Land Ownership Change in Rural NSW: Hunter transect Report

Abstract

The Hunter transect is diverse area. So much so, that it is difficult to conceptualise it as a unity. It is a region in flux, with pockets of rapidly increasing land values and conversion of traditional agricultural land into rural residential and tourism uses. It also has significant pockets of highly productive agricultural land, with corporate actors playing a key role and areas of established family farming. Yet in some areas of the transect there has been a constant state of ownership change in recent years, as newcomers buy into the region, either to expand their assets or start anew. With major transformations occurring in other sectors, such as biobanking, renewable energy, and changes to the mining sector, the Hunter transect sheds light on the diverse sets of processes that are influencing patterns of land ownership in rural NSW.