sell up and move to australia?

bigtomw

Hi guys, just looking for some thoughts, opinions and experiences. I recently inherited the home place and it is Currently let out and has been for the past 18 years. It has always been the dream to get a small flock of sheep and a few sucklers, but there has been disputes with a certain family member and I have just had enough.
I work full time as a forklift driver for a large food retailer, I know it's not the best of jobs but I actually enjoy it, an I have no trade to back me up, my partner is currently unemployed but she has some basic childcare qualifications from the UK, and we also have 2 kids, we are both in our mid twenties,
I have just got to the point where I have just had enough with all that's going on and thinking of selling up everything and moving abroad , oz would be the dream and maybe buy a house and a small bit of land to farm down there, but I am pretty sure with none of us really having a trade or profession we wouldn't stand a chance of getting a visa,
My current employer also has depots in australia, would it be an option for them to sponsor me, again as a forklift drivers are not exactly scarce I am pretty sure this option is out the windows,
Also if anyone has any experience small scale farming down under, any advice would greatly appreciated,

Sorry for the length of the post

Mad4simmental

You won't get sponcerd as a forklift driver. They have tightened the rules allot. Also you won't get much of a house for under €300,000 and you can't buy land to farm over there. They have a law that if you don't have an oz passport you can't buy land.

What dose she work at?

I'd suggest you get a work visa if your under 32 and give it a go for a year or two and see if you like it. I was there for 5 years and loved it but couldn't waight to get home in the end. It done me very well and I made life long friends but home is home (for me anyway)

If your dead set on it I'd suggest Perth or Brisbane. Allot more layed back than Sydney or Melbourne with allot more job opportunitys. Best of luck what ever you do.

djmc

bigtomw wrote: »

Hi guys, just looking for some thoughts, opinions and experiences. I recently inherited the home place and it is Currently let out and has been for the past 18 years. It has always been the dream to get a small flock of sheep and a few sucklers, but there has been disputes with a certain family member and I have just had enough.
I work full time as a forklift driver for a large food retailer, I know it's not the best of jobs but I actually enjoy it, an I have no trade to back me up, my partner is currently unemployed but she has some basic childcare qualifications from the UK, and we also have 2 kids, we are both in our mid twenties,
I have just got to the point where I have just had enough with all that's going on and thinking of selling up everything and moving abroad , oz would be the dream and maybe buy a house and a small bit of land to farm down there, but I am pretty sure with none of us really having a trade or profession we wouldn't stand a chance of getting a visa,
My current employer also has depots in australia, would it be an option for them to sponsor me, again as a forklift drivers are not exactly scarce I am pretty sure this option is out the windows,
Also if anyone has any experience small scale farming down under, any advice would greatly appreciated,

Sorry for the length of the post

If it was me I would let the land through a solisiter and try to get a year working visa farms in Australia are large scale and very dry but you might get a visa to work on one
And get some experience.
Far away fields look green you might not like it there l know plenty that spent years there and came home again
At least if you don't sell here you can always come back to it or sell it later
A lot depends on the amount of acres etc if you can make a good living from it.

Dawggone

What size is the farm Tom?
France has the cheapest land in Europe. No need to go to the other side of the planet. Excellent set up facilities for young farmers and loads of opportunities for expanding.

bigtomw

Dawggone wrote: »

What size is the farm Tom?
France has the cheapest land in Europe. No need to go to the other side of the planet. Excellent set up facilities for young farmers and loads of opportunities for expanding.

