I have lived and worked in mining towns most of my life,from various Pilbara towns WA, then to Roxy Downs SA, and now the QLD Bowen Basin area. I have always been interested in real estate in these areas and have took note of the pros and cons of each of these areas. From what I have found is that if you can find an area that has 2 or 3 different industries(mining,gas,agriculture,graziers) to help support the towns growth, off course mining is always going the major driver of the area but if you look at what they mine and what it is used for, ie what type of coal? if gas is in the area who is it sold to and what contracts are in place for the future etc etc.What companies are mining the area? BHP etc have not got to were they are through making stupid decision, are they planning or do they have on going expansion over the next few yrs? Location is also a big one I think,would you take your family to an area that is so remote that you have to drive two days to get somewhere,and the only other option is to fly the family somewhere,(big dollars in remote areas)limit shopping for the missus could also be a major lol, but I do take all this into account.If a family can have the benefits of the mining jobs and also incorporate a good life style this is all a positive for an area.Places with only 3 or 4 hrs drive to a capital city/ large country centre/ tourist area etc all are a positives. I was lucky enough to get a cheap 900sqm ($90k)block of land 2 and hlf years ago and build myself 2 three bed two bath units on it, it is also helpful that I am a builder and built them myself which was also a huge saving.I am still confident in the area which I have chosen, the returns are great at the moment but I still keep a very good eye on what is happening in the area, it also helps that 90% of my construction work is in this area so you get a good feel for what is happening. Anyway that's my 2 bobs worth, make of it what you will hope it helps a bit. Cheers and GL Jack These are my opinions only and no advice is given.
