
When we first moved to Mudgee in 2007, clearing sales were a big part of our life. Infact, they basically were our social life.
Because a clearing sale is a farm un-packed, and we needed to start one. We bought everything from windows and doors to tools and furniture. Oh and that bridge, that one time.
Clearing sales are a fact of life in the country. Farms accumulate all sorts of things. And when it’s time to move on, you can’t, quite literally, take it all with you.
But that’s great news for everyone else. A clearing sale is like christmas, except they happen more regularly. And are, in my opinion, way more interesting.
A farm’s entire contents laid out in neat piles in a field: all the precious stuff that was kept for a rainy day, and lots of other things besides. And all available.
Actually now i think of it, we’ve bought two bridges in our time. One metal one, in segments, which was to be the entrance bridge over our creek – the one that we never did get council approval for.
The other bridge was of big round timbers, from a clearance sale somewhere way out west. We cut those down to make the frame of the tinyhouse.
We also bought most of the windows + doors for the tinyhouse at clearance sales, as well as packets of beautiful old timbers that became our stairs, our ceiling and more.
So you’re hearing me here, i think. Clearance sales are useful, when you’re building a farm from the bare ground up.
And now it’s our turn to be on the clearing side.
As you may have realised by now, we said goodbye to our pocket farm in late Autumn last year, and headed south in search of a community with better proximity to a primary school, reliable internet, and new horizons.
Nick’s parents, who generously allowed us to build Milkwood Farm onto the side of ‘Kirwin’, their larger farm, are now moving on too.
There’s plenty of emotions going on about leaving this land, but I focus on the fact that through our farm project, a lot of people learned new skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Very good times were had. Many lessons were learned. New right livelihoods were kicked off, and many fruit + nut trees were planted which will bear for many years to come.
But back to the clearing sale. Do you know what this means?
It means, my friends, that we are quite literally hosting the clearing sale we always wanted to go to!
All the things we accumulated. All those excellent parts of a small farm / education center we searched for, and eventually found. It’s time for it all to find a new home.
Basically we’re talking everything from caravans to recycled hardwood timbers to chaff cutters to an essential oil still to insulated shipping containers.
All the beautiful recycled doors and windows and other building bits that we collected, but which didn’t fit into our tinyhouse build.
Lots of tools, electric fencing, olive harvesting gear, polypipe, fencing materials, our former home/kitchen caravan, all our wwoofer/crew accommodation caravans… oh and that second bridge. Who need a bridge? We’ve got just the thing for you.
So there you go. It’s all happening on the 22nd November at 10am and the details are here. Maybe we’ll see you there.
Hello Kirsten,
I am very interested in the essential oil still. Do you have any more details or pictured you could send me? Can you also let me know the price.
Kind regards
Mardie Gray
Mardie – no I dont have pics sorry, but the still was used for distilling commercial quatities of lavender oil, if that helps – re price, it’s a clearing sale, so each thing is auctioned – it might go for lots, or 2cents, depending on who bids on the day –
I can relate to this, as we are moving on after seven years on our land too. No clearance sales, but a lot of stuff to organise nonetheless. It does break the heart a little to cut ties, so we’re not jumping for joy at the new adventure.
We’re content with our decision and there are plenty of things to look forward to. Happiness will follow us, as I know it will you too.
Good luck with the sale. 🙂
Thanks chris!
Hi,
Any chance of finding out the size of the 20 rock gabions?
….and are they readily transportable and don’t have rocks in them?
Thanks
Malcolm
there’s no rock gabions for sale malcolm – there are big concrete blocks though, if that’s what you mean