Cheap Property, Hoptoun, Western Australia

The West Australian mining industry has shed as many as 5000 workers in less than four months. A lot of those were based in Perth in fly-in-fly-out operations but some regional towns are being affected to – Pilbara towns are starting to see rents drop as there are no well-paid workers to pay $1500/week for an average 3-bedroom house.

However Hopetoun, in the south of WA  is the town which is probably going to lose the most. The historic town which has been a sleepy holiday destination for years, sprang into life a few years ago with the development and opening of BHP-Billiton’s Ravensthorpe mine. The mine was expected to have a a mine life of 25 years so workers moved to the area in droves, the state opening a new primary school, the shire planned a significant upgrade to the airport and businesses moved into town.

The mine was closed last month and the workers will start leaving from the 28 February.  BHP has agreed to buy some properties but many more people are investors are effected. Check out the number of sections for sale in Hopetoun.

Hopetoun's Four Mile Beach

One developer facing ruin has slashed section prices from $230,000 to $69,000 – which was probably what they were before the mine-led boom started.  The blocks are 4 ha and include all services including roads and underground power lines. The reality is that for that price the place starts to look attractive as a retirement destination or even for a holiday home. At 582km from Perth, Hopetoun is what an Australian calls regional, not remote. Its perched on the south coast between the larger towns of Albany and Experance. The town is only a few kilometers from the spectacular Fitzgerald River National Park and the area offers all types of out door activity including spectacular wildflower displays between August and November, whale spotting from shore in winter, and fishing and hiking all year around. The area even gets a little cold in winter – a novelty for Western Australians

Realistically if you can buy a section for under $70k and put a transportable home (donga) or even a van or holiday kit home you are looking at a retirement option for less than $100k – for many people struggling with huge mortgages and difficult to move homes elsewhere in Australia this could be a perfect solution.

If you are American concerned about the collapse of civilization then you will be easily able to buy a section and build on it – your dollar is now worth a lot more than ours – that A$100,000 home will cost you US$65,000. If you love remote perfect beaches with no one else to spoil the view – you’ll love Hopetoun and the southern coast.