Farmhouse rental
Encyclopedia
Farmhouse rental programs are a common method used by many rural Australia
n towns to attract new residents to live in their communities. The programs generally involve offering abandoned and often semi-derelict farmhouse
s for rent at a nominal price, often $1 per week. The towns that offer such programs have generally undergone a significant decline in population. As a result, essential services for the area such as education and health are removed or reduced, creating a further, spiralling, population decline. By attracting new residents, the communities hope to reverse their demographic spiral.
The modern farmhouse rental program began in the Central West
town of Cumnock
. The organisers there claim the program was successful; claiming the population of the town grew by 30 per cent and the local school hired a new teacher as a result of the 14 new enrolments. As a result, the program has been adapted widely across rural New South Wales and beyond.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n towns to attract new residents to live in their communities. The programs generally involve offering abandoned and often semi-derelict farmhouse
Farmhouse
Farmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
s for rent at a nominal price, often $1 per week. The towns that offer such programs have generally undergone a significant decline in population. As a result, essential services for the area such as education and health are removed or reduced, creating a further, spiralling, population decline. By attracting new residents, the communities hope to reverse their demographic spiral.
The modern farmhouse rental program began in the Central West
Central West, New South Wales
The Central West region refers to the area west of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It has an area of 63,262 square kilometers....
town of Cumnock
Cumnock, New South Wales
Cumnock is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the now closed cross-country railway line from Molong to Dubbo. The town is located in Cabonne Shire. At the 2006 census, Cumnock had a population of 288 people...
. The organisers there claim the program was successful; claiming the population of the town grew by 30 per cent and the local school hired a new teacher as a result of the 14 new enrolments. As a result, the program has been adapted widely across rural New South Wales and beyond.
Communities offering farmhouse rentals
- Cumnock, New South WalesCumnock, New South WalesCumnock is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the now closed cross-country railway line from Molong to Dubbo. The town is located in Cabonne Shire. At the 2006 census, Cumnock had a population of 288 people...
- Errowanbang, New South Wales
- Greenethorpe, New South WalesGreenethorpe, New South WalesGreenethorpe is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Weddin Shire local government area, west of the state capital, Sydney...
- Ilford, New South WalesIlford, New South WalesIlford is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. It is named after the small English town of Ilford , where the founders of this town came from. It is situated around 220 km north west of Sydney. It is located on the Castlereagh Highway, which is...
- Tallimba, New South WalesTallimba, New South WalesTallimba is a small country town in the Central West area of New South Wales, Australia. It is a part of the Bland Shire 34 km from West Wyalong and 1½ hours drive from Wagga Wagga...
- Tottenham, New South WalesTottenham, New South WalesTottenham is a small town in Lachlan Shire in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It had a population of 343 in 2006, including 21 indigenous people and 20 foreign born people ....
- Tullamore, New South WalesTullamore, New South WalesTullamore is a small town in Parkes Shire in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Tullamore had a population of 211....
- Wycheproof, VictoriaWycheproof, VictoriaWycheproof is a small regional locality in the centre of the Shire of Buloke, in north western Victoria, Australia. As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 686...
External links
- Seachange (demography), a related phenomenon
- Jandowae, QueenslandJandowae, QueenslandJandowae is a town in southern Queensland, Australia. The town is located west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Jandowae had a population of 784.-History:...
, a town that offered building allotments for sale at $1 each for similar reasons