New, Small Rural Landholders

Do you own a small property in picturesque, rural Victoria? Or, are you thinking about purchasing a small farmlet as part of the ‘tree change’ trend to a rural lifestyle for your growing family or for a peaceful retirement as a 'hobby or lifestyle farmer'? If so, this website has been set up to help you access the information you need to know about small property management in regional Victoria. You probably realise that there are lots of things you need to know about managing your rural property in order to meet legal obligations related to agricultural production and taking care of the environment. The Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) can help. We have a program available to help new landholders settle into their role of small property managers. Our staff can provide support and information to new landholders on a range of topics on farm management such as biodiversity/revegetation, Whole Farm Planning, fencing, weed management and livestock care. We can also tell you about the range of services and courses on offer for small farmers in your district. This website is a good place to start. You could also contact one of our three state co-ordinators based at Central Victoria (Bendigo), North East (Benalla) and West and South Gippsland (Ellinbank) for further information (see Regional Programs) and to learn about upcoming events. Or, you could email the service directly for further information: new.landholders@dpi.vic.gov.au and we will get back to you promptly. The DPI Customer Service Centre (Phone: 136 186) can also help with general queries relating to agriculture and hobby farming. We welcome the opportunity to help people new to the lifestyle of a country property manager. Please fill in the New Landholder Expression of interest form and either fax or post to your nearest contact person on our team and we will get back to you. To view the attached PDF documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link). New Landholder expression of interest (PDF 1.3MB) Even if you are only thinking about buying a small property we suggest you consider our 10-point checklist as part of your decision making process. 10-point checklist when thinking of purchasing a rural property New Landholder - Thinking of purchasing? (PDF 223KB) Managing a Small Property Living in Rural Victoria Regional Programs DPI Research about Lifestyle Farmers Hot Topics Upcoming Events Feedback