Longing for a country lifestyle close Canberra's CBD?

There are outliers among us; those who choose to live far enough away to enjoy a country lifestyle, but remain close enough to enjoy the benefits only a city can offer.

Chris Churchill, of Peter Blackshaw Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra, says cross-border locations are popular for many reasons.

“Jerrabomberra is generally sought-after for the size of its blocks and quality of its homes,” he says.

“It’s certainly grown up over the years, but people still say it retains more of a rural feel than that of a suburb.”

Churchill says locations further out like Carwoola offer a different lifestyle and are popular with families.

“Properties can range in size from around four hectares and offer space enough for the kids to have a horse or to race around on trail bikes,” he says.

“Remote living involves more commuting, but I’ve found that families tend to put down roots and stay there for a long time.”

John Lennie, of Elders Murrumbateman, says people are drawn to the town because it offers a wide range of everything, from smaller blocks to estate-sized properties.

“That’s its advantage over some of the options like Gundaroo, Sutton and Gunning,” he says.

“On top of that there’s a lot more infrastructure including shops, restaurants and more – there’s a lot of investment going into Murrumbateman.”

Lennie says a daily Canberra commute is a small price to pay for a country lifestyle – and that’s being proven by the number of families who are making the cross-border relocation.

BORDER CROSSING

• Size. Cross-border locations offer genuine rural living with plenty of room to breathe. Popular options from Carwoola to Sutton and Murrumbateman range from around one hectare to eight hectares and more.
• Lifestyle. A big driver of rural living is enough room for space-consuming interests like horses, boutique agriculture or other hobbies – or simply enjoying that end-of-day feeling of having “gotten away from it all”.
• Access. There’s rural living and then there’s isolation. Popular locations are usually within 30 minutes of Canberra and are mainly accessible by sealed roads for the daily commute or shopping essentials.

SUITABLE HOMES ON THE MARKET

Carwoola

79 Weetalabah Drive

$1.85 million – $2.035 million

Jerrabomberra

14 Aspen Rise

$1,275,000

Murrumbateman

42 Merryville Drive

Auction: 6pm, May 10