So, it's the Ipswich line. It carries the suburban trains, as well as various freight trains, and on some delightful occasions (about weekly) a steam train puffs by, which is always pretty special. Is it loud? Yes, sometimes, especially when there's a big pair of diesel engines pulling a heavy load up the little hill. Does it bother us? No. We're surprised by this: you get used to it. We've found that you tune out to the sound of the passing trains, you don't take notice of them, and they rarely wake you. In fact we've become trainspotters of sorts, and found we quite enjoy the world passing by our back fence, as it were. We'd much prefer to live on a train line than, say, on a busy road where the noise is constant.
The next thing you might notice on Google maps is that there's power lines over the back fence too. Again - no hiding them... they're big ones. We were even more concerned about the idea of living near them, given the various theories about how dangerous that may be to your health. An internet search will provide you with a wealth of information (with varying degrees of sensationalism) about dangers associated with exposure to radiation fields as emitted by electrical devices and power lines. Before we even started building our house we hired a radiation meter from ARPANSA (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Advisory), a (in their words) 'Federal Government agency charged with responsibility for protecting the health and safety of people, and the environment, from the harmful effects of ionising and non ionising radiation.' The magnetic field meter we hired from them allowed us to take some readings at various places on the land, in the surrounding streets, and in our existing houses, which we could then analyse against what are seen as 'normal' amounts of radiation in an urban area. We found that yes, if you stood right under the power lines (there's a cul-de-sac nearby where you can) then the magnetic field readings were high. At the sound fence that runs right along the back of Numbers 25, 27 and 29 (our place) the readings were elevated, and fluctuated depending on the time of day. At the position of our house, the readings were normal, and in fact they were the same as the readings in our existing houses, which were nowhere near any of these big power lines. When our house at Number 29 was finished, we hired the meter again to see if there was any difference now that our own power was on. There wasn't. So, we satisfied ourselves that spending time in our house was no different, radiation-wise, to living in any other home with power connected to it.
In short, the power lines are there. We hired the meter, did our own research, and were reassured. We can only share with you our own experience about this matter, and encourage you to do your own research if you're at all concerned about living with big power lines nearby.
Lastly, Oxley is fairly close to the Archerfield airport, so small planes do fly overhead regularly on their approach to the runway. They are mostly propellor-driven, and don't find them a nuisance at all.
So, there you have it. Trains, planes and power-lines! YES!
