My lovely mother-in-law Julia had the wonderful privilege of attending a farm clearing sale in the Otways, Victoria. I was very excited to hear all about her buying adventure, especially as ‘us’ city folk don’t get to attend them that often. I thought it would be nice to share Julia’s contribution with you all on my blog this week so you get the inside information on what goes on behind the scenes of a country clearing. Being an interior designer, I am obsessed with other people’s used antique wares and rusty machinery. All I can say is BEWARE if you are prone to similar shopping addictions.

Definition of a ‘Clearing Sale’ – All the effects off a farm once the farm itself has been sold. A clearing out of the farm’s history, the tools and equipment of a lifetime, sometimes relinquished through tragedy, but mostly through natural attrition – the farm becoming too big for the farmer, the children not interested in pursuing a life on it.

 

Weeks before agents appraise and organise the sale. It is advertised in the paper, usually at the tail end of the property section, and on their website. The Red Cross, or the CWA will have a sausage sizzle if they think there will be a crowd, and there is nothing like an early winter’s morning to sharpen your appetite for a sausage in bread, or steaming cup of coffee.

The clearing sale I went to with a friend today was near Carlisle River, deep in the Otways – river flats and forests, dairy farms and drizzle, curious neighbors, townies, second hand traders, and farmers hoping to find machinery or goods for their own farms.

Usually everything for sale is laid out in rows, with plenty of room to view and bid on what is on the ground or under cover. This one followed the contours of the sheds, yards and lane ways, and the auctioneer set a cracking pace. He won against the drizzle, but many people left early as it got too wet and cold to stay.

If you go to a clearing sale in winter, wear thick socks, gumboots, an old coat, and a warm hat. You might be spending hours in rain, wind or drizzle until that must-have item comes up…and bring cash as this is the currency of choice at sales.

Was it a good day? Yes! – I bid successfully on my item, chalked my name on it, and was released back into the fun and enjoyment of watching others do the same.

By Julia Ditterich