Around 100 acres of ok'ish land , a bit neglected but has potential, wouldn't fancy France the with the language barrier and all that

Dawggone

bigtomw wrote: »

Around 100 acres of ok'ish land , a bit neglected but has potential, wouldn't fancy France the with the language barrier and all that

Language is no bother. I'm more than twice your age (and a bit dense) and I could easily manage french after six months.

djmc

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/toplink/seasonal-dairy-farm-workers-in-new-zealand/23105
New Zealand would be a lot more like farming in Ireland there is a lot of dessert and drought in oz
If you let it to a good dairy or tillage man here you could maybe get some reseeding and fencing done into the deal while you get experience somewhere else away from your family problems

Dawggone

djmc wrote: »

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/toplink/seasonal-dairy-farm-workers-in-new-zealand/23105
New Zealand would be a lot more like farming in Ireland there is a lot of dessert and drought in oz
If you let it to a good dairy or tillage man here you could maybe get some reseeding and fencing done into the deal while you get experience somewhere else away from your family problems

I ran a mob down under many moons ago and I found it really hard. Totally different agri establishment, climate etc.
Farming in Europe is much easier as we are well acquainted with the "system".
Any of the euro 18 countries have same rules/regs.

Miname

Anyone under 35 can get a one year working holiday visa for aus and then get a second year if you spend 3 months i think working on a farm. Farming on a small scale isn't really an option over there. Your either at it or your not. There's plenty of work on sites out there but it can easily become a rat race just to balance the books. I'd advise taking a year where ever you fancy going before selling up and moving on. A bit of travelling opens your eyes to what you already have.

bigtomw

Miname wrote: »

Anyone under 35 can get a one year working holiday visa for aus and then get a second year if you spend 3 months i think working on a farm. Farming on a small scale isn't really an option over there. Your either at it or your not. There's plenty of work on sites out there but it can easily become a rat race just to balance the books. I'd advise taking a year where ever you fancy going before selling up and moving on. A bit of travelling opens your eyes to what you already have.

Thanks for the reply, I couldn't really do the tourist or travelling around thing with having 2 kid's

Miname

bigtomw wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, I couldn't really do the tourist or travelling around thing with having 2 kid's

Plenty at it. There's loads of ways round the three month thing aswell. If you land a decent job it's the best place in the world to live. My favourite spot was Melbourne. Great work life balance. Brisbane was full of junkies.

9935452

bigtomw wrote: »

Hi guys, just looking for some thoughts, opinions and experiences. I recently inherited the home place and it is Currently let out and has been for the past 18 years. It has always been the dream to get a small flock of sheep and a few sucklers, but there has been disputes with a certain family member and I have just had enough.
I work full time as a forklift driver for a large food retailer, I know it's not the best of jobs but I actually enjoy it, an I have no trade to back me up, my partner is currently unemployed but she has some basic childcare qualifications from the UK, and we also have 2 kids, we are both in our mid twenties,
I have just got to the point where I have just had enough with all that's going on and thinking of selling up everything and moving abroad , oz would be the dream and maybe buy a house and a small bit of land to farm down there, but I am pretty sure with none of us really having a trade or profession we wouldn't stand a chance of getting a visa,
My current employer also has depots in australia, would it be an option for them to sponsor me, again as a forklift drivers are not exactly scarce I am pretty sure this option is out the windows,
Also if anyone has any experience small scale farming down under, any advice would greatly appreciated,

Sorry for the length of the post

If its your dream to do a bit of small scale farming , why dont you do it here? you have the land here and a job here. i do know you say you have issues with a relative. Also what would be the tax implications of selling the farm now as you said you have only recently inherited it, you dont want to give a massive lump of it to the government.

moving to Australia is a massive move. Have you or your wife been there before. If not i would advise going for a year or two and see how ye get on. ye could end up hating it.

frazzledhome

Issues with a relative?

Ask your self has this person or feel they have an interest in your farm?

If they have deal with that first before making life changing decisions.

If not tell them to get lost

bigtomw

frazzledhome wrote: »

Issues with a relative?

Ask your self has this person or feel they have an interest in your farm?

If they have deal with that first before making life changing decisions.

