i live in a long skinny unit where you hear your neighbours air/con, their douff douff music and their barking dogs. (I desire noise cancelling headphones something chronic!!!!) The front yard is so close to the footpath and hoons that use our street as a race track. The back yard is tiny and not enough room to set up play equipment or kick a ball. We are 20mins walk from public transport. 10mins from city centre by car. It is good to be close to hospitals for the "just in case" scenarios.

I would choose acreage. But being a city girl, i would want hot water, reliable power. Not so sure i could live in a shed. I would also need a reliable car and good internet access. As long as we were healthy and getting our daily needs met, able to get kids to medical appointments, sport and school, i suppose you would "make" it work. I mean, bottom line, are you happy where you are? are the kids happy? would they have to give up their horses if you moved?

It does sound idyllic, to be able to send the kids outside to razz around, explore, make up their own games, swim in creeks, ride horses etc. Something i only read about in books.

I do have fantasies of moving up to northern NSW and building a strawbale home (just quietly).