Have you been thinking of breaking free from the shackles of urbanisation by trying to escape into the countryside? You may fancy the idea of setting up a small holding to live off the land, produce crops for sale or rear animals. Obviously, there is plenty of land available in sparsely-populated Australia, but you need to make sure that it is suitable for your purpose and will allow you to fulfil your objective first. In particular, you need to make sure that you have enough water available and should do quite a bit of exploration first. Where should you start?

Crucial Commodity

As you may know, there are vast quantities of groundwater beneath the surface. In fact, this type of water represents the lion's share when it comes to supplying the needs of consumers in certain parts of the country. For some people, groundwater may be the ONLY source available.

Regulations

As it is such a valuable commodity, it must also be regulated. Whereas you may well be able to sink a bore to access water from one of these artesian basins, you may face restrictions and other requirements before you can do so.

Wealth of Information

A lot of the donkey work may have been completed for you, however, as you can access a wealth of information from government sources before you begin. You can do some research online to look at the area in question, and this will provide you with information about the groundwater available. You can also learn about the quality of the water by looking at hydro-geological information and see how these figures have changed over the last decade or more.

Being Informed

This data will allow you to make an informed decision as to whether you should "set up shop" there, with a careful eye to the future. You will also be able to see how much water you are entitled to draw and once you have drilled a bore to access it, you can check its quality and salinity against other water bores in your region.

Where to Start Looking

Have a look at the Australian Groundwater Insight, which is a fantastic resource to help you begin your exploration. You'll be able to learn all about "licensed entitlement" and "non-licensed entitlement." Then, chat with companies who can help you to bore for the water, to help you explore your logistics, practicality and budget as you further your plans.