If not tell them to get lost

Not that simple

have2flushtwice

OSet your own farm and rent another the other side of d country. It may not be that simple to fix whavever problem you have, but it will sit with you no matter where you go.
Get a mediator before you run away., if you have to.

whelan2

neighbour just came home from a few years in austrailia he loved it and wanted to stay but his wife hated it, he walked straight back into his old job here when he came back . His wife hated not having any family over there, especially when the kids are young

onyerbikepat

Can't help but think about your reason for emigrating. Would it not be better sort this issue out first? You'll only bring it with you on your travels. You'll have enough baggage as it is.;)
I lived abroad twice. What really struck me most was, when you get back, you sort of expect everything to be as you left it and you'll just pick it up from there. Truth is most people will have moved on with their lives while you were away. Friends will no longer be friends. People you knew who didnt have the price of a drink, will be at the bar in designer clothes bragging about the 5 houses, he and the missus have. That still makes me laugh.:D
You'll never regret travelling. The first 6 months in a new place can be great. After that it's back to the normal daily grind. I know I missed the GAA, family, the fry ups, taytos, the long bright summer evenings heading off to count the cattle. You won't miss the rain, cute-hoorism, begrudgery and constant negativity in the media.

billie holiday

Victoria has a lot of potential and cheap land. 1000 to 1500 ml rainfall common enough. Snakes are a problem. Melbourne is a great town. Lots of craic
Australia is heading into a mild recession and is now a lot more expensive than Ireland.
house rental ; what would cost 100 euro in rural Ireland costs 300 dollars a week in Gippsland
small square bale of hay Ireland 4 euro Australia 12 dollarso
Groceries in supermarkets are more expensive

jaymla627

billie holiday wrote: »

Victoria has a lot of potential and cheap land. 1000 to 1500 ml rainfall common enough. Snakes are a problem. Melbourne is a great town. Lots of craic
Australia is heading into a mild recession and is now a lot more expensive than Ireland.
house rental ; what would cost 100 euro in rural Ireland costs 300 dollars a week in Gippsland
small square bale of hay Ireland 4 euro Australia 12 dollarso
Groceries in supermarkets are more expensive

Mild recession would be putting it mildly, the crash in iron ore prices combined with oil prices dropping is going to devastate their economy, their a one trick pony economy that is built around iron ore and gas/coal exports

AntrimGlens

jaymla627 wrote: »

Mild recession would be putting it mildly, the crash in iron ore prices combined with oil prices dropping is going to devastate their economy, their a one trick pony economy that is built around iron ore and gas/coal exports

Taxi driver in Perth says to me last year when I questioned him about their economies reliance on iron ore;
"Sure if the Chinese want iron ore we'll go and dig a big hole in the desert and give them iron ore, if they decide they want diamonds we'll go and dig a big hole in the desert and give them diamonds, if they decide they want aluminium, we'll go and dig a big hole in the desert and give them aluminium, if they decide they want gold, sure we'll go and dig a big hole in the desert and give them gold, if they decide they want gas, we''ll go into the desert and dig a big hole and send them gas, if they decide they want timber, sure we'll go into the forest and cut down trees and give them timber, if they decide they want meat, we'll go into the fields and kill lambs and cattle and give them all beef and lamb they want".

I says what about when the Chinese decide they don't want anything from ye, "we'll go and dig a big hole in the desert and jump in"

I don't think he had a Friends of the Earth bumper sticker.

billie holiday

jaymla627 wrote: »

Mild recession would be putting it mildly, the crash in iron ore prices combined with oil prices dropping is going to devastate their economy, their a one trick pony economy that is built around iron ore and gas/coal exports

They still control their own interest rates and currency.ie if the **** hits the fafan they can devalue aussie dollar and keep going.
They still have aaa credit rating. Foreign money will invest there.
Their welfare system health care education etc etc have been very well funded in the last 5 years, there is actually a lot of fat in the system. Low hanging fruit.
yes they have a few problems but compared to Ireland in the peroded 07 till 14 I expect it to be mild.
but hey I am a bogger from Cavan and don't know the future

jaymla627

billie holiday wrote: »

