To ask you, how remote an area would you be happy to live in?

[CheapSausagesAndSpam]

Reason is this...DH and I live in Australia with our two DC.

Next year, we;ll be able to buy a property. We're not young...both 44.

We currently live in a rented house in a very beautiful and desirable area...45 mins from the central business district...our DC attend school here and we love it.

It's semi rural...all the charm of the countryside but with amenities very close...so it is expensive.

Now....we went yesterday to drop off one of our DC at a sleepover party. The area was 50 minutes drive away...(here in Oz that's not shocking at all) the family in question have lived there, making the big drive to and from school for three years.

It was BEAUTIFUL.

An absolutely gorgeous area...but pretty remote.

There house was hidden in woodland...the sea was close by...there was a general store abou two miles away and a church.

Property there we realise is CHEAP. I'm talking CHEAP.

Obviously because of the remote factor.

In terms of work, DH has indicated that he'd be happy to make the commute ...I work from home.

The children...well...they'd manage I'm sure. They could have a pony....friends could come home with them from school on Fridays or they could stay in town with their friends if they wanted.

I'm just trying to think about it and would like your opinions and thoughts.

I said to DH "what if we get infirm?" and he said we'd move somewhere smaller...somewhere with no land to care for and closer to pharmacies and all that.

The doctor would be about a 30 minute drive from the area I'm looking at as there's another smaller town than the one we currently live in, in the other direction.

I'm very much a homebody and unafraid of being alone for long stretches. DH loves gardening and would love to have more land.

In Australia too, and have lived about 40/50 minutes from the nearest town centre for a 14 year period. No beach unfortunately , north western NSW on a larger cattle station, and I moved there from Sydney.

Things to think about:

• cars and cost of petrol. We changed our car to something more economical, as the driving cost was killing us. Also to something with a higher safety rating.

• you have to, like you said plan a bit more. Schedule appointments near times you'll be in town etc. Appointments in the middle of the day were a big no-no.

• I used to do pick up and drop off for school- so over 2 hours in car per day. Your after school club idea sounds good.

• groceries. Depending on how remote your area is you need to shop like you were preparing for the apocalypse and stock up. There's no more quick trips to the shop. Buy a large fridge, separate freezer.

• is the GP your current one? If not, check if the DR's books are open or not.

• buy a ride-on- lawn mower

• kids activities and friends were a bit of an issue. We had to do lots to make it easier for other parents - meeting them halfway for play dates , overnights etc.

• check the internet services - if you work online from home, you might be in for a rude shock with the available speeds and contracts.

• ditto mobile phone reception.

• town water or tank water? Consider when buying a place the number and size of the water tanks and their age.

• septic system or town? ( older places can have septic systems that may not always meet new standards and can be a hidden cost)

• fire - much more of a consideration than near the CBD.

• have you had experience keeping horses etc before ? If not, look into cost before buying. Fencing is also very necessary ,and again very expensive if you can't do it yourself.

• make sure you have a guest room for your visitors.

There are other considerations for larger properties on land but it doesn't sound like you're buying more than 5 acres at a wild guess. It does sound like a lovely area.

I would hate it. HATE IT. I need activity and human contact, and lots of it. I couldn’t even countenance moving somewhere where the only amenities within two miles were a general store and a church. And frankly my children wouldn’t thank me for it. Being a part of their peers’ lives is so much more valuable than having a horse...