Moving into HoneyDale

The land transfer transaction was completed on the last day of the 2015/16 financial year so Roger drove to HoneyDale and took possession of the property. 

On the whole the property, was tidy.  It had been neglected and the some of the previous owners’ endeavours were incomplete or had been abandoned. On closer inspection we did have some good finds, such as an intact slow combustion stove in working condition. It just needs a little restoration. However, we also found that they took the bore pump.

After unloading the utility into the existing shed, Rog fitted our lock and chain to the entrance gate and returned to Brisbane.  The next day we both returned in our respective vehicles and started work on securing the shed as well as picking up furniture to make for comfortable camping.  That night, we celebrated taking possession with a roast lamb dinner cooked on the webber and a bottle of champagne. 

The next day we started tidying up area around the shed and the home site pad.  Roger drove to Esk to pick up the chainsaws, mulcher and ride on mower.  This equipment will initially be put to use to clean up the area around the home site, verge and vegetable garden. 

Our plan is to selectively clear the smaller straggly trees and fallen timber from the front of the block, leaving the larger trees and native bushes around the home pad to provide a firebreak and to let light in. The remainder of the site we plan to leave as native bush to encourage koalas and other wildlife to stay.

In our first week we did see a small mob of Pretty Face Wallabies grazing on the grass around the home pad and shed.  Unfortunately, despite much searching, we have not seen any koalas, yet.  Several locals have told us that koalas are in the area but they do move around with the seasons and the availability of feed.