They still control their own interest rates and currency.ie if the **** hits the fafan they can devalue aussie dollar and keep going.
They still have aaa credit rating. Foreign money will invest there.
Their welfare system health care education etc etc have been very well funded in the last 5 years, there is actually a lot of fat in the system. Low hanging fruit.
yes they have a few problems but compared to Ireland in the peroded 07 till 14 I expect it to be mild.
but hey I am a bogger from Cavan and don't know the future

They have a housing bubble going that when its blows up will make what happened in Ireland look like a blip, something like 1.5 trillion of household debt going of latest figures....Australian banks have been riding on the coat-tails of the commodity boom for the past 15 years, now that this has tanked it's going to be very interesting seeing how things pan out their in 2015, lived out their for a year and a half and the easy access to credit was mind-boggling 400,000 thousand dollar house mortgages been advertised on the radio once you had a 4k deposit saved up.
Devaluing the dollar with such high debt levels would seriously screw up their economy...

Mad4simmental

jaymla627 wrote: »

They have a housing bubble going that when its blows up will make what happened in Ireland look like a blip, something like 1.5 trillion of household debt going of latest figures....Australian banks have been riding on the coat-tails of the commodity boom for the past 15 years, now that this has tanked it's going to be very interesting seeing how things pan out their in 2015, lived out their for a year and a half and the easy access to credit was mind-boggling 400,000 thousand dollar house mortgages been advertised on the radio once you had a 4k deposit saved up.
Devaluing the dollar with such high debt levels would seriously screw up their economy...

Have a look at what's going on in England. It makes that look like a blip!

Australia have the highest number of oil and gas caps in the world closed off for years for a "rainy day". So much oil there that it makes the towel heads look like a small corner shop.

simx

Dawggone wrote: »

What size is the farm Tom?
France has the cheapest land in Europe. No need to go to the other side of the planet. Excellent set up facilities for young farmers and loads of opportunities for expanding.

What's the average price per ac that land makes in France?

Dawggone

simx wrote: »

What's the average price per ac that land makes in France?

My area it's between €2000 to €4000 per hectare.
Paris basin would be a different kettle of fish.

Renting is a lot more efficient if you can source it. Rents are €100 to €130 per hectare on an 18 year revolving lease. Once the land is leased the landlord can never get it back, unless you don't pay the rent.
Banks couldn't give a shyte how much land you own, it's all about EBIDTA, and rightly so.

mahoney_j

Dawggone wrote: »

My area it's between €2000 to €4000 per hectare.
Paris basin would be a different kettle of fish.

Renting is a lot more efficient if you can source it. Rents are €100 to €130 per hectare on an 18 year revolving lease. Once the land is leased the landlord can never get it back, unless you don't pay the rent.
Banks couldn't give a shyte how much land you own, it's all about EBIDTA, and rightly so.

After eating a few mince pies and handing over a cheque to a lad I'm renting land off ,I feel like pucking after reading that.18 year leases and land leases for tiny money I know a lad locally who took land for 5 years at 350 an acre .France sounds good,cheap land bumper maize crops and good milk price and grazing feckin reseeds with milkers on xmas eve hmmmmm

Dawggone

mahoney_j wrote: »

After eating a few mince pies and handing over a cheque to a lad I'm renting land off ,I feel like pucking after reading that.18 year leases and land leases for tiny money I know a lad locally who took land for 5 years at 350 an acre .France sounds good,cheap land bumper maize crops and good milk price and grazing feckin reseeds with milkers on xmas eve hmmmmm

The rent is set by the government.
On a bad year rents are often reduced or annulled.
Very bad country to be a landlord...

trixi2011

Dawggone wrote: »

The rent is set by the government.
On a bad year rents are often reduced or annulled.
Very bad country to be a landlord...

Think I may start touching up on my French

Connemara Farmer

Dawggone wrote: »

My area it's between €2000 to €4000 per hectare.
Paris basin would be a different kettle of fish.

