My new rural place

[dazzler]

Hi

Well i've gone rural...........

1940s weatherboard on an acre in Margate in Tasmania (15min sth of hobart).

90726

The house has an enviro cycle septic system, two fireplaces and a covered up bakers oven (chimmey with a cast iron baking thing like a woodfired pizza oven). The last owners have added horrid timber panelling and a few other things that will get ripped out and the yards have a bit of tidying up to be done ......glad I own a skid steer loader :2tsup:.

A few questions for the learned;

There is a 'spoon drain' that runs across the block at 45deg and I would like to put a pond/dam where it crosses the block. If I dig down a little and form a bank is there anything I need to put on the floor of the pond to make it waterproofish or is running back and forwards with the skidder enough?

I want to get a light weight ride on to mow the grass as its more like lawn than a paddock. I remember a ride on that looks like a gokart where you lay down in it somewhat to prompt the kids to do it. Can anyone remember what they are called?

cheers

dazzler

[Pat]

Dunno about what you are asking, but has it got a suitable size shed for you?

[Big Shed]

Sounds like a nice place Dazzler, so you're becoming a Taswegian!

As for dams/ponds, I suppose it depends how big it is going to be, you can either line it with a butyl rubber pond liner, but if that is too big/costly, then most dams are lined with clay and compacted. If it leaks, you can add bentonite which will stop/reduce the leaking.

I have 2 dams on the property and both are lined with clay, don't seem to leak too much, probably the most water is lost through evaporation.

Can't help with the gokart mower, I use a Kubota Tractor with a 4'6" slasher!

[texx]

if you want to put fish in it i rekon put a plastic liner in .much better for the fish and for maintaining later on , i would do it with cement but plastic is the go for most people and its quick and easy and it works well

[KevM]

G'day Dazzler,
Welcome back to Tassie, looks like you are only just up the road (couple of k's away).

cheers

Kev

[Andy Mac]

Nice looking place Dazzler. I assume it has a good sized shed being on 1acre?
Last time I was reading about your goings on, you were starting a new business with all sorts of machinery. Was it that successful that you've retired, or have you relocated it all to Tassie?:?:)


Good luck with it all!

[dazzler]

Hi kev

Glad to be back in the sth island.

Hi Andy

Yep, had started a bobcat business in Port which was going great until the financial crisis and work stopped dead. Sadly Port is reliant upon Sydney retirees bringing thier super up with them and investing in the place to keep it running. We hadnt settled in real well either so we sold the house, put the machinery in storage, bought a caravan and went touring the east coast of oz for three months while I finished off a couple of diplomas.

Finally decided that the sth island is "our place" so booked the boat while in brisbane, drove down overnight, caught the boat and here we are!.

Will live off the wifes money for a while and may do the bobcat as a part time job and may go back to govt investigations full time.

cheers

dazzler

[prozac]

That's a really comfortable looking home dazzler. Are you going to build a dam or a large pond? Liners are being used more frequently esp. now with water shortages. I think that material width is up around 15m x whatever length you order.

[dazzler]

Hi Prozac

Kind of a large pond - small dam suppose. Once we move in on the 19th I will take some photos and a few measurements.

cheers

[TimberNut]

Dazzler you bugger!! you make me SOOOO jealous!

SWMBO and I went on a trip to tassie about 3 years ago and fell in love with the place. Unfortunately there isn't enough IT work in Hobart or I'd have moved there already. We were hoping (and still are) to be able to buy some decent sized property somewhere south of Hobart and commute (if you could call it that) to Hobart for work (just gotta find the work first! AND THEN GET THE HELL OUTTA SYDNEY!)

Good for you, moving back there. Maybe one day I'll finally get down there and we can be neighbours!

[snowyskiesau]

Jealous here as well.
I'd planned to retire to country NSW but having made 3 trips to Tassie in the last 3 years, I'm having a bit of a rethink. Not that I can afford to retire anyway,and as Timbernut said, not enough IT work down there to keep me going.

[Spent my time there not too far from Margate, - Huonville and surrounds. Plan to be back there in the new year for the wooden boat festival]

[dazzler]

THANKS

Tas is a place that puts its hooks into you and doesnt let go. :)

Had a pre settlement inspection today and still happy. The front door is solid huon pine but has been painted so will need to stripped and oiled.

cheers

dazzler

[Pat]

The front door is solid huon pine but has been painted so will need to stripped and oiled.

Now that gets you my vote for Basteward of the year. I'd watch out for Wongo when you have the door oiled. He has a predilection for Huon:q

[WillyInBris]

Hi Dazzler, congratulations mate I was going to give you a call to do some work for me but I guess I will have to find someone else.

I start work tomorrow after 7 months off we just got the house we wanted move in about 4 weeks Ill have to weld some wheels to the Bench :D to move it without your help.

Anyway congratulations again mate and good to see ya back online more pics of the property when ya get in :D.

Willy Port Macq

[dazzler]

Thanks willy

I imagine everything has floated away by now given the rain up there :p

[WillyInBris]

Thanks willy

I imagine everything has floated away by now given the rain up there :p

Your not wrong dazzler I haven't seen this much rain in a long time lol, I am on a hill now not a hollow so I am ok but I feel sorry for every other person down the hill from us.

[Horsecroft88]

G'day Dazzler, I am a relative newbie on this forum and so hence havnt had the pleasure of knowing you. My brother has one of those ride on lawn mowers as he has 6 acres up at Summerleas Rd (Ferntree) to keep in check (some of it is bush). I can check with him and get back to you re what its called and specs.

Re your dam ideas, yes you are on the money re digging and forming your dam walls to catch the drainage. The use of liners (HDPE) I wouldnt have thought economically viable for the purpose, whereas the use of bentonite is definitely more appropriate if needed. If you have good clays on your land, compressing by track rolling should be sufficient.

I too have a rural property out the back of Sorell (1 ha) though don't live there yet as we are still restoring/rennovating it to a standard suitable for habitation. Its a touch older (1824) than yours and hence needs a little work and some $$$ spent on it. I am at this stage working on the bathroom, plasterwork and joinery, with some really nice timbers (Cedar, Baltic, Huon, Celary top and NZ Kauri etc).

And yes re living here in Tassie, its a pretty good place to be. NZ South Island would be my other choice, but then again I like to ski so hence its attraction to me.