Crows Nest tree change: Small town near Toowoomba continues boom as lifestyle block sales up $200k

The price of lifestyle blocks in and around one of the Toowoomba’s fastest-growing small towns has exploded as suburbanites escape the cities to embrace the country air.

Patrick Elliott and Tami Simpson have swapped two-hour commutes and bustling work lives for some peace and quiet — and they don’t regret a thing.

“(The drive to Toowoomba) is much-more pleasant than sitting on a freeway, even if you live within 20km (of the centre of Brisbane) it can take hours to get home,” Mr Elliott said.

The lawyer and accountant couple are among the dozens of ex-city residents making a treechange in the wider Crows Nest area as part of a wider migration of suburbanites to regional Queensland.

Mr Elliott and Ms Simpson said a move to the country had been a long-held dream that at one point they didn’t think would come true.

Patrick Elliott and Tami Simpson moved to a property at Groomsville for a treechange, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We were living in the western suburbs (of Brisbane), we bought 2.5 acres and put a removal house on it about 13 years ago,” Ms Simpson said.

“We’d actually been looking to move (west) a few years, because my parents own a farm at Haden.

“We’d actually given up and then we randomly phoned (Ray White Crows Nest agent) Geoff Trost and asked if we could have a look at something.

“All of a sudden we found ourselves with this place.”

Their new home, a 26-hectare block at Groomsville, features incredible views of the Darling Downs and even an old barn the couple has since renovated.

Patrick Elliott and Tami Simpson moved to a property at Groomsville for a treechange, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

While the 130-year-old cottage unquestionably needs some work done, Ms Simpson said she was enjoying being back on the land.

“It’s the peacefulness but it’s close enough to parks and restaurants — we’re closer to a restaurant in Groomsville than we were in Brisbane,” she said.

“We like the idea of moving to a small town to connect with the community a bit more, and we’ve made some quite meaningful connections just by living here the past few months.”

Patrick Elliott and Tami Simpson moved to a property at Groomsville for a treechange, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

It comes as the High Country Hamlet area north of Toowoomba experiences a significant influx of new residents and businesses into area, with Crows Nest an epicentre for the phenomenon.

The couple said they had seen the demographic shifts first-hand, noting how welcoming Crows Nest locals had been to the change.

“(The town) looks like everything is happening, and they like everyone coming in,” Ms Simpson said.

“We met a couple while we were getting coffee who moved from Sydney and people from the Gold Coast who moved up.

“A lot of people went through a similar thought process, and then Covid or personal circumstances hit — they asked, if not now then when?” Mr Elliott added.

The original cottage on the property where Patrick Elliott and Tami Simpson moved to at Groomsville for a treechange, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Crows Nest hobby farm prices exploding

Geoff Trost, principal Ray White Rural Crows Nest. Thursday, June 9, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Property data compiled by News Corp has revealed a huge spike in the number of lifestyle rural property sales in and around Crows Nest over the past two years.

Nearly 100 properties with parcels between five and 120 hectares changed hands between July 2021 and July 2023 – up from just 69 during the preceding 24-month period (2019-21).

The demand for hobby farms is correlating in the sales values; the average (mean) selling price is up $170,000, while the median price has increased an astonishing $205,000.

Ray White Crows Nest agent Geoff Trost said he had seen several lifestyle blocks double in value since they were last sold many years ago.

But he had been most surprised at the ferocity of inquiries, with some listings securing a successful offer within a couple of days.

“The time on market for that stuff is very short — we sold a 100-acre block within 48 hours recently,” Mr Trost said.

“Our (two) most recent properties at Geham and Crows Nest (had) 120 inquiries between them.

“It’s been like this the past 18 months probably, but I would go so far as to say it has been noticeable this year.

“We were expecting the market to calm a little bit at the end of last year, that the frenzy would ease off, but the rural lifestyle market (hasn’t).”

Mr Trost said while type of buyers had varied, they all had a similar desire to escape the metropolitan areas.

“They’re not always professional people, just people wanting to get out of the suburbs,” he said.

“(The demand is) going to stay strong, at the moment I don’t have a rural lifestyle property to offer.

“There are some who are thinking of moving, but right now if you wanted something like what Tami and Patrick had, I’d say I don’t have it.

“Every time we list something, it’s gone in days.”