In Australian and New Zealand English, a quarter acre is a term for a suburban plot of land. Traditionally, Australians and New Zealanders aspired to own a 3- or 4-bedroom house or bungalow on a section of around a quarter of an acre (about 1,000 square metres), also known locally as the Australian Dream or the New Zealand dream. The land was frequently put to use with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, or lawns for family recreation.
Demand for quarter-acre blocks were driven by easy access to motor vehicles, allowing for more low-density urban sprawl for blocks of these size. Demand in Australia was also driven by waves of European migrants, who were eager to own homes, and may not have had the opportunity to do so in Europe.
The quarter-acre aspiration has changed in recent decades, with sub-divisions, infill housing, apartments, and townhouses becoming more common in large cities, and nearby lifestyle farming blocks becoming popular. Most "quarter-acre" sections are not exactly a quarter of an acre. With urban growth, properties tend to be smaller with new sub-divisions averaging a half or less of the classic quarter-acre.
See also
- Rood, an Old English unit of area, equal to quarter of an acre
- The Half-Gallon Quarter-Acre Pavlova Paradise, a popular book by Austin Mitchell
- White picket fence, a similar concept in the United States
References
- Fruit and vegetables - food in New Zealand, New Zealand History online.
- Timms, Peter (2006), Australia's quarter acre : the story of the ordinary suburban garden, Miegunyah Press, ISBN 978-0-522-85185-4
- Bluett, Ros (23 August 2017). "Australia's home ownership obsession: A brief history of how it came to be". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- Cassidy, Caitlin (30 June 2022). "Bye-bye quarter-acre block: more Australians are living in apartments – but do they meet our needs?". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2023.