We discover the identity of the real suckers.

Property number six is beyond steeply undulating. The agent slows to put the Toyota into '4 wheel drive' and we are barely past the front gate. We push up the track, sliding sideways on the loose gravel. My high school study of geography tells me that the contour lines are getting so close they are blurring into one solid line.

Some time in the past a 'pioneer of the area' cleared this land, probably before the invention of chain saws and bull dozers. Now mother nature is getting her own back, tree ferns, bracken and good sized eucalypts are reclaiming their hills, contour by contour.

We nudge carefully down the track, the view is unforgettable as much for the vertiginous descent as the outlook. I file property number six under 'memories of trekking in Nepal, without snowy peak backdrop.'

Note to self - research mountain goats or research farms with fewer contour lines.

Back at at a lower altitude, the conversation in the Toyota turns to livestock, as the urban would be farmers interrogate the agent about options on farms aspiring to be cliffs.

' The run of suckers is late into market this Spring' we learn. ....

The run of suckers!! ... are we that obvious!!

' Yer, this has been bad -there's a 48% drop compared to last year'

The ramifications of the GFC are clear, yet here we are in the back of the Toyota being confronted with our sheer naivety.

'Yer, the new season lamb market is way down this year.'

The would be farmers both breathe a sigh of relief - another lesson learned - keep your mouth shut and all will be revealed.

Later I quietly google 'sucker' ..... "A lamb still sucking the ewe and ready for slaughter. The most succulent lamb of all."

Are we suckers?

Wandering along the main street of country towns window shopping for a farm is an interesting way to while away a morning and it's clear everything is for sale. 'ultimate country living' -- 'for the equine enthusiast' or ' secluded acreage' feature strongly in the widow displays , my favourite... ' steeply undulating' ... left me wondering if climbing gear was not optional or at the very least mountain goats will be the only stock worth considering.
And what story lies behind - ' 120 ha, 2 bedrooms, no bathroom, mortgagee sale, DA approved for stunning home.'

But back to the suckers. In the back of the 4 wheel drive I shuffled the files over to the other seat as we bounced over the cattle grids. The agent explained that he was more into the 'stock' rather than 'station' side of the business.

At the first property there was a problem with the gate, -wrong keys or wrong property? Not a promising start.

Next stop was 'Lost Hope Farm', a sad and sagging house with a good crop of dust taking hold, possibly sadder was the dog chain at the back door with collar still attached - do I even want to know that story?

A Good Idea - Lets Buy a Farm

Maybe it was the half deaf neighbour's choice of radio station I was forced to share- or was it the fact that I could hear the sound of the 747's lumbering down the runway at the airport a good 15 km away?

Suddenly it seemed like a perfectly natural idea - find a rural getaway, a farm - an escape. The city was crowding in and the only way to beat it was to leave it.

That was the biggest decision, or was it. Where would this farm be found? Do you just scan the papers and check the 'open for inspection' times in the rural real estate section and then wander round on Saturdays checking out the ... what does one 'check out' on a farm?

Friends and family provided input from across the advice spectrum -
'You're what!!!'
'A farm! You'll go broke.'
'Leave the city, you'll be bored stiff.'
'Fantastic, you can have a horse!'
'Great, think of all the fresh veggies you can produce - and chickens and cows and...'

Nothing much happened for a month or two, then the tree change urge started to gnaw away again, so one weekend a 'tire kicking ' exercise was organised. We headed off into the hour and a half circle we had drawn around the city to catch ourselves a farm.

Step 1.  Cruise up and down the main street of chosen country town and peer at the 'For Sale' displays in the real estate agents windows.

Step 2.  Enter the offices with enticing window displays and enquire about properties for sale.

Step 3.  Be prepared to be catagorised as a weekend tire kicker.

Step 4.  Be persistent, because country real estate agents are a loquacious group, with plenty of time to dispense country wisdom to would be farmers. You'll learn stuff that will become important in life. Information mentally filed away included -the paths of the power lines, where the local tip could be found, tips on soil quality, weeds to watch and roads that led well off the beaten track .

Well we left our first meeting knowing that real estate agents are known as stock and station agents in the bush and they like to tell you the about the prices the 'suckers' fetched at the last sale. Did he include us in the sucker category?