2010 is the 20th year for hinternoosa.com.au, everyone in the region deserves a pat on the back for not killing the goose that laid the golden egg.  Even with the population increase we haven’t destroyed the lifestyle and the environment that encouraged us to come here in the first place.

I was attracted to the Noosa hinterland by the fact that my parents lived on Eumundi Range.  At the risk of sounding like a Remington razor advertisement, I liked the property so much I decided to buy a piece.  Having worked here on the coast for a time I decided to do what most young Australians’ do and take a year off and go backpacking round the world.  Amongst other things this taught me that we enjoy one of the best lifestyles and best environments in the world and hence I think it was only natural that I ended up in real estate encouraging others to participate in this Noosa hinterland Eutopia that we enjoy so much.

Back in 87 my first sale was a vacant 5 acre parcel of land for $30,000.  In 1990, together with a lady named Lyndal, who was later to become my wife, we created hinternoosa.com.au and it has grown considerably over the 20 years. Real estate is an investment that has consistently shown solid growth over a long period of time and come out on top.

Over the years I’ve enjoyed being part of various groups, the Cooroy Streetscape Committee that resulted in the leafy paved pedestrian areas we enjoy today.  As a founding Director of the Cooroy Community Bank and am proud to report it’s in the ‘black’ now and returning money to the community.  I was also a member of the initial Task force for the Lower Mill Site.  The transformed site has provided a great deal more employment than was lost through the closing of the Sawmill and April will see the opening of a first class Library precinct for our community.

There are now more qualified buyers competing in our hinterland marketplace, it’s developed into a $100mill a year business employing 18 locals - a team we’re very proud of. If you break down that sales figure for a year, it’s 160 - 170 sales with an average sale price of about $600,000.  I’d suggest that block of land that I sold back in 1987 would have gone up more than 10 fold.

Training is the main stay of team hinternoosa our ethos of ‘open, honest & fair’. An understanding of people’s online search behaviour has been critical to our success.  Hinternoosa.com.au has invested heavily in technology to retain a competitive edge.

The 20 years from 1990 to the 2010 has seen some change, in large part the viable rural enterprises have disappeared and been replaced by buyers focussed on achieving life’s balance looking to live the ‘green dream’. Residents need’s for products and services has allowed the commercial precincts of Cooroy, Pomona and Eumundi villages to expand to accommodate them.  With that has come first class medicine, Schooling, sporting and other advantages.  I think in our region we can be proud that we’ve excelled in preserving the environment and to a degree we’ve developed along sustainable lines. We have an opportunity to ensure that our region is just as appealing in 20 years time as it is today.