Renting is a lot more efficient if you can source it. Rents are €100 to €130 per hectare on an 18 year revolving lease. Once the land is leased the landlord can never get it back, unless you don't pay the rent.
Banks couldn't give a shyte how much land you own, it's all about EBIDTA, and rightly so.

So what's the catch, what's bad about farming in France?

Milked out

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

So what's the catch, what's bad about farming in France?

Labour costs I'd assume is the big one? Of course that would depend on scale I guess. Read back in boom times of a lad out your way I think that sold his farm in Galway and brought family an all to France and bought a place something like 5 times the acreage but stayed with sucklers. Very vague recollection of the story I know but if you wanted to stay farming and willing to adapt it would Def be an option ahead of hitting the other side of the world I guess

Dawggone

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

So what's the catch, what's bad about farming in France?

Paperwork. Woman full time in the office, with another part time.

Connemara Farmer

Dawggone wrote: »

Paperwork. Woman full time in the office, with another part time.

Wasn't knocking it at all, but curious.

Dawggone

Milked out wrote: »

Labour costs I'd assume is the big one? Of course that would depend on scale I guess. Read back in boom times of a lad out your way I think that sold his farm in Galway and brought family an all to France and bought a place something like 5 times the acreage but stayed with sucklers. Very vague recollection of the story I know but if you wanted to stay farming and willing to adapt it would Def be an option ahead of hitting the other side of the world I guess

No real hassle in adopting to here as its still northern europe and all the same markets/subsidies/regulations as Ireland.

I think I heard about that Galway family the other day. Supposed to have bought a good farm next door to them. Then again there are a lot of Galwegians out here...:)

20silkcut

trixi2011 wrote: »

Think I may start touching up on my French

They say if ya want to pull a one in a foreign country don't learn the language.

Makes ya look mysterious and less of a try hard ass kisser and ya can't kiss and tell so your a safe ride for her.

So cheap land and you will be riding like a bike. It's all good.

kowtow

20silkcut wrote: »

They say if ya want to pull a one in a foreign country don't learn the language.

Better still, learn the language until you can speak it like a native.

But never utter a word of it in public. And never, ever let on that you can.

Muckit

Milked out wrote: »

Labour costs I'd assume is the big one? Of course that would depend on scale I guess. Read back in boom times of a lad out your way I think that sold his farm in Galway and brought family an all to France and bought a place something like 5 times the acreage but stayed with sucklers. Very vague recollection of the story I know but if you wanted to stay farming and willing to adapt it would Def be an option ahead of hitting the other side of the world I guess

That lad owned only 13acres here in Ireland and is now the owner of c.700acres in France. Just shows the opportunity if your willing to move and work hard.

Connemara Farmer

Christmas in the middle of Summer is a mark against Oz

Bullocks

kowtow wrote: »

Better still, learn the language until you can speak it like a native.

But never utter a word of it in public. And never, ever let on that you can.

Bit like Connemara men !

Connemara Farmer

Bullocks wrote: »

Bit like Connemara men !

Wouldn't be the first time it's worked for me

Bullocks

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Wouldn't be the first time it's worked for me

Oh I have no doubt it has its uses !

Mad4simmental

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Christmas in the middle of Summer is a mark against Oz

First year in oz it was 42oc in Perth, we had a BBQ and a pool at out house. It was the worst Christmas ever ha.

jfh

Dawggone wrote: »

Paperwork. Woman full time in the office, with another part time.

sorry dawggone, you may have said it before but what made you go to france?
fair play to you BTW, takes a lot of bottle.

Connemara Farmer

Muckit wrote: »

That lad owned only 13acres here in Ireland and is now the owner of c.700acres in France. Just shows the opportunity if your willing to move and work hard.

Who's takin the horse farm to France?

What sort of farming did he do here, and what does he do there now do y know?

jfh

in answer to the OP, OZ is a great country to live in, but the countryside is very remote. worked on a sheep farm down in the snowy mountains, a little bit too country for me.
although Tas is meant to have great potential for dairy but never made it there myself.
i think i'd prefer to farm in europe myself

Muckit

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Who's takin the horse farm to France?

