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Publication details

A practical guide to assessing and understanding your land so that you can make informed long-term and day-to-day plans. 

This practical, step-by-step handbook helps you as a landholder step back from day-to-day operations and clearly define your vision, goals and actions, while building a grounded knowledge of the unique capabilities of your property.

This book walks you through assessing every part of your property—from soils, water, and vegetation to infrastructure, climate, and enterprise options—so you can make informed, practical decisions.

With easy-to-use worksheets and templates, you’ll build a tailored property plan and map that reflects your unique land and goals. This process not only improves productivity and sustainability but also helps identify risks, opportunities, and priorities for smarter, more resilient farm management.

Now in its 5th edition since 1999, this guide supports better decision-making and long-term success. It brings together modern tools like digital mapping and agtech with proven land management principles, to help you farm efficiently while caring for your natural resources. By the end, you’ll have a clear, actionable plan that strengthens the value and viability of your property for the future.

INTRODUCTION

PART 1 SET YOUR DIRECTION

PART 2 ASSESS NATURAL RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

  • About your property
  • Soil Land capability
  • Water
  • Vegetation
  • Infrastructure
  • Agtech
  • Cultural heritage
  • Climate
  • Energy efficiency
  • Carbon farming
  • Native biodiversity
  • Pest plants and animals
  • Legislation
  • Property enterprises

PART 3 PREPARE A PROPERTY MAP

  • Aerial photographs and satellite images
  • Option 1. Hard copy mapping
  • Option 2. Digital mapping
  • Creating overlays or layers on a map

PART 4 KNOW YOUR POSITION (SWOT)

PART 5 PLAN YOUR RESPONSE

PART 6 PREPARE AND IMPLEMENT PROPERTY PLAN

PART 7 MONITOR AND REVIEW

CONCLUSION

WORKSHEETS

  • Worksheet 1. Values, purpose and vision
  • Worksheet 2. Goals
  • Worksheet 3. Property description
  • Worksheet 4. Property natural resource records
  • Worksheet 5. SWOT analysis
  • Worksheet 6. Review your goals
  • Worksheet 7. Plan your actions
  • Technical note 1. Create a map using a drone
  • Technical note 2. Calculating the scale of your hard copy map

RESOURCES

REFERENCES

Title          Property planning       
Author(s)          David Brouwer (1st ed.), Judy O'Keefe, Charlie Bell, Deborah Law, Noeleen Clarke         
Pages          120         
ISBN          9781742560137         
Catalogue number          B167         
Year published         First published 1999, 5th ed. 2026       
Publisher          NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development         
Price          $40.00AUD (inc GST)


Property plan template

You can download the following Microsoft Word template to edit and print or use digitally: Property Plan DOCX, 31.41 KB.

Property records template

Field observations and records are a vital part of developing and maintaining your property plan. To create digital records, you can download a Microsoft Word template to complete Worksheet 4 on your computer, or to download and edit it to suit your needs and print out: Natural Resource and Infrastructure Records DOCX, 38.07 KB.

There is also available the Excel spreadsheet XLSX, 19.77 KB version of the tables in Appendix 1 and 3 of the 4th edition.

Buy now

Paperback / Hardback - $40.00 Buy now
eBook - $20.00 (iPad/iPhone) Available on the iBookstore
eBook - $20.00 (PC/Android) Get it on Google Play
Property Records template - FREE (Microsoft Word) Download free
Property Plan template - FREE (Microsoft Word) Download free
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