It’s important that you understand the legal obligations of owning a hobby farm. Others get a hobby farm to keep and ride horses on the weekends instead of paying rent for a stable, or they simply want somewhere to tinker with machines and cars. Perhaps you’re a wine-lover and want to try your hand at your own boutique vineyard, or is coffee more your thing? People buy hobby farms to enjoy themselves so remember why you’re buying one in the first place and don’t overcommit yourself with too many animals or crops that you haven’t quite got your head around managing effectively yet.įor example, many people try their hand at caring for miniature breeds of cows first before even considering caring for larger cattle because they’re simply a lot easier – and cheaper – to manage.Īre there different types of hobby farms?Ī hobby farm doesn’t have to be the archetypal farm with livestock and crops. So while there are professionals reaching retirement and wanting to put some man-hours into a hobby farm, there are many Australians who just want to add some spark to their work/life balance. Many urban dwellers maintain small farms in rural areas close to major cities so they can maintain their regular jobs in town. In fact, you’ll need some pep in your step so you can get used to some of the work involved and get used to the rhythms of the changing seasons. There’s a bit of luck involved in finding lifestyle farms near regional cities though because they’re generally in high demand.Īs mentioned above, lifestyle blocks aren’t just for retirees. It’s like having your “home among the gumtrees” but still having easy access to basic services like shops, schools and hospitals.
You may currently be living the typical “home in the suburbs, work in the city” lifestyle and just want a piece of bushland or open space where you can escape. In fact, many budding lifestyle farmers these days tend to favour smaller blocks (20 hectares) that are within driving distance of a major town or capital city. What you do with these structures is up to you though. When you start searching for viable real estate, you’ll notice that some hobby farms will be set up with existing farming amenities like horse stables, food troughs for pigs, sheep and chickens, and sheds and barns. Just don’t expect to live like a king with such a small scale enterprise: running a successful farm is tough! In saying that, it is possible to earn a little money on the side by selling things like eggs and vegetables at the market. If the bank identifies that you may be using the hobby farm as your sole source of income, you’ll need to apply for a commercial loan instead and go through another credit department with stricter lending requirements. It’s the reason why land that is upwards of 100 hectares or more may not be considered for a hobby farm loan. Strictly speaking, hobby farms are not for the purposes of turning a profit. Most hobby farms can be anywhere between 10 to 100 hectares, with the block itself usually consisting of a property for you and your family to live in and a lot of land acreage to do with whatever you want as long as it meets council building codes and you’re not breaking the law.įor example, you could have a cow, a pet horse for riding, a few chickens and some vegetables to live a pretty sustainable lifestyle. That being said, there can be plenty of hard work involved. The main reason that people buy a hobby farm is less about raising livestock and working the land, and more about lifestyle. With recent estimates putting the number of “small lifestyle block” currently operating at well over 60,000, it’s a growing national passion worth considering no matter what stage of life you’re at. Hobby farms, or lifestyle blocks, are generally considered by banks to be non-income-earning rural properties, but that’s where this vanilla definition ends.Įvery hobby farm is different depending on what crops you’re planning on growing, the animals you’re looking to raise and, ultimately, the work you’re willing to put into it.
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