What sort of farming did he do here, and what does he do there now do y know?

It was all in the journal Con, although he hasn't appeared in it in the last while. He was a beef farmer. I think he's still at it as well as tillage and goats.

Feckthis

Dawggone wrote: »

My area it's between €2000 to €4000 per hectare.
Paris basin would be a different kettle of fish.

Renting is a lot more efficient if you can source it. Rents are €100 to €130 per hectare on an 18 year revolving lease. Once the land is leased the landlord can never get it back, unless you don't pay the rent.
Banks couldn't give a shyte how much land you own, it's all about EBIDTA, and rightly so.

What is EBIDTA?

jimmy G M

Feckthis wrote: »

What is EBIDTA?

Earnings before interest depreciation tax and amortisation if I recall from my accountancy days.

Banks use it as a measure of profits a business generates for loan repayments

kowtow

jimmy G M wrote: »

Earnings before interest depreciation tax and amortisation if I recall from my accountancy days.

Banks use it as a measure of profits a business generates for loan repayments

yes, it allows a like for like comparison of businesses before leverage is taken into account - allows the bank to judge how much leverage can safely be added (by way of a loan)

GladWrap

Hi Tom,

I have experience in agriculture in Australia and in various states and territories. I presently reside in South Australia in grape country but down the road from the finest Angas cattle in the world. My experience entailed mainly larger operations (eg. stations) with sheep and cattle but I also managed an organic poultry operation on my own in the past too. If you have any specific questions about farming, I'd be happy to answer them. If I can't then I can direct them to someone who can. May I ask where your employer's depots are in Australia? I might know the areas and could tell you a bit about them.

I am Irish born but now an Australian citizen thanks to my parents so I do not share the difficulties you may face with Immigration. However, that does not mean such difficulties cannot be overcome.

Wholly owned assets stand in good stead with your visa application, particularly if those assets are earning you a steady income and have a lengthy history. Childcare qualifications are highly regarded here with many jobs available as I write. This is because the legislation has recently changed and the industry needs suitably qualified people now. With basic qualifications, your wife would not only be able to obtain a job but qualify further on the job too. Experience with children with special needs (autism, ADHD, dyspraxia etc) is very favourably looked upon as childcare workers with these skills are very few in number whereas demand is high.

Don't be so quick to sell yourself short either. Forklift driving is like typing. Skills that can get you a foot in the door. When I left school I had many quals but what got me in was my ability to type 120wpm with near 100% accuracy, a skill I picked up in my first year of high school. If you have experience in forklift and any other machinery for that matter and especially so if you are licensed, this is highly regarded out here. Can you drive a truck? In the case of sponsorship, you would have to provide a service/skill/attribute that an Australian citizen could not provide. You might want to have a think about that and work out whether this would apply to you.

Best of luck.

bigtomw wrote: »

Hi guys, just looking for some thoughts, opinions and experiences. I recently inherited the home place and it is Currently let out and has been for the past 18 years. It has always been the dream to get a small flock of sheep and a few sucklers, but there has been disputes with a certain family member and I have just had enough.
I work full time as a forklift driver for a large food retailer, I know it's not the best of jobs but I actually enjoy it, an I have no trade to back me up, my partner is currently unemployed but she has some basic childcare qualifications from the UK, and we also have 2 kids, we are both in our mid twenties,
I have just got to the point where I have just had enough with all that's going on and thinking of selling up everything and moving abroad , oz would be the dream and maybe buy a house and a small bit of land to farm down there, but I am pretty sure with none of us really having a trade or profession we wouldn't stand a chance of getting a visa,
My current employer also has depots in australia, would it be an option for them to sponsor me, again as a forklift drivers are not exactly scarce I am pretty sure this option is out the windows,
Also if anyone has any experience small scale farming down under, any advice would greatly appreciated,

Sorry for the length of the post