Another issue too in regional areas is that the larger centers are starting to catch up in terms of city prices for housing and land, so those looking to buy are turning to the outlying towns that are still a reasonable commute to work in the larger town, but cost less to live in. I have to drive through Coolamon to get to Wagga and it is only 40 km's from Wagga, so it is ideal when it comes to living there and working in Wagga. Just last month when I went through there I noticed that on the edge of town there is a FOR SALE sign up on a fence along the Wagga road advertising 5 acre blocks for residential building. What breaks my heart is there is currently a beautiful wheat crop growing on it and worse than that is knowing that the local council approved the rezoning from rural to residential.
Why not also look at the issue of WHY on earth is 40kms considered a reasonable commute? Why is 20km? It's because the power of cheap oil reaches far far further than we realise, and yet we still jump up and down and protest when fuel prices go up
We built our house on formally farming land. It's pretty much beef cattle farming around here. Yes it sucks. I grew up on acreage and it scares me to think that the whole area could be carved up to surburbia. We live on a tiny block, but I've tried to do my best. My sideway hosts a vegie garden. My front yard has two apple trees and a peach tree (all that've yet to show me fruit). We bought on the edge of Melbourne's Green Wedge - land that has supposedly been locked out for suburban growth and I can only hope it works. We built here because it was all we could afford. We didn't care about our closeness to the city. We cared about the closeness to our family.
I hate it though, driving through these new estates and seeing house after house sitting empty with "for rent" signs everywhere. That drives me bonkers. Don't carve up the land unless there is a need for it. Only a handful of houses in my street are owner occupied. There are a couple that are rented, the rest are sitting empty. There is no train or tram out to us, only a bus that is notorious for not stopping, so not really ideal for renters unless they're working nearby and have a car.
I know my post sounds totally hypocritical seeing as I built my house in a new development. But I'm trying my best to be a little more self sufficient and I totally agree that there needs to be better options.
I think the difference is Corelly, is that you are aware of these issues and can see what needs to be done to stop it. It is when there is complete and utter ignorance of the issue that is the problem.
20+km (one way) is NOT an acceptable distance for us to commute... i agree Audax! I don't know how people can afford the time and money it costs to do that! DH commutes 12km into the CBD from our home via train and that's far enough. Ideally he wants to be able to walk to work... and that's what we are aiming toward.
I guess it is considered a reasonable commute when you know that people who live in Emu Plains, Penrith, Richmond etc work in the city and have to drive to get there kwim? I don't agree with it, but that is often the logic that people use. Especially if you are looking at rent or mortgage repayments of $300+ each week so paying $150 rent/mortgage payments plus $70 worth of fuel a week still makes it slightly financially viable. But that means they are only thinking inside their own little world and not looking at the bigger picture.
LOL Bathsheba - you would've hated my commute! When I worked in the city, I was living on the other side of Hurstbridge, so end of the line train for me and over an hour on it! Only one in four trains was going to Hurstbridge back then! If I was in that position now, I'd be super jealous of your DH's 12km commute!
Trillion - we're paying over $500 each week on mortgage, and that's not even including the car loan and we live 50kms from the CBD. And that's on a $270K loan. So I'd hate to think what we'd be paying if we were closer to the city!!!! (Sorry to go off track here )
and worse than that is knowing that the local council approved the rezoning from rural to residential.
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