Key challenges of buying a farm in Australia
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The geographic location of the farm in Australia.
Australian farms are generally located in remote areas. It’s not like the countryside you see in China. The total population here is about 3000W. A country about the size of China has only as much population as a single province in China. So there are many remote places. The general farm is mainly located in Queensland, and the farm here refers to the planting field. Victorian horse farms, vineyards, special plantings, and more. New South Wales too. Western Australia has more mining farms.
If you are inseparable from people or cities, I advise you to give up. Usually, the small towns surrounding the farm are not seen on the streets on weekends. The nearest city is more than 100 kilometers away (note that the city is not a city center, but a densely populated urban area). For example, if I want to buy a pig’s hand, I have to drive one and a half to find it. Of course, supermarkets for basic daily necessities can still be found within 30 kilometers.
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The question of money.
Buying a small and medium farm in central Queensland is about 500,000 Australian dollars. There are strict land-use regulations and restrictions, such as minimum land space requirement to keep 100 cattles. If you exceed it, you will be fined by the animal welfare agency.
Labor is another a big problem. If you do not own farm machines, you can rent them instead. Even used ones are quite expensive. Generally, it is about 17 Australian dollars an hour for backpackers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Europe to do farm works, and they have to be wrapped. In remote areas, the water needs to be self-sufficient, usually rainwater filtration. Generally from North Brisbane to Mackay, all the way to Cairns, there are good farms. Inland, the West Brisbane region to Toowoomba is an agricultural hub. You can buy the right to operate the farm and let the original farm continue to operate, from thoselandlords/farmers who are going to retire.
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Sales problems:
In general, most of the agricultural products in Australia are sold domestically. But the price is monopolized by the three major supermarkets, and they can decide the basic price. It is difficult to export, and now all Australian farmers expect to export their products to China.
But the Chinese government is very strict on agricultural products, with quotas. Especially meat. Basically impossible. The problem with domestic sales is that the market is not big enough, and it is also difficult to export to other countries. So the price is still not ideal. Plus transportation is also a big problem. There can be no overloaded lorries in Australia.Â