Thread: Interesting neighbours!

Originally Posted by JDNSW

The place is only about 8km from here, and I drive past it on every trip to town.

To pick up supplies?

Hello from Brisbane.

About 30 years ago I was working out of Deniliquin in southwestern NSW. Although they lived in town, my wife’s family had an irrigation farm about 20kms out. This farm was pretty advanced and had won a regional farm of the year award.

One weekend I had a couple of friends come up from Melbourne and out of interest I took them out to the farm to show them around. In the course of the visit we stopped here and there to look at various bits of infrastructure, as well as the general views over the neighbouring farms.

On their way back to Melbourne the friends were pulled over by the police and their car given a thorough going over. Finding nothing they were sent on their way. All very odd until the following week one of the neighbouring farms was subject to a huge drug bust - it had been under surveillance for weeks when we ambled up to the fence and were not known to belong there.

Cheers,

Neil

Just to put the situation a bit more clearly - the place where the Stoccos were apprehended is about the same distance from here, only north not west. I live in a fairly out of the way spot.

Clearly no good happens out there, our farm is in a similar location being near some pretty marginal country that has been carved up into blocks and sold off over the years. Google earth reveals some very interesting structures such as abandoned hangers and overgrown airstrips and big shed complexes not visible from any road, although the most excitement we have had was the dumping of a car stolen by an escapee of Oberon Prison, oh and I suspect that the "Colt" family may have been nearby, although I don't know exactly where.

Regards,
Tote

Originally Posted by Tote

Google earth reveals some very interesting structures such as abandoned hangers and overgrown airstrips and big shed complexes not visible from any road

Link so we can look around there?

Originally Posted by Tote

Clearly no good happens out there, our farm is in a similar location being near some pretty marginal country that has been carved up into blocks and sold off over the years. Google earth reveals some very interesting structures such as abandoned hangers and overgrown airstrips and big shed complexes not visible from any road, although the most excitement we have had was the dumping of a car stolen by an escapee of Oberon Prison, oh and I suspect that the "Colt" family may have been nearby, although I don't know exactly where.

Regards,
Tote

There are a few of those rural residential sub-divisions in the Lockyer Valley and on the Darling Downs. Usually poor land that the farmer was glad to see gone. Often bought and occupied by feral humans who retire there on the dole secure in their belief that there is no possibility of their being found work. At DSS we called these locations "beno blocks" as they were usually occupied by DSS clients we called "benos". A couple were surveyed townships that were never proceeded with. An easy one for unethical land sharks as the blocks were subdivided and titled and no council kerfuffle had to be a bother. The buyer only had to submit a building application and complying plans.

JD, as a DSS field officer I often noticed certain green plants being grown by benos. Blind eye usually turned unless the beno was a real ***** in which case an anonymous 'phone call would be made to the Drug Squad.

Reminds me of the time a local resident noticed several very healthy marihuana plants growing in the front garden of the Coffs Harbour Court House, next to the footpath and adjacent to the driveway entrance to the local police station.
It caused a lot of mirth when a picture was published in the local paper. I imagine the gardener was 'counselled'.
Monday mornings were when the weekend's fresh dope cases were listed for mention and there was always a decent crowd milling around outside the courthouse, so I guess someone decided to empty his pockets before being called into court.

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

There are a few of those rural residential sub-divisions in the Lockyer Valley and on the Darling Downs. Usually poor land that the farmer was glad to see gone. Often bought and occupied by feral humans who retire there on the dole secure in their belief that there is no possibility of their being found work. At DSS we called these locations "beno blocks" as they were usually occupied by DSS clients we called "benos". A couple were surveyed townships that were never proceeded with. An easy one for unethical land sharks as the blocks were subdivided and titled and no council kerfuffle had to be a bother. The buyer only had to submit a building application and complying plans.

JD, as a DSS field officer I often noticed certain green plants being grown by benos. Blind eye usually turned unless the beno was a real ***** in which case an anonymous 'phone call would be made to the Drug Squad.

The case this week was not a few plants - the report said something like 10,000 potted plants and several hundred kilos of dried crop. It had nothing to do with "feral humans", but was a substantial business enterprise.