Established by the Australian Agricultural Company in 1826, Stroud is an incredibly picturesque rural town which is steeped in history. Many gorgeous heritage buildings and convict built structures such as the 8 underground grain silos within “Silo Hill” still remain today.
Located along The Bucketts Way, inland of the beaches of Port Stephens, approximately 1 hour from the Hunter Valley and approximately 2.5 to 3 hrs from Sydney, Stroud falls within the Midcoast Council area. The residential area of Stroud is surrounded by farmland, both working farms and lifestyle properties. It is incredibly pretty, framed by rolling hills and mountains, plus a high average rainfall ensures it is almost always lush and green.
Stroud has an approximate population of 1000 people, the highest percentage being made up of families in owner occupied homes. At R & R Property we regularly receive enquiries from clients wishing to rent in the area but the town does not hold enough investment properties to accommodate the demand.
For the littlies Stroud Public School has an excellent reputation and there is also the choice of nearby Booral and Stroud Road schools as well. Pre-school and 2 x day care centres are available plus playgroups. Because the schools are small the children benefit from being able to work closely with their teachers and also form strong friendship bonds with their peers as a group.
For higher school education children have the choice to commute via school bus to Dungog, Gloucester, Medowie, Bulahdelah, Raymond Terrace, Maitland and Newcastle.
Stroud has a commercial hub of retail shops and services within the main street and surrounding areas including a pharmacy, a medical centre, produce store, antiques store, hand made goods, second hand furniture shops, a grocery store with newsagency service, post office, butchers, bakery, hairdressers, beauty salons, café’s, remedial massage, mechanic, tyre service, auto electrician, fuel stations, Hotel, Country Club & Golf Course, Chinese Restaurant, and a Real Estate Agency. There are also a high number and large variety of small businesses operating from homes throughout the area. We currently have one Farm gate/road side stall business operating, where fresh organic produce is sold. There are also regular Permaculture and related classes available. A cluster of boutique vineyards exist, some offer cellar door services, another holds regular muso functions, weddings, parties and markets. Yamahas number one motocross champion, Josh Green has a riding school here as well; perfect for kids and adults alike to learn new riding skills.
Community spirit is strong in the country and this certainly applies to Stroud. I have always found that whenever a family or person is in crisis the community all pulls together to help them. It is truly wonderful to see and experience. I also love walking down the street when locals stop you for a chat or sing out a greeting. You certainly feel like you belong in this amazing community.
There are numerous groups and activities to be enjoyed, anything from boot camp, trail riding, trail bike groups, pony club, historical society, garden club, quilting to acting & writers groups, whatever takes your fancy. We have the Stroud Raiders Football Team, The Wild Cats Soccer Team & the Cricket Club should you be a sporting enthusiast.
Annual events include the Stroud Show, Stroud Rodeo & Camp Draft, International Brick & Rolling Pin Throwing Contest and the Stroud Fair. R & R Property always attend these events, have their marquee up and provide face painting for the littlies. It is a great time to catch up with our community as a whole. R & R Property are always sponsors for Stroud’s events. Our next major event coming up is the Stroud Annual Country Show in which this year we will be sponsoring the wife carrying competition and the token booth.
Stroud and its surrounding localities have an amazing array of varying waterways, both fresh and salt water, therefore lending itself to be enjoyed by kayakers, boating enthusiasts, fisherman or just having plain old splashing about fun. I personally grew up in the small town of Allworth. Allworth is located just south of Stroud and is placed along the banks of the Karuah River which is salt water at that point. It has a boat ramp and jetty and we have a very popular fishing club who hold an annual flathead catching competition. I spent my childhood swimming, fishing, boating and catching mud crabs in the river, with friends and family. It’s truly an amazing and beautiful river.
Stroud features public parks and BBQ areas, a free 25m public swimming pool, skate park & a beautiful showground with camping facilities. A little known fact is that Stroud has a “Common”. A 30 acre parcel of land on the fringe of the residential area to be used by the community. Locals who live in the residential area can keep their horse on the common for as little as $3 per week.
Locals either work in the area in various trades and employment or commute. Stroud has a large poultry & beef industry and a handful of dairies still. We are within easy travelling distance to the RAAF base and the Newcastle Airport which provides employment. Others commute to the surrounding suburbs or to Newcastle City, Central Coast or Hunter Valley for employment, finding it an easy drive along our roads once they’re out of the city areas. As previously mentioned as well, a lot of locals are working small businesses from home.
Affordability is excellent in the Stroud district with the current median house price sitting around the $325,000 mark. Our prices range from vacant ¼ acre building blocks in the vicinity of $120,000 and up into large prestige properties in the $1 Million+ range. We have some new rural/residential estates coming onto the market in the near future which will be exciting and meet the demand we currently have for small acreages.
We are currently incredibly short on stock given the successful year we had last year which came through into the Christmas period. In Stroud we’ve always had the Sydney market either for weekend getaways or complete relocations but these days it has changed to mostly complete relocations. Central Coast clients have become one of our largest new player groups to the field. It seems that because Sydney is still in boom mode at the time of writing, vendors are selling up and moving to the Central Coast. In fact the Central Coast locals are calling their home town “Little Sydney” and looking to escape from the rat race by moving our way for a Tree Change. We also have quite a bit of interest from the Newcastle area and Medowie. Medowie has the RAAF Base and the Newcastle Airport not far from it; which are an approximate 45 minute drive from Stroud. This leads workers to buy in our area and make the easy commute as needed. Having the Airport at such a handy distance suits business people who possibly work from home but have to attend meetings at Head Office, or meet with clients on a regular basis. It is also popular with mine workers who fly in and fly out to Western Australia.
Currently our most popular properties are the smaller acreages, between 2 to 50 acres. These are classed as hobby farms. The smaller sized parcels of land allow people to have the space they yearn for as well as keep animals, have vegetable gardens, ornamental gardens and chicken coops. These smaller sized acreage properties are not as much maintenance, especially helpful for the owners who are working away from home.
Here is a handy link to our Business Directory: CLICK HERE For R & R Property’s STROUD BUSINESS DIRECTORY
Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook – “Hints and Tips”.
You can grab your FREE Tree change Guide at : www.randrproperty.com.au
YOU SEE OUR SIGNS EVERYWHERE!
Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423
***PLEASE NOTE: This information is meant as a guide only and clients should always undertake their own independent research.
