A refugee from Melbourne and Geelong's apartment body-corporate ripoffs describes how, even in rural Victoria, you can't get away from Melbourne's cost of living dystopia. But there are new problems, including an epidemic of sheep-stealing, coinciding with some eastern festivals.
How about we start by actually listening to rural Victorians? Most are too busy running farms
to feed us all, but lately they have been hitting the news more often. And about time.
I have only been out here since mid July, however I can’t help but make some observations:
- I knew there wouldn’t be much paid employment, but I wasn’t expecting to find that it is a volunteer doing the dishes at the local cafe.
- Curfew is dusk if you have no roo bar. I would hate to hit the wildlife.
- Bendigo Bank is closing its agency in town. This means a half hour drive to the next town to access counter services - essential for those who can’t work with numbers online (including people with disabilities- like myself). This is a kick in the face for our elderly who worked the land and fed this country all their lives. Bloody disgrace.
- The Country Fire Association (CFA) is run by volunteers, yet we cop a fire levy!!! WTF!!!
- People are told they have to allow their land to be used for renewable energy projects. Nuts! There’s plenty online about that so I won’t go on about it here.
- You have to wait months for a handyman to do basic things. For example, I have been here two months and still can’t open the gate to park the car in my own property.
- My elderly neighbour chops wood and cooks over a fire because he can’t afford to use a stove. But prior to that he was sleeping rough for years.
- It gets ridiculously hot for weeks on end and there are many houses with no air conditioning.
- I know of a woman refugee from Melbourne who recently took up residence in an old miner's shack that has never had electricity and does not have it now. That was all she could afford.
- Dotted around the edges of my village are people living in tents, caravans, and even lean-to's. In the bigger towns in the Riverina tents are clustered into informal settlements. People are too poor to afford rent even as far out as the Mallee, which is on the edge of the desert.
- And even if you can afford the rents out here, there is still not enough housing.
- Changes to standards under Victoria's new tenancy laws are unaffordable for many rural landlords, even if they could find people to make repairs and alterations.
- I had $10,000 and could not get anyone even to fix my fence to keep my dogs in or cover the holes in the floor and walls.
- Public transport is crap and the nearest railway station is an hour away.
- There’s a huge drug problem amongst the young.
- There is one local doctor and he is full up - join the queue or go to another town.
- The 13 SICK number for Emergency Doctors does not work in the country.
- I knew there would be no gas connected to the house, but I wasn’t expecting to have to get a solar panel connected to a car battery in order to charge my phone. Electricity is just too bloody expensive.
- There is no laundry at home; just cold water to run to the washing machine on the back verandah. (There is no laundrette within half an hour either). But at least the water is okay; in some rural towns the water is undrinkable.
- The internet is shit. I wasn’t expecting to have to wait into the evening to receive texts sent hours earlier. (And yes, I am with a company that uses Telstra).
- Petrol, food, and many other things are astronomically expensive. I haven’t bought much red meat since I moved up here. I am now iron deficient.
I don’t have children, so I can’t comment much about rural childhood. But it’s pretty obvious that as they grow up they are moving away to take up opportunities elsewhere (I hear that from volunteers at work).
But wait, there’s more!
It is alleged that Melbournians are stealing firewood from the side of the road. Sweeties, I hope that’s because you are desperate to cook your food over it like my elderly neighbour has to? Nah, didn’t think so. I just heard that some dickhead got caught re-selling it.
Sheep-stealing epidemic
Men have been caught on camera arriving with cages on trucks, stealing sheep from local farmers, where they are suspected to be taking them to Halal holding pens in Central Victoria. I have personally met one farmer affected and they are furious. People are talking about putting airtags on sheep, and getting their guns out. See facebook posts below:
PLS SHARE to CATCH these crooks
Grey Kluger Rego no 1TP4HI 2007 model -
Did you see it on the Calder over weekend and last night pls ?
Devastating news ! for lamb producers Helen and John near Inglewood
Please help us catch the thieves by Got a red hot sheep theft at
Inglewood / Kurting right nowSheep were checked last night at 5 pm as they knew theives were in area
Theft Discovered at 7 am
Flock counted 6 times - by john and helenStolen last night as vehicles with trailers and our middle eastern friends
stopping at farms asking to buy sheep's on the sat pm ( as posted by me on
facebook)40 ewes plus lambs stolen of Helen and John Smith
Police investigating as we speakThe lady is devastated
We have the registration of the vehicle
1TP 4HI grey 2007 Kluger seen on sat with sheep trailer towing behind
- can we find out where it comes from. Last seen on Calder at Girvan pass
on way to Melbourne with a similar vehicle and trailer behind (last trailer had two
mattresses in it - used to flattened the fences to access paddocks
owners to 'assist in the investigation'
Another post- HUNtED - Quest for stolen sheepURGENT' I have been tipped off this morning that there may be two possible halal holding facilities at two seperate locations in Central Victoria - not far from the last seven sheep thefts that were reported on my facebook page yesterday.If you are interested in this and have some time on your hands to take a country drive, please PM or text me on 0418530471 for more info on the exact locations asap' https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Psq7zMEVq/
Well that’s enough for tonight. It’s down to 2 degrees and I have to go stuff some more holes in my home to keep the draughts out. And the snakes.
But at least I have a home.
Next time you vote, please don’t forget us out here. Or next time, it could be you.
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