this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2025

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Buying a small land in the outback? (aussie.zone)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by guismo@aussie.zone to c/ausfinance@aussie.zone

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I don't know where to post this (or if I should, but I'm lost). Skip to the end for the "too long, didn't read" version.

So, this may sound kind of crazy, and maybe I am. I live in a van, and I managed to live 3 months in the outback, some 120km west of Bourke. No one lives there, I didn't even find signs of humans where I was staying. I thought I was safe.

But I didn't know they round up the sheep by plane, so eventually they saw the van from the plane and I was told I probably should go since this is so weird.

I was going every 3 weeks or a month to Bourke to buy food and get water. It was literally the only time in my life I felt really happy. I've always struggled with depression, but now I understand that my problem is other people. If I'm alone, I can have a (mentally) normal life like other humans. This has been 2 months ago. I still haven't recovered after experiencing happiness for the first time. Life has lost all meaning and I'm just living because I'm not dead. I have to do something or go back. But I can't do what I did again. I'll live in fear of being found out.

So I want to find a property for sale that's far from people, but close enough that I can travel for food (maybe up to 200km), for maybe a maximum of $150k, but hopefully less. It can be pretty small, as long as no one can kick me out and it's far away from people. I can't find anything like that, or even much more expensive. I called a real estate agent in Bourke and he said it's impossible, only people who know people, and only massive lands. Unfortunately I found I'm incompetent in self sufficiency (I can hunt but I didn't have the courage to kill and I couldn't find plants to eat there), so it needs to be close enough to a town. To be clear, people are what I'm afraid of. I need to feel safe, to know I won't see any human, and no human will see me.

So, tl,dr:

I need a piece of land, even if small, for hopefully less than $150k, a maximum of 200km from the nearest town, but with no one around the land. Better if it's in the outback. Is there some kind of professional I can talk about that? I am completely ignorant of these tings.

I may remove this post, since I don't know if I should be posting this. But thanks for any help. The story is a lot longer than that, but I guess it's enough info.

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[–] kuribo@aussie.zone 1 points 4 days ago

Honestly I’d just keep doing the van thing, since it obviously worked for you.

Find another place to hole up, even if it’s in another part of the country. Maybe they find you and move you on in a few months, maybe they don’t, who cares. Just accept it as the cost of doing business.

In the meantime you get to explore a different part of the country. And in a few years you can go back to the first place again. Repeat.

[–] SaneMartigan@aussie.zone 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Another thought. I don't know all the details but a mate manage to pick up a 30 year lease for $30k on a property around Lightning Ridge. You said you wanted to buy, but things might be different in 30 years. Not spending all your coin has advantages too.

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Last time I looked into loans, a long time ago, they wouldn't do 30 years because of my age. I gave up pretty quickly anyway because I don't want to be a slave to a bank. Plus I'm not working anymore and won't find work in the middle of nowhere so they wouldn't approve now even if I wanted.

That's not all my savings otherwise I wouldn't be able to buy food. But I was spending I think less than $100 a week, so I don't need much to live. Specially if I own the land and I can grow some food, then it will be even less. That's kind of the maximum I can spend and still be able to live for a while.

[–] SaneMartigan@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

This was a lease not a loan. I really don't know the full details unfortunately.

Like I said before, if you're living without a certificate of occupancy they can come at you for it. My dad tried but he's also an angry guy so would've told the neighbours to fuck off rather than sort any differences.

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Excuse my ignorance, but lease is just renting? But for 30k?

If I got the right to use a land for 30 years that would be more than fine for me! I guess I need to hire a real estate agent or something to know better. There might be options I had no idea about. I don't really care about owning it, I just want to be left alone and apparently I need a paper saying I have the right for that.

And I didn't know about this certificate of occupancy... fucking hell... so spending the money I saved all my life in a small land is not enough? I don't understand... If I own the land, I'm not getting any service from the state other than the road, why can't they just let me be?

Anyway, it does sound like an impossible dream. But thanks for the info. I'll try to contact a professional to find out...

[–] SaneMartigan@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Mate. I've got a few more years left of city obligations then I'm looking to do similar myself.

There's a Buddhist blessing about have few attachments "May you die alone in the woods and your body be eaten by animals."

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 2 points 6 days ago

Good luck on your plans too.

That saying sounds a little harsh but there's no nice way of dying.

I did plan to get some way to end it quickly if something bad happens. Taking days or weeks to die isn't fun. But either way I'm ok with the idea. It's the price you pay for freedom.

[–] bignose@aussie.zone 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

as long as no one can kick me out

In the 21st century, I can't imagine anyone gets this guarantee without a stupid amount of wealth. And even then, high wealth levels (and its maintenance) requires far more people than it seems you're comfortable with.

No matter where you live, even if you own the property outright, pressure to “develop” can unexpectedly come knocking.

and it’s far away from people

I feel this, keenly. I truly hope you find what you need.

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago

I don't imagine people will develop the outback in my life time. The place I was for instance is at least 80km away from any human being, except the ones driving on the highway (even then maybe 10 cars a day and I was some 5km from the road).

But yeah, I'm not very hopeful. Just desperate. Until I manage to get my numbness back like every other human, ignoring how bad life is because of society and forgetting how good it could be...

But I can have hot showers every day here and buy stuff on the mall, so it must be enough somehow...

