$1 rentals put Vic town on map

Michelle Draper | 3rd July 2009

AAP

A SMALL central Victorian town has been inundated with inquiries from as far away as Ireland to lease two farmhouses for $1 a week.

Wycheproof, population 815, lies between Melbourne and Mildura in the state's north and like many rural communities, suffers from dwindling residents.

In particular, the local football club was concerned it wouldn't have the numbers to keep going.

Inspired by similar initiatives in Levendale, Tasmania and Cumnock in NSW, a group of Wycheproof residents decided to offer vacant farmhouses to rent for $1 a week to attract more people to the area.

After the project was announced on Friday, Wycheproof rent-a-farmhouse co-ordinator Kylie Brown was inundated with inquiries to lease the houses, including from an expatriate Australian living in Ireland.

By noon on Friday she had fielded about 30 inquiries from around Australia and overseas.

Ms Brown said two houses were initially being offered for the peppercorn rent, with plans to increase the number of houses to about 10 or 12.

Of those, several would be offered at the low rate of $50 to $100 a week.

In exchange for the nominal rent, residents are expected to renovate, refurbish or maintain the properties, she said.

Ms Brown said Wycheproof has a lot to offer prospective residents.

"Wycheproof is a very dynamic, friendly town - it's a fantastic place for kids to grow up," she said.

"I expect because of the nature of the program that we will have a lot of families apply but we are not discouraging anyone," she said.

Ms Brown is hoping the initiative will repeat the success of similar projects around the country.

In Cumnock, New South Wales, resident Christine Weston spearheaded a drive to lease farmhouses for $1 a week in October last year.

She was motivated to boost numbers at her children's school and save the school bus run - and she has achieved both.

Nine houses were offered for $1 a week and an additional 10 low-rental houses were leased.

Twenty new families have since settled in the area, the school's enrolments numbers jumped from 34 to 60, a cafe reopened and the school bus run continued.

"I guess the community spirit is what people are loving," she said.

A similar project in Levendale, Tasmania succeeded in saving its local primary school, threatened with closure because enrolment had dropped to just eight students.

"It's certainly working," Southern Midlands mayor, Anthony Bisdee, said of the community's $1 a week rental properties.

"The main reason for it was the school numbers dropped below acceptable levels."

Mr Bisdee said the school now had about 15 students.

He said the initiative could work in other areas in the same way.

"The idea of getting people in there for two years for $1 a week is a very good incentive."

Applications to lease the Wycheproof homes close on August 3. For more information, visit www.wycheproof.vic.au.

Recent Comments

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Posted by Predictor from Moore Park, Queensland

06 July 2009 12:51 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »

I guarantee it would be a complete different story if half yearly council rates go past $ 1000 as in Bundaberg..!

Posted by TSMBBS from Kincora, Queensland

07 July 2009 8:09 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »

Predictor has missed the whole point. The fact is that "greed" has forced many small communities into this situation and thank heavens someone is doing something about it. The greed is by farmers who buy out there neighbours, sack the workers and then buy huge machinery as a tax offset so they can employ even less workers. This loss of farm workers has a flow on effect to schools, rowns, shops etc. If you do not like the rates in Bundaberg, move to the bush.

Posted by Wyche from Wycheproof, Victoria

15 July 2009 2:43 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »

Changing agricultural practices have force farmers to need much larger holdings of land to put food on the table. Coupled with 14 years of drought in the Mallee and city-centric driven policy makers has seen many move away. Population decline is a world wide trend but it's how towns deal with these challenges that this story is about - some towns are prepared to be innovative and show other poeple the great lifestyle and childhood that can be had in small communities. Good on ya Wycheproof, I hope you have as much success as Cumnock and Leveston.