The Disaster-Ready Property Blueprint Every Rural Owner Needs
Getting a rural property ready before anything goes wrong
Living out of town buys you space and quiet, and it also means help is further away and the power goes off for longer. None of that is a reason to worry about it, but it is a reason to do the boring jobs while the weather is mild, because everything on this list is far harder to do in a hurry.
Fire
Keep the space around buildings clear
- Keep the grass down around the house and the sheds rather than only in the paddock.
- Clear dead leaves out of gutters and off roofs, and move branches and rubbish piles away from walls.
- Keep firewood and fuel stored well away from the house, not stacked against it.
The CFS publishes the current Bushfire Safety guidance and a Bushfire Survival Plan you fill in yourself, and it is worth reading that rather than working off what the neighbours do.
Water you can actually get at
A full tank is no use if the only way to move the water is a pump that needs mains power. Work out now how you would get water out of the tank with the power off, and make sure the fittings on your tank match the hose you would use.
Storm
Tie things down before the wind arrives
Outdoor furniture, sheets of tin, empty drums and stacked star pickets all become projectiles in a strong wind. Anything loose goes into a shed or gets strapped down.
Check the roof and the shed fixings
Walk the roofline and look for loose screws, lifted sheet edges and missing washers. An afternoon with a driver now is much cheaper than a repair after the fact. Sheds want to be anchored to their slab or footings properly, not just sitting on them.
Stock and pets
Animals need somewhere sound to shelter and fencing that holds when they panic. Check gate latches and strainer posts while you are out there.
Power
A rural outage is measured in days, not minutes. A generator is worth having if you run a freezer or a water pump, and the important part is testing it on a quiet Sunday rather than discovering the fuel has gone stale in the dark.
- Work out what genuinely needs power. Usually the fridge, the freezer and the water pump.
- Keep enough fuel on hand for a few days, stored safely and away from the house.
- Run the generator under load every few months so you know it starts.
Gas
If you cook or heat on bottled gas, running empty during an outage is the sort of small problem that turns into a big one. Keep a spare bottle, check the level before the cold months rather than during them, and swap or refill early. We do gas refills and Swap and Go at the shop, and there is more on how the bottles work on our gas supply page.
The kit, and the paperwork
- A battery or wind-up radio, because mobile coverage is the first thing to go.
- Charged power banks for phones.
- A first aid kit that somebody has actually checked the dates on.
- A printed list of emergency contacts, because the numbers live in a phone that might be flat.
- Insurance papers, deeds and identity documents in a waterproof container you can pick up and carry.
Shop related products
- Monkey Grip Ratchet Tie Down 25mm x 4m. For strapping down anything that would otherwise fly.
- Monkey Grip Tie Down Marine 25mm x 4m. Same job, longer run.
- Supercraft Torpedo Level. Handy when you are resetting a gate or a post.
More in hardware and automotive. Gate latches, chain and rural fittings are on the shelf in store, so ring ahead on (08) 8536 4333 and we will check what is there.
Read next
- What to have on hand for fire season on a rural block
- How to keep a fire break clear on a rural block
- Bushfire resilient landscaping on a rural block
None of it is exciting work, which is exactly why it is worth doing early.
Cheers,
Candeece
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