Minimum Land Size For Shooting

[Baldrick314]

Tried google but I couldn't come up with an answer for this. Does anyone know the minimum property size you have to be on to legally discharge a firearm in NSW? Also is there any other restriction such as having to be in a rural area or similar?

[Jack V]

In NSW they don't seem to say , which seems typical of this incompetently run state . However in ACT it's 50 acres and in Qld 40 acres .
However It would be risky to just buy the minimum size block because that rule could change overnight . Also it's not just about size it's also about neighbours . If your neighbours make enough complaints and say they fear for their safety and the noise is excessive , the Police could still shut you down . Always remember that the Police have the power to say you are not a fit and proper person to have a gun licence and then you have to fight it in court to prove otherwise which is guilty until proven innocent which is supposed to be illegal in New Soviet Wales.
I know a property that has heaps of rabbits but I can't hunt any because it is too close to a school and other houses even though there would be no danger at all but other people don't know how good a shot you are or how responsible you are so they can get scared .
I had a mate at Coolabah that lived on a rural block next door to the school and he lost his license for shooting a 22 too close to the school . I warned him the year before that he was taking a big risk but he ignored me. You can't blame the school for being concerned . So it's as much about close neighbours as it is the size of the land.

[Baldrick314]

Cheers mate. I figured neighbours would be a big factor as well. My father in law is looking at buying some land as a small hobby farm and wanted to look into the legality of shooting on the land too, with that in mind I'm sure he'd go around and chat to the nearest neighbours before he got too far in. Still a fair way off purchasing anyway. Thanks again for the info

[Jack V]

Try and get a place where the neighbours are as far away as possible , preferably with scrub or hills between you . That way they can't make a case that they feel threatened . Don't even consider a farm where several houses are all close together you may as well be in the city .
It is a waste of time and money to buy a place and then find out your neighbour is a greenie or the old good neighbour sells up and a greenie moves in .
For a shooting spot first rule is , isolation , second rule is isolation third rule is isolation . What do they say on TV ? location , location , location .
If you intend to run stock then it's a different matter , other requirements need to be satisfied but if it's just to do some shooting then a big isolated scrub block with a few clearings and water is good.

[Warrigul]

A bit off topic and nothing to do with the legalities but 1000 acres is the smallest block worth having for shooting purposes.

When you consider a 400 acre block if it is square is about 1.6 km x 1.6km it doesn't leave you a whole lot of room.

I have(well my self managed super fund does but it is more or less the same thing) a little over 8000 acres with three neighbours (a national park, the Indian ocean and a farmer who leases the grazing so I have no issues).

[1290]

Warrigul, if your thinking of a square mile (old survey unit) its 640Acres, your quite respectable holding is almost half a 'Township' (survey unit) which is 6x6miles

As far as minimum areas.... if I ever hears an 'official' number quoted as the law in acres, I'm highly sceptical given that we metricised more than a couple of years ago....

[Jack V]

A bit off topic and nothing to do with the legalities but 1000 acres is the smallest block worth having for shooting purposes.

When you consider a 400 acre block if it is square is about 1.6 km x 1.6km it doesn't leave you a whole lot of room.

I have(well my self managed super fund does but it is more or less the same thing) a little over 8000 acres with three neighbours (a national park, the Indian ocean and a farmer who leases the grazing so I have no issues).

I agree on that 100% , get as much room as you can afford . WA and Qld have the acre size quoted on their permission to hunt forms but it also made me wonder why it was not metric .

[Warrigul]

Warrigul, if your thinking of a square mile (old survey unit) its 640Acres, your quite respectable holding is almost half a 'Township' (survey unit) which is 6x6miles

As far as minimum areas.... if I ever hears an 'official' number quoted as the law in acres, I'm highly sceptical given that we metricised more than a couple of years ago....

It isn't my holding it is my super funds, to cut a long story short back in the nineties I was young on an exceptional wage and just couldn't see any benefit in locking up money until I was 65 (probably be 75 by the time I get to retire) I ended up buying far more than I wanted to on the s**ty west coast, land that no one wanted once but has increased in value tenfold since land values increased, the leases take care of expenses with a bit left over to keep the government super fund auditors happy so it can stay like that as long as it likes as far as I am concerned. Under the rules I can't officially live on it, but I rent some of it to a "cousin" who has a shack on it.

Nope, I am a hectares type person too but we actually have a few laws that still state acres, albeit in metric equivalent which is still a copout.

[Baronvonrort]

The minimum is around 40 acres in NSW,the permission to shoot forms are in hectares.

[brett1868]

In the process of buying 160.6 ha or about 396 acres which isn't a huge block my any means but it's very isolated. Deciding factors for me were that it's not too far from a good sized regional town (Narrabri), I have family reasonably close (1hr) and the price was right.

[Jack V]

It's plenty big enough for what you want and the isolation and bush will work good .

[RealNick]

The minimum is around 40 acres in NSW,the permission to shoot forms are in hectares.

How does a definition of 'around' work? It can't be written like that in legislation.

I don't know the story for NSW, how do the permission to shoot forms work? You're asking the government if your property is big enough to shoot on, is that it?

Depending on the view on the person approving the form 40 may or may not be enough depending on the shape?

[Momack55]

I have not been able to find any reference to land size minimums in any of the Victorian Firearm legislation documents or the Vic Gov Gazette documents under amendments.
If anyone can publish the exact wording regarding land size limits for shooting on Victorian farm land, please do so!