Rural living handbook A guide for rural landholders of the Adelaide Plains, Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu Peninsula Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges natural resources centres Eastwood T: 8273 9100 E: [email protected] Gawler T: 8115 4600 E: [email protected] Black Hill T: 8336 0901 E: [email protected] Willunga T: 8550 3400 E: [email protected] www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au Copyright owner: Crown in right of the State of South Australia 2020 Disclaimer This handbook is not a comprehensive guide to managing your land. It is intended to help you find good advice. No legal liability is accepted for the information, errors or omissions contained in this booklet. Acknowledgements The format and some of the general content of the Rural living handbook are based on a rural living handbook produced by the Goulburn Mulwaree Council and the Sydney Catchment Authority, NSW. The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board would like to thank both organisations for permission to draw on the ideas contained in that document. This handbook was originally funded by the Australian government. The 2020 reprint was funded by the NRM levy. Table of contents Introduction – rural living 3 1 | Buying your property 5 Moving out of the city 5 Living in the region 6 What is the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Plan? 7 Planning and managing your property 8 Case study 10 2 | Natural resources 11 Water 11 Soil 14 Native vegetation and animals 16 Fire 19 Weeds 22 Pest animals 23 3 | Property management 25 Waste management 25 Effluent management 26 Chemicals 27 Wood smoke and heating 29 Livestock management 29 Fences 31 Farm safety 33 Rates 34 Absentee landholders 35 Developing your property 35 Improving your knowledge 36 Further reading 37 4 | Local information 39 Revegetation 39 Declared plants 40 Endangered fauna 41 Endangered flora 42 Local contacts 43 Local government contacts 44 Acronyms 45 Introduction – rural living ‘Getting away from it all’ is an Australian The Rural living handbook brings together dream. In the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges some of the significant issues that you will face (AMLR) region, getting away from it all often as a rural landholder within the AMLR region. involves buying a rural block. Rural blocks can It also provides contact details for people and be productive farmland, a bush block or a organisations that provide support to rural combination of both. landholders. However, the environment is under pressure from our collective lifestyles. So the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board through the Department for Environment and Water, along with private businesses and individuals, is pursuing sustainable development to protect our environment for the future. Local activities have a significant effect on water quality and catchment health. We have a responsibility to ensure that we care for and maintain healthy watercourses, soil, remnant vegetation and native fauna populations. As we need to get along well with our neighbours, we should avoid affecting the chosen lifestyle of others in pursuing our individual goals. However, our rural landscape is a productive farming and resource area, and some legitimate activities carried out in the region may have unavoidable impacts. Different people will want to manage their land in different ways. Some will want to keep and enhance the existing bush; others will want to run stock and cultivate crops. Whatever your goals as a landowner or manager, you need to be aware Map of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural of your rights and responsibilities. Resources Management Board region Rural living handbook | Introduction – rural living | 3 1 | Buying your property • Moving out of the city • Living in the region • What is the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Plan? • Planning and managing your property • Case study Moving out of the city • Is there enough shade and water for livestock? • Are you aware that in most instances you require Before you decide to buy a rural property, it is approval to remove native vegetation? How recommended that you have it independently might this affect your activities? assessed, and consider the following questions: • Is there enough water to carry out the activity • Does the zoning of the land allow your proposed or activities that you have in mind and is it of use, or will you need to apply for a change of suitable salinity? land use or any other permit? • Do you know what the regulations and • Are all required services provided to the property? conditions are for building dams or sinking If not, can they be provided economically? Or is bores? Do you know that any work undertaken it an area that will always have limited services? in or around a watercourse requires a permit Services include phone, internet (connections in (see chapter 2 on ‘Natural resources’)? rural areas may be slow, so check with providers), • Does the vendor have a water licence or gas, water, sewer and electricity. authorisation, and are they willing to transfer • Is the land use that you plan for the property this to you as the buyer? Is an approved meter suited to the landscape and capability of the land? installed? You can check metering requirements • What weeds are on the property? Are any of with the Department for Environment and Water. them declared weeds? (By law declared weeds • Has a water allocation plan been adopted must be controlled). for the area in which the property is located? • Is there soil erosion on the property that will Note that water allocations plans are legal be time consuming and expensive to fix? documents and may prohibit the building of new dams, or the taking of water (from • Are there pest animals (e.g. rabbits, foxes) dams, watercourses or underground) in some on the property? areas. The latest versions of plans can be • What is the likely amount of time and money found at www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/ required to control weeds, erosion and pest adelaidemtloftyranges. animals on the property? • Is the soil fertile and the pH appropriate for • Are there good-quality pastures? Are they pasture, crops or any other produce that you dominated by native or introduced species? want to grow? Will they provide all-year round ground cover? Rural living handbook | Buying your property | 5 • Are the fences in good repair and suitable • Are any threatened species of flora and fauna for confining stock and the overall grazing known to live on the property? management of the property? After you have satisfactorily answered all these • Are there suitable stockyards/facilities for the questions, will the property meet your needs and animals you intend to run? desired lifestyle? • Do you know the history of the property? Have previous owners sown pastures and used fertilisers? Will you need to remove rubbish? Living in the region • Is the region prone to flood or bushfire? Will you The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges need to undertake any management activities (AMLR) region to minimise these risks? • If there is no existing dwelling and you want The AMLR region supports a mosaic of remnant one, does the land have a building entitlement? bushland, farming land, urban development, hills and plains, diverse marine environments • Are there existing or proposed adjacent land and 364 kilometres of spectacular beaches uses that will affect your enjoyment of the and coastline. property? For example, are there legitimate rural uses nearby such as agriculture, horse-keeping, The region covers a vast area, including a quarries, mines or forestry that produce dust, significant area of ocean. As shown on the map odours or noise? in the introduction, the region extends from north • Is there a Heritage Agreement on the property of Kapunda and Mallala through the Northern that requires you to undertake specified Adelaide Plains and Barossa Valley and down management actions and limit the land uses? to the Southern Vales and Fleurieu Peninsula. • Have you asked the local council if there are: Services available to landholders – any development applications proposed nearby? The owners of small- and medium-size parcels – other developments that have been approved of land make up a significant proportion of but not started? landholders in the region. They are often new – any restrictions on developing certain desired to the land and have not come from a farming land uses? or rural background. There are a number of staff – any rights-of-carriageway or other easements throughout the region whose role is to help new on the property that need to be maintained and existing landholders manage their land in and/or which may allow neighbours access? a productive and sustainable way. – any covenants or agreements on the property Your local District Officer has intimate knowledge that protect certain areas? on managing natural resources in your local area. • Are there any derelict mine shafts on the District Officers can provide advice and support property? If so, are they fenced to ensure safety? with issues such as declared weed control, watercourse or native vegetation management and revegetation projects. They can provide this support over the phone or on site and the service is free of charge. Your local Sustainable Agriculture Officer has extensive knowledge of agricultural practices and issues and can provide advice and support on issues such as grazing, soil, and pasture management, livestock management, water resources management and property planning. Sustainable Agriculture Officers can provide free advice over the phone or on site. These officers also regularly organise land management courses, workshops and field days for landholders on a variety of topics.