Well Foxy, don't take too much notice of me, I am like the rest of us,
scrambling to see a way through if the worse happens.
To go the way of buying arable land with a view to at least feeding
yourself you need to be below a certain age.

Still, it may well not come to that.
There will be an adjustment of some sort, that is inevitable.
Trouble is the politicians are all still talking as though growth is
just a matter of manipulating money.

Pericles, I do understand the marginal deposit system, but by attaching
the cash deposits first they will distribute the agony far wider.
The effect on the economy would be more depressing.

From the government's point of view an enormous number of people would
immediately apply for pensions or an increase in pension.
What the bail in does is take the highest security rated funds first.

It is basically a method of protecting bond holders and shareholders.

Foxy be very careful of apartments on the gold coast sweetie. There are a number of specialist rip off merchants, still who make a living flying southerners to the Gold Coast for a weekend, & tying them up with an apartment without letting them see comparisons of value. They are real experts at doing this so smoothly that the victim doesn't see it happening.

It is getting harder for them, as many can do some homework on the net, & I'm sure you would be one of them, but people are still falling for it.

Why the Gold Coast? Unless you are thinking of retiring here, an apartment here is harder to manage than one near home, & is more risky for that alone. Then add that you have little knowledge of the place, & you are much easier to trick than you would be at home.

One trick is holiday lettings. They swing buyers with the thought of holidays for free. It can work, but often it doesn't.

My son in law's parents sold the farm, & bought management rights to an apartment complex on the coast. That property is a good one, but they still have owners who were lead to believe their returns would be greater than was ever likely, or even possible.

It is essential to spend a week or more looking privately if you are thinking seriously.

It is nice up here, but many have been ripped off, rather than enjoyed buying in.

Bazz I have 6 acres of black soil flats by the river, & an irrigation licence. However the river is 70 Ft down to the water, from the paddock. If you are right about fuel, with no pump, getting water to crops would be way beyond me. I would need some muscle bound morons to carry it up the bank. Are you a volunteer?

A neighbors windmill can produce only a couple of thousand gallons a day, & as it takes 26,000 gallons to put an inch on an acre, that wouldn't do much.

When I was serious I found you had to put at least 3" of water on the black soil, in a dry spring like this one, to get the Lucerne, [or grass] to start growing. To get the whole 6 acres producing anything, that requires almost half a million gallons of water.

Just to keep one acre productive all year we are talking about half a million gallons in this climate, in a dry[ish] year.

Makes you wonder how we would get on, if the energy runs out doesn't it. Money might be the least of our worries.

Dear Bazz,

I appreciate the advice but I've still got
a way to go before deciding what to do.
At the moment all I'm trying to do is save
as much as I can - and then we'll see.
I work hard and I'd hate to lose my life
savings nad not be able to look after myself
in my old age. I was raised with the ethics
to be responsible for yourself - and make
provisions for a rainy day. It never occurred to
me that it can all be lost in a flash despite
whatever we do. Anyway your discussion is a
real-wake up call, and now I'll have to give
it some more serious thought. So Thanks.

Dear Hasbeen,

I love the Gold Coast - and would move there
gladly. However my husband can't take humidity
and may not be persuaded to leave Melbourne.
So it's all just conjecture at the moment.
Also it depends how much I can manage to squirrel
away in funds. Nothing is set as yet. And as I stated
earlier - I've got to save up first. We may not be able
to afford as much as I'd like.

Hasbeen,
have you thought of using a small steam engine ?
A three or four horse power engine would I think move a lot of water
on a small amount of wood.
With your engineering knowledge the maintenance of such plant would be a doddle.
I wonder sometimes just how long solar cells can be kept going if
replacements become unavailable/too costly ?
If they can be kept going NIFE battery and cells might be able to pump
enough water.

Foxy;
My wife's brother on the Gold Coast has a strata title unit and
they have their own manager who handles maintenance and sales.
I do not know how many are like that but it could be of interest.

The humidity is not that bad. My brother in law has a unit that faces
towards the ocean and he does not even have an air conditioner.
He does not need it.

Hasbeen, just had a google search on stationary steam engines.
Stacks of them but nearly all models.
Did see a photo of an air compressor that had been converted into a steam engine.
Plenty of ideas there.