... Pretty basic really... I'm also trying to say, aim higher than $80k per year... Do you run your own business, or are you an employee...? There are more risks with running your own business, but possibly 3-4 out 5 times, it will be far more rewarding both in terms of satisfaction, flexibility, and financial reward...

Perhaps look at expanding into Brisbane and Sunny Coast... so many options...

Simondo is trying to say, get a Boost Juice franchise.

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chrispychru said...
i gave you a red grom man. it was not about money. your just a condescending knob sometimes. i think your plans are great. yet sometimes life gives you jokers instead of aces. be humble my friend and enjoy what you have

That's more like it Chrispy
As an aside, where the hell are you driving 1800 k's a week to?

And another open question to all; how's the morning traffic from say Byron area to Cooly? Is it the 45mins that the interweb says or is it snails pace with commuters?

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smicko said...

chrispychru said...
i gave you a red grom man. it was not about money. your just a condescending knob sometimes. i think your plans are great. yet sometimes life gives you jokers instead of aces. be humble my friend and enjoy what you have

That's more like it Chrispy
As an aside, where the hell are you driving 1800 k's a week to?

And another open question to all; how's the morning traffic from say Byron area to Cooly? Is it the 45mins that the interweb says or is it snails pace with commuters?

100ks an hour the whole way Smicko no traffic


although getting into and out of Byron can take half an hour