Farmhouse rental programs are a common method used by many rural Australian towns to attract new residents to live in their communities. The programs generally involve offering abandoned and often semi-derelict farmhouses for rent at a nominal price, often $1 per week. [1] 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. [2]
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. [3] As a result, the program has been adapted widely across rural New South Wales and beyond. [4] Similarly, the rural locality of Errowanbang saw its school's population rise above the two teacher threshold for the first time in its history. [5]
In 2011, the ABC produced a documentary following the farmhouse rental scheme of Trundle, "Country Town Rescue". [6]
New South Wales is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. The Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory are enclaves within the state. New South Wales' state capital is Sydney, which is also Australia's most populous city. In December 2023, the population of New South Wales was over 8.3 million, making it Australia's most populous state. Almost two-thirds of the state's population, 5.3 million, live in the Greater Sydney area.
East Ayrshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Road, Kilmarnock. With South Ayrshire and the mainland areas of North Ayrshire, it formed the former county of Ayrshire.
The Lachlan River is an intermittent river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Southern Tablelands, Central West, and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Calder Highway is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo, in North Central Victoria. South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway links to Melbourne, subsuming former alignments of Calder Highway; the Victorian Government completed the conversion to freeway standard from Melbourne to Bendigo on 20 April 2009.
Tullamore is a small town in Parkes Shire in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2021 census, Tullamore had a population of 369.
Moss Vale is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wingecarribee Shire. It is located on the Illawarra Highway, which connects to Wollongong and the Illawarra coast via Macquarie Pass.
Lee Christopher Trundle is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Cymru South side Trefelin BGC. He also works as the club ambassador and youth team coach for Championship side Swansea City.
Ilford is a village in New South Wales, Australia, beside the Crudine River within the Mid-Western Regional Council. It is located on the Castlereagh Highway, about 220 kilometres north-west of Sydney. At the 2016 census Ilford and the surrounding rural district had a population of 187, living in 65 private dwellings. The district also included 43 unoccupied private dwellings. Ilford was named after the English township of Ilford, from where early residents of the locality originated.
Wycheproof is a town in the centre of the Shire of Buloke, in north western Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 610.
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 2011 census, Cumnock had a population of 275 people. In the 2021 census the "Suburbs and Localities" of Cumnock had a population of 491.
Bylong Valley Way is a New South Wales regional road linking Golden Highway near Sandy Hollow to Castlereagh Highway near Ilford. It is named after the Bylong Valley, through which the road passes.
Trundle is a small town in Parkes Shire in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It and the surrounding area had a population of 335 in the 2021 census.
The Broken Hill railway line, extending 801 kilometres from Orange, New South Wales to Broken Hill, is now part of the transcontinental rail corridor from Sydney to Perth.
Parkes Shire is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Broken Hill railway line and the Newell Highway.
The Woodbridge Cup is a rugby league competition run by the New South Wales Country Rugby League. It encompasses smaller senior clubs in the Mid-West and Central West of the state. The neighbouring Mid-West Cup competition's remaining clubs merged into the league in 2022 when that league initially folded. For all intents and purposes, it is a second division competition in the Group 11 and from 2022, Group 10 areas.
Greenethorpe is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Weddin Shire local government area, 345 kilometres (214 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2011 census, Greenethorpe and the surrounding area had a population of 320.
Iandra is a large heritage-listed homestead 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of Greenethorpe, in the Weddin Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 February 2005.
The Country Hour is Australia's longest running radio program, established in 1945. The program is currently broadcast on all regional ABC Local Radio stations from midday to 1pm each weekday, presenting news from rural and regional Australia, with a heavy focus on the agricultural industry.
Aldborough Hatch is an area in Ilford in east London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located 11.1 miles (18 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. It is a semi-rural locality situated to the east of Barkingside and Newbury Park.