Farm Life - 14. FAR Chapter 14

The first 11 hobby farms sold for an average of $46 thousand, the next lot of 11 in the middle, were sold for an average of $47 thousand, and bidding had been quite solid, by over a dozen bidders.

The third group of hobby farms to be sold were the 8 smaller blocks that are along the back boundary, closest to the beach, and much to our surprised the reserve was a little higher than the others, and all of them sold for an average of $59 thousand each.

The final three groups of hobby farms sold for an average of $51 thousand each. Once the auction was over, and all the paperwork had been finalised with deposits, we approached the auctioneer to find out the final tally from all the sales, and we were a little surprised to hear that it was $3.025 million, less their fees, it would end up being $2.905 million.

A couple days later, Dad and I made a trip into Granville, where the local shire council offices are located, to inform them of the sale of all of the hobby farm lots, and to submit plans to build a total of 36 – two and three-bedroom holiday cottages, plus a group of 6 shops, and 6 business suites on the two blocks on either side of the main road, along with an additional 28 car park spaces on each side of the road, near the beach car park.

Just over 2 months later, with all the new buildings under construction, Dad and I were keeping a close eye on the construction project, but I had to stop what I was doing for a day, to drive down to Perth to collect Ronny, Preston and their mum from the airport.

The family had been busy over the past few days getting the place ready for the visitors, with Rose staying in the main house and the boys staying with me in the cottage, in the spare bedroom. Dad had managed to find a second-hand bunk bed for them, along with an old wardrobe, and tallboy cabinet, for all their clothes, to fit in, while Mum had found a good rug for the floor and made new curtains for the windows.

When I saw Rose and the boys appear from the Customs area, with two trolleys stacked high with luggage, I smiled, and gave a short wave when they spotted me. For the journey back to the farm, Preston and Ronny chatted about how excited they are with their new life in Australia, until they eventually fell asleep, feeling very tired from all the travelling.

Rose who was seated next to me at the front looked at the landscape as I drove, and asked me questions at things she didn’t recognise, or things that she was not sure about, as was passed through a small Eucalypt forest, in Yanchep, and a pine plantation just north of the forest.

“How much longer till we reach your farm?” Rose asked me about five minutes after the plantation finished, and I smiled. “That is our southern boundary back there, on your left-hand side, 3.5 kilometres north of the Two Rocks turn-off, but the main homestead and farm buildings are still another 11 kilometres away,” I said cheerfully, glad to almost back home again.

Once we had passed through the hobby farm community, we turned onto the gravel road, which brought Ronny and Preston awake, and they sleepily looked around the farmland around us. “Just a few more kilometres, and we will be home” I commented, as I slowed down, and we crossed over a cattle grid, which is the front gate of the farm.

When we stopped outside the main homestead, we were greeted by my parents and grandparents, who warmly welcomed Rose and her two sons. I knew that it was still too early for my siblings to be back from school, so once we had unloaded Rose’s luggage, I suggested that Preston and Ronny get back into the vehicle, and they looked at me strangely, which made me laugh.

“We are just going as far as over there to the cottage, that is my place, and where you two are staying” I said to them, and a few moments later we all climbed out of the vehicle and started hauling luggage inside.

“Welcome to my little cottage, it isn’t much, but it enough for just me, unfortunately you will both be sharing a bedroom, and there is only one bathroom which we all share, I will leave you guys to unpack, as I have a few things that I need to do before dinner” I said to the lads, before I headed out the door.

Over the next few days, Rose and her boys settled in, and we showed them around the farm, with both boys keen to help on the farm when they are able too. Dad took Rose and her boys into the city, to have Ronny enrolled into his new school, and Preston enrolled into his course at the university.

Rose only stayed for a total of eight days, before flying back home to the UK, and with a new school term about to start, Dad and I took Ronny down to Perth, so he could settle into his new school and the boarding facilities there.

Preston continued to help around the farm, mostly working alongside me, and he met Ernie and family the other day, and he was so fascinated at how tame and friendly they are. Two weeks after Ronny started at his new school, Preston began his studies at university, and both seemed to be settling in well, which I was pleased about.

I returned to work on the farm, happy that the sub-division project had secured the farms future for many years to come, and although I have no one to share the ups and downs of Farm Life, I have family and close friends, and that was all I needed to be happy.