adventures on a hillside country block
2022 marked a big occasion, with the purchase of a rural, sloping block - hopefully to serve as our long-term retirement plan.
Down the Hill - April 2022
April work on the block could be divided into two parts: clearing and hauling logs up a hill, and breaking down those logs. My fondness for old-school, manual tools led me to purchase a long 'Katana' folding saw, which made surprisingly short work of the mostly medium-sized logs. Now if only the locals would pay heed to my 'free fire wood' sign and help themselves, I wouldn't have to contend with another dump trip.
There is still one very large pile of logs that I need to start tackling, but for the most part the next section has been relatively-easy-to-clear long-grass. With a couple of long work days on the block, we've also been lucky to meet some of the slightly-skittish local fauna, including a pair of wallabies who strangely enough appeared immediately after a passage of 2-stroke powered brush-cutting. I'm reliably informed there are many bandicoots around, which would explain the many holes around the bases of trees, but they are notoriously difficult to actually sight. One day...
After the Floods - Late March 2022
After a lot of rain to start 2022, the block has maintained its green tint. Unfortunately, the weeds and wild grass grow faster than the plants and nice lawn-like couch do. I was indeed correct that the next stages of clearing have been significantly more difficult, due in part to the previous owner's efforts, or lack there of. Piles of logs and branches were stuffed among overgrown vines and lantana. Nothing a saw, a long hoe, and some sweat couldn't remove however.
This has now opened up a number of small and flat (okay, flat-ish) areas which should be sufficient for camping. The next stage is down the slope, home to more lantana that is currently obscuring the view. With any luck I'll also uncover more natural shelfs formed from large boulders, which I plan to reshape into litle seating areas with the addition of the many smaller boulders littering the site.
Early Days - January 2022 to March 2022
The block had not been particularly well-maintained in recent times, to say the least. There were weeds higher than my head, and no facilities beyond a shipping container dropped on the site.
With a little (a lot) of work, there are now signs that there is a usable block of land underneath the greenery and years of accumulated sticks and deadwood. Hand clearing, brush cutting, mowing, more clearing and the first ~10 odd metres have again appeared. The main attraction of the block had been the potential for a stunning view, and this is the first step towards opening up that view.
The next stages may be considerably harder to clear.