[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Have you had a look on the real estate sites ?

If you add filters for land size greater than about 5000 square metres and price less than 150k there are some results for land that's typically away from everything.

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago

Most things I find are between Tara and Dalby. I went to see a few and even tried to buy one but ran into all sorts of issues. It's not like the outback there and there's some strange places there. One I visited was like in a horror movie. I can't imagine what was going on there and those people would be my neighbors. None of the places I visited seemed safe enough and in all I could see people close.

[–] SaneMartigan@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Consider properties with a run down house. Buying an undeveloped block to live on, the council may come after you and kick you off. If you want life security as a hermit, you'll have to jump through a few hoops to get there.

This for example. It's a $59k dump, but it's liveable. This option is in a town, but if you look at the map of Australian real estate with min 2 bedrooms and max $100k you'll get an idea of whats out there. Min 2BR, Max $100k

[–] nevetsg@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You sent me into a realestate search wormhole.. I dropped the bedrooms to 1 and increased the land size to 1ha. If OP can find up to $250K there are a few plots in central QLD with burnt out houses. One of them has 48ha to get lost in...

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Where is that land? The only one I see is in Bourke, which I don't know why it's advertised since I called months ago and the agent said it's a "mistake". It's a massive one for 100k, right next to Bourke and it's been there since forever. There's some dodgy stuff going on there.

Edit: Oh, I saw you mention 250k. Yeah, that's a bit much for me.

[–] nevetsg@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Maybe something like this heritage listed acreage ? https://www.realestate.com.au/property-residential+land-sa-avenue+range-203787644

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 1 points 6 days ago

I never even searched that much south because of the cold. But maybe it's an option? That's a lot of land.

I have to check what I can do with the restrictions, since that's not very cheap and I would hope to be able to have animals. But yeah, thanks for the link. I'll explore more southern options and see if I can handle the cold.

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I found quite a few like that. But a)the cost of fixing those things and knowledge required might be more than I have and b)it's not safe, too many people around, I don't know what I would be getting into.

For what I can afford, it's only destroyed houses in the middle of nowhere that I can get. There is one in Wanaaring that I was pretty interested, but having to drive 200km to go to Bourke to buy food it's the same as living in the outback, with all the problems of living next to people.

In the outback I don't know if there is a council, and isolated as I wanted, I doubt anyone would come to check. But it's insane that I wouldn't be allowed to live in a place I own. How much more do I have to please society to feel safe?

I imagined if I have a paper saying it's mine it should be enough. I don't need electricity, signal, sewage or anything. Just a place where I'm safe.

[–] Nath@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have no idea what you actually do out there totally off the grid like that. I think I'd go nuts after a few weeks of that much isolation (though a few days of it sounds divine). I think what you did was reasonably viable, you just need to be a little flexible with mobility. You stay three months in that spot, migrate a few hundred km to another spot and stay another few months there etc.

Failing that, maybe approach the station holders themselves? You might find one who'd be fine with you parked up in some corner of the station not hurting anyone. They've got 1,000,000+ acres of land, they won't notice you using up 0.000001% of that. They might even let you use some out of the way spot with water if you assured them you'd treat the land well and not make any mess.

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Most people are social and to them this is a nightmare. But to me people are a nightmare and this was a dream. I did whatever I wanted there. I explored, ran, built things, talked to myself and the kangaroos, whatever crossed my mind. If you're happy in society I don't think it would make sense. But for me... I miss it so much...

And yeah, they wouldn't even know if you're there unless they fly on a plane. I was hoping the owner would say: "no one has even been where you are before, you can stay because it wouldn't make any difference and I wouldn't even know". But I knew that the reality would be "this is my land and I'm calling the police". And it was.

I did think of that, but I can't live trusting someone's good will. And after tis experience I want even less. Same as moving from time to time. Who knows I won't be discovered before that? Initially it's what I thought, that those lands are so big no one would find me. But I didn't think they use air planes.

[–] Nath@aussie.zone 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I did think of that, but I can’t live trusting someone’s good will.

You really could. You can't paint them all with the brush of the one you encountered. I spent a season on a cattle station in the Kimberley. Honestly, the country up there is beautiful throughout the dry season and while they used helicopters rather than planes, you'd also likely never be spotted on that station because of all the tree coverage (particularly along the rivers). The station manager would also probably be fine with you camped up somewhere out of the way - so long as you weren't messing up the place. That particular station sees so many visitors passing through that heli-muster teams wouldn't even think a van worth remarking on.

It's also very far from Bourke though. And only really accessible by 4WD. Plus it gets cut off every year from around Nov-Apr by the wet season/flooded rivers.

[–] guismo@aussie.zone 2 points 5 days ago

And so long as they don't think you're staying there permanently. Same as staying in the van anywhere in the city. Maybe one night is fine, the longer you stay the higher the chances someone will complain, no matter if it actually affects anyone other than being seen.

Nah, if I could still trust people I wouldn't be trying to run so far away.

And yeah, being too far from a town and needing a 4wd is a problem. I really regret not getting a 4wd van, but it's hard to find and expensive. Plus now I know that just because I can go to more difficult places it doesn't mean I won't be found.

Anyway, from other links here it seems that there might be hope to buy. Just maybe not in the outback and in much colder places, but I might have a choice.